Runaway Vampire (Argeneau, #23)(87)

Dante raised his eyebrows, recognizing the tune as a song that had seemed to play quite frequently for a while. He thought it was called “Happy,” but instead of singing “Because I’m happy,” Lucian’s back pocket was singing, “Because I’m tacky.”

“It is Weird Al Yankovich, not Pharrell Williams,” Francis told Dante as if that should explain everything.

“Leigh annoyed with you again?” Russell asked with amusement.

“Obviously,” Lucian growled as he plucked his phone from his pocket.

“Lucian’s wife, Leigh, puts rather interesting ringtones on his phone when she is annoyed with him,” Francis explained to Dante, his lips twitching with amusement as the phone crooned, “Because I’m Tacky, wear my belt with suspenders and sandals with my socks.”

“I am guessing,” Russell said when Lucian merely peered at the phone face without answering, “That her irritation is because you will not let her go to Venezuela with you?”

“Yes,” he snapped. “Although to me her anger is completely unreasonable. She should be glad that I want her and the twins nowhere near the bastards who have been kidnapping immortals.”

“Because I’m Tacky,” the phone began again and he answered it impatiently and said, “I will call you right back, Derby.”

He hung up so quickly. There was no way this Derby could have responded, and then he turned to the men and said, “Take the bags to the car. I have something to do. I will meet you in the food court.”

Lucian didn’t wait for agreement, but turned his back to them and began punching at his phone.

“Why does he not just change the ringtone?” Dante asked curiously as they watched Lucian press the phone to his ear as he walked away.

“Because he does not know how,” Francis said with amusement.

“He knows how,” Russell said with certainty.

“Really?” Francis asked with amazement.

“Oh, yeah,” Russell assured him. “I showed him.”

“But then why does he not change it?” Francis asked with disbelief.

“For the same reason I wear salmon colored T-shirts on occasion,” Russell said dryly. “Because he loves his life mate.”

Dante bit back a smile at Francis’s expression at this news. The man looked like he was going to swoon.

“Come on,” Russell said affectionately. “I am thirsty and the sooner we get all this stuff in the car, the sooner we can get to the food court and get something to drink.”

They started moving again then, but after a couple of steps, Francis said, “I wonder what Lucian is up to?”

“What do you mean?” Dante asked absently as they negotiated the shoppers everywhere.

“Well, he had the two new guys, Derby and Hulkboy follow us into the city in an SUV. They followed us around the Eaton Center while we shopped.”

“Are you sure?” Russell asked, slowing to glance around at his partner.

“Yes. I saw them loitering outside the stores we were in,” Francis assured him and when Russell started to look around, he said, “Oh, they stayed by the store when we left Mary there.”

Dante slowed now, glancing back the way they’d come.

“That explains why Lucian was not worried about Mary,” Russell said quietly. “He has babysitters watching her.”

“Yes, but why?” Dante asked grimly.

When both men remained silent, he started back the way they’d come.

“Dante, wait!” Russell called, hurrying after him, and when he didn’t even slow, added, “At least give me the damned bags so Francis and I can put them in the car.”

Dante did pause then, just long enough to pass over the bags he carried and mutter, “Thanks,” before heading off again at almost a run. It didn’t take him long to reach the store where they’d left Mary. Hurrying inside, he spotted the cashier who had checked them out and didn’t even bother to ask questions, but simply slid into her mind to learn that Mary had already checked out.

Cursing, he whirled and rushed back out of the store, only to come to an abrupt halt in front of it as he realized he had no idea where to look for her.


Mary paused outside the bank, fussed nervously with her hair, and then took a deep breath and entered. It was a large open space with the tellers at a counter along the right side and a row of offices along the left. There was also a receptionist’s counter directly in front of her and Mary approached it and smiled tentatively at the woman waiting there.

“Hello. Can I help you?” the receptionist asked, returning her smile.

“Yes, I was hoping to see one of your loan officers,” Mary said nervously, and then added, “Jane Winslow Mullins.” Her daughter, Janie, had kept her maiden name when she’d married, merely adding her husband’s last name to it.

“Your name?” the receptionist asked.

Mary hesitated. She couldn’t say Mary Winslow. While she wanted to talk to her daughter, she had to be careful about who knew what. Finally, she said, “Alice Bonher.”

She had an Aunt named Alice. Bonher, of course was her maiden name, and the moment she said it, she worried she maybe shouldn’t have.

“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked as she wrote her name on a slip of paper.