“So, why are we going to Bram’s, Dulce?” Trey asked as he leaned over the driver’s seat and breathed heavily down my neck.
“Are you buckled in?” I asked. “The last thing I want is a ticket for your sorry ass not being buckled.”
Knight chuckled. Trey resumed his position of breathing down my neck—a smell that oddly reminded me of the Alpo I’d been feeding the gremlins.
“Are we going drinking?” Trey started in again. “I haven’t been out partying for a long time...this is going to be so cool. You know, Dulce, you and me have never been out together.”
More sweltering breath on my neck. I came to a red light and tested the brakes. I glanced back at Trey in the rear view mirror and watched him knock his head against the back of my seat.
“Jeez, watch your driving,” he said, rubbing his forehead.
“No, we aren’t going partying. I have some business I need to take care of, and Bram is going to take care of you.”
I caught Trey’s grimace in the rear view mirror. His shoulders sagged, and his bottom lip stuck out like he was about to cry. “I don’t need Bram to babysit me.”
“Yes, you do.” I said. Not wanting a forty year old hobgoblin crying in my back seat, I softened my tone. “Just do me a favor, and don’t argue with me. Angela will keep you company. You can stare at her boobs all night.”
Trey started to deny the fact that he was a fan of Angela’s boobs, but at Knight’s chuckle, I guess he thought he’d take the manly way out. A smirk replaced the grimace on his lips.
Trey nodded to Knight. “They’re nice, man.”
“Holy Hades,” I said. “Can we change the subject please?”
The light went green, and I accelerated again. No Regrets was just at the end of the street—the fluorescent sign promising separation from Trey soon enough. And giving the slip to the albatross around my neck was as appealing as a slurpee on a super hot day.
I threw a wave to Nick as I pulled into the lot behind No Regrets. Putting the Wrangler into park, I faced Trey who was beaming like a kid at the gates to Disneyland.
“Trey, hang out at the bar with either Bram or Angela all night. Make like your ass is stapled to the chair and wait for us to get back, okay?”
He bobbed his head but there was a day-dreamy gaze in his eyes, and I would’ve bet money he’d paid absolutely no attention to me. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving his hand in dismissal. Then he seemed to glom onto the fact that I hadn’t included Knight in the Angela-babysitting-Trey paradigm. “Hey, why does Todd get to go with you?”
Knight gave me a quick discouraging glance, as if I were such a moron I couldn’t remember I’d been sworn to secrecy. “Don’t worry about that,” I said and glared at Knight.
I opened the door and hopped down, my spine tight with anger. Dropping my attention to my jeans and tank top, I sighed as I thought of the horrible getup I’d have to invent for myself prior to going to Dagan’s. I didn’t want to give Trey even the slightest inkling that we were headed to Dagan’s, so I’d have to use my magic to dress Knight and myself up later.
I started forward with Trey and Knight on my heels. Bram met us at the back door, giving me a lascivious smile. This was going to be a long night.
“Sweet, looking lovely as always.”
A snide response buried itself on my tongue when I remembered Bram was doing me a favor.
“Hi, Bram, thanks for watching Trey. I appreciate it.”
Bram didn’t show his surprise at the first friendly words I’d ever said to him. Instead, he inclined his head toward Trey in greeting. His eyes narrowed when they fell on Knight. “And who is this?” he asked with all the pretense of propriety but anyone with half a brain would realize he was less than thrilled to make Knight’s acquaintance. Men of the Netherworld were a macho bunch.
Knight extended his hand. “Todd, an old friend of Dulce’s.”
Bram pasted on a grin that was as fake as a politician’s and shook Knight’s extended hand. Even though his lips were smiling, his eyes held a warning. Knight’s eyes echoed the sentiment.
Bram stepped aside for us as he opened the door. I lingered near Bram as Knight and Trey walked inside. Knight gave me a quizzical look, as though wondering why I wasn’t following them. I ignored him, needing some private time with Bram. “Todd, can you take Trey to the bar? You can put drinks on my tab. Angela’s cool with it. And don’t worry, I won’t be gone long.”
