I blinked. “Vampire movie stars?”
He gave me a grin. “There are a few.”
I knew Botox couldn’t be responsible for all that eternal Hollywood youth. Fifty was the new thirty—literally.
“You said they closed down? What happened to them?”
“The strip club burned to the ground. The rooftop bar also ran into a streak of bad luck—the owners kept falling off the top of it.”
My eyes widened. “Falling? But that wouldn’t kill them if they were vampires, right?”
“The wooden stake found among their remains would have taken care of that. Staked and pushed. Not a good combo for survival. Got to be careful here—for all its shiny surface, Vegas has a nasty mob underbelly.”
I shuddered. “Yikes. But it sounds like more have opened up, so I guess the vamps who run blood banks are a stubborn lot.”
“Yeah, two more,” Josh said flatly. “And it’s been hell on my café.”
I felt bad for the guy. Owning a business with so many bills to pay, and having to deal with competition from others who might offer more, or a better or more convenient product—it had to be rough. Josh had so many balls in the air with his store, his café, and his magic show…I had no idea how he managed it all.
“So what are you doing here, Sarah? If you’re not looking for a quick drink in the back or possibly adding a lovely, hand-carved wooden casket to your home decor, I can think of a thousand places more interesting than here for someone like you. This is Vegas—there are shows, nightlife, you name it. Where’s your fiancé?”
“He’s…around. That’s who I’m waiting for.” I looked at my phone again. “I hope nothing’s wrong. But, I mean, kick me out when you’re ready to go. I can find somewhere else to hang out.”
Or hide out. Same difference.
“I’m not quite there yet.”
I shook my head, needing to put my thoughts into words. “I honestly don’t know how you do it, Josh. Managing this place, having your magic show, and also I heard you’re an investor in Fang.”
“You heard that, huh?”
“Kristopher was chatty in between his bouts of crazy. But he’s also concerned about you. For such a creepy and disturbed guy who enjoys frilly shirts a bit too much, I think he really likes you.”
And now that I thought about it, the psychic had also mentioned something about a gambling problem.
This poor guy was bleeding out money from every vein.
“The feeling’s mutual.” Josh leaned against the counter, his expression troubled. “I can’t say it’s easy, Sarah. I keep trying to make a go of it, but things keep crumbling all around me. No customers, no profit.”
“And you think it’s all because vampires aren’t as edgy as they used to be?”
“Twenty years ago this wouldn’t have been a problem—my store would be swarming with customers. Vampires were dangerous back then, scary, sexy. We’ve totally been defanged by the media, by entertainment, by the publishing industry. Once upon a time, we were horror novels—now we’re heartwarming paranormal romances. There’s no thrill there anymore to get a human’s juices flowing when it comes to us.” He cast a dark look toward a couple life-sized wax statues. “I mean, just look at these pathetic examples of vampires. This one doesn’t even have fangs. I mean, how sad is that?” He walked toward one and poked the teen vamp in his gray peacoat.
“Fangless, yes, but still kind of hot,” I admitted.
“Kind of hot doesn’t cut it. I need humans to feel that fear again. It’s like a roller coaster. People don’t line up for two hours to go on a leisurely tour in a tiny, sparkly car that smells like roses and cinnamon. No, they want the excitement, the thrill, the illusion of life and death. Without that, it’s just not the same.” His expression grew bleak. “And the stage show is violence, glamour, death, and blood—with boobs and feathers, of course. I mean, this is Vegas. I won’t even tell you how much debt I’ve gotten myself into because of it, and our presales are pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.”
I shook my head. “I’m really sorry.”
“Me too.” He moved toward the door and looked out at the street. “You’d think there would be some sort of buzz going. With the murders right out in the open, that should start rumors. But they’re not even in the newspaper. It should be front-page by now. National news. CNN should be here with vans and cameras. Word is not spreading that there’s a dangerous vampire who is prowling the Vegas streets. If it was, I’d be rolling in money by now. How many more murders will it take?”
I had no idea Josh had even heard about the serial killer, but I figured word was spreading fast even with the Ring’s intervention.
Talking about the murders made me feel ill, especially thinking about how wrong I’d been in my guesses so far about who was behind them. The more I considered Kristopher, the more I decided it couldn’t be him. The guy had issues and I knew he was dangerous, but…I wasn’t sure.
Josh honestly thought that having the rumor circulate that there was a dangerous vampire in Vegas murdering humans would be enough to spark interest in his store and show, and help him get out of his deepening debt. I could see his point of view there. And, quite honestly, he was probably right. As they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
A vampire serial killer wouldn’t drive humans away from Vegas. They’d probably come here in droves, wallets in hand, wanting to be a part of something bigger and more exciting than their normal boring lives. The chance to rub elbows with something that could potentially tear their throats out could be a major thrill for some.
Yes, if word got out about the murders, Josh probably wouldn’t have to worry very much about losing Blood Bath & Beyond. He’d be raking in the money and so would his stage show. Vampires would be cool again.
But nobody knew.
And Josh seemed really angry about that.
Almost disappointed, if you ask me.
And also…defeated.
