Maggie snickered.
“His name is Adam.” Darcy snatched the photo from Vanda. Adam as in the primeval man. A vision flitted through her head—Adam Olaf Cartwright, cavorting around the Garden of Eden wearing nothing but a loincloth. No, make that a fig leaf. A very large fig leaf. One that would blow away with the slightest breeze.
Sheesh! Was she so ridiculously shallow that she could be floored by a gorgeous body, handsome face with dimples, and pair of dazzling blue eyes? She glanced at his photo. Well, apparently, yes.
With a silent groan, she admitted this was more than instant lust. Adam Olaf Cartwright possessed more than a great exterior. She’d sensed his intelligence, kindness, honesty, and strength.
“You’re blushing again,” Maggie warned her gently.
Darcy sat down with a sigh. “It’s an impossible situation. You know that.”
“Maybe not.” Vanda lounged back in her chair. “I’ve heard stories about ladies who keep a male mortal as a sex toy.”
Darcy winced. “I could never do that.”
“And that sort of relationship never lasts,” Maggie added. “I’m sorry, Darcy. We’ll stop teasing you about it.”
“Good.” She set the photos of Garth and Adam to the side, then rummaged through the remaining pictures. “What did you think about George Martinez and Nicholas Poulos?” She pulled out their pictures.
“They were okay.” Maggie selected one more. “And this one was good, too. Seth Howard.”
“Great. Then, we’re done.” Darcy dug in her portfolio for the cell phone. “I’ll call Gregori, so he can pick us up.” She reached him in his car, and he estimated he’d be there in fifteen minutes.
Vanda stood. “I’d better teleport home. I’m hungry, and Garth Manly is looking kinda yummy.”
“Go.” Darcy quickly handed her the phone. “Oh, and try to convince the other ladies to be on the show with you.”
“I’ll try.” Vanda shrugged. “But if they’ve been fighting all this time, they’re not going to be in a mood to listen.”
“One more thing,” Darcy continued. “Swear you won’t tell them what we were doing tonight. It’s supposed to be a surprise that there’ll be mortals on the show.”
Vanda wrinkled her nose. “How can it be a surprise? We can smell them a block away.”
“I’ve got it covered.” Darcy gathered the photos of all the rejected applicants into a neat stack. “When I was working at Romatech, they had this situation where a couple of vampires lost control and bit some of the mortal employees.”
“Oh, I remember that,” Maggie said. “Roman was furious.”
Darcy nodded. “It totally blew his mission of making the world safe for mortals and vampires alike. And the fact that it was happening at his own business was very upsetting.”
“What did he do?” Vanda asked.
“First, he offered free synthetic blood to all the vampire employees. It worked for a while, but then, the biting started again. Roman was afraid the mortals would sue and it would end up drawing attention to the vampire world. So, he developed a plastic anklet coated with some kind of chemical that completely masks a mortal’s scent. It works like a vampire repellent. When the Vamps can no longer smell the mortals, they’re no longer tempted to bite.”
“You’re going to use the anklets on the show?” Maggie asked.
“Yes. The mortals will be safe. And impossible to detect.”
Vanda cocked her head as she considered. “Vamps can still detect a mortal by reading their minds.”
“There will be no mind reading or mind control allowed on the show,” Darcy announced. “It’ll be included in the Vamp contracts. Otherwise, we could never run a fair contest.”
“That makes sense.” Vanda dialed Gregori’s house. “I’ve gotta go. The smell of those men down the hall is making me ravenous.” She paused, then spoke into the phone. “Lady Pamela, is that you? Keep talking, will you?”
Darcy held the phone until Vanda had completely vanished, then she stashed it in her portfolio.
There was a knock on the door, and Ms. Stein peeked in. She scanned the room. “Where—” She glanced back at the empty hallway. “I thought there were three of you.”
“Yes.” With a smile, Darcy quickly changed the subject. “We’ve made our decision. These are the five men we want.” She held out the five autographed photos.
“Good.” Ms. Stein inched forward to take the pictures.
