Sunset Rising (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 5) Page 4

  “Too obvious. It’d appear too suspicious walking up to random doors like that,” she said. “However, if you act like you know where you’re going, nobody pays you any attention.”

  “Unless someone’s watching for strangers,” I said.

  “Oh, you’re a clever boy,” she said with a wicked expression.

  She placed a forefinger beneath my chin, lightly pressing the tip of her sharp fingernail against my skin.

  “Now, clever boy, your somewhat impatient mate wants to know if you can pick out the correct building,” she said in a slow, sensual manner. “Can you?”

  Whoa…

  An involuntary shiver coursed through my body.

  “I’ll do my best,” I said.

  Paige placed her chin on her propped up palm. “Isn’t it weird when she talks to you like that?”

  I felt myself blush. “I don’t mind so much, really.”

  Kat removed her fingertip with a sly expression and looked down meaningfully to the smartphone in my hands.

  I cycled through the digital photos, mostly of a series of various storefronts and building facades.

  The building pictures ended and I stopped at the photo of an adorable Labrador retriever puppy.

  “Aw, what a cute puppy,” I said. “Are we getting a dog?”

  “What? No, never mind that one,” she said. “I just couldn’t resist snapping a photo when I saw him.”

  Given all the dark events that had intruded into our lives, it was nice to know she still embraced a softer side of her personality.

  “The buildings, my love,” she gently prompted. “I’m waiting.”

  “Oh, you kids and your kinky roleplaying,” Paige said. “So endearing.”

  Kat growled at her.

  I couldn’t help but grin as I scrolled back through the photos. Eventually, I selected one with a brick frontage and a small alley beside it.

  “That’s it,” I said.

  “Hm. A travel agency?” she asked.

  “Well, that’s where I recalled one of them exiting, anyway,” I said.

  She stood up and pocketed her phone. “Okay then. It’s worth a try. I’ll see you back at home in the next couple of hours.”

  “And, by any chance, would my sexy mate have time to go out to dinner with me tonight?” I asked.

  “As a matter of fact, I think she might,” Kat said. “After I check this out.”

  “Bring your credit card, kiddo. Remember, the submissive one always pays the tab,” Paige said. “Or else, the sub pays. Am I right?”

  Kat and I simultaneously looked at her.

  She made the sound of a cat screeching and then a whip snapping sound.

  “Are you quite finished?” Kat asked her.

  She shook her head and sighed. “What? No sense of humor here? I’m using some of my best material.”

  I returned my attention to Kat. “Be careful.”

  “Always, my love.”

  She leaned down to give me a quick kiss.

  As she walked away, I took a moment to appreciate the lovely view of her swaying behind.

  “Oh, please put your tongue back in your mouth, pervy. You’re getting the tabletop all wet,” Paige said. “You can properly worship her ass when she gets home tonight.”

  “Hey, you’d feel differently if it was your butt I was admiring,” I said.

  “Trust me, tiger,” she said in an alluring voice and patted her butt with the palm of her hand. “You’re not ready for action this hot.”

  “Whatever,” I said.

  “I’m just sayin’,” she said. “Now get with the program, brainiac. Ethan’s only in town through tomorrow, you know. Once I drop you off at home, I’ve got a hot date with my own ass-worshipper.”

  Chapter 4

  Katrina

  As I exited the campus library following my chat with Caleb, I slipped on a pair of leather gloves. Given my intentions, I wanted to avoid leaving fingerprints.

  Most people would have found it a foreboding evening for a walk, but the cold wind and moonless sky didn’t bother me one bit. In fact, they were the perfect condition for dissuading onlookers. Most people were more interested in quickly making their way indoors or to their vehicles.

  In addition, the travel agency had alongside it a small, dark alley ideal for a secluded approach.

  The blinds covering the shop’s glass door and windows were closed, but there was a dim illumination from within. As I expected, particularly given the time of evening, the door was locked.

  One by one, I cycled through a set of keys that we had removed from the bodies of Caleb’s attackers, only to find they either wouldn’t fit in the lock or didn’t turn the tumblers.

  With an irony that only fate could bestow, the last key on the ring actually worked.

  I quietly slipped inside and paused long enough to verify that nobody was present. Then I closed and locked the door behind me.

  The sole light source was a relatively dim ceiling-mounted fluorescent light at the back of the small office, but I had no problem seeing clearly with my vampire vision.

  One scan of the poorly furnished shop revealed that, while it had indeed been a travel agency, it hadn’t been in operation for quite some time. The most recent brochures or paperwork were dated three years prior.

  However, the place smelled as if it had just undergone a cleaning. There didn’t appear to be a speck of dust on either the floor or any tabletops.

  I searched the available desks, filing cabinets, and shelves for anything of interest, but everything appeared relatively benign.

  I walked to the rear of the shop where there were three closed doors along the back wall.

  Behind one door was a small bathroom

  Another door led to an empty closet containing buckets, mops, and cleaning supplies. The fresh waft of cleaning products simply reinforced the fact that they’d been recently used.

  I removed my glove and reached down to touch the mops.

