“There won’t be a trial,” Caitlin said.
“Honey,” her mom said soothingly, “Testifying will be hard, but these men need to be brought to justice. You don’t want them to do this to some other woman, do you?”
“That won’t happen,” Justin assured her, and Caitlin felt the rage he worked hard to suppress when he thought about her abduction. “The men who did this won’t hurt anyone ever again.”
Her mom’s eyes widened. “Are you mafia?”
Justin chuckled. “No, but a member of my family was responsible for Caitlin being hurt so we took care of the matter.”
“That sounds like mafia to me,” she said calmly and then studied Justin. “Of course, that’s not what you are. Had I not been distracted with my daughter’s outburst, I would have noticed right away. How old are you?” she asked.
Caitlin’s skin prickled.
“How old do I look?” Justin asked casually.
The prickling continued along Caitlin’s skin and she rubbed her arms. She saw the goose bumps raise on Justin’s arms, proving he felt it too. She had no idea what the hell was going on.
“Two‑hundred and one years old,” her mother said with no emotion. “Now can we cut the bullshit? I’d like to hear what really happened, and then I want to know how my daughter became involved with a vampire.”
Caitlin’s mouth hung open in shock.
Justin laughed softly and shocked her by saying. “Your mom is something else.”
“And don’t you forget it,” her mom said in warning.
“Oh, I won’t,” Justin assured her. “How do you know so much about my kind?”
“Some of my best clients are vampires,” she explained.
“Well hell,” Caitlin muttered. “This has been one of the strangest visits I’ve had with you, and that says a lot.”
Her mom smiled. “You know you love it.”
Caitlin returned her smile. “I do. You’re a total bad ass, Mom.”
“Just like her daughter,” Justin said with pride.
“You really love her, don’t you?” her mom asked.
“There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her,” he said without breaking eye contact with her mom.
Her mom nodded. “Then I’m sure we’ll get along fine. Of course, it goes without saying that if you hurt her, I’ll make sure you die in a very painful way.”
“Damn,” Justin said in awe, “you really are a lot like Caitlin.”
“Did you drive all the way out here?” Caitlin asked before realizing it was a stupid question since her mom had pulled up in her own car.
“I got tired of having my calls ignored,” her mom said.
“I don’t ignore all of your calls,” Caitlin said sheepishly.
“True,” her mom agreed, “you answer some but try to get me off the phone as quickly as possible. I decided it was time to figure out what was going on. Honestly, I expected to find out you were pregnant and trying to hide it from me. You’re terrible about remembering your birth control pills, and condoms break.”
Caitlin shuddered. “That won’t happen any time soon.”
Her mother looked doubtful. “I’m well aware of the vampire culture. They prefer to get psychic women pregnant right away to change them.”
“That does happen,” Justin admitted. Caitlin was glad he wasn’t lying to her mom. Lying was one of those things her mom wouldn’t tolerate. “My original plans for Caitlin involved getting her pregnant. Naturally, I’d like someone who can live as long as I can, but I want her to finish school and her residency first.”
Caitlin watched her mom’s eyes narrow as she studied Justin. “Really? You want my daughter to become a doctor? Forgive me if I find that hard to believe. From my experience, your kind doesn’t appreciate strong women. The family I represent only works with me because they worked with my father.”
That made Caitlin snort. “Yeah, the men in this family are getting used to strong women. Do you think Justin would pursue me if he didn’t like strong women? The man stalked me for three years before I finally gave in and admitted that I found him attractive.”
“Stalked?” her mother asked.
“Your mother might actually be scarier than you,” Justin said under his breath.
“And don’t ever forget that fact,” her mother warned. “So, now your plan is to wait until Caitlin finishes her residency to impregnate her? A child should be loved and wanted by both parents, not just part of some plan to extend the life of one of them.”
“Pregnancy is no longer a necessary component of the change,” Justin explained. “My uncle’s wife can’t have children.”
“Lydia’s married to his uncle,” Caitlin added.
“Lydia?” That seemed to genuinely shock her mom. “I had no idea she couldn’t have children. Although, she never seemed to want any.”
