All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire

Page 10

 

  "Ah. " The corners of Carlos's mouth tilted up. "So is this him one of them?"

  "He's a Vamp, yes. A very annoying one. " Of all the Vamps, Ian was the only one who suspected her of a hidden agenda. The fact that he was correct just made it more aggravating.

  The man was driving her crazy. Since her attack, she had every reason to hate vampires. The damned monsters deserved to be hated. It was like they'd stripped her humanity by reducing her to nothing but a food source. And when they'd taken over her mind, it had felt like her soul was being squashed. So how the hell could she find Ian so attractive?

  For a second, she'd thought he must be controlling her mind. But she'd never felt the jab of cold air on her brow. Nor had she heard his voice in her head. No, her attraction was real. Crazy, but real.

  Any man would be blessed and honored to receive yer love. Her heart had almost stopped when he'd said that. It was the loveliest thing anyone had ever told her. It made her feel attractive and. . . worthy. I am worthy to be loved.

  The way he had looked at her, like he was reaching deep inside her, had made her painfully aware of an emptiness in her soul. He was dangerous. And beautiful.

  "Menina, it seems to me you have a conflict of interest. "

  "I'm not going to let him get to me. "

  Carlos smiled. "I wasn't referring to him. Though I suppose he does explain that mushy look on your face. "

  "Excuse me?"

  Carlos chuckled. "I was referring to this new job of yours. You're paid to protect the Vamps, yes?"

  "Yes. I took a vow to protect them. "

  "But at the same time, you want to prove Sabrina's telling the truth about vampires. Seems to me, if you expose the secret about vampires, you will be breaking your vow to protect them. "

  "I thought about that. You see, if we just let a lawyer or a psychiatrist know the truth, then they'll be bound by client confidentiality. So they'll know Bri isn't crazy, but at the same time, they won't be able to expose the Vamps and hurt them. "

  "Ah. " Carlos nodded. "A tricky plan, but a good one. "

  "The problem is finding actual proof of their existence. I thought about taking photos of them in their death-sleep, but they look totally normal. "

  "Like they're asleep?" Carlos asked.

  "Exactly. Well, Dougal looks kinda dead, 'cause he sleeps in a coffin, but even so, it would just look like a photo of a dead guy. And people die all the time. It's hardly revolutionary. I looked in their library--"

  "They have a library? They're not in a dark, gloomy crypt somewhere in a graveyard?"

  "No, they have a luxurious townhouse. Five floors of beautiful antiques and artwork. You wouldn't believe the canopy bed I'm sleeping in. "

  "Oh God. " Carlos pressed a hand against his broad chest. "It sounds fabulous. When can I see it?"

  "I can't sneak you in past the surveillance cameras. "

  He scoffed. "Don't bet on it, girlfriend. So what's the story with Sabrina?"

  "Her aunt and uncle checked her out of the hospital and took her to their house in Westchester. Uncle Joe's a psychiatrist, and he says she's suffering from severe psychosis. He won't let me talk to her. "

  Carlos frowned. "What do you know about this aunt and uncle?"

  "Not much. They never showed much interest in Bri before now. "

  "Yes, but she stands to inherit a lot of money once she graduates, yes?"

  "Yep. Eighty-five million. "

  Carlos's eyes widened. "I had no idea it was so much!"

  "Well, she doesn't advertise it, for obvious reasons. Her parents didn't want her to become a useless trust fund baby, so they stipulated in their will that she had to graduate from college before she could inherit the whole amount. She's been getting a yearly allowance since she was fourteen. "

  "And when does she graduate?"

  "Next spring. Well, actually, it'll be longer than that 'cause she's getting incompletes this semester. "

  Carlos stood and paced across the floor. "She could be in serious trouble. "

  Toni swallowed hard. "I was afraid of that. "

  "I need all the information you have on the aunt and uncle. "

  "This is it. " Toni handed him the pink fuzzy address book. "Their last name is Proctor. "

  He ripped out the page, then folded it. "I'll check them out, especially their financial records. "

  "How will you do that?"

