Chapter 12
Cara knocked on the door of an apartment in a complex that had seen better days. The hot water radiator hissed at the end of the hall, as if proving her point. This dive had come up on her office computer when she looked for Suzi’s last known address. Suzi came from a well-off family, old money. Surely, her father wouldn’t have allowed his only daughter to live in such a crappy dwelling. What the hell had happened? Maybe she should have kept in touch with her old friend over the years instead of running away from everyone.
Glancing down the hall, Cara noted the dim bulbs and the ratty, filthy carpet, trash littering the corners. Suzi wouldn’t want her pity, but Cara couldn’t help sympathizing with her current living conditions and worrying about Suzi’s safety. Not that Pleasant had been riddled with crime over the years, but if Pleasant had a bad side of town, this was it.
In high school the two friends had been inseparable, meeting in grade school. They had spent nearly every weekend together at each other’s house on sleepovers. So why, when Cara left Pleasant behind, had she not bothered to stay in contact with her oldest and dearest friend? Because, she feared Suzi had become part of the scene at the Blood ‘n’ Rave, her entire reason for turning tail.
She raised her hand to knock again just as the door creaked open. Suzi’s expression changed from one of surprise to displeasure in a heartbeat. Cara couldn’t blame her.
“Slumming, Detective?”
Even though Suzi hadn’t invited her in, she hadn’t slammed the door in her face either. Instead, Suzi walked away, leaving it open, putting the ball in Cara’s court. She stepped onto the small square patch of linoleum, closing the door quietly behind her. Beyond the entryway proved to be a pleasant surprise. Cara had been incorrect with her earlier assessment. Though not lavish, Suzi kept a clean, nicely decorated apartment. Who knew that such a nice place resided behind the horrible exterior?
“Can I offer you coffee?” Suzi asked from the kitchen. She leaned one hip against the counter, waiting for Cara, looking no more pleased with her visitor than when she first opened the door.
“Sure,” Cara said. She took a bar stool next to the breakfast nook and folded her hands atop the clean Formica countertop.
Suzi grabbed a white ceramic cup from the cupboard, placed it in front of Cara, then poured a generous cup of java from a glass carafe. Steam rose from the hot liquid.
“Cream or sugar?”
Cara shook her head. “Black is fine. Thank you.”
“So why are you here, Cara?”
She smiled uneasily. “Right past the pleasantries.”
“You haven’t called or stopped by in over ten years. I’m not going to assume you suddenly wondered about me.”
“Vampires,” Cara said truthfully, hoping to catch Suzi off guard and have her admitting to something she might later want to retract.
The momentary shock on Suzi’s face told Cara everything she suspected. Suzi knew Kane’s true nature.
Recovering quickly, probably hoping Cara hadn’t caught the slight, Suzi asked, “You wanting to go to the movies or did you just finish reading Twilight?”
“Let’s not pretend I’m stupid. You know they exist and that they’re living here in Pleasant. You were with one of them last night.”
“And just who do you think is a vampire?”
“Kane.”
Suzi studied her, then likely thinking better of confessing secrets, opted for the obvious. “We’re friends.”
“And lovers?” Cara couldn’t help throwing in, allowing the little green-eyed monster to take up residence.
“What’s it to you, Cara? I haven’t seen you in years and you coming knocking on my door for what? Jealousy?”
Cara’s face heated. Suzi wasn’t far off the mark, but Cara would be damned if she admitted as much. “What you and Kane do is normally none of my business.”
“Then why ask?”
“He’s a suspect in a murder case. Maybe you ought to be more aware of who you’re sleeping with.”
Suzi jerked her own ceramic mug from the cupboard, her actions speaking highly of irritation, and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“I can see you’re going to be here awhile,” she said, then took a sip from her mug. Suzi returned her gaze to Cara’s. “Kane didn’t kill anyone.”
Cara noted Suzi avoided the lover connotation. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Although you’ve been AWOL for the past ten years, I haven’t. I know Kane and his brothers. They’ve been protecting this town. If they were to kill someone, trust me, it wouldn’t be within miles of Pleasant.”
“You say that as if you have first-hand knowledge.”
