I grabbed his arm. “We can’t leave it here. Even if it is a trap. If we can grab even one of the pieces, the rest will be useless. Then this whole thing can be finished.”
“Or we could both die. Roland won’t like that.”
I smiled at him, ignoring my racing heart. “If that happens, you’ll be dead. No need to be scared of the old man.”
He grunted, and let out a sigh. “Just stay behind—Callie!” he hissed as I darted past him into the living room.
Chapter 30
Not a soul moved in the room, but the overwhelming stench of blood finally hit me.
These men hadn’t died easily. Well, they had been killed quickly, unable to even let off a shot, but their ends had been brutal. Throats ripped entirely out of their necks. I even saw a limb beside the lamp, still holding a rifle. What could have done this? The Demon? Another kiss of vampires?
Whatever it had been, it was efficient and ruthless. That much was obvious.
But I could see the shaft of wood sitting on the table, just like Nate had said. I darted forward, ready to grab it and Shadow Walk out of here the moment I had it. Then I saw that one end was a metal point. It was the tip of the spear. Would that cause a problem with Shadow Walking, like the glass marbles in my palm?
Then I buried the thought, feeling my earrings dangling from my ears. They were still there, so Shadow Walking itself must not prevent metal. Just Nate’s balls.
I snatched up the spear, letting out a nervous breath as a pulse of power throbbed a single time against my palm, then faded to nothing. The jagged wooden end was bloody, but the slow squeal of a wooden door opening at the other end of the room made me flinch.
A pale man stood there, snarling at me, fangs glistening wetly, eyes latched onto the spear in my fist. “She told us you would come, child. Warned us you wanted revenge for Master Simon’s offense at the auction. But he didn’t agree,” the voice hissed, sounding as if dripping with venom. “Why didn’t you stake the rest of us like you did Simon? You were already downstairs. Perhaps I’ll find out before I drink every drop of your blood and retrieve our spear.”
He was clearly limned against the light from a doorway that led downstairs. Claws shot out of his fingers, and he opened his mouth in a silent roar. He took a step closer, consumed with his thirst for vengeance. It sure looked like I had killed Master Simon, the one from the auction that had abducted Claire. Nate was right, it had been a trap. I was standing with the weapon that had staked their Master.
The vampire took another step and suddenly burst into flame.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here!” Nate shouted as more feet pounded up the stairs from below. Screams and feral shrieks accompanied the pounding feet. Before I could move, forms piled out of the doorway, jumping over the body of the burning vampire to stare at Nate and me.
Something on the table caught my attention, and I glanced down, momentarily stunned. A silver cross. Identical to those sold by our church in the small gift shop. I saw the name of our church stamped on the underside of this one — Abundant Angel.
With a wave of hisses and screams, the vampires attacked. They crouched, jumped, and sprinted, trying to dodge sudden lances of flame that shot from Nate’s hands like arrows from a bow, except twice the size. I didn’t accurately know how to Shadow Walk where I intended, and was likely to end up somewhere even more dangerous if I did it blindly.
Instead, my bladed kamas flared into being, and I began flinging them around the room like hatchets. They crackled with blue-tinted light as they flew through the room. One vampire lost his head at my first throw, but another merely lost an arm, not slowing as he flew at my face.
I fell back, holding up the spear, and he crashed onto my chest. The broken shaft — the already bloody wooden end — pierced his heart, and he collapsed in a cloud of dust over my body, sending me into a coughing fit as I struggled to scoot back.
A fist grabbed me by the hair, and I lashed out with the spear, slicing the hand.
“What the hell?” Nate’s voice hissed. “Let’s get out of here!” I turned to see him clutching his hand. Whoops.
He turned and ran, motioning me to follow. I noticed that a wall of flame blocked off the basement door, and the three vampires that had burst into the room were all down, but I heard more monsters screaming at the flames that prevented them from avenging their brothers.
