Page 72 of Grayson’s Challenge

She disconnected the call and looked at him. “What’s Wesley’s number?”

“I’ll call him for you.” Grayson clicked on Wesley’s number on his cell phone. It rang once, then Wesley picked up.

“Hey, Grayson, miss me?” His voice came through the car’s speakers.

“It’s Monique,” she said. “Wes, I just spoke to the voodoo practitioner I was telling you about. She’s on her way to the palace to meet with you. Can you please work with her and see if you can get a location spell working?”

“I’ll definitely give it a try. Just don’t expect too much,” Wesley cautioned. “As I said, certain magic doesn’t work when it comes to vampires.”

“I know. But it’s worth a try.”

“I’ll give it my best shot,” Wesley promised and disconnected the call.

Grayson reached for Monique’s hand. “We have a few irons in the fire now. Something will pan out.”

It had to.

31

“Cesar Menendez?” Grayson asked into the intercom of the small, dilapidated apartment building in the Outer Mission neighborhood.

Monique let her gaze wander. The neighborhood was busy and colorful. There were several shops on the same block as the apartment building. Outside one grocery store, boxes of fruits and vegetables were stacked on the sidewalk, and shoppers were perusing the wares.

“Who wants to know?”

The man sounded scratchy and annoyed. It appeared that the doorbell had awakened him.

“I doubt my name will mean anything to you. Let’s just say a friend from Grass Valley sent me. I have a mutually beneficial proposition for you.”

There was a brief pause, then the buzzer sounded. Grayson opened the door and ushered her inside.

“I’m surprised he let us in,” Monique said.

Grayson smirked. “He’s probably curious about my proposition.”

“Which is?”

“I’ll let him live if he answers my questions.”

They walked up to the third floor, where one of the apartment doors was open a few inches. A vampire peered out into the windowless hallway. She noticed how he ran his eyes over her, the lecherous glint in them giving her the creeps.

“May we come in?” Grayson asked. “I’d rather not discuss our business out here.”

Slowly, Cesar nodded and opened the door wider. “Mi casa es su casa.”

Monique followed Grayson into the flat, and Cesar closed the door behind them. She glanced around. It was a one-bedroom flat with old furniture and dark curtains in front of the windows. The lights were on in the tiny hallway and the living room, where Grayson now turned around and looked at Cesar.

“So, who in Grass Valley sent you?”

“It’s not so much that somebody from Grass Valley sent us,” Grayson started. “Rather, we’d like to talk to you about a friend of yours there, Rufus.”

Cesar narrowed his eyes and scoffed. “He’s no friend of mine.”

“That’s not what I heard. Apparently, you two were pretty chummy when you were in prison. And you were released about the same time.”

“That doesn’t make us friends.” He pointed to the door. “Get out.”

Monique noticed the resentment emanating from Cesar, and made an educated guess as to what had caused this hostility. “I guess Rufus didn’t keep his promises to you, did he? Did he owe you a favor and didn’t deliver? Is that why you can’t stand him now?”