Page 76 of Death Wish

I headed straight for uptown and the vampire club called Red. It took me some time to get there, but it wasn’t like I could hitchhike or grab a taxi. Jogging at a decent pace was the most I could do, and since breathing wasn’t a requirement when you were dead, I managed it okay.

When I reached the club, I slipped past a huge, angry-looking bouncer guarding the locked door. It was still too early for them to be open for business, so my guess was they just had him standing there for security reasons. An extra pair of eyes, especially since vamps didn’t do too well in the daylight.

Inside was quiet. Dead, for lack of a better word. No one tended to the bar. No girls danced in the hanging cages. No one sat at the tables along the stage. Not a soul around.

Was it still sleeping time for these vamps? Guess so. That was good for me though. Then I could find Kay and not worry about running into Andre or one of his workers. They wouldn’t be able to see me, of course, but if I needed to sneak out Kay, it’d be better without them around.

Glancing up at the second floor overlooking the main club, I realized that if I were a vampire needing a place to sleep, behind a wall of tinted black glass was the winner. Unless there was a dungeon in the basement. But that was a bit melodramatic.

Even for Andre.

I climbed the modern-style staircase and walked into a large lounge area with a circular black leather couch and red carpeting. Off the lounge was a long hallway lined with doors. All closed. Most likely all locked.

But that wouldn’t be a problem for spirit Jade.

Approaching the first door, I listened for any movement or sounds inside. When I heard nothing, I stepped through.

It was an office. The entire wall behind the desk was made of darkened glass, making the club below visible with a slight shade to it. I could bet money this was where Andre did his work and where he observed his customers and employees down below. Something told me the glass was bulletproof, too.

Unlike the rest of the club’s modern decor, the desk was as wide as the room itself and made of a solid wood that looked as heavy as an elephant. Grand, vintage, and very out of place among all the straight lines, red paint, and smooth metal accents.

Oh man, I bet that desk held some secrets in its drawers. Curiosity itched at me. What did a centuries-old vampire keep during his long lifetime?

That was a question for another day. I had to find Kay and get her out of here.

I phased into the adjoining room and wasn’t surprised to find a bedroom as grand as the desk in the office. A huge four-poster bed made of mahogany and draped in red fabric sat in the very center of the room. No windows or glass at all in here, but there was a stone fireplace that was alive and giving off so much heat, I could feel the caress of warmth, even in my spirit form.

If I were going to decorate for a vampire, this room would be how I would do it. It looked like something straight out of Dracula’s castle. The only thing it was missing was the coffin and gas lanterns on the walls. I guess some habits were hard to break.

As I crept toward the bed, I noticed a shape underneath the thick quilt and a wave of blonde hair. I didn’t need to get much closer to know it was Andre. His handsome, pale face and golden hair were the only parts sticking out of the blanket as he lay unmoving—barely breathing—on his back. He was so still, he reminded of a corpse or Sleeping Beauty, stuck in some kind of magical sleep trance. Yeah, maybe that was a better comparison. Less morbid.

He definitely did remind me of a princess with his sharp, regal features and long straw-colored hair.

I chuckled. He probably wouldn’t have liked being called a princess.

Andre’s eyes snapped open at once and jerked upright in bed so fast, I choked on my laughter from shock. His icy stare locked onto me, and I froze.

But he couldn’t see me. Right? I hadn’t shifted unknowingly again, had I?

I didn’t think so. He shouldn’t be able to sense me, yet he was sitting upright in bed, his gaze locked on me across the room.

I shivered. When I had first visited Red with Cole, I could have sworn Andre had been watching me then.

He shot out of bed and was in front of me in half a second. I jumped back out of reflex.

With eyes narrowed, Andre studied me. Then, he swiped his hand out, across my stomach, his hand going through me completely. He rubbed his fingers together as if expecting something to be there.

That’s when I realized he was completely naked.

My breath froze in my chest. Forget the princess comment. There was nothing princess-like or dainty about that package. Even without the stiffness of arousal, his cock was thick and large enough to please any woman. His body was a lot leaner than Cole’s wider frame, but I wasn’t complaining. He was just as enjoyable to ogle over.

As he began to circle the place where I stood, examining the air through hooded eyes, I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

The way he was looking at me made delicious shivers race throughout my body, and for a moment, I wished he were looking at me that way because he could see me. Like he saw me as something new and exciting he wanted to try out.

But I couldn’t just stand here all day. There were only a few hours left before it was nightfall and the vampires in the club would be getting up. I needed to get Kay out of here before then to avoid questions or any issues.

Sidestepping around Andre carefully, I hurried across the room and drifted through the wall into the next room. It was plain and matched the rest of the club’s modern décor. A single bed and a red leather couch were the only furniture in the room. My guess? This was where the VIPs came to spend a little extra money for more time with one of the dancers.

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