Black Heart: Wild On (8 page)

            "It all sounds fishy to me," Dane said. "But what about this Ben Rothschild? Are you two going after him and not inviting me to play?"

            "Gabe's the ringmaster of that circus," I said. "I just take orders and salute when spoken to."

            "I wish," Gabe said. "I think Sable and I can handle it."

            "Oh?" he said.

            "Meaning, he isn't happy with the fifty-fifty split, and isn't about to reduce it further to a one third cut," I said. Gabe scowled at me and Dane chuckled.

            "Understood," Dane said. He shook his head and sighed. "So I'll help you instead. Fifty-fifty cut?"

            "Thirds, because I'm in, too," Sabrina said.

            "If there's anything to cut," I said. "I doubt it. I just want to find my friend before it is too late."

            "What's next?" Sabrina said.

            "I'm going to start questioning vampires," I said. "Why don't you and Dane go talk to Charlotte? I spoke to her just a few hours after Timmy was taken, so maybe now that she's had time to calm down and think about things she can remember something useful."

            "Sounds good to me," Sabrina said, smiling. She looked so pleased to be included as a full team member. I just saw trouble with Momma coming my way. It wasn't going to be pretty. "You ready to go, Danny boy?"

            "Danny boy?" Dane said. "Danny? Are you trying to be a female Gabe?"

            "You don't like Danny?"

            "No," he said. "If you call me that again I'll bend you over my knee and spank you."

            "Oh no," I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut. Big mistake on his part.

            "Wahoo! Go for it, Danny boy!" Sabrina cried. "Beat me, bite me, spank me, and I'll do
anything
you want, baby."

            "Sable?" Dane said, eyes like saucers.

            "I'm out of here," I said. "Gabe, come with me."

            I led Gabe back to the master bedroom where I took off my jacket and put on a shoulder holster. A Glock 31, matte back finish, rested in the holster.

            "Anything new on Ben?" I said as I stuffed spare clips into my jacket pockets. "Do you have any idea where he spends his days?"

            "Yes, I do," Gabe said. "I didn't tell you? Well, he goes underground. Never stays in the same spot twice."

            "You mean he just finds a patch of dirt and sinks down?" I asked. "Wow, that'll make it doubly tough. That means no midday staking for you."

            "Exactly. He isn't making it easy," Gabe said. "Man, I really want to stake him, too. That'll show those damn cocky Van Viegens. They are so damned smug."

            I understood completely. I've only met Victor and Victoria Van Viegen once, when I was still mortal. They were twins. Talk about arrogant and condescending. They looked at me like I was pathetic, and would only speak to Dane. The other two Van Viegens were said to be worse.

            "How many times has he struck here in Dallas?"

            I pulled the pistol out of the holster. I didn't store my weapons with clips in them. So I picked up another clip and checked to ensure it was full of sanctified silver bullets.

            "Three times, counting that one we interrupted," Gabe said.

            "Where did the attacks take place?"

            I pushed the clip in until it clicked. Then I charged the pistol, chambering a round.

            "Deep Ellum."

            I pulled out the clip, and put another bullet in, before pushing it back into the pistol.

            "All of them?"

            "Yes," he said. "I've been patrolling the area and keeping an eye out for him."

            "I hope we didn't scare him off," I said.

            "We'll know soon enough," Gabe said. "He strikes about every other day. So he would kill again tonight, if we don't stop him."

            Nodding, I grimaced and pushed by pistol back into the holster. I put on my biker jacket.

            "I'm going to go talk to Jeff Howell tonight. If I can't find anything useful from him, and Dane and Sabrina don't learn anything, I'll come over and help you," I said. "Between the two of us we should be able to catch him."

            "Cool," Gabe said. He hesitated, looking serious. That was unusual enough coming from Gabe to make me pause. "You know, I really like working with you, Sable. I know you didn't really like me much before you...Changed."

            "You're a pig, Gabe," I said. "A sex-obsessed, chauvinist pig."

            "But you're cool with that now?"

