Revelation of Blood (24 page)

Gee, thanks
, I thought wryly. If he
only knew my eye color was real. “I remember,” I quirked my brow at
him.

“Alright,” Dan sighed and rubbed his head
distractedly. “I’ve got to get this order finished and then I’ll
join you out there. Thank you for coming in today. You’re really
saving my ass, doll.”

“No worries, honey,” I reassured him with a
squeeze to his shoulder. “I’m just going to take these contacts out
real quick and then I’ll get to it.”

As soon as I touched his shoulder, I was
blasted into his head; his thoughts echoing loudly around me.
I
shouldn’t have left her alone with him…knew I didn’t like
him…selfish prick…too much shit to do…hope she’s okay…

Letting go of him like I’d been burned, I
took a deep breath in as his thoughts instantly muted again.
Damn that was intense
. My powers from Archer seemed to be
rapidly evolving. No longer were the voices a constant roar, but a
gentle, almost imperceptible background noise. I hadn’t realized
the change until just then but, looking back on it, they had
started to seem less noticeable last night.

Was Dan talking about Nikki
? I
wondered.
Wouldn’t he tell me if he thought something was wrong
with her or if he thought she was in danger
? I couldn’t
outright ask Dan about his thoughts because he didn’t know I was a
vampire and that frustrated me. I left him to his paperwork and
walked to the bathroom down the hall.

After I put the hazel contacts in, I cursed
the feel of them and how they restricted my vampire sight. Things
weren’t as clear as they were with the contacts out. I hated them
right away but knew they were a necessary evil. Putting the case in
my pocket for later, I made my way down the hall and through the
floor door.

Drop Kick’s was surprisingly packed for
mid-day on a Monday and I immediately got to work taking orders and
checking on tables. I soon found out a big plumbing convention was
in town and between that and Austin’s regular tourist influx, Dan’s
was swamped.

I was a few hours into a decent shift when
Dan whistled at me and told me I had a call at the bar.
Who
would be calling me here
? Frowning, I headed over and picked it
up.

“This is Skye,” I chirped quickly into the
receiver.

“Hello, love. It’s Jameson.”

“Hi, honey. What’s going on?” I asked,
wondering why he was calling the bar phone instead of my cell
phone. It was then that I patted down my back pocket and realized
I’d left it in my messenger bag in Dan’s office.

“You got a sec?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a few minutes,” I answered,
eyeing my section. “Talk to me.”

“I’m parking now. Grab me a beer. I’ll be in
shortly,” he said and ended the call.

He’s here
? I hung the receiver back on
the wall and told Dan I needed to take five. He smiled and slid me
a shot of Jack Daniels and I remembered to order a beer for
Jameson.

“Micky’s stopping by?” Dan smiled as he set
the Guinness draft in front of me and I chuckled at his old
nickname for Jameson. “Haven’t seen him in a while. How’d his tour
go?”

“Really well,” I smiled as I picked up our
drinks. “Jameson said they sold out almost every show.”

I spotted Jameson as soon as he walked in and
told Dan I’d be back soon. Nodding my head to a small table by the
jukebox, I followed him over and we took a seat.

“It’s always good to see you, honey, but is
something wrong?” I asked, on edge, leaning in so we could talk
privately.

“Aye,” he sighed and downed half his beer.
After he licked the foam from his top lip, he continued. “Styvi Nix
is fine, so I don’t want you to worry…but…”

“But what?” I asked, my hands moving
protectively to my chest. I could tell by the tone of his voice
that I wasn’t going to like what I was about to hear.

“But,” he said gently, reaching out a hand
for mine. He gripped mine tightly like the anchor he so often was
for me and cleared his throat. “I don’t think Nikki has been home
in a couple of days. You’ve both got about two days’ worth of mail
piled up in the mailbox.”

I swallowed thickly and reached across the
table with my free hand to gently cup his cheek. “Let me see,” I
whispered, the need to observe it through his eyes so strong. I’d
never attempted this form of mind reading before, but it somehow
felt very natural to me; like my body knew what to do even if I
didn’t.

Jameson took a deep breath and nodded his
head as he leaned into my hand, bringing our faces closer together.
Trust, sorrow, and love poured off him in waves, making my already
raw nerves rawer. I gave him a sad smile and briefly caressed his
cheek with my thumb before I finally focused hard into his
eyes.

