Christian (Vampires in America: The Vampire Wars Book 10) (9 page)

Chapter Five

Houston, Texas

NATALIE CHECKED her posture, straightening her back where she sat near the wall, watching the Krav Maga class on the other side of the dojo. It was an advanced class, which meant she had trouble following all of their moves, despite her familiarity with the discipline. Krav Maga wasn’t beautiful; it wasn’t meant to be. It was functional and deadly, and it got the job done. Natalie had picked up the basic moves from Alon Riese, her best friend and the instructor for the current class, but despite his encouragement, she’d never pursued it further.

Joining a dojo had been at the top of her list after she moved to Houston, but judo was her discipline. Her father had introduced her to the martial art as a child . . . “just in case.” That would be just in case she was in a situation where neither he, nor either of her giant brothers, were around to pulp any horny boys into submission.

She sighed and slumped back against the wall. She’d never had to deal with any of those horny boys, because her brothers always got to them first. And they hadn’t been much of a danger anyway. But at least the training was excellent exercise. She could say, with perfect modesty, that she’d always been in great shape.

These days, her work at the dojo still helped her keep fit, but it also burned off the stress of a job that involved staring at numbers all day long, trying to translate the story they told of crooked vampire lords and unscrupulous bankers. She loved her job. It was challenging, but also sometimes exhausting. Which was why she often ended her nights with an early morning visit to the dojo, before heading home for a hot shower and a few hours of sleep.

“I don’t know how you do it.” Her friend Janette Baldwin was sitting next to her, and punctuated her words with a jaw-breaking yawn, which told Natalie what the
it
was. Janette was a night person forced to live the life of an early bird. She ran a very successful daycare and preschool in downtown Houston, which meant she had to be there to greet all the earliest moms and dads when they dropped off their children. Natalie had met her at the first gym she’d joined in the city, and then Janette had followed her to the dojo when she decided the gym wasn’t what she needed.

“And I don’t know how
you
chase a bunch of rugrats around all day and still have the energy to get up an hour early to come here,” Natalie told her. “Don’t you get enough exercise at the prison?”

“Nat! Stop calling my school a prison! Someone will hear you and think I’m a screw at the big house or something.”

Natalie laughed. “A screw at the big house? You’ve been watching too much reality TV.”

“Besides, I like coming here,” Janette said quietly, her gaze riveted on Alon’s muscular form as he efficiently put every single member of the advanced class on the mat. Krav Maga might not be elegant, but Alon sure was. Natalie could appreciate his beauty, even though he didn’t ring her particular bell. They’d tried dating once, early on. But there was no heat between them; they were better as friends.

Janette, on the other hand, had a major crush on Alon, but was too shy to do anything about it. Unfortunately, Alon seemed blissfully unaware. He was always friendly, always respectful, but that was it. Much to Janette’s continued dismay.

“Stop ogling Alon, and talk to me.”

“I can’t talk to you until you tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m not sure . . . I don’t know how much I can say.”

“Okay, so it’s vampire stuff.”

“Janette—”

“Come on, Nat. I know where you work, that’s no secret. And there’s no other reason for you to be so stressed about it. Tell me what’s up. Pinky-swear I won’t tell anyone else.”

Natalie bit her lip, thinking hard. She had to talk to someone, or she’d go nuts. And Janette was one of only two people in her life she could really talk to, especially about the vampire stuff. She didn’t even tell her family how she felt about working for Anthony, because (a) she didn’t want to upset them, and (b) she didn’t want to get them on Anthony’s shit list. So there was Janette, and there was Alon. And that was it.

“Okay, but not a word to anyone. I don’t give a shit about Anthony, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Those vamps probably don’t even know I exist.”

Natalie snorted. “You’d be surprised, so not a word.”

“Fine, fine, what’s going on?”

“Okay, so there’s this new guy—”

“Oh, my God,” Janette exclaimed, clutching Natalie’s arm. “A new guy? An actual guy with a penis and everything?” she said, pretending to be tearing up with emotion. “I’m so proud.”

