Chapter 4

Remy reluctantly sat up and yawned. He scratched his scalp. Without checking the time, he could feel that the sun would be fully set in about an hour. More than enough time to pack, take a nice hot shower, and check out. He wasn't looking forward to the drive ahead, but it would be good to get home.

As much as he considered New Orleans his hometown, he had a special affection for Nocturne Falls. At least there, he could be himself. No need to worry who might have seen him when vampire law banned him from returning to New Orleans for more than a few decades. He stretched, releasing the last bonds of sleep from his muscles.

And there was something to be said for sleeping in one's own bed surrounded by the comforts of home. No hotel could ever take the place of his own house, no matter how fancy it was or how good the room service.

He got up, pulled together a clean outfit for the evening ahead, and headed for the bathroom. A hot shower was just what he needed.

He was about to crank on the water when someone knocked on his door.

Frowning, he pulled on a robe and went to see who it was. He hadn't ordered room service. Maybe they were checking to see if he was leaving today. He'd left things a little open-ended. But the front desk could have called.

He glanced through the peephole, but all he could see was the back of a woman in a dark suit. Housekeeping? He wasn't sure.

He opened the door.

The woman turned. His mouth fell open. Not housekeeping. Not remotely. Instead, he was looking at a woman he never thought he'd see again. The mother of the only woman he'd ever loved. "Leonie."

She nodded. "Remy Lafitte. I didn't think you'd be back in this town again until I was a very old woman. If at all."

He nodded. "I know. But circumstances dictated otherwise. I'm leaving within the hour if that's what you're worried—"

"On the contrary." She tipped her head toward the room behind him. "May I come in? What I need to discuss with you is better done in private." She glanced down the hall like she was checking to see if anyone was watching.

Was she worried about being seen with him? Odd behavior for a woman who'd clearly sought him out.

He was more than a little intrigued. What in the stars could the mother of his ex-girlfriend want from him? It had been years since he'd been in Ephie's life. Since he'd seen her. He stepped back and let Leonie through, closing the door behind her. "You look well. The years have been kind to you."

"You're the best kind of liar." She smiled as she helped herself to a seat at the small table near the windows, still covered with blackout curtains. "And I know you mean well, so I don't mind. You look exactly as I remember you. No surprise there, I suppose."

He sat on the end of the bed, uneasy with her presence and unable to imagine why she was here. "It's the blessing and the curse of my kind."

"Said like a true vampire, but then, that's what you are. Always will be." She smiled at him. She'd never liked him, so the smile wasn't something he was used to seeing. It disappeared quickly. "I know we've never been on the best footing, but I need your help. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

Of that, he had no doubt. "You need my help?" He didn't even know how she'd found him, except she was very well-connected.

Worry dimmed her eyes. "Yes. Not for myself. For Ephie."

Now he was listening. "What's going on?"

Leonie held his gaze. "Seventeen years ago, when I was still a lower court judge, I put a man, Abraham Turner, away for manslaughter. It was quite an achievement. He was a real thug, one the police had been trying to nail for some time. He was involved in all sorts of criminal activity. Gambling, prostitution, drugs—you name it."

"A gangster."

"Yes." She dug into her purse. "He's resurfaced in my life by way of these." She pulled three envelopes out and laid them on the table. "All delivered directly to my office without being postmarked."

"Hand-delivered to your chambers?"

"Yes."

He understood how that would worry her. He took the other chair at the table and gestured to the envelopes. "May I?"

"Please."

He read through them one by one. "These are threats, plain and simple, against you and Ephie. Have you gone to the cops?"

"You just read them. Going to the cops will only make things worse."

"You don't know that."

She glared at him. "It's not a chance I'm willing to take."

"Have you told Ephie?"

Leonie gave him a sharp glance. "No. She wouldn't react well to that. It would put her into a panic. She's a little fragile. I need to handle this discreetly. That's where you come in."

He sat back, trying to figure out how she thought he could help. He didn't remember Ephie as fragile. Shy, definitely, but not fragile. Maybe she'd changed since he'd last seen her. "How do I figure into this?"

"I need you to get Ephie out of town without her knowing what's going on."

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Ephie isn't going to leave with me. She doesn't want anything to do with me. And you never liked me when we were dating."

