Baited Blood (4 page)

Doug shook his head. “Sure sounds like Annabelle.”

“Any reason why she’d show up now and do something like this?” Samuel asked.

Doug ran a hand over his lined face in frustration. “Like I said, Samuel, she doesn’t need a reason. She does what she wants as the mood strikes her. The last time I saw her was right before Dodie and I married. Annabelle tried to talk me out of it.”

“Talk you out of it?” Dodie’s voice became shrill—another unusual occurrence. “She tried to kill me!”

Everyone turned to Doug as if he were a witness fudging important testimony. He nodded, confirming Dodie’s accusation. “That she did. That was sixteen years ago. We haven’t heard a peep from or about her since.”

“She wants you back, Doug.” Dodie’s face screwed up in anguish.

Doug went to his wife and took her in his arms to comfort her. “Now, now,” he cooed to Dodie. “That’s never going to happen, and you know it.” Keeping his arms around Dodie, Doug turned to Samuel. “Could just be a little dramatic statement.”

“Dramatic is right.” Dodie looked up at her husband. “She tried to murder another vampire just to get attention.”

“We don’t know if she meant to kill Keleta, sweetheart.”

“Why are you defending her?” Dodie pulled away from Doug, her usual spunk returned. “She drove a stake into his heart and left him in the daylight. If that’s not attempted murder, then what is?”

Madison’s eyes popped out of her head. She’d never heard the Dedhams have cross words, let alone fight, though she had to side with Dodie on this issue.

Samuel held up both his hands like a referee stopping a prize fight. “Everyone calm down. First off, we don’t know if it was Annabelle Fogle who did this to Keleta, so let’s not jump to conclusions. But as far as murder goes, I’m with Dodie. Whoever did this to Keleta meant for him to die and for you, or someone in this house, to find him.” He lowered his hands. “Who knows, it could even have been a beater who knows about you and is making a point, setting you up for something. We need more information before jumping to conclusions.”

“Tell you what,” offered Notchey. “I’ll check our missing persons file and see if Keleta’s name shows up. If it does, it will give us a starting point.”

Samuel nodded at the cop. “Thanks, Mike. That could be a big help. And I’ll put out some feelers and see what I can find out about Annabelle Fogle. Isabella Claussen should be able to help with that.” Isabella was another vampire on the council. She was tall, slender, and gorgeous, and she traveled the world as a type of ambassador to other vampire communities. She was Samuel’s eyes and ears outside of California.

Samuel stood up straight. “Doug, do you have some clothes for Keleta? I can’t take him to Byron and Ricky’s naked.”

“I’m much taller than the boy, but a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt should do the trick. That okay?”

“Anything. They will provide him with other clothes once he gets there.”

Madison looked out the kitchen window at the pool. Even in the coolness of February it looked so calm and inviting. Just a few hours ago, she’d found a dead body floating in it. Now that dead body was in the den, sipping a glass of blood. Madison had seen her mother shot to death when she was five and had been in and out of abusive and unstable foster homes until she was eighteen. She’d hoped to build a stable and calm life for herself, and even though they were vampires, until now the Dedhams had seemed to live such a life. Madison couldn’t help but wonder if it was she who brought the hard times and bad luck. Maybe she was a lightning rod for awful things.

Pushing the thought aside, she returned to her concern for Keleta. “Samuel,” she started, not turning around, “what does it mean for Keleta to be rehabilitated?”

Samuel had the gift of reading people’s personal history and their thoughts. He stepped up behind Madison and placed his strong hands on her upper arms. He turned her around to face him and took off his glasses to focus his cloudy eyes on her brown ones. He could see her self-doubt as clearly as if it had been written in the sky. Replacing his hands on her arms, he gave them a gentle squeeze and conveyed to her without words that this was not her fault and that she was not cursed.

She sensed his silent encouragement and wanted to believe him.

“Byron and Ricky will work with Keleta to assimilate him to our lifestyle,” he told her, answering her spoken question. “You know that scholarship fund the council handles?”

She nodded but kept silent, not wanting to break the comforting sound of Samuel’s voice with her own tongue. As terrifying as he could be when angered, he could also be as soothing as a glass of warm milk and a soft blanket.

