Blood Secrets - By Jeannie Holmes Page 0,85
gained his feet and slowly stood up. “But, then again, that’s always been your specialty. Hasn’t it, Peter?”
The dark mass rippled, solidified, and took on the appearance of the Dollmaker. “No fair trying to take what I rightfully stole, old man.”
“Life isn’t fair, Peter. That’s one thing you never could accept.”
A savage grin sliced across Peter’s face. “Why should I when I hold the power to level the playing field?”
“You’re a murderer.”
“Who’s the pot and who’s the kettle here, old man? You took more than a few lives yourself.”
“Liar!” Alex charged at Peter but was stopped short by the chains.
Peter stepped back and disappeared in a haze of gray mist.
“My father never hurt anyone!”
“Princess, don’t—”
“Do you hear me, you sick fuck?” Alex shouted.
Gray mist surrounded her and materialized into Peter standing behind her, his fingers digging into the flesh of her arms. “Oh, I hear you, darling,” he whispered in her ear. “And I weep at your ignorance.”
“Let her go,” her father ordered, reaching for her.
“Back off, old man.” Peter held his hand up before them and a burst of blue energy smacked into her father’s chest, sending him tumbling backward.
“Daddy!”
Peter jerked her against him roughly. “It’s getting awfully crowded in here, darling. How about we go somewhere a little more private?”
“Fuck you!”
“Love to, but we have a few things to discuss first.” He wrapped his arms around her, pinning her own arms to her sides. “Say good-bye to Daddy Dearest.”
Her father and the surrounding room disappeared in a burst of gray mist, and then she was hurtling through the void, screaming Varik’s name, with Peter’s laughter ringing in her ears.
* * *
Varik entered the interview room, closed the door behind him, and leaned against it. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at Kirk Beljean seated at the lone table. Moments passed in silence before Kirk began to wiggle in his seat, eyes darting around the room, avoiding Varik’s steady observation.
When Kirk finally looked at him, it was to explode in anger. “Stop staring at me, you fucking freak!”
Varik pushed away from the door. He took his time crossing the room to lean in close to Kirk. “You’re eighty-three years old and hang out with girls old enough to be your granddaughters, and you think I’m a freak?”
“Go to Hell.”
“Already there,” he snapped. “The question is how soon will you be joining me?”
Kirk scooted his chair to the side. “Get away from me.”
Varik retreated a few paces and studied the younger vampire—stringy brown hair, gray eyes, an unhealthy ashen complexion, too thin even for his small frame, and fingernails jagged and red from repeated biting. “Mindy Johnson. Where is she?”
“Dead, if she’s lucky.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because if I find out she turned on me, I’ll kill the bitch myself.”
Varik grabbed a fistful of Kirk’s hair and slammed his head onto the table.
Kirk groaned.
“Where is she?”
“I think you broke my nose.”
“I’ll break more than that if you don’t tell me where Mindy is.”
“I don’t know!”
“The vampire you sent her to—I want his name. Where does he live? Describe him.”
“You don’t understand. I never met him face-to-face, only dealt with him over the phone. He calls every six or eight weeks and orders a girl. He always has me send them to the Thrifty Pick parking lot at midnight because they don’t have video cameras. I don’t know what he does with the girls from that point on, and it’s none of my business. But none of the girls come back, at least none come back to me.”
“And you didn’t think that was suspicious?”
Kirk laughed. “Man, some of these blood bunnies turn tricks for more than one broker. If they don’t come back to me, I assume they’re working for someone else or have moved on. Questions are unhealthy in my line of work.”
“What’s his name?”
“I want to see Piper first.”
“No.”
“Then I have nothing else to say.”
Varik loomed over Kirk. “No, there is one word you can say.”
He snorted. “And what would that be?”
“Mercy.” He kicked the chair from underneath Kirk and as Kirk fell, Varik grabbed the back of his shirt, hauled him to his feet, and shoved him against the wall. He pressed his forearm against Kirk’s throat, slowly choking off the younger vampire’s air supply. “Give. Me. His. Name.”
“No.”
“Give me his fucking name,” Varik snarled, increasing the pressure on Kirk’s throat.
He gurgled his response.
“Tell me and you see Piper.”
Kirk struggled to draw a breath. “P-Peter … That’s all I know.” He gasped. “I swear.”
Varik