A Bit of Warm Comfort (A True Blood - Sam/Tara Fic)

Chapter 9 - Truth or Die

"Hooka, my cousin wouldn't volunteer to be no happy meal unless Eric put a whammy on her," Lafayette said. "Eric can do whatever he wants to me, but that's my family y'all fucking with."

Suddenly, Eric was standing beside Pam, filling up the doorway with his impressive stature.

"Lafayette," Eric said with a hard edge in his voice.

Seeing the blond vampire, Lafayette stood quietly, casting his eyes downward like a frightened child who'd just been chastised.

What the hell is going on here? Sam thought. Eric obviously held some kind of power over Lafayette. He'd never seen the man cowed down so easily by anyone.

Lafayette raised his head to meet Eric's gaze. "M-my cousin, Tara, was here the other night. I think she came here asking you for help getting rid of cop named Andy Bellefleur."

"Ooh, I remember now," Pam crooned. "The chocolate cherry in the red dress." She licked her lips suggestively and turned to smile at her sire. "Did she taste as good as she looked? If I'd known you were feeding, I would've asked for a sample. I like the feisty ones. Their blood is so spicy."

Lafayette's eyes narrowed. "Fuck you, bitch," he mumbled under his breath.

Her head snapped in his direction, her fangs fully distended. "Mind your mouth, breather!"

Eric placed a hand on his progeny's shoulder. "Pam. Go help Chow close up."

She continued to glare at Lafayette. "Your insolence won't be forgotten. When Eric's through with you, I'll take pleasure making you scream in pain."

She turned and stalked away, leaving Lafayette staring after her. Eric turned his attention to Sam.

"I assure you that I have not tasted the one you speak of nor do I know anything about this Andy Bellefleur person, which in my opinion is a ridiculous name for a cop."

Sam was skeptical. "If you didn't feed from her, then who did?"

"Do I come to your establishment and question you about every patron who drinks a beer?"

Sam gritted his teeth. His temper was on the verge of exploding. "How dare you compare Tara to a fucking beer."

Eric gave him a taunting grin.

Lafayette stepped forward in an attempt to calm the situation. "Look, man, here's the bottom line. I love my cousin, but she's one fucking step away from the looney bin right now. She's hell bent on gettin' revenge on this detective and don't care how she do it, even if it means gettin' in league with a bunch of vampires."

"Your cousin's mental state means nothing to me," Eric answered coolly. "As long as my interests are protected." He gave Lafayette a meaningful look.

"A whole lot of drama's gonna end up at your doorstep if the cops find out you helped her."

"And how would they find that out?" Eric asked with an unwavering stare.

"I have to protect my cousin from herself, by any means possible. If you don't tell us where she is, I ain't got no choice but to -"

Within a blink of an eye, Eric was standing over him, so close that Lafayette had to lean back slightly to see the hairs on the vampire's chin.

"You'll do what?" the former Viking sneered. "I don't appreciate idle threats, Lafayette, even if you are a valuable asset to me."

Sam stepped closer, staring up at the two men. "Do you know where she is or not, Eric?"

"No," he answered, his eyes still focused on Lafayette. He slowly backed away, turning to face Sam. "However, my associate may know. He seemed quite taken by her. I spoke with him earlier. They're probably together as we speak."