“Shut up,” Natalie said, trying not to laugh. “And keep your voice down. Yes, there’s an actual guy, but not like you think.”

“Is he gorgeous?”

Natalie groaned in exasperation. “Of course, he’s gorgeous. They all are. But . . .”

Janette studied her, eyes wide. “Oh, my God,” she said again. “I’m right. You like this one.”

“He’s different,” Natalie admitted.

“Different how?”

She blew out a long sigh. She didn’t know what to say, how to make Janette understand. It wasn’t any
one
thing, it was . . . “It’s the whole package,” she admitted slowly. “It’s not just his looks, although God knows he’s handsome. But he’s smart and charming and nice.” Her inner voice scoffed,
Nice, Nat? Really?

Janette stared at her like she’d grown a second head.

“Okay, so not
nice
. That’s the wrong word. But he was sweet and polite.”

“Sweet and
nice
? Does he want a job at the preschool? ’Cuz you make him sound like somebody’s dog.”

Natalie gaped at her in disbelief. “He’s not like that at all! He’s huge and built, with shoulders out to there, and the most amazing blue eyes, and his smile—” She snapped her mouth shut when she realized she’d been had.

Janette covered her mouth against a laugh.

“Okay, so call me shallow,” Natalie sniffed. “He’s beautiful. Fine. But you know how you meet some people, and there’s this spark of intellect in their eyes, an awareness or something that tells you this person is smarter than the average bear. Well, I love that, and he has that spark, whatever it is. And . . .”

“And you want him,” Janette said knowingly.

Nat puffed out a breath. “I do,” she admitted. “But that’s not the problem.”

“Of course not. This is you, after all.”

Natalie switched her gaze to the Krav Maga class for a bit, then turned back to Janette. “I saw something I wasn’t supposed to see. Something involving Christian.”

“That’s the new hunk’s name? Christian?”

“Christian Duvall, yeah. Anyway, I saw this thing, and then I heard Anthony talking about it, and . . . he lied,” she finished with a whisper. “Anthony, I mean. He lied about what happened, and I think it’s going to get Christian in trouble. And I don’t know if I should tell him about Anthony, or let it go. It’s all vampire business, and they have their own rules, and I’m . . . an accountant.”

“Forensic accountant,” Janette clarified loyally. “And
you’re
smarter than the average bear, too. If you think there’s a problem, tell the guy. It’s not as if you owe Anthony anything. He’s like the creepy family stalker, the one who nobody knows, but who shows up every Thanksgiving, and never brings pie.”

“He gave me his card,” Natalie said suddenly.

“Ew. Anthony?”

“No!
Christian
.”

“Which means he wants you, too,” Janette decided.

“I didn’t say—”

“Oh, please. You want him, and I say it’s about time. If you don’t use it as God intended, pretty soon, your vagina’s—”

Natalie hissed at her to shut up. “Can you say that any louder?”

Janette laughed. “Call him, Nat. You don’t have to come right out and lay it on him. Just feel him out first, and then if it flows, it flows. And you can warn him about the other thing, too.”

“You’re right. I need to warn him.”

“But wait until after you’ve had sex to tell him, because—”

“We are
not
going to have sex. I’m going to call—”

“Fifty bucks says you’re bumping nasties within the week.”

“Bumping nasties. Charming. And I’ll take that bet.”

“Yippee! Momma needs a new pair of shoes.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re about to get laid,” Janette whispered. “Do you have decent underwear, or is it all granny panties?”

“Not that it matters, but my lingerie is perfectly presentable.”

“So, granny time, huh?”

“No! Stop it.”

Janette leaned against her, laughing. “I want pictures.”

“Of my underwear?”

“No, silly. Of the hunk-a-licious who finally broke your fast.” She checked her watch, then pushed to her feet with a sigh, using the wall as a brace. “I have to go home and shower. Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Probably.”

“Well, if I don’t, I’ll know why. So, don’t forget the fifty bucks. And the pictures.”

