Suffocate In Spirit - Shadows of the Night 4

Chapter 61

Hi!

Okay, this is Chapter 61 and I have no idea how we got there so fast. Anyway, we're coming to the final chapters of the book. :-)

Any idea where this is headed to? What about Anna and Alexander? Where do they stand after their intimate encounter in Italy and their awkward return to New York? Let me know!

Lara

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Chapter 61

Larry leaned back and took another long swig from his beer. The gesture reminded me of my last unhappy stay in a bar, the one with winking Travis. I made a silent promise to myself. I was going to leave Larry there, high and dry, if he so much as tried to flirt once.

"I told you it's gonna cost you," he said.

"And I already told you that you'll only get the money if you deliver, fully," I said, leaning forward. "So, why don't we drop the small-talk and get down to business? Did you or did you not find out what he did at that time eight months ago?"

"Of course I did. He was busy. Very busy." He looked at me as if he was expecting me to give him a dog biscuit the size of a Frisbee. If he thought he was going see one cent for that kind of information, he had another think coming. I crossed my arms in front of me and leaned back.

"Is that all you got? Ale... I mean, he's always busy," I said. "Is there anything else your mysterious sources told you, or do you want me to leave straight away?"

"Hang on!" He raised his hands, palms facing me. "I got more."

He leaned forward. "I told ya that this was one piece of hot info you were askin for, Anna. The dude is one of the biggest bad boys walkin' around here. You think people just run about and shadow him? I had to tour clubs and ask around, talk to sources you wouldn't even dare get close to, Anna."

You go on daily meetings with the head vampire of New York, then we'll talk. I suppressed the urge to get up and leave and took a sip from my coke.

I sighed. "Fine. So, what have you got?"

Larry crossed his arms in front of him. "You wanna know somethin, you pay first, Anna."

"Fifty now. The other fifty if I'm satisfied with what you're telling me. Take it or leave it, Larry."

"Done."

I reached into my purse and handed the bill to him. I watched him stuff the money into his jeans pocket carelessly, wondering whether fifty dollars just went out of the window and where I could have spent the money instead.

"His schedule is pretty full most of the time." Larry's low voice tore me back to the shabby bar and my coke.

Tell me about it.

"Wasn't any different that week you been askin' for. My sources said he spent most of the time in Ryon Club and out in some other Clubs in the Crimson District in the first part of the week. All standard procedure, from what I'm told. He had meetings with two coven leaders on Thursday and Friday of that week. Victor Crawford, alias Pale Vic, and Lloyd Thyler, going also by the name of Oily Sycophant Number Seven." He leaned forward, grinning. "You know, there's this rumor going round. He raked them over the coals because their vamps were blood-mugging humans."

I stared at him. What am I doing here? This was bound to be a failure from the start. One month with full servant-duty had made me familiar with the head vampire's usual schedule. Thursday and Friday were those days Alexander spent 'checking in' on his non-breathing subjects, a duty he performed most diligently. There would always be one day of the earlier part of the week that he'd save to barricade himself in the Blood Line Hotel. I highly suspected that he was doing paperwork then, signing contracts that would doom willing fang-fanatics for eternity, meaning: he gave his coven leaders the permission to turn them.