            "I'm more open-minded and less judgmental since being Changed," I said. I kissed him. "Dying can do that to a girl, you know?"

            "Yeah," he said. "I approve."

            "You would. Pig."

Chapter 7

            Once on the road I called Jeff Howell. He was a vampire council member. I had a cell number for him, though I didn't know if it was still good. About time to find out.

            The phone rang five times before he answered.

            "This is Jeff, how can I help you?" he said.

            I had a new cell number since last dealing with him, so he couldn't know it was me. If he did, I would've been doubly scared.

            "Jeff, Sable here," I said. "We need to talk."

"We need to talk, or you need to talk?" he said.

            I could hear the smile on his face and wondered why my call pleased him. I doubt he was happy I called. The last time I said anything to him, it was a threat. I basically threatened the whole council. Not the brightest idea, but none of them have attacked me outright. Yet. Antoinette was trying to run me to ground.

            "I have a big problem, and it could mean an even bigger problem for you," I said. "Or not."

            "What are you yammering about, girl?" he said. "I'm busy right now. Is this a problem for me or not?"

            "I won't know until we talk," I said. "I'm available right now."

            "Hold on," he said, and put me on hold.

            I was heading east on Royal. I hoped Jeff would give me an answer before I reached Central Expressway. The intersection of Royal and Central was just a short hop to the High Fives cloverleaf, so I could head out north, south, east, or west, depending on where Jeff said to meet him. If he agreed.

            "Where are you?" Jeff said, surprising me.

            "Central and Royal."

            "Okay, come on up," Jeff said. "I can spare you a few minutes. I'm at Valerie St. Clair's house. I hear you know where it is."

            Jeff hung up before I could get over my surprise. Valerie's house? Did she agree to me meeting him there? If so, she couldn't be happy about it. About three and a half months back I staked a vampire in her house. That was just before I was Changed into a vampire.

            Valerie wasn't the forgive and forget type.

            I took a deep breath as I dropped the phone back into my purse, sitting in the passenger seat. My heart was hammering. I wasn't sure if it was because of Valerie, or Jeff. I’d been accused of playing dangerous games before. They didn't get any more dangerous than meeting face to face with a council member.

            That early in the evening rush hour traffic was still a problem. Lucky for me, I was going the opposite way as most of it. Traffic was heavy, but moving at a nice clip.

            I made my exit faster than I thought possible, and headed for Valerie's big Swiss Avenue house. I found Jeff's limo in the driveway. Francisco Alejano and Sid Cotsakis stood by the limo. Both were wearing dark suits and ties. And both were undead members of Jeff's vamp family. I didn't see Tanya or Jerry, so assumed they were inside with the boss.

            Parking on the street, I took the time to check my face in the rearview. Once I was reasonably presentable, I left my purse on the seat and got out. Oddly enough, I wasn't nearly as nervous the last time I visited her house as I was tonight, but this time I was walking into a hostile environment and knew they all were expecting me.

            Jeff's two vampire goons watched me with cool eyes as I walked up to them. Francisco was Jeff's head bodyguard/thug. He was six foot three with short, dark hair, fierce brown eyes, and an athletic build. While Sid was six feet even and very pale, even for a vampire. Sid had very dark brown hair, almost black, that he wore slicked back like in some old mobster movie. With his medium-heavy build and attitude he looked like a mob enforcer.

            "Hello, boys," I said, flashing them a winning smile. I had a great smile. Spent half my teen years perfecting it in a mirror. That smile caused a reaction in both of them. "Long time no see."

            "Yep," Sid said.

            "I thought you were trying to avoid council members," Francisco said. "Which was smart on your part. Now I see you're not as smart as I thought."

            "I'm not the brightest monkey in the tree," I said, and shrugged. "But I have a job to do and need Jeff's help. What's a girl to do?"

            "Run," Francisco said. I laughed. He leveled a severe gaze on me. "I wasn't joking."

            "I know," I said. "I was laughing at myself. I always laugh at fools."