“Byron and Ricky will make an appraisal of Keleta’s value to the community. If the council finds him worthy, some of that money will be used to help him start his life as a vampire. We’ll find him a place to live and secure him an occupation. We’ll teach him how to live as one of us.”

“And if he’s not found worthy?”

“Occasionally, the council comes across a new vampire abandoned by his turner who is not able to be assimilated for one reason or another. Most often it’s because they were turned too young to be left on their own. Other times it’s their attitude—usually intense anger at becoming a vampire against their will. People with that type of anger can put the rest of us in jeopardy.”

Madison knew immediately what Samuel meant. For the most part, the vampires who lived in California enjoyed a peaceful life under the radar of the living. A big part of the council’s job was to make sure the community remained undetected. Anyone—vampires or beaters—who put that peace at risk was dealt with quickly, with no second thoughts.

Madison raised her chin higher and bored her eyes into Samuel’s. The others remained silent. “You didn’t answer my question, Samuel. What if Keleta is not found worthy by the council?”

“You know the answer, Madison, so why ask?”

“Say it, Samuel.”

Samuel sighed. Although still very young, there was something about Madison’s intensity that touched him deeply. Although she often lacked self-confidence and had little to no tact, she was courageous and driven, and she faced the truth about life head-on like a truck being driven into a brick wall. She didn’t stand for bullshit, and neither did he.

“If Keleta Kibreab is found by the council to be a threat to himself or to us, then he will be terminated.”

Madison didn’t need an explanation for that. She knew damn well what it meant.

FOUR

C
ome on, slow poke,” Madison called to Notchey.

The two of them had gone for a run in Topanga Canyon two mornings after Keleta had been found. Madison was done, back at the car waiting for Notchey to catch up. He’d kept up with her for most of the three-mile hilly jog, mostly out of sheer determination not to let a girl beat him, but in the last mile he’d fallen behind. He’d given up smoking a few months earlier when he’d been shot, but his lungs were still trying to get a handle on his smoke-free lifestyle.

While she waited for Notchey, Madison slipped into her warm-up jacket and breathed in the earthy scents around her. She nodded good morning to several people she recognized from other morning runs as they made their way from the trail to their own cars. There was a couple—the woman tall and lanky, the man shorter and built like a young bull—she’d been seeing a lot recently. They always wore matching Dodgers ball caps. They both gave her a small wave as they climbed into their black SUV. As one of the familiar male runners passed Madison, he gave her fit figure and flushed face an appreciative scan and smiled. She gave him a small smile back. An older couple were just starting up the trail. They always walked it, going a good pace, hand in hand. As they passed Madison, they nodded and smiled. They reminded her of Doug and Dodie.

At least three times a week, she ran these trails early in the morning, unless Samuel had kept her up most of the night with vampire business. Madison found it gave her day a kick-start, especially on the days she had classes.

Before coming to live with the Dedhams, she’d driven over from Culver City to hike the trails on occasion, but now they were practically in her back yard. Madison was naturally slim as a reed, but Dodie Dedham insisted on feeding her like a ranch hand. The running kept her in great condition. It also cleared her head, something she felt she needed more than keeping calories at bay. With the odd life she led, the physical exercise grounded her to the fact that she was the living walking amongst the dead. She’d invited Notchey, who usually ran on a treadmill in a gym, to come with her before. This morning was the third time he’d joined her. The hills were still kicking his ass, but he was getting better at it.

“Don’t make me hurt you,” Notchey wheezed out once he was beside her. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees, catching his breath. “I do carry a gun, you know.”

Madison laughed. Opening her car door, she grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to him. He downed half of it. Then she tossed him a towel. “You have time to come back to the house for some eggs and coffee before work?”

He gave her a tired grin. “I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll grab a shower at the Dedhams’, too, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. You’re family to them, same as me. You don’t have to ask every time. Just plan on it.”

“Besides, I have information on Keleta to give you to pass along to the council.”

“Is it good or bad?”

Notchey leaned against the car and took another drink of water. He was of average height with a slim build. His hair was brown, which he kept too short to flatter his face and his eyes. His nose had once been broken and badly set. It put character in an otherwise plain face. He was only thirty-four, though he often looked older. Madison didn’t know his personal history, but he wore the weight of his past like chain mail—heavy and impenetrable. In that, he was a lot like her.

