"My mission for the night is to escort you safely home." He saluted the security officer as they left the building.
A black Lexus was waiting by the curb, and Phineas opened the back door for her. She climbed in and was greeted by the driver.
"Hi, I'm Gregori." He twisted in the front seat to face her. With a smile, he extended a hand.
"How do you do?" Emma shook his hand while Phineas climbed into the front passenger seat. She did a double-take on Gregori. Somehow, he looked very familiar.
Gregori grinned. "So you're the hot babe that has Angus all worked up."
"Excuse me?" Emma blinked when recognition struck her. "I know who you are. You were the host on the DVN reality show."
"Yep, that was me." Gregori adjusted his tie. "But tonight, I'm your chauffeur. Where to, sweetie?"
Emma smiled as she gave him the address. "Do you work for Angus?"
He snorted as he pulled out into traffic. "No way. I'm the vice president of marketing over at Romatech. Have you seen the commercials for Roman's Fusion Cuisine? I make those."
"Oh, I see."
"I was headed to SoHo to check on some property we're having made into a Vamp restaurant when Angus asked me to give you and Phineas a ride."
"I see." Emma nodded. A Vamp restaurant? Surely the menu would be a bit limited? But then it was certainly much better than attacking humans.
"Don't worry about your safety," Gregori continued. "I've been taking some karate and fencing lessons. I got sick and tired of Connor acting like I was some kind of wimp."
"I had my first fencing lesson last night," Phineas said. "It was cool." He tuned the radio to some hip-hop music.
Gregori started drumming on the steering wheel in time with the music while Phineas wiggled in his seat.
These were vampires? Emma watched in disbelief. They just seemed so… normal.
Gregori drove by Austin's apartment and surveyed the street in dismay. "I'll never find a place to park." He circled the block.
Emma leaned forward. "There's no need for you to stay if you have business elsewhere. Phineas and I will be fine."
Gregori double-parked, then glanced back at her, frowning. "I'd better stick around until Angus comes. You two go in, and I'll join you as soon as I park this beast."
Emma and Phineas climbed out onto the sidewalk. She looked around, but there was no one watching them. They hurried into the apartment building while Gregori drove slowly away.
In Austin's apartment, Phineas made a big show of examining each room carefully. He checked all the kitchen cabinets and the refrigerator. Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing. Did he think someone was hiding in the fridge or perhaps the cutlery drawer?
"Kitchen is secure," he announced, then jumped into the living room, assuming a karate pose. "Cool, huh? I learned this last night."
"Lovely." Emma entered the secure kitchen to warm up some Chinese food left over from the night before.
Phineas checked under the sofa cushions, then proceeded into the bedroom. Five minutes later, he emerged and pronounced the entire apartment was safe.
"What a relief. Thank you." Emma set her plate of Chinese food on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"I'm going to check the hall." Phineas opened the door. "Lock up after me."
"Okay." Emma flipped the locks, then returned to the couch. She settled down with her Chinese food and turned on the telly. A cop show was winding down, and the perpetrators were getting dragged off to jail. She glanced at the VCR to check the time.
Angus would be here soon.
The television show was suddenly interrupted by a late-breaking bulletin from a local news station. Three murdered bodies just discovered in Hudson River Park. Emma sat forward.
The newscaster announced they were cutting to the reporter on the scene by Pier 66. Emma set her plate of food aside as the picture shifted to the park. A crowd of curious onlookers surrounded the female reporter. Lights from parked police cars flashed red and yellow in the night sky.
"The bodies were discovered just moments ago," the reporter shouted into her microphone. "We've heard that their throats were all slashed, but we're waiting for confirmation on that. What is interesting, though, is that all three bodies appear to have been moved. They were discovered nearby on the heliport pad. We can only assume that whoever committed this heinous crime wanted the bodies to be found quickly."
Emma jumped to her feet. It was the Malcontents. She was sure of it. They'd simply moved to another park. Three murders? Shit!