There was a quick vibration in my vision and
then a momentary sense of falling. In the blink of an eye, I was
seeing his, Trey, and Pádraig’s arrival at my house. They knocked
on Nikki’s front door but there was no answer. I watched Jameson
point to the side of the house where the back gate was and tell
Trey to meet him in the backyard. Jameson then walked to my side of
the duplex and unlocked my front door. My house was exactly as I
had left it and it made me abruptly homesick. Walking through to
the back door, he unlocked it and stepped into the back yard. Trey
and Pádraig were already there comforting a whimpering and excited
Styvi Nix. My breath caught at the sight of her and then I followed
Jameson’s eyes to the back porch. There was a huge pile of dog food
and a bowl of water on the ground. From the looks of it, Styvi had
been left to her own devises and I growled lowly with anger. I felt
a soft brush against my lips and it startled me so much that I
snapped out of Jameson’s mind.

My eyes blinked a few times as his face came
back into view and I immediately gazed down my nose, noting his
thumb softly brushing across my lips.

“You were growling, love,” he said,
concerned, and then dropped his hand.

I did the same and swallowed hard. Of all the
things I was expecting to see in his mind, seeing Styvi Nix
abandoned was not one of them. I was suddenly furious at Nikki,
which was kind of confusing for me because I was also intensely
worried about her safety. “She left Styvi, Jameson.”

“I know, babe,” he whispered and scooted his
chair closer to mine. He lifted his arm and I leaned into him,
allowing him to hug me.

“How do you always seem to know what I need?”
I asked in a sigh as I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath in an
attempt to calm down.

“Because I know you, little sister,” he
whispered, rubbing his hand up and down my arm, soothing me. “And
because you were shaking. Styvi Nix is okay, Skye. Trey and Pádraig
are looking after her now back at the lake house. She was a bit
traumatized at first, I think, but she’s doing a lot better now.
When I left them to come here, Trey had just given her a bath and
was snuggling with her on the couch, wrapped up in a big blanket.
She was sleeping comfortably in his arms last I saw.”

“I don’t know whether to cry or kick Nikki’s
ass when I find her,” I shook my head.

“At least she left her with plenty of food
and water. That must mean Nikki is okay. If she was in trouble, or
something bad had happened, I don’t think she would have been able
to leave provisions for Styvi, do you?”

I worried at my bottom lip as I leaned back
and sighed. “I don’t understand it. Nikki would never just leave
Styvi. And if she had to for some reason, she would have done
everything she could to get in contact with me; call Archer or the
Mausoleum or…something. This isn’t like her, Jameson. I know my
best friend and I know how much she loves our Styvi. This isn’t
like her.”

“I checked around your property and nothing
seemed amiss,” he said. “I didn’t pick up anyone’s scent besides
her and Lyric’s. Maybe she had to go out of town suddenly and just
forgot to let you know.”

“Maybe,” I frowned, not really believing it.
I glanced over my shoulder at the clock behind the bar. “Crap. My
break is over.”

“I’ll see you tonight at the club,” Jameson
said, standing and then pulling me in for a hug. “Try not to worry
so much. She’ll turn up eventually and Styvi Nix is safe.”

I nodded my head, kissed his cheek, then
grabbed our empty glasses and went back over to the bar.

“You okay, doll?” Dan asked as soon as I
approached, noting my frown.

“Not really,” I sighed, running my fingers
through my hair. “Jameson said Nikki wasn’t home and that Styvi Nix
had been left to her own devises in the backyard with a few days’
supply of food and water.”

“You’re joking,” he said, shocked, putting
down the glass he was filling. “She would never just leave
Styvi.”

“I know. But Jameson said everything looked
okay at the house. He figures something probably came up and she
forgot to call us.”

“I don’t buy it,” Dan frowned, shaking his
head.

“I didn’t either.”

“Do you think we should call the police?”

“And tell them what?” I asked. “That our
friend is missing but she thought enough to leave the dog a huge
pile of food? That implies intent. What else could we tell
them?”

“I don’t know,” he sighed, suddenly looking
very tired. “Maybe she’ll call one of us and check in. If we
haven’t heard from her by tomorrow night, we should definitely call
someone though.”

“I agree. Three days is long enough…too long
really,” I said thoughtfully. “If you need me to help out around
here until she gets back, I can. I know her absence has put you in
a tough bind.”

