Blood and Fire (7 page)

When Ari returned, Jase Barron’s Public Relations person followed her into the hotel conference room and turned a professional smile on Ryan. She displayed a casual ease under questioning and laughed off his questions about the bitter breakup with Jase.

“We were consenting adults with a public image to maintain. I have no regrets. Nor did Jase. The big fight was all for show. His TV ratings went up.” Sara’s glittering look matched her smile. “It was a publicity stunt.”

“That isn’t how others saw it,” Ryan said.

“They weren’t supposed to.” Sara gave an impatient jerk of her head, as if he was being dense. “We delivered several convincing performances in front of witnesses. It would have been pointless if no one believed us.” She stuck to her story. “If you come up with more questions, you’ll find me at the pool.” She pushed back her chair and sashayed out, whipping her towel behind her.

Ryan frowned at the door she’d left standing open. “She’s lying too. But I’m not convinced she’d hire some witch to kill for her. She might pull the trigger herself.”

“Good point.” Ari shook her head. “Re-fashioning the truth seems to be part of life in Hollywood, but I think she’s protecting her reputation more than anything else.”

That left them with Max Carmody. If he’d called the lawyers, they must have advised him to cooperate. He came into the interview willingly enough but immediately went on the offensive. “You haven’t even told us how Jase died,” he complained. “Except some gibberish about his heart, which nobody believes. There’s something odd about everything that’s happened here. I saw his sister Kelly today. What did she tell you?”

“What do you think she said?” Ari asked. “Something worrying you?”

He scowled but didn’t meet her look. “Not at all. I’ve nothing to hide.”

“Did you talk with Mrs. Falk?”

“No, she avoided me, and that isn’t like her. It’s time you gave me some answers. What
exactly
happened to Jase?” He continued to gripe for another five minutes before finally subsiding. “I want out of this one-horse town, and I don’t understand why we’re still here.”

“Because your lawyers preferred cooperation over material witness warrants.” Ari heard the undertone that indicated Ryan’s patience was wearing thin, but he went on calmly enough. “I don’t think they wanted the kind of publicity that would arise from failing to cooperate in the investigation. Until we solve this case, we may need to talk with you more than once. If you haven’t conferred with your lawyers recently, I suggest you take any further complaints to them.”

“I intend to do that,” Carmody muttered.

“In the meantime, I expect your cooperation.”

Carmody sat down. Ryan questioned him about the details of the partnership and a potential court fight over the business, but Carmody insisted the partnership papers would hold up in court.

“I can’t believe Kelly would tell you that,” he said. “The agreement already includes provisions for his kids. They get one third of present and future profits. She should have read the documents before making wild accusations.”

When Ryan brought up the disagreements over the production end of the show, Carmody scowled. “Ridiculous. No two artists agree over those things. We worked it out.” He gave them a narrow look as he pushed his chair back and stood. “I don’t know how you think I caused some kind of alleged heart attack, but you’ve got the wrong man. Jase was my meal ticket. Don’t you think I understood that?”

* * *

Before Ari had a chance to call Andreas about her after-work plans, he called her with plans of his own. His tense voice immediately got her attention.

“I’m taking the jet to Toronto tonight. Can you come?”

“To see Daron? It’s not the best time. Not with an unsolved murder case on my docket. Is this social or trouble?” She already knew the answer, but she waited to hear how bad it was.

“I was not available when Daron called, so I do not have the details, but Samuel reported I am needed at a meeting with Ursula. I have no idea why, but you know Daron would not exaggerate the necessity. I am awaiting his return call but preparing to leave immediately.”

Ari’s stomach tightened. The elder vampires and their damned enforcer. Anything that involved them was bound to be serious trouble. She told Andreas she’d meet him at the club and disconnected.

She cancelled the beers with Ryan, and less than ten minutes later she walked into Andreas’s office and found him on the phone.

“It will take four hours, door to door. I can only guarantee my own presence. There is a complication.” Andreas listened as someone on the other end was talking. “Soon.” He disconnected and turned a troubled face toward Ari. “Ursula has insisted on the honor of my presence.”

