The Meridian Gamble (47 page)

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope, I’m not. And she mentioned
something about needing a new head of advertising. Actually, she mentioned
hiring me for the job, but I thought of you, instead. Someone with actual
advertising experience, on the creative end. Or who knows, maybe you could
bring her into the agency.”

Staci’s eyes widen just a bit, but
she recovers quickly, and they go back to normal. She drops the fork filled
with kale back into her bowl, and I think she’s not quite sure if she should
believe me.

“Meri, that would be absolutely
amazing.”

“And her husband is the president
of Omnicom.”

“What’s Omnicom?”

“Research it before I give her a
call. It’s a huge conglomerate. Actually, it’s the place where Adam works. If
you’re going to be in advertising, you should know more about their business.”

I probably shouldn’t tell her to
look up Omnicom. Who knows, the vampires might hunt down people who do web
searches on their company. But it seems harmless enough. And even though I had
thought of taking Jennifer up on her job offer in the back of my mind, my dreams
of moving ahead in advertising suddenly seem insignificant. I have a war with
vampires on my plate and two supernatural lovers. Everything else seems
trivial.

And as I sit across from Staci, it
happens again, instantly this time. Right before my eyes, her visage changes to
that of Marjorie, with her perfect features, her lovely red lips and pristine
white dress. And I barely have to shake my head to make it go away. If reality
is going to constantly keep shifting, I think I’m going to scream. No wonder
some of the Luminos go bonkers.

“So how are things going with that
boyfriend of yours?”

“Pretty good. But it’s becoming
more complicated by the minute.”

“Oh, no. How so?”

“Turns out he’s friends with one of
my exes. Did I ever tell you about Roland?”

Staci’s jaw drops.

“No, you did not tell me about
Roland. Dish!”

No wonder she’s shocked. Hiding old
boyfriends is so out of character for me, since we talk about everything. I
shouldn’t even mention his name, one of the vampires could be listening in
somehow. But I just have to get it off my chest. I suppose if they’re
eavesdropping, I can still pretend I’m one of the decoys Adam has brainwashed
into thinking she’s Saga.

“He’s this guy I dated for a bit,
back in college. Older than me. Well, not much older, but definitely more
mature. Another one of these big business guys. I guess I have a type, and I
didn’t realize it. Anyway, it turns out he knows Adam, and I’m not looking
forward to running into him again.”

“Are you worried about it bringing
up old feelings?”

I have to think about this one for
a minute.

“More like old drama.”

“Well, of course he’s come up
again. Nothing is perfect. The road to love is always bumpy. But no matter what
the problem is, I find that shopping always helps. Come on, let’s get out of
here. I want to find a new top.”

“Sounds good.”

And we wave over the waitress to
get the check.

We hit Bloomingdale’s, and I come
across a cute little bolero jacket made of jeans material that I just have to
have. I figure I can wear it to the tower tonight. It covers just enough of my
chest that I might be able to get away with not wearing a bra, if I feel
daring.

Afterwards, I’m excited about my
purchase, at first. But as we’re walking along the sidewalks of New York, I get
that familiar nervous feeling of being watched. And when Staci suggests we duck
into another store, I’m more than grateful to get off the streets.

We go into “Seasons,” a favorite
shop of hers. Staci is continually hung up on her weight, and despises having
to shop at the “big girl” places, as she calls them. But Seasons is different.
It doesn’t just focus on the twos and fours of the world, and tends to carry a
strong selection of larger sizes.

She quickly collects a few blouses
she likes, but I already have my jacket, which is expense enough for one day,
so I just pretend to skim the racks. Talking about Roland has brought up
thoughts of the past, and my mind is too preoccupied to do much more shopping,
anyway.

Staci goes to the dressing room,
and the bell on the door rings, which instantly makes me nervous. A couple
enter the store, and I realize the place is empty, aside from a shop girl
behind the counter. Looking at the new customers, I immediately know they
aren’t really here to spend money.

The man is youngish and
African-American, maybe in his early thirties, and the woman is Hispanic and
about the same age. He’s handsome, but not overly so. She’s pretty, but not a
beauty. They both wear nondescript business suits, and I think it’s no mistake
that they look like they could blend into a crowd. In fact, they look like
undercover cops.

