Page 21 of Bottoms Up
I did a mental check. Would confirming it break the oath? After a handful of seconds, I said. “Yeah. Josef. Tall, dark, and handsome.” And dangerous, I figured.
“Okay then, you’ve both been oathed, and you both know I’m a vampire. Remember, neither of you can tell other people’s secrets, but otherwise, the two of you can feel free to talk about vampires.”
The world tilted a little.
Bran looked at me, considering. “This is going to be tricky for you. It’ll feel like there’s something you can share with him now, but it wouldn’t be appropriate. The person in question will have to be the one to share what he or she is, should he or she wish to, and should they be able to obtain permission to do so.”
I worked through what he was saying, and it hit me like a splash of cold water.
I couldn’t tell my brother I’ve been dating a vampire. If Julian didn’t want to tell him, or if Marco said he couldn’t, then my brother wouldn’t be able to meet the man I’m dating. And if he somehow found out, that’d be breaking the whole not-my-secret-to-tell thing.
I sighed. “Okay, I see what you’re saying. Thanks for pointing it out.”
Bran left, and Benji said, “Please tell me you aren’t dating a vampire.”
I didn’t want to lie to him, but Bran hadjustpointed out I couldn’t tell him the truth. I considered how to answer and landed on, “Dating is a complicated word.”
He shook his head. “Okay. You’ll tell me what you can when you can. Promise me you’re safe.”
And that wassoBenji. He’s good with whatever I’m doing, however I’m living my life, as long as I’m safe. I smiled ear to ear and assured him, “Oh, that’s an easy one. Totally safe for a variety of reasons. Did you like the song?”
“I did. Will’s a lucky man, finding two people he loves when most of us can’t find one person who loves us for who we are and not what’s in our bank account.”
“You have to find someone just as rich as you,” I told him.
He shrugged. “I don’t like those people. I know you’re right, that I need to find someone who’s at leastcloseto being my equal…” Another shrug. “What would happen if I pretended to be poor, or maybe just middle class, and met people? Maybe hike the AT and see if anyone interests me?”
I was still reeling. Still trying to process the fact that Benji knew vampires were real. That he’d already been read in, oathed, and operating in this world I’d been hiding from him. How long had he known? How long had he not been able to tell me?
But I stayed with the conversation. This was important for Benji to understand. “Relationships built on a lie can’t last. Davy didn’t recognize Will when they met. Will asked him out, told him he had a secret to tell him, and then told him toward the end of their meal. Even that was almost enough to break trust. It worked out, but if Will hadn’t been honest about there being abig secret from the start, I’m not sure it would’ve. Davy has some trust issues, but most Americans do, these days.”
“I’m not interested in climbing Everest, but if I could find something just as challenging and expensive that happens to be somewhere warm….” He put his hands in his pockets. Took them out.
“You met someone while we hiked in Patagonia,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, but she lived halfway around the world, and long-distance relationships don’t work. Neither of us were willing to relocate.”
“The Himalayan trail takes three to five months, and I understand October and November are the best months, temperature-wise.”
“Yeah, the goldilocks months. I think the AT would be a better choice, so maybe at least I’ll meet an American, though I guess that isn’t a given.”
“Why not something nearer to your heart? You’ve always wanted to find sunken treasure. Figure out which wrecked pirate ship or whatever you’re most likely to find, hire people who have some experience doing so — or collab with them, whatever works. That kind of thing pretty much collects rich people looking for adventure, right?”
And then, casually, too casually, he asked, “How did you find out about vampires?”
My brain stuttered. I still wasn’t over the fact he already knew.
I thought through what I could tell him, and realized I couldn’t say much of anything. “I don’t think there’s a way to tell you without spilling someone else’s secrets. How did you find out about them?”
“Collaborating with some financial geniuses — a married team who used to live in Chattanooga but are in Alaska now.They decided it would benefit them for me to understand the fact they are ancient as fuck and have watched the markets move since before the markets formally existed. They own real estate all over the planet, and they buy and sell based on political movements as much as monetary ones. It’s the Rhett Butler ideology of making money off of rising civilizations as well as failing ones.”
I stared at him, trying to match this version of my brother with the one who used to watch cartoons with me. Used to help me with my homework.
“And how did you meet Bran?” I asked.
“He came to me. Wanted me to handle a portion of his portfolio. The motherfucker owns an island in the Caribbean with a huge hill on it, so he can have an underground area the sun can’t get to.”
“Do you know any vampires in Chattanooga?”
