Page 3 of Kissed the Mark
“I’m just gonna get straight to the pointsince you’re probably tired.” They loved when people rememberedtheir very predictable schedules and I was very good at butteringpeople up. “You were seen at The Scale & Ale discussing vampirebusiness with someone there is now a bounty out on.”
He looked around as if there would be anyoneelse to listen in on our conversation. No alleged assistant insight. Bastard. “I don’t see that the conversation is relevant, butI’ll humor you. What did he do?”
“He attacked a human girl. Turned her into awerewolf.”
Matt sucked his teeth. It was huge news inthe community, of course, but it didn’t involve vampires directly,so naturally he hadn’t bothered to learn of it.“That’s…unfortunate. I’m happy to help you find him however I can,but I haven’t seen him since, and he may be back to Chicagoalready. Bill didn’t exactly tell me his plans.”
“He attacked the girl before you met up,” Iclarified. “Not that you’d know about that. What business was hehere on?”
Instead of responding to me like someonereasonable, he extracted two glasses from a cabinet. Into one, hepoured water from a water bottle over two hemoglobin pills, andinto the other, about two shots of straight whiskey over ice cubes.I imagined that as a human he was the kind of person who sat by hisfireplace contemplating the meaning of life in an overpriced fuzzyrobe before deciding on a life of vampirism. He held out thewhiskey glass to me and took a sip from his own glass, now red withfake blood. “Well. You already know it was about ‘vampirebusiness,’ I suppose, and you’re not stupid, so I can assume youalso know that it’s not something easily shared.”
“I think it’s very big of you to call me notstupid. I’ve never had such a compliment from any of yourkind.”
The liquid in his glass swished agitatedly.“I know you’re just doing a job. I’m almost certain Bill’s out oftown by now, so that would make it the Chicago community’sbusiness, not ours.”
“Why wouldn’t he leave townafterheattacked that one girl?”
“You know in this community we’re a lotmore…civilized…than some of the others. Maybe he didn’t see aproblem with it.”
“Okay, let me rephrase.” I took a sip ofwhiskey. The vampires didn’t typically drink alcohol—I once knew awoman who mixed vodka with her tablets, and she was a lot offun—but they always had the good stuff on hand. The smoky flavor ofhigh-end liquor rolled around my tongue. “I need to know whatbusiness he was here on. Bill Dyer bit a girl at the full moon andshe transformed the next day. Then he met with you. That’s all I’vegot. Also, if you’re going to meet in secret, stay away from thedamn Scale & Ale. It’s tacky.”
“We weren’thiding. That place is adump and I wouldn’t pick it as a meeting spot. It was where hehappened to be.”
“Why would you meet up with a werewolf?Aren’t you worried about ruining centuries of malice?”
Deep down, Matt was also too proud to showhow pissed off he was by my digs, which only made me want to dothem more. “He had important information about the vampirecommunity there that he was disclosing without their permission. Idon’t need to tell you what it is. I recommend reaching out to theChicago mayorship if you need him punished for that.”
The whiskey in my glass was gone already. Ithought of the day ahead and already had a hangover. It was pastfour in the morning. “You’re sure he’s gone?”
“I’m not sure, butIwould be if I’ddone that and passed along my message.”
“Well, thanks, Matt. Your time isappreciated.”
“Your discretion is appreciated. If youcould not mouth off to everyone that I met with one.” A werewolf,he meant. “I can’t hurt you but I have other ways of getting toyou.”
“I’m sure. Good day, Matt.”
Chapter Three
Leandra Invites HerselfIn
THUNDER RUMBLED IN THE DISTANCE as I made my wayback to my apartment. The sky was lightening, at leastfractionally. I fumbled with my keys to the side door and nearlyhad a heart attack when I heard someone say my own name in asmooth, feminine voice: “Olympia Carter.” My keys hit the pavementwith a wet clang.
Leandra towered over me, her hair impeccablysilky despite the humidity. It seemed that you could not throw arock in Mayfair without hitting a vampire.
“Are youtryingto scare the shit outof me?” I asked, ungracefully retrieving my keys from thepuddle.
“Maybe,” she said. She leaned her tall bodyagainst the side of the building. A tight top with crossed stringsover her breasts made them look like they were about to pop rightout.
“What the hell are you doing out at thishour? Aren’t you scared of sunrise?” Hesitant to open the door infront of her, I stalled by wiping the keys off on my pant leg.
“I guess you better let me in or I’llperish.” She lifted the back of her hand to her foreheaddramatically, lips pouting.
“You’ll just have to perish.”
“You’d let me die after all these wonderfulyears?” Leandra batted her long eyelashes at me. I swore she’dgotten extensions sewed in at some point.
The rain started to come in now. Get soaked,and hide the inside of my crappy apartment, or stay dry and go inand slam the door in her face. The key turned in the lock with aclick. I slid in and pulled the door nearly closed.
