Chapter 28
No psychic vision came to me. I went about my mundane life and job, and when the end of the week approached, I began to fret over the promise I had made to the vampire Dean Hobbes. Even with the help of a witch, and casually asking around at the club, I couldn’t locate her, or even figure out what she looked like.
No wonder he had hired me…
Still, it ate at me. Why did this strange and obviously very old vampire want her dead? There had to be a reason. I mean, contracting the murder of someone you simply don’t like or find annoying seems like overkill. No, Dean clearly had a deep hatred for Elda. It made me want to get to the bottom of the murder-for-hire angle he had pinned me with.
But at the end of the day, did it really matter? Killing a vampire was something I would do for free, so if this guy wanted to pay me to do it, who was I to question his motives?
With a deep sigh, I resolved to keep my nose out of his affairs. That being said, I had no way to find this Elda vampire. Wondering if a piece of her personal effects would help my visions, I pulled my phone from the back pocket of my jean shorts and began typing a text to Dean: U got anything personal of hers? I am having trouble getting a read on her.
His response was almost immediate.
Dean the Vamp: No, I do not possess anything personal of hers. Why do you need it?
Rolling my eyes, I responded, slightly fibbing: It’s a witch thing. This would go faster if u did.
Dean the Vamp: Unsure how you expect me to get anything personal, when I can’t get close enough to kill her myself.
I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. Ignoring Dean’s text, I then texted Sanja, asking her if she could try another angle, hoping we would soon get some kind of link as to where this Elda vampire was.
* * *
“Carter Homes, how may I direct your call?” I asked with zero interest.
I cringed as I pulled the headset away from my sensitive ear. “I wanna talk to the president of your company! No pussyfooting around, either, young lady. I need to talk to him now!”
I bit back a laugh, as this wasn’t my first rodeo. “Yes, of course, sir, let me put you right through.” I pushed the buttons to transfer the call, letting his secretary handle the irate caller.
Remind me to never buy a house built by these assholes…
The damn machine beeped again, “Carter Homes, how—“
A splitting headache hit me a second before my head hit the desk with a thud.
“Kiss me,” she said, her face inches from mine.
I recoiled back. “What? No. I, uh, I don’t get down like that. Sorry.”
Her beautiful, plump red lips lifted in a sultry grin. “You’ll never know until you try. You might like it.”
I felt her long arm wrap around my backside to push me into her, and I shivered as her cold flesh touched the bare skin under my backless dress. Her grip was vice-like and almost crushing. I looked into her dark-brown eyes, which had begun to turn red, and at the jet-black hair slicked back tightly away from her mocha-colored face. I then watched as her incisors turned to sharp points. As if being snapped back to reality, I was about to push her back with both hands and then kick out at her, when I heard a low, throaty chuckle.
“You ladies look like you’re having fun. May I join?”
We both turned our heads to see Kellan come strolling up, flanked by his goons. Taking a quick look around at where I was, I could see I was in some kind of large house or mansion. The ceilings seemed to be endless and tall, and everything around me was high-polished marble. It was nighttime, but I could see a beautifully lit backyard with a swimming pool and lots of greenery through a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows at the back of the home.
The dark-skinned vampire still had me in her embrace, and she cackled. “No, Kellan, you may not join in. This little morsel is mine.” Her fangs were still out, so it sounded funny when she spoke.
“I wouldn’t bite that one, Elda. She’s a wolf,” he replied, amused.
“Oh, shit, is she dead?” said a female voice.
I blinked my eyes open and lifted my head, the headache gone. I was surrounded by a dozen or so people.
“Were you… sleeping on the job?” I heard my supervisor Bruce ask, incredulous.
I shook my head, and I could see how it would look like I had been sleeping, so I quickly replied, “No. Um, I have a… seizure disorder. I’m sorry.”
The woman who had asked if I was dead gave me a disgusted look. “You should probably get your medication re-evaluated. You scared us half to death, girl.”
“Thanks for that,” I said dryly.
With the excitement dying down, most of the lookie-loos went back to their desks, except my supervisor. “Do you need to go home?”
As tempting as that was, I needed the money, so I said, “Nah, I’m okay. Everything is good.”
“If you’re sure,” he said, walking away slowly but not taking his stare off me.
I waved him off. “I’m good. Sorry for the scare, Bruce.”
He smiled in relief and went to the back to finish whatever he did back there.
Thankfully, the rest of the workday was uneventful, psychic visions, rude callers, or otherwise.
* * *
I took careful attention to not forget one snippet of my vision from earlier. Knowing where the best place to find Kellan was, I took a short nap, ate some dinner, and then told Sanja to get dressed because we were going to Moon Chasers. As I became more familiar with these visions, I wondered if I could use them to my advantage. Like if I knew what was going to happen, could I make it so, or change it? Or was the vision simply telling me it was going to happen and there was nothing I could do to change it? I decided I would stick to what I saw, and knowing I could find the sexy but infuriating vampire at that club, I decided that was where I was going to be.
Pulling out the only backless dress I owned from my tiny closet, I slipped it on and then applied more makeup than I normally wore.
My phone chimed with a text. I swiped the screen to read it.
Beckett: OMG I just got invited to the party of the year! Be my plus-one?
I worried my lip. I had an agenda I needed to stick to tonight. Thinking long and hard, I decided maybe fate knew better than I did, so I replied: Sure, where?
Beckett: It’s at the massive home of the Vlasé.
Me: WTF is the Vlasé?
Beckett: LOL um like vampire royalty? Leaders?
I raised an eyebrow and replied: Really? I won’t get murdered walking in there?
I was thinking someone was getting murdered, but it wouldn’t be me. Get that cash ready, Dean.
Beckett: Hell no, it’s rude to murder people during a party. Don’t you know anything? ;)
Rolling my eyes, I replied: Can Sanja come?
Beckett: Sure, if she is okay being around a bunch of fabulous vamps. Pick you up at 8.
I tossed the phone down and finished getting ready. The chick from my vision—Elda—seemed pretty high class, and I had no doubt she would be there. Cha-ching!