Bait

Chapter Eighteen

I ran through the busy streets disoriented as to where I was. Cars passed me and one honked when I stumbled too close to the road. The Buda Castle stood on the hill to my left, which meant the river would be east of me. I continued running, afraid one of Lizzy’s minions would follow. Smells of spiced food drifted from the many restaurants between the storefronts. The late evening traffic clogged the boulevards as I got further from her estates.

My breath came in painful heaves with each step. I didn’t know how many blocks I ran but it felt like I’d done a marathon. A bench invited me over to take a rest. I needed to stop and gather my thoughts.

No one caught me yet so I assumed Lizzy’s people too busy with the fire to wonder about me. They would need to regroup after the loss of their leader. I smiled in satisfaction at the memory. Happy her plans to murder me and destroy Rurik’s clan had backfired.

The smell of smoke clung to the pictures still clutched in my hand, their edges singed in the initial blaze. I laid them on my lap and tried to flatten out the crinkles. They clearly showed someone else instead of Rurik. He looked similar but couldn’t compare to Rurik’s beauty.

Colby needed to see them. I hoped to convince him to decline the contract on Rurik’s existence and switch it to double-crossing-rat-bastard Tane, if not Dragos himself. Colby wasn’t a greedy man, justice would compensate for the monetary loss. There were no human laws that governed the paranormal world, so he elected himself to do it. Once he knew Rurik is innocent of the crime, he won’t kill him. I knew how Colby worked.

Rurik needed to see the pictures too. Not so much for the images but that I got them for him. I wanted him to forgive me and trust me. He had to believe in me again. How would he react when I told him where I got the pictures and why Lizzy had them? I grimaced. And that I killed her?

He never expressed any affection for her.

A bus pulled in front of me. The door opened and the driver stared at me. I shook my head, even if I knew where to go I didn’t have a cent on me. My wallet sat on Rurik’s bedroom floor. This situation would have been my biggest nightmare a few days ago but after tonight, it was a cake walk.

Initially, I wanted to go to Rurik but my insides still felt tender and sore from our last conversation. If I knew for sure this could make things right between us I wouldn’t hesitate to go to him first but I didn’t know. It made more sense to find Colby and call off any further attacks. The least I could do was make sure Rurik stayed alive regardless of what became of us.

One of the wonderful things about Budapest was the abundance of pay phones. I scanned the area while I rested on the bench. Across the street and down half a block I spotted a pink phone stand.

It’d been years since I’d had to panhandle but the technique was simple. Locate a john and ask. Begging put food on my plate when things got rough after my grandma died and the landlord kicked me out of our rent-controlled apartment. I could always find some guy who wanted to play my hero. It was a gift. I had a good sense of character—I think this helped me be good bait. A big percentage of men would try to take advantage of the situation but it didn’t take long for me to spot the right kind of gentlemen.

With my sweetest smile pasted on my face, I approached him. “Excuse me, sir. Do you speak English?”

He looked a little over fifty with some gray at his temples. It didn’t touch the rest of his short black hair. The warm weather made it cozy enough for him to wear a short sleeve button down shirt with his black slacks. He raised one thick eyebrow and shook his head.

Of course not. Only I, Colby’s gang, and the vampires seemed to speak English. I pulled out my empty pockets and pretended to talk on the phone then rubbed my fingers together in the universal sign for moolah.

He reached for his back pocket while laughing and offered me some change. The coins filled my hands, he gave me enough to make a few calls.

I placed them in my pockets and shook his hand. “Kosomo.”

He nodded and as he passed behind me grabbed my ass.

I don’t know what got me angrier, the squeak I made or my lack of judgment.

He winked and continued on his way. At least I had some cash. What’s a little ass pinch in exchange for a life saving telephone call?

The phone was a short jog away. I dialed Colby’s number. It rang, and rang, and rang. Finally a computerized voice answered to inform me to leave a message. Dang. “It’s Connie. Don’t kill Rurik, I have something to show you.” The phone clicked as I hung up.

He always answered his phone. A shiver ran through me from head to toe. My grandma told me shivers like that meant someone just walked over my grave.

What could he be doing? Visions of Colby attacking Rurik’s peaceful people wreaked havoc on my shot nerves.

I couldn’t contact Rurik, I never had his number. Even the location of his home was vague. My heart raced again. I didn’t know what to do. So much miscommunication and deceit would destroy the bud of change which bloomed in my soul. I didn’t want to lose my hope. It brought me happiness, something I’d forgotten existed.

Only one other person in Budapest carried a cell phone whose number I knew. The thought of how angry he would be made me cringe. He would help, I could depend on him. Once he finished yelling.

I dialed his number and he answered after the first ring.

“What?”

“Red?”