BloodlustandMetal (11 page)

“Then why don’t you start there? With the source. Can’t you
figure out who transferred the money if it wasn’t me?”

“I can probably determine which computer was used for it.”

“Then do that, Devon. Please.”

“Fine.”

“I’m sorry I overreacted. It’s hard not to be emotional when
you’re counting down the hours until you might be killed.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I said I’d help you and I
will. Now while we drive to my flat and get started, why don’t you tell me
about this painting.”

Joey

When the PI, Jack Westcott, called me the next morning, I
tried to keep my voice level. “Any updates?”

“I went to that club in Cat’s Cove last night,” he said.
“And I talked to everyone who worked there. I talked to the bouncers—both at the
door and inside the club, the bartenders, the bar backs, the DJ, the manager
and even the owner. I spoke to some regulars who were there the night your
friend disappeared.”

“And?”

“The bouncer at the door was the one I was most interested
in since he was probably the last person to see her leave the club. He’s quite
positive that she didn’t come back in, but he wouldn’t swear to it one hundred
percent because of all the foot traffic in and out. But comparing his account
with others in the club, I think it’s pretty safe to say she didn’t come back
in.”

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it
incredulously. I knew all this. I told him last night. Was I really paying this
guy to repeat what I’d told him? Best not to jump in. I put the phone back to
my ear.

He continued, “Everyone remembers seeing Angelica that
night, naturally, because she was the singer, but few remember seeing her after
the show. The bartender said the band members came to get a drink after the set
and that Angelica was talking to some fans. The bouncer said she’d left with
some guy. That confirmed the story you told me, that she walked out with some
guy and didn’t return. When I asked about the guy she spoke to, nobody seemed
to know who he was, although he left an impression on the ladies. He wasn’t a
regular.”

“Yes, I know most of this already. Do you have anything new
to tell me?”

“I just did. The last person we saw her with was this guy.
So we need to figure out who he is and talk to him.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“That’s where you come in.”

“How?”

“You saw this guy. In fact, it sounds like you got a close
enough look at his face, his body type and his car. So why don’t you give me a
description of what he looks like, any distinguishing things about him, what
type of car he drove and so on.”

“Okay, okay,” I said, trying to picture this guy’s face in
my mind. I remembered him talking to Angelica, which ignited my temper. If he
had anything to do with her disappearing… No, I had to focus on what the PI
wanted. My temper and my jealously wouldn’t help anything right now, but a
description would. “Let me think,” I said, forcing thoughts of retribution out
of my mind. Yes, there was the possibility that he wasn’t involved, but right
now, pegging Angelica’s disappearance on him was all I had to keep going.

“He’s about my height, maybe an inch or so taller, so I’d
guess he’s around 5’11”. His head was shaved bald. He’s a white dude, but he’s
not pale white. He had a more medium complexion, like he had a tan or
something. And he had a ton of tattoos on his arms.”

“Of what?”

“I don’t know. Tribal ones, I think. Maybe a lion or some
kind of feline. I didn’t pay much attention to them.”

“This is good. What about his eyes?”

“I don’t know what color they were. It’s hard to notice
stuff like that in a dark club. But I think they were lighter. There was
something about them that made me take notice. Maybe they were cold or
something, inhuman.”

“Inhuman?”

“I don’t know why I said that, it’s just my prejudices
against this guy coming out. There was something about the way he looked at
Angelica that I didn’t like. Maybe it’s me just being a jealous freak, but I
thought there was something not right about it. Almost predatory.”

“Predatory, that’s good. Can you try to narrow it down for
me? Did he have the hungry look of a man trying to pick up a pretty woman? Or a
colder look of someone up to no good?”

How could I place my finger on it? I stood up and paced
around my apartment. “I don’t know exactly. But now that you say that, I’d
guess it could be either. Or maybe both.”

“Hmm.” He paused. “Let’s move on. What about the rest of his
features. His nose, his lips, his face shape.”

