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I woke up later that day into a much brighter room with Vance lightly snoring behind me. Oh yeah, I could definitely get used to this. I couldn’t see the alarm clock without twisting out of his arms so I just lay there enjoying the feel of him. I don’t work on Tuesdays so I had nowhere to go but here. I was perfectly happy with the idea of staying in bed with him all day. I leaned back into his body and was disappointed to find him wearing a pair of boxers. Maybe the fact that I chose to cover myself prompted him to do the same. Damn, I didn’t think about that last night. I should’ve gone with the birthday suit. We could have picked up right where we left off…..
Vance squeezed me tighter, signaling that he was awake. “Good morning sexy,” he said. “How long have you been up?”
“Not too long.” I replied. “You got in so late I didn’t want to move and risk waking you.”
“Well, it sure was a nice way to wake up, seeing you in my bed. I’ve wanted you here since the first night we met.”
Wow, that was pretty forward. And I can’t say I hated it. I pulled his arms into me and kissed his forearm. I reached back to suggestively lay my hand on his thigh, waiting for permission.
Groaning he said, “Karli, as much as I like your idea right now, I really have to get back to the station. If you move your hand any closer, that’s not going to happen.”
Feeling a little embarrassed, I removed my hand. “Sorry.”
“Don’t ever apologize for touching me like that. I just need to get back into work. I have to find this damn thing before it hurts another girl. We got a really good lead last night that I need to look into. The fact that you are lying in my bed right now is making it hard enough to leave.”
I turned around to face him and smiled. God, he even looked perfect first thing in the morning. So not fair! “What kind of lead?” I asked.
“The victim had a fresh entry stamp from Voyeur-Gasm on her hand.” He replied. “She had to have been there within hours of her murder. I stopped by the bar to talk to Leo last night and he’s having them pull some security footage. They’re sending the films over to his penthouse this morning. Since he can’t leave the building until dusk, I’m going to meet him there. Speaking of Leo, he told me about the strange noise in the bar the other night. Were you there?”
“Um, yeah. It was right after closing.” Quick, change the subject. “So, if I understand you correctly…you’re going to see Leo right now? To watch a bunch of people having sex?”
“No Karli,” he chided. “I’m going to see the owner of the club to look for possible suspects. Most of the people who go to that place are regulars. There is a high probability that Leo will be able to name anyone she was with. I want to see who this girl made contact with during the hours prior to her death. Trust me that bastard is the last person I want to spend time with but I really think this is going to fill in some pretty big gaps. In case you hadn’t heard, the noise at Pixie Dust turned out to be nothing.” He gave me a brief kiss on the lips as he was getting out of bed. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “I’m going to get some coffee started. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like.”
I briefly visited the bathroom after he left and walked out into the great room wearing my clothes from last night. I found him standing in the kitchen and went over to accept the cup of coffee he was offering. I took a sip and asked, “So how long have you lived here?”
“A little over seven years.” He replied.
“I was looking at your pictures last night. It seems like you’ve lived a pretty full life. A very long life. How old are you anyway?”
He chuckled and said, “Do you have a problem with old geezers?”
“Vance, I’m serious! When were you born?”
“I was born in 1906.” I knew it!
“Are those your parents in the old sepia toned photo?” I asked.
“Yes. That picture was taken when I was sixteen, shortly before I left for Faerie.”
“Where are they now?”
“They were killed.” He replied. “They were murdered by a Chicago crime family, two days before I returned. They strongly encouraged my parents to prepare potions that would remove someone’s free will. When they refused, a contract was put out on their heads to set the example for the rest of the supes in the area. I found them lying in our home, in cold blood, with close range gunshot wounds to the head.”
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“Oh my God Vance, I am so sorry. I can’t imagine. Did they ever catch their killers?”
“No,” he said. “The mob had too many cops on their payroll. That’s partly why I moved out here. The same family responsible for my parents’ deaths is the one who built some of the first hotels on the Strip. I came out here trying to stop the rising mafia influence in its tracks. Unfortunately, I arrived about a decade too late to make any real progress, though not for lack of trying. Thankfully, the problem eventually took care of itself.”
“Wow. I had no idea.” I paused for a moment to digest that. “Why did you stay?”
“Because I had to get out of Chicago. There were too many bad memories there. I needed to start a new life and Vegas gave me that opportunity.”
“Did you ever marry?” I asked, thinking about the picture of him wearing a tux.
His jaw twitched a little before he replied. “Yes. Her name was Maria. She was human.”
“What happened?” Now he was definitely clenching his jaw. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. Forget I said anything.”