“She doesn’t want to have kids,” Caitlin said. “It’s a long story, but she’s the reason they know pregnancy isn’t necessary. This is such a bizarre conversation. I knew I’d have to talk to you about Justin eventually.”
“Since when?” Justin asked.
“Since I kidnapped you,” Caitlin said, and her mom burst into laughter.
Struggling to get her laughter under control, her mom forced the words out, “You kidnapped a vampire?”
Caitlin flashed a sly smile and nodded. “I had a little help from his cousin, but he left me no choice. The dumbass walked out on me because he thought it was for my own good. More than three years of stalking, and he just left me. That was so not going to happen.”
“I should know better than to make any decisions for Caitlin,” Justin added. “The woman is a force to be reckoned with.”
Her mom’s face softened. “You’re going to do just fine. Are you two free for dinner?”
“Sure,” Justin said.
“We could do an early dinner, but we’re supposed to meet some friends in Berkeley to see a show,” Caitlin said.
Justin groaned. “When did that get decided?”
“While you were sleeping last night,” Caitlin said. “Trish invited us, so I invited Lyd. I’m going to wear those new boots you like so much.” She was also hoping to make him crazy with lust while they were out. Justin was always more aggressive in bed after they went to a club, but she had no intention of sharing that with her mom present.
With a sigh of resignation, Justin nodded. “Who are we seeing?”
“The Memphis Murder Men,” Caitlin answered, and Justin looked relieved.
“Good. I like them,” he said.
Her mother laughed again. “You certainly have him trained well. We’ll grab lunch before I find a hotel so you don’t miss your show.”
Justin started to open his mouth, and Caitlin was sure he was about to offer to let her mom stay with them. Her elbow to his stomach was enough to make him hold his tongue.
“We’ll be ready to go in a few minutes,” Caitlin told her mom.
Chapter Eighteen
“How did I let you talk me into this?” Justin asked as he and Caitlin made their way into the crowded club.
Caitlin looked over her shoulder at her uptight vampire. Wearing a jade green dress shirt and perfectly pressed black pants, he looked completely out of place at the club. With a sexy smile, she gestured to her jeans, leather corset top and high‑heeled boots.
“That’s right,” he said with a laugh, “you promised to wear those boots and stay out of the mosh pit.”
“Nice try,” she said. “I would never promise to stay out of the mosh pit. Too bad Hannah couldn’t come. That girl is a lot more fun at a club than I would have expected when we first met. Well, she was more fun before she became a mom. We haven’t gone out since then.”
They stopped at the bar so Caitlin could order a drink.
“She’s not drinking now,” Justin reminded her. “Sober, she’s not the type to jump into a mosh pit. Besides, something tells me she’d rather stay home with Noah and Hope.”
&n
bsp; That was true; Hannah enjoyed her mommy time. Caitlin scanned the room to see if anyone else had already arrived. “Ah hell,” she cursed when she saw Trish with Nathaniel.
“Don’t worry about them,” Justin assured her. “Nathaniel won’t sleep with Trish.”
Even so, they looked way too cozy. A little taller than Justin and broader through the shoulders, Nathaniel towered over Trish. One of Trish’s delicate hands rested on the sleeve of Nathaniel’s bare arm. Both were dressed in head to toe black. They looked very much like a couple.
“Stop glaring at them,” Justin said.
“This could be very bad,” Caitlin said. “Did I mention that I invited Roman and Lydia?”
“You told me earlier, but I’d forgotten about that. Are they coming?” Justin asked.
“According to Roman, they aren’t coming,” she said. “According to Lydia, they are.”
“Meaning, they’re coming,” Justin said. “Well, Lydia will have to get used to seeing Nathaniel around. For whatever reason, he and Trish are friends.”
“Seeing Trish on a date with Nathaniel is not going to start things off on the right foot with Lyd,” Caitlin muttered. Lydia hadn’t liked Nathaniel’s involvement with Hannah from the beginning. Actually, Lydia hadn’t liked Nathaniel at all. Now she had a really good reason to dislike him and no one held a grudge quite like Lydia.
