Page 49 of Fighting for Her Heart
She nods at the guard, and he opens the door for us. The two mystery vampires follow behind, and Tavi still acts as if they aren’t there.
A waiter, an old dude in a black tuxedo, ushers us to a red leather booth, and then pulls out the table so we all can sit before he pushes it back. Nora and Tavi sit in the outside seats, facing each other around the semi-circular table, with Axe and I in the middle, but while Nora keeps her gaze on Tavi, I notice that Tavi does all she can to avoid looking at Nora.
Figures. To her, anyone who’s not a vampire is beneath her.
The mystery vampires are seated by a different waiter on the other side of the room.
I ask for a bottle of Irish whiskey—telling the waiter to pick out a brand—along with an old-fashioned glass and no ice.
Ignoring the others’ drink orders, I keep all of my senses and concentration focused on Tavi, trying to get a read on this new energy wafting off her. Figuring her out is key to my strategy to land the info I want.
The waiter brings everyone’s drinks, but before he finishes delivering them, Tavi downs her Manhattan with extra cherries, and asks for another.
“What’s up?” I ask her.
“Oh, nothing much.” Leaving the five cherries she requested at the bottom of her empty glass, she stares at the table as if willing her second drink to arrive. “Just that I’m fucked.”
“Who’s the lucky gent?” I ask.
Her gaze lifts, but she does not look amused. “No, I mean,reallyfucked.”
Her hand’s trembling, her heart’s racing.
“What’s going on?” As much as I hate all she’s done, I can’t quite bring myself to hate Tavi. I understand her, or at least I did back in the day. Tavi’s been wronged by more men than most. Doesn’t excuse her actions—certainly not lately—but I at least understood the revenge-filled Tavi.
“I’ve lost everything.” Her voice breaks.
Her second drink arrives and she downs it just as quickly, then combines the cherries into one glass and starts eating them. Given vampires’ super-fast metabolisms, the effects of alcohol don’t last long on us, but at the rate she’s consuming cocktails, she might actually get drunk for a short time—something I can use to my advantage.
“Is there a ladies room in here?” Nora asks the waiter.
He adjusts the table to make it easier for her to rise, and gestures toward the far corner of the room. Clearly Nora’s not the first non-vamp in this place. I’m grateful Nora has left for a moment, hoping it will help Tavi spill some details.
“Who?” I ask Tavi as I pour myself a few fingers of whiskey. “Who’s taken everything?”
“Everyone.” She holds up her empty glass, and the waiter, a hint of disapproval in his eyes, takes it and then goes to the bar to fetch another.
“Care to elaborate?” I ask.
Her shoulders twitch and her eyes dart toward the corner where Nora went. “The witches, for one. I told you about what they did to me.” Her cheeks heat, clearly remembering that night in the club when she told me.
“Those bitches stole my power, and once that was gone…” Turning to the side, her voice breaks. “My mates, they all left me, and then the DEFTA Board took my job, my office. They demoted me to some kind of clerk. I don’t even fucking understand what my job is here now. Not that it matters.”
The waiter brings another drink but she just stares into this one as if the mysteries of the universe might be revealed in the excess of cherries at the bottom.
“Why doesn’t it matter?” I ask. The more I keep her talking, the more likely she’ll be to spill something useful. I pour myself a full glass of whiskey and drink it down in one. My ploy works as she responds by gulping down her drink. Even eating a few more of the booze soaked cherries this time. Alcohol doesn’t last long on vampires, but it will lower her defenses for a short while.
“Because…” Glancing toward the two vampires on the other side of the room, she lowers her voice to a hush. “I was arrested.”
“Liar.” Axe grunts. “If you were arrested, then why aren’t you fucking locked up?” He scowls. “Would serve you right. Give you a taste of your own medicine.”
I shoot him a look, hoping he’ll be quiet, and he frowns.
“That’s not how vampiric law works.” Tavi straightens, lifting her chin. “We aren’t uncivilizedanimals. Not like humans and other lower species.” She sneers at Axe. “Vampires don’t incarcerate people before they are found guilty at a fair trial.”
Axe grunts again, but stays quiet. Tavi’s not exactly self aware—understatement—and she’s ignoring the massive hypocrisies in her statement, given her secret highly illegal prison and all that she’s done. Axe already knows that the dungeon we were in, and what she did to his clan—none of that was lawful under Vampiric Law.
Octavia holds up her empty glass for the waiter to fetch. Catching my gaze, the waiter rolls his eyes as he takes the glass from her, this time immediately setting down a fresh one.
