Part 23
When Maria arrived at the motel there was no one there who recognised Cassanova Redfern's name. They told her he'd already checked out. His room had been cleaned and there were no clues as to where he might have taken his human girl.
It was the human girl she was more concerned about than anything. If Cassanova had already started to change her; then it would much easier to kill her as almost a vampire than to take a human life.
If only there had been someone to do that for her. Maria sighed, still feeling she would have been better off if the Council had caught her and killed her.
Now she was stuck as a vampire. A million dollars would change her life. All she had to do was find Cassanova and stake him. She took out her cell phone and called Tyche.
"He's not here, he's gone."
"I know. The desk clerk who recognised his name told me, but I don't know where."
Maria scowled. They could be out the country by now for all she knew. "Well if you were escaping with a human where would you go?" she asked.
Tyche laughed hollowly. "Don't know cause it would never happen."
Maria hung up. She should have known calling Tyche would be a waste of time, her sanity seemed to be lapsing. "If you wanted to come along, Dallas, all you had to do was ask instead of hiding in the backseat."
Dallas Redfern emerged from the shadowy corner of the empty motel room, smirking. "You knew I was there."
Maria turned to look at him, shaking her head. Vampires were supposed to be intelligent, from what she knew. Though that opinion of them was dwindling fast. All the ones she had met were just nuts. "Of course I know, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Do you know embarrassing it is to have a brother like Cassanova?" Dallas looked evenly back at her, shoving his hands into his jeans pocket. "The sooner he's dead, the better, right?"
Maria nodded in agreement. She'd never worked with a vampire before, or even considered it. But Dallas was probably going to be her best shot at getting Cassanova. "Okay, yeah, I agree. So where are they?"
Dallas grinned and shook his head. "I thought they'd be here."
Maria's eyes rolled. "Who would know?"
Dallas was quiet, and appeared to actually be thinking the problem over. He might even be able to add some constructive comments to the situation. "One of the vermin girl's friends is a vampire, Helen, they might tell her. She seemed kind of weird to me."
Maria never understood why a vampire would want to be friends with a human if they were supposed to be enemies. Her cell phone was buzzing again.
"I know where they are," Tyche sounded very pleased with herself. Okay, so maybe she had some use besides money. Maria fought back the insults that wanted to come streaming out her mouth.
"So you sent us on a wild goose chase," she said through gritted teeth. "Where are they?"
Tyche told her, and Maria hung up, heading for her car, muttering under her breath in anger about this waste of time. Dallas hurried after her.
"Shall we flip a coin to see who gets to kill Cassanova?" he asked with a smirk.
Maria ignored him as she gunned the engine and sped off. She was *so* going to enjoy staking Cassanova when she got her hands on the arrogant bastard.
* * *
When Maria arrived at the motel there was no one there who recognised Cassanova Redfern's name. They told her he'd already checked out. His room had been cleaned and there were no clues as to where he might have taken his human girl.
It was the human girl she was more concerned about than anything. If Cassanova had already started to change her; then it would much easier to kill her as almost a vampire than to take a human life.
If only there had been someone to do that for her. Maria sighed, still feeling she would have been better off if the Council had caught her and killed her.
Now she was stuck as a vampire. A million dollars would change her life. All she had to do was find Cassanova and stake him. She took out her cell phone and called Tyche.
"He's not here, he's gone."
"I know. The desk clerk who recognised his name told me, but I don't know where."
Maria scowled. They could be out the country by now for all she knew. "Well if you were escaping with a human where would you go?" she asked.
Tyche laughed hollowly. "Don't know cause it would never happen."
Maria hung up. She should have known calling Tyche would be a waste of time, her sanity seemed to be lapsing. "If you wanted to come along, Dallas, all you had to do was ask instead of hiding in the backseat."
Dallas Redfern emerged from the shadowy corner of the empty motel room, smirking. "You knew I was there."
Maria turned to look at him, shaking her head. Vampires were supposed to be intelligent, from what she knew. Though that opinion of them was dwindling fast. All the ones she had met were just nuts. "Of course I know, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Do you know embarrassing it is to have a brother like Cassanova?" Dallas looked evenly back at her, shoving his hands into his jeans pocket. "The sooner he's dead, the better, right?"
Maria nodded in agreement. She'd never worked with a vampire before, or even considered it. But Dallas was probably going to be her best shot at getting Cassanova. "Okay, yeah, I agree. So where are they?"
Dallas grinned and shook his head. "I thought they'd be here."
Maria's eyes rolled. "Who would know?"
Dallas was quiet, and appeared to actually be thinking the problem over. He might even be able to add some constructive comments to the situation. "One of the vermin girl's friends is a vampire, Helen, they might tell her. She seemed kind of weird to me."
Maria never understood why a vampire would want to be friends with a human if they were supposed to be enemies. Her cell phone was buzzing again.
"I know where they are," Tyche sounded very pleased with herself. Okay, so maybe she had some use besides money. Maria fought back the insults that wanted to come streaming out her mouth.
"So you sent us on a wild goose chase," she said through gritted teeth. "Where are they?"
Tyche told her, and Maria hung up, heading for her car, muttering under her breath in anger about this waste of time. Dallas hurried after her.
"Shall we flip a coin to see who gets to kill Cassanova?" he asked with a smirk.
Maria ignored him as she gunned the engine and sped off. She was *so* going to enjoy staking Cassanova when she got her hands on the arrogant bastard.
* * *