“I have witnessed many wars in my time, and it is always the same. There are those who fight and those who get hurt. In the end both sides lose, even if it’s just a piece of their souls.”
I blinked at her. “Yeah, whatever you say. I’m going home.”
“You aren’t waiting tables this evening?”
“I’m not a waitress.”
“I thought that you were an employee here.”
“You thought wrong. I helped out the other night, but that was it.”
“When you showed up at the club with Thierry early today… you are friends, yes?”
“Friends.” I snorted at that. “Yeah, we’re friends. At least I thought we were before I just saw the little piece of male posturing in his office.”
“If it’s any consolation to you, Thierry rarely—if ever—does his own dirty work.”
“That’s not much of a consolation, Vee. But thanks.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What did you just call me?”
Oh. Oops.
“Vee. Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“No.” She smiled. “I like it. Vee. I don’t remember the last time I had a nickname. What shall I call you?”
“Um, just Sarah will do nicely. Plain old Sarah.”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing plain about you, my dear. But I can see you’re upset about what you’ve just seen. May I buy you a drink to help ease your mind?”
“It would have to be a very large drink. But I don’t want to be here anymore, anyhow, so no thanks.”
“No, not here.” She took a moment to gaze at the crowd of gathered vampires. “I thought we could go to another club. A human one, perhaps.”
“Living on the edge, are you?”
“Just living, my dear.”
Let’s see, did I want to go out on the town with Thierry’s gorgeous wife? Not so much.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s go.”
Then again, I was never one to turn down a free drink. We left the club through the tanning salon. Veronique nodded across the street at the
Clancy’s neon sign. “How about that one?”
I eyed it warily. “That, Vee, is the local hangout for vampire hunters. Probably not such a good choice.”
She started to cross the street, and I had to jog to catch up with her. She had really long legs.
I grabbed her arm. “What part of vampire hunter hangout didn’t you understand?”
“It’s just a drink.” She gave me a big smile. “Has it been so long since I last visited that Canada is no longer a free country?”
I hadn’t planned on setting foot in Clancy’s after what had happened the last time, for, oh, the next thousand years or so. But Veronique marched right across the street on her four-inch heels as if she owned the street and every business on it. I felt suddenly delegated to the role of shorter and slightly less gorgeous sidekick as I quickened my pace to keep up with her. Maybe I just should have said, “No, there’s not a chance in hell that I’m going in there.” But I didn’t. So much for speaking up for myself.
Veronique pushed the front door open and entered the busy bar without pausing for even a moment.
“Ah, yes.” A wide smile touched her full lips as she surveyed the smoke-filled, wall-to-wall vampire hunter pub. “This reminds me of a tavern in Germany I once frequented. I haven’t been there for over fifty years.”
“Okay, Vee,” I said as a huge man brushed past me. He wore a leather jacket with KILL written in metal studs on the back of it. “If you insist on being here, you might want to ixnay on the ampirevay alktay.”
She turned to me. “Is that pig Latin?”
“Yup.”
“You are the most charming girl.”
It’s true, I was. But compliments weren’t going to get us anywhere if she kept talking the way she was. I didn’t want any unwanted attention. I’d had my fill of drama for the evening. One drink and I was out of there. I tried subtly to scan the rough-looking crowd. I didn’t recognize anyone who’d tried to kill me lately. That was a good start. I took a seat on the very same stool where I’d been sitting when I met Quinn. Seemed like ages ago.
The bartender glanced over at me.
“Tequila,” I said meekly. “Pretty please.”
Veronique sat next to me. “I’ll have a mimosa.”
“What’s that?” the bartender asked.
“A mimosa? Well, it’s champagne and orange juice, of course.”
“Don’t have any champagne, Your Majesty.” He stifled a laugh. “Does this look like the Ritz to you?”
“Of course not,” she said. “The closest Ritz-Carlton is in Montreal.”
“Just give her another tequila,” I told him. The longer she took to order, the longer we’d be there.
Veronique didn’t argue, and instead smiled at me sweetly.
I hated that even in this light, much harsher than the soft lighting at Midnight Eclipse, she still looked gorgeous. I was hoping that the more I stared at her, the more I’d notice some flaws coming to the forefront. Maybe a stray facial hair or a freshly sprouted zit. I’d even be happy to see an oily T-zone, but I couldn’t find a damn thing. She was like a magazine- cover model after they’d been retouched. Flawless. Actually, the only flaw I could find about her was that she was married to Thierry. But, I guess, that was a pretty big one.
“So, Sarah, dear,” she said after a ladylike sip of the tequila. “Why don’t you tell me all about yourself?”
I downed my shot in a decidedly unladylike manner, and ordered another one. I couldn’t get drunk from just alcohol anymore? Let’s put that to the test, shall we?
“What do you want to know?”