Page 29 of The Psychic and the Vampire: A Bad Case of Vampire Curiosity

“Ant is at home, resting.” Viktor raised a glass in Carmine’s direction. “You know how it is. But thanks. I’ll let him know you were asking about him. As I said, is this a special occasion? Or just a casual drink out with friends?”

“Nothing important.” Viktor could smell his lie.

“Just out with a few of my new friends. Oscar and Reginald work for the Chamber of Commerce. It’s always handy to keep tabs on what’s going on in the city and what rules and regulations might be put in place that could impact a respectable businessman like myself. ”

The poor suckers are going to have done something they’re going to get blackmailed for before midnight.

Viktor didn’t pay any attention to the two men that Carmine was indicating.

They both looked like they’d rather be anywhere else.

“I was glad I bumped into you,” he said instead.

“Ant was very confused when you refused his generous offer to conduct a séance to contact your dead sister.”

He chucked down another mouthful of whiskey. It burned the back of his throat. “I thought it was very out of character for you to decide to give up on finding justice after so many years.”

Carmine shrugged. “There are some things in life we can’t change, Vampire. I am one of those who is astute enough to realize that. Not that I wouldn’t have appreciated the chance to hold hands with the very personable Doctor Channon.”

Ooh, Viktor’s vampire did not like that – a double insult, both with the tone in the word “vampire” and the implication Ant would welcome Carmine’s advances.

Viktor made sure not a shred of emotion showed on his face.

“It is what it is. I was just curious. Ant has other things to occupy him now, so it’s not as though he needs to be concerned with any one specific client when he has so many.

The Mage Academy will be opening again soon, too, and I’m sure he’ll be back to his lectures, helping young mages to stay safe as they enter into the world with their brand new skills.

It’s something he’s very good at, so I understand. ”

“Teaching.” Carmine’s tone emphasized his disgust. “I find it so unusual that a man with Doctor Channon’s talents would waste his time doing a job like that – a glorified babysitter. His talents, from what I hear, could be used for other things, far more useful things.”

It was Viktor’s turn to shrug. “Ant is an unusual person, not like anybody else you’ve dealt with before, Carmine, as I’m sure you’ve already realized. He has an unusual way of looking at things, and it is quite incredible how he can use his powers in so many unique and different ways.”

Viktor pointed at Carmine with the edge of his glass. “I appreciate that a man like yourself, a level-headed businessman, likely doesn’t have a lot of awareness of the world of magic or what it means to be a paranormal at all…”

“Are you an actual paranormal?” One of Carmine’s companions looked at him, his eyes wide and his face white.

“Vampire. Didn’t you hear Carmine just call me that?

” Viktor grinned to show off the edge of his fangs.

“It’s not a term of endearment, buddy. It’s who I am.

That’s why I don’t take offense at the term.

” He turned his focus back to Carmine. “Ant does as he pleases when he pleases and is remarkably good at what he does. I just make sure he stays safe as he continues to do his thing.”

“I would have said that was a waste of your talents, too,” Carmine said. “You’re used to being in the thick of things – running deals, handling people. Now you’re the one who’s babysitting?”

“Ant’s cute. Makes it worth it.” Viktor showed off his fangs fully this time. “He’s the type of person who doesn’t see the world the way you and I do, Carmine – I keep him from being preyed on by predators with malicious intent, and believe me, that keeps me busy.”

“I do have a proposition for you and the esteemed Doctor Channon, if he’s interested.”

Viktor shook his head. “I doubt Ant would be interested at the moment. He’s found a new rabbit hole to burrow down.

He had meetings today with the police captain and the head prosecutor – that guy, Hammond.

There were things that came up during those meetings, issues that were disturbing to my mate.

Clearly, this isn’t the place to mention details, but I anticipate Ant being busy for the foreseeable future. ”

Carmine frowned. “I thought he was investigating my sister’s murder.”

Viktor laughed and then chucked back another mouthful of whiskey, swallowing it, before he said, “You told him to stop doing that. You told him that you were going to give up seeking justice for your sister, because the death had occurred so long ago. Why on earth would he go against your wishes?”

Carmine’s frown deepened, and the fingers on his right hand started tapping the tabletop. “I was certain he was still working on Carol’s case. I heard, just this afternoon…”

Viktor tilted his head slightly, looking at the man who suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Carmine’s face flushed bright red. “It’s very unusual, isn’t it?

” Viktor said slowly. “How, when you rely on other people for information, you can never really be sure if that information is true, or if it’s been distorted and twisted for any reason.

Unless you’d actually been in the room, an eyewitness to an event yourself, you have no way of knowing if the reports are true or not.