            Francisco rattled me far more than he knew. When the evil boss's thugs warn you away, you should take heed. So I was heading into the house anyway. Maybe fool was too nice of a word?

            Valerie St. Clair's big white Victorian mansion ignited the envy in my heart. I loved those exquisite old Victorians, with their deep porches and balconies. This one even had a turret and a basement.

            The front door was in a deep wraparound porch. My four and a half inch stilettos were loud on the decking as I walked up. I knocked, and immediately heard a pair of high heels on the inside. Would Valerie answer the door herself?

            The door opened to reveal a pretty brunette in a French maid uniform. Very sexy. So I was a little taken aback, since this was a home owned by a woman, and I thought the maid was prettier than the mistress. Very odd.

            "I'm Sable Hart, and I'm here to see Mr. Howell," I said.

            "Yes, of course, please come in," she said with the softest Southern drawl. She was tiny, no more than five feet tall, but perfectly proportioned. "They're expecting you."

            Inside, I looked around. Valerie had redecorated since my last visit. The furnishings were modern, all in bright reds and whites. Even the hardwood floors had a lighter finish.

            "May I have your weapons, please?" the maid said, holding out her tiny little hand. I hesitated. Being disarmed hadn't occurred to me. My pistol really wasn’t a threat to anyone but Valerie, but I found comfort carrying it. "I can't let you go up armed."

            I glanced at the stairs, then upward. I could hear them up there. There were three mortals, two women and a man. I felt their surging blood, and all of their blood was surging, too. All were highly aroused. I remembered Valerie fancied herself a dominatrix, so she was probably running a man and woman through their kinky dog and pony show for Jeff's amusement.

            I couldn't sense vampires with my vampiric powers, but I could hear his heartbeat from downstairs. It was beating a little faster than normal, too. He must be enjoying the show.

            Since I barely detected any pheromones in the air, they were going at it behind closed doors. The thought of going up into that pheromone saturated room set my heart to hammering. How did he expect me to concentrate with all that crap beating at my libido?

            "Mr. Howell is not coming down to meet me?"

            "No, ma'am," she said. "Weapons? Please?"

            I took several deep breaths, and then handed over my pistol. She took it and held out her other hand.

            "That's all," I said.

            "Are you sure?"

            "I'm a vampire. I don't even need that," I said. "So I'm sure."

            She looked me over, then said, "I'll have to have your jacket, too."

            "Why?"

            "You can hide weapons in that," she said. "I have to be sure before you go up."

            Irritated and just wanting to get it over with, I pulled off the jacket and handed it to her. Then I removed the shoulder holster, just because it looked stupid without the jacket to cover it up. That left me in black leather bustier, blue jeans and thigh boots.

            "Very good," she said, smiling brightly. Great smile. "Go right on up. They're all in Miss Valerie's playroom."

            "Playroom?"

            "You've never enjoyed her playroom before?"

            "No, I don't think so," I said.

            "At the top of the stairs go straight down the hallway to the door at the end. You'll hear them," she said. "Have fun, Miss Hart."

            I gave my pistol a last, longing look, and headed up the stairs. There were two hallways at the top of the stairs, but it was painfully obvious which one to take. I could see the light around the door at the end of one hallway, and hear them in there.

            The floor was bare hardwood, so there was no sneaking up on them in high heels. None of the mortals gave any hint they heard me coming. I knew Jeff heard me. You can't sneak up on a vampire. Jeff was too old to not be very alert to his surroundings.

            The smells of sex, lust, and need thickened in the air as I approached that door. I could hear someone was screwing. I heard the creak of the furniture, the harsh breathing, the squish of a male member moving in and out. Yeah, sometimes supernatural hearing isn't the best thing to have.

            "Billy, open the door for Miss Hart," I heard Jeff say, just before I reached the door.

            I heard Billy thump over to the door. He pulled it open and looked at me for a long second, then a wide grin spread across his face. A wave of pheromones, both mortal and vampire, washed over me.