A Witch Called Red: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Red Witch Chronicles 1)
Page 11
“Run, TJ!” The nerdy vampire pushed up his glasses and rocketed up the ramp, his blurring pace marred by a slight hobble.
Red lowered her crossbow to check out Vic’s arm and the chalky, sweaty cast of pain over his features. “Your arm is bending wrong, Vic.”
“Watch out!” Vic pointed with his cross, but he was too far away.
Swiveling around, Red raised the crossbow, but she was too late. The cold hand gripped her throat. She gasped, staring at the vampire fangs dripping venom onto TJ’s starched collar and tie.
“You’re letting me walk out of here, or I’m snapping this human bitch’s—”
Lucas moved so fast, he seemed to teleport. He grabbed TJ by the neck and snapped it quickly before slamming the vampire to the floor. He looked at Red. Amber shone out through his gray eyes. “Are you okay?”
Red nodded and stepped back.
Lucas pulled a stake out of his pocket, twirling the wood between his fingers, and looked down. “By the law of the bloody supreme, Cora herself, you’re dust.”
The parking garage spun as Red croaked out, “Stop!”
She was too late. Lucas had already knelt and staked the vampire. He leaned back on his heels. “Look at me, acting like a good citizen.”
TJ decayed to a dry skeleton, leaving only a scrap of tie around his neck bones.
“Shit, we could have questioned him.” Red sighed.
“Ah, fuck! My arm.” Vic groaned as he walked over to the pile of bones and kicked at it. “This dick broke it.”
“Those were the minions who broke into Quinn’s place.” Red said once she regained her voice, her mind still focused on the predatory territorial gleam to Lucas’s eyes when he’d twisted the minion’s neck.
“They knew I was investigating the murders,” Vic said. “They wanted to know what I knew.”
Lucas looked around. “Come on, let’s get you back into your rooms.”
“Oh, yeah, the hotel is paying for a private doctor to come here.” Vic said as he walked with them out of the garage. “Unbelievable. We were promised a sanctuary spell on neutral ground. Don’t they know who we are?”
“I think that's the problem.” Red said before she looked at Lucas, remembering her manners. “Thanks for the rescue back there.”
“Anytime, Red.” Lucas said. “Anytime.”
She smiled, then hurried to help Vic who began to stumble by the hotel front door.
Lucas beat her to him and put Vic’s uninjured arm around his shoulders. “I got him. Let the hotel know their rutting protection spell doesn’t work in their garage.”
Red held the door for them before alerting the front desk, then she joined Vic and Lucas up in the hotel suite. She looked at the coffee table and frowned. “Where is Julia’s laptop?”
“Someone broke the door lock,” Vic said from his seat on the couch, clutching his arm.
Lucas paced behind the couch, sniffing like a hound on the scent.
Red went into her room and checked her stash under the dresser to find her laptop bag and her wallet full of fake IDs still hidden. She sighed in relief, then moved on to Vic’s room in the suite. She preferred to hide low, but Vic was a high hider. She looked around the room before noticing a vent above the slick black desk. Climbing on the desk, she stood on her tiptoes and flipped the knob on the vent to open the slats to reveal a sturdy laptop, built like a brick and running on Linux.
“Looking to break your arm too?” Lucas asked, leaning against the open doorframe.
“Seems fun, but not today.” Red hopped down from the desk. “Looks like our stashes are safe.”
“They didn’t do the same smash and grab like at Quinn’s.” Lucas scanned the room as he stepped inside.
“Does Quinn know what they took?”
Lucas shook his head. “Doesn’t think they took anything.”
“Weird.” Red shook her head, walking past Lucas to the doorway, inhaling his sandalwood scent as she passed closer than anticipated. “I think they knew what they were looking for this time.”
She looked away from his gaze, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks for no reason, to check on Vic who groaned on the couch.
A Middle Eastern doctor and a vampire handyman came soon after with a fervently apologetic hotel representative who presented flowers and a complimentary upgrade to their wards.
The hotel representative practically begged them to not tell anyone that their ward malfunctioned in the parking garage or that their rooms had been burglarized. Their reputation was what justified the Pandora Hotel’s steep room rates. He promised to examine the hotel footage for the burglars. The door lock was repaired before Vic’s arm was cast.
Red gestured to Lucas and brought him through her room and out onto the balcony. “When I searched the files on Julia’s laptop, I discovered that she was doing research on the vampires in this town. I was able to grab some of the files. Vic will need to decrypt them tomorrow. With him out of commission, I’ll have to work double time on the case.”
“Bloody hell, Red. You need to lay low until the Summit’s over. Hide out here and catch up on TV.”
“Excuse me? I don’t need to do anything.” Red put her hand on her hip. “There’ve been two bodies in three days. Do you really think it’s going to stop? This isn’t just some vampire not playing by the rules. This is bigger.”
