trench coat; Charles realized it was the first time he’d seen Star wear anything that wouldn’t get her arrested on the street for indecent exposure.
Fred frowned. “It’s not sexism to note that men are usually stronger than women. It’s a fact of existence.”
“Usually.”
“Did you see anything, Fred? Star?” asked Charles, impatiently. He didn’t have time for a chat on sexual dimorphism in Homo sapiens .
“No, she was lying on the ground when we drove up,” Fred said. Star nodded in affirmation.
“She left in a car,” added the platinum blonde.
Damn, and double damn. There wasn’t anything he could do about it now. Why would Doreen, who’d been so gentle with him, attack this petite woman? It didn’t make sense. He couldn’t see any bite marks, either.
“I’m Charles,” he told the woman. “I’m one of the dungeon monitors at Dark Xanadu. If you don’t want an ambulance, let’s at least get you inside and get you cleaned up. I’ve a friend who’s a nurse. We can get her to look you over, all right?”
“I’m Carla. And that sounds good.” She took Charles’ offer of a hand helping her up. Star moved behind her and found a way to put her arm around Carla’s shoulder without touching any of the scrapes.
“What started the fight?” he asked as the two of them helped Carla inside.
Carla’s eyes narrowed. “There wasn’t anything. We were just talking, and she started hitting on my boyfriend. So I said, cut it out, and she shoves me. That was it.”
Hitting on her boyfriend. Did Doreen still need to feed? “So where’s the boyfriend now?”
“They left in a car.”
“Together?”
“Yeah. The bitch.”
Charles thought if he were the girl he’d be more angry at the boyfriend. They maneuvered Carla through the door and through the waiting room. He didn’t have to signal Genna, because she came running the moment she saw them.
Something still didn’t fit right. “You two came in his car?” he asked her.
Carla nodded, and then grimaced.
“And they left in his car?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of car was it?”
“Hi,” said Genna, interrupting. “I’m a nurse. Let’s go to the girl’s room and get you cleaned up, shall we?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Charles wanted to demand a description the car, but Genna and Carla went off together. He glanced at his watch. Kent was supposed to come by and pick him up in a few minutes, and they were going to go meet with Pemberton. Pemberton had promised Kent some answers, but had insisted Charles be at the meeting. The whole thing smelled like a trap, but he notably hadn’t asked for Doreen to be there, which would have been the obvious thing to do if Pemberton had indeed set a vampire after her and wanted her captured or dead for some reason.
He remembered Kent’s words. “Pemberton can and will steal your memories if he thinks you’re a threat. But I don’t think he’ll kill you. He’s got too much finesse for that, and he wants to keep the peace with me because he thinks I’m useful to him as an executioner for vamps gone rogue.”
If Kent executed vampires for Pemberton, why hadn’t Pemberton set him on Doreen? He was certainly willing, judging by how he had gone for his katana the moment he saw her. Could he trust Kent? Last week, he would have said he could trust Kent with his life, before the subjects of blocked out memories came up, and before he’d seen Kent grab a sword to kill Doreen. And now this bit about being a vampire executioner. It was a lot to take in.
For that matter, could he trust Doreen? He certainly wanted to, but she wasn’t making it easy. But he hadn’t heard her side of the story of what happened in the parking lot. Maybe even if he heard it, he wouldn’t understand, but he wasn’t going to judge her without hearing her first.
He waited for Genna to come out of the ladies’ room, but she waved him off. She looked pretty pissed at him, and he supposed he couldn’t blame her.
Fred frowned. “It’s not sexism to note that men are usually stronger than women. It’s a fact of existence.”
“Usually.”
“Did you see anything, Fred? Star?” asked Charles, impatiently. He didn’t have time for a chat on sexual dimorphism in Homo sapiens .
“No, she was lying on the ground when we drove up,” Fred said. Star nodded in affirmation.
“She left in a car,” added the platinum blonde.
Damn, and double damn. There wasn’t anything he could do about it now. Why would Doreen, who’d been so gentle with him, attack this petite woman? It didn’t make sense. He couldn’t see any bite marks, either.
“I’m Charles,” he told the woman. “I’m one of the dungeon monitors at Dark Xanadu. If you don’t want an ambulance, let’s at least get you inside and get you cleaned up. I’ve a friend who’s a nurse. We can get her to look you over, all right?”
“I’m Carla. And that sounds good.” She took Charles’ offer of a hand helping her up. Star moved behind her and found a way to put her arm around Carla’s shoulder without touching any of the scrapes.
“What started the fight?” he asked as the two of them helped Carla inside.
Carla’s eyes narrowed. “There wasn’t anything. We were just talking, and she started hitting on my boyfriend. So I said, cut it out, and she shoves me. That was it.”
Hitting on her boyfriend. Did Doreen still need to feed? “So where’s the boyfriend now?”
“They left in a car.”
“Together?”
“Yeah. The bitch.”
Charles thought if he were the girl he’d be more angry at the boyfriend. They maneuvered Carla through the door and through the waiting room. He didn’t have to signal Genna, because she came running the moment she saw them.
Something still didn’t fit right. “You two came in his car?” he asked her.
Carla nodded, and then grimaced.
“And they left in his car?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of car was it?”
“Hi,” said Genna, interrupting. “I’m a nurse. Let’s go to the girl’s room and get you cleaned up, shall we?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Charles wanted to demand a description the car, but Genna and Carla went off together. He glanced at his watch. Kent was supposed to come by and pick him up in a few minutes, and they were going to go meet with Pemberton. Pemberton had promised Kent some answers, but had insisted Charles be at the meeting. The whole thing smelled like a trap, but he notably hadn’t asked for Doreen to be there, which would have been the obvious thing to do if Pemberton had indeed set a vampire after her and wanted her captured or dead for some reason.
He remembered Kent’s words. “Pemberton can and will steal your memories if he thinks you’re a threat. But I don’t think he’ll kill you. He’s got too much finesse for that, and he wants to keep the peace with me because he thinks I’m useful to him as an executioner for vamps gone rogue.”
If Kent executed vampires for Pemberton, why hadn’t Pemberton set him on Doreen? He was certainly willing, judging by how he had gone for his katana the moment he saw her. Could he trust Kent? Last week, he would have said he could trust Kent with his life, before the subjects of blocked out memories came up, and before he’d seen Kent grab a sword to kill Doreen. And now this bit about being a vampire executioner. It was a lot to take in.
For that matter, could he trust Doreen? He certainly wanted to, but she wasn’t making it easy. But he hadn’t heard her side of the story of what happened in the parking lot. Maybe even if he heard it, he wouldn’t understand, but he wasn’t going to judge her without hearing her first.
He waited for Genna to come out of the ladies’ room, but she waved him off. She looked pretty pissed at him, and he supposed he couldn’t blame her.
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