Annie Nicholas - Bait

With my sweetest smile pasted on my face, I approached him. “Excuse me, sir. Do you speak English?”

He looked a little over fifty with some gray at his temples. It didn’t touch the rest of his short black hair. The warm weather made it cozy enough for him to wear a short sleeve button down shirt with his black slacks. He raised one thick eyebrow and shook his head.

Of course not. Only I, Colby’s gang, and the vampires seemed to speak English. I pulled out my empty pockets and pretended to talk on the phone then rubbed my fingers together in the universal sign for moolah.

He reached for his back pocket while laughing and offered me some change. The coins filled my hands, he gave me enough to make a few calls.

I placed them in my pockets and shook his hand. “Kosomo.”

He nodded and as he passed behind me grabbed my ass.

I don’t know what got me angrier, the squeak I made or my lack of judgment.

He winked and continued on his way. At least I had some cash. What’s a little ass pinch in exchange for a life saving telephone call?

The phone was a short jog away. I dialed Colby’s number. It rang, and rang, and rang. Finally a computerized voice answered to inform me to leave a message. Dang. “It’s Connie. Don’t kill Rurik, I have something to show you.” The phone clicked as I hung up.

He always answered his phone. A shiver ran through me from head to toe. My grandma told me shivers like that meant someone just walked over my grave.

What could he be doing? Visions of Colby attacking Rurik’s peaceful people wreaked havoc on my shot nerves.

I couldn’t contact Rurik, I never had his number. Even the location of his home was vague. My heart raced again. I didn’t know what to do. So much miscommunication and deceit would destroy the bud of change which bloomed in my soul. I didn’t want to lose my hope. It brought me happiness, something I’d forgotten existed.

Only one other person in Budapest carried a cell phone whose number I knew. The thought of how angry he would be made me cringe. He would help, I could depend on him. Once he finished yelling.

I dialed his number and he answered after the first ring.

“What?”

“Red?”

“Connie,” Red growled over the phone. “You didn’t board the plane. I told Colby we should have checked you out of that hotel ourselves.”

Pieces of loose cement piled at the foot the phone stand. I toed one around. “I couldn’t leave.” Red wouldn’t understand my falling for a vampire. Not just any vampire at that, but the one we set out to hunt and execute. My first hurdle would be to convince him of Rurik’s innocence.

“Yeah, apparently Colby knows you too well.”

“What do you mean?” I forgot my cement toy and stared hard at the phone as if I could see Red’s pockmarked face through it.

“When you gonna learn? Colby’s always a step ahead. He planted a tracker on you in case you did somethin ’ like this. So we can watch over you and keep you safe.”

“When? How?” I gasped. “That cold bastard didn’t come to my hotel room to check on me. He came to plant that damn tracker.” Keep me safe, my ass. He wanted to follow me to Rurik’s lair. Use me like bait without me knowing and I led him straight to Marie’s house. Pressure built inside my head from the molten anger bubbling.

“Nothin ’ would have made us happier if you just got on that plane and gone home like you were supposed to.”

“Red.” The fury in my voice could have melted the phone. “You have a blind spot when it comes to Colby.” Pedestrians passing by gave me more space as my voice grew louder. “He doesn’t want to keep me safe, you granny-humping butt sucker! He wants Rurik. Why would you let him trick me like that?”

“’Cause I care. You’re runnin ’ around with a killer, baby. He’s done somethin ’ to your mind.”

“I sure needed your help a few minutes ago when the queen of the crazies wanted to suck me dry.” I leaned my head against the phone suddenly tired. A few hours sleep and one meal wasn’t enough if I kept this pace. “Please, tell me you haven’t mobilized on Rurik’s home.” They used me. Rurik trusted me and took me home to protect me then I repay him by having Colby knock at his front door.

“Queen of the what? You tellin ’ me you’re not in the house?”

“No, damn it, aren’t you tracking me? I’ve got important information for Colby and can’t reach him.”

“Tracker’s planted on your suitcase, not you. He’s not answerin ’ his phone?” I could picture Red scratching his chin.

“Red, tell me what’s going on.”

“We’re only watchin ’ Rurik’s place.”

I closed my eyes in relief.

“Colby got a lead on one of the Nosferatu. He’s checkin ’ it out.”

I groaned, my relief short lived. Which one? He shouldn’t go anywhere near them. “I need help, Red. Can you come get me?”

He sighed. “You’re about to complicate things, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, pick me up something to eat on the way. I’m starving.”

“Where are you?”

Excellent question, I still didn’t know.

“You’ve got no clue, do you?”

“No.”

“Pass the phone to someone around you.”

I scanned the area. “They’re all Hungarian.”

“How surprisin ’ considerin ’ what country your standin ’ in.”

“You speak Hungarian?”

“I exercise the muscle between my ears as well. You should try it out sometime. Now get a person who’s not drunk on the damn phone.”

I got a middle-aged woman to speak to Red. It gave me time to examine the thing poking me from the back of my mind. Why didn’t Colby answer his phone? I hoped he stayed out of trouble.

Red flipped through the pictures. He sat in the driver’s seat of his parked non-nondescript white van and used the steering wheel as a desk. I ate langos, a focaccia-like bread, with tuna topping and plum dumplings as fast as I could without choking. I averaged one meal per day since my encounter with Rurik at the club. A few pounds lost wouldn’t hurt but I could think of better ways to diet than running for my life and starving.

Red’s brows furrowed as he bought one close to his face and used a pen light to see better since the street lights barely reached inside the cab. “Are you sure this ain’t him?”

“Of course, give me that.” I grabbed the photo from his hand to take another look. “This isn’t him. His chin is too round and shoulders too narrow. Look past the hair and suit, that’s not his face.” I tossed it on the sun-faded dash.

“I’ve never seen him up close. Not like you have.” He grinned at me, wagging his eyebrows up and down.

“I sure hope not, I don’t like to share.” A horrid image of Red with Rurik in bed turned my stomach full of langos and plums. If this made me puke in his van then Red deserved it.

“I’m sure you don’t.”

An urge to punch the smug grin off his face almost overwhelmed me. I hated that he made me blush. Not like my wimpy strike would hurt his solid rock head. “I want to show these to Colby and stop any further action against Rurik.”

“Baby, listen to me.” He touched my shoulder and leaned in to face me, concern evident in his eyes. “Did it occur to you these pictures could be the fakes?”

“No.” I searched my soul for any doubt but found none. “I believe he’s innocent. What more evidence do you need?”

He sighed and scratched his chin.

“Red, why would Lizzy have them if they were fake?”

“My thoughts exactly, why did she give them to you if she wanted to frame Rurik for your murder? I’m just askin ’ you to look at this in an objective manner.”