Dark Choices - I. T. Lucas Page 0,6
book series. “Does Brundar know about it?”
She huffed out a breath. “Of course not. I convinced Donnie to change his superhero’s appearance, so he wouldn’t look exactly like Brundar. Donnie works as a bouncer in the club, and he’s twice as big as Brundar, but he has healthy instincts and knows that angering the boss is not a good idea.”
“Do you think that the dude suspects that Brundar is not human?”
She nodded. “Donnie has a creative mind, and it goes places other people’s wouldn’t. But I feed him enough misinformation to confuse him. I hinted that Brundar had served in Special Forces and that he suffers from PTSD.”
Vlad sighed. “I would love to meet Donnie, but if he is already suspicious of Brundar, he will get even more so after seeing me.” He smiled, revealing his fangs. “They don’t look normal in their resting state, and they elongate at the slightest provocation.”
“That’s a problem. How do you manage in the human world?”
He shrugged. “The goth look helps. People think that they are fake.”
“Clever. I can tell Donnie that you had your canines replaced with prosthetics. He’s such a great guy, and he will be happy to give you pointers.” Her smile wilted. “He’s always ready to help. When my ex kidnapped me, I was on a break outside, and Donnie was showing me his comics. Shawn knocked him out before grabbing me, which was fortunate because if he hadn’t, Donnie would have tried to stop him, and Shawn would have shot him.” She grimaced. “He was in a murderous mood, probably hyped up on drugs, and he was ready to kill anyone who stood in his way.”
Not knowing how to respond to the story that he was hearing for the first time, Vlad shifted uncomfortably. “Did Brundar save you? I remember that he got injured. Was it connected to the kidnapping?”
“Brundar was so brave, rushing after me without thinking about his own safety, but he almost paid with his life for his selfless bravery. Luckily, he had the presence of mind to call his brother before entering the house, and Anandur rescued us both.” Leaning back in her chair, Callie crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m surprised that you don’t know the story. Usually, rumors spread like wildfire through the clan.”
“Not all rumors. It sounds like your ordeal was too serious to become gossip.”
“Right.” She smiled. “And since Anandur is the source of most rumors, he must have shared your opinion. Or maybe Brundar asked him to keep quiet about it.”
Vlad pushed his hair back. “May I ask you a personal question?”
“Let me guess. You are wondering how I ended up married to a psychopath.”
He nodded.
Perhaps it would help him understand why Wendy’s mother had married her father, and why she’d abandoned her child, leaving her with the monster.
Callie sighed. “I was young and naive and knocked up. I’m convinced now that Shawn tampered with the condoms to get me pregnant and trap me into marrying him. He was older, bossy, but also very charming. Still, it didn’t feel right, but I was carrying his child, so I ignored the small voice in the back of my head that was warning me not to do it. I lost the baby shortly after we got married, and Shawn wanted to get me pregnant again right away, but I resisted. When he became even more controlling, and his angery outbursts became more frequent and more violent, I knew that I had to leave him, but I didn’t know how. He had complete control over our money, monitored my every move, and was suspicious of me even though I gave him no reason.”
Vlad wondered whether Wendy’s mother had gone through something similar.
Had she run away because she’d feared for her life?
Except, it still didn’t explain why she’d left Wendy behind, which was why he suspected that the story about her leaving because of a drug problem had been a cover-up for her murder.
“How did you get out?”
Callie smiled. “Brundar showed up at the restaurant I worked in, and like a guardian angel, he offered to help me escape Shawn.”
“How did you meet him? And how did he know that you needed help?”
She leaned forward. “A year before that, Shawn and I went to Brundar’s club, but since I wasn’t twenty-one yet, we weren’t allowed in. After Shawn made a big fuss about it, the receptionist called Brundar. He thralled Shawn to calm down, but while peeking into his head, he realized that