My mind raced as I pounded down the hall after the bare-foot billionaire. The vampire had said they had been warned, and that they knew I would come. That their master had dismissed it, and that someone had snuck downstairs to stake him. With the weapon in hand, they thought that person me. But he made it sound like they had been specifically warned about me, before their master died. But if someone snuck in here, killed a dozen guards, and then staked the Master, why hadn’t he taken the murder weapon? And who was trying to set me up? Two parties. Someone to warn them. And someone to sneak in for the kill. I doubted it was the same person, or he wouldn’t have snuck in to warn them in the first place. He just would have come in to kill them. And they would have taken the spear. One of them had to be the Demon, but again, why wouldn’t she have simply taken the spear.
Was it just a crazy coincidence? The murderer, not the person who had warned them. Maybe a vampire hunter happened to sneak in to kill the master vampire the same night we were coming. But any vampire hunter would have felt like a kid at Christmas to find a collection of vampires sleeping. He would have staked all of them. Especially after killing all the guards upstairs.
What the hell was going on?
We burst outside, and I saw Nate was approaching the corner of the house, urging me to follow. He darted around the corner, no doubt wanting to make sure we were still safe from another gang of monsters. I rounded the corner behind him, my fan suddenly hovering before me in case any more monsters, guards, or bullets were found to be waiting for me.
But I found nothing other than Nate standing there, waiting. He held out a hand, and I instinctively jerked the spear away from him. He frowned at my motion, but held out his hand again, waving it as if I were mentally handicapped. Only then did I realize that he hadn’t been asking for the spear. He was trying to Shadow Walk us the hell out of here.
I obeyed, slapping my palm into his just as screams and pounding feet burst out of the door to the house behind us. The world snapped to black, and a heartbeat later we were back on the roof of Nate’s hotel, a faint cracking sound echoing off the nearby buildings. I collapsed to my knees between the table and the raised ledge overlooking the streets below, panting anxiously, reflexively darting my eyes around us to make sure we were safe.
Just then, the door to the roof opened, and I whirled, spear tucked behind my back.
Richard, the manager, stared at me kneeling on the ground, and looked embarrassed that he may have startled me into falling down. He flicked an uneasy glance behind me, as if hoping Nate hadn’t seen. I turned to see Nate behind me, staring out at the city, calmly drinking his wine, oblivious. I turned back to the manager, grinning sheepishly. “You surprised me,” I said.
“My apologies, Madame Upchurch,” he dipped his head politely. “Do you need my help?” he asked, taking a step forward. I shook my head, climbing to my feet. He obeyed, halting his advance. Then he called out towards Nate. “I phoned your room, Master Temple, but you didn’t answer. I wanted to see if you or your guests required anything…”
“Thank you, Richard. My other guests are downstairs, likely freshening up for our night out. Madame Upchurch and I came up for a spot of fresh air.” His voice was cool, clipped, obviously lost in thought. He hadn’t turned to look at Richard. “That will be all.”
The man bowed, even though Nate wasn’t watching, and then shot me an apologetic look. Then it hit me. Judging by Nate’s cool tone and my embarrassment — not to mention me on my knees a pace away from Nate — he had to have assumed the worst, that he had interrupted a very, very private moment. Like a first kiss, for example
. Or something even more scandalous… Richard blessedly closed the door behind him before I could die with shame, leaving Nate and me alone on the roof.
We had done it.
So, why did I feel like our problems were only just beginning?
I calmly walked up to the table and poured the rest of the bottle into my glass. I shoved the spear into my back pocket and took a deep drink of the wine as I looked at Nate’s back.
He didn’t turn, just continued to watch the skyline before him, and I had a momentary vision of him, superimposed over another. Like Alexander the Great staring out at his kingdom.
I let out a breath and finally stepped up beside him, not speaking for a minute as we enjoyed our wine in silence.
“They were waiting for us. Waiting for me. It was a trap. You were right.” I finally said.
