Ripper (Hunter #1)(83)

With that said, he turned and walked down the corridor.

“That sounded like a threat.” I wondered what had set off the normally even-tempered vampire.

“That’s because it was,” Stacy returned, looking me over. “You’re human, right? You’re not one of those glowy companions, are you?”

I shook my head. “I make it a habit to never glow.”

The blonde smiled, her first real emotion of the evening. “Good, I can’t stand those bitches. Come on in and tell me what the hell is going on with my girls. Let me buy you a drink.”

Yes, it was good Marcus was gone. She’d relaxed the moment he left. Now we could get down to business. “A woman after my own heart.”

Ten minutes later, I was enjoying a margarita on the rocks as I filled in Stacy Sears. She seemed genuinely upset and I was beginning to understand that her emotions were reserved for a select few, her “girls” being in that small circle.

She sighed as she thought about it. “I doubt it was a vampire.”

“I do, too.”

“They wouldn’t waste the blood and they would never bring anyone else into it. They’re secretive. Even the ones who hate the king respect the law concerning keeping their presence hidden. I know that everyone’s going to point a finger at Alexander, but why would he start up again after more than a hundred years?”

“You think he’s a model citizen?” If Alexander Sharpe had an accomplice, it could be a woman. I doubted it, but I wouldn’t refuse to consider it. He would likely have a lot of exposure to this woman.

Stacy laughed, a husky, almost masculine sound. “Hell, no. I have no doubt he still kills from time to time, though no one can prove it, and believe me they’ve tried. The king would love to execute him, but he doesn’t have cause to order a righteous kill proclamation. That’s my whole point. Alexander has learned to keep quiet. Why bring in others?”

I toyed with the crystal as I thought about what she’d said. It made sense, but I had to cover all my bases. If Alexander Sharpe wasn’t involved then someone was trying to make damn sure it appeared he was. “Do you keep records of who sees whom?”

Stacy nodded and slammed back the rest of her drink. A well-dressed man came forward to refill it. “Of course. I can give dates, times, and room numbers. I’ll have my books copied from the last several weeks and sent to your office. I keep records of what goes on in the club, but what happens after hours or off grounds is a mystery.”

“You think the girls were seeing the vampires in places other than the club?”

“I would be shocked if they didn’t. Look, I never meant to become the madam of the supernatural world. It just kind of happened. When the king took over, he freed the slaves. It was a na?ve thing to do, and that’s coming from a former slave.”

“You?” I was surprised because looking at the proud woman, the last thing I thought was slave.

“Yes. I grew up in a vampire household in New York,” she explained simply. “The vampire who wanted to see Marcus, his name is Henri Jacobs. He was my mother’s master. As masters went, I couldn’t complain. He was actually quite kind. He sent me to college for a business degree and got me the job running this place. The horror stories I’ve heard make me think I had it good. Anyway, the problem with freeing slaves meant there was a huge hole in who would feed the vampires.”

“So I understand Dev Quinn came up with this plan.”

Cool blue eyes rolled. “As if. I came up with this plan and I went to Dev and believe me that took some guts. I told him I could institute it and have the entire system up and running in six months. It took me three. It’s a good system, damn it. The girls get cash and the vamps get fed. I’m not going out and forcing these girls to work. I put out the word that I was looking and I was willing to pay top dollar and they came in droves.”

I could imagine. “So you set them up with clothes?”

“And taught them how to do their makeup and hair and made damn sure that they were strong enough to defend themselves if they needed to.” I could hear the frustration in her voice. It was the sound of someone older and wiser watching kids make the same mistakes she had and not being able to do anything about it. “I also taught them to never take a vamp outside Ether or the Club where there are paid bodyguards to help them out if they need it. I taught them to not fall for their damn johns.”

I was betting she had and that a wealth of experience caused her to be so adamant about the girls protecting their hearts. Somewhere along the line some vamp had broken hers. “Were the relationships supposed to be short term?”

She leaned forward, her elbows on the table, and she gracefully rested her chin in her palm. “I trained the girls to never sleep with the same vamp more than a couple of times and then put some distance between them. You know what it’s like. I can’t imagine how powerful it is with someone as old as Marcus. You know how they can pull you in. When a vamp really wants to he can make you feel like there’s nothing in the world except him. In that moment, the two of you are all that matters. You would do anything for him and you get the feeling that he would do anything for you. It can feel like love. It can be the most potent high imaginable and you have to treat it like a drug. Fall in love with the drug, not the dealer.”

“You think some of the girls fell for the same guy?” I didn’t know how it felt, but it couldn’t be better than when I was with Gray. What we had really was love. I told myself that. I didn’t need a lecture because I had the real thing.