Cunningham, Pat - Legacy [Sequel to Belonging] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (16 page)

Then Jeremy bucked his hips, throwing her off balance. His sleep-groping hands found her arm. He yanked her down to him. The sudden grab bumped her into Wallace. The vampire tumbled off the bed with a juicy expletive.

Jeremy bolted up, fully awake. He blinked at Colleen. His expression shifted into
oh, no wonder
when he spotted Wallace on the floor. Automatically, he looked to the window.

“There’s still an hour before daybreak,” Wallace said. He regained his feet in one smooth, graceful surge. “Plenty of night left, Mr. Worry.”

Jeremy glanced warily from Wallace to Colleen. “What’d I miss?”

“Not a thing. Christ on a skateboard. I walked right in here and sucked you off, and you didn’t even wake up. You suck as a slave.”

“There’s just no pleasing you, is there?” By now he was half laughing. He lowered his lids seductively. “Are you going to finish what you started?”

Colleen edged off the bed. “Maybe I should go.”

Both of them reached out to stop her. “Stick around,” Wallace said. “I’ve got some info, and I need your input. But first…” He leaned in to deliver a powerful kiss to Jeremy’s mouth. Colleen looked at the foot of the bed. “I’ll get back to you in a minute. Assuming you’ve got any energy left.”

She turned toward the smirk in Wallace’s voice just in time to catch his wink. She huffed. “What did you find out?”

“Right to the point. Okay.” Wallace flopped onto the bed. Jeremy sat between them, with an arm around each. Colleen found she could handle Wallace’s attitude better with Jeremy as a buffer. “I talked to some contacts I know in LA. Bad news. You’re not the only one. There’s been at least three abductions in the last two weeks, and the signs point to vampires. We’re talking women in their mid- to late-twenties. I only got confirmation on one.” He leaned across Jeremy’s chest to address her directly. “Theresa Lake. Ring any bells?”

Not even a tinkle. Colleen shook her head.

“Damn. I was hoping you knew her. I dug into her background on the ’Net. She was born in Lamont, California, not far from Sacramento. Isn’t that your old stomping grounds? Up where your commune was?”

“Close to,” Colleen said slowly. “Lamont…yes. I remember. That’s where we went grocery shopping. They had a park and a theater. Mom took me there to see Disney movies.” Memories her mind normally shied away from cascaded through her head. She looked Wallace straight in the eyes. “That missing woman. Was her nickname Reese?”

“I don’t know. Google wouldn’t say.”

“I wasn’t the only kid at the commune. There must have been over a dozen of us. I remember now. We had two Theresas. The older one said she was Terry first, so we called the other one Reese. Reese Lake. That was her name, I’m sure. Don’t bother showing me a picture. I doubt if I’d recognize her.”

“You never kept in touch with the other kids?” Jeremy asked. “A commune reunion or something?”

“Why would we? After the commune broke up, we all went back to mainstream America and put it out of our minds.” She smiled more sharply than she meant to. “Do you keep in touch with the kids you knew in elementary school?”

Wallace snorted. “The kids I knew are all collecting Social Security by now. I couldn’t get names on the other two women, but neither was from LA. My contact thinks one of ’em may have been from Sacramento.” His eyes had taken on a faint reddish tinge, visible even in the dimness. “So now we’ve got four women, same general age, same background, all from the same part of the state, targeted by vampires at the same time. That sound like a coincidence to you?”

“No way,” Colleen said. “Especially the vampire part. It sounds like—” She couldn’t stop her shudder. Jeremy gave her shoulders a comforting hug. “It sounds like I need help.”

“No shit. Did you turn off your phone, Scarecrow?”

“I may have. I don’t remember. I think I left it in the living room.”

“That explains why Gus called me, then. He thinks he may have found something. Hope you brought your good clothes, sweetheart. We’re having dinner with the Stantons tonight.”

Chapter 9

The three of them showed up at the Stantons’ at eight o’clock on the dot, after bedtime for Shayla, well after sundown for Wallace. Colleen had made a quick afternoon trip home for a modest cotton dress in a floral print, so she wouldn’t have to wear her Monday work outfit. Jeremy had switched to a button-down shirt and pressed slacks. Wallace, ever the bad-boy rebel, insisted on his usual black tee, jeans, boots, and bomber jacket.

“Does he even own nice clothes?” Colleen whispered to Jeremy.

“Sorry I don’t measure up to your standards,” Wallace said from beside her. “Next time I save your life I’ll be sure to wear my tux.” He grinned at her startled look. She’d thought he was still by the car. “Keen hearing. Goes with the strength and the speed. I’m practically Superman.”

“All you need are the mild manners,” Jeremy remarked. “Any manners at all would be nice.”

“Can it. We’re in public. Everybody smile,” Wallace said as the door opened.

Gus greeted them heartily and ushered them inside. He’d barely made it through the usual welcoming chitchat before Shayla appeared in her little nightie and clutching a stuffed scarecrow doll. She eyed the guests, made a quick decision, and ran to Jeremy.

Atta girl. Head for the cute guy first.

Colleen had to look at Wallace to make sure he hadn’t spoken aloud. He seemed unaware his thought had been overheard. He smiled fondly at Jeremy, who was down on one knee with his arms full of squealing little girl. Discovering Colleen’s attention on him, he winked. This time the voice in her head was deliberate.

They learn fast, don’t they? God help the male population when she hits her teens.

Colleen flinched from the mental invasion.
Will you give it a rest? She’s five years old. And stay the hell out of my head!

