Deep Deliverance: The Deep Series, Book 3 (8 page)

C
hapter Eleven

The funeral was, as expected, excruciating. Interminable. Hot and stuffy and soporific.

The minister gave a moving sermon on the brevity of life and the hope of eternity through Christ. Then Harwiche’s immediate family and his business acquaintances—even a few of those burly, Bond-villain servants Adin had seen in Paris—spoke on Harwiche’s behalf.

Whoever could be pressed into service, it seemed, went forward to share their thoughts, and not one of them mentioned what a reprehensible prick Harwiche had been.

This, then, was the twenty-first century’s version of mourners paid to wail and moan and beat their breasts in a funeral procession.

Money could still buy grief, it seemed.

It was notable that neither of Harwiche’s purported offspring took the podium. The ex-wife was entirely absent, as far as Adin could tell. Except for the occasional sardonic snort, Elizabeth and Barrett stayed silent and sufficiently somber. Adin couldn’t help the occasional discreet glance to one side or the other. These children of Harwiche’s reminded him of those vampire movie stars—the ones with the on-again, off-again affair that dominated headlines like the Cuban Missile Crisis for a while.

Their jet-set looks and expensive clothes reeked of privilege and ennui, but they also exuded some kind of subtle menace.

Or maybe now he saw danger everywhere, because he carried it with him.

At last, some local choir sang and the whole dreadful ordeal came to a close.

Then there was the obligatory sea of people with umbrellas, mushroom-waddling to the Harwiche family crypt and the final, rain-spattered farewell. The pallbearers and Harwiche’s children went inside to file him away forever.

All Adin felt was jealousy.

Harwiche had a
crypt.

In Los Angeles!

The tiny building was a round stone house with a weathered wooden door and
Harwiche
carved in some stonemason’s fancy old-school font on the lintel. There was even an angel perched out front, frozen in grief, destined to weep for all eternity.

It was so cool Adin could hardly stand it.

Adin really, really wanted a crypt of his own, until he remembered that unlike his new Louis Vuitton travel hatbox, unlike sunblock SPF6000 and a lightweight UVA- and UVB-blocking overcoat—even in the summertime—he’d never need one.

He turned to find someone he knew in the crowd, because after they’d laid their father to rest, Elizabeth and Barrett had been on him like an ill-advised tattoo, despite a couple of tricky maneuvers intended to lose them.

His only hope lay in rescue, but Santos and Sean were still nowhere to be found.

Help finally came in the form of Adin’s old friend Tuan. “Adin. There you are. I see you’ve met the twins.”

“Special Agent Nguyen.” Elizabeth met his arrival with a wide, white smile. “You’re looking absolutely spectacular today.”

Adin’s gaze shifted to Tuan.
Special Agent? As in FBI?
“Wait. What—”

“Thank you, Elizabeth.” Tuan glanced between the three of them. “School going well, Barrett?”

“Yes, quite. Thank you again for—”

“You’re welcome.” Tuan’s expression grew stern. “I’d like to say anytime, but please remember—”

“Noted,” Elizabeth interrupted with a meaningful glance at her brother. “In the future, Barrett promises to behave.”

“Oh, goody. Now we can all check off the box marked ‘being cryptic at an actual crypt’.” Adin turned his wrist so he could see his watches. “But look at the
time
. You promised me a drink, Tuan.”

“Oh.” Barrett’s lower lip shifted back into a moue of disappointment. “We could use a drink, couldn’t we, Elizabeth?”

The boy could pout, all right. He wore it like an Iron Man suit. Even Adin wanted to see those lips curve back into a smile, although the desire disappeared right away. He absolutely, positively did not want to invite the Twilight Twins to go with them.

“We could indeed. Where?” Elizabeth angled for an invitation.

“Sorry.” Tuan placed his hand on his chest as though the words pained him. “Adin and I have previous plans. He supersedes everything else today. Promises made to family and all that.”

“That’s right. Adin and your husband Edward are old friends.” Barrett’s eyes widened. “I nearly forgot.”

Once again, Adin wondered how everyone fit together. “We were at school together.”

“Edward’s delightful.” Elizabeth linked her arm with Barrett’s. “All right, Adin, but if you must abandon us, I insist you come to dinner tomorrow.”

