DraculaVille - New York - Book One (13 page)

She nodded. She couldn’t wait to get in the editing room with Justin tomorrow and put the pieces together. They’d drop a dark, misty castle in the background and add some trailing fog around Drake’s legs. Maybe the sound of a wolf howling in the distance. It would be great. Just thinking about the finished product made goose bumps crawl up her arms.

After another hour of retakes and close ups, Justin held up his hands. “That’s a wrap. We got some good stuff, gang.”

Everybody cheered, and a couple of the assistants patted Drake on the back. His amber eyes focused on Talia then he strolled toward her.

“Did everything go okay?” he asked.

“It looked fantastic from here,” she said. “Thank you. You did a great job.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“Ready to go?”

“Yes, I’m a little uneasy leaving Pip alone.”

“When we left he was deep into a game of Dragon Quest. Don’t you think that will keep him occupied?” She gathered her purse and briefcase.

“I don’t know. He’s not used to living in a home. After roaming the streets all his life I think it’s hard for him to stay in one place for long.”

A tickle of uneasiness coursed through her chest. Surely Pip had learned his lesson last night when Drake reminded him that he could be hurt. She hurriedly finalized plans to meet Justin tomorrow and left him and his crew taking down the lighting.

Felix caught a taxi to his place, and Talia with Drake took another to her apartment.

“The rest of the week, I’ll be working on the final presentation. You can have a break to do whatever you want.” She glanced at his rigid features. He was really worried about Pip.

“Thanks,” he said. “I thought I might try to find out more about my past.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Pip. He won’t be a bother.”

That wasn’t what she was worried about. “Maybe you could investigate home schooling.”

“That’ll prove interesting.” Drake chuckled, and his features eased.

Just get me through Friday
, Talia chanted in her mind. She would never be so happy to finish a project as she would this one. There were too many distractions and sideline worries. Maybe then she could relax and determine what to do about her vampires.

At her apartment, Talia tossed her purse and briefcase on the floor beside the couch and unbuttoned her jacket. “Man, I’m tired.”

“Pip?” Drake called. He continued down the hall. “Where are you?”

Talia froze, listening. Damn it. Where was the little monster? He’d better not be playing games with them. She was too pooped to deal with such nonsense.

Drake rushed back from the hall, expression panicked. “He’s gone.”

“Maybe he’s hiding.”

“No, I can usually feel his presence. He’s not here.”

Talia glanced at her watch. Three a.m. They only had another four hours until sunrise.

Drake strode toward the door.

“There’s no time. It’s not safe.” Talia ran after him.

“I have to find him.” He jerked open the door. “Stay here in case he comes back.”

“Drake, the sun rises at seven.”

“I know. Don’t worry.”

He was gone in a flash. She stood at the door, heart pounding and stared along the empty hall to the elevator where he’d disappeared.

She finally closed the door and leaned against it, her mind whirling. Pip didn’t know anything about where Felix and Gerri lived, so this was the only place he knew.

She was more worried about Drake, though. Pip had a street-wise savvy the older vampire lacked. She sank down on the couch, gripping her hands together. What the hell would she do if she lost Drake?

Chapter 16

Talia looked at her watch for the hundredth time on Tuesday afternoon. It was a little after four p.m. She raked her fingers through her disheveled hair, then ran the back of her hand over her burning eyelids. She hadn’t been able to sleep after Drake ran out last night.

“Felix, please call Harvey and find out the details of the meeting with the Romanians. I can’t talk to him right now.” She went to the kitchen and leaned over the island, pressing her cheek against the cold granite top. The chilly surface soothed her, like when your mother put a cool hand on her brow when she was sick as a child.

Her assistant’s murmurs wafted to her and she covered her ears to block his voice. She needed quiet, to think. What if Drake never came back? Of course the campaign would be sunk. The whole thing depended on him as the spokesperson. She’d be ruined. Felix would find a job with one of the other account execs because he was good, and because he’d worked with her.

But the campaign was nothing compared to the empty place in her heart that Drake had begun to fill. She couldn’t describe how much she had come to care about him. So far she’d avoided exploring that concept.

