Bloody Acquisitions (Fred Book 3) (22 page)

“No, but she might realize you’re the vampire all those rumors are about.” Krystal looked worried, which was all the stranger to see in her frumpy get-up. “They are still looking for that guy, too. The exploits got so exaggerated by the rumor mill that no one suspects it’s you; however, if that vamp gets to see up close and personal what your job entails, she might put two and two together.”

“So I stick to simple, easy accounts with minimal chance of things going nuts,” I replied. “I think I’ve even still got some human clients I can check in on. This can work; we just have to bore her into submission.”

“It’s a better idea than refusing the offer and starting a feud with the House of Turva,” Richard agreed. “Quinn really screwed you good, Fred. If you were actually part of a clan, they could intercede for you, keep others like the Turvas from just deciding that you were going to hire one of their people.”

“From what I’ve seen, I actually think I prefer being on my own,” I told him.

“Hey now, these people might be dicks, but there’s something to be said for clans and tribes.” Richard stood a little taller, which caused his sizable head to scrape against the bottom of the bedroom ceiling. “A lot of the ones who get turned lose their old lives, their old families, and end up alone in the world. Clans and tribes give them new people to turn to, and help in rebuilding their suddenly broken worlds. When done right, we’re something of a surrogate family, and a lot of people need that.”

“My apologies, Richard. I know how deeply you care for your people, and maybe if I’d been turned into a therian, things would be different. I just meant that, based on the vampires I’ve encountered, I think I’m a lot happier with how being abandoned turned out.”

“And I think we can all agree that Fred has done an oddly good job at constructing his own makeshift family,” Krystal added.

“Just to let you all know, Lillian has finished her food and is currently sitting at the table, looking bored,” Charlotte reported. “Shall I bring her the next course?”

“No, we should probably head back to the table, anyway.” I looked over at Richard, who’d ducked back down after bumping his head on the ceiling. “Will you be joining us?”

“Officially, I still need to make sure she isn’t going to kill you,” Richard replied. “Unofficially, if you think for one hot second I’m skipping out on Charlotte’s cooking, you’ve got another thing coming.”

I could hardly fault the man there, but as we headed for the door, I noticed we weren’t alone. Krystal had fallen in behind us, only a few steps behind Richard, whose bulk blocked out the door frame.

“Um, Krystal? What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Since the official meeting is over, the other tenant in Charlotte Manor is going to head down and get some food.” She adjusted her glasses and tugged on the oversized sweatshirt. “Besides, if Lillian is going to be crashing here, then she should probably meet your girlfriend sooner rather than later. If she asks, my place is being fumigated and that’s why I’m living in a B&B.”

“A supposedly haunted B&B,” I pointed out. “And dating a vampire. Crap. What sort of parahuman are we going to say you are?”

“My grandparents were a quarter Fey.” There was no hesitation in her explanation; clearly, Krystal had already thought this story through. “Still connected enough to the parahuman world that I’d have been raised around it, but my blood is so diluted that there’s no longer much sign of magic. While I’d like to claim I’m a full human who found out about the world by chance, it’s just too risky without knowing what she’s been feeding on. If it’s something that can perceive magic, then I’m sure to trip her senses, so putting in a little Fey ancestry will cover my ass on that front.”

That was news to me; I didn’t realize there were creatures out there that could sense Krystal’s true nature. It really shouldn’t have been, though. I’d learned time after time that the parahuman world was bigger and more complex than I could imagine. There were bound to be all sorts of different creatures with various talents out there, almost all of which a vampire could copy abilities from. That’s what made us so dangerous, and so feared, even among other parahumans. Every time I met a new client, they were always a bit wary of me, never quite sure what I was capable of, and if I was looking at them as a source of income, or blood.