“And where are you going, Sweet?” Bram asked as he pulled the door shut behind him and locked it. The Notorious BIG’s “Hypnotize” launched me into a drunken flashback to college.
“To Dagan’s to talk to him about the creature that killed Fabian,” I paused. “You don’t happen to know anymore about that, do you?” Might as well try.
Bram shook his head, throwing me another smile laced with desire, and the promise of pleasure. I frowned.
He dropped the smile. “I know nothing, Sweet.”
Knight gave me a questioning glance as Trey droned on about how the French judge a perfect breast by using a champagne glass. I breathed a sigh of relief as they disappeared around the corner.
I turned back to Bram. “I’m looking for a woman…”
Bram chuckled. “Aren’t we all, Sweet?”
“Ha ha. She’s tall with long red hair. Ring any bells?”
Bram tapped his slender fingers against his chin, patronizing me. “No tall redheads have come to the club lately that I can think of. I will ask around for you though.”
He smiled again, and I knew something I didn’t want to hear was about to come out of his mouth. “Have you decided to try your own sex, Dulcie Sweet? I would hope you’d give me a chance first?”
I just glared at him. “This is police business, and I can’t tell you any more about it. I want you to call me if anyone matching that description even walks by your club. I’ll give you my cell number.”
Okay, not something I actually wanted Bram to have, but this was important.
He grinned like a little kid on Christmas morning.
I propped my hands on my hips. “You only have permission to call me if you see a woman matching that description. No calling because you’re bored, or want to talk, or you’re horny, got it?”
Bram pursed his lips as if he were offended. I knew better. “And do you have news for me on the Chinese parlor?”
I swallowed, hoping he wouldn’t be angry I’d left it so long. “That’s my first question for Dagan tonight.”
Bram nodded. “Please do not forget.”
“I won’t. It shouldn’t take long. Just make sure you keep a watch out for Trey, okay?”
“Is he mentally lacking? Why all the fuss about him?”
I couldn’t help my laugh. “No, all I can say is that we’re afraid the creature might be after him, so he can’t be left alone.”
“Very well.”
I paused, not sure if I should tell him about my book now or later. “And, after I get back from Dagan’s, I…I uh need some private time with you.”
That hadn’t come out right. And I knew it hadn’t come out right by the huge smirk that lit Bram’s face.
“Ah, Dulce, finally you reveal your feelings for me?”
“No,” I snapped. “I just need to talk with you about…something.”
The smile dropped a bit—now it was more of an amused grin.
“I shall wait on pins and needles.”
###
Dagan was dressed in tight red leather pants and nothing else. Well, unless you considered his many tattoos some form of clothing. With his ridiculous pants, he looked like a member of Kiss minus the bad hair and makeup. Now, as he leaned against the chair behind his desk, he eyed me like a starving man handed a Big Mac.
I glanced down at the black rubber dress, fishnets and stiletto heels I’d magicked for myself. I looked more like the fairy hooker, Zara, then I wanted to admit.
“We have some questions for you,” I started, mentally checking off my list the f
act that Dagan was still alive, and the red-headed shape-shifter hadn’t gotten to him...yet.
“Go on,” Dagan said, his eyes resting on Knight again for at least the tenth time. Like last time, Knight stood in the corner of the room, directly behind me, looking like an impervious bodyguard…in black jeans and black leather chaps. Okay, he looked more like one of The Village People.
“Do you remember the woman with the duct tape? The tall redhead the night we were here?” I asked, pulling Dagan’s gaze from Knight. His eyes continued to twinkle as they met mine.
Dagan chuckled and dropped his feet from the top of the desk. His toenails were painted black. It reminded me of something a young goth guy with no friends would do. “Yes, I remember,” he purred.
“Have you seen her here since?” I asked.
Dagan clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back, giving me a view of his large chest and the hair that ran down his abs, only to disappear into the line of his Van Halenesque pants. “Did she kill Fabian?” he asked.
