Grave Witch, page 10
She nodded. "You're worried about Zeeve, Rue, Chaton, and Namir."
Eh...no, he hadn't been, but he guessed if it was the same people who'd captured them, they might want them back. "Zeeve is registered, isn't he?"
"Yes." She looked surprised.
"It's just, the one Marrone is trying to find specializes in unregistered slaves if I've understood it correctly."
"Maybe they're opportunists."
Most likely. Gilbert nodded at her. "I'll talk to Gertrude, but I'm going there tonight to check it out."
"Alone?"
"I'm a vampire looking for a meal, it's a natural place to go."
She grimaced. "Be careful. It might not be related to us at all but be careful."
He hadn't known she cared. Most shifters didn't give a damn about vampires.
He texted Jacob as he walked the streets of the community in search of Gertrude. He didn't expect a reply straight away, but he got one despite suspecting Jacob was in a meeting. He was fine with Marrone tagging along, so he texted Marrone to let him know.
He found Gertrude picking green beans by the fence of Chaton's garden. "Gertrude."
She looked up and stretched her back. "Gilbert, hi."
"Do you know anything about The Bloody Maiden?"
"Never heard of it."
He told her what Jacob had told him, and her mouth pressed thinner and thinner as he spoke. "Is it the fucking Red Thirst?"
"No idea, but Marrone is looking for that blood slave, right? Unregistered magic user, and we have--" He gestured around the garden despite Rue not being there. "I'm going there tonight, but I wanted to see if you knew anything before I went."
"Bring Alice." She grabbed her phone. "I think Lucille and Gabriel have guard duty, and the rest of you are paired up." She narrowed her eyes. "It would be weird if a vampire with a partner went to a blood bar, right?"
Gilbert grimaced. "I guess it depends. If their partner is a shifter..."
Gertrude waved a hand. "I fear both Noah, Asher, and Jasper are known in Oakmouth. If anyone from there is at the bar, they'll suspect something. Is it owned by Oakmouth?"
"No idea."
"They haven't done nightclubs before, but who knows. I'll ask Jinx if Czar ever talked about it."
Gilbert nodded, suppressing a sigh as he pictured having to text both Jacob and Marrone again to let them know Alice would be coming too.
He believed Gertrude would give him Alice's number, but she called her right there, relaying the information. When she hung up, she nodded at Gilbert. "Find out what you can but be careful."
He didn't have the energy to text, so he called Marrone's number as he walked toward his house.
"Kage."
Kage? Was it his first name? "Eh...hi, it's Gilbert."
He chuckled. "I have caller ID."
"Right. Well, I spoke to Gertrude, and she's insisting we bring Alice."
"Alice?"
"You interviewed her, short with dark hair."
"Yes, I remember."
There were sounds in the background, which made Gilbert believe he was at the station. "We go there, have a drink, and look around. If there is anything suspicious, we tell Gertrude."
"You'll have a drink?"
He'd seen him drink. "Erm, yeah, I think it would be weird to go to a bar and not order anything."
"From a person, I mean?"
Gilbert frowned at the twine he still held in his hand. "No, I've already eaten today."
Silence.
"Hello?" Did the call cut out? He looked at his phone. No, the seconds were still ticking. "Hello?"
"I'm here, I only...Eh...So we'll still go in one car?"
Strange. "Yeah, I need to talk to Jacob. I left Gertrude mere seconds ago and thought I'd call you first. Is there any way you can check who owns The Bloody Maiden? Gertrude wondered if it was Oakmouth-owned. They haven't had nightclubs before, but if it's a new vampire bar, it might be them. Czar, the Oakmouth leader, is a vampire."
"I'll see what I can find."
"Great. I'll text you once I've gotten hold of Jacob."
"Okay. Bye for now."
"Bye." Gilbert pocketed the phone and walked through the gate to his garden. Might as well continue planting peas.
* * * *
Chapter 13
Kage stared at the phone in his hand. Gilbert had already eaten today. Was it what he and Jacob had been doing? Prickling heat washed over him as he pictured Gilbert's mouth on him.
