Last Night

Part 28

He hadn't said anything when we'd sprung from the bathroom, dressed and prepped. A single nod was all he'd done before presenting his arm and staring at me. I was fortunate my will to not waste tacos was stronger than my fear of him or I'd have probably vomited it all up on the silent elevator ride down.

I walked straight-backed and head held moderately high with my dear kidnapper, arm in arm. The lavender dress may have been mine, but it sure had been a while since it fit properly. It was so snug around my stomach that I had to take shallow breaths to keep the seams from splitting or my boobs from falling out of the v-neck. Or maybe my nerves were just shot from Lisa stringing up most of my tight curls so my neck was open for dinner. The last thing I wanted was attention to any part of my body that might look appetizing.

The black walls, crystal chandeliers, and golden marble flooring were pretty. Hah, understatement. I just couldn't enjoy the sight with a serial killer holding my arm and my friends hostage. He was a well-dressed killer though. Somehow, I felt underdressed standing next to him in his charcoal suit and green dress shirt. Why wasn't he saying anything? He was so talkative earlier.

Was he deciding what to do with me? There hadn't been any place to put my phone so I left it hidden in the bathroom. When Lisa wasn't looking, I'd stuffed it behind the spare toilet paper. He clearly wanted me to call Ian for help. But until I knew what was going on, there would be no panicked emergency calls that would inevitably lead to a trap. I mean, I'd handled him well enough. How bad could another vampire be?

A quick pinch on my arm pulled me from my thoughts. "Finished daydreaming? We're here."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to find that fighting spirit he seemed so found of. "So, do I get to be graced with knowing your name? Or will I forever be referring to you as Mr. Ian's Sire? Honestly, Detective Faker has a nice ring to it."

He paused, not looking at me, but at the doors to the ballroom. His grip tightened around my arm and started to tremble.

Shit, maybe that was too much.

Then it stopped and he burst out laughing. His whole body shook as it echoed through the quiet hallway.

After a moment he collected himself and turned to look at me, smiling still. "You know what? I like you. When all this is over I'm going to keep you around. Maybe if you're good, I'll even turn you so you can join in on all the fun Ian and I used to have."

My heart stuttered and went into overdrive as I stared back at him, trying not to gape in horror; but the visceral reaction to pull away was too much and I tried yanking my arm out of his.

It didn't work. It only made him laugh again.

"My last name is Faulkner, but my first is Patrick, not Cosmo. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Cooper. Shall we get this party started now that introductions are over?" He asked but didn't wait for a reply before pushing open the doors.

We were met with a warm glow from the lights reflecting off the golden champagne walls and tray ceilings. More crystal chandeliers decorated the already beautiful reception hall. Two long tables adorned in silver and navy with rows of chairs all along each of them lined a dance floor on one side. On the far side of the room sat the head table where everyone's attention was focused on the newly-weds slicing their cake.

"Shoot, we missed the speeches. That's always my favorite part to observe and then interrupt." He tugged me along the wall to get closer to the DJ in the corner. When we were only a couple feet from him, he let go and stared out at the party before us. "I remember the first wedding I crashed. I was such a newb. I told the best man to slit the maid of honor's throat during her speech and then had the bride roll in the blood. It was really only entertaining for the first thirty minutes, then I got unexpectedly hungrier and the soles of my shoes were sticking to the floor. I had to throw them out after that. There's no way to get that much blood out of leather shoes. It wasn't worth the effort when I could just go get new ones."