CHAPTER 16

 

Vincent didn’t like the way Ignazio was hanging on Lara. He didn’t like Ignazio’s pretty boy good looks, or the way his curly brown hair tumbled over his forehead. He looked like he should be on the cover of a romance novel, and Vincent hated him for it. Maybe Ignazio had brought Vincent and Lara together—which was a good thing—but that didn’t mean he couldn’t tear them apart.

The strength of his jealousy surprised him. He’d become so attached to Lara in such a short time, and now here he was, wondering if maybe Ignazio was playing them just so he could get closer to her. That didn’t make any sense, but it didn’t stop Vincent from thinking it. And then he felt stupid for thinking that, which made him angrier, which made him feel more stupid…

It was a vicious cycle, and it was all Ignazio Balma’s fault. He was lucky Vincent hadn’t punched him like he had Lo.

Lo Wang had called his mother at the hospital and was supposedly en route to help her right now. Vincent wasn’t stupid. He knew that Lo was probably looking for a way out this very moment, but the fact that Vincent knew about his illegal business dealings would keep him in line for now. That would have to be enough.

The day had turned hot, so they sat down to iced coffee in a secluded corner of a coffee shop. Vincent and Lara sat side-by-side with their backs to the wall, watching the room. No one—not even a succubus or an angry illegal arms dealer—would be able to sneak up on them. Moments after they sat, Lara’s cool hand crept into Vincent’s, and he couldn’t keep from smiling. Ignazio might be a handsome guy, but somehow it looked like he’d gotten the girl. Him. The amnesiac killer turned angel of death.

He could barely believe it himself. He was so lucky. He squeezed her fingers gently, and she returned the gesture.

“So,” Lara said in her husky voice. “Tell us everything from the beginning. Maybe we can help you.”

Ignazio’s eyes were locked on her, and he licked his lips. “I don’t want to endanger you, precious. She’ll hurt you.”

“I can take care of myself,” she said, but he shook his head and refused to speak.

“You know, she was hired to hunt you down and take you to Tanith,” Vincent observed after a long moment of silence. “If you don’t talk to us, we’ll have no choice but to do it.”

Ignazio blanched. “Hunt me down? Please, my angel, tell me this isn’t so!”

With a grave face, Lara nodded.

“Tanith said you stole from her,” she said. “But I am willing to believe that she was lying.”

“She was!” exclaimed Ignazio. “You must believe me!”

“Tell me.”

Lara spoke with a quiet authority that Ignazio couldn’t resist. He nodded.

“Very well. Perhaps I can convince you to stay away from her. You mustn’t go back there, my love. A beautiful creature like you will attract her attention. You are too full of life, and she will want it for herself. You are so, so lovely…”

“How did you find out what she was?” asked Vincent, hoping to bring him back to the topic at hand.

Ignazio’s eyes snapped to him. “I saw the aftermath, that’s how. After she performs, Tanith picks one or two groupies and takes them to her rooms for a party. Sometimes you’ll see them stumble out of Tanith’s suite hours later. I didn’t think much of it. It’s Vegas, after all.”

“Right,” said Vincent, gesturing for him to continue.

“We’re under strict orders not to disturb them during those parties, and I wouldn’t want to anyway. Drug addled orgies aren’t my thing. But one evening, we had a reporter from Rolling Stone show up unannounced, and I couldn’t turn the guy away without an interview. So I tried calling. No answer. I knocked. No response. So I got the door open, and I went inside, and…” He shuddered. “She was feeding on this guy. Her mouth was open, sucking in the air from the guy’s mouth as they screwed. I could see light going from his mouth to hers. And her skin was all leathery and scaled, but as she breathed in, it got all smooth and beautiful. And he shrank down further and further as she drained him.”

“What did you do?” asked Vincent, his dislike of the man forgotten in the wake of the story. “I don’t know what I would have done.”

“I froze,” said Ignazio mournfully, “and she saw me there. She made me help her dispose of the body. I didn’t want to do it, but she said she’d drain me too. The only reason she didn’t was because it’s so hard to find a good assistant, she said. But I knew that was bullshit. It was only a matter of time before I was dead. So I ran.”

“Why’d you take the tapes?” asked Lara. “You had to know that she’d come after them.”

“I didn’t take any tapes. I did take some of the petty cash, but that’s it. I was thinking I was going to leave town and run for it, but you guys scared me off at the airport. I thought you were after me. So I laid low for a day or so, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn’t cut and run while she was still killing people. That’s not right. So I decided to try and blow up the theater.”

Vincent nodded. “I was trying to stop you from killing,” he said. “You’re not going to do that now, are you?”

“That all depends. Is there any other way to stop her?” asked Ignazio.

“We will,” said Lara with confidence.

“We will?” asked Vincent.

The moment he said it, he felt sheepish. Of course they had to do something. He’d been letting the voice make his decisions for too long, waiting to hear about his next target instead of choosing one himself. Here was someone who he knew was a killer. Someone who fit the profile of all of his targets. If he didn’t do something to stop Tanith, people would die. Whether the voice ordered him to do it or not, confronting her was the right thing to do.

“I mean, of course we will,” he said.

Ignazio looked from one of them to the other. “But how?” he asked.

“We broke into the back room at the club,” Lara pointed out. “We’re not helpless.”

“But…” Ignazio looked between the two of them. Then his eyes locked on Lara. “But I don’t want to lose you.”

With an exasperated sigh, she gestured. Vincent didn’t see anything strange, but based on how Ignazio’s eyes seemed to clear, perhaps she’d undone the love spell she’d had on him.

“I think you should leave town,” she said. “But give me your cell number. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come back for your things.”

“Yeah,” he said, looking more than a little puzzled. “Sure. That probably makes more sense after all. Thanks for the coffee, and for talking me down. I feel a little silly now.”

“It’s all good.”

Ignazio took his leave, but Vincent was too lost in thought to notice the details. Lara had ensorcelled Ignazio just like that. What if she’d done the same to Vincent? His feelings for her were out of character, just like Ignazio’s had been. How did he know she hadn’t shot him too?

He almost asked, but as he looked at her, he realized it didn’t matter. She was caring and smart and skilled. She was gorgeous. He didn’t need some magical reason to be in love with her. Just the opportunity to prove it.

She turned to him thoughtfully once they were alone again.

“We should figure out a plan,” she said.

“We should go to Tanith’s show tonight and arrange to meet her afterwards. Then we confront her. It seems like our only option.”

After a moment’s thought, she nodded. “Okay. Anything we need to do in the meantime to prep?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. All I can think about is getting you alone.”

She smiled. “That could be arranged too.”

 

They ended up at Vincent’s apartment. The moment the door closed behind them, she was in his arms. She was soft and warm, strong and assertive. Her mouth claimed his. He picked her up and threw her on the futon with a bounce that made her laugh. They stripped themselves of clothing in a hurry, eager to experience each other.

Her body thrilled him. He ran his hands over her smooth skin, feeling the strong muscles underneath. She shivered at his touch, and he grinned against her mouth. He’d been with women before, but it had been nothing like this. He’d never smiled and laughed with someone in bed before. He’d always been too busy wondering if she was having fun, or if she liked what he was doing, or if this was the right thing to do in the first place. But with Lara, he felt certain.

He felt like he hadn’t smiled in ages. But she made him happy, and that was enough.