Hot Demon in the City (Latter Day Demons Book 1) (21 page)

"Useless," Thomas was back to human and grabbing his clothing from a nearby chair. "I'd have to go through every employee and separate their scents, when I have nothing from the kidnapper to compare with the others."

"What about security cameras?" I asked.

"Detectives have already looked at those," Davis sighed. "Images get fuzzy right after the kidnap victim walked into evidence, and when it clears, he and the wristband are missing."

"I don't think you'll understand this," I began, "but one of the first things wizards and warlocks learn is how to interfere with electronics."

"Wizards and warlocks?" Thomas stopped in the middle of pulling on his pants.

"Trust me—they exist," I said. "Just not naturally on this world. So, unless there's been some serious evolving, if this is a warlock's work, then he isn't local."

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Davis studied me for a moment.

"As serious as the proverbial heart attack," I shrugged.

"So, you've met some of these people?"

"Yes, just not here. On this planet."

"What the hell are you saying, man?" Thomas zipped his fly and frowned at me.

"That there are more things in heaven and Earth, man," I replied. "These would be not from Earth, though."

"If that's what it is," Davis pointed out.

"It would explain a lot," I countered.

"We need to talk to our boss, then," Davis said. "We'll drop you off at the house in Petaluma, then check in with her."

"I'm going to Petaluma?"

"It's a safe house. You'll be fine."

"Not worried about that," I said. "I wanted to be closer to San Rafael."

"It's only twenty miles or so," Thomas said. "Close enough."

"Hmmph." The thought of being even twenty miles away from Lexsi disturbed me. I wanted to be closer than that. Just far enough away to draw Granger and his flunkies in my direction and keep them away from her.

"It'll have to do; it's the closest one, unless you want to get a place in the city."

"No, thanks," I said. "Petaluma will be fine."

"We'll get a vehicle for you, too, just in case," Davis offered.

"You mean you'll let me out? Voluntarily?"

"I assume you can protect yourself," Davis' words conveyed sarcasm. "I also assume you're attempting to protect Ms. Silver and the others at the San Rafael house."

"You assume correctly," I allowed a curl of smoke to escape my nostrils.

"That's new," Thomas observed.

"There's more where that came from, I assure you."

"I don't suppose you know anything about why Granger's Nob Hill mansion burned down, do you?" Davis asked.

"I have nothing to say on the subject," I replied. "Can we go to Petaluma, now? I have some thinking to do."

* * *

Lexsi

I told Anita I'd get myself home after she sent mindspeech offering to pick me up. At least Hannah spent most of the afternoon in her office with the door shut after getting a frigid reception from everybody at the station.

I'd sent her research on all the topics requested, and included some she hadn't requested. She planned to do a follow-up on the recent spate of bombings, but didn't have new information and wasn't really interested in uncovering any.

I no longer cared; Kory's departure had left me in limbo; keeping my mind occupied with work had served to distract me for a while, but when it came time to go home, I was at a loss. I felt as if I'd been left adrift on the ocean in a small boat with no oars.

That's why I skipped straight to my bedroom at home, curled up on the bed and hugged a pillow to me. I'd been abandoned, and it hurt.

A lot
.

That's when it hit me. I'd never gone to check out the bars I'd researched in Oakland. That would certainly distract me. Scrambling off the bed, I grabbed my cell phone and scrolled through my notes to find addresses.

After checking area maps on the laptop, I skipped to the first bar on the list.

* * *

"Well, look at you." The man swayed as he talked, a drink held loosely in his hand. He smelled awful. It only took me ten seconds to realize that this bar was humans only; the music was far too loud for vampire or werewolf ears.

"Look at you," I responded to the man. "Excuse me, I have to visit the ladies room." I turned to walk away. He grabbed my arm. I tossed him against another patron sitting at the bar.

The noise from the fight that ensued ended the moment I skipped away.

Bar two was a kink bar. I got out of there fast.

Bar three was upscale and attached to a restaurant.

Bar four—well, that was the one. It was called Tooth and Nail instead of Clawdia's, but still alluded to the supernatural crowd by its name. On the paperwork, it was called something different and belonged to a corporation, listed as DSG Enterprises.

I was determined to research the corporation the moment I got home.

"What the hell are you doing here?" A vampire detached himself from his leaning position at the end of the bar and approached me.

"Just looking for a drink," I replied as coolly as I could. He was so large, I imagined that a wooly mammoth occupied one branch of his family tree. The excessive hair, of course, was what gave him away, though.

"You need to run along, missy," he snarled. "This bar ain't for you."

"Then I'll run along," I snapped.

He reached for my arm. I jerked away.

"Hey, we're looking for her," a vamp with three followers rose from a nearby table.

Time to go
.

"Keep looking," I snapped, punched woolly mammoth in the face and skipped away.

* * *

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Anita demanded the moment I arrived in the kitchen. "You should never walk into one of those places by yourself."

"What places?" Farin wandered in, Tibby right behind her.

"Supe bars," Anita said.

"Which one?" Tibby asked.

"A new one in Oakland. They call it Tooth and Nail."

"Punny," Tibby nodded. "Haven't been to that one."

I'd forgotten that he'd been outed as a shapeshifter. I just didn't know what he shifted to. Since being nosy about those things was considered quite rude, I didn't ask.

"Four vamps there recognized me," I said. "I was forced to make a quick exit."

