Page 89 of Stalk the Dark
“You get stuck in there, you come find me. Name’s Crush.”
“I’m Orina.”
“Nice to meet you, Orina.”
Padma sighed. “For fuck’s sake, if you’re done flirting.”
My cheeks burned. “I was not flirting.”
A rolling gravelly rumble rubbed against my senses, and I realized that Crush was laughing. “You’re good, pet. Get in there and find ya gals, although I got to warn you, they may not want to leave.”
Compulsion. Typical. “I’ll deal with that. Thanks.”
Another buzz and another door and we were in the club proper. The thumping bass beat vibrated through my soles and up my legs to settle low in my belly before spreading across my chest. Strobe lights slashed across the dance floor in rainbow colors, making it impossible to distinguish human from vampire.
I pinged over the photos to Edwin and Padma, then leaned in, raising my voice to be heard over the music. “We’re gonna have to split up.”
Padma nodded and pointed at the spot we stood in. “Meet back here in fifteen.”
“There are VIP rooms,” Edwin yelled. “We can check those after.”
I nodded my agreement and broke away fromthem. I skirted the dance floor while Edwin dove into the bopping crowd and Padma headed for the bar area.
In the shadows, away from the dance floor, it was easier to spot the vampires. Their preternatural stillness, despite the movement saturated into the environment, gave them away. The way the light turned their eyes crimson also helped. They were taller, more beautiful. Lethal.
Humans hung off their arms like designer bags. They sat on their laps, heads tipped back while the vampires fed, or sipped cocktails, wrist held up to a vampire’s mouth. Were these veins or compelled humans? Hard to tell, and not my problem right now. I had an official case to work.
I studied each female face but didn’t spot our targets. Edwin was waiting for me at our meeting spot when I circled back. He shook his head as I approached. Padma joined us a moment later.
“VIP,” Edwin yelled.
We followed him past the bar area and up a flight of steps to a balcony where several vampires hung out sipping from goblets. Silk shirts, dark pants, slicked-back hair, the dress sense was just off. Like they hadn’t quite caught up with the times.
Piercing eyes followed us to a set of double doors and into the VIP lounge, where the music was muted and the hum of conversation dominated.
Cushy booths took up one side of the room, and a curtain cut us off from the other half. The lights werelow, the only bright spot a long bar at the other side of the room manned by two humans who looked as if they’d rather be anywhere else.
I joined them, pulling my phone from my pocket. “Hey, you seen these girls?”
The barman studied the photos, then nodded and pointed at the curtained-off area across the room.
“Thanks.”
We strode over, and Edwin yanked back the thick curtains to reveal a large space dotted by cushy seating, tables, a couple of chaise longues, and several vampires lounging with humans. I spotted our girls right away. They were sitting between two vampires, giggling and having a whale of a time, and Crush’s warning came to mind:They may not want to leave.Still, we had a job to do, and they could be compelled. Compelled into having fun. Yeah, it sounded dumb, even in my head.
Best get this over with. I led the approach and flashed my badge.
The vampires frowned up at me. “What is the meaning of this?” one of them asked.
“We had a report that these two women were taken against their will. Angela Harmen and Katherine Brown, are you here of your own free will?”
“For fuck’s sake, this is just like those two tossers,” one of the women said. “We’re not even with them. They just want us to be. We came here to meet vampires, and we have.” She stroked her vampireescort’s lapel. “Tristin has asked me to be his vein. He has a mansion.” She smirked, looking like the cat that got the cream.
Her friend nodded enthusiastically. “Bart wants me to be his vein too, don’t you, Bart?”
Bart didn’t look too convinced but nodded anyway.
One look in these women’s eyes showed normal pupil size. No compulsion. No crime.
