I ground my teeth. “The guy said not to bring anyone.”
“I’m really very good at being quiet and staying hidden. We’ll take two cars. I’ll follow you at a distance. I swear, he won’t know I’m there.”
I knew they were right. As much as I wanted to think I could do this alone, I’d be stupid to when I had Vincent offering his protection. The rapid thumping of my heart slowed to a steadier beat, and I nodded. “Fine. I’m getting the money, and then we’ll go. See you in the parking lot.”
I hurried back toward the entrance and the secret door into the sex club section. It was dark inside, but the open door left just enough light to see. I punched the code into the safe and grabbed the money I’d already carefully counted out and put in a bag.
Vincent was in my doorway waiting for me.
By this point, I wasn’t even surprised that he’d disobeyed my orders to wait in the parking lot. I didn’t have time to argue. My watch said I had three minutes to get somewhere that needed at least five, so we’d have to argue about his stalkerish tendencies later.
We stormed back out into the night, Vincent slamming shut the door behind him.
My breaths came a little too fast, and a sudden rush of nerves engulfed me. “You’ll be close, right? You promise?”
His fingers came to the side of my face, and his deep-brown gaze captured mine. “You won’t see me, but I’ll be there. He so much as touches you, and he’s dead.”
There was that Vincent intenseness again. Right now, it was the thing I liked most about him. His complete and utter faith in his ability to protect me was reassuring.
I pressed up onto my toes and brushed my lips over his. It was a peck of a kiss, nothing more, and yet my lips sparked to life like they’d been electrocuted. Everything inside me screamed and shouted demands for me to wrap my arms around his neck and deepen the kiss, even though kissing was the absolute last thing we had time for.
I slid behind the wheel of my car, putting the money in its little bag on the passenger seat. By the time I looked up again, Vincent had disappeared into the darkness.
32
BLISS
The light rain that had been falling ever since War’s dad’s funeral turned into gusty blasts that hammered against the windshield as I took the winding road along the coast and up to the cliffs. I’d been here just yesterday, on the back of War’s bike, and yet tonight, the vibe felt entirely different. Tonight there was no warm body to wrap my arms around. Just a stormy darkness, well fitting for the meeting that was about to take place.
I peered into the rearview mirror, but I didn’t see anything.
The nerves that Vincent wasn’t there crept up my throat, threatening to turn into panic. But he’d said I wouldn’t see him, so I drove on, using my focus to stay on the slippery road instead of worrying about everything else.
My headlights flashed over the small signpost that indicated the lookout, and I put my blinker on, taking the turn slowly and carefully. The road beneath me turned bumpy, the asphalt giving way to gravel and dirt that led to the cliff edge that jutted out over Saint View Beach.
Well away from the ledge, I stopped the car.
I glanced around, feeling sick in the darkness. “What the hell are you doing, Bliss?” I murmured. “This is such a bad idea. You are one hundred percent the basic white bitch who’s about to get murdered or bitten by a vampire.”
I waited, but there was nothing. No headlights. No masked figure stepping from the shadows. Even the rain let up and the moon peeked through the cloud cover. It was still eerie as hell, but at least I could see a little better.
I was late. Only two minutes, but maybe that was enough for him to have left.
No. He’d want his money. He wouldn’t have given up that easily.
But maybe I was in the wrong spot. The bluff was long, and there was a walking trail that I couldn’t access by car.
That had to be it.
“I don’t even have an umbrella, thanks to War making me ditch it.” I grabbed the bag of money from the passenger seat, clutching it between my fingers, and opened the door. The dirt lot had turned to mud, and I grimaced when I put my foot down into it with an unappetizing squelch.
On instinct, I locked my car and cautiously moved for the walking trail, fighting the slippery mud with every step. The rain started up again, because that was just my luck, and I trudged along, my sneakers gathering more and more muck with every step.
I was soaking and annoyed enough that I almost missed the figure step out of the shadows.