Gilbert had looked better when he'd come back from the bathroom. Healthier. How bad had it been before? How long could a vampire go without blood before they snapped?
"You okay?"
Kage looked up and found Christopherson studying him. "Gilbert fed from Jacob."
There was a twitch at the corner of Christopherson's mouth. "Yes, it was pretty obvious, wasn't it? He was haggard when he came, too close to the limit. Luckily, Jacob was there."
"You knew?"
Christopherson nodded. "When you know what to look for, it's easy to see. Before all the vampires worked at The Virgin Drop. Gertrude made sure they had at least one shift per week, so they could feed, but now they don't dare leave the community. Most of them go as long as they can without feeding. It's a dangerous game, but stepping outside the walls is dangerous too."
Fuck. He hadn't spared the feeding situation any thought. "So Alice might be starving?"
"Alice?"
Kage couldn't blame him for being confused. "Gilbert called to say Gertrude had ordered him to bring Alice. She didn't want him to go alone."
"Oh, good." Christopherson's shoulders dropped a fraction. Was he worried about what would happen?
"You worried about him?"
Christopherson grimaced. "When I went to find him after you'd threatened him with a gun, he was cowering in the corner of his bedroom. I'm no expert on PTSD, but I think I was watching a flashback of some sort."
Shame washed over Kage. Fuck.
"You don't get scars like his without it leaving an emotional mark. I'm a little worried about how he'd handle being in a violent situation. Gilbert keeps to himself. I was shocked to see Dov at his place when we came by to look for the bike. As far as I know, he doesn't spend time with anyone. I think he likes Jasper. He usually exchanges a few words with him when they meet, but that's all."
"He spoke to Jacob."
Christopherson hummed. "But it looked like they hadn't seen each other in a long time."
True. They'd both looked surprised. Pleased to see each other, but not as if they chatted regularly.
Christopherson sighed. "It's only a recon mission, and if you find anything suspicious, we'll deal with it at a later time, so it should be fine."
"You think there will be problems?"
Scrunching his nose, Christopherson looked at the ceiling. "Yeah, I think there's gonna be trouble. Maybe not today, but isn't it weird how Gertrude didn't know about a vampire bar in Wanford? Shouldn't they have tried to reach the community with some marketing or something? If it's a vampire bar, they want vampires to visit."
Ugh. Kage rested his head in his hands and fisted his hair.
"Doesn't mean there are blood slaves."
"No, but we'll only find out by checking."
Christopherson nodded, then he smiled. "And you get to spend a night with Gilbert."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The bastard laughed at him. "I see the way you look at him." He waved his fingers. "You have a connection."
The way he said it made it sound as if it meant something more than the words implied. Kage only huffed. "He's a vampire."
"Who's helping you find what you're looking for."
True. Gilbert didn't have to do anything. He could sit on his porch and watch the peas grow. It didn't sound half bad. Kage wanted to sit on his porch and watch the peas grow too.
* * * *
Gilbert squeezed himself into the backseat of Jacob's car. Kage sat next to him. He'd introduced himself as Kage to Jacob, so Gilbert assumed it was what he preferred to be called when he wasn't working.
Alice was in the passenger seat, and Jacob was driving. The silence was awkward, and Gilbert looked out the window in an attempt to escape it.
"How have you been, Jacob? I haven't seen you in ages." Alice's tone was light and curious, and Gilbert let out a breath.
"I'm okay. Worked a lot."
She proceeded to ask him about his job and answered a few questions Jacob asked her, and Gilbert allowed their voices to wash over him without listening to what they said.
Kage smelled strongly of lemon, but Gilbert didn't mind too much. He guessed a shifter would've had a headache by now, but luckily, he didn't have as developed a sense of smell as they did.
When Kage touched his hand, he jumped.
"Don't you think, Gilbert?" Jacob was trying to make eye contact in the rearview mirror.
"Sorry, what?" He leaned forward a fraction, acutely aware of Kage's hand resting on the seat, a fraction away from his thigh.
"It's weird they can have a vampire bar in Wanford when we can't have one in Myrfolk?"
