Chapter 4 4

Brienna did get in the car. By the end of the journey, she wished that she hadn't. The entire drive was spent watching the road, searching for police cars while trying to keep her mind focused. If the cops pulled them over, she needed to ensure they didn't assume she was with them by choice.

Of course, she was with them by choice, but there was a difference in it. If she didn't have to find Eloise, she wouldn't be here. She hoped they would be lenient and understanding. Maybe even push forward on their help in the search.

It was a small hatch that looked as if it had seen better days. The paint was mottled, and it had a few dings. Dori drove because his bulking frame could not get into the backseat. He consumed a fair amount of space, and Brienna, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, had to sit with her back against the door.

It meant that she could see the smiling vampire in the back seat. He was comfortably stretched out, not affected by the lack of cabin space or the hair-raising view out the windscreen.

Brienna mused that she should have driven, except she didn't want to, fearing that the cops would pull her over. She didn't need to be in jail for stealing a car. Being an accessory to the crime was bad enough.

When they reached the club, Dori parked the car by pulling into a tiny spot next to the corner. He ignored Brienna when she said there wasn't enough space, then ignored her when she told him that he was about to hit the car in front. Brienna groaned as the werewolf slowly pushed the vehicle in front forward.

By the time her head fell into her hands with defeat, several cars were bunched up, alarms were screeching loudly, and the bouncers watched on with amusement.

"I know," Cato said when Dori grumped a noise. "Parking is always terrible around here. I'm just glad the boss man doesn't park on the street. Otherwise, you'd be in trouble. Wait, no, I'd be in trouble, and you'd be patted on the head like the good little boy that you are."

Dori ignored the vampire and got out of the car. He needed to stretch out rather than being cramped in the tiny car. If there had been a choice, he would have borrowed something larger, but this was all that he could find.

Brienna turned to Cato rather than getting out and pulling the seat forward for his escape.

"How can you understand him?"

"What do you mean?"

"All he does is grunt at you, yet you speak as if you know what he's saying."

"That's because I do know what he's saying. Are you feeling alright?"

"He just grunts at you," Brienna said, exasperated.

"Oh," Cato said dryly. "That's right. You've got a dumb brain."

Brienna frowned at him, sneering hard.

"I beg your pardon!" she snapped.

"Don't take offence. It's just that compared to vampires and werewolves, the humans are dumb. It's not you specifically. It's just all of you."

"You're unbelievable."

Brienna opened the door and got out, not bothering to help the vampire that seemed to insult her or make her angry every time he opened his mouth.

Cato flicked the door shut and leaned on the car. The rain had stopped, which made life easier for everyone. No getting drowned by the relentless pounding, no cold and wet clothes to dull their evening.

"Look, I know it sounds terrible, but that's how it is. Vampires can understand werewolves because we have a better brain. Werewolves don't speak a language that you could understand. Their vocal cords are different. It doesn't matter anyway. You're here to be immersed in our world, not learn about us."

"No, this is a waste of valuable searching time."

She could add to that, but for now, Brienna decided to say nothing. There was hope to be had because she knew that if Eloise wasn't the innocent child that Brienna thought she was, then there was a high chance that she'd do something like go clubbing.

"It's not a waste of time. I told you, you're about to enter the vampire world, and you can't search for anyone that's come in contact with a vampire unless you're here."

"We don't even know if she's with a vampire."

Brienna's protests were low because Cato had started to walk, and they were close to the bouncers at the door.

"Of course she is. She walked the mile. It's the only possibility."

"And you're certain that she's still alive?"

"Yes."

"How?"

Cato turned to walk backwards, smiling as he pulled out his phone. With a waggle, he gloated at how amazing he was.

"Because I got a hit."

Brienna stopped walking.

"Seriously?"

He nodded slowly, watching as Brienna's mood lifted fractionally. Cato noted that when she wasn't weighed down by the morose mood, she was quite pretty. She shared a few similarities with her daughter, the blond hair and fair skin. Brienna had luminous green eyes that seemed to always look at him with derision. It didn't bother Cato. He assumed that all humans did that.

Brienna seemed to tolerate him to a certain point, but he suspected that once they'd found her brat of a kid, things would return to the way they were. He'd be moving between the days without a care for anything, and Brienna would return to her buttoned-down world.

"What kind of hit?"

"Someone saw her with a vampire. We're going in here because certain things have to happen if you want this done right."

"I want her alive and home again."

"Then you want it done right. This way. Oh, you'll need to pay the man."

She rolled her eyes and walked into the club, pulling out her purse.

"Two members and one guest," Cato said, leaning an arm on the high counter.

The attendant put the card machine in front of Brienna. Her eyes widened at the cost of getting into this club.

She looked at Cato with shock on her face.

"Is this meant to cost that much?"

He leaned forward and looked at the amount.

"Yeah, that's about right. Fifty for members and a hundred for a guest."

With a sigh, Brienna paid for the entry fee and hoped that whatever was beyond the next set of doors was worth paying two hundred dollars for. Brienna couldn't remember how much was in the account. She never kept much on this particular card, fearing that it would be stolen. Information theft was high in this city. Brienna did all she could to ensure that her hard-earned money was not given away to a criminal. Given that she was willingly handing over two hundred dollars just to walk through a door, she thought that maybe she was giving away her money to someone that was just a little shady.

Club V, she'd never heard of the place, but then, Brienna wasn't a regular at nightclubs. She had her favourite place to meet with work colleagues of past and present, but it was nothing like this place. Quiet, pleasant, filled with people that she cared for and who cared for her in return. They were the family in the absence of her own that were no longer with her.

Brienna thought about involving her work colleagues and friends in the search for Eloise, but she felt that it was too difficult at the moment. She thought that it would make her look like a failure. For now, the vampire was being given centre stage. He'd gained ground and had a reliable hit on Eloise and for that, Brienna would grant him more time. If it meant that Eloise would be returned to her arms, then it would be worth it. All she had to do was bite her tongue when Cato annoyed her and avoid the thoughts in her mind.

As the machine began spitting out the paper, Brienna took her card back and looked up at Cato. With a tip of his head, Cato grinned.

"Good for it, I see."

"Is that your way of negotiating payment?"

"Maybe." "You find Eloise, I'll pay you, and it will be substantial."

"Great, because I've endured a lot of expenses so far."

Brienna frowned, murmuring her gratitude when the doorman handed her the receipt.

"How have you endured anything? We walked from the pub, Dori stole the car, and I just paid to get you into this club. You haven't paid for a damned thing."

"Oh, I don't mean money, Brienna."

He turned to the doorman, giving him a nod.

"Status?"

"Lowered after interacting socially with a human." Smugly, Cato turned back to Brienna.

"That's what I've paid, Brienna," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they walked into the club. "Humans aren't our friends. You're our meal. It would be like you going to the grocery store with a cow. People would think you're weird and that there's something wrong with you." "I'm a cow now?" she said tersely, flicking his arm away. "Vampire's feed on humans. They generally go to a club to find them.

Humans feed on things like cows. They go to grocery stores to buy them. Me walking into this place with a meal is considered odd, just like it would be if you walked into a supermarket with a cow. You're focusing on the wrong thing here."

Cato turned and walked into the crowd. As Brienna rolled her eyes, she followed after him. The sooner she found Eloise and got rid of Cato, the happier she'd be.