ELEVEN
“Holy shit, look at you already here. What’s the matter, Jack, get yourself into some kind of trouble?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“I call bullshit. Why else would you be holed up in this joint instead of back at that pad of yours? God knows it’s better looking than this. Probably smells better too, although I can’t be sure about that. Been a long fucking time since you invited me over, you asshole.”
Jack looked up from his glass of scotch with a cold look on his face. Delbert Green was not a man he enjoyed being around. He was the kind of man, in fact, that Jack would gladly have ripped apart with zero hesitation back when he’d still been in his bloodthirsty days.
In those days, he’d killed almost entirely without discrimination and people he actually disliked were a joy to watch die. He was a whole lot more refined these days, which was the only thing that allowed him to act as co-owner of The Blood (something very few people or patrons knew about), but that didn’t mean the urge in him had totally died out.
Even when he got to the point where he thought it actually might have, all it took was seeing his partner’s face and he’d remember just what it was that he was. He would remember his true nature and would both mourn and rejoice.
“Bah, don’t give me that look. I was only kidding. You think I want to come hang out at your crib? My ass, I want that! Jesus, you think I’m out of my fucking mind? Hangin’ out with your kind is a hazard. If anyone in this whole wide world knows that, it’s this guy. And it’s a hazard I only take on when it involves a beautiful woman. A vampire woman, that is.”
“You’d be surprised. They grow tiresome much faster than you might think.”
“Tiresome? Bullshit, they grow tiresome! Those chicks are wild! Only a guy like you could say a thing like that. Handsome fuck, you don’t know what it’s like for the rest of us lubs. And you gotta go and act all emo about the whole thing.”
“I’m sorry, emo? How exactly did you get that?”
“This whole idea that the world around you ain’t good enough. Probably the same reason you’re holed up in here in the dark the way you are, drinking your so-called sorrows away. I mean, what sorrows? The world is your fucking oyster! Grab it by the balls!”
Throughout this entire exchange, one that much more closely resembled a monologue than a conversation, Jack never took his eyes off Delbert. As he took another sip of his scotch, he made a conscious and deliberate effort not to bare his teeth. He wanted to, badly.
Everything in him was telling him to dismember this fool and be done with it, the consequences be damned. Except that doing a thing like that would jeopardize everything he’d built, which was something he wasn’t prepared to do. Not yet, at least.
It wasn’t that he needed the money because he didn’t, not even close. If anyone around him had a clue how much he was actually worth, they probably would have completely lost their shit (a modern saying Jack had never really gotten the point of). It was probably in the billions, and that was just going off the information he’d gotten the last time he looked into his finances.
It was something he didn’t do nearly as often as he should have, although it wasn’t something he worried about. His banker had been with him since the man was a measly twenty-five years old. He was now well into his seventies and had seen far too much of what Jack was to ever betray him. No, it was the money Jack needed the rich middle aged Texan for, but the credibility.
He was loath to admit that he needed a man like Delbert for anything at all, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t true. Delbert Green was somewhere in his fifties, the exact age something he would never admit to and always seemed to change. He was of average height, with an ever-increasing paunch hanging over his vast collection of belt buckles. He treated that paunch like it was his pride and joy instead of a heart attack waiting to happen.
He wore a cowboy hat at all times and liked to say that he even wore it when he was fucking. Jack couldn’t imagine a woman wanting to fuck him at all, but people did surprising things for money. He knew that much from personal experience.
So what exactly was it that Jack found in Delbert? It was the fact that he was human, and that he was unscrupulous. Through methods Jack had yet to discover, Delbert had found out about the existence of vampires and while he had no desire to out them, he did have a desire to capitalize on them.
He had approached a Jack Swells who was in a place where he wanted to put down roots. They had struck an agreement and opened The Blood with Delbert acting as the face of the club and Jack as the silent partner with all the necessary knowledge. It was a magic combination, for whatever reason, and the club was widely popular. It was so popular that they had to be very careful with who they let in and how many people.
They’d shut down randomly without warning and without apology, just in order to keep fewer people from knowing about them. They wanted the business, but it was a dangerous game they were playing. If not for Delbert than most definitely for Jack. It was playing with fire and he knew it. He just had no desire to quit.
“Seriously, Jackie boy, what the hell are you doing here? Something wrong with your place? They fumigation it or some shit? I keep telling you, you need to get a place of your own. What the fuck are you living in a high rise for? You could have one of those mansions everyone is moving out here for! Why not get one? Hell, with the money I’m thinking you have, get two!”
“No, there’s nothing wrong with my place, Delbert.”
“Shit, how many times do I have to tell you, Jackie? Call me Del! I hate the name Delbert. You know I do.”
“I apologize. Del, then.”
