“And what you are really?”
“A vampire.”
“And?” Damon demanded.
“And what?” Ronan said.
“You tell me. There’s something else going on here.”
“I’ve already assured Nick that no one in Vamptown has anything to fear from me.”
“What about those outside of Vamptown?”
“Is it so hard for you to consider the fact that I just want to return to my home?” Ronan said.
“Yeah, it is hard for me.”
Ronan tried turning the conversation to Damon. “Where was your home when you were human? Was it here in Chicago?”
“No.”
“See, you don’t like talking about your past either.”
“Good point.”
“Are the surveillance cameras in the house working yet?” Ronan asked.
“No.” Damon’s voice hardened again. “And I’m not happy about that. Neville says it’s a software problem and he’s working on it. What makes you ask?”
“I just thought it might provide some answers as to why Sierra can’t be compelled.”
“We will find out soon, I can promise you that,” Damon said.
Ronan managed to sidestep any further questioning but he didn’t relax until he’d left the bar. He was always on guard. Not that other vampires were the type to spill their guts. But being indentured made you different from your own kind. He knew it and Damon knew it.
Thanks to the still malfunctioning surveillance cameras, Damon didn’t know that Voz had paid Ronan a little visit and Ronan planned on keeping it that way.
* * *
“Have you come up with a plan yet?” Ruby asked Sierra.
“No.”
“What are you doing?”
“Research,” Sierra said.
“About what?”
“Hal.” Sierra shivered after saying his name. “Is he here?”
“He’s everywhere.”
“He can leave the house?”
“No. At least I don’t think so. He never has in the past.”
“Has he ever come downstairs in the past?”
“Not often.”
“What about the tunnels under the house? Can he go there?”
“I already told you that I can’t talk about that.”
“The tunnel under this house was an escape route, wasn’t it? In case there was a raid. It wasn’t just used to bring liquor in, it was used to smuggle people out.”
Ruby remained quiet.
“What happened to that driver you had a crush on?”
“I don’t know,” Ruby whispered.
“Tell me his name, and I’ll find out what happened for you.”
“I’m not sure I want to know.”
But Sierra could tell Ruby was tempted. “Come on, tell me.”
“His name was Johnny. Johnny Olivetti.”
Sierra did a Google search. Nothing. Then she tried other subject headings, like Capone’s drivers.
“He never drove Al,” Ruby said. “When Al came to the house, he used his own driver. Johnny was only used for the girls’ transportation. And liquor deliveries.”
“What about money drops? Is that why Al came to the house?”
“No, he came every once in a while to talk to Hal. Not very often. Maybe twice a year.”
“Where did Hal take the money?”
“Various bank accounts. Hal kept two sets of books. One for himself and one for the—”
“The Chicago mob. Was Hal skimming money off the top? That could be why he was killed,” Sierra said.
Sierra kept searching. Finally she found Hal’s obituary. “Died for undisclosed reasons. Wait, here’s another one that is tied to a police report. Died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.”
“Who shot him? It wasn’t me. I was dead by then,” Ruby said.
“They didn’t find the shooter.”
“Maybe it was Johnny. If he knew that Hal killed me, Johnny would have done something about it.”
“We could always ask Hal.”
“Are you crazy?” Ruby turned even whiter than usual. “He’d go ballistic.”
“He’s already trashed my room. What else can he do?”
“Plenty.”
“Can he throw dishes at Ronan like you did?” Sierra asked.
“I didn’t like the way he’s been talking to you. And yes, Hal can do much worse.”
“How do you know? Has he done something to others in this house?”
“Your cousins, you mean? No, I was able to get rid of them on my own,” Ruby said.
“Then why…?”
“Shortly after his death, when he first was here in this house as a ghost, Hal shoved someone down the stairs.”
Fear shot through Sierra. “That’s not good.”