Gilbert shrugged. "If we had the means, we could rebuild. There is no law stopping us, but with all the extra costs on the community, there isn't room in the economy."
Jacob looked disappointed. "Can't you buy another building, or rent if you don't have enough to buy?"
Gilbert moved a little, his thigh touching Kage's pinkie, but neither of them moved away from the other. "I don't think the people of Myrfolk would allow it, and the police would urge them on in their hatred instead of discouraging them."
Jacob sighed. "One day, people are going to rally against Hamilton."
"You think?" Gilbert leaned back in his seat. He didn't think anyone would rally. They'd have to ride it out. He couldn't have more than ten or fifteen years left to retirement.
"We've written some pretty damning things about him."
Written? Written where? "Yeah?"
"You didn't read my article about the woman the community took in, Esme White? How Hamilton did nothing to stop what was going on? How when it became too obvious it was someone on the force leaking her location, he asked Gertrude to harbor her?"
"No, sorry, I missed that."
"Don't you get The Morning Chronicles in the community?"
Was he a journalist? A reporter? He glanced at Kage, who had a blank face. "I don't think so." Who had money left to spend on newspapers? Maybe he could find Jacob's articles online.
Jacob nodded and focused on the road. Gilbert looked at Kage and spoke low. "We never said you were a cop, right?"
"Detective."
Whatever. "What if it ends up in the paper. It could be bad for you."
Kage grimaced. "Yeah, wouldn't be good."
Gilbert nodded. "So we try to keep it from him."
"You didn't know?"
Gilbert pursed his lips and tried to remember what they'd talked about. "No, I don't think he ever told me. Maybe way back, but..." He shrugged. It wasn't like he'd cared what he did.
Kage patted his hand, then left it there. Gilbert shivered.
* * * *
The dim light of The Bloody Maiden could get to be a problem. Kage had a hard time making out the faces of the patrons who were there. He leaned close to Gilbert. "Do you see well in here?"
Gilbert gave him a small nod. Damn.
It looked more like an old-fashioned bar than a nightclub, but maybe it looked different on the weekends.
Alice aimed for the bar and smiled at the bartender, a thin man looking to be in his thirties with dark hair falling into his eyes. As Alice spoke, the bartender smiled, with fangs. Kage almost stumbled and glanced at Gilbert, who rolled his eyes.
Kage tugged at him until he leaned down. "He's a vampire, or are the teeth fake?"
Gilbert spoke near his ear, making hot air caress his skin. "He's a vampire."
"Why show teeth? Was it an aggressive move toward Alice?"
Gilbert shook his head. "No, I think it was for your benefit."
"Mine?" He spoke louder than he'd meant to.
"Non-vampire customers. You came here to see vampires, right?"
Oh..."Yeah, I guess."
To Kage's disappointment, Gilbert stepped away from him and clapped Jacob on the shoulder. Kage couldn't hear what Gilbert told him, but he nodded in reply, and the two of them headed toward a table.
Kage looked between them and Alice, who was chatting to the bartender. When he placed four bottles of beer on the bar and started opening them, Kage walked closer. He'd help carry.
"Hi." He nodded at the bartender, who gave him a once-over before focusing on Alice.
"Your pet?"
She raised an eyebrow. "If I had a pet, I wouldn't be here, would I? You have anything on tap?" She winked and flashed fangs before scanning the room. "Not many options."
The bartender shrugged. "It's a weekday."
"True." Then she focused on Kage. "Kage, would you be a darling and carry these to Gilbert?" She motioned at the bottles. Be a darling. He almost protested, but then she leaned over the bar and gave the bartender a look. He couldn't tell what kind of look it was, but he grabbed the bottles and walked toward the table Gilbert and Jacob occupied. When he glanced back, Alice and the bartender had their heads close together, and Alice was nodding.
He wanted to ask Gilbert what she was doing, but he was afraid it would lead to Jacob asking questions.
He sat and handed them each a bottle of beer without a word.
Earlier, he and Christopherson had looked into who owned the business. A human man called Elijah Nuthall, with no connections to the Oakmouth community as far as they could tell. He hadn't been able to tell Gilbert yet, but he didn't think this was the time. Why was Jacob here? It would've been so much easier to talk if he weren't.