She pounded a fist on the counter top. How had her life become so completely screwed up? The past didn’t matter. If she failed in this Romania campaign, Harvey would fire her. She looked at the beaded bracelet. Stupid thing didn’t protect her. All kinds of bad things had happened since she bought it. She tugged at the string that loosened it, but it had a knot.

She could fix that. She grabbed a knife from the butcher block holder and maneuvered the tip under the beads. Suddenly a body slammed into her. It was Felix. He ripped the knife from her grip and pushed her against the back counter.

“What the hell are you doing?” he screeched, face pale and eyes bulging. “It’s not worth it, Tal.”

“I’m trying to cut this stupid bracelet off my wrist.” She pushed at him. “Why the hell did you jump on me? I could have slashed myself with you pouncing on me like that.”

“Oh.” He glanced at the knife in his hand and then tossed it in the sink. “I thought you were going to slice your wrist.”

“Seriously? Slice my wrist?”

“Well, you’re really upset over Drake missing, and I know how much the campaign means to you…” He hung his head.

“You’re right, my pitiful life is over because my vampire ran away. Hey, maybe suicide is a good idea.” She lunged for the sink.

His head jerked up and he batted his hands at her. “Stop it! You’re making me crazy.”

She gave him another push and stalked to the living room, mumbling, “Slice my wrist, right. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of in my life.”

The doorbell rang, and she rushed to the door with Felix at her heels. She flung it open and her heart sank.

“Any news?” Gerri stepped inside.

“No. nothing.” She led the way to the living room and flopped onto the couch. She glanced at Felix. “What did Harvey say?”

He retrieved his notepad from the coffee table. “The meeting will be at The Plaza Hotel where the Romanians will be staying. They’ve reserved a meeting room for seven p.m. Friday night. We can get in at five to set up. I have the name of the room and the hotel manager who will help with any audio/video setup we need.”

“Seven at night?” Talia’s brows went up. “That’s odd.”

“Apparently one of the group won’t be in until late.” He shrugged. “By the way, Harvey said he’s officially mad at you.”

“What’s new with that?” Talia rolled her eyes.

“Tal, you look like hell. Have you slept or eaten?” Gerri sat in a wingchair, her brow wrinkled.

“No, I keep thinking any minute Drake will walk through the door. I want to be ready so I can drive a stake through his heart for worrying me so much.”

“What are you going to do if he doesn’t come back?” Gerri asked.

Talia threw up her hands. “I don’t have a flippin’ idea. I guess I’ll have to dress Felix up like a vampire and dye his hair black.”

“As if.” Her assistant sniffed and retreated to the kitchen.

“Seriously, Tal.”

“Seriously, I don’t know.”

“Did you work on the video today?”

“Yes, I went to Justin’s this morning. It’s fabulous. But it won’t work if Drake’s not around to follow through after the presentation.”

“Can I make you something to eat?”

She shook her head. “I’m not hungry. Felix might be.” Her stomach was currently squeezed into a hard knot. No way it would accept any food.

Gerri went after Felix, and Talia laid her head on the arm of the sofa. She was so tired and her nerves so frayed she’d progressed to the point of numbness. Her brain didn’t work right, either. Drake’s face floated in her mind. She couldn’t make plans or think past this very moment.

A savory smell hit her nostrils and she guessed Gerri must be whipping up something in the kitchen. It only made her stomach flip and squish. She glanced at her watch again. Almost six. The sun was going down. Surely she’d hear something soon. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her chest.

Voices woke her. She’d dozed without knowing. Damn it. Her watch read ten after seven.

“Talia,” Felix called, urgency shading his voice.

She yawned and sat up, turning toward the door. There Drake held Pip’s hand with Felix and Gerri beside them. Her throat constricted as she tried to say something and only a squeak came out. Her heart thumped and tears started to her eyes.

Drake released Pip’s hand and strode toward her, eyes intent. She jumped up and rushed into his embrace, tears spilling past her lashes. He was safe. She twined her arms around his neck, and pressed him close, while his circled her waist. He lifted her off her feet as if she weighed nothing, and hugged her tightly to his chest. The coolness of his body leeched into her. She shivered, but not in a bad way.