“It’s interesting, to say the least. Do you know if those guys he’s been stashed with have gotten any information out of him?”

“Nothing that I know of.” Madison took a drink from her own water bottle. “Mostly, I think Keleta’s been resting and healing from his injury. And his English isn’t that good, according to Samuel. What did you find out?” She poked Notchey playfully in his ribs. “Come on, tell me.”

Mike wiped his sweaty brow with the towel. “I did find a missing persons report on a Keleta Kibreab. But here’s the thing.” He paused and took another couple of deep, normal breaths. “It’s from about eighteen months ago.”

Madison’s jaw dropped like a runaway elevator. “A year and a half ? I thought he was newly turned.”

“He still could have been. Who knows—maybe he was held captive all this time, or maybe he’s not talking out of fear? Remember, whoever tried to kill him is still out there. And that was probably the same person who kidnapped him.”

Madison climbed into the driver’s seat. “I’m going over to Samuel’s this evening. Can’t wait to hear his take on this.”

As Notchey settled into the passenger’s seat, Madison glanced over at him. “You should put on your jacket. You’re sweaty, and it’s chilly out.”

“You’ve been hanging around Dodie too much. You’re starting to sound motherly.” In spite of his comment, he knew it was a good idea. Notchey turned to reach between his seat and Madison’s to where his jacket lay on the back seat. It was just beyond his grasp. He twisted more until nearly half his body was wedged between his seat and hers.

“Having problems, old man?” she teased, turning in his direction.

“Got it.” As Notchey turned back toward the front, pulling his jacket through the two seats, his head bumped Madison’s.

“Ow.”

“Sorry,” he said, but he made no move to sit straight. “You okay?”

She laughed lightly. “If you haven’t noticed, I have a thick skull.” She looked at him, and their eyes met like in the movies, glued to each other with longing.

“Yeah,” he said in a low voice, his breath glancing off her face. “I have noticed.”

Before he could move away, Madison grazed her lips against his. His mouth welcomed the advance and responded, but, like before, after a bit he jerked back as if burned. Without giving any explanation, he settled back on his side of the front seat and slipped sloppily into his jacket. “Got any bacon to go with those eggs?”

“So what do you think?” Madison asked Samuel. “Do you think Keleta is a brand-new vampire? Or was he turned when he first disappeared?”

They were working in Samuel’s home office. It was early in the evening. He’d already informed Madison that it would not be a long night for her because he was going out later with Kai, a gorgeous Chinese woman, a beater, who was his main companion. Madison had gotten to know Kai in the time she spent at Samuel’s. A former model, Kai wasn’t just beautiful, she was also sophisticated and intelligent. She was attending law school at UCLA with Samuel’s financial assistance. Samuel kept a stable of three gorgeous women as his mistresses and assisted them all financially toward their future. Besides Kai’s legal pursuits, one was studying architecture and another art, but Kai was Madison’s favorite of the three. Samuel had an eye for picking winners.

They were kept women, something Madison had trouble accepting no matter how much she liked them individually. It wasn’t that she was a prude; she wasn’t by a long shot. She didn’t hold it against Kai and the others. It was their choice, but it wouldn’t be hers.

Samuel had made it clear to Madison that he would be more than willing to assist her in the same manner; she just had to say the word. But she had declined. These women traded their bodies and their warm blood for an easier lifestyle while furthering their careers; there’d be no waiting tables for these ladies. To Madison, it was the same as turning tricks on Hollywood Boulevard, just with nicer trappings. When she left foster care in Boise, Idaho, and was desperate for money, Madison had used her looks to entice drunks into the parking lots of bars with the promise of sex. She’d never delivered on the sex part, but she had rolled them—taken advantage of their drunken state to rob them. Usually, the men were too embarrassed to report it, until one did and she was arrested. Being so young and a first offender, she’d been let go with a harsh warning. It wasn’t something she was proud of and she swore never to do anything like it again, and that included taking Samuel up on his generous offer, even though she did find him very sexy and appealing. Besides, Madison still wasn’t sure what her goals were. Before she transferred to a four-year college, she’d have to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Samuel was nudging her toward business management and eventually an MBA, saying she had a definite aptitude for it.