“You sound like Vic.” Lucas crossed his arms over his chest. “Is there a conspiracy, Mulder?”
Red matched his stance and tilted her head. “You’re a vampire. You know that nothing is simple when this many get together. I was going to ask for your help, but if you’re going to be like that, never mind.”
Lucas jammed his hands in his pockets and studied her. “What do you need?”
“A man on the inside.” Red smiled and pulled out her phone. “Now, you don’t have a Facebook. I won’t hold that against you, because neither do I. But I’m guessing you have a phone. Give me your number.”
Lucas recited the number.
Red typed it into a text message and sent him a quick message so he’d have her number too. “Alright. So, can I trust you to have my back?”
“That and then some, Red.” Lucas’s grin was cheeky, but his eyes were serious.
“Good to know.” Red dipped her head and walked past Lucas off the balcony and into the living room.
She flipped through her phone’s contacts before she landed on Quinn Investigations and hit the dial and speaker buttons. It was time for a group powwow on the Greene-Crispin case. She had an idea for the next lead to chase. The guys were going to hate it.
Chapter Nine
October 27th, 2018, Sunset, DB Models, Fashion District, Downtown, Los Angeles California, USA
Eyes darting around the scanned PDF on her computer screen, Red checked the personnel file of a model named Georgia Erickson. Everything looked normal about the PDF. Only the physical folder had a sticky note on the inside that read: DEAD. Red saved a copy of the file and transferred it to her thumb drive. She took the physical folder, swiveled in her chair, and filed it in the rolling file cabinet behind her.
The light dimmed from wide west-facing windows as twilight chased the last hint of sunset away. She stretched and pushed her fake heavy-framed black glasses down. She blinked, trying to gather her thoughts, and resisted the urge to yawn. It had been a long day of digging.
The original two victims had been joined by a possible third, Georgia Erickson who was found dead weeks ago. All three models were trying to leave their contracts. Georgia had already been signed by Elite Models when she died. The hours flew by as Red tackled scanning and organizing the files from the last few years. Red knew she needed to get out before sunset, but she needed to know more.
When Red had come in this morning in her low kitten heels and cardigan, packed lunch in hand, she didn’t know what to expect from the house that Delilah Byrnes built. She didn’t even know if she could get in. Quinn’s ex-wife and sire had been mentioned, but Re
d hadn’t seen her beyond a few pictures of a blond in designer clothes giving off alpha woman vibes.
Last night, she had brainstormed with Vic, Quinn, and Lucas on how to get into the agency. Quinn hadn’t liked the idea. Vic wanted her to hook him up with a model. Lucas stayed quiet. It took some arguing before they finally agreed that coming in as a temp would give her the best access.
Lucas told her that he would take care of it. Just to show up, he said.
Linda Li, the general manager, had been curt when she arrived until Red explained herself, then the other woman nearly cried from joy.
Ms. Li had been crying out for help digitizing their files for five years. DB Models was one of the oldest boutique modeling agencies in LA, and the filing system reflected it. The bustling office was soon filled with aspiring models, photographers, and agents, leaving Red alone with the file keys.
It was like instead of robbing the bank, the clerk just put the robber on the payroll. She might have infiltrated their system, but she left it more organized than she found it.
A petite Asian woman in red pumps and a matching designer suit approached her cubicle. “Stephanie, time to clock out. It’s past six.”
She looked down at the short pile of records stacked on the desk next to the scanner. “Hi, Ms. Li!” Red tried to sound as perky as she imagined a Stephanie would be on her first day on the job. “I’m nearly done with last year’s records.”
“I’m glad you decided to start with the new ones. I already needed to search the digital files today. So much quicker than walking back and forth to the physical files!” She chuckled. “Is this what it’s like working in the computer age?”
“You’re welcome. It’s my pleasure.”
Ms. Li nodded. “Keep this up, and you won’t stay a temp!”
“That’s what I like to hear.” Red smiled. She had spent most of the day searching files and trying to eavesdrop on office gossip, but beyond one model saying Delilah’s boyfriend looked like a sexy pirate, she hadn’t gotten much of anything. Nothing on Julia Crispin or Olivia Greene, specifically. Even discreet questions hadn’t dug up more than confessions about what so-and-so did in Milan or which three models were dating the same rock star.
Lucas had told her she only had today to spy, then her cover would be blown once Delilah came in. “Um, before I go, can you tell me if you have any specific orders on how you want me to organize the files of deceased personnel and models?”
“Oh, those poor girls—two murders and a suicide.”
“Did they ever find the killers?” Red asked, leaning forward, trying to find the appropriate blend of sympathy and morbid curiosity.
“This is a hard town.” Linda shook her head and put her hand on her chest. “Keep them off the hard drive so Ms. Byrnes doesn’t see. She was so upset. You can actually just pile the folders on this desk, and I’ll take care of them later.”
“Are you sure? If there are more, I can dig those up before I go.”
