Free King's Blood: Vampire Lust (A Serial Novel, Part 3) by P.J. Day Page B

conversations on my desktop. I checked in on Holly through the door to see if she was al l right. Predictably, I noticed some dirtbag with a shaved head and an Ed Hardy tee-shirt begin to strike up a conversation with her. She exhibited an uncomfortable posture while flashing polite smiles at the aggressive flirt. Nothing she couldn’t handle I thought. I continued my conversation without worrying too much.
    “ Did you find it?”
    “ Who the hell is Roe7163? They claim to know who you are?” asked Ted in a perplexed tone.
    “ Yeah, weird, huh?”
    “ You’re not thinking of meeting them, are you?”
    “ Of course not; I want you to meet them, if the situation presents itself.”
    “ What? There is no fucking way I’m doing that. Especially, with all the potential snoops running around.”
    “ Just put on the little outfit you had on at the coffee shop earlier today and scope out the scene, then report back to me.”
    “ No way, no how, man.”
    “ Ted—”
    “ What? I told you I don’t want to involve myself with potentially dangerous situations anymore.”
    “ You’re leaving me behind. You’re leaving me to fend for myself, knowing full well that I’m vulnerable.”
    “ Are you giving me a guilt trip?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ Jack...” Ted said, in his usual whiny voice for situations like these.
    “ Come on, one last favor...promise.”
    “ I thought getting you in the club was the last favor?”
    “ That was the second-to-last favor. You owe me a lot of favors, quite frankly. Believe me, this won’t be your last favor, either.”
    There was a small pause in our conversation knowing Ted was struggling with my request. However, I had bailed him out of many situations in the past, and I was bailing him out before he left for Los Angeles by hiding him in my room and lying to my company in regard to his whereabouts. If they found out that I was lying and harboring an extremely valuable and AWOL employee, I might be fired.
    “ 49ers hat? Okay, I’ll go. I will not engage unless I know it’s safe.”
    “ Definitely. See, you got what it takes to be a spy. You want to reconsider your decision on leaving?”
    “ No, I’m leaving, quit trying to butter me up. If I engage, what do you want me to say?”
    “ Tell them I sent you. Tell them I had business dealings I had to take care of. Just find out what they want and who they are and let me know as soon as possible.”
    “ What if there’s trouble?”
    “ There won’t be. They want to see me. If they hurt you, they won’t be able to get whatever they want out of me. Plus, in my gut, it doesn’t sound like a dangerous situation. It’s a public place after all.”
    “ All right. Hey, what if they follow me or something?”
    “ Let them follow you. Odds are I won’t be at the Peninsula tonight anyway.”
    Ted wooed loudly on the phone.
    “I knew you weren’t coming back. You stud you!”
    “ Shh...they are going to hear you in the room, be discreet, dammit! Also, it’s not what you think. The night is going very well. Okay, it is what you think but Holly is different.”
    “ Jack King is falling for a girl?”
    “ No, look... I’ll let you in on the details tomorrow.”
    “ I can’t wait for the details, oh boy!”
    “ Ted, cut it out.”
    “ Does she know about your condition?”
    “ Kind of. I’ll let you know tomorrow. “
    “ I’ll scope out the situation and I’ll have a report as soon as possible. Keep your phone on.”
    “ Thanks, man. Keep me in the loop.”
    “ Roger that. Get some blood, buddy!”
    “ Later, man,” I said in an annoyed tone, as I hung up the phone.
    I walked through the door and out of the smoke-filled patio. Holly now had two dirtbags, instead of one, harassing her at the bar. The other one was also in his 20’s, had a cheap suit on with a cheesy gold chain. Immediately, I felt as if I was in a stereotypically bad action movie that took place in a far off Asian metropolis.
    “ Hello gentlemen,” I