“Really, doll?” I raised his eyebrows,
surprised. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not, Dan,” I shook my head, my
brow furrowed a bit. Dan wasn’t just my old boss, he was my friend
too. “If you need me, I’m here. Archer won’t care as long as it
doesn’t cut too much into my job at The Mausoleum. My shifts don’t
start there until eight anyway, but I’m sure he won’t mind if I
need to start a little late.”

“Nikki was scheduled for the day shift all
this week.”

“Then it’s settled,” I decided, as I tapped
my fingernail on the bar top. “If we don’t hear from her by
morning, I’ll be back here at ten to cover her shift.”

“I can’t thank you enough, Skye,” Dan said
gently, deep appreciation painting his tired face. “It means a lot
to me that you’re helping out.”

“You mean a lot to me,” I gazed at him
honestly. “We’re friends, Dan…it’s what we do.”

“She’ll call by tomorrow,” he said as I was
turning back around to go to my tables. I didn’t know who he was
trying to convince more, me or himself, but I glanced back at him
and nodded my head.

“We’ll hear from her,” I whispered and turned
back to my section.

Everyone seemed to need another drink so I
was busy playing catch up for the next hour. My favorite old
regulars, Johnny Kilgore and Jackson Ewing, walked in around five
and I greeted them excitedly.

“Oh, please tell me you’re working here
again,” Johnny drawled on a grin, hugging me tightly. He smelled
like sweat, man, and the great outdoors and I smiled at the
familiar scent.

“Unfortunately, no,” I shook my head as
Jackson hugged me next. “I’m just filling in for Nikki.”

“That’s a damn shame,” Jackson said, “but I’m
glad you’re here today. I just got some great news and Johnny and I
are ready to celebrate.”

“Oh yeah?” I said over my shoulder as I led
them to a table in my section. “Well, don’t hold out on me. Spill
the beans!”

They each scooted into a green vinyl booth
seat and Jackson smiled proudly at me. “My Jessi is expecting.”

“Well, I’ll be,” I breathed excitedly as I
gave him a happy high-five. “Hot damn, Jackson!” He and his wife
had been struggling for the last ten years or so to have another
baby and I knew it was something they had really been wanting. “Way
to go!”

“She’s two months along, so we’re keeping our
fingers crossed, but Doc says everything looks good so far.”

“I am so happy for you, honey,” I beamed at
him. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier for two people. You be
sure to give Jessica my love and congratulations.”

“I’ll definitely do that,” he winked at me,
the pride and happiness on his face warmed my heart.

“How about you bring us our usual and a
double shot of something nice,” Johnny said as he slid me his
AmEx.

“You got it, honey,” I chuckled and made my
way over to the bar to put the order in.

“Hi, Fi. Can I get a pitcher of Budweiser and
two blue Johnnie Walker doubles?” I asked Fiona, who had just
arrived for her shift.

“Hey, Skye,” she smiled at me before it
quickly slid off. “Dan told me you were filling in for Nikki
today.”

“Yeah. I got here a little before noon,” I
shrugged a shoulder.

“I can’t believe she just disappeared like
that,” Fiona frowned as she filled the pitcher.

Remembering what I’d read earlier from Dan’s
mind, I decided to ask her about it since he wasn’t around. “Hey,
Fi?” I asked softly as I leaned over the bar. “Did you happen to
maybe notice anything weird going on with Nik the last time you saw
her? Was she with anyone or did she seem troubled in any way?”

Fiona’s brow furrowed like she was thinking
back. “No. Well, not exactly. The last time I saw her was on Friday
night, I guess. Lyric and some friends of his came in at about ten
and Nikki sat with them after her shift was over at midnight. She
didn’t look too particularly happy to see Lyric, though. I guess
they weren’t getting along or something. She confided in me during
Thursday’s shift that she was thinking about breaking up with him,
but she wouldn’t say why.”

That didn’t surprise me. Nikki was very
secretive about her private life with everyone except me. The fact
that she mentioned wanting to break up with Lyric to Fiona spoke
volumes. Nikki must have really needed to talk to someone. I
instantly felt guilty for not being there for my best friend. I’d
had my head firmly planted up Archer and Jameson’s ass for the last
two months and that wasn’t like me. We promised each other long ago
that our friendship would always come first. Sisters before misters
and all that.
Ugh…I’m such a shitty friend
.