The man removed his glasses to reveal one brown eye and one white eye. Dante suspected the white eye was dead, probably from an injury sustained while the vamp was still human.
“Some kids have a good reason to run away from home,” the man said.
“Not this one,” Dante assured him. “This is a little girl who got lost after her dad died in a car accident.”
The man’s jaw clenched, and a muscle jumped in his cheek as he shifted his attention to the blood on the back wall. He clasped his hands on the bar and rested his forearms on the surface.
“I lost my dad as a kid too,” the man muttered.
Cassidy didn’t speak; she barely dared to breathe as she waited to see what the vampire would say.
“Did Opal know why you were coming here?” the vamp asked.
“We told her we were looking for a party,” Dante said.
“You shouldn’t have lied to Opal.”
Before coming here, Cassidy was so committed to helping Dante that she hadn’t considered the consequences of using her brother’s name to gain access. Now, she kicked herself in the ass for her recklessness. Kyle would never be allowed in here again. He was going to be so pissed at her, and she would deserve it.
Fear for her brother caused her to blurt out her words. “That’s my fault. I wanted to help find Julie.”
“And how do you know about this place?” the vamp asked. “I’ve never seen you in here before; believe me, I’d remember that.”
Dante edged Cassidy another step back as the vamp pinned her with his stare.
“From a friend,” Cassidy lied. Opal knew the truth already and would tell this guy, but she couldn’t rat her brother out. “He’s been here before.”
“If I were you, I’d tell your friend that Zan says not to come here again.”
Cassidy gulped. “I will.”
Zan stared at her for a minute before his gaze returned to Dante. “A lot of kids go missing.”
“And some of them choose to stay missing, while others don’t have a choice. I want to know if Julie has a choice,” Dante said.
Zan unclasped his hands and rose away from the bar. This close to him, Dante judged them to be about the same height and weight. It would be a well-matched fight, and he suspected neither of them would fight fair.
“Let me see the picture,” Zan said.
Dante removed the picture from his pocket and slid it across the bar to the vamp. Zan hesitated a few seconds before resting his fingers on the photo and pulling it closer.
Cassidy studied Zan as he glanced at the image. His white eye was a little unnerving, but he was extremely handsome with his high cheekbones, full lips, and a lean build. His hair was styled in tight braids that went down the back of his head to his shoulders. Part of what looked like a dragon tattoo was on the side of his skull.
He didn’t smell like a Savage, and she didn’t get the impression he was a violent man, but he exuded a don’t mess with me aura. She suspected Zan didn’t look for a fight, but he didn’t take shit from anyone either.
“She’s a pretty girl,” Zan said and pushed the picture back toward Dante.
Dante took it and returned it to his pocket. “She is.”
Zan rubbed his chin. “I made some stupid decisions when I was sixteen.”
“Didn’t we all?”
“Yeah, but unfortunately, some spend the rest of their lives paying for those decisions. No one should have to do that. She was in here…” Zan rubbed his chin as he stared at the wall. “Two or three weeks ago with Preston; it might have been sooner, but I haven’t seen them since.”
Dante stiffened at the name. Was this Preston the PB from Julie’s journal? “Who’s Preston?”
“He’s a pretty boy vamp who thinks his shit doesn’t stink, but he’s handsome, so all the girls love him. I think he’s a douchebag.”
“Does he come here often?” Dante asked.
“The party isn’t always here, but I’ve seen him a couple of dozen or so times over the year,” Zan said. “He used to come in with Jasmine, but she hasn’t been around in a while.”
“Who’s Jasmine?”
“She’s a vamp.” Zan looked around the bar before focusing on him again. “You asked if I’ve seen the girl, and I gave you my answer.”
Dante kept a lid on his frustration. He was lucky Zan was telling him anything; if he got impatient about it, the man wouldn’t say anything more and would most likely kick them out of here. However, Zan did reveal it had been a while since he saw Jasmine. Which meant two people involved with Preston were missing.
He had to find this guy.
“When was the last time you saw Preston?” he asked.
“With your girl.”
“Is there any pattern as to when he’ll show up?”
“Nope.”
“Can I convince you to call me if he comes in again?”
“Nope.”
Dante refused to give in to his irritation with the man. He would leave here with more information than when he arrived and would find another way to locate Preston.
“I’m going to leave my card with you in case Julie shows up again,” Dante said.
Zan’s face remained expressionless as Dante removed his wallet and pulled out a card with his number and email on it. There was no name. Often, he wrote either his name or Dan Vares on it, but he didn’t bother to do that now. Giving Zan his fake name would prove to be a bad idea if the man ever learned the truth, and he wasn’t ready to give out his real name.
He slid the white card to Zan. The vamp rested his fingers on it and pulled it closer to himself. He stared at it like he was trying to decide if it was poisonous before putting it in his pocket.
“What’s down the hallways?” Dante asked.
“The bathrooms are down one, and pleasure awaits down the other. Your lady friend doesn’t