“So, ignore her.”

“Oh, she provided for that alternative.” Andreas grimaced. “She offered to come here. Which I want to avoid. I would much rather keep the O-Seven’s emissaries away from Riverdale. I have no choice but to go to Canada. Daron and I had a chance to discuss this, and in some ways, it is not such a bad idea. It is an opportunity to make a statement, to demonstrate strength and unity while under Daron’s protection.”

“Is Daron’s protection enough? Will this enforcer honor any boundaries or rules?”

Andreas shrugged. “She represents the O-Seven. They tend to make their own rules.”

“That’s my point.” She bit her lip. “Ryan isn’t going to like my leaving town during a murder investigation, but I think I should go with you. Isn’t that what Daron suggested—the part you weren’t going to tell me—that you and I need to present a united front? We’ve been through this before. Vampires place a high value on displays of loyalty.” She studied his face. His expression didn’t reveal much, but his slowness in answering did. He needed her with him. “When is the meeting?”

“In four hours. If all goes smoothly, I will be back by dawn.”

“Perfect. Let’s do it.”

“Are you positive,
cara mia
? This is not yet your fight.”

“Yeah, right. I’ve been part of this fight since we met.” She quirked a smile at him. “What could be more fun than irritating some nasty, old vampiress?”

Chapter Four

Within thirty minutes, they were seated on board the private luxury jet they’d confiscated from Sebastian’s hidden properties after his death last November. Ari had called Ryan on the way to the airport, explaining they were going to meet the O-Seven’s enforcer but would be back by morning and give him the details then. He’d hesitated, but accepted her decision without protest. She’d gotten off the hook because Andreas was along. Annoying, but better than a long hassle.

Ari held a coffee cup in her hand, but her thoughts were playing pinball inside her skull. Maybe she should lay off the caffeine.

She’d never met an enforcer, but as a daughter of one of the original seven vampires, the much-feared O-Seven, Ursula had to be dangerous. The elders and their minions had ruled the vampire world for thousands of years without opposition, growing stronger and more arrogant with the passage of time. They lived somewhere in Europe, and until two years ago, Ari hadn’t heard much about them. Lately the O-Seven had invaded a large portion of her life and become a very real threat to the local vampire rulers Daron and Andreas and—by extension—to her. Why couldn’t they leave the States alone? And Canada, for that matter.

“What can you tell me about Ursula?” She glanced at her quiet companion. “Have you met her?”

“Unfortunately. Twice. Once in France and later in Germany.” Andreas compressed his lips. “You will not like her.”

Ari nearly choked on her coffee. “No joke. I didn’t think I would, but why do you say that?”

“Ursula is…condescending and provocative. Unpredictable.” Andreas was picking his words carefully.

What else was new? That could describe almost every vampire Ari knew. “Not helpful. Specifics, please. What’s she likely to do? Will she ignore me? Pick a fight? What?”

“That is what worries me. I honestly do not know. Except, I do not think you need to fear being ignored. The more I think about it, I wonder if she set this up in order to meet you.”

Ari swiveled her chair to stare at him. “Why me?”

“You are an unknown quantity. The O-Seven has to be curious about how we defeated Sebastian.”

Ari sat back, sinking into the soft leather seat. Sebastian’s death at the hands of Andreas with Ari’s assistance had been quick and unplanned. It made sense that the O-Seven would want an explanation of what happened to their protégé, but it would be too risky to tell them the whole story. There had to be a better way of handling this than revealing abilities that were best kept secret. As long as the elders didn’t know about her fire abilities or the telepathic link between her and Andreas, they might lose interest. “Tell me about the times you met her. What was she like?” Ari had noticed the way he’d skimmed over that information, and the way his mouth tightened when he said the enforcer’s name. There was a story here—and not a good one.

Andreas turned his head to look at Ari, his face carefully schooled. The silence grew until he looked away. “Gabriel and I were young to vampire life, less than a year, and, due to abandonment by our maker, we were fending for ourselves. We had arrived in France, slowly working our way toward my family home in Italy, and met Ursula in a bar. All of us were hunting.”