When he set her down, she stepped back and grasped his upper arms. His eyes burned hot as his gaze devoured her face. He must not have eaten in a while.

“Are you all right?” she managed past a tight throat.

“Yes. I’ll tell you everything in a minute. First, I need to put Pip in bed.”

The little guy appeared worse for the wear. His nice new clothes had rips and stains and his hair was in clumps.

Drake motioned him forward with a flick of his hand. The boy trudged across the floor, head down. He stopped in front of Talia. “I’m very sorry, Mom. I won’t do it again.”

Drake took his shoulder and directed him down the hall. “You’ll stay in your room until I tell you to come out. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s right, young man,” Talia pointed a finger at him. “You are, are, uh, you’re grounded.” She didn’t have the heart to correct his calling her Mom.

Then she took in Drake’s appearance. He wasn’t as shredded as Pip, but he looked tired and hungry, with amber eyes glowing.

“Do you need blood?” she asked.

“Yes, I’ll get it.” He went to the kitchen and returned after a moment. He appeared relaxed and his eyes no longer pulsed with fire. His tongue slid over his lips and he sighed before joining Talia on the sofa. Felix and Gerri gathered near.

“We’re so glad you’re not hurt,” Gerri said.

“Talia was going to slash her wrists, but I stopped her,” Felix said, an evil twinkle in his eyes.

“I was not, you bozo.” Talia punched him in the arm, then turned to Drake. “Now tell us what happened.”

“Well, I tried to track Pip down after he left. I went to some of the places we had visited together, I asked people if they had seen him, but no one had. Just before the sun came up this morning, I decided to go to Coney Island. I found him in one of the storage sheds. By that time, we had to spend the day hiding from the sun.”

“Why did he leave after your warning?” Talia asked.

“For some reason, he’s fixated on this lady he met. Personally, I think she’s a vampire and is the one who turned him, but he doesn’t remember.” He rubbed his forehead. “He says he was looking out the window and thought he saw her on the street, so he ran outside to catch her. He followed her until she went into the side door of a deserted store that was boarded up. He couldn’t open the door to go after her, so he gave up. By then the sun was close to rising, and he’d lost his way, so he went to the only place he really knew.”

“How did he get all the way to Brooklyn?” Gerri shook her head.

“By taxi. I’m afraid our little friend is an adept pick-pocket and stole the money to get him there.” Drake crossed his arms over his chest.

Talia slapped a hand to her forehead. She was harboring a midget vampire pick-pocket. Great.

“I think you’re right,” Felix said.

Talia narrowed her eyes. “Do you want to clarify?”

“That lady he’s talking about. I bet she’s a vampire. We know there’s more than one in town, so that means they have to have a place to stay that’s secure. What if that deserted store is just a front and they have a whole gang in there.”

“You read too many scary novels,” Gerri said.

“He may have a point,” Drake said. “It certainly sounds like they have an organization, based on what Lucilla said at the club. They have a leader and follow certain rules. It would make sense for them to live in one place together. It’s safer and easier to protect.”

“Like in
Underworld,
” Felix added.

“An underworld society?” Talia blinked.

“No. The movie,
Underworld
.”

“Right.” She turned to Drake. “So, do we have to worry about Pip wandering off again?”

“I think I finally convinced him to follow our rules. I told him if he goes out without telling us again, we won’t let him return.” He pressed his lips together. “He’s smart enough to realize now that there could have been a whole lot of trouble behind that door, not just a pretty lady.”

Gerri let out a deep breath and came to her feet. “Well, I’m just glad you’re both back safely. I need to go home and get some rest so I can crawl into work tomorrow.”

“I’ll go with you,” Felix said. He slapped Drake on the back. “Nice to have you back, dude.”

“Felix, will you please pick up a cell phone for Drake tomorrow? We can avoid a lot of worry if he can call if there’s trouble,” she said.

“Sure. See you later, peeps.” He headed for the door.

After the two left, Drake said, “I’m very sorry you had to worry, Talia. Is everything else okay?”

“If you mean the campaign, yes. Now that you’re back everything’s fine.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “Justin and I finished the TV commercials this morning, and the meeting with the Romanians is set for Friday at seven.”