“Look, Cara, what’re you really here for? I’m sure it’s not to talk about my love life. Are you here as a detective to question me about Kane’s whereabouts?”
“If I honestly believed Kane was guilty of the murders, I would have called you to the office and interviewed you on the record.”
“So instead you’re here as a concerned friend for who? Kane or me?”
“I deserve your scorn—”
Suzi laughed cynically. “You ran away from Pleasant and never looked back. You didn’t call—”
“You never called me!”
“Really? You wouldn’t know because your phone number had been changed and someone forgot to give me the new one.”
“I—”
“You what? You’re sorry? You could have stopped by any number of times when you came back to visit your grandfather. And you didn’t.”
Cara hung her head. When she had left Pleasant and the nightmare of Kane Tepes, she had known that Suzi had a connection. But rather than questioning her, she avoided her, pretending the incident at the Rave hadn’t been real. Shunning Suzi had been a necessity to keep her head firmly planted in the sand.
“What happened, Suzi? Why are you living here?”
“Had you been around or called, you would know.” Suzi took another sip of her coffee. She tried to act nonchalant, but Cara knew better. “My dad passed away a few years after you skipped town.”
Cara had been self-centered. She had no idea Suzi’s father had passed. And anytime her grandfather brought Suzi into their conversation, she had informed him that Suzi was past news, that she didn’t want to hear anything revolving around her ex-friend. Her grandfather looked thoroughly chastised, and maybe even angered, but he had abided by her wishes and never talked about Suzi again.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Spare me your pity, Cara. I’ve come to terms with it. My stepmother left town … with all his money, I might add. I didn’t get a dime and I haven’t seen or heard from her since. She’s always hated me, never understood me. And dad? He was too busy working when he was alive to see what was going on. Surely you remember I was a bit on the rebellious side. So?” —her arms stretched out from her sides— “Welcome to my life.”
“I can’t make up for the past, Suzi. I had my reasons for wanting to leave town and forget Pleasant.”
“And me?”
“You’re a part of it.”
“A-plus for honesty. Care to elaborate?”
Cara knew she owed Suzi an explanation. “My father died and I was in a dark place.”
“I could have helped you through that.”
She hung her head, knowing she hadn’t given Suzi the opportunity. Glancing back up, Cara said, “Things were getting weird for me. You hanging at the Blood ‘n’ Rave all the time. The people that hung there, they knew you better than I did. I mean, what’s with the vial of blood you wear around your neck? It’s blood, correct?”
Suzi’s hand encompassed the vial. “Just jewelry.”
“Jewelry you never seem to be without. Besides, you weren’t the only one I saw wearing them. What the hell is it? A secret club or something?”
“I really don’t think what I wear or do is any of your business, Cara.”
“It’s part of the reason I left. I was weirded out by what you were becoming.”
“What was the other part?”
Time to let it all out, spare no details. Suzi could either think Cara was ready for the psych ward, or Suzi had been keeping secrets herself and already knew Kane was a vampire as she predicted.
“Ten years ago, the last time I went to the Blood ‘n’ Rave with you, I’m sure you remember, I ducked out without saying goodbye.”
“You left me wondering what happened. At first, I was worried. Then when you didn’t answer my calls and I heard you left town, I began resenting how you left me behind. When I tried to contact you again, your cell number had changed.”
“I knew you wouldn’t understand. I couldn’t even fully believe what I saw. You started wearing that vial of blood around your neck like a token. It was too much to process.”
“Exactly what was so hard to process? It’s just jewelry, Cara.”
“Again, jewelry you never seem to be without. For ten years? You don’t find that strange?”
Suzi shrugged. “I’m sure my taste in jewelry wasn’t the real reason you left town.”
“No, it was Kane.”
“Go on.”
“That last night at the Rave, I went into the ladies room. Kane was in there.”
Suzi’s brows creased at the bridge of her nose. “What was Kane doing in the ladies’ room?”
“Fucking some blonde.”
Suzi choked on her freshly sipped coffee. Once she regained her composure, she asked, “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” Cara averted her eyes, embarrassed to be confessing what she had tried so hard to forget Or that it had been a huge turn on, something she’d never admit … not even to Kane.
