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She just nodded slowly. "Mei did too. She said Thane felt like sandpaper. She'd lived in China, far away from Christianity, but close enough to know that Christians were a threat to fear. I can't imagine how it is for those who truly believed."
"Roarke was a devout Catholic," Nikki said. "His family church had this massive Celtic cross carved from an old tree. The thing was like six feet tall, he said. And what do the priests put on their arms?"
"The Celtic cross," Dahlia groaned. "Oh, that's going to be a problem."
"He's working on it," Nikki assured her. "Roarke may act like everything's a joke, but that's just how he copes. He learned that being likable meant fewer problems, and that sleeping with men meant less killing to feed." She sighed. "It really is easier for us women, you know?"
"I know," Dahlia said. "I also had a talk with Thane about us eating out."
"Is that what we're calling it now?" Nikki asked.
Dahlia nodded. "For now, yeah. See, the first time we met, Thane saw me get a little messy with a, uh, meal." She tipped her head, making it clear she meant eating a person. "But while we were in Texas, Mei and I mostly spent time on dates."
"Which is easier," Nikki agreed.
"It is," Dahlia agreed, "but I wasn't sure how he'd feel about some of our habits. When he thinks of me grabbing a bite, he assumes I'm gonna be riding some guy's dick. Maybe going out with a girl. He doesn't think of the other options, and I wasn't sure how he felt about it, so I asked."
"How'd that go?" Nikki asked.
Dahlia just blew out a heavy breath. "I honestly don't know. He says the right things, but I also know he's unable to do anything else. Without my help, the Church will go after his brother. With my help, he's basically aiding the people he always thought were his enemy. He won't say it, but I think his head's spinning a bit."
"Of course he won't say it," Nikki pointed out. "Dahlia, he's a man. He can't say that he's scared. He sure won't admit that he's confused. He needs to be strong, confident, and in control. For the most part, that's what he gives off, but that doesn't mean it's true."
Dahlia scrubbed at her face. "Everything is different with him. I can't let myself forget that he's not one of us. With Mei, it was so easy. I needed vitality and so did she. With Thane? I think he hopes that he'll be enough, but Isabella proved it won't work that way. If I do nothing but recharge with him, all it's going to do is make both of us weak enough to get caught, you know?"
"Yeah, but he seemed ok with giving Roarke that assist on your wedding night. I mean, at least the way I heard the story." Nikki tried to choose her words carefully, all too aware of how many people were sitting around them.
Dahlia laughed once. "You mean when he was across from me, watching me the whole time?"
Nikki just gestured at Dahlia, because she'd accidentally proven Nikki's point. "Yeah, about like that. It's still you with him, even if it's not youonhim. Look, my opinion is that the guy's trying to figure out what the hell you both are doing. Is he your boyfriend? Your shield brother? Just some inconvenience you have to put up with? I mean, have you stopped to tell him how you feel?"
"I don't fuckingknowhow I feel!" Dahlia shot back. "How can I tell him if I don't know myself?"
"Kinda like that," Nikki said. "All I'm saying is that you aren't on the same page. Sure, you're working for the same goal, but that goal has nothing to do with your relationship. Not really. Your lives, sure. Your future? Definitely. But it doesn't mean you're fucking him because you like talking to him, you know?"
"Yeah," Dahlia mumbled.
"Just think about it," Nikki said, seeing their food heading their way.
The pair paused as their waitress stopped to pass out their meals, but Nikki saw Dahlia's eyes jump over to another table. She seemed distracted, so when the waitress asked if they needed anything else, Nikki spoke up, promising they were fine. The crease on Dahlia's brow only got deeper.
"What?" Nikki asked once they were alone again.
"Listen," Dahlia insisted. "Those guys are talking about people going missing."
Giving up on trying to help Dahlia with her man problems, Nikki did as she asked, having to focus to hear through the chaos around them. Clearly, Dahlia wasn't that low on vitality if she could hear easily enough to pick out their words, but with enough concentration, Nikki could as well. Unfortunately, what she heard made her blood run cold.
"I know that weren't no gang shit!" a woman was saying. "That boy was a good one. He wanted to go to college! No way Deshawn would've been in a gang."
"Yeah, well, Hector sure as shit didn't jump into the Mississippi River," another said. "Cops are trying to call it a suicide, but naw. That's bullshit. They just don't care about us. If the victims aren't white, then it's not worth their time, you know?"
"No shit," a man said. "And Toni said that her sister's kid was snatched out of the back yard. Fuckingback yard, you know? And like, what are the cops doing? Not a damned thing."
With each word, Nikki's heart began to pound just a little harder. Three people missing. People were starting to talk. Yeah, this side of town was known for some pretty high crime, but a community still noticed when people began vanishing without a trace. When a lot of them did it, that was when they pulled out the pitchforks and torches.
"You think it's us?" Nikki asked.
Dahlia just shrugged. "Maybe? The problem is that the cops won't find a consistent style. There are no signs to make them think serial killer, which means a crime spree - and that will cause a crackdown."
