Page 6 of Fangs and Family
‘Fine, but…’
‘No buts, love, give him a moment, and I will keep you busy in the meantime.’ Leszek scooped up his wife and headed toward the bedroom. ‘There, Adam. You are safe for now. Go sleep. Honour the sacrifice I’m making to give you a few hours free from the inquisition,’ he said, laughing when Sara punched his shoulder.
‘Oh, really? If it’s that much of a sacrifice, then get on your knees, Bambi, and worship your Goddess.’
I shook my head at their exchange. I knew she referred to Leszek’s stag avatar, but… Bambi?
‘I didn’t need that image in my head.’ I muttered, moving toward the guest room. The muffled sounds of vigorous lovemaking interspersed with bouts of giggling and squealing made me smile even as I cringed at overhearing something so private. Leszek deserved his happiness, especially after he fought so hard to be with Sara.Maybe I should bind Nina to me like he did with his woman?I thought, undressing in the bathroom.
I turned on the water to drown out the sounds of the vigorous pair and looked in the mirror. A pale, masculine face, full of sharp angles, looked back at me. There was always a hint of crimson in my dark blue irises, at least as far back as I could remember. My hair was so black it seemed iridescent in a particular light and was longer than I usually kept it, giving me a messy,bad-boylook. I wasn’t as well built as Leszek, but he was a shifter, and they were just built differently. Still, I was tall with defined muscles, and each time I went to the club, I garnered enough female attention to say I was attractive… except for the one woman who didn’t want to look at me.
I wiped the steam off the mirror and smiled at my reflection.
‘Is Leszek right? Should I fight for you, Nina? Or maybe I should punish you for showing me how good life could be before taking it away without explanation? Oh, my Obsidian4, two years is enough. Enough of this torment, enough of your tantrum. I will find out what happened. I will ensure you will never want to be free of me, but this time, we will do it on my terms.’ I said to my reflection in the mirror. I craved her, but she didn’t want me when I tried to be a better person, so I would be the worst and make her love it.
I didn’t have a plan, but I’d made the decision, and somehow, those words calmed me, so after taking a shower, I went to bed to sleep off my recent overindulgence like a good vampire.
***
Sara was waiting for me in the living room, relaxing on the sofa with the ugly beast she said was a cat. Her familiar, or companion, as she preferred to call him, looked up when I approached, and I swear it sent me a warning with his eyes before jumping down and sauntering out of the room.
‘Feeling better?’ She asked, turning in my direction. I nodded, running my hand through my hair, which had dried into unruly waves.
‘Yes. You said you wanted to talk?’ I queried, curious as to what she might want.
‘Adam… I know we haven’t seen eye to eye in the past, but I need your help. This is about Nina,’ she started, and I froze, shocked at the timing of her statement. I needed a plan, and it looked like Sara was gifting me with not only the perfect opportunity but also a reasonable excuse. The worry about Nina, mixed with the excitement of the hunt, was burning in my veins, but I forced myself to keep still, feigning disinterest.
‘What about her?’
‘Her brother visited the hospital yesterday, claiming he was in trouble and needed money. I want you to check on him. It is likely another one of his scams, but just in case it isn’t, I want to find the truth. She is anxious this might be serious this time. Pawel’s not a good person, but to Nina, he’s still her little brother who needs to be looked after. So if you can find his whereabouts, please do it, but make sure you’re discrete. She wouldn’t be happy knowing I asked you.’
Sara’s last sentence wasn’t surprising, but it still stung. Nina wouldn’t ask for my help, even knowing I was the best tracker and hacker in the Tricity area and had the Syndicate resources at my disposal. I knew I was going to do whatever Sara asked me to do, but I couldn’t keep the sneer from my voice.
‘Why should I help her if she’s so adamant she doesn’t want me involved?’
‘Because she needs you, even if she can’t admit it,’ Sara replied simply, and something inside of me snapped.
‘Needs me?’ I asked incredulously. ‘Are we talking about the same woman? The one who packed my things, throwing me out like I was trash? The woman who called me a clingy bloodsucker and a manwhore when I tried to talk to her, accusing me of every possible sin when all I did was follow your husband’s orders? She doesn’t need me, Sara. I can help, of course, if you ask me nicely, but let’s not pretend Nina needs me for anything.’
‘That bad, hmm…? I didn’t know any of that. Nina only told me she didn’t want you to live in her apartment any longer.’
‘Yes, that’s what’s happened. Leszek asked me to check one of Nadolny’s brothels. A short, undercover surveillance to see who uploaded some VIP’s videos to the internet. All I had to do was to search for hidden cameras and interrogate the girls under compulsion. It’s my fucking job. I’m head of security for a reason.’ The anger that bottled in me for the last two years exploded, and Sara bore the brunt of it. ‘Nina wouldn’t even let me explain, and now she needs the same services. What a fucking irony.’ I snarled and, as if on command, Leszek walked out of his office, lips curling into a warning growl.
‘It’s alright, my love. We were just talking. Adam was simply shedding some light on a certain issue, but we both know he can control himself.’ Sara said, and after a brief staring contest, my boss shrugged and turned to leave.
I looked at Sara, who was biting her lip, clearly weighing her next words carefully. Just as I was about to stand up and leave, she looked me straight in the eye.
‘How much do you know about Nina’s past?’ She asked, and for the first time, I shuffled uncomfortably.
I know her parents died, her father when she was a teenager and her mother soon after graduation. I know she was married and then divorced, but nothing more than what you could find in the government’s databases.
‘I run a basic check for everybody that enters Leszek’s social circle.’ I answered, noticing Sara’s shoulders sag, but her determined look told me whatever she was going to say would be worth hearing.
‘So you only know the bare bones. Well, buckle up, boyo, and I’ll tell you why she reacted so badly after finding out you visited a brothel.’
By the tone of Sara’s voice, I knew it wouldn’t be a pleasant story, but I needed to know. Nina’s reaction had plagued me ever since I’d found myself on the street with my belongings strewn at my feet, staring at a silent and very sturdy door. Why, despite my earnest explanation, the door remained closed, and the sound of some operatic heavy metal drowned out my voice. Maybe knowing would ease the burning anger I felt each time the memory of that day resurfaced.
‘Go on,’
