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Her eyes glittered with unshed tears. "My life's not very normal. " She blinked and squared her shoulders. "So, are we going in this club or not?"
"We'll go. " Relief swept through him. He didn't have to lose her just yet. But relief quickly morphed into apprehension. Something was seriously wrong. A mortal didn't throw away a year so easily. She was up to something. And he would damned well figure it out.
She could lose a year of her life? Toni was numb with shock as she walked alongside Ian. She aimed a quick glance in his direction. Good grief, she'd kissed the man! She'd kissed a vampire. And lived to tell about it.
He hadn't even tasted bloody. Oh, bloody hell. She could lose a year of her life? This was too much to take in all at once. How could she have kissed him? She shoved that thought aside and concentrated on the other thing driving her crazy--losing a whole, freaking year of her life!
Damn that Connor. He'd glossed over that part. He must have figured she'd keep the job forever. But she and Sabrina had plans. Big plans, dammit.
And she'd kissed Ian. A sudden thought made her wince. Had Carlos seen it through his little spy camera? No wonder he'd called afterward. He'd probably wanted to make sure she was all right. After all, she'd just locked lips with a vampire. And what lips. The man sure knew how to kiss. Of course, he'd had several centuries to perfect his technique.
He'd been so sweet and apologetic afterward. Why couldn't he be mortal? She could fall for him in a second if he were mortal. She glanced at him again. Could she fall for him as a vampire?
He led her into a dark alley. "The entrance is hidden, so mortals willna try to enter. "
She spotted a red door in the dim light, with a huge man standing guard. He nodded at Ian, then opened the door.
"Wait a minute. " The bouncer raised a beefy hand. His beady eyes focused on Toni, and his nostrils flared. "She can't come in here. She's--"
"She's with me, Hugo. " Ian looped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her inside the club.
Loud music assaulted her ears, and flashing lights temporarily blinded her. So this was a vampire nightclub. It looked a lot like a mortal one. She rotated so the camera on her vest could send the images back to Carlos's apartment. He was recording it all there.
She spotted a group of scantily clad ladies pressed close to the stage where a hunky guy gyrated, his sparkly red thong glittering under the lights. Well, Carlos would enjoy seeing that. Other than the male dancer, most everyone else was female. Even the bartender and DJ were women.
She noted a few Vamps sitting at the tables and drinking something red from glasses. Blood, no doubt, but would a picture of them constitute proof of the existence of vampires? It might look like a picture of regular people drinking red wine.
"Can I get ye something to drink?" Ian smiled when she made a face. "They have a few nonbloody drinks. "
"A Diet Coke then. I have a final tomorrow. " And she was on a mission now, so she needed her wits about her. "I can't stay very long. I should be home by ten. "
"I can teleport ye home whenever ye like. " He led her toward the tables.
A female suddenly materialized next to the bar with a cell phone by her ear. She hung up, then dashed to the stage.
"What was that?" Toni turned to follow her movements, but she wasn't sure if her camera had caught everything.
"Vamps call if they're teleporting in for the first time," Ian explained. "They use the phone as a sensory beacon to make sure they come to the right place. "
"Oh. " She wondered if she'd reacted fast enough to catch the Vamp in the act. "Is there a ladies' room?"
"Aye, over there. " He touched her shoulder. "Be careful. "
"I thought all these Vamps were bottle drinkers. "
"They are, but after a few Blisskys and Bleers, they could be drunk and not behave themselves. "
"Oh, great. " As she strode toward the restrooms, she became aware of the sly looks being cast her way, and the slight flaring of nostrils as each Vamp caught her scent. She felt like a walking appetizer.
She entered the ladies' room and found a beautiful blonde, primping in front of the mirror. No, it wasn't a mirror, but a giant flat-screen TV. Two cameras on the wall were aimed at the row of sinks. Of course. Digital technology was the only way the Vamps could see themselves.
The blonde turned toward her and wrinkled her turned-up nose. "Good heavens, how did you get in here?" she asked with a snooty British accent.
