We each picked up a glass, clinking them together before tapping the bottom on the bar and raising them to our lips, letting the fiery burn of the whiskey work its magic as we each downed our first one then, after a second quick cheers, the second. My whole body felt like it was being warmed from the inside out.
Rick didn't like whiskey and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it. He only ever drank vodka or rum. Sure, they were good, but whiskey and I got along like a house on fire.
“Good?” she asked.
I grinned, and I couldn’t seem to wipe the grin off my face. “Better than good. Do you have any idea how awesome you are?”
She laughed. “Are you drunk already? Emma, you need to get out more! Live a little!”
“No, seriously, you’re awesome. I wish I had half your confidence.”
Her smile wavered, then was back. “You’ll get there. I promise.”
I shook my head. “I was never like you. I was--”
“Awesome in your own way. I remember the way you could sing when you thought no one was around. You have the most incredible voice I’ve ever heard.”
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “That was all my mom. She had wanted to be a famous singer, but then she got pregnant with me, and she decided to stay in Mystic Hollow. But she never forgot what it felt like to be on a stage. We’d stand out on the back patio and sing together, even though only the birds were listening.”
“I remember your mom,” Beth said, and her smile turned to a sad one. “She was an incredible woman.”
We ordered another shot. I wanted to chase that warm feeling again, not think about my mom turning up the stereo and us belting out songs together. Nor about my dad building Legos with Henry. Those two had covered the living room in Lego sets that no one dared to touch until after the funeral, when Henry took them apart piece-by-piece, tears streaming down his face.
He hadn’t cried at the funeral. He did cry then. And when he tossed those boxes of Legos in the trash, we’d both aged years.
Damn it. I grabbed my shot and raised it to Beth.
She spoke, her voice strong and sure. “To every valley we had to overcome to reach the top of this hill.”
I clinked my glass with hers and downed another drink. The warmth inside of me grew hotter, pleasantly so, and my thoughts scattered. Beth was right. We’d been through a lot. Saving Henry? We would do this too, and no one was going to stop us.
“Let’s do this!” I yelled when all the glasses sat empty in front of us.
Beth pointed to a door toward the back of the club. “That’s where we have to go!”
“Then that’s where we’re going!”
Steeling my shoulders and spine, I marched over to a bouncer guarding a door. It didn't look like the rest of the wall, which surprised me, since I thought it would have been more subtle. Instead, it was tufted black leather, looking luxurious and dangerous all at once. I’d even seen people slipping through while we had our drinks. This was the way to the downstairs. I was sure of it.
“Excuse me,” I shouted.
He glanced down without actually moving his head and arched one eyebrow. “Yes?” His deep voice vibrated through my body like Lurch from the Addams family.
I cocked my hip and tossed my hair over my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the ends of my hair slap Beth in the eye.
Oh, damn.
Ignoring her flinches and movements behind me, I tried to look up coyly at the man. “How are you?”
He finally moved his head to look down at me, his dark eyes raking over my face as though trying to figure out what I was up to. “Fine.”
“A man of few words, eh?” I asked. “I like that.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I managed to choke on air and stray spit and had to turn away, so I could hack up a lung without it being right in the bouncer's face. The next thing I knew, Lurch was pounding on my back so hard I was afraid that the hacking up a lung thing would actually happen. His large hand smacked against my back again as I finally got myself under control.
“Are you okay?”
Oh, geez. His voice never rose in tone. It stayed that deep, flat intonation that resonated.
Pulling myself upright, I wheezed through a raw throat. “I’m fine.”
Wow, he actually seemed concerned. Go Lurch. He’d liked my flirting. Excellent. “So, I’m looking for my brother, Henry. Do you know him? He’s good at cards.”
Lurch froze and pressed at his ear. I hadn't even noticed he was wearing an earpiece until that moment, and I wasn't sure I'd have been able to tell if it wasn't for the tiny cord that appeared from behind his ear and disappeared around his neck. He turned his head away from me so I couldn't hear what he said, but the vibrations of his voice were apparent, like hearing the bass line of a song but not the lyrics. He was talking to someone.
A few seconds later, the black leather door behind him opened and two men walked out, fangs peeking through their lips. There was something about the vamps that sent a chill down my spine even with the whiskey warming my belly. It was as if my instincts were screaming that these creatures could seriously hurt me.
In any other life, at any other time, I don’t think I could have faced them. But I was Henry’s protector. I always had been. Today wasn’t any different.
“This way,” one of them said.
And even though I was scared out of
