Page 57 of The Vampire’s Prey

I look up and see a cute waitress leaning over to take my order. Her breasts almost spill out of her top as she rests her arm on the bar to write down what my order is. Disgust rolls through me. She has so much potential. Instead of being fulfilled as wife and mother, she’s here, using her wares to snare unsuspecting men then blaming them when they take her up on her offer. It takes effort, but I put a smile on my face and look at her name tag.

"Well Barbara, you can tell me if you've seen another waitress around here? Evangeline?"

Her eyes light up. "Well of course, I've seen her! She's my bestie. Are you a friend of hers?"

"I'm her brother, actually.” Her smile widens even more.

"Well, she doesn’t talk about any relatives. I just assumed she had no family left, and that's why she's out here in the middle of nowhere."

Chuckling, I look around and lean in close. "She doesn't like to talk about us. We're the odd ones."

She laughs and lays a hand on my arm. It takes every ounce of willpower to not peel her fingers off of me. How dare she touch me like this. Like she’s familiar with me. This whore probably touches everyone intimately and lets them touch her. No way she hasn't let a vamp sample her wares.

"Well, she's a little odd herself. So, you must be good company. Sorry though. I haven't seen her in several days. I was told she's coming back soon though. Adrian is bringing her with him."

Adrian? Red flashes before my eyes. Who the hell is Adrian, and what is he doing with my Evangeline? Sighing, I blank my face of any emotion and smack my forehead.

"That's right. She did mention something like that. I must have read the dates wrong.” Pulling out my phone, I pretend to scroll through it. "Heck. I think I deleted that message. Do you think you can tell me again where Adrian lives? I came in early, but I really want to surprise her. Her birthday is tomorrow.”

Barbara looks around the club for a few moments, her brows drawn in a deep frown.

"I don't know. I—"

Reaching out, I grab her hand and bring it to my chest. "She’ll be so surprised, Barbara. I bet she didn't even tell you when her birthday was. She'll be so tickled that I made a fuss. I was trying to coordinate something with Adrian, but I didn't want her to know about any of it. You know, surprise party and all."

She bites down on her lower lip, deep in thought for a few moments.

"And I'll be sure to tell her that her bestie was a great help. In fact, you can help me plan it, if you want."

Her eyes light up again. Excellent.

"Really? I just love planning surprises. Now, I don't have his address, but I do have his number! You know what! Sometimes Maria comes in for some supplies for him. I think she's coming tonight! Oh, this is just perfect!"

"Perfect indeed! I'll just wait for Maria and talk to her!"

She leans in and whispers. "Don't tell Adrian I said this, but he would be nowhere without Maria. So, it's best to plan with her anyway."

Winking, I sit back in my chair, fully prepared to wait. A few moments later, my phone dings. Evangeline still hasn’t answered my last text. She always texts me back. Unbidden, images of her intertwined with a faceless demon fills my brain. If she let him sully her, she would never hear the end of it from me. She'd be lucky if she lived.

"Everything okay? You look like you just got some bad news."

"Oh, not too bad, but I'm going to miss seeing Maria. I guess this party won't work after all."

Her face falls for a moment before she grabs a strip of receipt paper. "You can call and set up the whole thing."

I flash her my signature smile before taking the paper. "Perfect. Also, let's keep this a secret between us okay? I don't want a chance of Evangeline knowing anything."

Giggling, Barbara mimics turning a key at her lips before “tossing” it away. "You can count on me. See you soon!"

"You betcha."

She flashes me a huge grin before scrubbing at a spot on the bar. On the way out to my car, I scan the club again, looking for anything I might have missed. The only odd thing I notice is the coat closet, but then again, these degenerates would probably have sex on the bar if it were legal. Once out at my car, I pull out my laptop and input Maria's phone. If I’m lucky, she won’t have anything to interfere with me tracking her. Based on what Baraba said, I think it’s safe to assume she might be an older woman, thus less inclined to deal with technology. My prayers are answered. Within moments, her car bleeps up on my screen.

It isn’t hard to spot her among everyone else. She looked old enough to be these partygoers’ grandmother. Another point in favor of my deductive skills. I alternate between drumming my fingers against the steering wheel and gripping it tightly, waiting for Maria to come back out.

Finally. After what feels like eternity, she comes out with a package and walks over to her car. She fumbles with her keys for a moment, and I tamp down the irritation threatening to overwhelm me. It’s not her fault she’s old. I need to keep my head in the game and not let my temper get the better of me. After a few more moments, she starts up her car and pulls away from the bar. Waiting until she’s a short distance from me, I put my car in gear and follow after her.

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