He chuckled. “Nothing. Just not very… churchy.”
“Like I said, this is temporary. And don’t worry, I’m not a churchy kind of gal.”
He smiled approvingly. “Go get ‘em, Callie.”
I nodded, kissed his stubbled cheek, and made sure to rub off some of my makeup on his collar, which he hated, and then I left.
Sometimes a daughter needs her daddy to help her put on her armor. Even when he doesn’t know it.
Chapter 27
I entered the marbled foyer of the nicest hotel I had ever seen. The Ambassador Hotel. Gilt trailed the ceilings and marble pillars — not unlike those I would have expected in the Parthenon in Greece thousands of years ago — held up the frescoed ceiling.
Men and women — employees — in immaculately pristine suits stood with hands behind their backs, speaking quietly and subserviently with guests as they passed by. I walked up to the desk, plucking off my sunglasses as I opened my mouth to speak, feeling out of place in the jeans and dark t-shirt I had changed into. But I had worn a light disguise — sunglasses and a fedora — per Nate’s request.
“Madame Upchurch, please follow me. Master Temple is expecting you.” A middle-aged man with dark, perfectly combed hair scooped up a package from beneath the desk, slipping it behind his back as he smiled at me. His name tag said Manager underneath the name Richard.
I blinked at the name he had used to address me, and the fact that I hadn’t said anything to him yet. “Expecting me, is he?” I said in a frosty tone.
“Um. Yes?” Richard’s smile slipped. “He is in the penthouse, if you will please follow me?” And he began walking to one of the elevators. I watched him warily, wondering what was in the package as I followed him into the elevator. He slipped a card into the wall above the floor buttons, and a small panel slid back on the metal screen, revealing an additional set of floors not visible before. I blinked, quietly impressed. I didn’t know Kansas City had things like this. It was like a Bond movie. He pressed the highest button, the panel slowly slid closed, and he removed his keycard.
His hands began to move, bringing the package before him as his other hand reached for the opening. I slammed him against the wall, forearm across his throat as I snatched the package away, breathing quickly. “Don’t move,” I warned, not trusting his shifting, now terrified eyes.
“Ah. Okay. Please. I was asked to deliver it to you. I didn’t mean to—”
He cut off as I tore the top of the package away, glancing inside quickly.
I blinked, then took a quick step backwards, releasing him.
I looked up. “What is the meaning of this?”
Richard was still up against the wall, remaining very still as he stared at me nervously. “I—I’m unsure, Madame. Master Temple requested I deliver it to you.” His eyes caught a look in the open package and he visibly relaxed, slowly lifting his head to meet my eyes, all sense of nervousness gone, replaced by offense and mild reproof. “It appears to be a garment. Very dangerous.”
Then he very pompously turned his back on me, rubbing his throat as he let out a sniff.
I stared down at the package, slipping my hand inside to feel the sleek, dark green fabric of a dress. My anger slowly returned, but for different reasons now. He was… trying to bribe me with shiny clothes? It looked like Nate was about to get his first lesson on manners in a few minutes.
The door slid open and Richard stepped out as quick as a snake, holding out a hand in introduction. “Madame Upchurch, welcome to Master Temple’s suite.”
My anger faltered as I took in the wide-open space, complete with expensive furniture, priceless art, and even a baby grand piano sidled up against the wall-to-wall windows overlooking the city below. The marble floors gleamed where expensive rugs weren’t covering them. Nate sat on a couch in a living area, swirling a glass of greenish liquid as he smiled at me. I started, realizing he wasn’t alone. A blonde man sat watching him, drinking a bottle of beer. He didn’t turn to look at me, merely waited in silence.
Nate shifted his attention to the manager. “You will find something for your troubles on the table, Richard. I thank you, and apologize in advance. Judging by the look on her face, I was right?” he asked, not even trying to hide a smirk.
Richard’s face was all smiles. “Madame Upchurch was a perfect Lady, Master Temple.” But he did swipe up a plain envelope on a side table before he departed. He faced ahead, still smiling as the doors closed. He didn’t look at me once.