“I have some instructions here and the contracts for them to sign.” Darcy removed the papers from her portfolio.
Ms. Stein took them. “I’ll give these to the poor—er, lucky men.”
“Thank you. They’ll need to return the signed contracts within five days so we can keep on schedule. If you don’t mind, it would be easier for us if they returned them here. Maggie will come on the evening of the fifth day to collect them.”
“Very well.” Ms. Stein bustled out the door.
Darcy rounded the table. “We need an artist who can paint the portraits of all the male contestants. Do you think you can find a vampire artist for me?”
“I guess so. I’ll look in the Black Pages.”
“Good. Let me know when you find one. I have some special instructions for him.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “Is this another surprise?”
Darcy smiled. “Could be.”
The crowd in the waiting room had dwindled to about twenty anxious men. Austin figured those who left early had been openly rejected by Miss Darcy and her…friends. The situation grated on him. Why would an intelligent, beautiful woman like her hang out with vampires?
He edged toward the coffee pot and motioned with his head for Garrett to join him there. He poured some coffee into a Styrofoam cup, then fiddled with the pink and blue sugar packets while he waited.
Garrett stopped beside him and poured a cup of coffee.
“I think I’m in,” Austin whispered. “How about you?”
“I think so.” Garrett glanced back as a short, rotund guy who resembled a mountain troll walked by. “Lucky for us, the competition was pretty easy.”
“You think?” Austin gritted his teeth. Didn’t Garrett realize that Ms. Stein had manipulated the auditions to make them look good? “What did you think of the three…women?”
“They’re definitely…you know.”
All three of them? “No, the one in blue is normal.” Stupendous was more like it, but she was definitely alive.
Garrett stirred some powdered creamer into his coffee. “I have to disagree.”
Austin’s nerves tensed. He lowered his voice. “I got into her mind. She was thinking about sunshine and beaches and family.”
“Really? I couldn’t get into any of their heads.”
“You’re not as strong as me. No offense.”
“None taken. But even so, I could have sworn—” Garrett broke off when the mountain troll moved in for some coffee.
Austin raised his voice. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Adam Cartwright.”
“Garth Manly.” Garrett shook his hand.
“I’m Fabio Funicello,” the mountain troll grunted as he emptied five sugar packets into his coffee.
“Nice to meet you.” Austin sidled over to an empty corner of the room with Garrett close behind. “You were saying?”
Garrett looked around to make sure they couldn’t be overheard. “When I was in the conference room, I could see my reflection in the windows overlooking the street.”
“So?” A heavy stone settled in Austin’s gut.
Garrett lowered his voice to a hushed whisper. “The ladies were not reflected. None of them were.”
A chill skittered down Austin’s back. Holy shit. “It…it’s not positive proof. It could be a matter of the lighting, and where you were standing, and a bunch of other factors.”
Garrett shrugged. “Maybe so, but I’m betting all three of them are…up the creek without a coffin.”
Austin’s stomach
twinged. The coffee left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he set the cup down on a nearby table. It couldn’t be true. “No, wait. Sean said a lady called this agency in the afternoon. During daylight. That had to be Darcy.” She had to be alive.
“May I have your attention, please?” Ms. Stein’s voice rang out, and the room grew silent. “Five men have been selected for The Sexiest Man on Earth reality show. If you’ve been chosen, please remain here so I can give you your contracts.”
While she paused, the atmosphere in the room sizzled with tension. Men loosened their ties. Fists clenched with anticipation. Fabio climbed up on a chair so he could see.
“Garth Manly,” Ms. Stein announced with a satisfied smile aimed at Garrett. Her smile faded as she hurried down the rest of the list. “Adam Cartwright, Nicholas Poulos, George Martinez, and Seth Howard. Congratulations.”
While the room buzzed with shouts of excitement and groans of defeat, Austin leaned toward Garrett and whispered, “Call Sean. Tell him we’re in.”
