Wait.
A more pressing concern pushed forward.
Who was driving Karim home? Luis was their usual driver, and Karim had confessed Julien didn’t know he was here. Had he taken a rideshare? Was thatsafe?
“Thanks,” Luis said when Ronan lifted the hand off him. “Um, can you check me out? Is that–how does it work?”
Ronan frowned, but reached for his handheld. “Yeah, I can check you out. I’d advise you to give it a few before leaving though, just to make sure you’re good to drive.”
“Cool, thanks, I will,” Luis said. The moment that Ronan’s attention slipped to the handheld, Luis got out of the booth.
“Hey–” Ronan started.
But Luis was already halfway to the door. He was sure Ronan could catch him if he really wanted to, but Luis must’ve been passable on his feet, because no one stopped him.
On the other side of the door the bar was stuffy and crowded now with humans. Luis scanned the darkness to find Karim, but he was nowhere to be found.
Luis dug his phone out of his pocket to call him, when he spotted the dark, messy hair through the front windows of the bar.
Quickly, he headed in that direction.
Stepping out into the cool night air gave Luis the last push he needed to get his head on straight. He sucked in a deep breath, making his way through the smokers.
And just beyond the sidewalk crowd, he spotted Julien and Karim.
He couldn’t see Karim’s face from this angle, but Julien looked angry. As he neared, Luis could hear Julien speaking in rapid, furious French. Karim had his hands up in a placating gesture.
“—me calmer. Ce que vous avez fait est complètement irréfléchi, n'avez-vous pas considéré que mettre Luis—”
“Hey,” Luis said, stepping up and cutting in as he heard his name.
They both startled. Julien recovered first, turning to him. His eyes went immediately to Luis’s throat.
How obvious was it he’d been bit? Clearly enough for a vampire to see out here in the dark, because Julien’s eyes narrowed.
“Luis. Je suis—I am so sorry,” Julien said. “I told Karim not to come here, but—”
“He’s an adult,” Karim cut in. He was attempting a scowl, but the blood had already softened his demeanor. “He can make his own decisions. He’d never had a problem telling me to fuck off before.”
Julien snapped something sharp at Karim in French. Then, “It’s inappropriate, following him here, biting him. Luis is ouremployee.”
“And our friend who hangs out and has dinner with us,” Karim added. “Who has alreadygiven us blood of his own volition,if you recall.”
Julien’s look could whither grapes on the vine. His hand closed tightly around Karim’s bicep.
“That’s not the point, and you know it.” Julien’s English had thickened, making some of his words more difficult to understand. Then his attention turned back to Luis, softening. “Luis, I’m so sorry about this. It’s so inappropriate, and if youno longer feel safe with us, if you don’t want to drive for us, I completely understand–”
“Wait, what?” This was all happening too fast. “You don’t want me to drive for you anymore?”
That made Julien pause in his attempt to drag Karim away.
“Ah, not–not what I meant,” Julien said. “I only mean if Karim crossed a boundary, I would understand–”
“Friday at nine,” Karim interjected, “we’ll have dinner and drinks.”
Julien made a sound of outrage. “Chut, mon cœur.”
As threatening as it sounded, the words only seemed to please Karim. He mimed zipping his lips.