“That’s A.N.C. business,” Knight said, his lips tight.
Dagan glanced at him and smiled wolfishly. “If you weren’t such a delight to my eyes, I’d take offense to that.”
As Knight grumbled something unintelligible, Dagan faced me again. “I haven’t seen the woman since that night.”
“Did you get any information from her? Like where she lives or what her name is?” I asked, sounding desperate.
“Yes, her name is Allison and she works at Starbucks, she lost her virginity to a boy named Danny when she was nineteen and chick flicks are her favorite type of movie.”
“That’s about as funny as your pants,” I snapped.
Knight chuckled behind me, and Dagan refused to look at either of us.
“Let’s try this again,” I started. “What do you know about that woman?”
“I avoid questions. Better to get what I want and leave. As far as I was concerned, she was a good lay.”
Holy Hades. Dagan had slept with a creature that had eaten Fabian, Guy and Tad alive.
Dagan smirked. “Don’t look so shocked, Dulcie. You can’t be that innocent.”
“If she comes back here, call me,” I said then paused. “If I find out she came back here and you didn’t call me, I’m going to be very pissed off. You and I have a good thing here, so don’t screw it up.”
“I don’t have your number.”
Great, now I’d have to give my cell number to a demon. With a sigh, I rattled off the number, feeling like I was giving away my bank account info. So, now a demon and a vampire could reach me whenever they pleased. Mental Note: after this case closes, change your number.
“You might want to avoid that woman,” I added. “I’d consider her dangerous.”
Dagan laughed, and it was a sound you might hear someone make before they cut out your heart. “I’m a demon, nothing frightens me.”
I shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I started to get up, but then remembered the other reason I was here. I settled back into my seat. “Dagan, I have one other question for you…just out of curiosity…”
“And what would that be, Dulcie?” He sounded less than amused. I hated hearing my name on his tongue. It made it seem…dirty somehow.
“Word on the street is you’re thinking of buying that old Chinese parlor?” I tried to make it sound off the cuff and uninterested, but I wasn’t a good liar.
His face was expressionless as he shook his head. “Bram is good. You can go back to the bloodsucker, Dulcie, and tell him I have no interest in his goddamned parlor. Great that he has you doing his dirty work. Now, both of you can leave. I’m a busy man, and you’ve wasted enough of my night.”
I didn’t waste any time in jumping to my feet, just as eager to leave as he was to be rid of us. Well, I had an answer for Bram that would, no doubt, please him greatly. And, hopefully, Dagan would play by the rules and call me if the creature resurfaced in his club.
“You think he’s going to call?” Knight asked when we were on our way back to the Wrangler.
“If he knows what’s good for him, he will. He doesn’t want me as his enemy—I’m sure of that. Much better for him if he’s on good terms with the A.N.C.”
“I thought you said you weren’t friends?”
“He’s a demon,” I said, unlocking the car. “How ‘friendly’ can you be with one of them?”
Before hopping inside, I shook my hand until I had a mound of fairy dust, then dumped it on myself, imagining a pair of jeans and a tank top.
“What about me?” Knight asked.
I did the same for him, conjuring up a pair of khakis and a black shirt. He settled into the passenger seat as I started the engine and peeled into the street.
“What now?” Knight asked.
“Back to No Regrets. I need you to chill with Trey for a bit while I talk with Bram.”
“If it’s anything about this case, I need to be there.”
“It’s not about the case.”
“Then what is it?”
“None of your business.”
“You tell me that a lot.”
“Maybe you should start listening.”
I pulled into the No Regrets parking lot and turned the car off, facing Knight. “I’ll just be a little while. Maybe thirty minutes.”
Knight nodded and stepped out of the Wrangler, shutting the door behind him. “Thanks for leaving me with Trey, by the way. He’s not exactly thrilling company.”
I laughed and started for the back door. “I’m sure lots of people would say the same about you.”
