I sprinted to the front door and set the home alarm, then ran to the kitchen to get my phone out of my purse. I tapped nine and one but hesitated before adding the final one. Was that the best move, involving human law enforcement? Robert and I were already on their radar, thanks to the statement I’d given Officer Dodds at the site of Nick’s murder. Wouldn’t it seem suspicious that I was showing up in their reports twice in one night?
Had I been dealing strictly with human foul play, there would have been no reluctance on my part. I would have already been down at the police station hollering for somebody to find my man. But I wasn’t dealing with a human disappearance. Calling the police on a vampire’s behalf could do more harm than good. Robert might even get upset if I did.
I could only imagine the PR nightmare it would create for Robert’s company if word got out that he was missing. I had absolutely no idea how corporations like Bramson Enterprises were run, but in the movies it always seemed like a CEO got screwed over whenever they were left in a vulnerable position. What if board members made rash decisions during Robert’s absence, like sweeping layoffs or electing new partners who could overthrow his position of power?
I pulled a chair out from underneath the dining room table and slunk down into it. I tapped my nails nervously. “What am I going to do?” I asked, groaning.
Other questions I’d been trying to suppress floated to the center of my brain, demanding to be reckoned with. I squeezed my eyes shut to make them go away, but they stuck like glue.Was it possible that Robert had been involved in Nick’s murder? Was that why he’d disappeared so suddenly?
I bit my lip, ashamed for even having such thoughts. “Robert wouldn’t do something like that. It’s not his style,” I snapped, as if I’d been arguing with someone in the room.
Furthermore, it didn’t explain the signs of struggle I’d found. Aminorstruggle by vampire standards, which made the entire situation weirder. It wasn’t like Robert not to put up a fight.
Who even were his enemies? Robert had none, as far as I knew. He, of course, had dealt with his fair share of disgruntled employees and crazed internet trolls—but show me a billionaire who hasn’t. He’d also had more run-ins with the paparazzi than he could count. However, none of the incidents had been so violent or nasty that they’d escalate to a home invasion.
What about the VGO? We’d been involved in the misunderstanding with them recently, but they now considered us allies. They’d have no reason to attack Robert out of the blue.
Frustrated, I sat back in the chair, staring at the chandelier above the table. It sounded pompous, but it was true: Robert was important. Any human with a vague knowledge of business and finance would know that he was outrageously wealthy and connected to all sorts of influential individuals. Was that what this was, a kidnapping for ransom?
I made a sputtering sound. No mortal on the planet would have been able to overpower a vampire as strong as Robert, not even if they’d had the assistance of a dozen human soldiers on steroids. The house certainly would have been in a lot worse shape, had they even tried.
Did that mean, then, that it was a vampire who’d taken Robert? That also didn’t add up. Most vamps had money. They may not have as muchmoney as Robert but kidnapping him wouldn’t have been worth the risk given his new alliance with the VGO. No vampire in their right mind would have messedwith him. They’d have to be suicidal. Also, had two vamps gotten into a scuffle, the entire living room, and maybe even the rest of the house, would have been wrecked.
My nerves getting the better of me, I went to the pantry and pulled out a family-sized bag of cheese popcorn so that I’d have something to munch on. I considered getting a bowl for all of two seconds. I returned to the table and ripped open the bag, deeply inhaling as a puff of cheesy air wafted up to my nostrils.
As I munched, I considered that maybe Robert wasn’t missing at all. He could have upended the living room while running out of the house in a hurry. While it would have been absurd to imagine a human doing such a thing, I knew firsthand that vampires inadvertently damaged objects all the time. Maybe he’d been in such a hurry that he’d forgotten his phone. For all I knew, he could have run out the door to help a neighbor catch a runaway cat.
“Are you kidding me?” I spat at the empty room. I doubted Robert even knew the neighbor’s name.
It was time to face facts. Something bad—or, at minimum, not good—had happened to my vampire boyfriend. He wouldn’t be helped if I didn’t stop sitting around inventing nonsense scenarios. I sensed Nick’s murder, the missing fangs, and Robert’s disappearance were connected, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out how.
I regarded the phone as I considered calling Robert’s maker, but no way in hellthatwas happening. Robert and I were both still pissed at him for all the problems he’d caused us. I’d rather have no help at all than Leopold’s, though my tune might change later if I exhausted all my options with no success.
I put the popcorn away, noticing that I’d nearly plowed through the whole bag. My mouth was dry, so I used that as an excuse to pour myself a glass of wine. I went into the living room, shuttered as I saw the disarray, and returned to thekitchen to grab the whole bottle. Between Nick’s murder and Robert’s inexplicable vanishing, my nerves were electrified.
I set the bottle and my glass aside and moved the squashed ottoman into the closet so that I wouldn’t have to look at it. I then placed the lamp and table upright, fluffing cushions. There, it was like nothing ever happened.
5
As I settled back on the sofa, I allowed myself a moment to take a few breaths and get my bearings. Ever the optimist, I jumped whenever the wind blew and shifted the trees outside, half expecting Robert to come waltzing through the door. No such luck.
After a few minutes of doing nothing, I made a mental list of vampires I trusted enough to contact about Robert’s puzzling disappearance. It took a pathetically short amount of time. I planned on eventually calling Liz regardless, but I needed immediate help from someone with enough clout to connect me with proper vampire authorities. At minimum, I needed a vamp qualified to offer practical advice on what steps I needed to take. Liz was new to vampirism, and Robert was usually the one she went to for guidance, so it was doubtful she’d be able to offer much beyond commiseration.
The VGO would likely know what to do, though I was hesitant to involve them. Sure, I was on their good side now, but I didn’t entirely trust them. Without Robert’s protection, they might get it in their heads to abduct me and keep me in their dungeon as a human cask they could tap blood from any timethey pleased. And why not? It would save them from having to travel all the way to San Francisco from their UK headquarters every time they craved my blood.
Shuddering at the thought, I went to take a sip of my second glass of wine and realized that I’d already drained it. I poured myself another, feeling the beginnings of a buzz settling over my brain like a warm blanket. Wonderful.
Since contacting the VGO wasn’t an option, I considered my previous employer, Marlena. In the past, she’d had my back when it counted, so I knew she was trustworthy. Still, she was cantankerous on a good day and always preoccupied with running her business.
Jerome Bellamy, a civil rights attorney and talented artist I’d met back when I was decoying for Marlena at Dignitary, was reliable—andhe’d saved my hide more times than I could count. However, he was fearful of getting caught up in vampire affairs, and rightfully so. Also, he was busy planning his wedding, which was swiftly approaching, on top of preparing for an upcoming trial. He already had enough on his plate. He would absolutely help me out if I asked, but I didn’t want to put him on the spot.
After a bit more waffling, I decided to call Liz. She may not have been able to offer any solutions to the Robert situation, but sometimes you just need your best friend.
I crossed my fingers that she wasn’t at work. She was a hairdresser at Dignitary, and her hours were irregular, often revolving around the special events her clients attended in the middle of the night. Vampire hours.
Luckily, she picked up. Even better, she said she’d head over.
I shouldn’t have been so surprised when the doorbell rang only a few minutes later. Liz drove like most people ate pepperoni pizza: fast and dirty.