Trish saw them and put up one hand to stop Caitlin. “Before you say anything, this is not a date. I can’t drive at night and didn’t want to deal with any horny drunk guys coming on to me. Mikey was supposed to come, but he got called into work at the last minute.”
Mikey was a former classmate of Trish’s who occasionally posed as her date. Caitlin could see how Trish had ended up with Nathaniel, but Lydia was still going to lose it.
“Lydia’s coming tonight.” Caitlin said.
Nathaniel cringed. “Maybe I should leave and just pick you up when you’re ready to go home.”
She’d probably regret it later, but Caitlin decided to read Nathaniel and Trish’s thoughts because it was easier than trying to figure out if one of them was lying about their relationship. Yeah, she knew it was wrong, but she was still going to do it. Trish wasn’t lying about not having any romantic inclinations toward Nathaniel. Considering how rare it was for Trish to have romantic inclinations about any guy that didn’t come as much of a shock. What surprised Caitlin was the depth of Nathaniel’s feelings for Trish. He definitely wasn’t interested in her in any sexual way, but he cared deeply for her. Apparently Trish wasn’t lying about them being good friends. Nathaniel was an excellent choice to watch over Trish because he would likely kill any guy who tried to push things. That didn’t mean Lydia was going to be happy about Nathaniel’s presence.
“Are you done reading their minds,” Justin asked close to her ear.
Her cheeks heated from being caught, but she wasn’t about to admit she might have done something wrong. “Yes, and I’m satisfied.”
“Son of a bitch, I need a drink,” Trish said, earning shocked gasps from Caitlin and Nathaniel. Trish rarely used profanity.
Caitlin looked over to see what had Trish so upset only to find Lydia and Roman heading their way. Caitlin still hadn’t gotten used to Lydia’s hair which grew to her ankles every time she cut it. It was crazy seeing her look like Rapunzel.
“I told you they were coming,” Caitlin said, and then she saw the third person in the group. Alek Draksel had stopped to grab a beer at the bar and was just walking up behind Roman.
Lydia’s smile turned into a frown when she got close enough to see Nathaniel. “What the hell?” Lyd asked with a hand on one hip. Roman was holding the other hand, and Caitlin didn’t miss the warning squeeze he gave Lydia’s hand. Not one for subtlety, Lydia turned on him. “Don’t try to warn me to keep my mouth shut. You know that never works. Deal with your son!”
“What exactly do you suggest I do?” Roman asked with one raised eyebrow. Roman was even more uptight about his clothing than Justin, so it was a surprise to see him in blue jeans and a grey t‑shirt. Lydia was obviously responsible for his attire and messy hair.
“I don’t know. Don’t you have a crossbow in the car or something?” Lydia asked while continuing to glare at Nathaniel.
“Am I to take it that my services aren’t needed?” Alek asked as he stepped forward. His eyes focused on Trish. “I was led to believe that the lovely Trish needed a strong man to protect her.”
“Got it covered,” Trish said with a saucy smile. She yanked Caitlin’s drink out of her hand and downed the entire thing. Since Trish wasn’t much of a drinker, this turned out to be a huge mistake on her part. She gasped and choked. Nathaniel and Alek both reached out to help her.
“I’ve got it,” Nathaniel said almost angrily to Alek.
“Don’t worry, Nephew,” Alek said and pulled Trish close, “I’ll take care of her.”
Trish pulled away and glared up at Alek. “I’m not interested, so back the hell off.”
Caitlin draped an arm around Trish’s shoulders. “Let’s go buy me another drink and maybe one for you. This is the first time you’ve ever stood up to a man, and I’m damn proud.”
With that, Caitlin maneuvered Trish toward the bar with Lydia by her side. “Oh my God, Trish! I am so sorry about bringing Alek. When Caitlin invited me, Alek was at the house. He wanted to come with, and I just figured you could use some back up. I wasn’t sure if you had a fake date and you weren’t answering my texts.”
Trish frowned and pulled out her phone. “I didn’t get any texts from you.”
“Crap!” Lydia said and pulled out her own phone. “I was texting your mom again. She must think I’m crazy.”