Garrett nodded and pulled out his cell phone. Fabio hopped down from his chair with an angry grunt and waddled out the door. More disappointed men trudged out while the other three who were selected gathered around Ms. Stein. She gave them their paperwork, then strode toward Austin and Garrett.
Garrett completed his call to Sean and pocketed his phone.
“I suppose congratulations are in order.” Ms. Stein regarded them sadly. “Here are your contracts.”
“Thank you.” Austin took his and glanced over it. “Ms. Stein, did you notice anything unusual about tonight?”
She made a sour face. “The whole evening was ridiculous. My character actors are very talented, but not at all suited for a contest called The Sexiest Man on Earth.”
“What can you tell me about Miss Darcy?” Austin asked. “Is that her last name?”
“I really don’t know.” Ms. Stein stepped closer. “Is this DVN a legitimate network? I’ve never heard of them.”
“They’re legit. Been in business for over five years.”
“Hmm.” Ms. Stein frowned as she handed Garrett a contract. “They seemed a little odd to me.”
“Yeah,” Garrett agreed. “That purple hair was a bit much.”
She waved a hand in dismissal. “I work with creative people all the time. I’m used to that. No, it was the way they kept…”
“What?” Austin pressed.
“Well.” Ms Stein looked around, then lowered her voice. “At first, there were just two of them. But then, there were three. And when I peeked in just a moment ago, there were only two again. I never saw that purple-headed one come or go, did you?”
Austin exchanged a glance with Garrett. Obviously, the purple-haired Vanda Barkowski was teleporting, which meant she was definitely a vampire. “Don’t worry about it, Ms. Stein. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation.”
She huffed. “I’m not stupid, Mr…. Cartwright.”
Garrett touched her shoulder. “Try not to let this upset you, ma’am. We have everything under control.”
She smiled at Garrett. “Thank God our nation’s security is in capable hands like yours.”
But not mine? “I’ll be going now.” Austin nodded at Ms. Stein and Garrett. “Good night.”
While Austin waited for an elevator, he punched in the number for information on his cell phone. “Digital Video Network in Brooklyn.” He removed a notepad from his jacket pocket and jotted down the number. “Thank you.”
He waited ’til he was out of the building and walking down the busy sidewalk before he made the next call.
“This is DVN,” a receptionist answered with a nasal voice. “If you’re not digital, you can’t be seen.”
Well, that made sense…if you were undead. “That’s a catchy phrase.”
“It’s lame, but I have to say it whenever I answer the phone. So, what do you want?”
“My name is…Damien, and I have a message here to call, let me see…shit, I can’t make out this handwriting. Darcy something. She’s the new director of that reality show.”
“Oh, you mean Darcy Newhart?”
Bingo. “Yeah, that’s it. Is she in?”
“Not at the moment.” The receptionist paused. “She’ll be here tomorrow night for sure. Are you going to audition?”
“Yeah, I thought I would.”
“Well, open call is tomorrow night and Friday night, starting at ten o’clock. You’d better get here early. We’re expecting a huge turnout.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks.” Austin pocketed his phone. Darcy Newhart. He was making progress. He climbed into his car and drove to the office. Emma was there, going over police reports while DVN played on her computer screen.
He went straight to his desk and did a search on Darcy Newhart. A list of newspaper reports came up. He stared at the headlines, stunned. “Local Reporter Missing,” “Where’s Darcy?,” “Reporter feared Murdered.”
Austin’s fingers felt numb as he clicked on the first report. Date: October 31, 2001. Four years ago on Halloween. He’d been stationed in Prague during that time. Place: Fangs of Fortune Vampire Club in Greenwich Village. A joint where kids pretended they were vampires. Some of the kids remembered seeing Darcy and her cameraman leave through the back exit. Darcy was never seen again.
This was bad. Austin clicked on the next report. Three days later, and Darcy was still missing. The cameraman had shown up, hiding at Battery Park and suffering from exposure. He’d been admitted to Shady Harbor Mental Hospital, babbling that Darcy had been abducted by vampires.