Natalie watched Janette walk along the wall toward the door. She also saw her wave good-bye to Alon, and get a friendly nod in return. Maybe Natalie
was
in a dry spell, but she wasn’t the only one. And she wasn’t about to break it with a certain sexy vampire either. Not because he wasn’t attractive, but because he was far
too
attractive. And she had a feeling that once she got sucked into the raging river that was Christian Duvall, she might just drown.

Chapter Six

CHRISTIAN WOKE to two messages the next night. The first wasn’t altogether unexpected. Unofficially, Jaclyn was using her power to boost Anthony’s position as Lord of the South, but officially, she was Raphael’s representative. Kind of an ambassador to Anthony’s court. So it wasn’t a total surprise that she’d want to meet with Christian, and maybe even debrief him on what he knew about Hubert and Mexico. He was sure she’d been updated on the intel he’d shared with Raphael and the others, but she might want her own in-person briefing.

It was the second message that surprised him. His cell phone was sitting on the bedside table, playing the messages on speaker while he dressed. The sound of Natalie’s sexy Cajun drawl snapped his head around, and had him dashing over to pick up the phone and listen more closely. But what he heard was more troubling than exciting. It wasn’t what she said, so much as an undercurrent to her words, a slight tremor in her voice.

“Christian, it’s Natalie. We met earlier . . . well, by the time you get this, it will have been last night that we met.” There was a pause, as if she didn’t know how to continue, but then she did. “I wonder if we could meet for coffee . . . or something. Somewhere away from the estate. I’m probably making too much of—” She drew a deep breath. “Anyway, if you could, call me when you get this. This is my cell phone, so anytime.”

Christian frowned at the number, then played the message one more time.

“Marc!” he yelled, and heard his lieutenant’s door open down the short hall, followed by rapid footsteps.

Marc appeared in the open doorway. “What happened?”

“Nothing yet, but listen to this.”

He played both messages for Marc, whose reaction to Natalie’s voice was much the same as his. “Jaclyn’s business as usual, but this Natalie . . . who is she?”

“I forgot you didn’t meet her. She works in Anthony’s office, an accountant, I think. Sexy as hell, by the way.”

“Damsel in distress. Go get her, bro.”

Christian smiled slightly, but shook his head. “There’s a complication, which makes this interesting, and more than a little troubling. Anthony calls her his cousin, but I don’t think that’s really the way he thinks of her.”

“You think she’s setting you up?”

Christian considered the possibility. She’d be the perfect weapon against him. Sexy, beautiful, and smart, with just enough vulnerability to appeal to his protective streak. Anthony would have noticed the appeal she had for him last night. But, there was the other half of the equation. The fact that Natalie didn’t seem to like Anthony any more than he did. She’d been visibly startled when he’d called her “cousin,” and, damn it, she really did sound scared on that message.

“I don’t think so,” he said, answering Marc’s question. “I think she knows something. Something Anthony doesn’t know she knows, or at least doesn’t want her to share.”

“Why share with you, though? She barely knows you.”

“Yeah, but I’m charming as hell when I set my mind to it.”

Marc coughed obnoxiously. “So call her back, and take her up on the coffee. That’s a first date thing, you know. When a woman’s not sure she wants to commit to a
real
date.”

Christian gave him a dry look. “Thanks for the confidence. I’ll call Jaclyn first, then Natalie. Sounds like I’m heading back to the estate either way, and you’re coming with me.”

“You better believe it. After last night, neither one of us should venture into that viper’s pit alone.”

NATALIE DOCKED her phone, and snapped on her seatbelt, then backed hurriedly from the carport attached to her townhouse. Anthony had wanted her to live on the estate, but she’d declined. The main house was reserved during the day for vampires, but there was what used to be servants’ quarters in a building some distance away from the main residence, which was reserved for the various human staff. She could have bunked there, but it would have been too much like a college dorm, and she’d had her fill of that after her second year at Tulane. Besides, she hadn’t been that happy about being essentially blackmailed into working for Anthony, and didn’t want him any closer than necessary.

Instead, she’d rented this very nice, furnished, two-bedroom, two-story townhouse with no personality whatsoever. It was well located and functional, but with the bland décor, it had no soul. She’d managed to add a little bit of her own personality, sprinkling the rooms with family pictures, and the occasional knickknack. But it still didn’t look like a place where anyone
lived
. Maybe because she’d never intended it to be her home.