What can I say? She’s a heartbreaker, and not the only one in the room.

Colleen built an image of her mind as a broom and Wallace’s voice as a pesky dog. Broom met doggy rump. The voice in her head disappeared. Wallace shrugged with a maddening lack of contrition. He squatted down.

“Hey, cutie,” he said aloud to Shayla. “You got a hug for your Uncle Wally?”

Shayla darted to him next. Colleen’s brows climbed. “Kid-friendly” wasn’t the first thing she’d put on a list of Wallace’s skimpy positive traits. The affectionate hug he gave her looked real enough. She noticed how careful he was to adjust his smile so no hint of fangs peeked through. Could it be the wiseass tough guy had a genuine soft spot for children?

With the men taken care of, Shayla gave Colleen a breath-choking hug on the neck before Gus pried her loose. “Okay, Curious Georgia, that’s it. Tonight’s a grown-up party. Back to bed with you.”

“Bye, sweetie,” Colleen said. “See you tomorrow.” She waved, and Shayla waved sleepily back, her head and the scarecrow doll’s resting on Gus’s broad shoulder.

Jeremy went to the kitchen, but Wallace remained. His gaze followed Shayla until she and Gus passed from sight up the stairs.

“She doesn’t know,” Colleen said.

“Of course she doesn’t know. She’s five years old.” His tone mimicked hers from a few minutes back. “If we’re lucky, she’ll never have to find out vampires exist. On the other hand, she’s a smart kid. She’s bound to figure it out when she gets older.” The tips of his fangs showed. “And when I don’t.”

“Do the Stantons know about you?”

“Annie and Gus have known me since my human days. There’s more to all of us than meets the eye. Hey, Annie.”

“Wally.” Annie gave him a quick hug then gave Colleen a longer one. “I’m so sorry, honey. You shouldn’t have to deal with this. Nobody should. How are you holding up?”

“It’s a bit much to swallow. I mean, vampires? I’m still having a hard time with it, even with all the evidence.”

Annie grinned and shot a glance over Colleen’s shoulder to where Wallace stood. “He’s not making it any easier, is he? That’s our Wally. Mr. Helpful. Okay, we never talk shop at the table. The V-word is on hold until after dinner. Let’s eat.”

Gus joined them in the dining room, where Jeremy was already pouring drinks. “Shayla’s in bed,” he announced, “and if we’re lucky, she’ll stay there. For God’s sake, Jeremy, sit down. You’re a guest tonight. Jesus, Wally, what did you do to the kid?”

“Hey, don’t look at me. He was like that when I found him.”

“Ignore them, honey,” Annie said to Jeremy. “I think you’re sweet.” They took their seats. Wallace dumped his bomber jacket over the back of his chair. Jeremy held out a chair for Colleen, which forced Gus to do likewise for Annie. He shot Jeremy a dirty look with most of the dirt removed. “That’s what I mean,” Annie said. “Jeremy knows how women should be treated. Hey, Wally. Trade you.”

“Forget it. This one sprawls, that one snores, both of them nag. Show me any advantage.”

“I do not snore,” Gus protested stiffly. Annie made a noise behind her hand. Jeremy maintained a guilty silence.

They all sounded like such a normal group, like Sunday dinners around the Brenner table. The only difference was the vampire seated across from Colleen. Would they serve him blood with his roast beef and carrots, or would he help himself to somebody’s neck?

Neither, it turned out. He helped himself to meat and veggies and dug in just like everyone else. Maybe a bit more so. He only paused when he realized she was staring at him.

“What?” he said with his mouth full of green beans. “You know I eat.”

“I didn’t know you ate like a pig.”

“Yeah, Wally,” Gus said. “Tone it down. Nobody wants to see your fangs ripping flesh apart. It’s disturbing.”

“Is this normal for vampires?” Colleen asked. “Eating, I mean. I thought they only ate…you know.”

“Wally is a special case,” Gus said. “The only one of his kind, as far as I know. I should write a paper on you, if anyone would believe it.”

“Be sure to include a detailed account of my sexual prowess.”

“Like I said, if anyone would believe it.”

“Boys,” Annie said. “House rules, remember? Not at the table.”

“I think we should make an exception, hon.” Gus nodded toward Colleen. “The poor girl’s been kept in the dark long enough. She deserves an explanation. A little prequel to the main event shouldn’t mess up digestion all that much.”

“Thank you,” Colleen said. “Thank you very much.”

Annie searched the faces turned toward her and sighed. “Dang. Okay, I know when I’m outvoted. But nobody talks with their mouth full.” She aimed this comment at Wallace. He shrugged. “Where would you like to start?”

“How did you find out vampires are real?”

“The hard way,” Annie said. “We all used to be slayers.”

“Slayers?” She stared at the middle-aged pediatrician and psychiatrist with a healthy dollop of doubt. “You mean like Buffy?”

“She was Buffy.” Gus nodded toward his wife. “I was always more of a Giles.”

“We had a
Wizard of Oz
motif going on,” Annie said. She set down her fork and rolled up her left sleeve. She had a tattoo, Colleen discovered with surprise, a little black dog in a basket. Gus uncovered his own, a roaring lion’s head.

Wallace flexed the axe on his bicep. “Tin Man present and accounted for,” he said, this time with an empty mouth.

Colleen turned to Jeremy. “And you’re the Scarecrow.”

“Not the original,” Jeremy said. “All this happened way before I was born.”