"So..." Alice took a bouncing step before she pulled out a chair and sat. "Weekends are different. They clear the area over there--" She gestured to where there were several four-seat tables. "--and have a dance floor."
"And snacks?" Gilbert's face gave nothing away.
Alice made a so-so gesture with her hand. "Didn't confirm anything outright, and even if there is hired help, it doesn't mean they're blood slaves."
Jacob's eyes widened so fast, Kage winced. He'd hoped they wouldn't mention blood slaves in front of him.
"You think they have blood slaves?"
"Shh." Gilbert placed a hand on his shoulder, and Jacob leaned over the table and spoke on a low hiss.
"You mean like The Virgin Drop was before Gertrude bought it?"
Kage leaned closer. He hadn't realized Jacob could be of help. If he'd seen people in The Virgin Drop before Gertrude bought it, he might have seen Pomona.
"When you were there, did you ever see people being fed on?" Gilbert spoke low and glanced around, but there was no one nearby.
"Yeah." He dragged it out. "But you saw that after Gertrude bought it too. People disappeared into the corners."
Gilbert nodded. "Yes, but did you ever see anyone handing someone else over to be fed on?"
Jacob's eyes narrowed, then he scowled. "There were people...you could tell they were in charge."
Kage held his breath.
"Did you ever see them feed on someone who didn't want to be fed on?" Gilbert spoke calmly but his hand fisted on the table close to the beer bottle.
Jacob shook his head, then he took a deep breath. "But sometimes, after someone spoke to one of the people in charge, they were brought through a door next to the bar. Not the kitchen door. The was a lockable door next to the swing doors to the kitchen."
Kage had only seen The Virgin Drop after the explosion when he'd gone to try to call forth Pomona's spirit, but both Gilbert and Alice nodded, so he assumed the description was correct.
"There was something weird about it."
"Weird how?" Kage held Jacob's gaze until he shrugged and looked at Gilbert.
"I remember wondering if they were dealing drugs. It had that feel to it, a gang who had customers coming to them, things happening behind closed doors. I told myself I was imagining things since vampires don't do drugs."
What a weird conclusion. "Why wouldn't they do drugs?"
"Not much use, is there? They heal so quickly, the effects would be next to nothing."
Kage looked first at Alice, then at Gilbert, and they both gave him a small nod. Huh, he hadn't known. Granted, he'd never thought much about vampires' drug habits. But they drank alcohol, didn't they? He'd seen many vampires with a drink in their hands.
He gestured at the beer bottle next to Gilbert. "So this is wasted on you?"
"I don't know if wasted is the right word, but I'd have to drink several in quick succession to feel any effect, and then it goes away quickly."
Ah..."You can get drunk?"
"Sure, but it takes some effort." Alice grinned at him. "At least if you don't like hard liquor." She scrunched her nose in a way that had Kage suspecting she wasn't a whiskey connoisseur. "Keeping a buzz going from drugs would cost a fortune, so no one does."
Gilbert focused on Jacob again. "You never saw any of the blood slaves when you were there? I got the feeling the humans mingled, or some of them had, at least." He sent Alice a look as if seeking confirmation. She nodded, but Jacob looked horrified.
"What? No, I..." Then he frowned. "I'm not sure."
Alice leaned closer. "I don't remember her name, Rue and Chaton know, but a blonde woman with purple highlights."
Jacob paled and curled his fingers around the beer bottle. "Madeline."
Kage had never heard the name before, but both Gilbert and Alice nodded.
"She was head of the blood slaves. Mingled and took up requests. Then I assume the customer was taken through the door and led upstairs to where there were rooms."
Jacob looked around. "You think it's the same here?"
"No." Gilbert covered Jacob's hand with his, and Kage wanted to snarl. "Gertrude only wanted us to make sure. This bar has no connections to us, but we have four blood slaves she freed when she took over, and we want to keep them safe. We're simply here to make sure these aren't the same people who owned The Drop before we took over."