Those weren’t exactly normal reactions to a situation like this. He glared out of the door of his failing vampire business as he dealt with the frustration that the recent rash of brutal and horrific deaths wasn’t working in his favor.
It was as if he’d expected it to be different.
Oh crap.
Suddenly, I had a brand-new suspect in the serial killings. And this time, my gut instinct wasn’t just nudging me to believe he was the right one.
It was screaming at me.
Chapter 20
We were silent for a full minute and Josh’s previous good-natured humor seemed to leave the store like a wisp of smoke. The expression on his face was haunted, strained, and deeply pissed off at the world.
“You ever ask yourself what it’s all about?” he said quietly as he continued to stare out of the locked door.
“You mean, the meaning of life?” I was frozen in place. I needed to stay calm and get out of here, put distance between me and this vampire, and then have a chance to think everything through.
Maybe I was wrong about him.
No. Damn it, I wasn’t wrong. Not this time.
“I thought being a vampire was going to be wonderful. I offered up my neck at the first opportunity I got. Nearly forty years ago, can you believe it? Feels like twice as long, actually. Every day’s been a struggle. My sire never wanted me around. Never taught me the ropes. I had to learn everything the hard way. Being a vampire is work. Hard work. And I’m so, so sick of it all.”
I cleared my throat. “Maybe you should try being a werewolf instead.”
He let out a sharp laugh, but it lacked humor. “Too late to change. I have to make do with what I have.”
My mouth had gone very dry. “You have lots, Josh. I mean, this place is fantastic.”
“I hate this place. It’s a weight around my ankle, pulling me down to the bottom of the deepest ocean of misery. The café, too.” His gaze moved to me and the darkness there chilled me. Between Josh and Kristopher, I was surprised their audi
ences didn’t go running for the hills. “If you had any idea what I’d done to hold on to this, you’d be shocked as hell.”
Oh, I think I had a vague idea.
“So sell it,” I suggested, eyeing the door eagerly.
“Tried. Failed. It’s the cycle of my life. Try and fail.”
“Me too.”
He swept his eyes over me, unimpressed. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Trust me—I’m as unlucky as they come.” I twisted a nervous finger through my hair. “I met a woman recently who reminded me just how much I need someone to look after me and keep me out of trouble practically every waking hour of the day. She looks like me, too. And we’re really similar in so many ways. Without her husband, she was completely lost in the world.”
“You think you’re like that. Lost without your fiancé?”
“I—I don’t really know.”
“Just a weak little lamb lost in the woods.”
“That’s me. I’ll save my lamb impression for another time. It’s not that good.”
His gaze turned predatory. “Little lambs need to be aware of the monsters lurking in the shadows. The ones with the biggest appetites.”
I forced myself to laugh lightly. “Very dramatic. Yes, you’re quite the showman, aren’t you? I definitely want to catch your show before I leave Vegas. You’re on tonight, right? Aren’t you running a bit late now?”
“Kristopher goes on before me. Looks like I have time to take care of some last-minute problems.”
I really didn’t like the way he said that. I rubbed my lips together and looked at my phone. “Gee, I wonder where Thierry is. You know, he’s a master vampire. Very old, very powerful. Knows everybody. If you had any idea how much ass I’ve seen him kick over the months, you’d be amazed. Everybody’s terrified of him.”
“I’m sure. He sounds swell. So he takes care of you, Sarah? Like your little friend’s husband did for her?”
“He tries his best.”
“I guess he can’t always watch over you if you’re not with him. Who knows what danger you’re going to find yourself in at any given moment of the day, huh? It’s a dangerous world for a fledgling who doesn’t know any better than to go places she shouldn’t be.”
“Totally.” I kept my smile going as I jabbed my finger on my address book to call Thierry’s phone. I pressed it to my ear.
Answer. Please, please answer.
Thierry picked up on the second ring. “Sarah.”
“Hey, killer,” I said as breezily as possible, winking at Josh to let him know that was my special pet name for my very dangerous fiancé. “What’s taking you so long?”
“I’m almost finished.” He sounded a bit uncertain. I couldn’t blame him. Our nicknames for each other so far had usually been no more imaginative than “Sarah” and “Thierry.” If nothing else, they were easy to remember. “Are you…well?”
“Yeah, me? I’m fine. Just fine. Just hanging out with Josh, a good pal of mine. Just chatting away. No problem. How long are you going to be?”
There was a short hesitation. “Where are you? Is everything all right? You sound very unlike yourself.”
“Do I? No, I’m fine. Everything’s fine and dandy. Anyway, when you’re ready, you can find me at Blo—”
The phone was suddenly gone from my hand. Josh had moved toward me quickly and plucked it right out of my grip. He stared at the screen for a moment before he ended the call.
Terror gripped my chest. “I wasn’t finished.”
“Yeah, you were.”
“Can I have my phone back, please?” I held my now-shaking hand out and tried to look stern.
“This?” He held the device between his fingers.
“Yes, that.”
He bent over and placed it on the ground. Then he smashed it with the sole of his shoe. “Oops, sorry about that.”
