The Festival of the Moon (Girls Wearing Black: Book Two) (24 page)

Nicky closed her eyes as she sent it, knowing that the text was almost certainly too late.

Up in the ring, Brian defeated Antonio by knockout in the second round. After the ring announcer declared Brian the winner, he invited the crowd to raise their cups in a toast to the immortals. Mattie handed Nicky a beer in a plastic cup for the toast, telling her it was, “A good one with something special just for you.”

Not thinking clearly, Nicky chugged it, and regretted it the minute she did. That “something special” in the beer was a shot of vodka. Her buzz was about to become something more.

Why was she still bothering to play the part? If Jill was dead and Melissa knew the truth then it made no sense for Celeste Nicole Allen to pretend to be Nicky Bloom.

Die with dignity, Celeste
, she told herself.
 
Don’t spend your last night on earth as just another drunken fool at Thorndike.

She looked around for Melissa, this time making no effort at being discreet. Nicky wanted Melissa to see her scanning the crowd. She wanted Melissa to come out of the shadows and face her.

The party was in full swing now and people were starting to get wild. Shirts were coming off and getting thrown in the bonfire. Guys and girls were hooking up. Groups were stumbling off into the woods, the girls laughing like hyenas as they leaned into the guys walking next to them. People weren’t talking anymore so much as shouting in each other’s faces. A crowd of people had gathered round the bonfire and were performing some sort of goofball tribal dance.

And without her even realizing it, Nicky and Annika had become the center of their own party, with all of Annika’s group gathered in a drinking and dancing circle. Vince and Mattie were all over each other, as were Eric and Shauna. Annika and Jenny were dancing as if Sutter’s Field were some swank night club. Behind them, standing in place and staring at Nicky like some creepy stalker with smut on his mind, stood Art.

“Excuse me for a second,” Nicky said to no one in particular. She stepped away from the group and walked towards Winthrop’s camper. Surely Melissa would see Nicky leaving the crowd to go somewhere alone. Surely Melissa would follow.

Right away Nicky sensed someone moving behind her and steeled herself for the confrontation, but then she realized the footsteps were too loud to be a vampire. She turned for a look and saw Art following her up the hill.

“I’m just headed to Winthrop’s camper to go to the bathroom,” she yelled, waving Art off with her hands like he was a pesky fly.

“Oh,” Art said. He stood in place, looking puzzled, as if still processing the words Nicky had said to him. When he finished whatever deep thoughts were occupying his mind, he said, “I’ll just come inside and wait for you.”

Art’s eyes were glassy and red. There was an eagerness about him like a little kid at an amusement park. Nicky recognized this Art from her after-party. This was the drunk and horny version of Art Tremblay, the one who latched onto her and wouldn’t leave.

“No, Art. Go back to the group. I’ll meet up with you there.”

“Is Ryan in there?” Art shouted.

“Ryan? What are you…just leave me alone!”

She walked faster now, furious that Art had said Ryan’s name. If Melissa were within hearing distance, anything Art said to her might have implications down the line. Perhaps after Melissa was done with Nicky, she’d go have a visit with Ryan.

“I saw the way you were with him at school,” Art said. “On Monday, when I found you after fourth period. Do you remember? You and Ryan were going somewhere. I heard you’d made lunch plans in math class. I saw how you were looking at him.”

Nicky shook her head and kept on walking. When she heard Art break into a run behind her, she wanted to run too. She wanted to break into a sprint and run into the forest, just as she had on the night she escaped the Farm. Melissa hadn’t caught her then. Maybe she wouldn’t catch her now.

But she knew that was the booze talking. If she and Melissa were going to have it out tonight, she had to ditch Art first, and running away from him was no way to do it. She turned back to face him.

“Stop!” she shouted. “What the hell are you doing? I just need to go to the bathroom!”

Art didn’t stop until he was right in front of her.

“Why don’t you ever look at me like that?” he said. “You know, the way you were looking at Ryan on Monday.”

“Art, please. Can we talk about this later? I really have to pee.”

“Then go pee already,” said Art. “I’ll wait for you.”

This could go on all night
, she thought. At the after-party, Art was like a barnacle who had latched onto her hull. When this guy got drunk he had a one-track mind, and it wasn’t the one in his skull.

“Fine, whatever,” she said. She charged ahead to the camper, which was now empty inside, Winthrop’s party having vacated to be near the boxing ring. Nicky climbed up the steps and opened the door. Art followed her inside.

“Do I at least get to go to the bathroom by myself?” she said.

“I’ll be right here when you’re done,” said Art.

She went into the bathroom expecting there would be a window she could crawl out of.

I’ll ditch Art in this camper and Melissa can find me in the woods
, she thought.

But the bathroom had no windows at all. Tiny and fully enclosed, it was like an airplane lavatory.

“I don’t have time for this,” she muttered.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she got ready to give Art a tongue-lashing of the sort that would penetrate his drunken stupor and make him understand that she wanted to be alone.

“Listen to me Art,” she said. “It’s time for you to quit following me. In case you’ve forgotten, our little alliance is about money, pure and simple. I rescued you at the Masquerade so you could bid on me at the Date Auction.”

“And then you came to my house the next night and started something you didn’t finish,” Art said. He ambled over to the door, blocking it with his body. “You act like this is all about you, but let’s not forget who has the money. You want my bid at the Date Auction. Maybe it’s time to show me how bad you want it.”

“Art, get out of the way. I’m in no mood for this and I won’t hesitate to kick your ass.”

“I like it when you talk tough,” Art said, slinking closer to her.

“Last warning, Art. Get out of my way.”

“You say that, but I know it’s not what you really want.”

