I sat at the table of the dim room eating dinner in silence with Vince Moretti. I could tell that something was going on in that mind of his. He had some news, but hadn't told me what it was yet. I ate quickly, figuring that he was waiting until we were done before he was going to say anything.
After I finished, I set my silverware down and looked him in the eyes. "What's going on, Vince? Why the silence?"
"The rumors are true," he said and then took a sip of his wine.
Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "Which rumors exactly?"
He ran his hands through his short spiky hair. "She's alive."
My mind ran through the list of 'she's' that he could be referring to. Then I looked at him again. "You mean...?"
Eyes aglow, he said, "Marguerite. Mattie, that old hag, didn't have her killed like she was supposed to. I threatened her daughters' lives and yet she still risked it all. She merely hid the child."
I leaned over the table toward him. "She wouldn't be a child anymore. How old would she be now?"
"Almost sixteen, if I remember correctly. She was close to three when she was supposed to be killed." He sighed.
"So she's gone through her transformation already."
Vince shook his head. "No, not yet. That's what's made it so difficult to track her down. She was hidden amongst the humans, being raised as one. Marguerite probably thinks that she is one," he said, and laughed.
I grinned, flipping my dark blonde hair behind my shoulder. "What's the plan?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "You're going to pay her a visit."
"What?" I asked, sitting back. "Are you kidding? You're sending me?"
"You're perfect for the job. You're a quick thinker, unlike most of the goons I have to deal with, and you look like you could be her age. She'll probably trust you if you play it right."
Wonderful. I was getting sent out on a job instead of sticking around with him. But nobody crossed Vince. No one that lived to tell about it, anyway. I gave him my most seductive smile. "It could be fun to mess with the humans. I haven't mingled with them in about fifty years."
"I'm glad to hear it, Samantha," he said, smiling. I loved it when he smiled at me because he was one of the most powerful vampires alive. He could have been with anyone, but I had won him over. "I thought you might put up a fuss."
"Oh Vincey, you know that I love a challenge. That's how I ended up here in this room with you."
He laughed. "That's true. Most everyone is afraid to even look at me, but not you. That's what I love about you." He reached across the table and intertwined his fingers with mine.
"When do you want me to visit her?"
"In the morning. First you have to follow her around and get to know her schedule. Then, when you find an opportune time, talk with her. See if she knows anything. We'll go from there and I'll figure out a good plan. We have to be careful, you know. The stakes are high. Very high."
I nodded. "You don't have to tell me."
"Should we go on a hunt first? I'm going to need to be filled up on blood before I walk into a town full of people."
He shook his head. "I won't have time to join you. There's much I need to do; taking over the entire ruling establishment is an exhaustive process. Why don't you leave a little early so that you can feed first?"
"It's more fun with you, but whatever."
"Look, Samantha. I don't need a guilt trip."
I batted my eyelashes. "I'm not giving you a guilt trip, Vince baby. Why would I do that?"
He squeezed my hand. "The sun will be up soon. You should get ready." He stood up and pulled me into his arms, kissing me. He moved to my ear and whispered, "I'll see you soon. Do you need anything before you go?"
"I could use some money," I said, running my fingers along his face. "Oh, and her location would be nice too."
He smiled. "Talk to Adam on your way out."
"Adam?" I asked, pouting. He was sending me to his secondhand man.
Vince kissed me again. "He knows to give you whatever you ask for."
"You'll be here when I get back?"
"Of course. You know I don't go far. It's much easier to scare everyone when I remain hidden. Mystery feeds fear."
"That it does. Hopefully I'll be back before dark, but don't be surprised if I'm not. I have no idea what I'm walking into."
He nodded. "Certainly. Have fun," he said, eyes sparkling. "Should I let Adam know that you're on your way?"
"Not just yet. I'm going to change my clothes first. I'm not going to be able to blend in with high schoolers dressed like this."
Vince stepped back and looked me over, hungrily eying my clingy evening gown which had a high slit and matching stilettos. "No, you won't. You'll have to save that dress for our next date."
I licked my lips. "Will do," I said, holding his eye contact.
He wrapped himself around me and gave me one last kiss. "Don't tempt me, Samantha. We'll have plenty of time together later. We need to get Marguerite out of the way so we can move forward. If you can take care of this quickly, we'll soon be on our way to-"
"Do you want me to kill her?"
"No. I'm going to do that myself. The last time I left that up to someone else, look what happened. She lived and now we have to deal with killing her. Again."
"If that's the case, why don't you come with me and you can just take her out on the spot?"
"With her being so special to those on the throne, there are certainly many eyes on her. They wouldn't leave her alone, not really. We can't risk killing her where she is. She must be lured away so that I can kill her here."
"That makes sense. We can't just show up or we could have an entire army of vampires come out from hiding and overtake us."
"Exactly. Right now, I just need you to find out what she knows and build some rapport with her. Keep an eye out for any vampires following her, either from far away or close up. Then report back to me and we'll plan out the next steps. We can't have any errors this time. If anyone else kills her, I will return the favor and kill them. Unfortunately, that includes you, my pet. I don't want to do that, so please just follow the plan."
There were certainly disadvantages to being with Vince, but I wasn't going to complain. I'd worked hard to win him over and someday we'd be leading together. My family had been removed from the throne; I was determined to find a way back on, and Vince was my best chance. We both wanted the same thing; that's what made us such a good team.
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