"Alex," Cale said impatiently, catching her arm at the bottom of the stairs.
"I'm going to find out what Jacques drives," she muttered, shaking his hand free and hurrying into the kitchen.
Sam was there and turned with surprise as she entered with the three men following. "What's happening?"
Alex ignored the question, a bit miffed with her sister for blabbing about her relationship with Jack to Bricker and Mortimer. She moved to the phone on the counter but heard Mortimer murmuring and knew he was explaining things.
It was seven o'clock on Tuesday. La Bonne Vie was closed, but Chez Joie stayed open seven days a week, and Mark would be working, so he wouldn't be available to take Bev out. Alex called her at home, relieved when she answered after only a couple of rings. That relief turned to concern as she heard the girl's watery voice and sniffles.
"Bev? Are you okay?" she asked, worried the girl was coming down sick.
"Alex?" Bev asked in a stunned voice.
"Yes, are you okay?" she repeated.
"Me?" the girl practically shrieked. "Oh, my God, I've been worrying sick about you. I was so upset I-"
"I'm fine," Alex interrupted with a shake of the head. She'd been standing right beside Cale when he'd called Bev from the hospital after the attack. He'd told her she was all right, for heaven's sake. "It was just a bump on the head. That guy who attacked me didn't get the chance to hurt me thanks to you."
"That bastard," Bev suddenly growled.
Alex raised her eyebrows, but merely said, "Look, I was just calling because I wondered if you knew what kind of vehicle Mark's boss drives?"
"Jacques?" Bev said the name with disgust. "No I don't, and I don't want to know. What a jerk. Do you know he gave Mark some cock-and-bull story about seeing on the news that you'd been in a terrible crash? He said your car was an accordion, and it looked fatal. He asked Mark if I'd heard anything or knew what was going to happen to the restaurant. Of course Mark called me right away, and I've been a wreck ever since. I've been calling your house, and when I didn't get an answer, I started trying to find your sisters' numbers to call them. I even called the hospitals and the police to try to find information about you. I should have known when they couldn't tell me anything that the dirt bag was lying."
The phone still pressed to her ear, Alex turned slowly toward Cale, Mortimer, and Bricker. One look at their grim faces told her they'd heard everything. Jacques was out to get her, she realized with dismay. She already knew that Bricker and some other men had cleaned up the crash site and moved her car so that no one would come upon it and ask questions. No one but the people in this house knew about the crash ... except for the driver of the black pickup. There had been no newsreport. Jacques had been fishing for information and made that up to get it.
"Bev, I'm at Sam's. Get the number from your call display and call me if you need me," Alex said, and pushed the button to end the call.
"Umm, our number won't show on call display. It's unlisted and blocked," Bricker announced as she set the receiver back in its cradle.
Alex waved that away, not particularly caring, and glanced to Cale. Only one word came out of her mouth. "Why?"
Cale came forward at once, taking her in his arms. Hugging her, he rubbed her back soothingly. "I don't know, honey. But we'll find out."
"Yes, we will," she said grimly, pulling back to stare at him firmly. "I'm coming with you."
Cale opened his mouth in what she suspected would have been a protest, but Mortimer beat him to it. "I'm afraid I can't allow that."
Alex jerked out of Cale's arms and stepped around him to glare at her sister's boyfriend. "Can't allow it?" she asked sharply. "Who the hell do you think you are? You can't stop me if I want to go."
"Umm, well actually, Alex, he can," Sam said gently. "It's his job."
Alex narrowed her eyes and then turned them onto Mortimer. "Not in a band, I take it?"
Mortimer grimaced, which made Bricker give a bark of laughter before he said, "He hated that cover."
Alex sighed. She should have known. She'd been at the house several times and never even seen a musical instrument here. Why had that never occurred to her before? Probably because they hadn't let it, she answered herself. Jesus. They were like little demigods, controlling people and arranging things the way they liked. Shaking her head with disgust, she asked, "So what are you? "
"Vampire cops," Bricker said at once making both Mortimer and Cale wince. He seemed amused at their pained reactions and told her, "The old ones don't like the term vampire."
"And you shouldn't either. Vampires are-"
"Much sexier than immortals," Bricker interrupted firmly. "Heck, they're all the rage today. We'd get a lot more tail if we came out to the world and called ourselves vamps."
"Right, because so many people are necrophiliacs looking for undead lovers," Sam said on a laugh. "I don't think so, Bricker."
"Back to the point," Mortimer said grimly, turning his gaze back to Alex. "I'm afraid you can't leave here until you make up your mind about being Cale's life mate or not."