Solving the Vampire Murders

ten

Torren willed himself back to the present. He needed her.

No. He needed her help.

"Mandy," Torren started, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I hate to do this, but I need to ask you for a favor. Or two."

Mandy inclined her eyebrows then rolled onto her stomach, chin perched atop clasped hands.

"Anything, Torn. Well, almost anything. I'm not going to another one of those boring lectures with you."

"No, it's nothing like that. And also, Mr. Gupta's lecture on how U.S. jurisprudence has evolved in the last—" Torren looked up, Mandy was giggling.

"Listen, Mandy, this is a serious favor. I was supposed to move into this new place today. It seemed perfect. Cheap, close to campus, roommates are— cool." Torren felt an ache in the back of his throat. "But, something horrible happened. One of my roommates was—well, he was murdered."

Mandy's mouth fell open. "What?"

"Yeah, it's been a crazy night." He scrubbed the back of his neck. "I drove up to the house and the cops were there."

"Holy shit. Are you serious? What—did they ask you a bunch of questions?" Mandy went to sit up, but Torren held up a hand, closing the distance between them.

"They did, I'm fine. But the house is sealed up. The cops are investigating, and I can't be there."

"Then you'll stay here with me, of course. We'll have to keep it on the down-low, Morgan gets kinda bitchy about the no boys rule. But, I mean, gosh—your roommate was murdered."

"Thanks, Mandy." He sat down next to her on the bed. It felt like nothing had changed between them—like he could just sit and talk to her for hours.

"No problem. So, what's the second favor?"

Torren toed the carpet. "I was wondering if you had ever been to a club called Medea's Sin."

"Hell yeah. I've been to Medea's Sin like a gazillion times. That place is legit."

Torren swallowed hard. If it was run by vampires then she was probably in more danger than she realized. But, he needed to know what she knew. "What's it like?"

Mandy kicked her feet in the air. "It's amazing. This guy from my Grief Group, who is a total..." she trailed off, catching herself with a little grin. "Well, he's British. And--"

"Mandy," Torren said, rolling his eyes. "Point?"

"Chill out, I'm getting there. Anyways, he gave me a bunch of VIP passes to get in upstairs. I've only been up there one time, because it's kinda boring compared to the downstairs club. Not really my vibe."

Torren wished he had a yellow legal pad with him or a notebook. Although if he did, it would probably tip Mandy off that something weird was going on, and he didn't want to trouble her like that.

"Not your vibe?" he said in a teasing voice. "So, there aren't a bunch of half-naked guys walking around with shots?"

"You're an idiot, I don't go to male strip bars. No thank you." Mandy snatched one of the ruffled pillows off her bed and swung it at his head. Torren wrestled it out of her hands, trying not to laugh.

"No naked men. It's just a pool hall. There's like a bar and a little jazz band. It's pretty, but, like I said, not my vibe."

"Do you have any more of those passes?"

Mandy reached into her bedside drawer and fished out a handful of purple business cards. She held them out for him with a coy look playing on her face.

"Torren Jacobs, are you telling me that you're interested in going to a club and playing pool? I mean, this girl you've been hanging out with must have made quite an impression on you. New suit, new interests."

"No, that's not it." He said, running a hand over his pants. "She hasn't even called me back tonight. I mean, I don't know what's going on. I'm not good at this stuff."

Mandy twisted around to sit next to him, her shoulder pressing against his. "Don't worry about it, Torn. You're the best. If she can't see that, she isn't worth your time."

Then Mandy did something she'd never done before. She lifted her hand to his cheek. Her thumb gently tracing the line of his cheekbone.

Torren's entire body stiffened. His eyes widened in surprise. "You know, the color of this suit makes your eyes look grayer. They remind me of the polished stones we used to collect down by the lake. You remember that?"

Torren let his gaze meet hers—cool pebble gray colliding with warm spring green—and heat crept up his neck.

He rolled his lower lip. "I remember everything we've ever done together."

Mandy's pink lips curled into a wicked grin, and her fingers slid back in his hair. The sensation of her nails against his scalp sent a warm tingle down his spine.

God, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to hold her until the sun came up and this nightmare ended.

Torren lifted his hand, allowing the tips of his fingers to graze her arm. Mandy sucked in a breath.

"Torren—"

"Yes?"

He pushed back a loose strand of hair, letting the edge of his thumb circle the shell of her ear. It was the stupidest thing he ever allowed himself to do. Maybe he really was dreaming, because Mandy had never looked at him that way before.

Then, she pulled back an inch, and Torren saw hesitation etched into the lines of her face. She wasn't sure she wanted to do this. Maybe it was the tequila, or the suit, or the fact that Torren had someone in his life for a change and she didn't. Either way, Mandy didn't really want to kiss him, and he really wanted to be sitting with Mazia.

So, Torren dropped his hand, and so did Mandy, and they both blew out a little breath.

"It's been a really long night. I mean, I'm exhausted." Torren rubbed his eyes, trying to hide from the cringe-worthy look on Mandy's face. She was embarrassed, and so was he. "Do you care if I just go to bed? I don't really want to rage. I need to get up early."

"Of course," Mandy replied. "I need to go back downstairs to supervise the littles. Party rules and all. But, I'll be back up in a little while."

Mandy slipped off the bed, moaning as she squeezed her feet back into the absurdly high heels. Torren couldn't help but stare as she sauntered towards the door, hips swinging. She hesitated before disappearing into the hallway, twisting a blonde curl between her fingers. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too, Mandy."

"And, Torn..."

Torren met her eyes, bright and verdant as spring. "Yes?"

"Don't hog the whole bed. Save me some space."

Grinning, Torren fell back against her pillow, staring up at the gauzy canopy. "No promises, Madam Vice."

And like that, they slipped back into the friend-zone. It was better this way. The past twenty-four hours felt like two weeks and his head throbbed in response. Torren slipped out of his suit coat and trousers, tossing them along with his shirt and tie on Mandy's vanity chair. It felt good to close his eyes, tired and weak as he was.

Mandy's sugary scent emanated from satin pillowcases and it lulled him into a sense of comfort he hadn't felt in months.

When he drew closer to sleep, just before he drifted off, Torren saw Mazia. Her hands cupped around a mug. Red lips quirked in a wicked grin. She threw her head back in laughter. A pretty sound that made Torren believe it was just for him.