"That's the worst thing you could have done," Anita scolded. "They'll be better prepared to grab you next time."

"There won't be a next time; that's Claudia Platt's new bar, count on it," I defended myself. "I'm going to do research on it tonight, to see what I can find."

"What are you looking for?" Farin asked.

"I intend to find out if Claudia has hidden partners in the business," I replied.

"What's going on?" Watson shuffled into the kitchen, looking as if he were starving.

"Found Claudia's new bar," I informed him. "So you didn't have to tell me." I turned and stalked toward my bedroom. Watson could fend for himself if he were hungry. I wasn't in any mood to cook.

* * *

Kordevik

"Klancy's watching Lexsi's place; Davis asked me to move in with you—in case you needed backup." Mason dropped a duffle on the kitchen floor and offered a grin.

"What I need is to find Claudia's new bar," I said. "I intend to let Granger know I'm looking for him."

Mason went still for a moment—a stillness only vampires can achieve. His unblinking gaze was as fathomless as a silent, cold lake as he considered my intentions. "What the fuck, man?" he said after a while.

I realized I'd frozen in place while he studied me. "What I said," I turned away. "If you don't want to come with me, and I warn you, you won't be traveling in any conventional sense, then make yourself at home. I'll be back later."

"You may want to know what your destination is," Mason pointed out.

"That's what I intend to find," I said.

"I know where it is."

"What the fuck?" I turned on him swiftly.

"Sometimes," Mason said, "It's a good idea to use compulsion, if for nothing else but to keep friends safe. I asked Watson where the place was, then told him to forget I asked. For his safety, you understand. You also understand that if he ever tells Claudia where we are," he didn't finish.

"Yeah. I get that. Claudia better bring a fucking army if she intends to take me down." Mason watched the puff of smoke I'd breathed dissipate before speaking again.

"I'm not sure this is the best course of action," Mason observed.

"Then what do you suggest? Granger tried to kill me twice today. That didn't go so well. If he finds out I have friends," it was my turn not to finish a sentence.

"You think he'll go after them to get to you?"

"You're vampire, you've had dealings with that murdering psychopath already. You tell me what he might do."

"You have a point." Mason agreed.

"Does Granger know you're a King Vampire?" I asked while Mason studied the problem in silence.

He went still again. "What the fuck do you know about King Vampires?" His voice was as cold as the snow on a granite peak.

"I know that Granger likely placed compulsion. I also know it didn't do a damn thing to you. You're young as a vampire, dude. Any normal vampire would have stood there when ordered and let Granger's goons slice him to death. Instead, you fought them off and managed to kill at least one of them. King Vampires are notorious for their fighting skills. Queens, too, or so I hear."

"You know too damn much," Mason crossed arms over his chest and turned away from me.

"Your secret's safe with me," I held up a hand. "Look, give me the address of the bar and I'll leave you alone."

He turned back, then. "What about you? Are you susceptible to compulsion?"

"Nobody from my race is," I said. "It's the way we were made in the beginning. Truth is, my kind were created to keep the dark worlds in line, including the vampire and werewolf planets. We sort of fucked that up after a while, but the compulsion thing still has no effect on us."

"What about Anita?"

I snorted more smoke in a humorless laugh. "Anita, well, imagine the strongest vampire compulsion you can, and take it to the tenth power. It's called obsession. Don't mess with her, man."

"What about Lexsi?"

"Lexsi won't be susceptible to either, but she's vulnerable in other ways. Females of my kind, well, they generally don't turn. She only has some decent fighting skills she learned growing up. If anybody touches her," I growled.

"Look, I get it," he held up a hand. "I'll go with you tonight. The bar is called Tooth and Nail." He rattled off the address in Oakland. "I warn you, Granger's vamps are probably there, waiting for us to arrive. We may have a fight on our hands the second we walk through the door."

"Not a problem," I flexed my hands and formed fists. A fight was exactly what I wanted.

* * *

Lexsi

I searched through county records, looking for more information on DSG Enterprises. I'd hit a dead end with what was filed on the liquor license, so I started digging for information on Clawdia's Bar.

There, Claudia Platt was listed as sole proprietor. She'd had no website or any other social media presence that I could find; not surprising, considering what she was. Word of mouth in a closed community was likely her best advertisement. Somehow, they'd all gotten the word on the change of address in Oakland, too. That's when it hit me.

Klancy.

Klancy might know how word was spread on all things supernatural. Shoving my desk chair back, I marched out of my bedroom and went in search of the vampire.

"Lexsi," he offered a nod. I'd found him on the patio, standing on the edge of it while listening for anything unusual and sniffing the air for strange scents.

If anybody came close to the house, Klancy would know.

"How do you know," I began. "Well, how does the supernatural community hear when there's a change—like the address for Clawdia's Bar and things like that?"

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. Until now, I hadn't heard him laugh. "E-mail," he replied. "From a no-reply source. Nobody knows who sends them, they just appear."

"You mean there's a supernatural webmaster out there, who sends out notifications?"

"Yes. If your name disappears from the list, you are in very deep trouble with the community in this area. Mason's name disappeared from the list. Kory was never on it, although he should have been."

"What do you mean he should have been?"

Kory was human
.

"Perhaps I err in saying this. You, perhaps, should have also been on the list."

"You can tell by scent," I said as understanding blossomed.

"Yes." He smiled when he nodded.