He nodded absently, not looking at me.
“I need to get this to Roland. He can take care of it.”
He nodded slowly, still not turning. I saw that he was holding his wine with his injured hand, blood staining the stem of the glass. I winced guiltily.
“Sorry about that. I thought—”
“I know what you thought,” he said softly. “It’s nothing. I’ve been hurt worse.” His eyes were distant, or looking inward, one of the two. Either way, they weren’t here, in this moment. Like I didn’t matter. He was done with me. We had done the thing, and that was that. He looked like a man thinking on his to-do list, neatly placing a check next to the silly girl with the white hair.
“Would you like me to join you?” he asked, interrupting my inner pity party.
I blinked, caught off guard by my momentary flash of anger. But why was I angry? He had done what he said. I had done what I set out to do. We were finished with the job. I had told him I wanted to do it my way, so I had no right to be angry.
“No, I’ll be fine. I’m sure you have other things to do…”
He nodded absently, and I found my unjustified frustration rising, even though I knew that wasn’t fair. Maybe it was his lack of interest. I didn’t like being treated like Richard.
He saw me as a tool. Used and discarded after I had served my purpose. I turned to leave and his hand flashed out to lightly grasp my hand, the one not holding my wine. I felt a unique impression on his palm, almost like a raised scar of calloused flesh, but it took everything I had to hide my sudden intake of breath.
“Relax. Finish your wine. Take a breath. These moments are golden. You never know when you’ll get another one…” he trailed off, and I could have sworn I heard him add something in Latin under his breath. It had sounded like Memento Mori but I didn’t know what that meant. A memento? Who was Mori?
But I nodded, letting out a breath, pretending to comply, but really using the excuse to calm myself. I was all over the place tonight. Perhaps it was fear from the unknown. The vampires had known I was coming. And someone had done an exceptional job framing me. But I had the spear tip. That was a win, right?
I caught the last of the setting sun touching the rim of Nate’s glass and hid a sudden grin. He was drinking from the glass I had sampled earlier. I watched as he lifted the glass to his lips, exactly where the faint imprint of my lipstick was. A small smile touched his face, and I had to suppress the shiver that tingled my lips. Was he smiling at the taste of the wine, or… the taste of my lipstick? Or merely amused that he realized he had grabbed the wrong glass. I didn’t dare ask. Didn’t want to ask.
But there had been that tingle on my lips.
I was just fuzzy from my lunch date, hungers long buried suddenly roaring to the surface, hungry for a touch of flesh on flesh.
That was all.
His smile grew wider and he hummed lightly to himself before taking another drink. I peeled my eyes away, staring out at the city.
It was good wine.
Nothing else.
“To Mori, whoever the hell he is,” I said, smiling at him. He flinched, rounding on me in surprise. He watched me for a second, and then began to laugh, deep belly laughs.
“To Mori,” he laughed again, raising his glass.
I clinked my glass against his. The two marks of lipstick-stained glass touched, and my stomach fluttered again. He didn’t seem aware, still chuckling at my toast.
Chapter 31
Roland held the spear before him, studying it intently, eagerly. “Incredible, Callie. Truly.”
I shifted from foot to foot, glancing back at Claire. She looked smug at her involvement in my victory. “Thanks for covering for me.”
She shrugged, smiling. “Felt pretty cool. Like I was in a movie or something.”
“You were sure to use my name?” I pressed.
She nodded. “Yep. My coworker, Jenny, wore her hoodie just like you asked, just a bit of a white hair clip-on showing, and I made sure the reservation was under Callie Penrose. We had a nice dinner. Not that I understand why. It’s not like anyone important goes to that place.”
I smiled back. “I know a handful of cops that do. I’ve never been there without a cop present at a table. The nearby precinct loves the burgers they have. And the Guinness, judging by the few that have hit on me there. You used my card?”