Nicky had her foot off the floor and was ready to kick him in the groin, but decided at the last second to go easy on him, and threw a quick jab to his gut instead. Art yelped and doubled over.

“What the hell, Nicky?” he moaned.

Typically, she would follow up this punch with an uppercut to the jaw, but with Art, a simple push was sufficient, so she put one hand on his shoulder, another on his waist, and flung him out of her way. Art stumbled back into the galley, crashing into a trash can and spilling plastic cups all over the floor. Nicky flung open the door, intending to run outside and make a beeline for the woods.

But Melissa Mayhew was standing on the other side.

“Good evening Nicky,” she said. “Let’s talk.”

*****

Seven tenths of a second. That’s how long it took Melissa to gain a complete understanding of a person’s physical state when she looked in their eyes.

In seven tenths of a second, she saw many peculiarities in Nicky Bloom.

Most people were in the early stages of fright when Melissa approached them. Even if they didn’t know who she was, their bodies instinctively understood that this was a predator capable of killing them on the spot. But Nicky had no such fear. To the contrary, her body actually seemed to relax at Melissa’s appearance. It was almost like Nicky was relieved to see her.

Like that was her purpose all along.

“Who else is in here?” Melissa said.

Nicky glanced off to the side, where Art Tremblay was writhing around on the floor. His heart was beating rapidly and his breathing was sharp. Melissa could hear the blood coursing through his dilated veins.

“What’s happening here, Nicky? Art appears to be hurt.”

“I came here so you and I could talk,” Nicky said. “Art followed me and got a little too frisky.”

Melissa laughed. “It’s such a shame you and I aren’t on the same team, Nicky Bloom. I have a feeling I would like you.”

“Who says we’re not on the same team?”

“No games tonight,” Melissa said, stepping inside the camper and closing the door behind her. “I’m going to ask you some questions. If I am happy with your answers, I might let you live.”

Over in the kitchen, Art stumbled to his feet. “What’s going on?” he said.

Melissa walked up to him and looked in his eyes.

“Nicky and I are going to talk now,” she said. “You are going to leave the camper and will not remember seeing me here. Should somebody find Nicky’s dead body in the woods later, you are going to confess to having murdered her. You are going to tell the police you wanted to have sex with her, she resisted, you fought, and she died. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” said Art.

“Good. Off you go now.”

Still hunched over, his hand on his stomach, Art walked to the door and left. Melissa turned to Nicky.

“Finally we can talk,” she said.

*****

So that was how she was going to play it. Nicky’s dead body found in the woods, Art eagerly confessing to the crime. Plenty of witnesses who saw Art chase her into the cabin and heard her yelling at him to go away. A history between the two of them including a strange night at Art’s house where Nicky showed up and Art dismissed all his servants. A morning after where Art’s butler found half empty bottles of wine and pills on Art’s nightstand.

An airtight case that would allow Melissa to kill Nicky Bloom and get away with it.

“We’re going to try again, Nicky,” said Melissa. “Just as we did in the limousine.” Melissa’s eyes drifted down to the bandage on Nicky’s little finger. “Whatever Falkon has done to regain control of you, I will undo it to learn the truth. But this time I won’t make the mistake of letting you go. It’s silly for Falkon and me to toss you back and forth like a hot potato, don’t you think?”

Falkon? Melissa still thought Nicky belonged to Falkon?

Nicky’s mind raced with the implications. She had been so certain that Melissa had gotten to Jill and knew the truth, but if Melissa still thought Nicky belonged to Falkon, if Melissa didn’t know about the Network--this changed everything.

Maybe Jill was somewhere safe. Maybe Annika’s lost time didn’t mean anything. Maybe Nicky, drunk and sad and emotional, angry about her father, frightened for Frankie, had blown all of this out of proportion. Maybe there still was a chance to get out of this alive.

“Don’t bother,” Nicky said. “You never had control of me.”

She was winging it now. She had no idea what she was saying or why. She was being too bold—the liquor and adrenalin making for a potent combination in her blood. She wanted to taunt Melissa. She wanted to find some way to hurt the vampire.

She wanted revenge for her father.

“I was faking it in the limousine,” Nicky continued, “just like I was faking it on the Farm. You will never see inside my head. You are incapable of it, no matter how many fingers you break.”

“Is that so?” Melissa said, stepping closer. “Is this Falkon’s latest trick? Is he scared to let me look inside you again and doesn’t even want me to try? Does he think me a fool? I had control of you in that limo, Nicky. I saw it in your eyes.”

“You never had control. I fooled you Melissa. Plain and simple.”

Melissa reached for Nicky’s left hand. “I’ll be the judge of that. Shall we start with the ring finger this time?”

Nicky pulled her hand away and thought of something to throw her off track.

“Falkon wants to talk to you,” she said. “He admires your skill and wants to work together.”

Melissa creased her eyebrows. “Of course he does,” she said. “He’s desperate. But what would Falkon Dillinger ever have to offer to me?”

Nicky had no clue what Falkon would want to offer Melissa, but she did know a few facts about the two of them. It was time to toss one of them out there.

“We know about your side business,” Nicky said. “We know you’re selling slaves to the highest bidder.”

At this, Melissa was taken aback. Nicky had struck a nerve. She’d have to run with it.

“We know you are acting against Daciana’s direct orders and we will gladly let her know about it if you become a problem for us,” Nicky continued.

“And how are you going to do that if you’re dead?” Melissa said.

“Did you know Merv Tremblay stuffs all his human kills and mounts them in his house?” Nicky said. “He has a secret room where they are all on display. My master would be glad to tell the others in your clan where to find this room should you force him to.”

Melissa stood in place, not saying a word.