Part 3 (1/2)
Chapter Seven.
Amara yawned as she swiped the card key and opened her hotel room door. She took her holster off from around her hips and swung it over the back of a nearby chair. She looked forward to the soft plush bed and warm covers when she looked up to find Stephanie and Christopher sitting on her bed together. She took a deep breath to keep from shouting.
”There are two beds here. Why do you have to be on mine?” Amara asked, sounding as exhausted as she felt. Then it hit her that Christopher was in the room as well. ”What are you doing here?”
”I come bearing tidings,” Christopher beamed as he said the words proudly. A little too proudly for Amara's current sleep-deprived state of mind.
”Chris got us all an audience with Alexander,” Stephanie announced just as gleefully as Christopher had.
Amara gave them both a look. She didn't believe it. In that amount of time? Only a few hours? There was no way in the time she spent maiming Jason to get him to request a meeting that Christopher really just called.
”You two are really bad at practical jokes,” Amara mumbled as she lay down on Stephanie's bed.
”No, we're totally serious,” Stephanie said quickly, looking more genuine. When Amara glanced up at them to check she went on. ”We're meeting him tomorrow. He's talking to us between meetings. Right after he meets with some vampires from out of town. He wants us in his waiting room at The Black Swan tomorrow at eight.”
”What'd you do? Blow him, Chris?” Amara asked lightly. The comment was enough to drown the happiness from Christopher's expression. There was a slight bitterness to the question. How did he manage it? What exactly was his history with this vampire?
”You don't have to be so sharp,” Christopher snapped in return and lay back on Amara's bed. Clearly, he didn't intend to leave any time soon.
”Are you jealous?” he went on. ”You had to go out, find Jason, beat him up, and still got no progress. All I did was lift a phone and dial.”
”No.” Amara shook her head. ”I wonder how you managed it. Does he know who he's meeting with?”
”Yeah.” Stephanie sounded excited. Of course, Amara knew it would take a lot more than a silly euphemism to get Stephanie's goat.
”What's the catch?” Amara was still skeptical. She knew Alexander better than this.
”Don't worry about it. I'll owe him a favor. Or rather, he already owes me one. Consider it a guilt trip,” Chris said lightly.
”I don't believe he has a conscious to make him feel guilty,” Amara murmured.
”Not everyone cares what you believe,” Chris said angrily. He suddenly became very defensive, but before Amara could point that out Stephanie chimed in.
”Come on, you guys, we're all on the same team,” she pleaded. ”Can you just stop arguing until we get this finished? Then the two of you can have a battle to the death, okay?”
”Looks like I'll win.” Amara smirked and Christopher shook his head.
”Stephanie, you're right,” he said and locked eyes with her for a half a moment, and she blushed. ”We need to work together if we're going to figure this out before it's too late, and someone else gets killed.”
”Thanks, Chris,” Stephanie whispered quietly. She had a light flush to her cheeks, embarra.s.sed suddenly. She brushed her hand over his gently, and after a few moments, he pulled away.
”I need to get back to my hotel room.” Chris got up off the bed and left Stephanie sitting there alone.
”You can spend the night here,” she suggested quietly.
”If he's spending the night here, he's sleeping in this bed, and we're both sleeping over there,” Amara shouted.
Chris chuckled a little and shook head.
”That's okay, Stephanie,” he smiled to her. ”Keep your focus where it needs to be. I'd hate to miss any details.”
Stephanie nodded and watched him walk to the door with a sort of sadness in her.
”Good night, Steph,” Chris called back to her as he opened the door.
”Good night, Chris,” she said and watched him shut the door. Then she turned to Amara. ”Just because you're old doesn't mean I can't have a boyfriend.”
”There's something off about him,” Amara said as she pushed up on her elbows. ”I don't like it. I sensed it back in the head quarters. Something isn't right. How could he have managed to get such a quick response out of Alexander?”
”Are you saying he's one of Alexander's servants?” Stephanie sounded oh-so-very skeptical.
”No,” Amara corrected her quickly. ”I'm saying that something about him isn't right. There's something important he isn't telling us, and I intend to find out what it is.”
Chapter Eight.
The sun was just beginning to set, casting a variety of beautiful colors through the sky. Pinks, oranges, and purples spread over the horizon as the black carpet of night swept in with the s.h.i.+mmering spots of stars.
Amara stood outside the hotel, watching a few children playing in the lush yard that surrounding the hotel, savoring the last few moments of daylight before they were called inside. The fresh evening air was cooler than it had been all day, making things just a little bit more fun and relaxing. For the most part everyone seemed at ease.
Their parents watched them carefully from the front porches or windows of their hotel rooms. Amara wondered if they were more afraid of someone running out and scooping up their children or of their children running out into the highway that trailed just out front of the hotel. She guessed the highway. If the police had reported the murders, the children would likely be inside. Amara would keep her children inside at least.
Stephanie and Christopher were still back inside the hotel room so that they could *finish packing,', but Amara suspected otherwise. Putting on guns and knives should not take as much time as it was taking those two.
Amara sighed as she waited and smoothed a few wrinkles out of her ”work clothes”-if that's what you wanted to call it. She was wearing the clothes she kept away from her general hunting attire. Her red s.h.i.+rt dipped in a v-neck cut just low enough to cut to show off a little cleavage. The fabric was soft and smooth, tempting to touch. Her black velvet skirt fell just above her knees and showed off her long, slender legs. Her black heels made them look even longer. Overall, the outfit was not one for vampire hunting. That is, if you didn't include the various knives hidden under the fabric and the singular gun tucked into the front of her skirt.
Amara was absolutely sure she would be uncomfortable most of the night. The lack of material in the outfit made it difficult to hide her weaponry, but she would never go into the belly of the beast without a small armory. If anyone patted her down, she would likely be kicked out of the club or worse. She hoped Alexander would know her enough to understand that she would be bringing at least a few toys in case he decided to play.
Amara glanced back toward the hotel room and wondered just how much time she had before Stephanie and Christopher would be finished with, well, whatever they were doing. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Jeremy. She had a few things she wanted him to look into. After a few rings, he finally picked up his phone.
”Jeremy?” Amara said, keeping her eyes on the door for movement. ”I need you to do me a big favor.”
”Amara? Is that you?” he asked. ”How big a favor exactly?”
”I need you to get me a few files from Crimson. I want to know what this guy they have me working with is hiding. If he was in The Clinic, then he must have done something warranting it.”
Normally, Amara wouldn't have been so suspicious of a new team mate, but The Clinic was a sort of asylum designed by The Administration and shared with Crimson. The Administration used it for hunters who were having emotional break downs. Crimson used it for brainwas.h.i.+ng and torture. Amara hoped it was only Crimson using it for those reasons at least. If Christopher had been in there, it either meant he had a past of betraying Crimson, or he was p.r.o.ne to anxiety. Either way, it wasn't a good sign.
”Amara...” Her name came out a deep sigh. ”Why do you always have to make everything so difficult? Can't you just finish the mission with him and let it go? Just track down the killer and be done with it. Odds are you'll never have to work with him again.”
”He's. .h.i.tting on Stephanie. She's falling for him, and I need to know he won't kill her in her sleep if she gets too close.”
Now there was a long, silent pause on the other end of the phone. She knew that would grab Jeremy's attention. He always stared at Stephanie just enough to give himself away. Always smiled at her just a little too widely.