Page 66 of Missing Piece
Agonizing pain seared through every nerve as Richard sucked at the wound. He tried to scream but no sound emerged as Richard’s hand clamped over his mouth.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The strange tightness in his chest returned as Tariq announced closing time over the speakers. Vincent checked his watch and frowned—Adam still wasn’t back. His human was slower with the crutch, but that slow? Unless Ophelia was giving him shit and keeping him at the bar for the sole purpose of tormenting him for her own amusement. That was definitely something she would do.
He should just wait patiently, not that patience had ever been a skill he mastered, and trust that Adam was coming back. That was the right thing to do. A new way to do things, like Marcus and Luka had said to.He’s still here in this club, he hasn’t run away. He’s coming back. My Adam is coming back,he told himself. The rest of him didn’t want to listen. The muscles in his legs twitched rapidly, like his beast wanted him to go find Adam and drag him back kicking and screaming if needed.
No, I’m not doing that. He’s coming back.
“You look occupied,” Petrov said, kicking one foot onto the round table in front of the curved couch. “It is time for relaxing. When was last time we all were here?”
Vincent fidgeted with the buttons on his vest, trying to make his face relax. He didn’t want the brothers to noticehis preoccupation, but after keeping up appearances with the other vampires who came to discuss the usual exchange of favors, he felt drained. Away from his home, in front of people that were used to seeing him a certain way, when he just wanted to go relax with a drink in front of the fireplace. Preferably with Adam.
I should buy a TV for the den. He can stay warm and be comfortable on the couch…I’ll move the coffee table so it’s easier for him to get around the room with the crutch for now.The thought made his chest flutter. He rubbed a knuckle over his sternum, trying to loosen the feeling.
“Vincent?”
He blinked a few times, trying to force himself to answer. Why was he so distracted? “I’m fine,” he finally answered, straightening up on the couch as his pocket buzzed.
«He’s worried about Adam.» Luka grinned.
«Fuck off,» Vincent said as Matteo nodded in agreement.
«I’d be worried too, there were a lot of out of town people in this club tonight, they might not know which boundaries to respect,» Matteo said before tapping his nose. «Maybe ten?»
It was no surprise that other vampires came around Club Euphoria from out of town. Any vampire with a halfway decent understanding of their world knew the town was a good place to stop when traveling, particularly if they were without a trial or regular blood supply. Even some of the old ones found their way into Euphoria or Wild Side with a surprising amount of respect and grace for the rules he and Marcus had established.
And if they didn’t respect those rules, well, there were others to help police that. But it had been years since that was needed.
Still, that thought nagged at Vincent’s chestagain. How many out of towners were lurking around outside of the club waiting to grab a last-minute drunken snack?
What if Adam was out there?
He grabbed his phone from his pocket as he stood up, glancing down to see who messaged him while he tried to convince himself not to run out of the room as fast as he could and possibly terrify any lingering club-goers. He paused. There were no new notifications on the screen. “What—”
His pocket vibrated again. Vincent’s eyes widened as he realized it was the other phone.
«When did you get another phone?» Luka asked as Vincent pulled it from his interior pocket.
LeBlanc: I’m here.
Petrov stood up fast enough that the round table tilted and shoved forward. “What is it?”
Luka tapped his ear. «Someone is coming.» Matteo nodded in agreement and tapped his nose again.
Richard is here. That bastard is here.
«Go get Adam,» he signed, his eyes locked on the gaudy silver curtain that separated the private room from the rest of the hallway. The sound of quiet footsteps stopped right in front of it.
A man with the fakest smile Vincent had ever seen strode into the room, his cheeks oddly rosy despite the fact that the sound of his heartbeat was barely there. He placed his hands on his hips as he eyed each one of them. “Well, well, well. Quite the gathering you have here,” he declared, his southern accent thick and dripping with poison honey.
«Who the fuck are you?»Matteo demanded.
Vincent’s jaw tightened as he signed swiftly to the brothers, «Go find Adam. Ensure he is safe.»
Luka, Matteo, and Petrov exchanged glances before all three of them awkwardly nodded at him. They didn’t want to leave, probably because Vincent had been abnormally silent about what was happening out in the country. But this wasn’t about them, and he needed them to go make sure Adam was safe.
God, I hope he’s okay.
