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I went in and found him still at the bar, sucking down another drink. I pushed it away from him and he turned to scowl at me. ‘What are you doing? Where’s that man I was talking to?”
“He had to go.”
“That was a little sudden, wasn’t it?”
“You have no idea.”
He huffed out a breath. “Look, I was enjoying my evening, Detective, or whatever it is you are. I know you’re not a Fulton County detective like you said you were.”
“I never said that. You assumed. You know what assume does, don’t you, Jace?”
He shot me a dirty look. “I was about to go home with that gentlemen to sample some of his tequila, which he assured me was of top shelf quality and he’d be glad to share with me.”
“Oh, I’ll just bet he did.”
“Anyway, I’m a big boy, you know. I can take care of myself.”
“How much have you had to drink tonight?”
“Not enough.”
“No, that’s where you’re wrong. You need to go home. I’ll call you a taxi.”
“Not if I call you one first,” he quipped, apparently under the delusion he was funny. Why do drunks always think they’re such great wits? He slid off the stool and danced away from me, smiling. “Seriously, I don’t need a taxi. I have my car in the lot.”
I narrowed my eyes at him until it felt like they were just slits in my face. “I know you don’t think you’re driving home as fucked up as you are,” I said.
He stopped smiling. “Oh.” Some still marginally sober part of his brain kicked in as it struck him that whatever I was, I still just might be a cop. I knew the actual police had contacted him by this time, but he didn’t really know who I was. At least there was enough doubt in his mind to make him hesitate.
“Right. ‘Course not.” He pulled out his phone and peered down at it. “I’ll get an Uber. No problem.”
I stood there staring at him while he pulled up the app and showed it to me, then turned and called to the bartender. “What’s the name and address of this place again so I can put it in for my uber?” The bartender looked at him oddly.
“The app shows where you are, man. Haven’t you used it before?”
I rolled my eyes as he blushed and fiddled with his phone some more. He looked up at me and shrugged.
“I don’t take a lot of ubers.”
“What about when you lived in New York?”
“No, I just rode the subway. This is good though. I’ll just use the app.” He fiddled with his phone some more and then smiled up at me and tried to look trustworthy. I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. Which come to think of it would be pretty far, considering what a lightweight he was. And I might do just that if he pulled any shit like thinking he could fool me and drive himself home anyway.
Still smiling at me, he drifted back over to his friends and spoke to them, then gave us all a jaunty wave and a fucking stupid little salute, as he headed out to the sidewalk, presumably to wait for his Uber. I rejoined Vanessa and she gave me a big smile and tucked her arm in mine again. She was soft in all the right places and smelled damn good. Hopefully, we’d eliminated the threat anyway. If the asshole I’d staked was a lone vampire operating in the area, we’d destroyed him. If not, our cover was blown anyway. Might as well relax and enjoy the evening. Meanwhile, Vanessa was a nice girl, and she obviously was up for whatever I wanted to do that evening, so what the fuck was I doing worrying about a punk like O’Neal?
I glanced through the front window at him and sure enough, he was watching me. The waitress brought us a round that Vanessa had ordered and Theo came over to join us. I got distracted for a minute or two, and when I turned back to glance out the window again, the little son-of-a-bitchwas gone. The Uber had probably come for him. At that point, any responsibility I had for him was over. My responsibility for him was over.
I’d done the right thing and tried to save him from killing himself or somebody else by trying to drive as drunk as he was. And if another vampire had been watching and waiting outside, then let him handle it himself. I wasn’t his damn keeper and his own personal vampire slayer. So now I could relax and enjoy my evening, right? Right?
Shit.
I stood up and made an excuse to Conway and Vanessa, promised I’d be back soon and despite Conway’s knowing look and his shake of his head, and despite Vanessa urging me to stay, I took off outside to look around for Jace.
He was nowhere in sight, so I headed toward his office building, which I knew was just up the street from the bar. I had already been there twice before to ask questions about Jace, so I knew where he parked his car. I headed toward his parking garage and saw him right away, sitting in the big, ugly Buick he drove.
He was behind the wheel, maybe wondering if he should chance driving home. Decision apparently made, he started the motor just as I came up to the side of the car. I knocked on the window and he jumped like he’d been shot.
Believe me, I was tempted.