Nate was barefoot in expensive-looking black jeans that emphasized his legs nicely. He wore a white t-shirt that looked like it had a black — feathered, of all things — unicorn shattering a rainbow with his long, barbed horn. I couldn’t read the words below the image, but it didn’t look like any of the cartoon unicorns I had ever seen. It looked like a straight-up killing machine.
I glanced at the very tall, heavily muscled man sitting in a chair opposite him, but angled so that I could only see the profile of his face. He had long blonde hair, a thick, bushy beard, and as he turned to face me, one icy blue eye regarded me curiously. I instinctively took a step back. He was missing a freaking eye? That was a tragedy on such a handsome man.
He didn’t look offended at my reaction, but instead gave me a warm, welcoming smile. He stood, dipping his head politely, an old-world gesture. Even that slight motion made the muscles under his tee stress the fabric, and I noticed pronounced veins trailing down his forearms to where a small rune of some sort was tattooed on his wrist. He wore working-man jeans and military styled boots, stylishly unlaced. “I’ll be around, Nate.”
“No, you won’t. For once in your life, Gunnar, listen to me.” Nate said, exasperated. “The situation is delicate, and you have more than enough to deal with in St. Louis. I’ll be finished here shortly. Your help here has been valuable, but we’ve got it from here.”
“That auction didn’t sound… delicate,” the man said, frowning at Nate. He looked ready to pummel someone with his fists, but maybe that was just his muscles. He didn’t sound angry, but he did sound determined. Did Nate work for this man? Danger oozed from him, as if violence was only a heartbeat away. There was something… raw about him. Primal. “Not even considering the news with the wolves and fangers…” he trailed off cryptically.
“We can handle it. Just stick around until we leave, in case Richard returns. Turn some music on, too. I left some chew toys in the bedroom for you if you get bored.” Gunnar scowled at that, but Nate ignored it. “Once Callie and I are finished here, I’ll head home. We have much to… discuss.” He said the last part guardedly.
Gunnar grunted, as if that were the biggest understatement of the year. “Fine. But we’re only a phone call away if you need it. Don’t do anything stupid. We can’t afford it.”
Nate rolled his eyes. “You know me—”
“That’s why I’m belaboring the obvious, Nate,” the man grumbled as he rolled his eye. He handed Nate a small cloth bag without a word. Nate pocketed it with a nod. Then Gunnar turned, dipped his head at me, and began walking down another hallway deeper into the suite. “I’ll grab my things. Make sure Ashley is ready to go.”
“I’ve been ready to leave,” a new voice spoke from behind me. I flinched, rounding on her, eyebrows furrowing as I saw a small red-headed woman smiling at me from a hallway I hadn’t noticed. She didn’t look dangerous, not with that smile and those secretary glasses. She was maybe a hundred pounds, but curvy enough to make me jealous.
But as I studied her eyes, I felt a sense of danger radiating from her. Not directed at me. Not directed at anyone. Just… there. She had a similar tattoo as Gunnar, and subconsciously rubbed at it as she dipped her head at me. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, Miss… Upchurch, is it?” her eyes twinkled with amusement, letting me know she found the name ridiculous. “My name is Ashley. I keep that big brute of a cyclops in line. He’s not potty-trained yet.”
I nodded, feeling a smile creep onto my face as Gunnar growled
something unintelligible in the background. Nate piped in his agreement with the big man, and Ashley flashed me one last smile before turning away. “I better go make sure he’s not chewing on the furniture or marking his territory. See you, Nate. Soon.” It didn’t sound like a request, but Nate chuckled.
I turned to see him shaking his head at her as she walked past him after Gunnar. “Don’t let anyone see you leave. We’re having an important meeting, remember?” Ashley snorted in response, waving a middle finger over her head in answer, which made Nate laugh out loud. He took a sip of his drink before turning back to me.