  He slipped the paper into a pocket of his tight leather pants. "I have a computer. "

  "So do I, but I wouldn't know how to check on someone. "

  "No offense, love, but it took you months to learn how to download e-mail. "

  Toni sighed. It was true. She was totally inept when it came to modern technology. She'd lived her first thirteen years at her grandmother's house in rural Alabama, where their one phone had a rotary dial and their one television had four channels and no remote control.

  "That reminds me. " She dug through her handbag and handed him her cell. "I need a different ringtone. "

  He grinned. "You don't want to rock the boys?"

  "No, I'll leave that to you. I need something less. . . loud, please. "

  "No problem. " He jammed the phone into his pocket. "How long were you planning to stay here?"

  "About half an hour. I need to pack some more clothes to take back with me. "

  "Fine. I'll be right back. " Carlos slipped out the kitchen window.

  Toni looked in the refrigerator for something to drink, but everything there had caffeine. Not good when she needed to be asleep by ten every night so she could rise early in the morning. She poured herself a glass of ice water, then headed to her bedroom to pack.

  Monday night, after she'd survived the attack and accepted employment, she'd been stuffed in the backseat of a sedan, and Dougal had driven her here to pick up some clothes. She'd been in such a state of shock, she'd only grabbed a few things from her bedroom while Dougal had waited in the living room. Then he'd driven her straight to the townhouse, and she'd been there ever since.

  She realized now that the Vamps hadn't wanted her to get loose with the knowledge she possessed. The fact that she'd been allowed to go out tonight must mean that they had decided to trust her. How long would she have to live with them? It was hard to say. How could she help Sabrina if she couldn't even talk to her?

  "Your phone's ready. " Carlos strolled into her bedroom.

  She jumped. Good grief, he was too good at sneaking up on people. She dropped the cell phone into her suitcase, next to her box of daily contacts.

  Carlos wandered over to inspect her clothes closet. "Hmm, this is too frumpy. Oh my God, I love this black leather vest. What a shame it's too small for me. " He took the vest out to admire it. Toni smiled as she emptied her underwear drawer in the suitcase. She had missed Carlos.

  "By the way, I did a quick check on Dr. Proctor's financial records. He's in debt up to his greedy little eyeballs. Been living way beyond his means. "

  Toni's mouth fell open. "You were gone twenty minutes, and you learned all that?"

  Carlos shrugged and hung her vest back in the closet. Then he gasped. "Girlfriend, hasn't anyone ever told you never ever wear horizontal stripes?" He pulled out the offending T-shirt. "This should be burned. "

  "Thanks. I was looking for that. " Toni whipped the T-shirt out of his hand and tossed it in her suitcase.

  "Humph. " Carlos proceeded to her dresser to check out the rest of her clothes. "Now this is nice. You should take this. " He pulled out a skimpy red satin teddy.

  "It's December. I'm taking some flannel pajamas. "

  "But menina, don't you want to look sexy for him?"

  Toni slammed her suitcase shut. "You have definitely gotten the wrong idea about him. "

  Carlos's amber eyes twinkled. "Are you sure? I only need to mention him, and your cheeks bloom like a red rose. "

  "That's irritation
, not attraction. " Toni pulled her suitcase off the bed and rolled it from the room. "I've got to go, Carlos. Take care of Vanderkitty. "

  "Will do. And I'll see what else I can find out about Sabrina's uncle. "

  "Thank you. " Toni stopped to give him a hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you. "

  He grinned. "Now hurry on back to him. "

  "Stuff it, Carlos. " She left the apartment to the sound of his chuckling. Hopefully, Ian would be busy all night pursuing Vamp women. If she was really lucky, she'd make it back to the townhouse and her bedroom without having to see him at all.

  Chapter Six

  Ian approached the bed where Toni was sleeping. Her heartbeat was steady, her face calm and peaceful. He hoped she was having sweet dreams. Connor had described the attack on her. She'd be lucky if it wasn't giving her nightmares.

