Bloody Heretic (16 page)

    “
So, do we need to go over anything else?”
Ethan asked quietly.

    “
Orleans and I are going to search the river tonight for the back entrance,”
Gloria said. She looked at him for confirmation and he gave a gruff
nod of his head, not meeting her eyes. She looked around at the men, just as baffled as the rest of the girls as to why they were so sullen.
It was only a matter of time before one of them cracked. His money was on Ethan.

    “
That
’
s good. Don
’
t attempt
to breach tonight. Just recon,”
Adam said. Vic was staring up at him, sensing something was amiss as well but not what.

    “
Are we ready?”
Jeanne asked.

    “
Yeah, let
’
s go,”
Ethan mumbled and stood. Everyone filed out slowly, quiet as the dead. Jeanne c
ame to stand beside him. She didn
’
t speak as they walked, just kept pace with him as they left the hotel and made their way across the street. It wasn
’
t until they were almost to the door that she stopped him with a hand at his wrist. He looked down. She
o
pened her mouth but didn
’
t speak, instead she looked up at him as though she didn
’
t want to upset him. It was out of character and he had to wonder if she was spooked from being wiped or if she was worried for him.

    “
You know, we can
’
t keep coming back
here night after night and expect them to not get suspicious,”
she said after a second more of stalling. He nodded in agreement.

    “
I know. But Adam is right, we don
’
t know enough yet about what we
’
re up against.”

    “
Do you trust me Dominic?”
She asked
, eyes searching his. He thought about their interactions over the past few months. He trusted her to get the job done. But to not hurt him in the long run? No, he didn
’
t trust her. Nor should she trust him. His pause was enough to make her angry.

    “
I
trust you,”
he said and snatched her back as she turned to walk away.

    “
I won
’
t let anything happen to you. I said I wouldn
’
t and I won
’
t.”
She poked him in the chest and proceeded to follow the group into the club.
He stared after her but he had to sn
ap out of it. She was getting to him. He ran to slide in behind her as the guard let them into the club.
Again the humans outside moaned at their easily gained entry.
He took his coat off and followed behind the group, noting again how good Jeanne looked i
n the backless dress Alex had picked out for her. The pounding of the bass and the flashing light only served to disorient him again as they made their way to the tables. He wondered for the second time how this served to entertain anyone.

    “
They suspe
ct someth
ing already,”
Ethan said as Vic pulled Alex
and Jeanne with her to the restroom.

    “
I don
’
t think they know. They know we
’
re acting strange but not why. Just keep your cool and we
’
ll be alright.”
Adam drummed his fingers on the table in agitati
on.

    “
You both look like you
’
re in an interrogation room. They
’
re going to figure it out,”
Dom said. Adam and Ethan both stared daggers at him.

    “
Hey, we weren
’
t the ones throwing a temper tantrum in the hotel over it,”
Adam said.

    Dom scoffed. “
Because Alex and Vic
are mad that you
’
ve slept with
too many
women. Jeanne thought I was gay!”
He fumed all over again. Adam pointed a finger at him.

    “
What Jeanne thinks of you is inconsequential. What Alex and Vic think of us matters. You
’
re daft if
you think this isn
’
t going to come back and bite us in the ass. So what if Jeanne thought you were gay? She has obviously figured out otherwise.”

    “
And can you blame her really?”
Ethan asked. “
You
hardly
show any interest in anything besides work.”
Dom
wanted to get mad at that but really it was true. Just then a flash of a memory crossed his mind. Of Jeanne sitting beside him asking what he did for fun. The word
‘
Pleasure
’
echoed through his thoughts before Ethan snapped his fingers in front of Dom
’
s f
a
ce. He looked up to see them staring at him.

    “
You alright?”
Adam asked. 
  

    “
Yeah, I just thought I had a memory from last night is all.”
He scratched the back of his neck in agitation.

    “
What about?”
Ethan asked.

    “
I
’
m not sure. I remembered sitting here talking with Jeanne. She asked me what I do for fun but I couldn
’
t come up with an answer.”

    Ethan snorted. “
No surprise there.”
Don glared at him. For a split second he saw himself pinning Jeanne to the floor of a
room with red carpet, but then it was gone. It wasn
’
t a memory. More like what he would do for fun if he had the chance. A smile crept
across his face.

    “
So have you been able to remember anything else from last night?”

