We got around the block and had turned back toward my place when Sam pulled something out of his pocket. “You know, I found a bowl of these in the kitchen. I grabbed one just in case because each of them had one or two matches missing.”
He held the object out, so I took it and studied the cover. It was a small, red matchbook with a white X on it. Flipping it over, I found a phone number. “What in the world could this be?”
“Probably some exclusive club,” Drew said. “If he’s got a bunch, he’s grabbed one every time he was there.”
“Well, call the number,” I said. We hurried into the house. “Come on, we’ll get some privacy and do it in here.”
We huddled around the coffee table as Olivia dialed the number.
“Password?” A deep, resonating voice said.
Panicking, I looked around at everyone and spread my hands. “Uh, I don’t know it. Wade Harper gave me your number.”
“Oh, okay. Sure. First time, eh?” He chuckled.
“Yes, uh, yeah. First time.” I shrugged and exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Olivia.
“Okay, well the address for tonight is 550 Suarez Loop. Knock three times. Don’t come alone. Six pm.” The line went dead.
“What now?” I whispered.
“Let’s just go over there now,” Drew suggested.
I shook my head. “No, if whatever it is happens at six, we shouldn’t go until then. It might be empty before.”
Wallie turned his phone around. “550 Suarez loop is just a house. Maybe it’s like a book club or something.”
I jumped up. “Well, until we can go, we can pack. Everyone pick a room and get busy.”
Olivia handled the small stuff, floating around, refilling tape guns, refilling coffee cups. She handled lunch and an early dinner and helped schlep full boxes to the living room.
Clay was surprisingly helpful, and we went through his stuff and decided what to do with it all. Mostly it was to be donated, but he had a few things he specifically wanted Wallie to have, and there were a few family heirlooms I packed for Wallie’s future children.
Finally, as my stomach chewed a hole in itself, the hours passed, and it was time to head to the house.
We piled into the truck. Zoey and Wallie rode in the truck bed while Drew drove and Sam, Olivia, and I scrunched in the bench seat.
When we got close, as planned, Zoey and Wallie hopped out of the back. Zoey was using her nose to help them snoop around while we got the lay of the land inside.
Drew pulled the truck up to the curb and we looked around.
“Maybe it’s just a party?” I suggested. The whole cul-de-sac was filled with cars. Every available spot to park was taken and we were nearly an hour early. Drew backed up the street and parked a block away.
“Everyone ready?” I asked.
We smoothed our clothes when we got out and started walking, Drew and I arm in arm, and Sam and Olivia did as well. We walked right up to the front door like we were meant to be there and had done it a dozen times and knocked three times.
The door opened and a smiling woman spread her arm. “Please, come in. We’re happy to have you.”
As we walked by, she looked Drew over and nearly purred. “Very happy to have you.”
As soon as we walked through the hall and into a large living room, a few things sank in.
“Please,” the woman said in a sultry voice as she ran her fingers up Drew’s arm. “Dive right in.”
The room was full of couples, and most of the couples were writhing with one another on the floor, on the couches, pressed against the wall. There were two men and a woman all over each other on the coffee table.
And the woman wasn’t wearing a shirt!
“Oh, my goddess, Olivia,” I whispered.
She lurched forward and put her arm around my shoulders. “I know. I think this is a swinger’s party.”
“Excuse me,” I said, gingerly pulling the woman’s hand off of Drew’s arm as he stared into the living room with a startled expression on his face. “Ma’am?”
The woman who let us in gave me a sharp look. “Yes?”
“We’re looking for Wade Harper. Have you seen him?”
Her posture changed and she sighed. “No. Not in about a week. If you talk to him, tell him Kristen misses him. He should come back soon.” She winked and turned her attention back to Drew.
I tugged on his arm and backed into the hallway with Olivia pretty much glued to my back.
“Hello,” a husky voice said. We turned to find another woman, a fairly gorgeous one, if I were being honest, pretty much drape herself around Sam. “Would you like to come upstairs with me?”
Sam stammered and looked at Olivia with wide, terrified eyes. “Oh, no, I uh, no, see, we, uh.”
Olivia stood up straight and pulled away from me. “Bitch, you better get your hands off of my husband!”
She lurched for the woman so fast I barely had time to get my hands around her waist. “Sam!” I yelled. “Get her out of here!”
Sam jerked his arm away from the woman and hefted Olivia up over his shoulder, then made a beeline for the door.
That didn’t matter to Olivia. “You even look at my man again and I’ll scratch your eyes out. And I’ll curse you! Do you hear me? Your titties will shrivel up and you’ll never have another moment of horniness!”
Drew crowded me as the entirety of the writhing, sexed-up, frenzied people turned to stare at the still shrieking Olivia as Sam carried her outside.
“Thanks for having us, we had a lovely time!” I squawked as I ran after them.
Holy hellchops in a handbasket. That was a swinger’s club, and Wade—Wade—was a member.
Once we hit the sidewalk, Sam put Olivia down and we ran for the truck. “Zoey!” I called. I knew she’d be able to hear me. “Come on, now!”
Wallie and Zo came running from around the back of the house. They hopped in the back as Drew put the truck into drive and took off.
“Well. That was…” I sucked in a deep breath.
“Fun,” Olivia said.
Sam put his arm around her. “My little spitfire was ready to fight for her man.”
She snuggled into him as I turned to Drew and pretended to stick my finger down my throat.
But she was right, really. It was fun.
Chapter Eleven
Once the sun set, I decided to go out the front door to take the trash out so I could be obvious about wanting to catch Jaxon out and about. And because I was taunting the vampires, as Drew called it. Hey, I needed to take out the trash. I had a legitimate reason for going out there. It wasn’t entirely because I was anxious to see the vamp leader. Only mostly.
Glaring at the vamp house, I didn’t see Jaxon, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t home. In fact, I was betting the fanged one, Leo, never even told him I wanted to speak with him.
Well, I’d give him ten more minutes, then I was going over there. And I wasn’t going to be nice about it.
I opened the trash can lid and tossed the bag inside, making as much noise as I could. I dropped the metal trash can lid and slammed it against the concrete on the driveway a few times as I picked it up.
When I turned to go back around to the front of the house, a dark figure stepped out in front of me. I stepped back out of reflex, then stopped and glared at the man in front of me. Only he wasn’t a man, was he? It was a vampire. I could tell by the way my necromancer powers flared as soon as he stepped in front of me. My nature wanted me to control him.