We made our way back down the hall, and Krystal grabbed my hand just outside the dining room door. She said nothing, though. With the doorway open, not even Charlotte could muffle the words away from Lillian’s hearing. Instead, she just held me there as we watched Richard make his way into the dining room and roughly greet Lillian. It occurred to me for the first time that as long as my new employee was around, we were going to have to keep up the facade of Richard, of pretty much all my friends, not caring for me. The ruse would be for my protection, as I couldn’t very well be marked as best buddies with a therian, or a mage, or a wielder of a weapon of destiny. All the same, even the idea of it felt lonely, and I found myself hoping Lillian would give up quickly so that things could get back to normal.

A tight squeeze on my hand reminded me that Krystal was still there, that she’d found a way to stay with me even with Lillian hovering around us. I felt a surge of love and gratitude for her, leaning in for a quick kiss while we were momentarily alone. She reciprocated warmly, then pulled away and carefully mouthed a single soundless word.

“Showtime.”

With that, Krystal slouched her way into the dining room and let out a squeal of mock surprise. “Oh my goodness, Freddy didn’t mention that his guests were still here. I’m so sorry to interrupt your dinner.”

Awkward, deferential, and apologetic; this version of Krystal was about as far from the real one as she could get. Whether I liked it or not, the pageant had begun.

4.

“Are you sure I can’t come along?” Albert stood in the doorway as I packed up my computer bag for the night ahead. Having managed to make it through dinner without anyone getting killed, I’d retired back to my apartment and spent the entire day working out a plan for the coming week. I’d gone through all my accounts, choosing the safest, least likely jobs to turn into anything exciting. Lillian was going to accompany me on boring client visits and assessments until she either quit or I ran out of dull situations to shove her in.

By this point, you’re no doubt wondering why I didn’t just stick my unwanted employee in front of a mound of paperwork and be done with her. The idea did occur to me—it was an obvious solution to the problem—however, it came with a serious drawback: if I let her handle any aspect of the real accounting, I’d be trusting her with my clients’ confidential information. Since I didn’t even trust her to know things about me, I certainly wasn’t going to allow her access to any of my clients’ private fiscal records. Better to drag her around town and risk my own exposure than allow her clan to get its hooks into the people who trusted me.

“No, Albert. I’m afraid it’s too dangerous. Besides, I need you handling the more delicate work while I’m saddled with Lillian.” Much as I might have enjoyed Albert’s company, he was too high profile to bring along. The Blade of the Unlikely Champion took serious issue with being left behind, and Albert always seemed out of sorts when it wasn’t close by, but one look at the ornate weapon and she might be able to figure out that he was the town’s resident destiny-weapon wielder. And I really was leaning on him to handle a fair amount of tasks while I was busy. Parahumans didn’t often go in for digital delivery, and there were several clients expecting contracts, budget projections, and filing receipts to be delivered in the very near future. Some of those, Lillian and I would be handling, but all the ones with the potential to get more . . . exciting . . . had to be entrusted to Albert. Neil would also be tagging along, in case he needed backup.

“You can count on me, boss.” Albert saluted, then lowered his hand slowly as his cheerful expression became tinged with concern. “Is this lady really that dangerous?”

“She’s probably stronger than me, whatever little that says, but it’s not actually her I’m worried about,” I told him. “It’s her clan as a whole. If I can fall off their radar, be just an anomaly they know about but have no regard for, then that’s our optimum situation.”

“What’s the bad situation?” Albert asked.

I jammed the charging cord, portable Wi-Fi hotspot, and array of flash drives into the top pocket of my briefcase. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe they try to drag me into their clan. Maybe they do a hostile takeover of the business. Maybe they . . . encourage me to leave town.” That actually wasn’t what I wanted to say, but there was no sense in worrying Albert with the least likely option. Even if I struck their interest, the chances of them deciding to kill me were slim. I hoped.

“All I know is that I’d prefer not to deal with them at all, if possible, and that’s what this week is about.”

