“I might have turned up something for you about Nyx.”
I sat up straighter. Adam and Giguhl watched me carefully, their expressions wary. “Okay, shoot.”
“None of the vamps in New Orleans have heard of her, but when I tried some friends in the old country”—the old country in Georgia’s case was France—“I got a couple of hits. Seems there was a vampire who came through Lyon about fifty years ago.”
“That’s a long time ago, Georgia.” Too long ago to be of any help now.
“Yeah, I was surprised, too, but my friend said he remembered her because she was extraordinarily beautiful, even for a vamp. Do you think it’s the same Nyx you’re looking for?”
I pursed my lips. Hadn’t Asclepius said the same thing, although in less gracious terms? “That jives with what I was told, too. Plus, Nyx isn’t exactly a common name. Did your friend give you any other info?”
She sighed. “Unfortunately, no. He said she was only in town for a week or two. Said she seemed real nervous, like she was on the run.”
I frowned. Asclepius hadn’t mentioned when Nyx had asked him to make the vest, but I had the impression it happened more recently than half a century ago. Although, maybe the reasons she was on the run tied into her need for the vest in the first place. “Hmm, well, if it was the same Nyx, she obviously headed to Italy sometime after your friend saw her.”
“I’m sorry, Sabina. I wish I could have turned up more. I even called an old friend in Florence, and she hadn’t heard of Nyx, either. It’s surprising because the vampire population in Europe is a lot smaller than in the States since the Dominae moved their power base to the New World.”
“Well, I appreciate the effort.”
“Does this mean you haven’t made any progress on your end?”
“Not where Nyx is concerned. But honestly, it’s probably fourth on my list of priorities right now.”
“How goes the hunt for Cain?”
Alexis chose that moment to make her appearance. “Hey, Sabina? You got any of that bagged blood Erron scored?”
I covered the mouthpiece to answer her, but Giguhl jumped up.
“I’ll grab it.” While he went to the fridge, Alexis took the last spot at the table.
I uncovered the phone to rejoin the conversation with Georgia. “Sorry about that. We’ve made some progress with Cain, but some new complications have popped up.”
“Who was that?” Georgia asked.
“That was Alexis, actually. You remember her from New York?”
“Yeah, I remember. She’s the bitchy one who worked for Tanith, right?”
My lips twitched at her accurate description. “Yeah.”
“Why is she there?”
I paused, weighing my answer. I’d told Georgia she couldn’t help with the mission because we didn’t need more bodies complicating things, but now I was about to tell her Alexis had joined the crew. “Queen Maeve and Rhea sent her to take point on a side errand they needed done.” I could have explained about Persephone, but that would have taken more time than I had once Georgia started asking the inevitable questions. Plus, the answer I gave was close enough to the truth with the added bonus of assuaging Georgia’s ego.
“Well, I hope you’re all staying safe. Or as safe as is possible when you’re tracking down a psycho.”
I chuckled. “We’re all okay. How are you doing?” I asked carefully.
“Better. I promoted Brooks to bar manager at Lagniappe.”
“That’s great, Georgia. He’ll be a huge help.”
She sighed. “It’s only until I figure out what to do next.”
“You don’t have to make any final decisions yet. It’s only been a few days.”
“It’s true. We’ve got Gender Bender night in a couple of days, so Brooks and the queens have been having dress rehearsals after hours.” She yawned into the phone. “I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to think about Mac.”
A couple of minutes later, I ended my call with Georgia. Before she hung up, she promised to keep trying to track down Nyx’s trail. While I appreciated her optimism, I didn’t expect she’d come up with anything useful. Whoever this Nyx really was she obviously hadn’t wanted anyone keeping tabs on her over the years.
I leaned back in my chair and tossed the phone onto the table.
“No news?” Adam asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing useful.”
“So,” Alexis said, polishing off her bag of blood, “what time do we head out?”
I glanced at the windows. The gray hues of evening had descended over the city, but brilliant orange streaks still flashed on the horizon. “As soon as it’s full dark.”
Alexis took a second bag of blood from the refrigerator. “Where is Persephone staying?” She pierced the silicone with her fangs and started gulping. Adam watched her with a look of distaste. He might be more comfortable with the idea of me taking his own blood, but I guess watching Alexis gulp down cold type O neg wasn’t the most appetizing sight.
I ignored him and wrote down the address on a pad. “I’ve been thinking, and I’d feel a lot better if Erron went with you.”
“Why?” Alexis demanded.
“Because that way if there’s trouble, he can flash you out.”
She laughed, exposing her blood-tinged fangs. “Sabina, don’t be ridiculous. I think I can handle myself.”
“What if Cain decides to use you to get to Sabina?” Adam pointed out.
“I’ll kill him.” Alexis shrugged.
“Not possible. Remember?”
“Shit,” Alexis said. “Okay, fine. I’ll take the Recreant with me. But he better stay out of my way. This is vampire business.”
“Trust me, he may look like a slacker,” Adam said, “but I trust him to get my back when shit goes down.”
Alexis glanced at me for confirmation. “It’s true. He’s a great wingman.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Alexis said, surprising me. When we’d worked together in New York, she’d spent most of her time questioning my skills and accusing me of losing my edge. But I guess we’d made more progress than I thought.
“All right,” Giguhl said, clapping his claws. “Who’s ready to go meet Sabina’s dad?”
Chapter 11
Tourists swarmed across the Spanish Steps like hungry ants. In the piazza below the steps, the lights of the Fontana della Barcaccia glowed on the eager faces of those who tossed pennies into the blue waters hoping for a blessing from Poseidon.