I shook my head. “You wouldn’t find a material payoff. Worshippers feed off the love of their god. Like in ancient Egypt, this man who jumped, he was more likely to bring gifts to those he adored.”
She thought about that for a moment. “If only there’d been an altar or something like that to tip me off. But his place was cleared out. Even his computer was wiped. Someone covered up.”
“Your instincts were right to investigate.” Sometimes I worried I’d given her more than she could handle. But Osiris had tasked her with assisting on this matter, and she took that seriously. He’d appointed us with discovering who was trying to upset the balance among immortals. He must have known her skills as a former bounty hunter would be of use in this situation.
Vivien slumped down into her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. “If I hadn’t been all screwed up after watching him jump, if I hadn’t been so hot to get the fake sword to you, I might have made it in time to recover some information.”
I wished I weren’t driving so I could touch her, draw her face to mine. “You may be immortal, you may be a vampire, but you are not immune to trauma. Death has been at the center of my existence, but I keenly recognize that is not the case for everyone. It must have been disturbing.”
Her throat visibly bobbed as she swallowed hard. “Disturbing. That’s the right word.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” The silence spanned as Vivien sank into her feelings next to me. Before she could spiral too much, I asked, “So where are we dining?”
Vivien had put the directions into the GPS, but I’d no earthly idea where we were headed or what the plan was. Before her, existence had been nothing but routine and duty. But since I met her, she had filled every day with light and life.
A mischievous smile spread across her face, chasing away the shadows. “Who says we’re going to dinner?”
“I just assumed…”
Usually, our date nights centered around food, as that was Vivien’s passion. For someone who drank blood for sustenance, she had not given up on being a foodie.
I pulled the car into a parking lot, as the GPS indicated we reached our destination. We arrived at a mecca of strip malls with varying businesses and restaurants, and I couldn’t begin to guess which she had in mind. She directed me to park at the far end of the lot, prolonging the mystery.
Last time she chose, we ended up at an indoor paintball arena that was open after dark. Even after we decimated the group of teenagers matched against us, the kids gathered to take selfies with me and the woman they’d adoringly referred to as Ninja Warrior Punk Queen. She begged me to call her that in bed ever since.
“Okay,” Vivien ran her fingers along center console. “So food is an element, but we are more here for the floor show than for the food.”
“We are attending a show?” I asked, opening the door. I walked around and opened hers, offering a hand to help her out of the car.
“In a way,” she said, turning me to face the all-black building. Even the windows were darkened.
Reading the sign above the building’s entrance, I didn’t understand right away. “Noshing Noir?”
“Everyone has been so nosey about our lives, paparazzi and crazy posts trying to figure out who the hell I am, I figured we wouldn’t have to worry about being seen here.”
“Because no one has ever heard of this hole-in-the-wall place before?” I asked, wrapping an arm around her waist while slipping my other hand in my pocket.
“No, you big snob.” She smacked my chest. “It’s a dining-in-the-dark restaurant. The waitstaff wears night vision goggles in a pitch-black room. It forces people to really focus with their other senses.”
“Vivien…we can both see in the dark.”
There was that devilish grin again. “Exactly. We can see, but no one will see us. It’s going to be a blast.”
I couldn’t help but let out a low, throaty laugh. “Have I told you how infectious your enthusiasm is?”
“Aw baby, you mean it?” She rested her head against my chest. “Like how infectious? Ebola-level?”
I simply shook my head, not rising to the bait. We entered and after a bit of stuttering from the flabbergasted hostess, she led us into the dining room, night vision goggles on her face.
Indeed, Vivien had drawn me into a novel experience. The things people did when they didn’t think they were being watched was astounding. Most of the others in the restaurant were couples on date nights themselves. A young woman didn’t bother to hide her disgust as her date waxed poetic about how much money he made at his job, and how he knew the owner of the restaurant. She flipped him the bird and flapped her hand to mock his nonstop prattling.
“Kay, I don’t think I can do this,” a man said. The hushed anxiety came from the couple next to us. They’d been seated only moments ago, but I could sense the tension.
The man reached across the table in search of her hand, but she gripped the napkin in her lap.
“I know, Michael,” she said, anxiety making her voice tight. “I thought this would be fun, mix things up, but I’m feeling a little claustrophobic.”
Vivien and I exchanged a look, able to perfectly see and hear.