I focus on them for a moment, to
try to find the glow of the Luminos, but I detect nothing with my special
vision. But, unfortunately, I’m sure they catch me staring, and I quickly drop
my head toward a rack of skirts, feigning interest.

I get my hopes up, praying that I’m
just being paranoid and that they will leave, but instead, they move closer. I
consider running, but it will be too hard to explain to Staci why I’ve ditched
her at the store. And when the salesgirl goes to the back of the shop, my heart
skips a beat, as the man approaches.

There’s nothing I can do but to
breathe deeply, and face whatever might come.

He stares me down with a serious
expression.

“You’re in danger. You need to
leave New York immediately.”

I laugh. Somehow, his concern
strikes me as humorous.

“Okay, I’ll bite. Why am I in
danger?”

He shakes his head, looking at me
as though I’m insane.

“The vampires. They’ll destroy
you.”

And this time, his words do freak
me out just a bit, because he might be right, whether he knows it or not. But
he isn’t Luminos, he can only have been filled in on so much. And I try to
maintain my poker face.

“Who do you work for?”

“I think you know,” he says.

“Maybe I do, but you’re still going
to say it.”

I stare him down. I’m not going to
give him a thing if he doesn’t budge.

“Luminos,” he says, just one word.

And I sigh in frustration.

“I grew tired of the Luminos games,
many lifetimes ago. And if anyone is in danger, it’s you, because you’re not one
of them. They consider you expendable.”

Now it’s their turn to look
shocked. The man and woman look to each other, as if unsure of what to think.
But they continue on, anyway.

“You need to leave the city. Just
get in a car and get out of here, if you get the chance. We’re monitoring you,
we’ll find you and help you escape.”

I try to remain calm, and stare the
man down with a sweet smile.

“I have a message for the General.
Do you know of this man?”

The two say nothing, and share a
quick glance.

“Tell him that he’s killed me too
many times in the past for me to trust him now. I’d rather take my chances with
the vampires.”

Staci comes out of the dressing
room, looking unenthusiastic about her choices, and I go to her. I take the
blouses from her hand, and put them on a nearby rack with little concern as to
whether or not they’re out of place.

“Can we get out of here? That man
is creeping me out. He asked me to have a three-way.”

“Oh my God!” Staci says, with a
laugh. “Let’s go.”

We hurry out of the shop, leaving
them behind. And I can’t help but to feel a small triumph at having stood up to
them, even if it may have been a mistake. Maybe they’re right, maybe turning to
the Luminos might be a good thing, despite my bad luck with them in the past.
Maybe I would be better off just getting in a car and running.

But it’s good
we’re heading back to the office, to help take my mind off their cryptic
warnings. Bad enough that I flaked out on my boss yesterday. The least I can do
is return from lunch on time today.

I race home after work to get ready
for movie night, and vow not to obsess too much on my wardrobe. I put on the
first acceptable pair of jeans I can find and match them with a white T-shirt,
and my new bolero jacket. And I wear my hair in a ponytail, which is a mistake.
It’s the same style Saga wore, and as I pass a mirror near my front door, I
notice for the first time that I look a bit like her in this lifetime.

I leave my building, and instantly
think of the Luminos. They’re watching me, I know it for sure now. It’s what
the man in the dress shop said, when I forced his hand. And it’s almost as
strange as thinking that vampire agents could be spying on me. I wonder if I
should be worried. Perhaps the General hasn’t killed me enough in past lives
and still wants revenge. Or maybe it’s all a trick on Marion’s part, to see if
I’m one of the enemy. I should probably tell Adam about it, but I decide to
save it for later, to see if we can at least have a fun night.

When I enter the lobby of the
Omnicom building, he’s waiting for me in the little alcove outside the freight
elevator, wearing the cocky grin on his face that secretly thrills me, and
manages to instantly fill my mind with thoughts of carnal pleasures. And he’s
dressed just the way I like him, in a pair of black jeans and a simple T-shirt,
with a pair of expensive leather tennis shoes that remind me of cleats. I love
Adam like this, disguised as a normal guy. It makes me feel like a sassy city
girl with a hot boyfriend, like I’m living the dream, which I suppose I am, in
a sense. And I rush to be in his arms.