I put a fist on my hip, waving the package at him. “What the hell—”
“The color will bring out your eyes. Hungry? We have much to discuss.” He downed his drink, and stood, briskly striding deeper into the suite and around a corner.
I spluttered angrily, but had no choice but to follow him. I wasn’t going to yell at his back. No, he was going to look me in the eyes as I brought him down a peg.
The smell of savory steak wafted in the air as I followed the sound of his bare feet on the marble floors. “Temple,” I began, gritting my teeth, but cut off as I noticed we weren’t alone. How many fucking people were hidden in here?
Two cooks were in the kitchen, one plucking two steaks out of a pan while the other prepared a bowl of salad on the counter. They didn’t raise their eyes, but I wasn’t about to cause a scene in front of them. Nate turned to smile at me, as if knowing very well what he had done.
The bastard.
I smiled back, showing teeth as I carelessly tossed the package into the corner, near a trashcan. Nate’s face tightened, but he seemed more amused than anything. He clapped his hands lightly, and the chefs bowed. I hadn’t realized that they had finished, and were standing still before their creations, eyes downcast, hands clasped in front of them.
“It smells delicious. I think Madame Upchurch and I can fend for ourselves from here on out. Go see Richard. He has something for you.” They curtsied, and were soon leaving the way I had just come in. They even murmured politely as they passed me.
This was ridiculous. No one needed this kind of retinue in a freaking hotel. Why not just order burgers and fries from room service? I wasn’t here to be dazzled by his money.
I opened my mouth to say so, but Nate spoke first.
“If I had my way, I’d order a pizza and be done with it. But…” his eyes trailed off, scanning the city. “People expect a certain something from me. Maintaining that perception keeps them from wondering what else I may be doing. And that’s become very important to me lately,” he said, sounding distracted.
He turned to me. “Of course, I can have them whip up a pizza if you don’t want steak and salad,” he offered. I shook my head slowly, suddenly seeing a new side of him at the tone, as if I was meeting the real Nate for the first time. He held out a hand to a sliding glass door. “It’s a nice night, and they have a table outside if you’d like some fresh air. Or,” he motioned to the stools at the kitchen island, “we can just chow down here.”
“Outside sounds nice. It’s finally stopped raining.”
He wandered over to a small open bar, doing something with a spoon, a cube of sugar, a glass pitcher of ice water, and a bottle of green liquor. “What would you like to drink?”
“I’ll take one of those.”
He paused, then glanced over his shoulder. “You like absinthe?” he asked, sounding surprised.
I shrugged. “Never had it before.”
He turned back to his creation. “I’ll make you one, but if you don’t like it, be honest. I can always make something else. I pay for the whole cart either way, so might as well sample as much as we can.”
Which sounded oddly enough like a segue into getting drunk. Not his tone, but the words.
That wasn’t going to happen. I glanced out the windows as he worked. Food did sound good. Maybe not a whole steak, but that smell had alerted my stomach, and it was informing me that it would consider mutiny if I didn’t at least sample the food. And those chefs had taken the time to make it. It would be rude to not eat.
But it would have to be a quick meal. Sunset was a few hours away, and we needed to get moving before that. With the wolf selling his spear to the vampires, I was confident we would be doing a little staking tonight. We had to be finished robbing the vampires before sunset, before they woke up. I realized for the first time that I was hungry to take them on, not afraid.
Because someone needed to pay for hurting Father David.
Staking vampires would sate my appetite better than sampling Nate’s steak.
I set my Fedora down on the counter. I wouldn’t be needing it.
Chapter 28
We finished our meal, casually getting to know each other a bit better. It felt more like a polite job interview than a date, because we had been around each other a handful of times over the past few days. He didn’t press me on anything in particular, and seemed to be purposely keeping the conversation on surface topics, not trying to dig into my past, my association with Roland, or even me personally — like one normally does on a date.
It was entirely professional, even if it was strained — on my end. He seemed completely content with the conversation, which was baffling, because I had expected flirting, arrogance. Instead, I was enjoying myself.
