Relentless (Vampire Awakenings #11) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,25
kindly to him staking someone in here.
The vamp, a tall man with ebony skin and glasses shadowing his eyes, nodded at Dante as he rested his elbow on the bar. Dante nodded back, and Cassidy smiled.
“I hear you’re looking for someone,” the vamp said.
“I am,” Dante replied.
“Trouble isn’t welcome in this place, and we take care of it fast.”
“I’m not looking for trouble. I’m just searching for a sixteen-year-old girl whose mother wants her home.”
The man removed his glasses to reveal one brown eye and one white eye. Dante suspected the white eye was dead, probably from an injury sustained while the vamp was still human.
“Some kids have a good reason to run away from home,” the man said.
“Not this one,” Dante assured him. “This is a little girl who got lost after her dad died in a car accident.”
The man’s jaw clenched, and a muscle jumped in his cheek as he shifted his attention to the blood on the back wall. He clasped his hands on the bar and rested his forearms on the surface.
“I lost my dad as a kid too,” the man muttered.
Cassidy didn’t speak; she barely dared to breathe as she waited to see what the vampire would say.
“Did Opal know why you were coming here?” the vamp asked.
“We told her we were looking for a party,” Dante said.
“You shouldn’t have lied to Opal.”
Before coming here, Cassidy was so committed to helping Dante that she hadn’t considered the consequences of using her brother’s name to gain access. Now, she kicked herself in the ass for her recklessness. Kyle would never be allowed in here again. He was going to be so pissed at her, and she would deserve it.
Fear for her brother caused her to blurt out her words. “That’s my fault. I wanted to help find Julie.”
“And how do you know about this place?” the vamp asked. “I’ve never seen you in here before; believe me, I’d remember that.”
Dante edged Cassidy another step back as the vamp pinned her with his stare.
“From a friend,” Cassidy lied. Opal knew the truth already and would tell this guy, but she couldn’t rat her brother out. “He’s been here before.”
“If I were you, I’d tell your friend that Zan says not to come here again.”
Cassidy gulped. “I will.”
Zan stared at her for a minute before his gaze returned to Dante. “A lot of kids go missing.”
“And some of them choose to stay missing, while others don’t have a choice. I want to know if Julie has a choice,” Dante said.
Zan unclasped his hands and rose away from the bar. This close to him, Dante judged them to be about the same height and weight. It would be a well-matched fight, and he suspected neither of them would fight fair.
“Let me see the picture,” Zan said.
Dante removed the picture from his pocket and slid it across the bar to the vamp. Zan hesitated a few seconds before resting his fingers on the photo and pulling it closer.
Cassidy studied Zan as he glanced at the image. His white eye was a little unnerving, but he was extremely handsome with his high cheekbones, full lips, and a lean build. His hair was styled in tight braids that went down the back of his head to his shoulders. Part of what looked like a dragon tattoo was on the side of his skull.
He didn’t smell like a Savage, and she didn’t get the impression he was a violent man, but he exuded a don’t mess with me aura. She suspected Zan didn’t look for a fight, but he didn’t take shit from anyone either.
“She’s a pretty girl,” Zan said and pushed the picture back toward Dante.
Dante took it and returned it to his pocket. “She is.”
Zan rubbed his chin. “I made some stupid decisions when I was sixteen.”
“Didn’t we all?”
“Yeah, but unfortunately, some spend the rest of their lives paying for those decisions. No one should have to do that. She was in here…” Zan rubbed his chin as he stared at the wall. “Two or three weeks ago with Preston; it might have been sooner, but I haven’t seen them since.”
Dante stiffened at the name. Was this Preston the PB from Julie’s journal? “Who’s Preston?”
“He’s a pretty boy vamp who thinks his shit doesn’t stink, but he’s handsome, so all the girls love him. I think he’s a douchebag.”
“Does he come here often?” Dante asked.
“The party isn’t always here, but I’ve seen him a couple of dozen or so times over