“Oh fuck,” I said as I dropped Chad’s beer on the floor.
He leaned over the bar. “Oh shit, Kar! You okay?”
Embarrassed, I looked away, immediately directing all of my attention to cleaning up the mess. I risked a glance at Maria and saw her giving me a satisfied smirk, clearly aware that I knew exactly who she was. What the hell is going on?
“Chad,” she purred. “Why don’t we get out of here and go somewhere a little more private?” She pulled a crisp, one hundred dollar bill out of her purse and set it on the bar.
Chad’s expression told me that he suddenly had a single thought on his mind, forgetting all about his beer. “Ah, sure. My place is only about ten minutes away,” he offered.
All right, I knew Chad could handle himself, but I was worried about him anyway. “Chad, can I talk to you for a second?” I asked.
He gave me a dismissive look, before backing away with Maria on his arm. “Later, Kar. Okay?”
She made eye contact with me right before walking away, giving me a look that chilled me to my bones. “Thanks for the drink, Karli. I’ll be back soon.”
Okay, that woman was scary. Very, very scary.
Five
The last two hours of my shift were the longest hours of my life. I couldn’t get out of the bar fast enough. I needed answers and I needed them now. I drove to Vance’s house without thinking, got out of my car, and started banging on his front door.
“Vance, open the door,” I shouted. “I need to talk to you.” No answer. “Vance! Seriously, wake up! I need to talk to you!” I started ringing his doorbell incessantly.
He opened the door a minute later, looking all disheveled from sleep. “Karli, what’s going on?”
I pushed past him and stormed into his house, past the foyer into the great room. I turned towards him as I said, “Vance, would you care to explain what the fuck is going on?”
He rubbed his face. “What? What the hell are you talking about?”
“What the hell am I talking about?” I shrieked. “Oh, I don’t know. How about the very important fact that your ex-wife is a vampire??”
He looked startled for a moment before collecting himself. “Oh…that.”
“‘Oh, that,’” I repeated. “Are you kidding me? That’s all you have to say?”
He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and took a big swig. “What am I supposed to say, Karli? So Leo finally told you. I don’t understand why you’re so upset. If anyone should be pissed, it should be me.”
“What do you mean, Leo finally told me?” I asked. “Leo didn’t tell me shit.”
He looked confused. “Well, then how did you know she was a vampire?”
“Because she came into the bar tonight, with fangs a blazin’ to threaten me.”
He set his beer on the golden granite countertop. “Fuck.”
“Um, yeah. My sentiments exactly,” I said. “What the hell is going on, Vance?”
He grabbed my hand and led me to the couch. “Karli, sit down. I need to know exactly what happened.”
I sat down and began recounting Maria’s visit to the bar. Relieved to get it off my chest, I leaned back into the beige leather cushions and took a deep breath. I made the mistake of looking over towards Vance. Not only did he look super sexy with bed head and stubble, but I somehow had just noticed that he was wearing a pair of black boxer briefs with nothing else. Bronzed skin, defined pecs, sinew everywhere. Oh God! Look away, Karli! Look away!
I quickly diverted my eyes to an extremely interesting piece of lint and said, “So, you’ve heard my side. Now it’s your turn.”
He sighed. “Karli, it’s three in the morning. Telling my side of the story would take forever. You look exhausted. I am too. I think we should get some sleep and talk about this afterwards.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Vance, I’m not leaving until I get some answers.”
He pulled me off the couch. “I didn’t say you had to leave. I said we needed sleep.” He started leading me back towards his bedroom.