Right now, however, all she cared about was that it was close to the estate, with very little traffic between here and there at this time of night. And tonight that mattered, because she was tragically late. She’d tossed and turned most of the day, stressing over the message she’d left for Christian, worried that Anthony would somehow discover what she’d done, whether because he was tapping her phone, or reading her mind. Neither of which made sense. First, she was pretty sure he
couldn’t
read her mind. If he could have, she’d have been out of a job long ago, since she didn’t, for one minute, buy into his benevolent distant ancestor routine.

But that was logic. And there’d been no logic in her bed last night, as she’d rolled from one position to the next, trying to find a comfortable spot, and rehearsing in her head what she’d say to Christian.

And then there was Christian himself. She knew she should stay away from him. Hadn’t she convinced herself of that last night? He wasn’t good for her health or her heart. But she couldn’t stand back and watch him be murdered. She was convinced that’s what Anthony was plotting. He’d tried with poor, dumb Noriega. That had failed, but she had a feeling his next ploy would be a lot less spontaneous, and a lot more deadly.

Pulling up behind a line of cars at the red light, she called up her messages. There was only one . . . from Christian. Heart beating a thousand miles a minute, she hit play and listened to his deep voice as he assured her that he’d be happy to meet at her convenience, and asked her to call him back. But her heart almost stopped when he said he’d be at the estate tonight, in another meeting. Whom was he meeting? Was she already too late? She’d specifically asked him to meet her somewhere else, because she didn’t want him near Anthony until he understood the danger he was in.

She tapped the call back, listening to it ring as the line of cars started moving again. Christian’s phone answered almost immediately, but it was his voicemail.

“It’s Natalie,” she said simply. “Call me. Before you get to the estate, if you can. I’d really like to meet somewhere less crowded.”

Well, that was great. That sounded like she wanted a romantic assignation or something. She might as well have suggested they meet at the local motel. She groaned out loud, and kept driving. She had to get to the office. Anthony would wonder if she didn’t show up soon, and maybe even go looking for her. He might not be able to read her mind, but he probably could track her phone easily enough. If Christian had called, she’d have detoured to meet with him first, but now he was at the one place he shouldn’t be.

Feeling the weight of her decision, wondering how she’d gotten involved so deeply, so fast, she made the turn that would take her to the estate.

CHRISTIAN LEFT MARC with Cibor, and settled into one of the big, cushy chairs around the conference table, eyeing Jaclyn as she closed the door and sat on the other side of the table. The conference room was part of a suite of offices that Jaclyn had to herself, along with what appeared to be a sizeable staff. If anything, her offices were more palatial than Anthony’s, although it could be argued that the entire house was his, while only these few rooms were Jaclyn’s. It was worth noting, though, that Jaclyn had only one human on her staff, and that was her secretary. And he’d bet that all of her vampires owed allegiance to Raphael, just as Jaclyn did.

And that made him wonder again about the relationship between Anthony and Raphael. Cibor had said Anthony was bitter about Raphael’s decision to pull out of the South. But the resentment must have been building before that. Any way you looked at it, Anthony was beholden to Raphael, and he must hate it. He could never be truly his own man, and would always feel Raphael looking over his shoulder. And what about the other lords? They all had to know the true situation. Did they consider Anthony less than themselves? Not a full member of the Council? That would grate on Anthony’s every nerve, wouldn’t it?

“Christian Duvall,” Jaclyn said, scooting her chair back and crossing her legs. She was an attractive female. Dark-haired, sharp-featured. Intelligent, but with an edge that Christian admired in an opponent, but found off-putting in a woman. At least a woman who wasn’t an opponent.

“Jaclyn,” he responded, pronouncing her name in the French way.
Zhak-LEEN.
She wasn’t French, but her people were. Christian didn’t know her entire story, but he knew she’d been born in Quebec, and that the Québecois version of the French language was her native tongue.