For human blood donors. There were no blood banks in those days to provide a more civilized alternative. Vampires had hunted for human victims to supply their need for nourishment. Andreas would have been no exception; he hadn’t always been the law-abiding vampire she knew.

“For some reason it amused Ursula to assist in our hunt. I will spare both of us the details, but before the night ended, seventeen people were dead.”

“Seventeen.” Ari couldn’t hide her shock this time. She had expected the story to have a bad ending, but she hadn’t imagined the death of so many. “Why? No one needs that much blood.” Knowing her face was filled with horror, she was thankful Andreas wouldn’t look at her.

“Ursula is insatiable at whatever she does. Especially when she is enjoying herself.”

“Oh. Then she killed most of them.”

“I cannot excuse our part in it,” he said quietly.

“And the second meeting?” She peeped at him over her coffee mug. He hadn’t intended to go on. “I need to know what to expect. So far you haven’t told me much except she’s a vicious killer.” She saw his shoulders move in a silent sigh.

“We met again at the O-Seven stronghold in Germany. A year later. Gabriel and I arrived with a group we had met crossing the border from France. Ursula remembered us immediately. When she invited us to her private quarters, we were not allowed to say no. First daughters cannot be denied.”

“For sex, you mean. What’s making you so careful? I know you’ve had sex before.”

His expression darkened. “This was not by choice. When we resisted, older, stronger vampires kept us in her bedroom. You cannot envision the depth of Ursula’s depravity. She is a woman of varied sexual tastes. All of them include violence and blood.”

Ari’s stomach recoiled at the undertone in his voice. Something dark and filled with revulsion. He was right. She wasn’t going to like this woman.

* * *

They arrived at Daron’s compound in Toronto with only minutes to spare before the scheduled meeting. Mike, the werewolf in charge of Daron’s security and an old friend from Riverdale, met them at the entrance.

Ari encompassed his large frame in an impulsive hug even though he stiffened with embarrassment. It was good to know there were friends around.

“I’m glad to see you too,” he said gruffly, patting her once on the shoulder. “But maybe not tonight. I’m sorry you have to be anywhere near here. This vampiress scares even me.”

Grim faced, he led them down the corridor toward the audience room. A dozen werewolves armed with AK-47 combat rifles stood guard. Mike stopped with his hands on the double doors. “Ready? We’ll follow you in.”

Ari had all her usual weapons. The silver dagger in her waist sheath, derringer in an ankle holster, potions, spells, vamp dust, and six silver bullets in the hidden pockets sewn into every outfit she owned. She looked at Andreas, resplendent in his usual black Armani jeans and casual jacket. She nudged him. “Aren’t you going to warn me how I need to act?”

“Other than not using your witch fire?” His serious face finally showed a hint of humor. “No, little witch. For tonight, just be yourself.”

Ari drew herself up straight in preparation for the meeting ahead. She envisioned the large audience chamber with its fanciful Grecian columns. The tasteless statues had been removed by Andreas, even before the territory was turned over to Daron. Although the hall could hold two hundred easily, the audience area at the east end was relatively small with seating for a dozen or less. She expected Daron and his guest would be waiting there.

When Mike threw the doors open and announced them, they stepped inside and started the long walk to the far end. Ari got her first look at the enforcer, flanked by eight bodyguards.

Ursula slowly turned her head to gaze at them, her piercing eyes immediately finding Ari.

The vampiress was tall, even sitting down. Her head of flaming red hair towered six inches higher than any other occupant. Her classical features, softly defined, remained unaffected by time, except for the obvious bumps that concealed enlarged fangs, the only evidence of extreme age. Ursula looked only slightly older than Ari’s twenty-four years, rather than the centuries she was, and wore her silver, shimmery mini dress well. Ari raised her chin, glad she’d dressed for the occasion in silk—long, flowing black pants, pale green blouse.

As with other vampires, Ursula’s eyes were black, but she’d made sure hers stood out by artfully framing them with dramatic aqua blue eye shadow. Matching blue glossy lips curved into a smile, displaying her fangs and forming a disturbing picture of amused malice.

“At last,” the vampiress said.