“Good, that’s better. Now if your place is all right, why’re you here? I know it ain’t safe for you to be out when it’s too sunny out, which means you must’ve come here before the sun was all the way up. So what gives?”
“He must’ve had a lady with him. That would be my educated guess, were my opinion to be asked.”
Another sip of scotch and a greater temptation than ever to rip Delbert’s head off his body. He didn’t turn to look who had answered the last question because he didn’t have to. Scarlett’s voice wasn’t one he would ever mistake. What he wasn’t too sure of was why in the hell she was here.
He had a suspicion, a sneaking suspicion, but a part of his brain was telling him it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t fucking possible. But then he looked again at Delbert’s face and for the first time noticed how smug an expression the man wore.
When he finally forced himself to look at Scarlett, he saw disdain etched into every crevice of her face. She looked beautiful, of course, just as she always did, but she also looked full of hatred. Not that it was unusual for her, not at all. He was only curious as to what her cause was for hatred this time, and why it was directed at him.
“Scarlett. I see you enjoyed your time in the club.”
“Of course, I did, Jackie, why wouldn’t I? I enjoy everything that belongs to you.”
“Goddamnit, I told you to keep your mouth shut. Why’d you go and tell him? Hey, look, Jack, I didn’t mean to tell her. It just kind of slipped out. She was looking so damn fine and all of her attention was directed right at me. She didn’t even ask me until she was riding me cowgirl style. What the hell was I supposed to do? I would’ve given her my bank number if she’d asked me.”
Jack hardly heard anything Delbert was saying. He was staring at Scarlett, searching her face with probing eyes that made her look down at the floor. That was when he was sure that something was up. Scarlett never broke eye contact with someone. It wasn’t in her nature.
He stood slowly, walking toward her with such deliberation that she actually stepped back from him. It was only when she did that that Delbert even noticed that there was something going on between the two vampires and just like any man who drastically overestimated his importance and ability, he stepped between the two and hitched up his britches.
“Now hold on just one minute. I’ll thank you not to fuck with my company like this. What’s the idea, anyway? Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to mess with a lady?”
“She’s not a lady, Delbert.”
“Jesus, man! Get a hold of yourself!”
“It’s quite all right, he’s not offending me. The two of us go back a long way.”
“All right,” Delbert was now quite red in the face at that point and hitching up his pants compulsively, one of the surest signs that he was royally pissed off. “I think it’s about time someone tell me what the fuck is going on here.”
Scarlett turned on him so quickly even Jack didn’t see it coming. One minute she was standing beside him with a sweet, demure posture and a low and gentle voice. The next, she had him pinned up against the wall with her teeth exposed and ready to strike. Despite the considerable amount of weight Delbert had on her, Scarlett had managed to lift him straight off his feet so that they dangled helplessly in the air.
“What’s going on is that I believe you’ve outstayed your welcome. I’m certain that your usefulness has been completely used up.”
“Put... me... down.”
“What was that?” Scarlett wore the most malicious looking smile ever to grace the world, clearly enjoying the fact that Delbert could hardly speak with how tightly the hand around his neck was holding him, “I don’t believe I heard you.”
“It’s enough, Scarlett.”
“No, Jack, I don’t believe it is. Why do you put up with this bastard, anyway? What on earth could have compelled you?”
“I said it’s enough.”
“And why would you have a club with him? Why would you take me here and not even tell me you were part owner?”
So that was it, then. The silliest, oldest driving force in the world: jealousy. She was jealous of the life he’d built for himself in Austin and jealous of the fact that he hadn’t felt the need to tell her a thing about it. She was still, in so many ways, just like a bratty little girl.
The ways she expressed that, though! They were truly horrible and had been for decades. As far as Jack was concerned, she was the classic example of an old dog that could never be taught new tricks.
“Is that what you want? You want to hear some explanations? Fine. Put him down first. Put him down or I’ll make you.”
“Ah, there’s the man I remember. Fine, if you say so.”
In a fluid motion, she turned to face Jack and let Delbert go. He fell swiftly to the floor, where he crumpled into a heap of coughing and cursing. Scarlett didn’t even bother looking down at him, just stepped around him as if he were a mess she had made and expected someone else to clean up.
“Honestly, I don’t know why you didn’t just tell me. What an odd little game to play, bringing me here and leaving me in the dark.”
“What tipped you off?”
“Easy, watching you with that man last night, that awful one you called Lucas.”
It took Jack a moment to realize what she had just said. The night that he’d brought her to The Blood, Lucas hadn’t even been around. So, then what was she talking about?
“Last night, silly. I was here, watching you. Not that you noticed, of course. You were so busy. So busy entertaining.”
“Delaney. That’s what you’ve got a problem with.”