“He had a normal face shape, I don’t know how else to call
it. Oval, no maybe a little round? He was a big dude so he had a thicker neck.”

“How big would you say?”

“Like I said, he’s probably around 5’11”, just taller than
me, but he outweighed me by say twenty or twenty-five pounds. I know I’m on the
lean side. This guy had the broader shoulders and chest of someone who worked
out.”

“Okay, this is good. What about his other features?”

“I don’t know. Normal nose and mouth, I guess. I didn’t
study them too much. I mean he’s a
dude
. I was eying him more to see if
I had to kick his ass, not to see how good-looking he was.”

“I understand,” he said. “I’m just trying to get as much
information as I can. What about his ears? You said he shaved his head. Were
his ears more pronounced in any way?”

“Nah, nothing that stands out. Nothing like characters from
Lord
of the Rings
or anything. Just normal ears.”

“And his clothing?”

“I didn’t really pay attention to what he was wearing. Guys
don’t usually check on other guys’ fashion choices, you know what I mean?”

“So nothing that stood out, right?”

“No, man.”

“Last question, his car. What did you notice about it?”

“It was a black Nissan. One of the newer models.”

“Any chance you caught the license plate?”

“No, man, I wish. I was focused on looking for Angelica,
seeing if she was in the car with him. When I didn’t see her in there, I was a
little relieved. And he drove by too quick.”

“All right, good. I’m going to do some more poking around
and I’ll get back in touch when I have any more questions or some news.”

“How many hours do I have left?”

“I don’t know offhand, a few? We’ll discuss that again when
time’s running out.”

Hopefully Angelica showed up safe and sound in the meantime
before I ended up flat broke. So far I didn’t see how this guy was of any use
to me since he hadn’t told me much more than I already knew. But then again,
I’d rather he be out there looking for Angelica than not. I was already halfway
to crazy worrying about her as it was.

Layla

“Where are we going?” I asked Devon.

“Back to my flat.”

“What are we going to do there?”

“Find out what happened to the painting. And the money.”

Devon was grinding his teeth as he drove.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m waiting for you to do as I asked. Stop stalling and
tell me about the damn painting.”

“Okay, okay. It’s a beautiful piece of abstract art. I’m not
usually into that, but there’s something so poignant about this painting that
it just reaches out to you and pulls you in.”

“How?”

“I’m not sure exactly. But the first day I went to
Stefano’s, it captivated me. So many rich, dark colors. And the reds. The reds
are so intense. They were painted in blood.”

“Oh, gross! Who would do that?”

“A vampire.”

“Of course,” Devon said, not veiling the sarcasm.
“Naturally.”

“Do you want to hear the story behind it or not?”

“I do. Go on, please.”

“So how Stefano explained it to me was that it was painted
by an artist named Marcellus who lived in Venice centuries ago. He was a
promising painter as a human and once he became a vampire, became a brilliant
one. He fell in love with a human named Diana. He wanted to make Diana immortal
so they could be together, but Diana wasn’t sure. She wanted more time to
consider. She said there was no rush. But then there was a robbery at her
parents’ villa. Diana was raped and murdered. Marcellus found her body and went
mad with anguish. He locked himself away in his room with Diana’s body and
expressed his anguish through his art. He poured himself into this painting—all
the hopes and dreams broken. You can make out an abstract shape of a heart amid
the other strokes. And he is said to have painted it with the blood of both himself
and Diana. He left a suicide note with the painting for other vampires to find.
It read, ‘Our blood bonded, our hearts now one, our love eternal.’”

“That’s a pretty powerful painting. Seems almost too
sentimental for a vampire like Stefano.”

I snorted. “The eternal love part was probably lost on
Stefano. He joked that it was a symbol never to fall for humans; they are
merely food. And to never trust anyone.”

We drove in silence for several minutes, lost in our own
thoughts.

As we approached London, I noticed Devon’s hands tighten on
the steering wheel so I looked up at his face. I couldn’t read the emotions on
it, but he said, “If you know where the money went, you better tell me, Layla.
Don’t try to play me. Because I know you far too well.”

