The next day Kate returns to the hotel room after running errands for most of the afternoon. A part of her almost expects the Gecko brothers to be in there waiting for her and it's a relief when she finds her room empty, actively ignoring the feeling of disappointment that also crops up. The last thing she should want is Richie or Seth turning up, especially tonight when she can't afford to lose focus, and she chastises herself for being so foolish.
She walks to the bed to drop off her recent purchases. The red dress she bought stares back at her, taunting her. It's short, tight, and moulds to her body like second-skin. If she plays her cards right, it will be the very thing that gets her into Conrad Ford's party. Apparently he has a thing for young slutty girls and she intends to play the role to the hilt.
A phone rings, echoing throughout the room, and she realises it must be Seth's cell. Walking over to the couch, she picks up his jacket. The subtle hint of his cologne fill her senses, bringing back a flood of memories from when they were in Mexico.
Despite living together for a year, nothing ever happened between them. He always treated her like a sister, teasing her like siblings often did, never crossing the line - but things are different now. When he looked at her at the mansion, it wasn't with brotherly affection; he wanted her, she could feel it every time his eyes were on her. And then he kissed her yesterday, and her world exploded all over again.
Images from last night assault her brain, tormenting her as it's done for most of the day. Seth's mouth roving over hers, frantic, desperate. Richie's lips on her hand, slow and seductive. Excitement surges through her at the thought of both of them, her body trembling with-
No. No. No. Her desires are wrong, disgusting; no normal girl would have such thoughts.
When the phone rings again in her hand, she picks it up for distraction. "Hello?"
There's a brief pause at first, followed by an angry demand. "Who's this?"
Shit.
Kate glances at the name on the screen. Vanessa, Seth's ex-wife and current... whatever. She hangs up the phone, puts it on mute, and slides it back inside Seth's jacket. The last thing she wants is to get involved in that mess.
A quick glance at the clock reveals it's almost eight which means she needs to get ready now. Picking up a few things from her small suitcase, she heads to the bathroom to take a shower.
Shortly after getting ready, Kate studies her reflection in the mirror, contemplating her appearance. The gold cross around her neck glistens under the light, looking absurd with the tacky dress she's wearing - but some guys get a kick out of that kind of contradiction and she has a feeling Conrad's that type. Hopefully, her sultry look will be enough to capture his attention tonight. If not, she'll have to think of some other method to get into his house. Whatever it takes to get her hands on his family heirloom ring, she'll do, because it's the last remaining key to bringing Santanico down and nothing is going to stand in her way of killing the vampire who took everything from her.
The loud pounding on her door brings her out of her reverie. Kate storms to the door to tell Richie and Seth to fuck off when she hears a female voice on the other side.
"Open up, Seth. I know you're in there with your slut!"
Kate stop mid-stride, pondering her next move.
"I'm not leaving until you open this door. I deserve some goddamn answers, you asshole!"
Reluctantly, Kate opens the door and finds herself face to face with a very pissed off striking brunette. At the mansion Kate had been too preoccupied with Seth to pay any attention to his date but now that his ex-wife is standing in front of her, she realises how frickin' gorgeous Vanessa is. Jealousy surges through her instantly.
"Really?" Vanessa stares her up and down. "How old are you?"
Kate ignores the question. "Seth's not here."
Vanessa pushes the door open and storms past her. "Where are you, you goddamn perv? Stop hiding behind your jailbait skank and come face me!"
Kate closes the door.
After Vanessa finally realises the room is empty, she turns around, frustrated, and glares at Kate. "Whatever he's promised you to get into your pants, it's all lies. That man is a filthy fucking liar."
"You're preaching to the choir."
"How long have you been fucking him?"
"I'm not."
"Really? I have a trace on his phone. I know he's been here for hours."
"No, his cell phone was in his jacket which he left here last night." Realising how that sounds, Kate quickly continues. "Not because something happened. Richie was here and Seth came looking for him. I didn't want to talk to either of them so I kicked them out."
"I don't believe you."
"It's the truth."
Vanessa scrutinises her for a long while, as if pondering whether to trust her or not. "You're the same girl who was in the mansion that night."
Kate purses her lips together. "Yeah."
"You were with him in Mexico."
Kate wonders how much information Vanessa really knows. While getting Seth to reveal anything substantial about himself is akin to pulling teeth, this woman is someone he's involved with. Maybe he's a lot more open with his girlfriend than he ever was with Kate. "For a while, yeah."
"How old were you?"
"What difference does it make?"
"Because I have a right to know if he was fucking a teenager or not!"
Kate takes a deep breath. "Seth may be an asshole, but he never hit on me."
"You've never slept with Seth?"
"No. Never."
Vanessa looks visibly relieved. "I'm sorry I called you all those names. I'm pissed at him, not you."
"It's fine. Don't worry. Those brothers tend to drive everyone crazy."
"I still don't understand what you were doing in Mexico. I mean, where are your parents? They didn't say anything while you cruised around with some guy?"
