Page 42 of Taste of Blood

“Okay, so I guess I’ll see you around,” the other vamp says as he watches us move across the room.

I wait till we’re both seated, one eye on the vamp at the bar, who keeps watching us for a minute then drains his glass and gets up to leave.

“You know that guy?” I ask.

“No. He just sat down and started talking like we’re old friends.” He looks up the vamp’s retreating back. “I don’t trust fuckers who try to get friendly that quick.”

“Yeah, I got a bad vibe off him.”

He quirks a brow. “So it wasn’t just me?”

“No, I think in this case your naturally suspicious nature is dead on. He give you a name?”

“Owen. Didn’t give him mine.”

“Probably for the best.” I take a sip of my drink and look him over. He looks tired, like he hasn’t been sleeping. Probably hasn’t been feeding regularly either, though I don’t say anything about that. The last thing I want is to start an argument. “So what’s been keeping you busy?”

He runs his fingers through his hair and slouches back in his seat. At first he acts like he isn’t going to answer me, then he blows out a sigh and meets my eyes.

“Outliers.”

I feel my eyes nearly bug out. “Are you serious?”

“Wish I weren’t.”

“Jesus, Cord. How bad is it?”

“Bad. They’re already well-established.”

I stop myself from reaching across the table to close my hand over his. “What can I do to help?”

“There’s nothing you can really do. We’ve got everyone combing the city, looking for these fuckers.”

“I have resources you may not. Give me a clue and I can get my people on it.”

“At this point I’m willing to try anything. I haven’t slept in a week and I’ve exhausted every source I have. So far I’ve come up with dick.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Their leader. He goes by the name the Python.”

“The Python? You have anything else on him?”

“We had an address on the registration of a van we confiscated, but it came up empty. No one has been at the house for a month. The owner is either dead or part of his gang.”

I pull out my phone and start typing a message to Elaine. I know she has even less of a life than I do, so she’ll be close to her computer.

Need a favor. See what you can come up with on someone who calls themselves the Python here in NYC.

How much do you need?

Anything and everything. It’s urgent.

You got it. I’ll reach out as soon as I have something.

Cord is watching me as I tuck my phone away. “That your source?” he asks.

“My PA, Elaine. She can work miracles with a computer. If anyone can find this guy, she can.”