Although I knew he was putting himself out there and helping
me, the warning tone in his voice compelled me to reply with help a snarky
comeback. “Once again, I don’t know where the painting is or the money. I’m
tired of repeating myself. And what are you talking about, Devon? You’ve known
me for what, a few days? Which means you don’t really know me at all.”

“I know you better than you think, sweetheart.” He smirked,
which antagonized me all the more. How did he rankle me this way? One minute I
wanted to kill him, the next throw my arms around him to thank him for saving
me—or at least buying me more time—and the next—well, I didn’t know how I felt
about him right then.
Utterly fucking confused
might be the only words I
could come up with.

“Oh yeah, hotshot?” I replied. “How so?”

“I know your name isn’t Layla Costa.”

I bristled in the passenger seat, hoping he didn’t notice.
How did he know this?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You became Layla Costa only two or three years ago. You had
fake papers and a past established. I dug deeper. I know how these games are
played. I know how a name doesn’t mean anything and never to trust what someone
tells you about themselves.”

“Of course I’m Layla Costa,” I said, keeping my voice even.
“You figured that out already. I was masquerading as Angelica Blackwell and you
found out my name was really Layla Costa. How many assumed identities do you
possibly think I have?”

“Just those three. And my guess is you became Layla Costa
when you were changed into a vampire.” He took his eyes off the road to see my
reaction. “Am I right?”

Although I tried to keep my face impassive, my body must
have betrayed me by moving almost imperceptibly.

“I thought so,” he said. “It makes perfect sense. One life
ended for you and another one started. Perhaps, like now, you had another past
that you were running from. Or perhaps you thought it was a perfect opportunity
to leave your life as a human behind and start a new one as an immortal.”

I stared at him, unable to process what I was hearing. My
secrets being uncovered before my eyes. My carefully crafted personas revealed.
My life as a human seemed so long ago. My name almost as if it belonged to
someone else who looked like me, but wasn’t me anymore.

“So am I right, Catherine Anna Stewart?”

This time I flinched. I didn’t know what to think of Devon
right now. He was too complicated to comprehend.

“What the fuck do you want from me, Devon? First you’re
against me, then you’re with me, then you’re messing with my sodding head! Did
you tell this to Stefano?”

“No.” His monosyllabic reply didn’t answer any of my
questions about him. In fact, they complicated my perception of him even more.

“Why not?” I said through gritted teeth.

“Because that’s not what he hired me for.”

“What did he hire you for?” I said slowly, trying to control
my anger.

“To find you and bring you to him. Which I did. In the
course of my investigation tracking you down, I found out things about you that
were quite intriguing. You’re the daughter of a US senator and his trophy wife.
You were a privileged yet troubled kid growing up. One of those kids who is
unsure of who she is and what she wants and blames all her problems on her
parents. Only her parents have money and she’s used to living with money. When
her life changes and the money is suddenly gone, she isn’t sure how to take
care of herself. She’s taken in by a wealthy vampire. And when the opportunity
strikes for her to net a fortune—”

“That’s not true!” I protested. “No matter what you found
out about me and what you think you know about me, you obviously don’t know
jack shit! I’ve learned how to live on the streets with nearly nothing, both
before and after living with Stefano. And I never stole from him. I will swear
that until I’m ashes!”

He leaned back in the driver’s seat as if assessing my
declaration against his facts.

“I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell Stefano about
me,” I said. “I mean, wouldn’t it make you look better?”

“Sweetheart, I know how to do my job. I do what I’m paid
for. If I feel so inclined, I might reveal a little snippet of how I uncovered
something interesting during my investigation. I don’t throw in extra
information for free. If my client wants me to pursue it further, they can pay
me to extend my investigation. And bingo, they always do.”

“So you’re a shyster?”

“No, a good businessman. I offer a service that my clients
need. So if they want the service, they need to pay for it.”