Guilty Pleasures

40

The club was quiet and dark. There was no one there but me. It must have been after dawn. The club was hushed and full of that waiting silence that all buildings get after the people go home. As if once we leave, the building has a life of its own, if only we would leave it in peace. I shook my head and tried to concentrate. To feel something. All I wanted was to go home and try to sleep. And pray I didn't dream.

There was a yellow Post-it note on the door. It read, “Your weapons are behind the bar. The master brought those, too. Robert.”

I put both guns in place and the knives. The one I had used on Winter and Aubrey was missing. Was Winter dead? Maybe. Was Aubrey dead? Hopefully. Usually it took a master vampire to survive a blow to the heart, but I'd never tried it on a fivehundred-year-old walking corpse. If they took the knife out, he might be tough enough to survive it. I had to call Catherine. And tell her what? Get out of town, a vampire is after you. Didn't sound like something she'd buy. Shit.

I walked out into the soft white light of dawn. The street was empty and awash in that gentle morning air. The heat hadn't had time to creep in. It was almost cool. Where was my car? I heard footsteps a second before the voice said, “Don't move. I have a gun pointed at your back.”

I clasped my hands atop my head without being asked. “Good morning, Edward,” I said.

“Good morning, Anita,” he said. “Stand very still, please.” He stood just behind me, gun pressing against my spine. He frisked me completely, top to bottom. Nothing haphazard about Edward; that's one of the reasons he's still alive. He stepped back from me, and said, “You may turn around now.”

He had my Firestar tucked into his belt, the Browning loose in his left hand. I don't know what he did with the knives.

He smiled, boyish and charming, gun very steadily pointed at my chest. “No more hiding. Where is this Nikolaos?” he asked.

I took a deep breath and let it out. I thought about accusing him of being the vampire murderer, but now didn't seem to be a good time. Maybe later, when he wasn't pointing a gun at me. “May I lower my arms?” I asked.

He gave a slight nod.

I lowered my arms slowly. “I want one thing clear between us, Edward. I'll give you the information, but not because I'm afraid of you. I want her dead. And I want a piece of it.”

His smile widened, eyes glittering with pleasure. “What happened last night?”

I glanced down at the sidewalk, then up. I stared into his blue eyes and said, “She had Phillip killed.”

He was watching my face very closely. “Go on.”

“She bit me. I think she plans on making me a personal servant.”

He put his gun back in his shoulder holster and came to stand next to me. He turned my head to one side to see the bite mark better. “You need to clean this bite. It's going to hurt like hell.”

“I know. Will you help me?”

“Sure.” His smile softened. “Here I was going to cause you pain to get information. Now you ask me to help you pour acid on a wound.”

“Holy Water,” I said.

“It's going to feel the same,” he said.

Unfortunately, he was right.