the year,” Zan said. “He used to come in with Jasmine, but she hasn’t been around in a while.”
“Who’s Jasmine?”
“She’s a vamp.” Zan looked around the bar before focusing on him again. “You asked if I’ve seen the girl, and I gave you my answer.”
Dante kept a lid on his frustration. He was lucky Zan was telling him anything; if he got impatient about it, the man wouldn’t say anything more and would most likely kick them out of here. However, Zan did reveal it had been a while since he saw Jasmine. Which meant two people involved with Preston were missing.
He had to find this guy.
“When was the last time you saw Preston?” he asked.
“With your girl.”
“Is there any pattern as to when he’ll show up?”
“Nope.”
“Can I convince you to call me if he comes in again?”
“Nope.”
Dante refused to give in to his irritation with the man. He would leave here with more information than when he arrived and would find another way to locate Preston.
“I’m going to leave my card with you in case Julie shows up again,” Dante said.
Zan’s face remained expressionless as Dante removed his wallet and pulled out a card with his number and email on it. There was no name. Often, he wrote either his name or Dan Vares on it, but he didn’t bother to do that now. Giving Zan his fake name would prove to be a bad idea if the man ever learned the truth, and he wasn’t ready to give out his real name.
He slid the white card to Zan. The vamp rested his fingers on it and pulled it closer to himself. He stared at it like he was trying to decide if it was poisonous before putting it in his pocket.
“What’s down the hallways?” Dante asked.
“The bathrooms are down one, and pleasure awaits down the other. Your lady friend doesn’t look like she would find them all that appealing, but I can get you a room if you’d like.”
Cassidy’s skin crawled at the idea of going back there, but she couldn’t deny the prospect of being anywhere private with Dante was as tempting as Pandora’s box. She tried to keep her discomfort and excitement hidden, but she knew she failed when Dante rested his hand on her hip again.
Dante touched Cassidy in the hopes of soothing the unease emanating from her. She was the most alluring woman he’d ever encountered, and he planned to learn more about her, but it would not be in a place like this.
“Thanks for the offer, but we’ll pass,” Dante said.
“Then I don’t see any reason for the two of you to remain here,” Zan said.
“Neither do I. I’ll call a taxi, and we’ll be on our way.”
“I suggest calling from outside.”
Before Dante could reply, a shout came from one of the booths.
Chapter Twelve
A vampire stood on a bench seat in a booth and leapt across the table at another vamp. The tackled man let out a garbled shout before hitting the ground. Their feet caught the table in the center of the booth and flipped it into the air. The table hit the wall as the candle smashed against the floor, and the melted wax extinguished its flame.
As they rolled across the ground, they knocked a stool out from under a woman vampire. She hit the ground with a loud cry, and as the two fighters continued to pummel each other, she hammered her boot into one of their faces. Blood from the vamp’s broken nose sprayed the woman and floor; the scent of it caused more heads to turn in their direction.
“You assholes!” the large, male vamp with the woman shouted as he rose from the table so fast it fell over and nearly hit the fighters. “I’m going to kill you!”
“Shit,” Zan hissed as he pushed himself away from the bar. “Bull! I need your help over here.”
Zan stalked toward the vamps pummeling each other as the vamp guarding the door rose from his stool. The name Bull was entirely appropriate for the bouncer, Cassidy decided. Reaching the chaos, Zan grabbed one of the original fighters by the back of his shirt, plucked him off the ground, and tossed him aside like he was no more than an annoying fly.
“It’s time for us to go,” Dante said and nudged Cassidy away from the bar.
If he were on his own, he’d repay Zan for talking to him by helping to break up the fight, but he had to get Cassidy out