“Stark! Montgomery Stark! Where are you?” I called out.
“He’s in the last cell.” Roman pointed to the very end of the tunnel.
I marched down, noting that the cells were all empty. Good. It meant there was room for more traitors once we caught them.
I stopped at the last cell, finding a hunched-over form huddled in the dark corner toward the back. I couldn’t see his face.
“You Stark?” I asked.
After a moment, the vampire answered, “Yes, my queen.”
Strange. I knew that voice from somewhere. “Have we met?”
“No,” he replied.
I sensed he was lying, and that was something I couldn’t tolerate. We had work to do. Important work. There was no time to waste on scum who wanted to destroy our world. “I’m going to give you one opportunity to tell the truth, Mr. Stark. Because like Grandpappy used to say, possums will be possums. They can’t help it if they have a pouch.”
“A pouch?” he asked.
“Yeah. To hide their young’uns—what they care about.”
A low chuckle erupted from the dark corner, and I could swear I knew that laugh.
“Show me your face, Mr. Stark.”
“I am afraid I cannot do that. Your secret army broke both my legs,” he said.
“Oh. Well, sorry about that, but they have their orders.” Plus, he’d heal once he fed, so it wasn’t exactly a big deal.
“Indeed.”
I raised my chin. “I’ll tell them to bring some blood if you tell me the truth. Are you my Daddy’s maker?”
“No.”
“So you’re not the vampire who used to own this place?” I asked.
“No.”
I didn’t believe him. Something was going on here. “And why won’t you go to the island?” I asked.
“I cannot.”
“Why?”
“I cannot tell you,” he replied.
This conversation was going nowhere. “All right. Have it your way.” I turned to Roman. “Put him in the next round of executions.”
Roman bowed his head. “Yes, my queen. With pleasure.”
I made my way back upstairs. Maybe not today, but I would get my answers. Sadly, it would have to wait until after Daddy’s birthday and the state fair. We were hosting it and launching a new whiskey flavor with walnuts. A fall flavor I’d come up with out of the blue.
How will I possibly get it all done?I smiled contentedly and made it to the living room just in time to hear something crash into the front door.
My parents and I rushed to see what had happened.
“Jesus!” Mamma yelled.