“God willing, those are our only tragedies. I’m already impressed. You don’t have to volunteer for more work.” Linda put her hand on her hip. “Now, I’m salaried, so I have to stay late. You go and enjoy yourself. Celebrate your new job. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Red smiled and nodded, logging off the computer and bending over to grab her purse and the thumb drive. After saying goodbye to Linda, who retreated into her cubicle, she headed for the door.
The thick wave of blond hair covered the familiar woman’s face as she stared down at her phone. She opened the glass door leading to the sixth-floor office, tucking her phone in her pocket..
Red’s eyes darted around, trying to find a sanctuary amongst the open desks and low-walled cubicles. There was nowhere to hide.
Delilah Byrnes had the classic beauty of Old Hollywood with her oval face, pillowy red lips, smoky blue eyes, and Veronica Lake curls. An eyebrow arched when she spotted Red. “What do we have here?”
“A temp.” Red nodded and smiled, feeling a bizarre urge to curtsy. She tried to keep her heartbeat steady.
“I didn’t order one of those.” Delilah’s eyes narrowed under her fake eyelashes.
Red furrowed her brow, trying to look perplexed, before she said in her best valley girl voice. “I was told to report to the general manager. I was referred by All Star Staffing. OMG, what if I just worked all day at the wrong place? Do you think they will still pay me?”
“You’re good.” Delilah’s lips curved into a smirk. “I almost believe you. Now, who are you, really?”
“Stephanie Connor from the agency.” Red looked over Delilah’s shoulder and was calculating how quickly she could run past her when she saw Lucas open the door.
“Hey, Stephanie, ready to go?” Lucas said as he strode in. He nodded to Delilah. “Delilah, nice dress.”
“Don’t tell me you’re responsible for this piece of déjà vu.” Delilah crossed her arms over her chest.
“Yeah, I met Lucas at a nightclub on Sunset, and he told me I should apply for this temp job.” Red shrugged. “I always wanted to be a model.”
Delilah rolled her eyes. “Michel didn’t tell me what the girl at the nightclub looked like.”
“She’s not the same girl.” Lucas reached for Red’s hand. His fingers entwined with hers, causing little sparks under her skin.
Gesturing to Red, Delilah laughed. “I have eyes, Lucas. Now I know why you paid me a visit last night.”
“So, I guess I don’t get the job?” Red asked, voice pitched higher.
“Leave before I change my mind.” Delilah put her hands on her hips with the poise of a model at the end of a runaway.
Red let Lucas hold her hand and lead her out into the hallway.
“She’s just going to break your heart again, Lucas!” Delilah called after them. Her tone coiled like a mellow snake, the venom under the surface.
Lucas waited until they were out in the dry heat of the concrete jungle of downtown. “And now, you’ve met the devil who wore Prada.”
“That’s Quinn’s ex-wife?” Red said, as she pulled her hair loose from her low chignon and pulled off her fake glasses. “I wasn’t expecting… She’s an intense person.”
“You were supposed to leave before sunset.” Lucas directed her down the street, cabs and cars rushing past them. “I came to check in when you didn’t text the group at five.”
“I know. It was stupid of me. I just got lost in the work. I actually did a great job on those files. That’s really going to streamline their workflow.” Red pumped her fist before realizing her inappropriate enthusiasm. “I also found clues too.”
Lucas reached out to brush his thumb against the apple of her cheek. “Had some ink on you.”
“Thanks.” Red looked down. “How’d you get me in there?”
“Managed to snatch Delilah’s cellphone last night to send a text to her manager.” Lucas looked down before he glanced up at her, head tilted with the mischief of a little boy.
“Sneaky, sneaky.” Red laughed. “So, now what?”
“Ever ride a motorcycle?” Lucas patted the seat of his parked bike.
“Not on the back.” Red smiled. Her heart raced and she felt a blush move up her neck to her cheeks. Was this how Juniper felt with Lucas? Like anything could happen at any moment?
He opened the pannier to pull out a small helmet to hand to her. “First time for everything.”
Red took the helmet and passed him her purse to store in the bike’s pannier. She hopped on the back of the bike, adjusting the skirt of the new green sundress she had bought this morning. She bit her lip as she wrapped her arms around his middle. Her white cardigan sleeves looked so bright against his dark leather jacket. “Keep in mind that I’m precious cargo.”
“That you are, Red.” Lucas put on his own helmet and started the bike, turning them into LA traffic.
Lucas drove like the immortal he was, weaving in and out of traffic, only slowing down when he spotted a lurking cop car.
“You can let go, Red.” Lucas said over his shoulder after they’d stopped.
“Oh.” Red swung her leg off the bike, brushing the back of her skirt down. She hadn’t ridden in months, and her legs felt like jelly. Pulling off her helmet, she shook out her hair and handed him the helmet. “How bad is my helmet hair right now?”