I had read up on Temple before heading over here. He was known for depraved parties, raucous public intoxications, and alleged trouble with the law that he always seemed to skate from. Even some trouble with the FBI. Then something hit me. Gunnar, the man who had been here. That name had been mentioned with the FBI a few years ago when Nate had been accused of something. Gunnar had taken the fall for it, and had been released from the Bureau over it.
“Do you work for the FBI?” I asked lightly, not wanting to ruin the mood, but curious.
Nate grunted. “No way. Gunnar used to, but was forced into early retirement. He works at Shift now, but he and Ashley also run a business on the side.”
I had been wanting to bring up Shift — the name of the school he had recently founded. “He’s a werewolf. So is Ashley. Do you work for them?” I was having trouble piecing together the news articles with what I had seen of the man before me.
Nate blinked at me, but I didn’t know if it was because of my observation or my question. “You know that from three minutes of conversation with them? Must have run into werewolves in the past to be able to pick up on that.”
I shrugged. Ashley’s teasing comments had confirmed my initial instincts, but he was right. I had known a few wolves from bad dates.
Nate set his fork down, leaning forward on his elbows. “I don’t work for Gunnar. He doesn’t work for me. We’re old friends. He likes to mother me. And Ashley likes to mother him. They’re engaged.” He watched me, waiting for any other questions I might have.
“Okay,” I finally said.
He nodded. “Now, you wanted to know why the wolf was killed. I wasn’t able to get confirmation, but I do have a theory. Let me back up a bit so it all makes sense.” I nodded, sipping my own drink. It was quite good, this absinthe. Strong, but refreshing. “Gunnar and Ashley swung by to check on me early this morning since I didn’t return to St. Louis after the auction. I told them about the chaos and the strange looking werewolf. They didn’t believe me about the wolf so they tracked his pack down to see if I was lying. That’s how they learned about the sale with the vampires. These strange wolves were very open about talking to Gunnar and Ashley, probably because he’s the Alpha of St. Louis, and although different, they are still kind of in the same gene pool. It should be noted that they repeatedly warned Gunnar and Ashley to get out of town, before they got in over their heads.” Nate met my eyes, underlining the significance. I nodded. The wolves were scared of something. But what the hell could scare a pack of wolves?
“The pack had originally planned to sell a broken piece of a spear to the vampire at the auction, but the Nephilim’s murder m
essed that up, because everyone freaked out, feeling they had been set up.” I blinked in disbelief. Had Roland known about this? That a second piece of the spear had been at the auction?
Nate continued. “The wolf and vampire you met made peace after the auction, and completed their exchange. When Gunnar finally tracked the wolf from the auction down, he found him dead, brutally killed by a jagged piece of wood that may or may not resemble a broken broom handle.” I nodded distantly, following the chain of events, and struggling to hide my amazement. I felt a faint frustration that his friends had been working behind my back, but at the same time, this information was crucially important. “I told you this already, but since we didn’t know why, Gunnar went back out to the wolf pack.” He paused, taking a drink. “They were gone. Every one of them. They took the same advice they gave Gunnar and ran. Wolves don’t do that.”
“I’ve never heard of a pack of wolves running. Ever,” I agreed. “We’ll just have to ask the vampires what happened. Then kindly ask them for their piece of the spear.”
Nate smiled at that. “You told me you were attacked by the Demon outside the church…” I nodded. “And Father David was also attacked.” I nodded again, watching him. “I’m thinking they ran from a third party, not the vampires. I think the Demon hunted that wolf down, and finding him without the spear, killed him. And the rest of the wolves fled. I can think of little else that would cause an entire pack to flee their homes. The Demon would have recognized the wolf from the auction. It makes sense. To me, anyway.” He turned to me, waiting for my opinion.
I found myself nodding. It did make sense. The Demon had one piece from the auction, and could be systematically going after anyone else who had a piece.
“Looks like we’re going vampire robbing, then. Before the Demon decides to.”
“I’m glad you agree, because I have a plan to get your Cruci-stick.”
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