  He thought back to the last time he'd had a dream. It was the eve of the Battle of Solway Moss in 1542. He'd slept fitfully the night before his first battle, and he'd dreamed of shallow mountain streams turning red with blood. He fell into the stream, and it suddenly became bottomless, sucking him under, drowning him in blood. The very next night, he'd joined the ranks of the Undead when Angus had found him dying on the battlefield.

  Ian snorted. At least in the last four hundred and sixty years, he'd greatly improved his fighting skills. He'd never been seriously injured since that first fateful night. And he was no longer plagued with nightmares before battle. He no longer dreamed at all.

  He'd begun his investigation at Romatech by having Connor tell him about the attack Monday night. Connor had overheard the Malcontents' mental voices as they controlled Toni, and he'd used those voices as a beacon to teleport straight to the scene of the crime.

  When Ian examined her personnel file, he'd been surprised to learn that she had an apartment in Greenwich Village. He'd also been surprised by the bachelor's degree in general business and a near complete master's in sociology. Why would someone that smart take a dead-end job, guarding the Undead? Was she conducting a study?

  Connor didn't believe she was using them for research. After all, she couldn't have known about their existence before the Malcontents had attacked her. He had run a background check, and her only offense was a traffic ticket for speeding. Like Dougal, Connor had asked Ian not to chase her away. Until Phil returned from Texas, they were in desperate need of a day guard. What Ian hadn't said was that he was in more danger of pulling her close than pushing her away.

  "Doona pester her," Connor had ordered. "The lass needs time to recover. "

  So Ian had gone to the Horny Devils for his two dates. The women had been pleasant enough, but his mind kept returning to Toni, and the inconsistencies between her personnel file and what she'd told him.

  He glanced at the digital clock next to her bed. Six-thirty. Thursday morning. Shouldn't she be waking soon? He paced about the room. His gaze continued to wander back to her, all snug and cozy in her bed. With his superior vision, he could still see her well in the dark room. She was lovely, the way her golden hair spilled across the pillow, the way her delicate hands curled close to her face.

  Bloody hell. He paced away. He had to stop thinking about her that way. He'd already decided he wanted a Vamp woman who was honest, loyal, intelligent, and pretty. Toni wasn't a Vamp. And he had serious doubts about her honesty and loyalty.

  But she was very intelligent and pretty. Not to mention intriguing. She seemed to ignite all his senses at once, and it was such an intoxicating feeling, he found himself looking for any excuse to be with her.

  He stopped. Was that why he felt this compulsion to investigate her? He mentally reviewed his suspicions. No, his questions were legit. It was his attraction to her that was way out of line. She was a guard. She was forbidden.

  When the alarm went off, he zipped to the bedside table and turned it off.

  With a little moan, she stretched. Her eyes opened.

  "Good morning, lass. "

  She gasped and pulled the covers up to her chin. She quickly looked around the room, then focused on him. "What are you doing here?"

  "We need to talk. "

  "Now?" She squinted at her door, still closed and locked. "How did you get in here?"

  "I teleported in. Yer door wasna damaged. "

  "That's not the point. You invaded my privacy. "

  He shrugged one shoulder. "Do ye no' look at me when I'm in my death-sleep?"

  "That's my job. "

  "And investigation is my job. I have a few questions regarding yer employment application. First off, I noticed ye dinna give yer complete first name. "

  She gave him an annoyed look. "I have to go to the bathroom. And you need to do your vanishing act. " She slipped out of bed and waved a hand at him. "Hocus pocus, disappear. "

  He stepped back as she strode to the bathroom, and he couldn't help but notice how her breasts jiggled slightly beneath her red T-shirt. No bra. With his superior vision, he could detect the exact location and shape of her nipples. When she passed him, he turned to watch her from behind. Her pajama bottoms were red with little black and white penguins. They fit snugly around her hips and rounded bottom. When she paused at the bathroom door, he quickly lifted his gaze so she wouldn't catch him ogling her.

  She glared at him. "Why are you still here?"

  "We havena talked yet. "

  With a groan, she entered the bathroom, then shut the door in his face. He paced about the room. He didn't want to question her through the door. He needed to see her face to help him decide if she was being truthful. He glanced at the clock. He didn't have much time before the sun reached the horizon.