Vampire Dating Agency III (2 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

Brock had to be careful. Careful not
to set her off.

Haley walked
away from Edmond’s screams and suffering as if she was completely switched off
to it. There was no light inside her brain.

He followed
her back to the car, still carrying the phone with him.

Not knowing
how to broach the subject.

Not knowing
how to reach her…

Haley folded
her arms and leaned against the side of the car. He could see she was broken.
It was almost too much for her.

He wondered
if she was just realizing what she had done.

“Hey,” Brock
said trying to comfort her. “What are you…”

She pulled
away from him.

He could see
there were tears in her eyes.

“You can’t
bring them back, Haley,” he said. “No matter how much you –”

“I know
that,” Haley sobbed. “It’s just – it’s just –”

“What?”

She turned to
him.

“I thought I
got him,” she said. “I thought … I thought it was over.”

“It is over.”

Brock pulled
her into him.

“No, it
isn’t,” she muffled against his shoulder. “He’s still out there.”

“Maybe
revenge isn’t the answer,” Brock said. “Maybe that’s exactly what he wants.”

“I don’t care
what he wants.”

Brock grabbed
her shoulders. “Look, as long as you’re with me, nothing’s going to happen to
you. You do trust me, don’t you?”

Haley
hesitated.

Then gave in.
“Yes. I trust you.”

He pulled her
close again. “Good. Now we can focus on where we go from here.”

“Where is
there to go?”

“I don’t
think we should stay in this city any longer. I’ve … I’ve been thinking we
could take a flight somewhere. Hole up until it all blows over.”

“No.”

Haley pushed
away from him.

“I don’t mean
to talk down to you –”

“Then don’t.”

“As Edmond
said, the Count is looking into this. I was with him after you left. I know how
seriously he’s handling this.”

“With Edmond
and Cyrus out of the way, you and the Count were the only suspects left on our
list.”

“Well, that’s
a very small list. Might I suggest you think outside the box a little more.”

Haley
shrugged. “I have no fucking idea who this guy is. If I’ve even met him. Or if
its … all just to mess with my mind.”

“Well. Of
course he’s trying to do that.”

“It’s
working.”

Haley walked
to the driver’s side of the car and opened the door. She climbed into the seat.

Brock stood
over her. “What are you doing?”

“You want to
run away? You want to go somewhere else and wait for it to play out – then do
it.”

“I didn’t say
that. I just thought it would be best for us.”

“There is no
us.”

Brock’s body
went back. “What?”

“There’s so
much happening. It’s all blurring into one. I know we had a moment. But now all
I can think about is those monsters raping me.”

“I heard you
say that before. Did they really –”

“Yes!”

“Oh. I’m
sorry.”

“It was worse
than anything I’ve been through before. If I hadn’t been so lost in what
happened to Mom and Daniel, it might have been worse.”

“Haley.”

“What?”

Brock got on
one knee. “Look at me.”

She looked at
him.

“I want you
to answer me honestly. Take a moment to think if you want. But … I have to ask.
Are you alright to keep going?”

She turned
away from him.

“Haley?”

Still not
looking.

“Haley,
you’re going to hurt yourself if you can’t keep it together.”

“I don’t
care.”

“That’s why
it will happen.”

“But why do
you care, Brock?” Haley challenged. “What is it with your infatuation with me?”

“I’m not
infatuated,” Brock said. “I just have feelings. Just because I’m a vampire
doesn’t mean I can’t feel as though any normal person would feel when –”

“When what?”

“I don’t want
to say it.”

“Say it.”

Brock stood
up.

He put his
back to her.

Haley closed
the door and started the car.

He glanced
back slightly. She wound down the window.

“I’ve fallen
for you,” he confessed. “I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you.”

“Then come
with me,” Haley said.

“To the
airport?”

“To the VDA.”

CHAPTER SIX

The lights were out inside the
conference room where various members of the late Kendra Armistice’s team had
met with the organization’s director, Dermott Cresh. Doors were locked. Blinds
were closed. Discussions had been finalized.

Haley
disappeared somewhere between 12.30 and 1am. The building was searched. The
outside perimeter. She was failed to be located.

Jason and
Riley were next to leave. They said they wanted no part in the mission and were
going home. That left Nadine, Maurice, Luna and Director Cresh alone in the
room. Cresh instructed Nadine to take Maurice with her back to the VDA and for
them to do the Count’s bidding as best they could. If there were any problems,
Cresh said he would speak with the Count personally.

Luna Evens,
who had not been directly involved with the undercover mission up until this
point, he asked to remain behind. He said he had something special for her.

“You can
count on us, Cresh,” Maurice said shaking his hand at the door. “We won’t let
you down.”

“I’m sure you
won’t,” Cresh replied.

He switched
his attention to Nadine.

“If you hear
from Jason or Riley or Haley, can you please send them our way?” she said.

“You don’t
think you and Maurice have it covered?”

“There’s more
to this investigation than just vampires preying on innocent girls,” Nadine
declared. “For all we know, the killer could have marked anyone of them next.”

“I’ll be sure
to pass them on,” Cresh nodded.

They shook
hands.

Then he
closed the door.

“Thanks for
not forcing me to go with them,” Luna said behind him. “I want to do my part
for the team and everything, but I’m not cut out for field work.”

Cresh turned,
rubbing his hands together slowly. “Can I get you something? I guess … you
probably just want to get out of here…”

“What is it
you have to say to me?”

“Alright,”
Cresh walked over to her. He pulled up a chair and sat down. “What are your
thoughts on my extravagant protégé?”

“Protégé? Who
would that be?”

“Ms. Blue.”

“Nadine?”