He quickly pulls me inside the
doors that read “Maintenance Staff Only,” away from prying eyes. When we’re
inside, Adam hugs me and gives me the sweetest of kisses. I hold him for a
moment, not wanting to let go. His shirt is untucked and my hands manage to
find their way under it. I run them along his strong muscles, in the same way I
would if he was on top of me, having sex.

The effect isn’t lost on him. He
smiles, and his cheeks lift up in a way that gives his eyes that crinkled,
bedroom look. And it absolutely destroys me.

“I missed you so much. You can’t
imagine what torture it is to be away from you.”

“Torture? Mmmm, I have some
titanium handcuffs back in my room. You can tie me to the bed and show me how
bad it was, if you like.”

“Liar. I can’t really constrain
you. You’d break right through.”

“But I’m very good at pretending.”

“You’d better stop talking like
that, or we’re going to have to skip the movie.”

“Maybe we can sneak out after the
first reel.”

We finally get into the elevator,
and the car rises up and stops on a different floor, one I haven’t seen before.
Adam leads me down yet another new hallway, and we enter the lobby of what
definitely looks like a movie theatre, not an opera house or a place for
Broadway shows. It’s gaudy and bright, more so than any other part of the
vampire tower, with red carpets and golden hues on the walls, and there are
framed posters hanging that advertise future releases. Stairs lead up to a
second floor balcony, and I think about asking Adam if we can go there, so we
can neck.

As promised, there’s a concession
stand with candy behind its glass and bins of fresh popcorn waiting on the
counter. But there’s more. Hot dogs roll on a grill, and there are little heated
containers with gourmet condiments, like melted cheese, jalapeños and bits of
chopped bacon. Plastic containers of fresh fruit rest in tubs of ice at the end
of the row, and it all seems absolutely delightful.

The usual couples mill about. Tom
and Jennifer are off to one side, speaking with Lina and Angel. And when I see
my sister from a past life, I freeze for a moment, getting a little jolt of
remembrance. She’s so much stronger now than the woman I saw in the fragments
of Saga’s memories, and I long to go talk to her. But I can’t do that right
now, and I try to push my thoughts of her away, in case some vampire can pick
up on my surface emotions. Instead, I look to the other faces in the room to
divert my attention.

The creepy old man I met in the hallway
outside Adam’s room is here, Nicolas … no, Nicodemas is his name. A woman with
red hair and a tight white dress stands next to him, and I’m thinking she’s his
nurse, though not a normal one. She must be a vampire, too. There are others,
and I look to Adam, questioningly.

He leans over and whispers to me,
even though I’m fairly certain the non-humans in the room can hear us
perfectly.

“You remember Nicodemas, from the
other night. And that’s his caretaker, Constance.”

It’s repellant, but I’d swear Nico sniffs
the air in my direction when Adam says his name, though the woman in white
doesn’t react.

“And that’s Arie and Lenore. The
Twins.”

When he says “the Twins,” I think
of Caroline’s sisters back in England, who I miss for a moment, thinking
they’re my own. But they’re not, at least in this lifetime. Instead, I look
over and see a pair of beautiful, dark-haired teenagers, or what seem like
teenagers, a young man and a woman. They both have curly black hair that falls
to their shoulders, though the girl’s locks are teased out wildly, in an almost
erratic way. They have exotic features that could be Asian or Mediterranean, or
perhaps some exquisite mixture of the two. And though they’re not both girls,
they almost could be. They have the same androgynous beauty and look nearly
identical, save for the fact that Arie wears a black suit, and Lenore wears a
white dress, and he doesn’t have the subtle curve of her breasts.

“They are the youngest of our Inner
Circle. It’s rare that anyone ascends so quickly, but they’re quite talented.”

And I’m afraid to ask where their
talents lie. But the pair look my direction, clearly hearing what we’re saying,
and the boy gives me a small nod of acknowledgement.