"It was amazing. I pushed on the door, and it opened. "
"I wasn't referring to this powder room, you silly gel," the blonde Vamp continued. "I'm one of the owners of this establishment, and we do not welcome your kind. "
"Oh, pardon me, Your Highness. " Toni refrained from doing a curtsy. "I thought this was a free country. "
"What's going on?" A redhead exited a stall. "Hey, Pamela. " She looked at Toni and sniffed.
"How did she get in here?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Pamela huffed. "I've told Hugo a million times not to let any mortals inside. "
"I came with Ian MacPhie. " Toni glared at the arrogant Vamps. "I'm his guard, which means I can kick ass. "
Pamela laughed. "Ian would never allow a female to guard him. In fact, he would never need a guard at all. "
"Did you say Ian MacPhie?" the redhead asked. "Isn't he that gorgeous guy on Single in the City?"
"Oh my God!" A brunette burst from another stall. "Ian MacPhie is here?" She glanced at Toni.
"Can I meet him?"
"I want to meet him, too. " The redhead approached Toni. "Can you set me up with him?"
Damn, she'd gone from feeling like an appetizer to a pimp. A twinge of jealousy jabbed at her, but she steeled herself against it. The kiss had been a mistake. Ian was not her type. She preferred men who were alive, dammit. So she had to accept the fact that he would pursue these Vamp women. One of them would be his starlit, shimmering princess. One of them would be kissing him from now on.
"I know Ian personally," Pamela boasted. "He used to guard me when I was a member of Roman Draganesti's harem. "
The brunette turned to Pamela. "Is he really that handsome?"
"And rich?" the redhead added.
"Come with me. I shall introduce you. " Pamela aimed a superior smirk at Toni as she sauntered toward the door. "You know I have an interesting theory regarding Ian. "
"What is it?" the brunette asked as she trailed behind.
"I believe he's a five-hundred-year-old virgin," Pamela announced.
"Not for long," the redhead muttered.
There was a twitter of laughter as the three women left the room.
"You didn't wash your hands!" Toni called after them. She gritted her teeth. How could Ian prefer them? But at least the room was empty now, and she had complete privacy. She moved out of range of the cameras and dialed Carlos.
She could lose a year of her life. The thought kept haunting her. It wasn't fair, dammit! These Vamps lived for centuries, while her life was way too short. How could they steal a year from her?
"Hello?" Carlos answered.
"Did you get the shot of a Vamp teleporting here?"
"Menina, you're at the club?"
"Yes. Aren't you watching?"
"No, I'll watch the video later. Right now I'm on my way to Westchester. "
Toni gasped. "You're going to the Proctors' house?"
"Don't worry. They'll never know I'm there. And I finished checking out their financial records. Uncle Joe has a bad habit of going to Atlantic City. "
"How do you know?"
"Credit cards leave a trail, girlfriend. "
"But how do you know how to--"
"Do you like your new ringtone?" he interrupted.
"No. Your death will be slow and painful. "
He laughed. "Now, don't worry about the video. It's recording at my place. You just catch those na
ughty Vamps doing something vampy, okay?"
"Okay. " So he hadn't seen Ian kissing her. "Carlos, when I quit working for them, they're going to erase my memory. I won't remember squat!"
There was a pause. "Bastards," Carlos muttered. "Don't worry. If they erase anything, I'll tell you what happened. You just get the proof we need as quickly as possible. That way, you'll only lose a few days. "
She would lose more than a few days. She would lose all memory of Ian. And the kiss. For some weird reason that made her heart squeeze in her chest.
"Are you all right, love?" Carlos asked.
"This really sucks. " Toni snapped her phone shut, then strode back into the club.
Chapter Nine
Ian ordered a Bleer and a Diet Coke from the bartender.
"Is Vanda here?" He handed Cora Lee a ten-dollar bill.