Suzi chuckled. “I realize it may have been a bit unorthodox to fuck in a public place, but enough to make you want to leave town? I find that hard to believe. You might have been a virgin, but you weren’t that naive.”
Cara smiled, her cheeks heating. “No, I would have been embarrassed and fled the restroom, but not town.”
“Then what was it?”
“He was biting her neck.” Cara could tell her admission hadn’t fazed Suzi. “I don’t mean just biting it. I mean sinking full-fledged fangs into her neck.”
“It was probably dental moldings. Nothing to get excited over.”
Cara didn’t believe that lie for a minute, nor could Suzi look her in the eye as she uttered the words. Her hands fidgeted with the dish towel lying on the counter.
“You don’t think I haven’t tried to convince myself of that and about a million other possibilities? The truth is, Suzi, he was biting her neck and drinking her blood. Christ … Kane is a vampire!”
Suzi didn’t say a word. Just glanced up and stared at Cara.
Get a clue, Brahnam, Suzi already knows what Kane and his brothers are.
“Kane told me,” Cara finally said, though she should have kept her big mouth shut, just on the off case that her intuitions were incorrect. But why stop now? She had already said far too much.
“He told me the truth, Suzi. You don’t have to say anything, because I already know more than I’m comfortable with. But don’t worry, I haven’t told a soul. No one would believe me anyway. My question is what do you have to do with the whole grand scheme of things? Are you one of them?”
Suzi grabbed a bar stool and pulled it to the other side of the bar, sitting across from her. She folded her hands on the countertop and looked at Cara, her expression serious.
“I could lose my life for what I’m about to tell you. There are rules, Cara. And consequences. Should anyone find out that I spoke with you about it, I could be killed.”
“Kane and his brothers—”
She shook her head. “Not them, the society of donors I belong to. If I talk about what we are or what we provide, then the society can and will have me eliminated. Keeping their secret is first and foremost, the number one rule. If people find out about their existence, they would be hunted and killed.”
“This is crazy talk.” Cara ran both hands down her face. “And you wonder why I left Pleasant. Better yet, why the hell did you stay?”
Suzi shrugged. “I don’t know. I wasn’t much more than a kid. I was turned on by the whole idea of vampires and seduced into the lifestyle. But unfortunately, once you’re in, you don’t leave. Not that I’d want to anyway.”
“You want this lifestyle?”
She offered a weak smile. “I guess I do.”
“You offer your blood to them. What do you—” Cara stopped in mid-sentence.
She knew without asking. Suzi was, in a way, food for them. This society that she talked about nourished the vampires.
“And the necklace?”
“Signifies that I’m a donor. At any time, I’m willing to offer myself for their … needs.”
Cara shivered. Maybe tomorrow she would wake up and this would all be one bad nightmare. Surely this couldn’t be real. But mere hours ago, Kane stood in her bedroom … correction, slinked between her spread legs and she was ready to give her all to him. Sex, blood, the whole nine yards. That is, until they both came to their senses. And he insisted she stay at the clubhouse because one of their kind had marked her for death. Someone more powerful than Kane or his brothers. Some ancient vampire or crazy shit. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
* * *
Kane paced the office of Sheriff Ducat. The balding man sat back in his wooden desk chair, his portly belly hidden by the polished wood, hands clasped behind his head, looking more smug than he had a right to. He bet the only run the sheriff had ever made was running for election. Kane could easily rip out his throat and end the man’s life, should he outlive his usefulness.
“So you want us to look the other way? Guns being run through—”
“Not through Pleasant. Around,” Kane corrected. He’d play this game with the sheriff for the time being to get what he wanted. Kane didn’t need the extra attention brought to the Sons’ by being disagreeable, not with the ongoing murder investigations. “And yes, I want you to look the other way. The Sons of Sangue stand to make a good deal of cash off this.”
Sheriff Ducat sat forward. “And what does the S.O. stand to get out of this lucrative deal?”
“Our continued protection. We’ve kept Pleasant a peaceful little town.”