“Ugh, Delaney? What a silly name. A silly name to go along with a silly looking girl. She’s just so... American.”
“She’s beautiful. You know that, too? Don’t you? It’s unattractive, you know, the way you’re acting.”
She made a snarling face at him, looking truly ugly and full of hate. The look was only on her face for a split second, however, quickly replaced by the smoothly unconcerned expression she was so used to wearing. She moved past Jack and moved behind the bar, acting as if she was the one who owned the place instead of him. She looked pleased, which was when Jack started to get actually worried.
There was something more here, a card she hadn’t yet revealed, and whatever it was would be the truly horrible thing she had been looking forward to throwing in his face from the moment she traipsed through the door. Looking at her then, he remembered why he loathed her so completely. Love and hate, the two of them had always swirled inside him in a constant conflict.
For Jack, that conflict was finally resolved. There was no love left there, probably hadn’t been for years and years. What had remained between the two of them was memory and history. For Jack, those things suddenly mattered no more. Here she was, blown into town as if she had never left with nothing better to do than try and blow his life apart. He wanted her gone. He wanted her gone as quickly as possible and for her never to return. He was her maker and there was no way to undo that, but any tie he felt to her was gone.
It was a freedom he wouldn’t fully understand until he was well out of her grasp, but that didn’t make it any less true. For the moment, however, he still had Scarlett to contend with, which was no small task.
“What is it, Scarlett?” He was watching her wearily now, trying to prepare himself for whatever it was she would say, “What is it you’ve done now?”
“You know, it’s amazing how easy it is to take something from someone when their attention is totally somewhere else.”
“Really? And what is it you’ve taken?”
“Oh no, not me, love. I’m not interested in that kind of thing. It was easy to get someone else to do it, though. All I had to give him was a phone number, and it wasn’t even mine.”
“Fine, what did you get someone else to take?”
She pulled a small piece of plastic out of her pocket, laying it down on the bar with a smug little smile. Jack stood still for a moment, wanting nothing less than to look at what it was. Maybe if he didn’t see what it was, it wouldn’t really be there? Except that he knew it wasn’t true.
A longer than natural life had taught him that lesson better than he’d ever wanted to learn it. So instead of burying his head in the sand, he moved forward and picked up Scarlett’s little souvenir.
When he looked down at it, it was Delaney’s face he saw looking back up at him. Her green eyes were piercing, even in the grainy little photo, and he felt a jolt to his heart as he remembered the feel of her against his skin, the way her face had lit up when she smiled.
“Her driver’s license? What would you have taken her license for?”
“Why, so I would know where she lives, of course. Don’t you think it’s insane that the government has them put that kind of thing right there on that piece of plastic? Right there where anyone and everyone can see it?”
“I’ll ask you again, Scarlett. Why did you want her ID? Why did you want it enough to have someone swipe it from her?”
“You know, you’ve made a real enemy for yourself, Jack. Sad but true, I’m afraid. That man Lucas, you stepped on his toes, and all because you had to have that elfin little thing for yourself. And then to kick him out of the bar? Good god! Talk about rubbing salt in the wound.
Let’s just say I took pity on the man and followed him out of the club. We had a chat and I promised him I’d help him find a way to feel better. As it turned out, all that took was getting him the young lady’s address. As for your partner, he was disgusting but necessary. I wanted to see what I didn’t know about you, you see. I thought it was high time to educate myself. And just where do you think you’re going?!”
He hadn’t bothered waiting for her to finish her speech, a speech he was sure she’d practiced with herself in the mirror. He’d started for the door the moment he realized where she was going with what she was telling him. It was unimaginable, but he knew what her revenge was now. Delaney. Her revenge was Delaney.
That poor girl. The only thing she’d done wrong was to capture his attention. He’d wanted her and Scarlett had punished her for it. Even the thought of Lucas having her in his clutches made him feel a physical ache. He could still smell her on him, could still see the way she had been all curled up in his bed when he’d gotten himself up in the predawn light and driven to the club.
He’d left because he’d wanted to think. He’d had sex with thousands of women but he couldn’t remember enjoying a single one of them the way he’d enjoyed her. And it was for more than the taste of her blood, although that was mighty sweet.
It was something about her, about some essence of her he couldn’t put his finger on. Maybe part of him had seen it before they’d even spoken. Maybe it was why he’d been so ready to step in and come to her rescue when Lucas had been hounding her. He’d certainly left because of the unexpected attraction.
Like a fool, all he’d been doing was sitting and drinking his goddamned scotch while he thought about what it might mean to have this strange new feeling for a girl. He’d sat there and guzzled his scotch and while he did that, Lucas had gone after Delaney. It was his responsibility to get her back. He would do it or he would die trying.