Kissed by a Vampire. Caridad Pineiro

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СКАЧАТЬ of that, Stacia hastened her pace, eager for the night to begin.

       Chapter 3

      Alex handed the artist’s sketch to Miranda, the final one of Andrea’s friends he had to interview. The very last person who had seen Andrea entering the private area with the man they called “the Sheik.” Miranda had agreed to meet him at one of the cafés along the Ocean Drive strip where they sat at an intimate table for two tucked beneath an umbrella.

      Miranda took but a cursory glance at the sketch and immediately shoved the drawing back in Alex’s direction. “This is the guy.”

      With shaky hands she reached into her purse, pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered him one.

      He held up his hand. “No, thanks.”

      She lit up and took a deep drag, her actions skittish. Her eyes were hidden from him by the sunglasses she wore. She blew out a breath of smoke, and he watched it drift into the darkening Miami sky.

      “You’re sure Andrea was with this man at the Widget?” he pressed, just to confirm.

      Miranda bent forward and perused the sketch again before nodding and taking another nervous drag from her cigarette.

      “I’m sure. We had seen him there before. He always had a harem and lots of money, so we nicknamed him ‘the Sheik.’”

      “Do you know his real name?” Alex picked up his espresso cup and blew across its surface before taking a tentative sip.

      Miranda glanced around, almost as if fearful to answer.

      Alex tracked her gaze but observed nothing suspicious.

      “Are you afraid, Miranda? Do you think—”

      “He’ll come get me?” Miranda took a long pull on her cigarette before forcefully blowing out a plume of smoke.

      “So, are you afraid?” he repeated when she delayed.

      Miranda shrugged. “I don’t plan on going back to the Widget. Ever.”

      “No one asked you to do that, Miranda. I just need you to tell me a little something more about that night and this man.” Alex flipped the sketch around so Miranda could not avoid seeing it.

      Another shrug came in answer, shifting the strap of the loose black tank top she wore. The shirt dipped to reveal the curves of her breasts and no bra.

      Miranda pulled the strap back into place as she said, “We went. We saw. She conquered.”

      Alex raised an eyebrow. “She, as in Andrea?”

      Miranda nodded. “Andrea had been intrigued by the Sheik more than the rest of us. That night she was determined to meet him, so she was dressed to kill. It seemed like it was her lucky night.”

      “Why’s that?” Alex leaned toward her so he could read the nuances in her body language. He wished she would remove her damned sunglasses so he could see her eyes.

      Eyes could definitely tell you a hell of a lot more than words alone.

      Amazingly she did as he had wished, tossing aside the sunglasses before dragging a hand through the long locks of her dark hair.

      She had old eyes, he decided. Aged beyond her twentysomething years. A sure sign of a hard life, but given what he knew of Andrea’s past, he supposed her friend’s eyes mirrored that. Drugs and other problems had taken their toll.

      “The Sheik was alone that night. Drinking at the bar all by his lonesome. Andrea jumped on the opportunity to meet him.”

      And to jump on him, Alex suspected but didn’t say. “So they spent time together at the club?”

      Miranda nodded. “Dancing. Drinking. After, he took her to the video-game area.”

      “You saw her there? In the video-game area?”

      Another quick bob of Miranda’s head confirmed it before she said, “For an hour or so. Then she went with him into the private rooms. We thought she was going to one of those luxury gaming digs that everyone was always talking about.”

      “And that was the last time you saw her? You didn’t think to call or check on her the next day? Or the day after that?”

      She winced at the condemnation in his voice, which he hadn’t been able to control. Even if Andrea hadn’t been Dan’s daughter, it would have been hard not to question what kind of friends she had. Friends who had left her without a second thought, apparently, and who hadn’t worried about what had happened to her until Andrea’s father had started asking around.

      “We figured she’d hit the jackpot. The Sheik was always a high roller. Handsome. He could get into the private rooms. Do you know how hard it is to get into that area?” she said, gripping the edges of the table as she leaned toward him to emphasize her point.

      “I guess I’m going to find out,” he said and rose. “Thanks for your help.”

      Miranda nodded, and Alex tossed some money on the table to cover their check.

      He walked away and crossed the street to Lummus Park. The activity in its gardens and along the walkways had changed from the morning beachgoers to those who would be strolling along the strip to pick a place to eat before heading out to party later that night.

      It was still too early for him to scope out the Widget, although he was eager to return there, and not just on account of his investigation into Andrea’s disappearance.

      The demon had come to him in his dreams once again, but she had been more mortal this time. Looking way too much like the woman he had seen last night. He didn’t know if he should take that as an omen to avoid her because she’d be nothing but trouble.

      Despite that bothersome possibility, she had awakened a different kind of need in his dreams—a desire to discover more about her. To find out why the demon who had been haunting him for months was suddenly pointing him in the direction of his mystery woman.

      He popped open the doors on his Crossfire convertible, which was parked on the street across from the News Café where he had met Miranda.

      With a quick glance at his watch, he slipped into the low-slung car, experiencing only a slight pull in his midsection in the area where he had been shot nearly a year earlier. He paused for a moment, pressing against the spot to tame the stitch in his muscles, and then lowered the top on the convertible. After a quick cruise up and down Ocean Drive to see who was out and about, he then headed back to his office to review his files and notes once again before returning to South Beach.

      The problem with the DEA materials he had reviewed was that he didn’t recall seeing anyone in their extensive databases and papers who matched the general description of the man Andrea’s friends had dubbed “the Sheik.” That could mean that the man wasn’t as much of a player as Andrea and her friends had thought. But although the Sheik hadn’t made the DEA’s watch list, maybe the man had come to the attention of the local law-enforcement officers.

      Which meant that it was time СКАЧАТЬ