The sheriff laughed. “Somehow, I think we’re getting the short end of the stick, Viper. You see, Pleasant would be a quieter town without you in it.”
“The Sons aren’t going anywhere.”
Sheriff Ducat sat forward and clasped his hands on his neatly kept desk. “I want ten percent of your take.”
“Seriously? You think I’d give you a share of our take? That’s laughable.”
“What’s laughable, Viper, is I have murder investigations going on. And from what my detectives are telling me, the Sons are prime suspects.”
Heat rose up Kane’s neck as his ire rose. They needed to catch this son of a bitch and fast. He was tired of being in the law’s spotlight. “The Sons aren’t involved in those murders and you know it.”
“You wouldn’t be honest with me if you were. Ten percent, Viper, and I’ll make sure my deputies are very busy when the Knights come to … or around town.”
Kane leaned against an old wooden bookshelf, crossed his arms over his chest, and shook his head, not about to give into the sheriff’s demands. “No deal.”
“If I agree to allowing the Knights to skirt the town, running guns under the cover of night, then you have to give me something.”
Kane gritted his teeth. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like any deal the sheriff had in mind. “What else do you want, Ducat? Because you aren’t getting a payoff from the Sons.”
Ducat leaned back and smiled broadly, as though he had just caught his meal ticket in his web of corruption. Kane had a feeling he should have agreed to the ten percent.
“My detectives are having a hell of a time solving these latest murders, as you well know. I want this son of a bitch caught and dealt with before the feds come down on us.”
“Word on the street is they’re already interested, due to Tab’s murder.”
The sheriff nodded. “Then you’re aware of who her father is?”
Kane nodded.
“Which means I’m pressed for time. You find this son of a bitch and bring him to me. I don’t care how you do it. I need to close this case and fast. The State Police and FSD coming here isn’t good for me or the Sons, if you catch my meaning. Not to mention you wanting to let the Knights cross through with illegal arms. That could bring a lot of unwanted attention to my county.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
“You do that for me and the Knights can run their damned guns. I’ll make sure my deputies are too busy to take notice. That and if I ever need a favor called in, you’ll owe me. Are we in agreement?”
“Favor?”
“There may be a time or two I need to see someone disappear. No one upstanding, I assure you. But when the law fails and the pieces of shit hit the street again, I may call in your favor to see justice done.”
“Justice how?”
“Run out of town, maybe even out of state. If that doesn’t work, then I might even want them eliminated, if the punishment does not suit the crime.”
“Depending on the case, agreed.”
“And about this bastard killing women?”
“We agree on taking this piece of shit out, but not on me bringing him to you.”
“I’ll need cold-hard evidence that he’s been dealt with, Viper. No one is just going to take your word for it. I need something to give to the feds that this case has been closed and the murderer has been found.”
“I’ll give your detective the heads-up once he’s been dealt with. But you’ll get nothing more than ashed remains of the prick. That, I promise. I’ll make sure you have physical evidence to show you got the right man.”
“And how do you intend to keep my detectives in the loop?”
“I’ll keep a personal eye out on Cara.”
“She’s chasing her damn tail in this case. Her and her partner don’t have a clue what’s going on. Following their lead will gain you nothing. I was hoping for better.”
Kane chuckled this time. “I’m not following anyone’s lead, Ducat. I’ll find this shitbag without your detectives’ help. I’m keeping Cara under my care for other reasons.”
“How’s that?”
“I have reason to believe she’s in danger, and that’s all you need to know.”
“My detective is in danger and you don’t think that’s something you should share?”
“I said I’d catch this guy, and you’ll get your evidence. Cara, however, is my business.”
“How so?” Cara asked as she strode into the office, her gaze boring into Kane. “I’m a big girl, Kane. I don’t think I need your help or protection.”
Kane growled beneath his breath, knowing her bravado was a facade. “I’ll see you at the clubhouse by nightfall, Cara. If you aren’t there, I’ll come looking for you and carry you there myself. That’s non-negotiable,” he said, then left the office, slamming the door behind him.
Damn, stubborn woman was going to get herself, and likely him, killed before this damned nightmare was over.