Directly across the room, Rick stood up from a brocade- upholstered chair. He was suave and polished as ever, but held himself tautly, like he was nervous. His hands clenched at his sides, but his face was neutral.
“Shit!” I glared at him, frozen.
“That’s quite a greeting. I assume you two know each other?” Reclined on an antique sofa, Mercedes regarded me calmly.
I should have known, I should have expected. She couldn’t be here without drawing the attention of the local vampires. I was so focused on her I forgot about the big picture. I even forgot about looking after my own ass. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to try to collect myself. Then I studied Mercedes Cook. She wore a smoke-colored, slinky dress made of a lacy fabric that seemed modern and antique at the same time.
“Uh, yeah,” was all I could manage. My secrecy was well and truly blown, it looked like. I wondered who else knew I was back in Denver?
Rick recovered from what I took to be shock—clearly he’d been as surprised to see me as I was to see him. Which meant that for some reason Mercedes hadn’t told him I was coming. But what was he doing here?
Regaining his usual calm, he returned to his seat. “Back in Denver, I see.” Flat statement.
I could argue, make excuses, play dumb. Or play it straight. Really, this was none of his damn business. “Looks like it,” I said, smiling as amiably as I could manage.
“Interes
ting,” was all he said. No why or how or when.
“How long have you two known each other?” I asked. They exchanged one of those glances that suggested a long association—the suppressed smiles and questioning looks in the eyes. Trying to decide how much to tell, whether to tell anything at all.
Mercedes took the initiative. “Oh, we’ve known each other quite some time, haven’t we?”
“Come on, you’re vampires,” I said. “What does that mean? A decade, or a century or three?”
“You and Rick are friends,” Mercedes said. “Do you know how old he is?”
I studied Rick, who remained impassive. Were we friends? I wasn’t sure I’d go that far. I knew him without knowing anything about him. I felt like I’d stumbled into some kind of game, or long-running joke. “Two fifty,” I said. Meaning two hundred fifty years.
Mercedes glanced at him, her smile widening. “Oh, my, we are keeping secrets here, aren’t we?”
I blinked. “How old is he? How far off am I?”
“I told you, Kitty, it’s not polite to talk about age.” She smoothed out her already perfect skirt and changed the subject. “At some point I suppose I’ll pay my respects to Arturo. Are you friends with him as well?”
I frowned. “I know him. I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell him I’m back in Denver.”
“Sounds like there’s a story behind that,” she said. No assurances that she’d keep my secret. I had to reassess my impression of her completely. I’d taken her at face value—she came across as a young, vibrant, successful performer. That was a persona, the one she wanted me to see—and to be fair, that was exactly what she was. An actress. And I’d fallen for it. Underneath was something else, manipulative and dark. Vampire. Ben was right—again. He stood close to me, our arms touching.
“It’s really not that interesting. If I’m interrupting, I can leave.”
“Oh, no, please,” Mercedes said, looking genuinely put out. But I didn’t trust the expression. I didn’t trust her anymore—and she knew it. I could see it in her glittering eyes. She’d played me and been happy to do so.
I should have walked out of there right then.
“Come and sit with us. Rick was telling me about the situation here, among our kinds. I’d like to hear your opinion as well.” She gestured at chairs near Rick.
I looked at Ben. He said, “It’s your call.”
They were vampires, but I didn’t think they were going to hurt us. Not here, anyway. We went to sit, while I tried to calm my racing nerves. The coffee table held a bottle of wine already uncorked, and four glasses poured and waiting. I chose one and took a sip. By then I needed a drink.
Four glasses. But vampires didn’t drink wine.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Ah, that should be my other guests.” Mercedes leaned back and donned a smile.
Other guests. I looked at Rick, to see his reaction; he frowned and straightened to the edge of his seat. He hadn’t expected anyone else either.