Read Online Other Worldly Ways (Anthology 1) by Connie Suttle - Free Book Online
Authors: Connie Suttle
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at him. He sat up straighter and looked around quite innocently.
"This guy's looking for him. Says he's a friend." The bartender nodded in my direction.
Shannon turned her gaze, and her smile, on me. "Well, you'll do instead, honey," she drawled. I was beginning to wonder if that slow, irritating drawl I was hearing everywhere in Memphis would keep me awake in the morning.
"When did you last see Merrick?" I asked. "I'm trying to catch up with him."
"A week ago yesterday, sugar," she reached out and pulled my tie into her hand, stroking it suggestively.
Gee whiz, Adam, you could have her on the floor right here , Joey's voice permeated my thoughts. I jumped as if I'd been shot. The waitress backed up, suddenly nervous, but when I failed to make further unexpected moves, she wiggled her way back to me.
"So, nothing since then?" I kept up my questioning while another part of my brain attempted to process what had just happened. I'd heard of mind-to-mind communication between vampires before, but Robert and Albert, brothers and Enforcers for the Council, were the only remaining vampires with the gift. Before that, there were two others, but they'd been staked in the mid eighteen hundreds—during the day while they were sleeping, of course.
"No, sugar. I would have remembered that," the waitress answered my question.
"You didn't see him with anyone else? A date, or anyone from the hotel?"
"Uh-uh. He was all by his lonesome. I tried to get him to take me out to dinner, but he said he was busy."
Busy not getting cooties , Joey's voice filtered into my head again. At least I didn't jump this time.
"Well, thank you. I'll keep looking, then," I informed the girl and slid off my barstool. I dropped a twenty on the bar and dragged Joey out of the hotel with me.
"What the hell was that about?" I slammed Joey against the wall outside the hotel. Fortunately, the street wasn't busy and nobody noticed.
"What?" Joey wasn't lying. I can tell when someone is lying to me.
"I heard your voice in my mind. The first time you said, and I quote: 'Gee whiz Adam, you could have her on the floor right here.' Does that ring a bell? I have nearly perfect recall, Joey Showalter."
Joey gasped and struggled in my grip. I had my arm across his throat, and I'm sure my eyes may have been the blood-red color of an enraged vampire.
"Adam," Joey choked out, "I was just thinking that. Can you read my mind?"
He wasn't lying now, either. I let up and Joey slipped from beneath my arm. I hadn't hurt him; it's hard to do that with a vampire, actually, but I'd scared him, for sure.
"Come," I grasped the collar of his shirt, almost ripping it, and pulled him along with me. I found a deserted alley nearby and took my hands off him. "Do it again," I said. "Think something at me, like you did before."
Joey tried, at first with no success. I threatened him again and he backed against the wall of a nearby business. Back off, asshole , came in clearly.
"I heard that, young Joey," I grinned maliciously at him. "Call me asshole again and I'll slap you to the Mississippi River and back."
Leave me alone, jerk. I never wanted to do this, anyway .
Well, you're just going to have to, aren't you? I tried my hand at it and Joey's eyes widened in surprise.
"Holy crap," he whispered, his eyes round with astonishment.
"You heard that?" I had to know.
"I think you blasted a few of my brain cells with it."
"Come on," I grabbed his shirt again, ripping it this time. I just let go of the torn fabric and got a better grip, dragging him with me toward our parked vehicle. "What other records did you get for me?" I decided to ignore the mindspeech ability for the moment—that would require careful consideration on my part, after all.
"There's a restaurant—Francis' Barbecue, I think." He gave me the address. We drove there but they were closed. "We'll come back tomorrow," I said as we stared at the card listing the hours on the restaurant's door. I reached out for Joey
"This guy's looking for him. Says he's a friend." The bartender nodded in my direction.
Shannon turned her gaze, and her smile, on me. "Well, you'll do instead, honey," she drawled. I was beginning to wonder if that slow, irritating drawl I was hearing everywhere in Memphis would keep me awake in the morning.
"When did you last see Merrick?" I asked. "I'm trying to catch up with him."
"A week ago yesterday, sugar," she reached out and pulled my tie into her hand, stroking it suggestively.
Gee whiz, Adam, you could have her on the floor right here , Joey's voice permeated my thoughts. I jumped as if I'd been shot. The waitress backed up, suddenly nervous, but when I failed to make further unexpected moves, she wiggled her way back to me.
"So, nothing since then?" I kept up my questioning while another part of my brain attempted to process what had just happened. I'd heard of mind-to-mind communication between vampires before, but Robert and Albert, brothers and Enforcers for the Council, were the only remaining vampires with the gift. Before that, there were two others, but they'd been staked in the mid eighteen hundreds—during the day while they were sleeping, of course.
"No, sugar. I would have remembered that," the waitress answered my question.
"You didn't see him with anyone else? A date, or anyone from the hotel?"
"Uh-uh. He was all by his lonesome. I tried to get him to take me out to dinner, but he said he was busy."
Busy not getting cooties , Joey's voice filtered into my head again. At least I didn't jump this time.
"Well, thank you. I'll keep looking, then," I informed the girl and slid off my barstool. I dropped a twenty on the bar and dragged Joey out of the hotel with me.
"What the hell was that about?" I slammed Joey against the wall outside the hotel. Fortunately, the street wasn't busy and nobody noticed.
"What?" Joey wasn't lying. I can tell when someone is lying to me.
"I heard your voice in my mind. The first time you said, and I quote: 'Gee whiz Adam, you could have her on the floor right here.' Does that ring a bell? I have nearly perfect recall, Joey Showalter."
Joey gasped and struggled in my grip. I had my arm across his throat, and I'm sure my eyes may have been the blood-red color of an enraged vampire.
"Adam," Joey choked out, "I was just thinking that. Can you read my mind?"
He wasn't lying now, either. I let up and Joey slipped from beneath my arm. I hadn't hurt him; it's hard to do that with a vampire, actually, but I'd scared him, for sure.
"Come," I grasped the collar of his shirt, almost ripping it, and pulled him along with me. I found a deserted alley nearby and took my hands off him. "Do it again," I said. "Think something at me, like you did before."
Joey tried, at first with no success. I threatened him again and he backed against the wall of a nearby business. Back off, asshole , came in clearly.
"I heard that, young Joey," I grinned maliciously at him. "Call me asshole again and I'll slap you to the Mississippi River and back."
Leave me alone, jerk. I never wanted to do this, anyway .
Well, you're just going to have to, aren't you? I tried my hand at it and Joey's eyes widened in surprise.
"Holy crap," he whispered, his eyes round with astonishment.
"You heard that?" I had to know.
"I think you blasted a few of my brain cells with it."
"Come on," I grabbed his shirt again, ripping it this time. I just let go of the torn fabric and got a better grip, dragging him with me toward our parked vehicle. "What other records did you get for me?" I decided to ignore the mindspeech ability for the moment—that would require careful consideration on my part, after all.
"There's a restaurant—Francis' Barbecue, I think." He gave me the address. We drove there but they were closed. "We'll come back tomorrow," I said as we stared at the card listing the hours on the restaurant's door. I reached out for Joey
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