“Got it.” Albert walked over to my desk, where I had neatly arranged all his assignments for the night. “But it’s too bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been saying for a while that you needed more help. I just mean, it’s too bad that this Lillian lady can’t actually lend us a hand.” It was hard to argue with Albert as we both stared at the mound of assignments I’d set aside for him. Had Arch been in town, I’d have never been able to lay such a heavy burden on my assistant’s shoulders, but while the agent was gone, their training was on break. And he was right; the company did need to grow if I was going to keep up with demands. Just not like this.

“I’d far rather keep working overtime than accept any help the House of Turva wants to give,” I told him. “This business might not be much, but at least no one else can lay claim to it. That’s worth something to me.”

“To me, too,” Albert agreed, beginning to carefully scoop up his assignments and pile them into his backpack.

With my own accessories stowed, I said a quick goodbye, and then headed out into the crisp new night. The last of the sunset had only just fallen away, so the sky was still a bit lighter than usual. I did miss seeing the blue skies and sun, even if I was now able to glimpse them through enchanted windows. It wasn’t the same, though. I’d never really cared much for standing in sunlight during my living days; mostly, I’d considered it an inconvenience. Now, I’d have paid an obscene amount for the experience. But that was life; everything was a transaction. Nothing came free. Ageless existence and mystical powers were a comparatively small price to pay for giving up the ability to tan. I just still missed the sun, occasionally.

By the time I arrived at Charlotte Manor, Lillian was already waiting on the porch. She wore yet another pantsuit, probably delivered by someone in her clan, and had a large purse with a yellow legal pad sticking out the top. Before I could so much as pop open my door to greet her, she rushed forward, opening the passenger side of my hybrid and climbing gracefully in.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“Just excited to get started on my first day of work.” Her smile was wide and infectious, but something in the way her eyes were twitching betrayed Lillian’s anxiety.

“You sure that’s all? Did something happen? Did Krystal say anything?”

“Krystal? Hell no. That girl barely even speaks; she’s quiet as a barn mouse.” Lillian glanced back at Charlotte Manor through the window. “It’s just . . . I don’t want to sound ungrateful—I really appreciate you putting me up somewhere parahuman friendly and with such good food. But you mentioned that place has a presence, and the longer I’ve been staying there, the more I can feel it. It’s hard to describe, like everywhere I go, I know someone is aware of my movements and what I’m doing. It’s kind of unnerving.”

“Sorry you had to go through that.” I shifted the car into drive and began heading back toward Winslow’s proper city area. It was probably of note that she could tell Charlotte was paying special attention to her; it meant her senses were either exceptional or she’d been dining on something with high awareness. Either way, I’d have to ask the house to be more discreet in keeping watch. “When we get back, I’ll have a sit down with the presence; see if I can get it to offer you a little breathing room. We’ve had dealings before, so I should be able to talk it into backing off.”

“I would greatly appreciate that.” Lillian leaned back in the seat, seeming to finally relax now that the manor was fading into the rear view mirror. “So, what’s on the docket for my first day on the job?”

“Listening,” I told her. “And taking notes. Right now, you don’t have any of the training or certifications to actually do accounting work, so I’m going to teach you the customer service portion of the job. In a normal firm, there are reps to deal with most of that, but this is a small operation, so every employee has to be able to handle multiple jobs.”

“Can do,” Lillian replied. “I like to think I’ve got a way with people. I used to get compliments on my bedside manner, way back when I had a heartbeat.”

“You were a doctor?” I asked.

Lillian chuckled, hard laughter tainted with something darker than mirth. “A nurse. They didn’t let women be doctors back then. No matter how much we might have wanted it.”

I looked at Lillian once more, realizing for the first time just how great the difference in our ages was. I didn’t know much about the history of physicians—the best I could recall was that the first female doctor had been sometime in the mid-eighteen hundreds, which put Lillian’s human life somewhere before that. She was at least a hundred and fifty years old, yet she looked not a day past twenty-five. As someone who was undead, you might have expected me to be more prepared for these things, but there is a huge gap between knowing you’ll live without aging and actually confronting it while driving toward a highway.