“Yes,
Nadine.”

Luna
shrugged. “I don’t know. She seems pretty dedicated.”

“She
certainly is. I suppose if she doesn’t think she has it already, once this case
is solved she’ll want to take over this team. Now that Kendra is gone…”

“Okay.”

“But I’m not
sure it’s really a good fit for her long term.”

“You’re not?”

“She’s more
of a secret weapon, than a supervisor.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll let
her do her thing for now – it’ll certainly move things along a lot quicker. But
I was thinking perhaps you would be a better candidate for Kendra’s job.”

“Me?” Luna
said disbelieving. “What about Riley? Or – what about Maurice?”

“Riley
doesn’t have the work ethic the position would require. At least not
presently.”

“What about
Maurice then? He seems like he would be perfect.”

“Well, that
is true. But for one thing.”

“What’s
that?”

“I don’t
trust him.”

Luna opened
and closed her eyes. “Trust him? For what?”

“It’s not him
specially. I don’t trust any of them. Not even Haley. Someone … someone who
could be quite close to us, is in fact working against us.”

“And how have
I been ruled out of your line of suspicion?”

“You haven’t
been. Not entirely.”

“Okay.”

“I just … I
have an instinct when it comes to these things. You come across as rather
transparent to me. Others, not so much.”

“Transparent?
Are you saying I’m shallow?”

“I’m just
saying I think I can trust you. For the time being.”

“Well,
thanks,” Luna said uneasily. “But if you’re looking for my help figuring out if
any of them is a traitor, you’ve got the wrong woman.”

“Why is
that?”

“Look, I
understand this business from an administrative side. I know who is supposed to
be where, I know about types of strategies, what to prioritize – how to handle
an agent –”

“I’m not
saying you have to go out and confront anyone,” Cresh said. “You have enough
resources at your disposal in this building to figure certain things out.”

“Like what?”

“I want you
to look into all of them. Everyone on this team. Who is in their lives, past
and present. What their backgrounds are. What they don’t want us to know. Just
… be thorough. Something might stand out.”

“And you want
me to do this now?”

“You don’t
have to,” Cresh said. “But it would mean a lot to me. It would show me that
you’re ready to step into Kendra’s shoes.”

Luna sighed.
“I guess … I guess I could do some work on them… But I can’t guarantee you
anything.”

“That’s
fine.”

“So who am I
looking at exactly? Jason? Riley? Maurice?”

“Everyone
that was here tonight. Look for any reason they might want to bring down our
agency.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll … I’ll
walk you out then…”

Cresh stood
up and then made an effort to help Luna out of her chair.

There was an
awkward moment, before his hands fell away from her.

“You’re still
married, aren’t you?” Luna questioned him.

Cresh seemed
uncomfortable. “Last time I checked.”

“Well, I’d
keep an eye on that if I was you.”

“What do you
mean?”

“Well,” Luna
said adjusting his jacket, “you mightn’t be so happy if your wife asked someone
to poke around in your affairs. Find out what dirt there is on you.”

“They
wouldn’t find anything,” Cresh said.

“Because
there’s nothing to find?”

Cresh’s head
titled forward. “There’s always something.”

“I wonder if
I looked,” Luna said moving to his ear. “Would I find it…?”

Cresh looked
straight ahead. He almost didn’t hear himself say it.

“I think
perhaps you would…”

CHAPTER
SEVEN

Jason and Riley were inside the front
of the van they’d been driving around all night. In the path of their
headlights, Nadine’s car sped round and out through the parking garage, taking
no notice of them. Jason followed the car’s outline as it drifted further and
further away down the road, until it was completely out of sight. He leaned
forward in the driver’s seat, looking up at the building. Still a few lights on
in the windows.

“I could go
for a coffee right about now,” Riley said. “Coffee and a donut.”

“You want to
stop off somewhere on the way home?”

Riley leaned
back in her chair. “No.”

Jason
inhaled. He checked his phone.

No new
messages.

“How long do
you want to give this?” he asked.

“We should at
least drive round the block again,” Riley said. “Go the other way this time.”

“Alright.”

Jason pushed
the stick forward and let the van drift slowly out of the headquarters’s
parking area. They drove slowly along the road for a while. Then made a right.

“I don’t
think she’s coming back,” Jason said.

“You think
she’s with Cyrus?”

“Possibly,”
Jason said. “It was his phone she took the call on.”

“I wonder if
Haley is of sound mind. If she can handle herself.”

“Well, of course
she isn’t of sound mind. The question is – what can we do about it if she’s not
here?”

“This whole
night is fucked,” Riley said. “I just want it erased from my memory.”

“You’re not
the only one.”

After a
couple of minutes, they were back to where they started. Jason put the van into
park.

“How about
Luna staying behind with Cresh?” Jason muttered. “What do you think’s happening
there?”

“I don’t
know. She’s giving him a blow job?”

“Seriously.”

“Seriously …
Seriously who fucking cares. I think if the world hasn’t blown up by this time
tomorrow, I’ll be asking for a transfer.”

“Where to?”

“I haven’t
thought about that. Just … This place is so fucked now.”

“Yeah. I
know.”

The minutes
ticked by. Jason closed his eyes.

Nothing.

Not a thing.

Was going to
erase this…

His phone
buzzed.

He pulled it
out and read the text on the screen.

“Oh no,” he
whispered. “No, no, no.”

He pushed the
stick forward, and put his foot to the accelerate.

“What’s going
on?” Riley asked.

“Just – just
got a fucking text –”

“Yeah?”

“It’s
Roxanne’s address. Nothing else.”

“So?”

Jason looked
at her, annoyed. “It’s from the killer. He’s going after her!”