Page 41 of Vampires, Whiskey, and Southern Charm

This was interesting. “And now you’re a vampire.”

“No.”

“So why are you workin’ for him?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know. Just feels like what I’m supposed to do.”

My mind spun, trying to figure out what all this meant. Especially when I tied it back to my uncle’s behavior this morning. “What’s your name?”

“Charlie.”

“Charlie, did you drink Stark’s blood?”

“Not that I recall.” He kept his eyes on the road.

It was possible he just didn’t remember. “So where are the rest of your friends from that night?”

“We all work for Stark.”

“And they’re all still human,” I guessed.

“Far as I know.”

Stark lied.He’d told me that he’d turned them, that he needed thugs.

I wondered if I could milk Charlie for more information. “What can you tell me about Mr. Stark? Has he ever mentioned being afraid of wood or silver? How about holy water?”

“Stark is a good man. You should give him a chance.”

I shook my head. He was using the same words as my uncle.

He added robotically, “He will make you happy. He is your fate.”

Yep. This was a dead end. Charlie had been brainwashed, too.

I sat silently, trying to keep my nerves at level-one calmness.

We turned down a long driveway and stopped at a security gate. “The country club?”

“Yes,” replied Charlie.

It wasn’t what I expected, but this was good. It meant I wouldn’t be alone with Stark.

Once we passed the gate, Charlie drove us up the hill to the restaurant and club. I’d never been here before. It was members only, and no one in my social circle golfed.

The car stopped by the club’s entrance, which had a long walkway that cut through a well-manicured garden filled with dramatic lighting and flowering bushes. The tall beech trees had white Christmas lights wrapped around the trunks and branches. They almost looked alive.

I spotted Stark coming toward the car, and my breath stalled. He wore a tux, making him look less like a vampire and more like a dark prince of seduction. His masculine features—angular jaw, high cheekbones, and sensual lips—stood out under the lighting, giving him a dreamlike quality. Like I’d said before, few men were this beautiful.

I glanced down at my bad-girl outfit and arched a brow.Another test?I was going to stick out here for sure.

He opened my door, and I stepped out, holding my chin up high.

“You look even better than I imagined.” Stark took my hand and kissed the top with his warm lips. The heat of his skin still threw me off. The vampires in stories were ice cold all the time.

“It’s your night, so if this is what you want me to wear, fine by me.” I smiled stiffly, not letting on how uncomfortable I felt. “So, what’s the game plan? But before you answer, I don’t golf.”

“I thought you might enjoy a nice meal while I explain the events for the evening.”