  They were still relatively damp, suggesting that someone had used them within the past twenty-four hours or so.

  I put my glove back on and moved to open the third door, revealing a narrow set of carpeted steps leading upstairs.

  I paused before them and listened for any telltale sounds.

  Hearing nothing, I unsheathed a combat knife from inside my jacket and stealthily made my way up the stairs, which curved to the right as I ascended.

  Boards from two separate steps squeaked as my weight pressed upon them.

  I paused but still heard nothing.

  At the top of a small landing, there was a solid wooden door with both a lock on the doorknob and a deadbolt lock.

  I placed my ear against the door, but heard only silence beyond.

  The door was secured, but fortunately two of the other keys on one of the key rings fit the locks.

  With one hand grasping the door knob and the other holding my knife at the ready, I slowly opened the door, which creaked as it swept open.

  I was presented with a darkened, sparsely furnished apartment that also smelled of recently used cleansers.

  Like the downstairs area, it was unoccupied.

  I slipped my knife back into its sheath.

  Aside from the single, open-flowing living room-dining room-kitchen, there were two Spartan bedrooms and a central bathroom; all of which had been scrubbed to the point of spotlessness.

  Even the walls mildly smelled of bleach.

  There were no clothes, belongings, or anything resembling personal effects left anywhere in the apartment.

  The place had been professionally cleaned.

  No, more than merely cleaned, it’s been cleansed.

  Someone intended to obscure any evidence and reveal no trace of who’d been staying there. That suggested we were faced with professionals.

  That bothered me.

  It also suggested that someone was already well aware that their two operatives had either been detained or were dead.

&nb
sp; I made one final sweep of the apartment, to no avail, and decided to leave.

  One thing for certain, this place is a dead end.

  The question was, did the disappearance of Caleb’s two attackers successfully dissuade whoever was in charge, or merely stir a hornet’s nest?

  No, I knew better than to contemplate the answer to that.

  Caleb was still in serious danger.

  Anger welled inside me like a dangerous, simmering volcano pending an eruption.

  No. When I finally erupt, I’ll do so at precisely the moment that satisfies my sense of retribution.

  I locked everything back the way I’d found it and left the abandoned shop. A quick evaluation of the nearby trash dumpsters was less than helpful; each had already been emptied, likely earlier that day.

  On my walk back to the house, I considered the situation and found too many loose ends for my satisfaction.

  Maybe Alton’s having better luck.

  Chapter 5

  Caleb

  By the time Paige dropped me off at the house, I was feeling really hungry. I only hoped Kat showed up soon so that we could go get something to eat.

  My thoughts gravitated to her investigation, and I wondered if she had found someone to eat.

  Alton was holed up behind the closed door of the study. It sounded like he was talking on the phone.

  At least, I hoped he was on the phone and not merely talking to himself.

  Paige and Ethan had gone out for a night on the town together, and Roman was who knew where.

  I sat on the couch channel-surfing as I waited for Kat. Fortunately, there was an interesting documentary covering the American Revolution on the History Channel.

  After another half hour, I was feeling so hungry that I wandered into the kitchen for something to snack on.

  I’d no sooner opened a box of rosemary and olive oil flavored crackers when Kat walked through the front door with a notably displeased expression on her face.

  Something must have happened.

  “What?” I asked.

  “The keys fit, but everything had been completely wiped clean inside and out,” she said.

  “Crap,” I said.

  In my distraction, the box of crackers slipped from my grip.

  A rush of air swirled around me. Suddenly, Kat stood before me holding the box of crackers in her gloved hand.

  She slyly smiled at me. “Drop these?”

  “Show off,” I said.

  My super heroine. My vampire.

  The sweet scent of cherry blossoms wafted between us as I glimpsed her soft lips.

  Passion flared in me; I wanted her so very much at that moment.

  I reached up to take the box of crackers from her while at the same time stepping forward and crushing my lips to hers in a lengthy, heated kiss.

  She was an amazing kisser.

  I wrapped my free arm around her waist to pull her body against mine as I kissed her again.

  Both her arms went around me in a firm grip, and she nipped at my bottom lip.

  She pressed me backward until the small of my back impacted the kitchen counter, my lips hungry for hers.

  I felt her fangs extend, and they raked across my tongue.

  Someone cleared their throat from across the room and Kat separated from our kissing; adopting a stern expression before slowly looking back over her shoulder.

  “Your timing really stinks,” she said.

  Alton chuckled. “Terribly sorry. But I couldn’t help but overhear your comments when you arrived. We’re dealing with professionals, then?”

  She reluctantly disengaged her arms from around me and turned to face Alton.

  “Based upon what little I found, anyway,” she said. “That’s the telling part, in fact. The scent of cleansers was fresh and even the mops they used were still relatively damp, so they hadn’t been gone for long when I arrived. They were exceptionally thorough.”

  “Mm,” he said, nodding his head. “That does complicate matters somewhat. I received a report this evening from Sir Osborn; things in London are going to require our attention in the very near future.”

  “That’s unfortunate,” she said. “And inconvenient. However, I’m not leaving Caleb with matters up in the air, especially after what I discovered this evening.”