“No,” Trish said and patted her arm.
Caitlin snorted.
“Okay, she thinks you’re crazy, but she’s felt that way for years,” Trish admitted. “Why did you have to bring Alek?”
“I didn’t even know you’d met before,” Lydia explained, “but I should’ve been suspicious when he asked to tag along. I’m not reading this wrong, am I? You met Alek, and it wasn’t a happy meeting. That was insane the way you told him off! For a minute, I thought you were going to slap him.” That was Lydia. She went from subject to subject and often forgot what she originally wanted to say or ask.
Luckily, Caitlin had years of experience interpreting Lydia. “Trish and Alek met, but I had no idea she didn’t like him.”
“I don’t dislike him,” Trish insisted.
“You freaked out and downed Caitlin’s drink when you saw him,” Lydia pointed out.
“I did not freak out,” Trish insisted and then let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay, maybe I freaked out just little, but he makes me uncomfortable.”
Caitlin was glad Lydia was there. Even though Caitlin was more in touch with her feelings now, she still didn’t want to be the friend who dealt with everyone’s emotional crap. Lydia was much better at that sort of thing.
“Don’t let him get to you,” Lydia said. “I get the impression Alek likes to flirt a lot, but he seems harmless. Besides, you’re off limits to all Draksel men so Alek will leave you alone. I’m more worried about Nathaniel.”
Caitlin had been waving at Lydia to stop her, but it was too late.
“I am sick and tired of those stupid vampires telling me who I can and cannot have sex with. They don’t make decisions for me,” Trish said and marched up to the bar. “Give me something with a lot of alcohol!” she demanded.
“She’ll have a diet cola,” Caitlin told the bartender.
Trish glared at her. “You don’t get to order drinks for me.”
Caitlin cocked her head to the side and gave Trish a sweet smile. “If you drink, you’ll end up groping Alek Draksel. Is that the direction you want this evening to go?”
Trish’s eyes widened, and she turned to the bartender. “Diet Coke is fine.”
“Now, care to tell me why you’re so high‑strung?” Caitlin asked. “Make it quick
; the Memphis Murder Men are opening, and that’s the only reason I’m here tonight.”
Lydia smacked her. “Don’t be a bitch. Trish is going through something. Did Alek try anything with you earlier? He didn’t use that mind control crap, did he? If he did I’ll cut his fucking balls off.”
Trish took way too long answering the question, which raised Caitlin’s suspicions. Something had been going on with Trish and Alek when she’d walked in on them, and Caitlin was pretty sure neither had told the whole truth about the situation. Having already intruded on Trish’s privacy once that night, she refrained from reading her thoughts a second time.
“He didn’t really try anything,” Trish finally said. “It’s just strange the way he flirts with me.”
“Roman says Alek flirts with everyone,” Lydia said.
“Is that your way of telling me he’s not interested?” Trish asked.
Lydia giggled. “Not at all. Alek has a very healthy appreciation for women, or so I’ve been told. What I’m saying is that he’s going to flirt. Men are always coming on to you, and a man as skilled at flirting as Alek will come on to you even more. As much as it pains me to say this, I think you should pretend to be with the jerk when you’re around Alek.”
“Are you okay?” Nathaniel’s deep rumbling voice interrupted their conversation, and Lydia scowled at him before forcing a smile.
“Your uncle is freaking Trish out. You’re here to keep all the boys away from her including him. Pretend you have something going for tonight,” Lydia ordered.
“Very subtle, Lyd,” Caitlin muttered.
“I don’t do subtle,” Lydia said. “That’s why I’m going to remind you this is just for pretend. If you ever hurt anyone I care about again, I will kill you.”
“Don’t worry,” Nathaniel assured her. “I’ll take care of Trish.”
“And you won’t turn it into anything more than make believe?” Lydia pushed.
“We’re just friends,” Nathaniel said.
Lydia gave him a curt nod and made her way back to Roman.
“I don’t remember her being that bossy before,” Nathaniel remarked.
The Vampire Will See You Now (Psy-Vamp Book 4) Page 11