Adin glanced at his watches again, as if he’d find a decent excuse printed there. “I’m very sorry. I—”

“Come now. We want to get to know you.” Her tone grew demanding. “I insist. They’re reading Father’s will, and he kept some very interesting manuscripts I’m sure you’d just love…”

Barrett gave her arm a shake. “What Elizabeth’s trying to say is it’s going to be a bad business, after which I’m sure we’ll all want to fortify ourselves with alcohol and food. Our attorney will be there. You really must come. Father named you in his will.”

“He
what
?”

“Did you not get our letter?” Elizabeth and Barrett favored each other with identical frowns. “Isn’t that why you came?”

“No, I—” Adin sighed before taking another discreet look at the people milling around.
That bastard, Santos.
“I came at the urging of a friend, but I don’t seem to see him anywhere…”

“He probably couldn’t bear to set foot inside that stuffy chapel. Give me your number and I’ll resend the invitation via text.” Elizabeth took a phone from her wristlet and made to hand it over to Adin.

“No need.” Tuan pushed her phone back and took a step forward, subtly placing himself between them. “I’ll see that Adin gets to the reading. I don’t know about dinner though.”

“You must stay too of course. Bring Edward if you like. Is he in town?” The question sounded innocent, but Elizabeth’s smile grew the tiniest bit brittle. “I’d love to see him again.”

“Edward had a business engagement, so he stayed up north.”

“That’s too bad.” Barrett’s lip jutted again. He must have practiced that look in the mirror a thousand times in order to get it just right. “I
like
Edward. I want to see him.”

“Sorry.” Tuan placed his hand over his heart again. “Not this time.”

“I’m glad to have met you.” Adin’s patience was at an end. “Sorry again for—” He waved vaguely toward the cemetery before taking Tuan by the elbow and steering him away. Once they were out of sight, Adin relaxed. “Oh my God. Thank you for—”

“Shh.” Tuan glanced the way they’d come. “Not here.”

They took the path the rest of the way toward the cemetery entrance in silence. Tuan led Adin to the street, where he opened the door to a black Suburban with tinted windows. Adin got in, and Tuan went around to the driver’s side. He keyed the ignition and then edged the big car into traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard.

“Thank you for the timely rescue.”

“My pleasure.”

Adin didn’t care where they went, as long as there was alcohol.

And blood. Christ, he’d need to feed and Santos and Sean had abandoned him.

“Shit.” He could already feel the inexorable pull, the dark hunger, beginning in the deepest part of his gut.

“What’s the matter?”

“I only came to L.A. because Santos and Sean persuaded me they’d be there if I needed help.”

“I can help you. What do you need?”

“I need to feed.” Adin still hated the sound of those words.

“So?” Tuan took his gaze from the road at a traffic light. “Feed.”

“I’ve been feeding from animals. I’ve only ever—” Adin closed his eyes, “—with a human, one time.”

“Christ, Adin. You can’t do that. There’s nothing more dangerous than a hungry vampire.” Tuan turned back to the road. “Didn’t Donte teach you—”

“I didn’t want to know. We were far enough away from the city that I could get away with—”

“Donte should have forced the issue.”

“I’m not that easy to force.”

“Never mind. You’ll be attending a gathering of Kind later today. We can take care of your needs then.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’ll be there.” Tuan’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “You understand what I do, right?”

“No. Of course I don’t understand. You’ve been goddamn vague about the subject. Elizabeth called you Special Agent Nguyen. Are you a Fed?”

“Not like you think.”

“What then?”

“Prick.” Tuan honked at someone trying to cut them off, then glanced over at Adin. “You understand that the FBI is the human intelligence agency on US soil and the CIA has the mission of global intelligence on the human level?”

“Global intelligence is an oxymoron, but I understand what you mean.”

“That’s human law at work. Paranormal entities have existed since before human recorded time, and our interactions with humans have been fraught with peril, at best. Our mission is to stay hidden, and it’s a global mission, with enforcement on the national, state, and municipal level in the US.”

“All right. So what exactly are you? Entity-wise, I mean.”

Tuan didn’t answer right away.

“Oh, come on. You’ve seen mine, now show me yours.”

“All right. I’m a shifter. You’ve heard of those, right?”

“Like…a werewolf?”