This was really bad. Austin’s grip on the mouse tightened as he clicked on the last report. A picture of Darcy appeared on the screen. She looked the same as she did now, but then, as young as she was, four years might not make much of a difference. Two weeks had passed since she’d disappeared. Her body had never been found, but a bloody knife had been discovered outside the club, along with a pool of her blood. Authorities had decided she was most likely dead.
Dead? But that would mean she was now a vampire.
Chapter 5
Austin completed his research on Darcy Newhart. She was born in San Diego, the oldest of three daughters. At the time of her disappearance, she was twenty-eight years old. Had she continued to age, or was she stuck at twenty-eight for all eternity?
He switched his investigation to her two companions. The name Vanda Barkowski came up with zilch, but he located a birth certificate for a Margaret Mary O’Brian in 1865. Her parents had emigrated from Ireland during the potato famine. Maggie was the eighth child of twelve, though only seven of them had lived past the age of ten. Poor girl had had a tough life. Hopefully, it was better for her now.
Holy zombies, what was he thinking? She was a vampire. Synthetic blood had only been around for eighteen years. She’d existed for a long time by attacking humans. He shouldn’t be feeling any compassion for these monsters.
Sunshine shot through the window blinds, creating streaks of light across his desk. He wandered to the window to look out. The sidewalks were bustling with early morning commuters; the streets filled with delivery trucks and vans. And Darcy—was she watching the sunrise or was she hidden away, dead to the world?
He gathered up his notes and photos, then drove to the television station in Queens where Darcy had worked. After flashing his badge, he listened to the manager talk for an hour about Darcy. Everyone there had loved her. Some still clung to the hope that she was alive. Austin promised to do his best to solve the mystery of her disappearance and left with a box of copied videotapes of Darcy’s old newscasts. He stashed the box in the trunk and drove to his apartment in Greenwich Village.
He settled on the couch with a beer and a sandwich and began watching Darcy’s old reports. He’d expected it to be boring, but she made him smile and laugh with the crazy situations she got herself into. He was watching her attempt an interview with a pregnant hippo at the Bronx Zoo when he finally fell asleep.
And dreamed of Darcy.
When he woke, the television greeted him with static and snow. He turned the TV and VCR off, noticing the time. Six-forty in the evening. Crap. He’d be late to the seven o’clock nightly meeting. He called the office, but Sean surprised him by telling him to take a few days off.
“Have you signed the contract yet?” Sean asked.
“No sir. I’ll take care of that.” Austin hung up and dug through his papers ’til he located the contract from DVN. An odd paragraph caught his eye. Why not ask Darcy about it? After all, he knew where she would be tonight.
The auditions at DVN were scheduled to begin at ten P.M., so Austin arrived at nine. He slid two stakes into an inside pocket of his jacket. That and the silver crucifix under his shirt would have to suffice for protection.
He hesitated outside the entrance. The letters DVN glowed in neon over his head. Act normal, he warned himself. You don’t know vampires exist. You’re a dumb innocent. Yeah, and he felt like a sheep meandering into a lion’s den.
He pushed open the door and entered. The lobby décor was dramatic, done in shades of black and red. A few men lounged in red leather chairs. They looked at him and sniffed. He strode toward the receptionist desk. The girl was well coordinated with the room, dressed in black with a red scarf around her neck. Even her hair was dyed black with bright red highlights. She was sharpening her red-painted nails with an emery board.
“Good evening.”
Without glancing up, she pointed at a clipboard. “If you’re here for the auditions, sign in,” she began with a nasal voice.
“I’m here to see Darcy Newhart.”
She looked up and sniffed. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to see Darcy Newhart. It’s a business matter.” He showed her the brown envelope in his hand.
“But you’re a—” She snapped her mouth shut, apparently realizing she shouldn’t admit that she wasn’t as alive as he was. “Uh, sure. Her office is down the hall. Fifth door on the right, just before you get to the recording studios.”
“Thank you.” Austin proceeded down the hall, aware that every vampire in the lobby was staring at his back. He knocked on the door. No answer.