“You have to go. My mom will have a heart attack if she sees you.”
“I am here for a reason,” he said calmly. “Not that I want you to be involved any further, but you were very emphatic last night that you wished to be informed if I discovered where that club was. I have. It’s in Charlotte, and I’m flying there tonight. I bought you a ticket, if you want to go also. If you don’t, I’ll just go into your kitchen and convince your grandparents I was never here. That way you won’t have to explain my presence later to your mum. It’s up to you, but you have to decide now.”
I knew what I would choose, but I was still rattled at how this could have been a very ugly scene. “Why didn’t you call instead of just coming over?”
His brow arched. “I did. Your grandfather hung up on me as soon as I asked for you. You really ought to get a cell phone. Or remind them that you’re twenty-two years old and it is appropriate for a gentleman to ring you.”
I left the gentleman comment alone. “Yeah, well, they’re old-fashioned, and they kind of lost it when they saw my neck—which was very inconsiderate, by the way! Leaving all those ‘Been there, done that!’ stamps for them to see!”
A grin tugged at his mouth. “In all fairness, Kitten, if I didn’t heal supernaturally, I’d be covered with similar markings, and my back would be a river of scars from your nails.”
Change of subject. Change of subject! “As far as tonight,” I went on hurriedly, “you know I’ll go. I told you I want to stop Hennessey, and I meant it. You already found where the club was? That was fast.”
“I knew before, in fact,” he said, leaning against the doorframe. “I’d researched it this morning while you were sleeping. Was going to tell you about it when you woke up, but then you ran out like hell was chasing you and didn’t give me a chance.”
I had to drop my gaze. Looking him in the eye was more than I could handle. “I don’t want to talk about that. I’m not so shallow that I’d let my…” What to call them? “My misgivings about last night interfere with stopping a murderer, but I think it’s best if we leave that alone.”
His half smile remained. “Misgivings? Oh, Kitten. You break my heart.”
That brought my head up. Was he making fun of me? I couldn’t tell. “Let’s focus on priorities. If you want to, we’ll, ah, talk about that later. After the club. Wait here while I pack.”
He held open the door. “It’s not necessary, I brought your game clothes. After you.”
“I haven’t seen you here before, cherry pie,” the vampire said as he slid into the seat next to mine. “Name’s Charlie.”
Bingo! I was so happy, I almost clapped my hands. We had landed in Charlotte at ten, checked into our hotel at eleven, and arrived at Club Flame just before midnight. I’d been sitting in this disgusting place for two hours, and with the slutty dress I was wearing, it hadn’t been a lonely two hours.
“Sweet to eat, and easy as,” I replied, mentally gauging his power level. Not a Master, but strong. “Looking for a date, honey?”
He trailed his fingers along my arm. “You bet, cherry.”
Charlie’s accent was pure Southern. He had brown hair, a friendly smile, and an athletic build. His drawl, plus that aw-shucks demeanor, only made him seem more amicable. Who could be evil when he had an accent like candy, right?
The guy to my left, who’d been hitting on me all night, gave him a belligerent look.
“Hey, mister, I saw her first—”
“Why don’t you get up on outta here and go home?” Charlie cut him off, still smiling. “Best hurry, now. I don’t like to repeat myself.”
If I were that guy, I’d hear the steel underneath his good ol’ boy act, and be warned.
Of course, I wasn’t drunk, ignorant, and just plain oblivious to the danger in front of me.
“I don’t think you heard me,” the man slurred, laying a heavy hand on him. “I said, I saw her first.”
Charlie didn’t lose his smile. He took the man by the wrist and hauled him out of his chair.
“No need to fight and cause a ruckus,” he said with a wink at me. “We’ll flip for you, sugar. I’m feelin’ lucky.”
And he dragged the man out of the bar. The fact that no one commented spoke for the classiness of the place.
I looked around, torn. If I tried to stop Charlie, I’d blow my cover and wreck Bones’s chance to find Hennessey, again. So I did nothing. I sipped my drink and felt sick inside. When Charlie returned, he had that same genial grin, and he was alone.
“Turns out I am lucky tonight,” he commented. “Question is, are you going to make me very, very lucky?”
I was trying to listen for a heartbeat outside, but the interior noise was too loud. Whatever had happened was over. There was nothing to do but see this through.
“Sure thing, honey. I just need a little something to help with my rent first.”