Apparently Vanessa doesn't seem to know much of what happened after all. Being the stubborn jerk that Seth is, he kept his girlfriend completely in the dark. "My parents are dead." God, it still hurts to say that. "And my brother... our relationship's kinda messed up. So no one really cared what I did or who I did it with."
"Oh, I'm... sorry."
Kate shrugs her shoulders, burying the pain deep down. "It's fine."
"You close to Richie?"
Kate starts cleaning up the dresser drawer. "No."
"Good. Be careful around that freak."
Kate tells herself to let it go, ignore Vanessa's words, but she doesn't heed her own advice. "He's not a freak."
Vanessa's right eyebrow arches up. "I've known him a lot longer than you. And he's done a lot of horrible shit."
"I know. Richie's messed up, but a lot of it was... someone else's influence."
"You better not be blaming Seth."
Kate shakes her head 'no'. "I'm not. Richie has all kinds of demons-."
"We've all got demons, sweetie," Vanessa interjects. "Doesn't mean we use it as an excuse to be assholes to everyone."
Something about those words strike a chord inside Kate.
"Seth's demon happens to be his jackass of a brother," Vanessa continues.
"When we were in Mexico, Richie and Seth were on the outs."
"What?" Vanessa asks, shocked.
"Seth wouldn't talk to him, or about him, he refused to acknowledge Richie's existence at all. You know Seth, he likes to bury all that pain and anger deep down and pretend it doesn't exist, but it was obvious he was hurting. Without Richie in his life, he was broken, an empty shell."
Vanessa doesn't respond immediately. "What happened between them? Why did they stop talking?"
Kate gives her a sad smile. "Someone came between them. A woman. Richie loved her, Seth hated her. Seth forced Richie to choose and Richie chose her."
A combination of sadness and rage floods over Vanessa's face.
"I'm sorry," Kate says. "I didn't mean to hurt you-"
"No, it's fine. I need this. I should've already heard this from Seth." Vanessa purses her lips, shaking her head with disbelief. "I never had the guts to ask Seth to choose, probably because I always knew he'd choose Richie. But Richie, wow. At least he was man enough to go after what he wants."
"He made the wrong decision," Kate points out.
"But that's besides the point. I just... I always used to think that it was Richie who clings to Seth."
"They both cling to each other."
"Apparently Richie was able to walk away though, which Seth never did."
"Look, I've been around them when they're not speaking and, trust me, they're better when they're together. They bring out the best in each other. You wouldn't want to be with Seth if Richie wasn't there to balance him out."
Vanessa swallows an audible breath, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "But that's not what I want. Maybe I sound like a selfish bitch, I don't really care. I want to be the most important person to my man. And he'd be the same for me. Seth is. And I don't want to have to worry about Richie for the rest of my fucking life, his wants, his needs. I can't even stand him!"
"Seth isn't Seth without Richie though," Kate says quietly.
"Then maybe Seth isn't the man for me," Vanessa admits, resigned. "If he's not willing to put me first, why should I stick around? I deserve better than to be someone's second priority."
It's Kate's turn to fall silent.
"You know what pisses me off even more?" Vanessa asks. "Seth's a pretty possessive guy. He'd always get so pissy when I flirted with other guys. He wants me all to himself but I'm supposed to share him with Richie? Fuck that."
Vanessa's words further solidify what Kate already knew: that Richie's feelings for her are insincere. If he really loved her, he would want her for himself and he definitely wouldn't want to share her with his brother. But obviously Richie doesn't respect her, value her, and he certainly doesn't love her if he's willing to pass around her like a toy.
"Do you know where Seth is?" Vanessa asks.
Kate shakes her head. "I have no idea."
Vanessa gets up. "Thanks for the talk. I needed to hear that."
Kate gives her a small smile. "Me too."
Vanessa walks to the door, pausing for a moment when she's standing out in the hallway. "You have a date or something tonight?"
"Not really, but I'm trying to catch a guy's attention."
"Then get rid of the gloss and go with red lipstick. Trust me."
"Thanks."
The door closes behind Vanessa, leaving Kate all alone with her thoughts.
An hour later Kate is sitting on the front hood of her car, staring at the dark, empty field that borders the hotel. She should be on her way to the club, to try and seduce this Conrad guy, instead she finds herself unable to get up, to leave.
"I suspect that rum isn't doing anything," says a familiar voice.
She turns to find Richie approaching her. His stride is quick, his swagger confident. As always he's dressed impeccably in a suit and she wonders if he's ever worn a pair of jeans in his life.
She takes another swig of the bottle. "You're wrong," she lies. "I'm wasted."
"Yeah, right," he scoffs, stopping in front of her. "Liquor does nothing for you now."
His arrogance is infuriating and she wants to tell him to fuck off but the last thing she wants is to engage in a fight with him. So she remains silent, setting the bottle aside.
His eyebrows furrow. "What's wrong?"
She lies back on the car, staring up at the vast, starless sky. "Last week was Scott's birthday. I completely forgot. I didn't even remember until an hour ago." She closes her eyes. "No wonder he always felt so alone, like he didn't belong. I was a horrible sister to him."
"Are you kidding me with this shit?"
To be continued...
A/N - As always, thank you for reading!