He glowered as I knocked on the back door. A small, attractive vampire woman opened it and ushered us inside. Walking toward the bar, I found Trey exactly where I knew he’d be—sitting at the bar and slobbering over his straw as he stared at Angela’s boobs.
“Hi, Angela,” I said and took the barstool next to Trey. “How’s it going, Trey?”
He didn’t even turn to face me, but kept staring at Angela as if he was afraid she’d disappear. Course, he was probably used to women disappearing the first chance they got.
“Hi, Dulce, did you and Todd get your business taken care of?” Trey asked Angela’s cleavage.
“Yeah. Angela, could I get a rum and diet, please?” I glanced at Knight. “Todd, what are you drinking?”
“Guiness.”
Angela took one look at Knight and meandered toward us, suddenly interested in our company. She looked him up and down, nothing shy in her gaze. Knight just grinned.
“You here again?” she asked and confused me. Then I remembered Knight had come to Bram’s looking for me before we’d ever met.
“Good to see you,” Knight answered. “Angela, right?”
“Yep,” she smiled. It was the first time I’d ever seen her smile.
“Dulcie, Sweet.”
I’d never been happier to hear Bram’s voice. I turned on him so quickly, I nearly made myself dizzy. Then I jumped to my toes and gave him a big smile. His eyes widened. I guess he wasn’t used to me being anything but surly.
“Bram, can we talk in your office?”
He nodded to Trey and Knight before he led me down the long hallway into an office that had more of a sitting room feel to it. The carpet was thick white, and I had no idea how he kept it so immaculate. Two red velvet armchairs bookended a dark mahogany coffee table. The only business-like thing about the room was the laptop that stood unattended on the coffee table. With the black of the walls and ceiling, the white curtains, and the red chairs, I felt like I was in a newspaper with a nosebleed.
Bram pulled out the plush velvet chair for me as he took the one opposite. “Did you question Dagan about my massage…”
“It’s all yours,” I interrupted. “He said he has no interest in it.”
“Very good news, although I am not convinced I believe him.”
“That’s between you and him.”
He laughed and eyed me curi
ously. “I am intrigued, Sweet. Tell me why you are here.”
I cleared my throat, not exactly sure where to start or how. “I um, I’m interested in writing a book about you.”
Bram leaned forward, his eyes wide with surprise. “I must say, I was definitely not expecting that! I did not know you fancied yourself a writer.”
I shrugged. “I wrote a…historical novel. When I sent it out, the feedback I got was that paranormals were in demand. Especially about vampires, if you can believe it.”
He leaned back against the red velvet of the chair. With his black hair and light skin, he looked like part of the room’s scenery. “I see. Will this be a biography?”
“No, more a…a romance.”
I swallowed the humiliation that was choking me and wanted to shoot myself for even considering the ridiculous notion in the first place.
He bobbed his head enthusiastically. “A romance? I like that even better.”
“But it will be biographical, too. I bet in your nearly three hundred years, you must’ve seen a lot?”
“Yes, of course.” He paused. “I would be honored to be your muse, Sweet.”
“Great, thanks.”
“Who will be my love interest?”
“I don’t know. That part I can just make up.”
He smiled. “Perhaps a fairy?”
“Oh, Hades,” I grumbled and stood up. “I’ve gotta get going, Bram, but thanks. Can we make some time to get together this week? I’d like to start interviewing you.”
He laughed. “I am available whenever you are.”
I bit my lip. “There’s just one other thing…”
“Anything, Sweet.”
“Would you mind coming to my apartment?” Since I was stuck watching Trey for a while, it would be easier if Bram came to me.
“Of course. Shall I see you tomorrow evening?”
“That would be great. Thanks, Bram.”
Bram opened the door for me. Trey and Knight were in deep conversation with Angela, and the surge of jealousy that warred through me gave me pause. Why the hell did I give even the slightest of craps that Angela was flirting with Trey and Knight? Hmm, better rephrase the question: why did I give even the slightest of craps that Angela was flirting with Knight? It was an answer I didn’t want to know.