Page 63 of Smokescreen (Knight & Daywalker)
CHAPTER 26
Davin was pleased.
He didn’t say that in so many words, but when I told him what I’d done, he gave this cute secretive little smile that gave me a warm fuzzy. It was weird that I cared about his opinion, but it seemed that maybe...maybe I did.
Then he reminded me that I needed to cancel the ad, and prodded me until I did it right there in front of him.
It was weird how well he seemed to know me after less than a week.
I decided to accompany him to Doc’s place, for dozens of reasons. Not least among them was that I wanted to be there as a buffer in case there were any issues. I’d known Doc my whole life, and he was a good guy. I was already sure Davin was too. But I knew that Davin, at least, was inclined to take offense from vampires, and Doc was sometimes blunt in that way that rubbed people wrong. Not the “this is my excuse to be an asshole” way, but the “you look terrible, what’s wrong?” way.
I wasn’t going to let any preconceived notions keep them from being friendly.
The gate was already open when we arrived, probably since we’d told Doc we were coming out, so Davin drove the Camaro right up to the front of his house.
When we got out, Doc was staring at the damn car, amusement on his face. He raised a brow at me. “She give him your favorite car just to piss you off, kiddo?”
I scowled at that, but turned to Davin. “See? What did I tell you?”
He threw his hands up before turning back to the car, opening the back seat and grabbing the bags of tools and stuff he’d brought along. “I refuse to get between you and your mam. I respect her and also find her utterly bleedin’ terrifying. You, I...I like. I will not be a part of this fight. And I’ll remind you that Iboughtthe car from her.”
Doc grinned at him, looking utterly charmed. “Look at you. A vampire with common sense. Don’t find too many of those. I’m Carson Boone.”
“Davin Byrne.” While he’d responded in kind, my poor new partner looked nervous as hell. I wondered just how many vampires had been shitty to him, to instill this complete distrust of them.
Doc lifted a brow, cocking his head. “Burning down the house?”
I jerked back, not sure what to make of—but Davin was laughing.
“Me mam was a fan. Don’t know why she didn’t just call me David, but I can’t say I’ve had a vampire notice it before either.”
Doc snorted and shook his head. “I’m not surprised. Most of them think of modern things as inconveniences. They’re not interested in music or art made after their own deaths. I think it’s the old human conceit about how the world should stop when you die. Fiona always says there’s a reason most of us only live a few hundred years. What’s the point of going on, whenlife has no novelty left? No joy?” He sighed sadly, as though considering his fellow vamps as creatures worthy of pity.
That was weird. I looked between the two of them for a moment before settling on Davin. “So, um...David...”
“Byrne,” Davin finished. “Musician, popular back when I was born. I’m just gonna head down to the outdoor speaker and get that work done first. The rest of it’ll be quick after I get that set up.” He paused and looked at me. “Unless you need me to do something else first?”
“Nope, all good.” I whipped out my phone to find that the musician in question was popular...the absolute earliest was the middle of the seventies. I stared at the article in front of me a moment, then looked up at Doc. “He’s not even fifty.”
Doc gave me a look that fairly screamed “no shit,” and motioned after Davin. “Boy wears modern clothes, has a modern job, and wears his hair in a modern style. The fact that he was nearly named after a musician popular in the nineteen-eighties is the least of the things that should have told you he’s a baby.”
As usual, Doc was right about every single thing.
“I know this place,” came the complaint from inside my pocket, distracting me from the revelation. A moment later, Twist was poking her head out of my jacket, blue eyes blazing. “He’s the fixing man.”
“He is the man who fixed you,” I agreed, opening my jacket and holding out a hand to let her climb out and join us. “Twist, this is Doctor Carson Boone, if you remember him. He’s a friend.”
Doc was pleased to remake her acquaintance, and we passed some time in light conversation. Doc didn’t seem at all interested in asking about Charles’s murder, but...well, he was technically a name on my whiteboard, so eventually, I asked.
“Have you heard about Charles?”
His whole face scrunched up for just a second, and he gave a lofty sigh. “He and Fiona are—were—always in for that...that...politics. I’ll just do my own insignificant thing, thank you very much. This is why I want someone like Fiona as our senator, and not myself. She’s good at it, so the city isn’t in chaos, but I also don’t have to deal with the damn vampire drama myself.” He paused, turning to look at me, brows drawn together. “Why do you ask?”
I didn’t even stop and wonder if he’d be offended by the truth. He was Doc, and he wanted to be given blunt truth as much as he offered it himself. “Mother and Charles were plotting, because someone’s been trying to kill her. He was pretending to turn on her to try to make connections with people who wanted her dead. She thinks the person who’s trying to assassinate her did it.” I pursed my lips, annoyed once more by the whole disaster, but pressed forward anyway. “It’s possible, but I thought maybe it could have been someone who wasn’t impressed at his apparent betrayal.”
The instant disgusted face he made was a little hilarious. His expression contorted through a dozen emotions after it, finally settling on plain old sad resignation. “That’s terrible, but a sensible thought on your part. So I’m a suspect because I’m an ally of your mother’s. Who else?”
“Charles’s assistant Kate. András Bajusz would make sense, since he’s basically Mom’s biggest fan. Honestly, I don’t think it’s got anything to do with you or him, though. Two people tried to kill me last night. A man and a woman, and the woman was definitely a vamp. The man...isn’t a concern anymore, but I didn’t recognize him.”