Claire nodded. “Yep. Jenny paid for dinner with the card I slipped her.”
Roland was watching us curiously. I shrugged at him. “I told her to have a trusted friend,” I shot Claire a questioning look, and she nodded adamantly, miming zipping her lips, “pretend to be me and pay for dinner. Just in case there are any questions or reported thefts later. Or if anyone is following Nate Temple’s acquaintances in town. They’ll know that the girl that spoke to him briefly at the auction was at a dinner tonight, paid for it, and hopefully a cop or two will personally back up my story. If not, they have my debit card used there.”
Roland nodded, a very considering look on his face. “That is very… devious of you.”
I shrugged, not wanting to take too much credit. “Nate told me I should have an alibi. But the plan was all mine.” I wanted to make sure I was honest with Roland. His face seemed to demand it, even with something as innocent as this. He never would have known otherwise, but I felt better coming clean. “So, how do we get it to the Vatican?”
His smile faltered. “We can’t do that yet.”
I frowned, confused. “I thought if I got one of the pieces out of their hands…” I saw the guilty look on his face. “What’s going on, Roland?” I demanded.
He sighed, setting the spear down on the blankets over his stomach. “We need all the pieces. One piece can call out to another if the right person knows how to look for it.” I gritted my teeth. “And since the Demon is hot on your trail, I fear she will know how to use it for that.”
“And when were you going to tell me this part?”
He met my eyes. “I had hoped to be up and out of bed before you got it. But Claire says my convalescence will be longer than I thought.” Claire’s look told me the other side of the story. Roland had likely intended for it to be a two-day bed rest, when it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that he would be down for at least a week. “I had intended to help you get the other pieces. But it looks like your efficiency has brought you another task. No good deed goes unpunished,” he smiled, trying to douse my anger with a sense of pride at a job well done.
I scowled back, not falling for it. “I need to get the other two pieces.”
He nodded, at least looking a little ashamed. “Nate will help. I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew this would be the case already.”
I began to get pissed off, remembering the quiet moment Nate and I had shared less than an hour ago, sitting on the roof. He hadn’t been quiet because he was dismissing me. He had been planning our next move, knowing that the game wasn’t over. His distant attitude took on a new light now as I imagined him scheming, planning, and calculating our next play, all while leaving me unaware.
Letting me think we were finished, and ready to part ways, but knowing that wasn’t the
case.
Like a small test.
Would these assholes — as different as they were — never cease playing their games, trying to be delicate with me? It was downright infuriating. Sure, I had been nervous, terrified even, about my first job, but I had done well! I wasn’t a piece of porcelain on the shelf.
Every single man I knew seemed ready to protect me from bad news, whether I wanted it or not.
“Fine,” I growled angrily. “How do we keep that one safe while I get the others?”
“I can mask it for a time.”
“Of course you can. I’m sure you told me that already, but my tiny female brain must have dismissed it because it was too scary,” I snapped, appreciating his resulting wince. “I’m going to get a drink. Perhaps the bartender won’t be scheming behind my back. Claire, let’s go.”
“Callie—” Roland pleaded.
“No, Roland. I’m always honest with you. Always. Even with the alibi thing. I didn’t have to give Nate credit. I could have let you believe as you would. But I didn’t. I told you the truth. You didn’t. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” That one hurt him, but I didn’t care. “I’ll be back later.”
And I stomped out from the room, ignoring his protests behind me. I heard Claire grabbing a light jacket as she hurried out of the apartment and joined me in the hall.
We sat in a bar, walking distance from the apartment, but one I hadn’t checked out before. I hadn’t wanted to see any familiar faces. I was two shots down before I felt calm enough to smile. It took me one more shot to use words. I leaned close to Claire. “Sorry. It’s just… that man!”
She nodded, accepting my apology, although her smile let me know it wasn’t expected or needed. A mischievous gleam entered her eyes. “You talking about Roland, or… Nate?”
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