I SPOT WILLIAMS' TAIL FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN I leave Mister A's.
The guy is seated at a table not far from ours. He has a forkful of salad halfway to his mouth when I sweep past him. I doubt I'd have noticed him at all except that in one second, he's arisen, pulled some money out of a pocket and slammed it down on the table before whirling after me.
His action pushes the sadness out of my head, at least for the moment, and jump-starts my internal warning system. Every probe I send out, though, returns nothing. The guy's human.
The concerned server follows after him, inquiring if anything was wrong and asking if he'd like his dinner boxed to take home.
He answers an abrupt "no" to each question.
To make it more embarrassing for him, when the elevator appears, the outside glass elevator to the parking lot, he has no choice but to step in with me.
Once the doors close, I can't help it. I laugh out loud.
This isn't the first time that Williams has had a mortal tailing me. It's not that surprising. If the guy was good (and up until now, he has been), there'd be no telltale vibe for me to pick up on. A vampire can shut down the conduit that prevents thought transference, but there's always the chance that distraction can cause the wall to slip. I'd be able to detect another vampire the second it did. Other supernaturals, like shape-shifters, project telepathic signatures that are stronger still.
So, here I am, in the elevator with the mortal who is supposed to be shadowing me, laughing like a crazy woman.
To his credit, he laughs, too.
"I figured you'd be spending the evening with your family," he says. "Guess I blew it."
"I guess you did." I turn and hold out my hand. "I'm Anna. You know that, though, don't you?"
He takes my hand. His grip is firm and dry and warm as only a mortal's can be. He doesn't pull his hand back or comment on the fact that mine is as firm, but cold as death.
He knows that I'm a vampire.
"Tom," he says in reply. "Well, Anna, it's been a pleasure. I imagine I'll be replaced as soon as I tell Williams how I botched it tonight."
I watch his reflection in the glass of the elevator. He's tall, stands at ease, his broad shoulders filling out the well-tailored coat he's wearing. His face is strong featured without being arrogant. Lined, as if he's spent a good deal of time in the sun. The expression reflected in his dark eyes and gently smiling mouth is one of quiet strength touched with amusement. He senses that I'm checking him out though he can't see me in the glass.
"Are you a private detective?"
He nods.
"How do you know Williams?"
"I used to be a cop."
I let a moment go by while I weigh my options. What's that old saying about the devil you know being better than the one you don't?
"Why don't we make a deal."
He raises an eyebrow. "What kind of deal?"
"I think we should let things stand. I won't tell Williams if you don't."
"Yeah? How is that going to work?"
I shrug. "The same way it's been working. I'll go about my business and you go about yours. I'll pretend this never happened."
He chuckles. "You're not going to try to lose me the first chance you get?"
"Why should I? You're supposed to watch me, right? Not interfere?"
He lifts one shoulder. "My instructions are to keep you in sight. Report who you meet with. I figured it was some kind of family thing. Williams' family since it came from him."
The way he says it makes me wonder what family he's referring to. Williams is a vampire married to a mortal. That this man knows about vampires means that Williams must trust him. Maybe Tom is a relative of his mortal wife.
The elevator stops. We step into the cool night air and are greeted by the valet. He takes both our tickets.
"May as well wait together for our cars," Tom says.
"Does that mean we have a deal?"
He smiles. "Care to tell me where you're headed from here?"
I look up at him, turning up my own smile a notch. "Now what fun would that be? Let's see how good you really are."