schools together. When she wanted to go to California for college, I followed her. Had to practically cheat on my SATs, but I got in.”
I really didn’t want to know his life history with her. It hardly seemed pertinent. “Fine. Whatever. I don’t care about your girlfriend and how you went wherever she went. That’s nice. But it won’t help.”
Jase didn’t seem perturbed at my abrupt tone. “Sorry. I think I’m a little drunk.”
“With one whiskey?” I didn’t bother to mask my skepticism.
“I haven't really had anything to eat today.”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” I said and leaned closer to him as a pack of young men, loud and annoying with their perfect hair and sparkling, white teeth shouldered in between me and a short, stout blond who seemed intent on taking the drunk guy next to her home.
Jason flinched again, like a beaten dog who only sees the hand as a weapon, never comfort. It was sad and pathetic.
“Was there any sign of aberrant behavior before she turned?”
Half expecting him to ask me “What’s aberrant mean?”, I didn’t expect him to simply shake his head. “No. Nothing. We went out that night. She wasn’t feeling well, you know, being pregnant and all. She said she was going to hit the bathroom before we left. I decided to wait outside.”
He stopped and for a moment, I waited, convinced his story wasn’t over.
After a couple of minutes, it became patently clear that it was over.
“That’s it?” I stared at him. Or rather, stared at the chin sticking out of his hood. “That’s all there is to it?”
“That’s all,” he said, voice listless. “I waited outside the restaurant for an hour. When she didn’t come out, I asked the hostess about Shannon and she went in. Said there wasn’t anyone there matching her description. I didn’t believe her. So I ran in and almost got myself arrested in the process.”
“She wasn’t there.”
“No.”
I couldn’t pretend to understand his pain. “I’m sorry to hear that. Did you call the police?”
He laughed under his breath” Yeah. I did. They couldn’t tell me a damn thing. Just told me to stay by the phone and let them know if I ever got any news about Shannon. I almost went crazy waiting for some kind of word. Then I get a letter. A fucking email at that. Something along the lines of how sorry she was, but she got bit by a vampire and decided this was better for the both of us. Better for the both of us? How the hell can it be better for the both of us?”
An email. Luckless bastard. “I have a friend. Adrian. He knows people. With any luck, we’ll be able to track her down, if she hasn’t changed her name.”
“That’s the problem.” He leaned back on his barstool. Apparently, his stool was made of sterner material than mine. That or he had better balance. “She hated her name. If she’s turned…where’s the guarantee she’s kept it? Most vampires, when they turn, don’t they usually change their names?”
A valid point. “And you think she changed it?”
“If she hasn’t, that would be weird,” he replied. “She used to talk about getting her name legally changed after we got married.”
“Do you know what name she wanted to change it to?”
He shook his head slowly. “Not for certain. She had a hard time trying to decide on one.”
The sounds of the bar washed over me and lazily, I watched a bartender mix a drink and then put it on fire. Personally, I’d never drink something flaming, but apparently the auburn haired girl with acne and big breasts didn’t feel as strongly as I did. She tossed the drink down as the rest of her friends cheered her on, not caring if she burned her eyebrows off. Or maybe they hoped so. Women didn’t seem to be such good friends with other women, especially those who were single, even more so when they competed for the same man. Treachery, thy name is woman. At least, that’s how it seemed in my opinion. “And that’s all you know.”
“Yeah.”
Grabbing the sword bag off the counter, I stood up, no longer willing to sit and see how long I could stay upright until the seat fell off. “I’ll give you three weeks. If after the three weeks are up and we still haven’t found them, I’m afraid our business relationship is over.”
I thought I saw the glimmer of his black eyes in the shadows of his hood. “You’ll kill