"You're a two-hundred-and-some-years-old vampire. She was nineteen."

Her implications upset him. "She told me she was twenty-two when we first met, and I believed her. She was mature and sensible and intelligent. And I was turned when I was twenty-nine. Despite the years I've lived, that's about the age I still feel." It was hard to explain to a human how it felt to know you were never going to get any older. How the world around you could change so much while you stayed the same. They never understood, and they rarely had sympathy. Leonie would be no different.

Leonie snorted like his explanation was ludicrous.

He stared at her, feeling a little vindicated that he'd known how she'd react. "Do you feel your age?"

"Right now? Yes. But that's not what I came here to discuss."

He quelled his anger. "I understand you need help, but I'm surprised you thought I could do anything." He got to his feet and walked away a few steps, needing some distance. "You have to go to the police."

"I can't. Don't you understand? Whether it's Turner doing this directly or one of his goons, he still has connections on the outside. He says jump, and his crew asks how high. One whiff of police involvement and Ephie will be in the crosshairs. Those letters threaten as much. I can only imagine what they'd do to her."

She looked away for a moment. Her voice seemed thinner when she spoke again. "What would you do if this was your child?"

"I would protect that child myself." He planted his hands on his hips. "But Ephie isn't a child. She's a grown woman who deserves to know she's in danger."

Leonie grabbed her purse and stood up. "I thought you'd care. I thought your past with Ephie meant something. Obviously, I was wrong."

He rolled his eyes. "I do care about her." More than Leonie would ever know. "But you're going about this all wrong."

She gripped her purse against her body like it was a source of strength. "You really think you know better than me? I don't know what you remember of Ephie, but she's not a strong person. She keeps to herself. Works from home, which suits her. The outside world intimidates her. She does best when things are peaceful and calm. She's been like that since school."

What he remembered was Ephie being scared of him as soon as he'd offered to give her the kiss of immortality. Had that fear morphed into something greater? Something that had colored her entire view of life? A sense of guilt crept over him. Along with a sudden swell of responsibility. "But she's got powers of her own. That ought to give her some confidence. She's got a way to protect herself."

Leonie sighed. "Her gifts are simple at best, nothing like her grandmother's power, which is what they should have been. It skips a generation, as you know, leaving me with only the occasional faint hint of foresight and a good idea of when the next rain is coming. Ephie should have been a powerful witch. She isn't. I believe that's part of what bothers her so much. The weight of expectations."

She glanced toward the door. "She's tried to get better, but nothing has worked." Leonie's mouth bent in a sad smile. "She even told me she has a familiar now."

"That's good, isn't it? From what I understand, a familiar can really help a witch focus their powers."

"It's true," Leonie said. "But for that to happen, the familiar would have to be real. Ephie's got herself a ghost cat." She shook her head in obvious pity. "I couldn't lie to her and pretend to see it, but she explained it away by saying the cat only shows himself to certain people. I think the cat might just be a defense mechanism."

Remy didn't like any of what he was hearing. His memory of Ephie was of a strong, beautiful woman. Yes, she'd struggled with her gifts, but they'd been brand-new when he'd met her. And, yes, his offer had sent her running. As forcefully as he'd come on, it would have been more surprising if she'd said yes.

Now, however, it seemed Ephie had let her fears get the best of her. That was sad. He had to do something. If she became the victim of this gangster, Abraham Turner, Remy would blame himself until the day he died.

Which would, undoubtedly, be many, many years from now. That was a long time to live with a guilty conscience. He groaned softly, his frustrations with himself as much as the woman before him. "So you're asking me, the vampire you wanted to have nothing to do with your daughter, to now come to her aid."

Leonie looked like she'd just swallowed something bitter. "I am."

"If I do this, I do it with your approval? With your trust?"

She hesitated, her jaw muscles working. Finally, she spat out, "Yes."

"What about her husband and her family?" He realized Leonie hadn't mentioned either, but he needed to know exactly what he was getting into.

"She has no husband, no boyfriend, and outside of her grandmother and myself, no other family."

That was interesting. But this was still a terrible idea. He could not believe he was agreeing to this. What else could he do? This was Ephie they were talking about. Ephie who was in danger. His Ephie.

He couldn't walk away from her a second time. "How is this supposed to work?"