"Over there. Sounds like she's all riled up again. "
Ian glanced toward the stage. The music had stopped, and the crowd of lady Vamps had gathered around to hear Vanda rail at a dancer.
"This isn't a whorehouse!" she yelled. "You're fired!"
"There goes another dancer. " Cora Lee waved her arms in the air. "Woohoo, Vanda! Ian's here!" The crowd turned in unison to stare at him.
"Is that Ian MacPhie?" one of the ladies asked.
"Sure is," Cora Lee shouted. "Come and git 'im!"
The crowd moved forward. Ian gulped.
Cora Lee giggled, then whispered, "Looks like your wish will come true now. You're sure to get laid tonight. "
"Ian!" Pamela called. "I have two ladies who want to meet you. " She motioned to the women accompanying her.
"We saw him first!" a lady in the crowd yelled, and they rushed forward.
"Bloody hell. " Ian pressed back against the bar.
"Back off!" Vanda unwrapped the whip from her waist and flicked it at the crowd. "You heard me! Line up and wait your turn!"
The ladies scrambled to form a queue. Ian winced at the amount of pushing and cursing. They acted more like wrestlers than ladies. And there were more than fifty of them.
Vanda grinned at Ian. "Isn't this great? That profile I wrote was incredible! Everyone wants to date you. "
"I canna date fifty women in one night. "
"Sure you can. " She wound the whip back around her waist. "It's called speed dating. "
"But I already told three women I'd meet them here. "
Vanda waved that aside. "We'll let them go first. " She turned to Cora Lee. "Don't you have a kitchen timer?"
"Yep. " Cora Lee handed over a white plastic timer.
Vanda set it on a table. "We'll give them each five minutes. "
"It'll take hours. " Ian brought the drinks to the table.
"You got anything better to do?" Vanda eyed the Diet Coke. "What's with the mortal drink?"
"I brought Toni with me. She's the new day guard at the townhouse. "
Vanda's eyes widened. "She? Connor hired a woman?"
Two nights ago, Ian had felt equally as shocked, but now he wanted to defend her. "She's an excellent fighter. "
Vanda gave him a dubious look. "I'm picturing a moose woman with a unibrow, who's popping steroids. "
Ian stiffened. "Nay! She's--"
"Hey, Ian!" a lady shouted from across the club. "What the hell happened to our date? We talked on the phone last night. Don't you remember?"
"Aye. " He tried to recall the sound of her voice. "Ye're Stormy?"
"Tempest. " Her eyes flashed with annoyance. "And this is Moonbeam and Cindy. " She motioned to the women beside her. "We talked to you last night. We have seniority!"
"You may come to the front of the line," Vanda ordered. "Ian will begin shortly. "
He groaned. What would he say to all these women? "Why are there so many of them?"
"You're the number one profile on Single in the City. " Vanda beamed proudly. "Everyone's heard of you. "
Ian winced. "I wanted to talk to you about that. Connor's upset that ye listed the location and phone number of Roman's townhouse. "
"Connor's an old grouch. The women need a way to contact you. "
"I understand that, but for security reasons, it's dangerous to have our location known to so many. We doona want some overzealous admirers trying to break in to see me, especially during the day. It's too risky. "
"Okay, okay. " Vanda fluffed up her spiky purple hair. "I'll take the address off the website. "
"And the phone number, too. They can leave a message for me at Single in the City. "
"All right. " Vanda frowned. "But you're playing too hard to get. "
"Hey, whassup?" A male Vamp, dressed in an expensive suit, sauntered toward them and winked at the line of waiting women. "Hello, ladies. "
"Hi, Gregori," a chorus responded.
Ian was impressed. Gregori knew all these women?
"What's going on?" Gregori kissed Vanda on the cheek. "Are we lining up to do the bunny hop?" "Ian's doing some speed dating tonight. " Vanda lowered her voice to a whisper. "He's looking for his true love. "
"Ah. " Gregori's eyes twinkled as he regarded Ian. "Shall I warm them up for you?"