I raced for the door, grabbed hold of the handle, and pulled hard. It was locked. I grappled to find the lock, but there wasn’t one. This was a door that needed a key on both sides. Before I could try to break the glass and get someone’s attention on the sidewalk, Josh grabbed hold of the back of my tank top and hauled me backward. I staggered six feet away before going over on my ankle and hitting the ground hard. Panic raced through me as I stared up at him.
“So here we are,” Josh said, spreading his hands.
“I want to leave.”
“Too late for that.”
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”
“Wrong, Sarah. You know, I’ve met many people over the years. Part of being a magician unable to do any real magic is acquiring the skill of reading faces. The eyes are the windows to the soul. I can see it—and I can get a sense of who somebody is when I meet them for the first time. It’s all in their eyes.”
“My eyes?”
“A lovely shade of hazel. Brown with flecks of green and amber. I studied them before—when you were in my blood bank. You’re sincere. I saw that easily. No guile. I hate guile.”
“Guile sucks,” I agreed as I began to slowly back up, crablike, away from him until my back hit a low shelf.
“You weren’t trying to trick me then, find out more about me, other than genuine curiosity. I liked you, Sarah.”
“Liked,” I repeated. “That’s past tense.”
“Yes, it is.”
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this, Josh. I thought we were friends.”
“No, we weren’t. But we were well on our way. See—like I said, I can read people. Before you had no agenda with me. But that changed tonight in an instant. I could see it in your face. In your eyes. Trust and friendliness shifted to doubt and suspicion.” His lips thinned. “You know, don’t you?”
“I don’t know anything.” I put as much conviction as I could into my guileless hazel eyes.
“Yes, you do. I think you know more than people realize. They look at you and see a pretty but meaningless fledgling who might be connected to a powerful master.”
“That’s all I am,” I admitted. “And thank you for calling me pretty. I’ve been having a really lousy hair day today, you have no idea.”
“This friend of yours, the woman who reminded you of yourself. Where is she now?”
“Lost,” I said. “Looking for a new path.”
“And you think you’re like her?”
“I don’t know what I’m like.”
He folded his arms over his otherwise friendly “Vampilicious” T-shirt. “There are two kinds of people, Sarah. There’s only one way to tell the difference—and that’s what they’re willing to do when their survival is at stake. Half will give up and accept their fate. The other half, however, will fight to keep breathing, fight to survive and protect those they care about, no matter how much the odds seem stacked against them. It sounds like your friend falls into the first category. Do you as well?”
Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling all that share-y. “I don’t know. What category do you put yourself in?”
“Forty years, bad luck all along. I’ve been in the first category for too long to count. One day I got sick of being pathetic and weak, so I decided to change. I decided to do whatever it took to survive and not sit back and let fate keep kicking me in the face.”
“You killed them,” I said quietly. “One a day for the last week. You left them out in the open, hoping that the news of the vampire attacks would cause some major publicity. So your business, your show, would be successful. So you could pay off your debt from your lousy business decisions and gambling. And you even set it up so if suspicion ever shone your way—if the Ring started sniffing around and putting the puzzle together—you could shift blame to Kristopher. After all, he’s the crazy and tortured dark wizard with the sickle ring.”
Josh’s expression hadn’t changed as I said any of this. He moved toward a shelf, reached up high, and pulled down a large box. “Kristopher would have been a perfect suspect. I was still working out the details, but I think
it would have worked out just fine. It still might, if I need him. Funny thing, he considers me a friend. I guess we are. I honestly think he’s a good person and would struggle with the thought of murdering innocents, but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t look as if he has.”
“But you’re not struggling with that.”
His dark eyes met mine. “Nobody’s really all that innocent, Sarah. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that. Everyone has secrets they try to hide. Darkness. There is no one without sin, especially not here in the City of Sin.”
I shook my head. “You’re better than this, Josh. You can stop this right now. I’ll help you. It’s not too late to change.”
“Vladimir,” he said. “Call me by my stage name now, Sarah: Vladimir Nosferatu. Josh is weak and pathetic, but Vlad is strong and fierce. He’s a real warrior who does what he needs to do.”
I shifted my gaze from my crushed cell phone back to his pasty face. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but that’s a really stupid name.”
He gave me a very sinister smile. “Thank you for your opinion.”
I noticed with deep dismay that the box he was opening up contained a crossbow.
“This just went on sale,” he said. “It works, too. Some might take it out hunting deer, but to give it the vampire edge necessary to be in this store, it’s got thin wooden stakes included. Very effective. I’ve tested it before on one of the owners of that rooftop-patio blood bank.” He was assembling it quickly, too. He cast another unpleasant smile in my direction. “I’ll give you a chance, Sarah. Go, hide. I could navigate this store with my eyes closed, but you can at least try to get away from me.”
My hands shook as I held them out in front of me. “Josh…don’t do this….”
“Consider it a chance to prove to yourself who you really are. Are you someone who accepts her fate and knows when to give up and die? If so, that will make this very simple for me. The problem you now present will be taken care of quickly. I might even make my show on time. Or will you fight to survive? Are you really the same as that friend of yours or are you your own person? Ten seconds, Sarah.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “Ten…nine…eight…”