Мишель Роуэн - Bitten & Smitten

“I never knew the truth. If I had, I would have wanted no part in this. Please forgive me.”

He turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.

I staggered toward Quinn and grabbed ahold of his arm, tried to stop his shaking.

He was in shock. I could see it in his glassy eyes as he turned to look at me. “He’s dead.”

I nodded.

Quinn fell to his knees in front of his father. He was crying. Crying over this man who’d killed his mother in cold blood. Who’d made his life a living hell for the ensuing years. He cried because his father was dead. Then he wiped his face on the sleeve of his shirt and took a deep and shuddering breath. I got down on my knees and hugged him. I expected him to push me away, but he didn’t. He didn’t hug me back, he just let me hold him. I felt a nudge at my arm and jumped. It was Barkley. He’d come into the room to see what the noise was all about. He sat next to me, panting. I gave the werewolf a small smile and looked back at Roger.

It was usually at this point in a horror movie when the bad guy would sit up, unhurt by his injuries and keep coming, focused only on getting the job done. But Quinn’s father wasn’t going anywhere. He stared at the ceiling with blank, unseeing eyes.

The doctor must have come back, because after a few minutes I heard him speak.

“Excuse me,” he said, and I looked up to see he had poured himself a very tall glass of amber-colored alcohol—probably Scotch. He took a healthy chug of it and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I don’t mean to interrupt.”

I just blinked at him. I could barely register what end was up, let alone what to say or do next.

“I feel very responsible for what has transpired here,” he continued. “But I don’t know who to call to stop them. I only knew Roger.”

Quinn didn’t look up. “What are you talking about?”

“The information you gave me. It doesn’t feel right that the hunters should have it, now that I know the truth.”

I let go of Quinn and got to my feet in the space of a heartbeat. Thierry.

I remembered what Roger said to his friends over the telephone. “I’ll meet you there.”

“Shit, he’s already told the other hunters. We have to leave right now.”

“My apologies will never be enough,” Dr. Kalisan said. “Only know that if you should need my assistance in any way in the future, I’ll give it to you without hesitation.”

Quinn and I ran out to the Beetle. It felt like hours had passed since we arrived there, but I knew it had only been a matter of minutes. The big, life-changing stuff always tends to happen quickly.

“I need a cell phone.”

Quinn handed his over without question. It would take us a while to drive back to Toronto, but I could at least warn Thierry—tell him to get the hell out of Midnight Eclipse before it was too late. That meant I’d have to tell him what we’d just done. Sold him out. It didn’t matter. He could hate me, but at least he wouldn’t be dead because of me.

I dialed the number from memory. While it rang, I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was 9:15. The club would have been open for fifteen minutes already.

“Come on,” I said into the phone as Quinn pulled the car away from the trailer. “Answer, dammit.”

What if it was already too late? What if the hunters had all been at Clancy’s bar drinking beer and playing pool when they got the call? They could have just marched across the road and taken the whole place down within minutes. It was too horrible a thought to consider.

On the fifth ring someone finally picked up.

“Midnight Eclipse,” Zelda’s voice rang out over the phone, and I let out a long sigh of relief.

“Is this some kind of pervert?” Zelda asked as she listened to my long exhale.

“No. It’s Sarah.”

“That’s too bad. I was hoping for a pervert. Sarah, what’s up?”

“I need to speak with Thierry. It’s urgent.”

“Sorry, sweetie. He’s stepped out.”

“Where did he go? When will he be back?”

“Hey, take it easy. He went to talk to some people. I don’t know. Something to do with finding the traitor. What’s the problem?”

“The traitor,” I repeated. “But I already know who it is.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. God, why didn’t I tell you earlier? Thierry has to know this, too. It’s Veronique.”

“Veronique? Are you serious?”

“It’s her. I’m positive. When I went out for a drink with her, she ended up schmoozing with the hunters. Just be careful. She’s probably dangerous.”

“Where are you?”

“Just turning onto the QEW, coming back from Grimsby.”

“You were in Grimsby? What the hell were you doing there?”

I glanced at Quinn, but his eyes were focused on his driving. He probably needed every last ounce of concentration to keep the car on the road.

“I’ve done something terrible, Zelda. Quinn and me—we went after the cure. Thierry’s in terrible danger. Tell him… tell him to go and hide somewhere safe. I feel so horrible. I don’t know what to do!”

Zelda was quiet for a moment.

“You sold him out,” she finally said. “For a cure that doesn’t even exist?”

“I know. I’m stupid. I’ll admit it. But if the hunters aren’t there yet, then there’s still a—”

I stopped talking. The sick feeling in my stomach was spreading all through my body now.

“Wait a minute. How do you know the cure doesn’t exist?”

There was silence before I heard Zelda laugh lightly.

“I guess I should have just let you keep talking. At least that’s something you’re good at.”

“You knew that it didn’t exist?” My brain felt like it was about to explode. “But you’re the one who gave me the phone number to get it.”

“Yes, I did.”

A chill went down my spine. “My God. It’s not Veronique at all, is it? It’s you. You’re the traitor.”

“Those in glass houses, honey. I believe you’re the one who just screwed Thierry over. As far as I know, it wouldn’t be the first time you screwed him, but that’s your business, not mine.”

“How could you?”

“The real question is, how couldn’t I? We all do things for a greater purpose, Sarah. You did yours to get the cure. I did mine for simple monetary gain.”

“For money?”

“I’ve lived a long time. Never had a goddamned penny to my name. I’m a three-hundred-year-old bartender, for Christ’s sake. You’ve had it so easy and you don’t even realize it. Thierry never helped me as much as he’s helped you, and even then I never would have sold him out like you just did. Then again, I didn’t know he was worth so much until today. Still, nobody but him ever lifted a finger to help me. Well, now I’m lifting a finger. My middle one—and I’m finally going to get what’s coming to me.”

My grip on the cell phone tightened. “Yes. You’ll get exactly what’s coming to you. As soon as I get there.”

“Gonna have to let you go, sweetie. The boss just got back, and he doesn’t look happy. It’s funny, him being worth all that money. Makes me look at him in a different light. That kind of cash would have been sweet, but I guess you beat me to the punch on that juicy little piece of information. C’est la vie.”

The phone went dead. I screamed into it and smashed it hard on the dashboard. It broke into pieces in my hand.

I glanced at Quinn. “Oops. Sorry. I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Forget it. What the hell was that all about?”

My numbness was going away. The fog was pulling away and leaving behind a hot line of rage.

“Zelda’s the traitor. I can’t believe it. I thought she was my friend.”

“Who’s Zelda?”