    “
Not really. I
’
m not even sure that memory of Jeanne is real. It just seemed like something she would ask. We had a moment on the roof the other night where she wanted
to
play Quid Pro Quo and drill me for info. I think she was
just
really bored.”
He watched as the girls
came back from the bathroom. They all had a different look on their face. Alex looked nervous, Vic pissed and Jeanne...Well Jeanne looked giddy.

    “
Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.”
Ethan stood and watched as the girls disappeared into the
crowd. “
What do we do?”

    “
I say
we hog tie them and throw them into a broom closet,”
Dom said. Adam looked at him.

    “
Normally I wouldn
’
t agree, but I know that look. Vic is going to do something stupid.
You think they figured it out?”

    “
No way. I
would be filleted and barbequed right now if Alex knew,”
Ethan said as they watched the girls walk further into the crowd.

    “
After hearing what you said I
’
m not surprised,”
Dom told him.

    “
For the hundredth time! I didn
’
t call her fat!”
Ethan snarl
ed.

    “
Should we go after them?
”
Dom thought practically speaking they were up to something. It stood to reason that it was going to be a bad idea, whatever it was. Adam and Ethan looked at each other.

    “
Let
’
s go,”
Adam said and they walked away fro
m the table. They fa
nned out into the crowd, each doing their best to make it through the human mass quickly.
It was slow going, with women reaching out for him to join them. Sometimes being handsome was truly a curse. He wasn
’
t the only one being pawed at
either he noticed. Adam was losing him patience with the delay. Usually he would just nod off politely when a woman showed interest in him. Now he was turning abruptly away, a look of disgust upon his face. Suddenly his eyes zeroed in and Dom turned to l
o
ok where he was looking. He did a double take, not believing what he was seeing. Alex and Vic were both dancing with the same man, twirling around him as if he were a brass pole stationed there for their amusement.

    “
Oh, shit.”
He rushed forward toward
Adam before he did something rash. Too late he realized he hadn
’
t seen Ethan coming in from the left. The man was lifted into the air, Ethan
’
s hands wrapped lethally around his neck. Adam had Vic by the arm and was shaking her, demanding an explanation.
D
om stood frozen, his thought racing to process this situation and how it had rushed out of control so quickly. His thoughts coalesced instantly into the simplest answer.

    “
Jeanne,”
he growled. As though his eyes knew where to find her, he turned just i
n time to see her looking at him as she slipped off to the hallway
that housed the private rooms. He left Adam and Ethan to their own devises, hoping they would come to the same conclusion that he did. A second later and he would have missed Jeanne disappe
aring behind a black curtain to the left of the hallway; two guards
standing
motionless
against the wall as she
passed
by
. He raced after her. Behind the curtain he found himself in the girl
’
s dressing room. It was empty save Jeanne and one guard, who was pushing a sequence of numbers into a keypad. A door opened to reveal a
nother
hallway
and a set of stairs leading down
beyond
the dressing room. He looked t
o Jeanne.

    “
What the hell are you
doing?”
He asked her incredulously. She turned and smiled at him but didn
’
t answer. She walked toward the door, throwing a look over her shoulder.

    “
Coming?”
She asked without pausing. He looked behind him. Jeanne
’
s plan was working. Adam and Ethan wou
ld be too busy with the girls to know what she was up to. He had to follow. The door started to slide closed, so with Vampire quick speed he rushed after her, the door closing behind him with inches to spare.

    “
Are you insane?”
He grabbed her arm and s
pun her around. “
We don
’
t know who could be down here, how many there are or where we
’
re going. This is suicidal.”

    She stared up at him with a smile. “
But how will we find any of that out if we don
’
t investigate?
I
thought you the adventurous sort, Do
m. Come on, this will be fun.”
She walked away and he had no choice but to follow.

    “
This isn
’
t supposed to be fun. We
’
re on a job.”
He rushed after her. Somehow despite the difference in their heights he always seemed to be rushing to keep up with her.

    “
And why can
’
t we have fun
while
we
’
re working?”

    “
Now you sound like Adam.”

    “
Jamais
! Do not say that.”
She smirked at him. “
Now, what do you suggest? Should we split up and cover more ground or stay together in case you need saving?”

    “
Oh,
that
’
s low,”
he growled at her. She smiled brilliantly up at him. He scowled, trying to keep an answering smile off his lips. “
We stay together. And not because I need looking after. I want out of here quickly and the best way to do that is if you
’
re kee
p
ing an eye out on the guards. I won
’
t be able to subdue them as quickly.”