Oliver's Hunger
Page 58
Corbin opened the double doors at the end of the corridor and motioned him to enter. While he closed the doors behind them, Oliver swiftly assessed his surroundings. They were in a generously appointed living room with a Baby Grand Piano, a large seating arrangement, and floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of Coit Tower, one of San Francisco’s iconic landmarks.
“Not to rush you, but I have plans for tonight.”
Oliver turned to face his host and cleared his throat. “I’ll come straight to the point. I found your wallet in a building in Hunter’s Point.”
He paused, watching Corbin’s reaction. There was a minute flicker of something, but already the other vampire had himself under control again.
“It’s a place where some of our kind go to feed.” Oliver deliberately didn’t mention that the place was empty now, wanting to see how much the man knew.
“You’ve been there to feed?”
Oliver nodded. “It’s quite special.”
Corbin turned away, looking out the window. “So I guess you’ve discovered my dirty secret. It’s not something I’m proud of.”
Oliver waited patiently, not wanting to interrupt whatever the man wanted to confess.
“I went there once. An acquaintance told me about it. I thought it would provide some thrill, something to disrupt the monotony of my life.” He laughed to himself, then motioned his hand to the room behind him, indicating that money alone didn’t make him happy. “But, frankly, I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t like the way it made me feel.”
Oliver tried to hold back the emotions that were battling inside him: this man had drunk Ursula’s blood. He’d had his fangs in her beautiful neck, her body underneath him. He clenched his jaw, trying not to let his fury show. “How did it make you feel?”
Corbin looked over his shoulder, meeting Oliver’s gaze. “You tell me.”
Remembering his days as an addict, he knew he could come up with a plausible answer. “Carefree, light.”
Corbin nodded. “But I knew I couldn’t go back. Already after the first time, I knew how addictive it was. I’ve never had blood like that. I had no idea it existed. But I couldn’t allow it to change me. You understand, don’t you?”
“So you only went once?”
“Yes. And I regret it. I guess it served me right that they stole my wallet there. It taught me a lesson.” He shrugged. “Nevertheless, thanks for returning it.”
He made a motion toward the door as if wanting to dismiss him, but Oliver wasn’t done with his questions yet.
“I wonder whether you’ve been notified that the operations have moved to another location.”
Corbin raised an eyebrow. “Moved? I hadn’t heard.”
“Yes, I’m afraid the building in Hunter’s Point has been vacated.”
“Maybe they closed the establishment. Good riddance.”
“I doubt that very much. It was a lucrative business.”
“Why do you care?”
Oliver gave Corbin a long look. He didn’t appear to be an addict, making his claim that he’d been there only once plausible. But still, he was a former client of the blood brothel, and as such he might have a way of contacting the vampires who operated it.
“I need to get hold of the people who operate the place. But I’m afraid they haven’t let me know where they moved the business to.” Oliver dropped his lids, hoping he could fool the man. “You see, I do like the way I feel when I feed there.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you. As I said, I was there only once.”
“If they contacted you, let’s say to let you know where they moved to, would you let me know?”
Corbin gave him a curious look. “If you’ve been to the place, and by the sounds of it more often than I have, why wouldn’t they contact you directly? Surely they wouldn’t want to lose a good client just because they moved?”
Oliver’s mind worked quickly to come up with an excuse. “See, my contact information changed just recently and I’m afraid I’d forgotten to let them know. They have no way of contacting me. That’s why I was so glad when I found your wallet and figured you might be able to help me.”
Corbin nodded slowly. “Of course. But, as I said, I doubt they’ll contact me.”
Oliver pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to him. It only had his first name and phone number on it. Scanguards preferred it that way, not wanting to give away too much information.
“Not to rush you, but I have plans for tonight.”
Oliver turned to face his host and cleared his throat. “I’ll come straight to the point. I found your wallet in a building in Hunter’s Point.”
He paused, watching Corbin’s reaction. There was a minute flicker of something, but already the other vampire had himself under control again.
“It’s a place where some of our kind go to feed.” Oliver deliberately didn’t mention that the place was empty now, wanting to see how much the man knew.
“You’ve been there to feed?”
Oliver nodded. “It’s quite special.”
Corbin turned away, looking out the window. “So I guess you’ve discovered my dirty secret. It’s not something I’m proud of.”
Oliver waited patiently, not wanting to interrupt whatever the man wanted to confess.
“I went there once. An acquaintance told me about it. I thought it would provide some thrill, something to disrupt the monotony of my life.” He laughed to himself, then motioned his hand to the room behind him, indicating that money alone didn’t make him happy. “But, frankly, I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t like the way it made me feel.”
Oliver tried to hold back the emotions that were battling inside him: this man had drunk Ursula’s blood. He’d had his fangs in her beautiful neck, her body underneath him. He clenched his jaw, trying not to let his fury show. “How did it make you feel?”
Corbin looked over his shoulder, meeting Oliver’s gaze. “You tell me.”
Remembering his days as an addict, he knew he could come up with a plausible answer. “Carefree, light.”
Corbin nodded. “But I knew I couldn’t go back. Already after the first time, I knew how addictive it was. I’ve never had blood like that. I had no idea it existed. But I couldn’t allow it to change me. You understand, don’t you?”
“So you only went once?”
“Yes. And I regret it. I guess it served me right that they stole my wallet there. It taught me a lesson.” He shrugged. “Nevertheless, thanks for returning it.”
He made a motion toward the door as if wanting to dismiss him, but Oliver wasn’t done with his questions yet.
“I wonder whether you’ve been notified that the operations have moved to another location.”
Corbin raised an eyebrow. “Moved? I hadn’t heard.”
“Yes, I’m afraid the building in Hunter’s Point has been vacated.”
“Maybe they closed the establishment. Good riddance.”
“I doubt that very much. It was a lucrative business.”
“Why do you care?”
Oliver gave Corbin a long look. He didn’t appear to be an addict, making his claim that he’d been there only once plausible. But still, he was a former client of the blood brothel, and as such he might have a way of contacting the vampires who operated it.
“I need to get hold of the people who operate the place. But I’m afraid they haven’t let me know where they moved the business to.” Oliver dropped his lids, hoping he could fool the man. “You see, I do like the way I feel when I feed there.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you. As I said, I was there only once.”
“If they contacted you, let’s say to let you know where they moved to, would you let me know?”
Corbin gave him a curious look. “If you’ve been to the place, and by the sounds of it more often than I have, why wouldn’t they contact you directly? Surely they wouldn’t want to lose a good client just because they moved?”
Oliver’s mind worked quickly to come up with an excuse. “See, my contact information changed just recently and I’m afraid I’d forgotten to let them know. They have no way of contacting me. That’s why I was so glad when I found your wallet and figured you might be able to help me.”
Corbin nodded slowly. “Of course. But, as I said, I doubt they’ll contact me.”
Oliver pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to him. It only had his first name and phone number on it. Scanguards preferred it that way, not wanting to give away too much information.