“I’m not a wolf.” Tuan pulled into the underground parking at Adin’s hotel. “Your meeting’s scheduled for five, in a private room here at the Ritz. They’ll probably have something set up there for those who arrive hungry—”

Adin’s mouth fell open. “Like a blood
buffet
?”

“Like a stopgap measure. Travel isn’t always easy, and usually arrangements are made ahead of time to find supply.”

“Suppose there’s no one there I feel like eating?”

“Adin.” Tuan’s patience was probably wearing thin as spring ice on a pond.

Adin couldn’t help skating just a little farther out. “Suppose it’s all bland Americans and I feel like something a little foreign?”

“Then you’ll have to either get takeout or go hungry. Do you think you’re the only person who has ever wished he wasn’t part of all this?”

The anger in Tuan’s voice took Adin aback. “No. I just—”

“Do you think I don’t wish I could settle down and have a Norman Rockwell life with Edward and a couple of kids that are biologically ours? That a trip to the beach is the biggest adventure I’ll ever have?”

“I’m sorry.” Forced to view Tuan in a whole new way, Adin backtracked. “Maybe I’ve been insensitive.”

“Damn right you have.” Tuan pulled into a parking space and killed the engine. “We’re all just trying to make this work. Shifters like me, vampires like Donte, the fae… Entities have been hiding in plain sight for centuries, and men like you, who are new to all this, come along and fuck everything up. There is an unseen world, and you’re part of it now. You’re subject to
our
laws and
our
government, and I’m a special agent in charge. That’s the bottom line.”

“I’m sorry, Tuan.” Adin pressed his lips together. “I didn’t mean to make light of things.”

Tuan was right, of course. With each new day he was a little less human and a little more
other
. After feeding at the airport, he could kiss his old life goodbye forever. Now he craved human blood. He’d never be able to settle for less.

Tuan regarded him steadily before taking hold of the door handle. “We have some time, and I’ll do what I can to answer all your questions.”

“Do I still get that drink?”

“If you want. Yes. And blood if you need it.”

“Thank you.” Adin joined Tuan behind the SUV. He fell into step beside him as they headed for the elevator.

“So. Are you going to tell me?” Adin asked. “Or do I have to guess?”

“Tell you what?” Tuan tapped the button for the car.

“What kind of shifter you are. I never thought you were wolflike, by the way, but that’s what came to mind when you said shifter. Werewolf.”

“There wolf.” Tuan glanced over with a smile, the overhead light glinting off his glasses. “There castle.”

“Oh ha-ha.” Adin bumped him with his shoulder. “I already know you’re some kind of ninja.”

“Ninjas are Japanese.”

“Right, I know that, it’s an expression. Tell me. Or…I could just get Edward to tell me.”

“Edward would never tell you. He’s sworn a blood oath.” Tuan sighed. “I don’t suppose it matters anymore. I am a melanistic color variant of the
Panthera pardus
.”

“Wait.” Adin stared at him. “That’s a leopard.”

“Yes.”

“With melanism… You’re a
black leopard
?”

“I am a black leopard
shifter
, yes.”

“
That
is way cooler than being a vampire.” Adin punched the UP button again, even though he knew impatience didn’t pay off in the elevator game. “How do you get to be that?”

“You don’t
get to be
that.” Tuan sighed again. “You’re born that.”

“Oh my God. That’s what those two at the funeral were, isn’t it? Harwiche’s twins are shifters?”

“Yes. They’re tigers.”

“They
felt
like cats. I swear I heard Elizabeth purr.”

“Big cats don’t purr.”

“Okay. She was humming. But it felt like a purr.” Adin backtracked. “No, actually. It felt like a threat.”

“Oh, it was a threat all right.” Tuan spoke so mildly his words didn’t penetrate for a minute. “Big cat shifters can kill a vampire fairly easily.”

“If that’s the case, then how can Donte claim we’re the apex of the food chain?”

“He’s right in one sense. Nothing hunts vampires to eat them.” Tuan wrinkled his nose. “Picture old meat left in the fridge too long. Vampires taste like shit.”

Adin flinched. “Oh, thanks a lot.”

“You asked. Big cat shifters only hunt vampires for sport.”

“Great.”
He was kidding, right?
“I hope that you’ve evolved past that.”

“I hunt criminals.” Tuan gave him a small smile. “That’s plenty good sport.”

The elevator doors whispered open and they stepped inside.