Page 81 of Dark Obsession

“All right, Bonker, what more do you have to tell us that I had to drive all the way back to Spooky Hollow tonight?” Jugs said.

Demmy took a breath and let it out. “We’ve learned some things over the weekend that we needed to share with all of you.” He paused, then said, “We have another vampire problem.”

The response from Demmy’s statement was as Cody expected. Even though he’d told Jugs about everything that morning, Jugs was leaning into the drama of it, Agatha trying to get him to calm down as she asked more questions herself. Tracey, Clarabell, and Ollie were all professionally curious, and Lucia and Zenona sat stoically tight-lipped. Cody’s brother, Dave, got up and stood beside him.

“How bad is it?” Dave asked in a low voice.

“Better than last time in some ways. Worse in others.”

“That’s a hell of a non-answer, big brother.”

Cody gave him a half-smile. “It’s a very fluid situation.”

“Is that a blood joke?”

“You didn’t like it?”

“I’ve heard better.” Dave paused before saying, “It was a bad blood joke.”

Cody groaned.

“Okay, everybody,” Demmy finally said, raising his hands for the group’s attention. “Here are the details as we know them.”

Cody watched him as Demmy explained about The Rusty Screw, the rules Marlowe had for the place, and how she strictly enforced them. Demmy was in his element, delivering information and keeping everyone aligned and on task. How the hell had a football knucklehead like himself gotten so lucky?

“Can this Marlowe be trusted?” Agatha asked.

“Can any vampire be trusted?” Jugs said with a harsh bark of a laugh. He caught Cody giving him an intense look and frowned, not understanding. Cody flicked his eyes toward Zenona, who had averted her eyes from them all, then he stared harder at Jugs. When he understood, Jugs swallowed and sank back into the couch.

“We have had a vampire ally in the past,” Demmy said. “Dr. Michael Graham gave his life helping us stop Xavier and Aldrik from taking over the town.”

Cody checked on Zenona. She was now looking at her hands knotted in her lap. He needed to talk with her soon. He didn’t like how they’d left things between them.

“What does Marlowe want?” Ollie asked. “And how many vampires does she…” He made a face and gave a little shrug. “Serve, I guess?”

“I don’t know much about her or The Rusty Screw,” Demmy admitted. “Except that it’s been there for over a hundred years, and Marlowe has a unique arrangement with the owner of the neighboring farm.” Demmy looked at Zenona, but she wouldn’t meet his eye. After a few seconds, Demmy said, “Zenona, would you like to fill the group in on what you know?”

Everyone’s attention zeroed in on her. Zenona bit her lower lip and shook her head a couple of times, but finally raised her eyes to meet Demmy’s. “You’re going to make me do it?”

“I’m not forcing anyone to do anything,” Demmy replied, a bit of an edge to his voice that surprised, impressed, and, to be honest, turned Cody’s crank. “I asked if you would be willing to tell us all what you’ve learned about Marlowe and the bar since you found out about it yourself.”

She looked around the room and, with a sigh, she slid to the edge of the love seat. Tonight, her hair didn’t have as much body as it had the night before, and she’d pulled it back into a small bun low on the back of her head. Her skin was paler, and her energy definitely felt lower. He wondered if being off Fang caused withdrawal symptoms.

“After Michael died last year, I felt pretty lost. I had become very close with him.”

“Zenona…” Tracey said, rubbing a hand up and down her back. “Why didn’t you talk with us?”

She laughed bitterly. “And say what? I was grieving a vampire I’d fallen in love with?”

“Oh, damn,” Jugs said quietly. “In love?”

“That’s exactly what you should have said,” Clarabell said. “Because we’re your friends, and we want to know how you’re feeling.”

Demmy had stepped closer to Cody when Zenona started speaking, and now he took his hand and squeezed. Cody saw tears shining in his eyes, and he squeezed back, feeling his own eyes burning.

“Well, I didn’t think you’d…I mean, I did think about talking about it, I just didn’t think anyone wanted to hear it.” Zenona cleared her throat. “Anyway, I found a journal he’d been keeping.”

“That must be a hell of a read,” Jugs said. “How old was he?”