Page 100 of Suck This

CHAPTER 22

Fuck.

-the best, most universal word in the English language

CON

“So you think that she’s a vamp,” Fox guessed twenty minutes later. “If she’s a vamp, then she’s a tiny one. She’s also had to have help over the last fifty years to conceal herself from you, because I was with you that night. I know the lengths you went to, to make sure it was actually her in that fire.”

“Likely whoever helped her knew the lengths I would go to, to make sure,” I confirmed. “So she either died in that fire, and was brought back like I did Chen and Acadia, or she was a vampire before she perished. But she couldn’t have been one long, or I would’ve sensed it that night before I left.”

“So what we really need to know at this point is who was helping her,” Pavlov guessed.

I nodded. “Yes,” I confirmed.

“Do you have any suspicions?”

“I think I can help with that.”

I looked up to find Abraham standing in the doorway, a funny look appearing on his face when he saw me standing next to Acadia.

“It seems that I missed a lot while I was gone,” he drawled.

Acadia watched Abraham warily. She didn’t know him as well as the others. She’d only met him the once—the night she was nearly drugged by the vampire bartender. The very first night I laid eyes on her when she wasn’t bleeding to death in a car accident.

“You’ve missed much, my old friend,” I concurred. “Have you found what you were looking for?”

Abraham hadn’t been absent so much as not in attendance as much as usual. He was there, yes, but he wasn’t there.

“Do you remember when we told Adelaide to take care of your lady friend?”

Abraham’s words brought up Jolie’s image. A buxom blonde that was nearly as old as I was, she was quite entrancing. Until you got to know her, that was. Once she let you know how superficial she was, you quickly realized exactly how disgusting she was.

I’d dated her for all of a week when I’d realized that whatever Jolie had been chasing wasn’t going to work between the two of us. She was selfish, catty, and overall a bore to be around.

Not a date had passed where she didn’t talk about herself or what she’d accomplished over her lifetime—which wasn’t much, considering she’d had over a hundred lifetimes on most people.

“What about her?” I asked warily.

“Apparently, Jolie doesn’t like being ignored,” Abe said. “Adelaide happened to mention last time I called, when I checked in on her after her incident to make sure that her face was healing okay, that Jolie hasn’t abated in trying to get a hold of you over the last couple of months. In fact, things have sort of fast-forwarded to the point that she calls over ten times a day. Adelaide just stopped relaying the message and has been dealing with it on her own.”

“You’re kidding.”

Abe shook his head. “Negative, Ghost Rider.”

I flipped him off.

He flipped me off right back.

“Boys,” Pavlov drawled, a hint of his accent leaching into his words. “Let’s get back to the real problem at hand. Why are you bringing this to our attention? Does it have any significance to what is going on right now?”

“Yes,” Abe said. “Very much so.”

“Well could you possibly share that info, or do you want us to go grab a bite to eat while you decide to share?” Acadia snapped.

Abe turned his gaze to her.

Acadia closed her mouth shut so fast that I would’ve laughed had this situation been the least bit funny. Abe was an intimidating man if you didn’t know him as I knew him, and seeing him through new eyes, I realized that quite possibly Acadia wasn’t anywhere near as brave as she appeared at first sight.