I was almost shouting at her. She blinked a few times then nodded vigorously. “Roscoe has a place at The Golden Nugget. He hunts Fremont Street.” Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she moaned. “Just a taste, Alexa, please.”
“Trust me, you don’t want my blood. You’ll thank me later.” I left her there mumbling and pleading. Though I owed her nothing, I paused long enough to instruct a staff member to get her upstairs and to keep a steady supply of blood flowing.
I moved as fast as my legs could carry me. Like a bat out of hell, I dashed from the building down the street to Paris Las Vegas where I was able to get a taxi. The cab driver kept flashing me suspicious glances in the rearview mirror, and I realized my wounded neck was exposed. Arranging my hair to hide it, I hoped he would be smart enough to keep his mouth shut. It couldn’t have been the weirdest thing a Las Vegas taxi driver saw in a night.
His foot grew heavier on the gas pedal, and in five minutes, I was at my destination. “Have a nice night,” I said, tossing some cash and all but leaping out of the vehicle.
I reached out to feel the vicinity for Roscoe, for anything vampy at all. Making my way down Fremont Street, I checked and rechecked my phone, hoping for something from Briggs. Nothing yet.
Though the wolfsbane had done a real number on me, the effects had mostly worn off. I felt pretty damn good, and I attributed that to my vampire side. Perhaps the two co-existed better than I thought.
Fremont Street was a brilliant, loud and chaotic party place. A street party had never looked so good. For several blocks beneath a large, well-lit canopy laid more shops, casinos and street performers than one could possibly enjoy in just one night. A live band drew a healthy crowd, while incredibly talented dancers earned dollar bills for their efforts.
It had a different vibe than The Strip. A bit more casual and laid back, Fremont Street boasted a family friendly atmosphere. I passed more than one baby stroller as I hastily made my way from one end to the other.
Worry nagged me. Jez was out there somewhere. I could only wonder what effect the wolfsbane had on her, a naturally born shifter. I prayed her resistance had been better than mine.
As I passed the stage where a live band performed a Maroon 5 cover, an older lady danced directly into my path. Petite with short blonde hair, large earrings dangled from her lobes. Her eyes were wide, pupils huge. The scent of narcotics in her system had me trying to dodge her. She moved with me, a crooked smile on her thin lips.
“You can’t save everybody,” she cackled, her body jerking and twisting in a bizarre stoner’s dance. “You can’t even save yourself.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped.
Her eerie grin grew wider, revealing yellow teeth. “A vampire queen with no throne is no queen at all.”
She danced away into the throng of people gathered around the stage, leaving me staring after her in bewilderment. I continued on, turning over her words in my head. It could have been the intoxicated ramble of a woman on drugs, but I didn’t think so. Narcotics had a way of opening the mind up to things nobody should ever have access to. Sinister things that speak horrible truths.
The urge to keep peering over my shoulder was strong. She had made me uneasy. I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. The more distance I covered, the more certain I was that someone was following me. I opened myself up metaphysically to feel my stalker out. Familiar blood. Roscoe had found me first.
I kept my pace steady, hurried but not erratic. Leading him off the street into one of the casinos would give me a chance to confront him with fewer witnesses. Weaving my way through slot machines, my pulse pounded in anticipation of when he would jump me.
When his meaty hand came down on my shoulder, I was ready. I grabbed his wrist and jerked him forward, bending so he went over my back and hit the floor in front of me. I was on him fast, a knee on his chest and a clawed hand around his throat.
“I’m happy to see you don’t really know as much about me as you think you do,” I growled. “Where the f**k is Jez?”
“The leopard?” He grunted as my claws pierced his flesh. “Hell if I know. You both went down from the wolfsbane, and I didn’t stick around to find out what happened next.”
“Don’t f**king lie to me. I will kill you right here. I don’t give a damn how many cameras see me do it.”
“I’m not lying. I tried to stop you from interfering in business that doesn’t concern you. That’s all.” He clutched my arm in a desperate attempt to dislodge it from around his neck.
“And Jenner and Arys? Where were they taken?”
Roscoe’s lips formed a thin white line, and he shook his head as much as he was able. He offered me nothing.
Fine. I could do this the hard way. I thrust a surge of fury-driven energy deep inside him, focusing on his cold, dead heart. And then I squeezed until blood filled his eyes and pooled in his mouth.