attempt at seduction. The charged atmosphere, and the power of the man himself, was too dangerous a combination.
I showed my badge to the guy at the door, and he scowled as he opened the door. I carefully invaded his thoughts as I brushed past him. Hatred burned into my mind - hatred and anger. This vamp was one of the ones not overly pleased with the Directorate's execution of several vampires charged with killing blood whores.
Which made me wonder if he'd actually come to my aid if trouble hit inside - although I couldn't imagine Starke being happy if he didn't. After all, given the business he was running, he'd probably prefer to keep on the Directorate's good side - no matter what he might personally think about us.
Once inside, I waited until my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, then walked across to the bar. The same gum-chewing barman ambled up to serve me - although this time the towel he was using to dry the glass looked a whole lot cleaner.
"What can I do for you, Ms. Jenson?"
"Is your boss around tonight?"
He hesitated. "He is, but he's in a meeting and doesn't want to be disturbed."
Half of me wanted to use that as an excuse to just get the hell out of the place, but that would mean coming back a third time. "I need to see the security tapes your boss reckons he doesn't have. Can you arrange that, Boris?"
He raised a pale eyebrow, his blue eyes holding more than a little hint of amusement. "The boss said you'd be back for those. He left a message that you were to be directed into the security office and given the good coffee."
I snorted softly. "As if that's going to let him off the hook for giving me the run-around."
And given the apparent history between Jack and Dante, the only legitimate reason I think of for him doing something like that was to piss off Jack.
Boris's gum-chewing grin grew. "He also said that if you were still here after midnight, he would give you a more personal apology."
I glanced at my watch. I had fifty-eight minutes to get out of here, then. "I take it the tapes set up and ready to go?"
He nodded. "Security is the red door at the other end of the bar. I'll buzz them to let them know you're coming. Coffee will be along in five minutes."
"Thanks." I headed down towards the red door. The darkness seemed to get deeper the further into it I moved.
Many of the humans who were in the room wandered around like vapid ghosts, their expressions either edged with anxiety or pleasure, depending on where they were within their fix cycle. The cloying scent of blood and ecstasy mingled with undertones of hunger that were coming from the many vampires in the room, and despite my distaste for everything that was going on here, my pulse surged again. Desire - be it for blood or sex - was a powerful emotion, and no wolf was immune to its effects. Several vampires who leaned up against the bar about half way down the room stood up abruptly, their gazes swinging in my direction and teeth protruding in excitement. The scent of fresh, available blood did that to a vamp.
I got my badge out and held it up. It might be dark, but they'd see it well enough. "Sorry, boys, here on official business."
Their surge of excitement was snuffed out almost instantly. The lead vampire - a thin, brown haired man with a boyish face and ancient hazel eyes - looked me up and down, his lip curling in distaste.
"So you're one of those. Shame."
"If you mean that I'm a guardian, then yes. And I totally agree with it being a shame, but hey, sometimes you've got to go with the flow."
His dour expression suggested he didn't see any humor in my reply. Apparently, neither did the other three, who all edged closer to their leader and flexed various muscles. I raised my eyebrows, wondering if they were stupid enough to seriously consider attacking a guardian.
"Lay off, boys," the bartender said, his voice holding the whip of command. Obviously, the laid-back attitude was a front.
The brown haired man snarled, then turned around and stalked off into the shadows. His friends followed. Three seconds later they all had women on their arms.
I shook my head and glanced at the bartender. "All this freely available blood must be making them a little