After all, your messengers are human.” He raised his glass in salute to Carmine. “We all know humans make mistakes.”

Chucking back the rest of his glass, Viktor stood up in one fluid moment, putting his half-empty bottle on Carmine’s table.

“A present for you, a gift if you will. I have a mate to get back to. Leads to follow, clues to find, all that exciting stuff. You probably don’t realize this, but Ant is determined to flush out the source of corruption evident in both the police and the prosecutor’s office. ”

He leaned down and met Carmine’s eyes. “When Ant gets determined to find something, he will. I can only imagine, as he starts picking at that thread, just how far that ball of string will take him.”

Carmine stood up. “I’ll walk you out,” he said, indicating to the men at the table to carry on what they were doing. “Don’t mind me, Viktor and I are friends. I won’t be a moment.”

Viktor made sure his grin wasn’t showing as he strode through the bar, Carmine having to hurry to keep pace with him. It wasn’t until they stepped outside that Carmine indicated that he move away from the door. They stood in the doorway of a retail shop already closed for the day.

“I want a redo on that meeting with your mate,” Carmine said bluntly. All traces of his charming veneer had fallen away. “I believe he could be a useful part of my organization.”

Viktor was shaking his head before the sentence was finished. “Ant won’t be interested. He doesn’t trust you, and he has every reason for thinking that because you’ve done nothing but lie to him.”

“A necessity, I’m sure you understand. A man in my position is not going to trust someone purely because everyone else does. That’s how I end up dead.”

“All the more reason to leave Ant alone,” Viktor suggested. “You’ll never control him – he’s honest to the core – and the way things stand, he has no reason to trust you, either.”

“What if I offer him a gift? No strings attached. Absolutely none at all. Just a gift to show my appreciation for the type of man he is.”

More bullshit. “I’m listening.”

“Tell him he doesn’t need to continue his investigation into who is bugging the police captain’s and prosecutor’s office.

Let me take care of that. You have my word, those bugs will be removed, and, as an added bonus, I’ll ensure any pressure anyone might have felt under to prevent Doctor Channon from doing his excellent work for the police because of his connection to you will disappear.

In fact, I’ll go so far as to promise that all objections to your bond will have been removed by the time your sweet mate gets up for breakfast in the morning. ”

“What do you get out of that?”

“Nothing.” Carmine spread his hands wide. “Nothing at all. Just one businessman using his considerable power and resources to help another being.”

“Then I’ll guess we’ll see what happens in the morning.

” Viktor allowed his eyes to bleed red, conscious of how that looked, especially at night.

“I’ll remind you of something important, seeing as you’re being so generous.

You and I were never friends. We never will be.

My sole and only focus is to keep my mate safe, and until you can tell me why it is that you want my mate in your inner circle, I’m going to caution Ant to ignore your advances no matter what gifts those approaches come with.

You don’t have to understand why, just understand where I’m coming from. ”

“You vampires are so cynical.” Carmine’s laugh rang hollow. “Can’t I simply be a man who’s astute enough to have someone like Doctor Channon and yourself, as colleagues? I look after people who work for me. You know that. You’ve lived this life.

“I can only imagine what it felt like for you, no longer being part of the security the Manzano family gave you. You can have that again. I can give that to you and your mate in such a way that it will never upset Doctor Channon’s excellent reputation.

Surely, you can see. I’m as invested in ensuring he’s kept safe as you are.

“But you need to explain to him the true facts of life. Deals, like the ones between you and I, are how business gets done. You and I live in the real world, not the world of magic and make-believe that your mate is so invested in.

“Make him see sense, Viktor. You know, in the long term, being a part of the Doukas family will be the safest option.” Carmine rubbed his hands up and down his arms. “It’s getting chilly out here and I don’t have the benefits of your large coat.

Talk to Doctor Channon, let him know about my gift – as I said, no strings attached to that.

“But don’t make the mistake of taking me as someone stupid.

You and I both know you sought me out tonight for a reason, so I know you understand what I’m saying.

It’s not like I have a lot of use for magical woo-woo, but that man has a reputation that could be useful for me going forward, and I’m not discounting your talents either.

Talk to him. Convince him. You and I both know that it is the sensible thing for you both in the long term. ”

Offering another one of his fake grins, Carmine turned and made his way back to the club.

Viktor stood for a moment, absorbing what Carmine had said, and more importantly, what was implied in the things he didn’t say.

Then, with a blur, he was on his way back to Ant, leaving behind a slack-jawed passerby and a confused stray dog sniffing at where he’d been standing.

Viktor didn’t notice any of that. He was just hoping his mate was still asleep.