Jaclyn smiled warmly. “Raphael asked me to convey his regards, and to tell you he spoke with Vincent, who is understandably interested in whatever you might know about Hubert and any others. You’ll probably hear from him directly in the next day or two.”

Christian tilted his head in acknowledgment. “I’ll be happy to share whatever I know,” he said, and waited for her to get to the point. She hadn’t called him here to tell him about Vincent.

Leaning forward, her arms on the table, and her body language shifting to that of a confidante, she said, “Raphael also heard about the ambush last night.”

And there it was. The real reason for this meeting. “Ambush,” Christian repeated. “And did Raphael hear who ambushed whom?”

Jaclyn barked out a surprised laugh. “Direct and to the point. I like it. Anthony is claiming you murdered Noriega in order to get a jump on the challenge, that you feared the competition.”

Christian managed to confine his scorn to a raised eyebrow. He feared Noriega? That was hilarious. “And what does Raphael think?” he asked, since she seemed to be waiting for the question.

“Raphael has met you,” she said simply. “And his lieutenant, Jared, has met both you and Noriega. Let’s just say that the facts are in question.”

Christian tipped his head again. “Please convey my appreciation to Raphael for the update,” he said, and meant it. The Western lord hadn’t needed to let him know what Anthony was doing, or even that he doubted Anthony’s version of events. That he had done so indicated yet another level of support that Christian hadn’t counted on.

“Be careful, Christian,” Jaclyn said solemnly. “Anthony might be lacking in power, but he’s very shrewd, and doesn’t care who pays for what he wants. He’s also remarkably egotistical, even for one of us.”

“I lived a quarter century in Mathilde’s court. I understand what motivates a sociopath.”

She nodded her head silently. “You may not believe this, but Raphael is a neutral observer in the challenge. He wants the strongest champion to prevail. The South needs a strong leader.”

“I do believe that,” he said, with a confident grin. “Which is why
I
will be the one who prevails.”

Jaclyn smiled back at him. “I tend to agree with you. Unofficially, of course.”

“Of course.”

“You’re new to Houston, aren’t you?”

“More or less. We visited a few times to look at real estate.”

“So what can I help you with? Information on the city? The best blood houses?”

“We’re well set on those fronts. Marc is an excellent scout. There is one thing, however. I need a good dojo, preferably one with a master who embraces the discipline of Krav Maga.”

“Now,
that
I don’t know anything about, but I know someone who does,” Jaclyn said, and reached for the phone. She hit a speed dial button, then listened for a moment, before Christian heard the faint sound of a woman answering.

“Natalie,” Jaclyn said, sharpening Christian’s attention. “Could you come to my office for a moment?”

Listening intently, Christian could distinguish Natalie’s lyrical accent and sexy purr, even when all she said was, “Of course. I’ll be right there.”

Jaclyn hung up and said, “Natalie is our forensic accountant. I’m a financial analyst, which is why Raphael chose me for this assignment in the first place, but Jabril’s underhanded accounting schemes are well beyond my accounting abilities.”

“She arrived with Anthony?” Christian asked, wanting to learn whatever he could of the curious relationship between the vampire lord and Natalie.

“A few months after. Apparently, he knows her family or something. I don’t think she’s thrilled to be working here, but she’s quite brilliant at her job, and I’m grateful to have her.”

“And the dojo?” he asked.

“Oh, of course. Natalie is a fan of . . . judo, I think. ‘Fan’ isn’t the right word, I know. She has a belt of some sort. She’ll probably know what you’re looking for.”

“Excellent,” Christian said, and settled back to wait for Natalie’s appearance. He was feeling very smug about this night so far. Raphael’s tacit endorsement, Jaclyn’s more than tacit support, and now Natalie was being delivered right into his presence. He couldn’t have planned it better.

NATALIE WAS RELIEVED when Jaclyn called and asked her to come down to the office. She’d been sitting at her desk, staring at the same set of numbers for two hours, waiting for Christian to return her call. Why hadn’t he phoned her yet? Had Anthony gotten to him already? Had the Council moved against him, based on Anthony’s lies?