Samuel was slouched on the rich burgundy leather sofa reading Notchey’s findings. He was wearing an Indian kurta, snow white with white embroidery, and matching loose lounge pants. Madison was at the desk in her usual jeans and sweater going over e-mails that had come into the council’s general mailbox. E-mails to and from the council and vampires were written carefully so they would not disclose the nature of the sender or of the council in the event of a computer security breach. Even after nearly four months, it still took Madison a few moments to decipher some of the more cryptic messages.

“It’s difficult to say what happened to Keleta,” Samuel answered. “But at least now we know about when it began.”

“Has Isabella had any luck finding Annabelle Fogle?”

“Not yet. According to some of Isabella’s contacts, Annabelle was last seen in France about twenty years ago.”

“Twenty years?” Madison threw a smart-ass glance at Samuel. “In vampire time, that’s, like, what—last week?” Even though Samuel was her boss, she was comfortable with him.

“Cute.” Samuel put down Notchey’s report. “But she showed up right before Doug married Dodie. That’s a four-year gap followed by a fifteen-year gap. She’s either keeping low, died, or changed her name.”

“But if she’s dead, who branded Keleta?”

“Excellent question. I’m leaning toward the last option, that she’s changed her identity. But unless one of her old friends recognizes her and tells us, we won’t know that.”

Madison stopped typing the e-mail response she was working on. “Do vampires change their identity often?”

“Some do. Before he was Douglas Dedham, Doug’s last name was Hayes. He took the name of Dedham right before he married Dodie so they could start fresh together.”

Madison liked that idea. A fresh start was what she’d wanted when she had moved to Los Angeles. “Is Samuel La Croix your real name?”

The head vampire shook his head with sadness. “I was so young when I was enslaved that I don’t even remember my childhood name. I was simply called Blind Boy for a long time. When I got older, one of my owners gave me the name of Samuel. I heard the name La Croix when I was traveling many years ago and took a fancy to it.”

Madison swiveled back and forth in the desk chair thinking about the vampires and their names, wondering how many of the others were using aliases.

“Colin was born Colin Wingate,” Samuel informed her, reading her mind. “Reddy was his mother’s last name.”

Colin Reddy was a very handsome and sexy vampire on the council. He appeared to be on the edge of thirty years old. Half English, half Indian, in truth, he was several hundred years old.

“Speaking of Colin,” Samuel continued, “as soon as he heard the name Annabelle Fogle, he disappeared.”

“What?” Madison swiveled her chair 180 degrees until she was facing Samuel. “Does he know her?”

“She turned him.”

“What?” Madison repeated with more surprise.

Samuel looked around the room. “Is there a parrot in here?”

Madison rolled her eyes. “Come on. You can’t expect to drop a bomb like that and not have me be surprised.” When Samuel just chuckled, Madison continued. “So this Annabelle Fogle turned both Doug and Colin into vampires. Did you know that?”

“I make it my business to know who turned every member of the council before they are appointed to the council. It’s like reading a resume.”

Madison pointed a finger at him. “Now that does not surprise me.”

Another deep chuckle rumbled up from Samuel’s chest. “Colin was turned after he happened upon Annabelle while traveling through India.” He paused to clear his throat. “I had a conference call with the council, letting them know what had happened at the Dedhams’ house and how it’s possible this Annabelle was connected. Since then, Colin has been out of touch.”

“Did he say anything to you about it?”

“Not a word.” He looked directly at Madison. “Have you heard from him?”

She shook her head. As with Mike Notchey, Madison and Colin had become friends with a spark of attraction between them, becoming not friends with benefits, but friends with possibilities. Had Colin not been a vampire, she knew she would have encouraged his advances, but she wasn’t ready yet to make that big a leap into the world of the undead and knew she might never be. Colin respected that.

Madison got her mind off of Colin. “This Annabelle has everyone upset, especially Dodie. I’ve never seen her like this. She’s usually fearless.”

“Dodie need not worry,” Samuel replied, his voice comforting. “Doug is not about to go off with Annabelle or anyone else. He adores Dodie and chose her specifically as his eternal partner. He waited a long time for someone as special as Dodie to come along.”

“But Annabelle tried to kill Dodie.”

“True, but Dodie wasn’t a vampire then. Dodie has a core of steel. Annabelle, if she’s wise, would think twice about challenging her.”

“Have you ever met her?”