  Something in her tone bothered me.

  What the hell kind of professionals are we dealing with, anyway?

  “You and Gavyn are just going to have to handle things until I can return,” she said.

  I had met Sir Gavyn Osborn on my last visit to London. He was a vampire, and one of Alton’s most trusted friends and allies, dating all the way back to the medieval period. He owned and operated a quaint pub called the Red Griffin that also served as a central gathering point for Alton’s forces.

  As I recalled, Osborn seemed very capable in his own right.

  Alton sighed. “Yes, I’m afraid I must concur. Gavyn and I should be able to handle things well enough for the time being.”

  “What’s next?” she asked.

  My stomach growled and Alton looked at me with mild amusement.

  “I believe that you should take your mate to dinner,” he said. “We’ll talk more later.”

  Kat arched one eyebrow as she looked at me. “You still haven’t eaten dinner?”

  I felt heat rise in my cheeks.

  “Hey, enough with the mothering,” I said. “I was waiting for you, and now it’s getting kinda late and I’m hungry.”

  She walked over to the couch where my coat was draped over the back. With a quick motion, she tossed my coat to me.

  “Bundle up, my love,” she said.

  Instead, given her exchange with Alton, I felt as if she was actually saying, buckle up.

  Prepare for rough waters ahead.

  * * *

  In order to save time and remain closer to home, we went to one of my favorite New Haven hangouts.

  Prime Time was a pub on Temple Street that my friends and I frequented. It had a cozy charm about it and the food was better than you’d expect from the average pub.

  Seated beside one another at a small table tucked away at the back of the dining room, we browsed our menus.

  Despite the dark mood that overshadowed the evening, it felt really good to spend some time alone with Kat.

  I lowered my menu to gaze across the table at her.

  She locked eyes with me. “And what have I done to earn such a reverential look tonight?”

  “Just happy to be here with you,” I said. “Happy to spend some quality time together. It reminds me of when we first started dating. Do you remember the place I took you to then?”

  Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if in contemplation.

  “Ah, Café Circa,” she said. “It was your favorite restaurant. Downtown Atlanta.”

  I grinned. “With the long, finished oak bar.”

  “And the barstools at the tables,” she said.

  Such a fond memory. It felt almost like a lifetime ago; back before worldwide vampire politics and intrigue interrupted us.

  I reached out to hold her hand.

  “I love you,” I said.

  Her responding expression was both endearing and innocent-looking.

  She squeezed my hand. “And I love you. You make my heart soar.”

  “See? I said I saw them come in here,” said a familiar-sounding voice.

  Chance Noble approached our table while tugging at the hand of a sheepish-looking Trey Baker.

  I rose from my seat for a quick embrace with Chance and handshake with Trey.

  “Kat, you remember Chance and Trey?” I asked.

  “Of course,” she coolly said. “From that night at the bar.”

  Kat rose from her seat like a huntress preparing to take down her prey, but Chance bravely moved toward her. An awkward moment occurred between them as Chance started to move closer to Kat, presumably to attempt a similar greeting.

  But Chance was kept at bay as Kat
reached out to shake her hand instead.

  “Katrina,” Chance said.

  “Chance,” Kat said.

  “Edgy-looking outfit,” she said. “I love your boots. I have a brown pair of Sesto Meucci’s almost like them.”

  “Really? What are the odds?” Kat asked.

  “It takes a real woman to pull off stiletto heels for any length of time,” she said.

  “I’m rather fond of stilettos,” Kat said.

  For some weird reason, I couldn’t help thinking that she meant knives rather than footwear.

  While it was hardly a Mexican standoff, I couldn’t help feeling as if the two of them were sizing each other up.

  “So, fancy meeting you two here,” I said, just to break the ice.

  “Yes, and at this time of night, no less,” Kat said.

  “Chance and I were on our way back from a movie when she said she noticed you two coming in here,” Trey said in a nearly apologetic tone. “We didn’t get another couple of miles up the street before she insisted we drive back here.”

  “I said I was hungry,” she said. “You ate most of the popcorn at the movie, you know.”

  “Uh, yeah,” he said. “So, here we are.”

  “Who goes out to see movies on a Monday night?” Kat asked.

  I gave her a sharp look.

  “It was a busy weekend,” she replied. “And besides, I hate Mondays, so it’s better to do something fun to take the edge off.”

  “Well, you two are welcome to join us, if you’d like,” I said.

  It seemed like the polite thing to offer, though Kat gave me a wan look.

  “Oh, no, we’ll leave you two-” Trey started to say.

  “How nice,” Chance interrupted. “We’d love to.”

  I glanced at Kat, whose tight-lipped smile didn’t quite meet her eyes.

  “Well, just marvelous then,” she said in a less than convincing tone.

  I nearly winced.

  Oh, a disaster in the making.

  Honestly, I just wanted to crawl beneath the table at that moment. And by the expression on Trey’s face, he must’ve felt much the same.

  Chance took my seat so she could face Kat from across the table. I moved to the seat beside Kat. Trey took the chair beside Chance, but hesitated as if wondering whether to sit or not.