(CMS:BT) Chapter 8

The loud thumps were a part of his dream, but slowly reality began to take control. Trent sat up on the couch, and wiped at a drool spot he left on the armrest. The thumping continued, and through his headache he realized that someone was knocking at his door. Moaning, he stood up and walked over to answer it, grumbling under his breath that Corliss said she would call first.

When he opened the door, Samara beamed at him. Her hair in pig tails, but wearing a pant suit. "You will not believe the night that Coyle and I had." She stepped inside his apartment, and went to the kitchen to make coffee.

"Uh, what time is it?" He asked, shutting the door then making his way over to the stool.

"Eight in the morning, why?"

He shook his head not wanting to answer.

"Have a long night with those snobs?" Samara laughed, as she filled his coffee pot with water. Looking over to him, she could see where some lipstick had been smeared down his chin. It was red, and she knew well enough that the leech wore that shade. She decided to say nothing, not yet.

"Wasn't too bad, just drank a little much. Where is your partner?"

"He went to get your partner, I thought the four of us could have a little pow wow about the funeral, the party, and Coyle's and my little adventure last night." Opening the fridge she pulled out his coffee can and found the filters in one of the cupboards.

"You are way too cheery for eight in the morning, Samara." He laid his head down on the counter.

She chuckled, and hit the button to turn on the coffee maker. When she was finished, she rested her elbows on the counter in front of Trent. "How was your evening?"

He shrugged, "Worthless, met Rylan's master, Marcellus. He didn't seem too hurt about his toy's death, but they never do."

She nodded her head, then chuckled when she looked over and saw the lipstick again.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing." Samara shook her head, "Just trying to picture a guy like you on a date with a leech like Corliss. I see you didn't have time to change." She looked at his tuxedo, the bowtie and jacket were missing and he had released the top two buttons on his shirt. Reaching forward she felt the fabric, "That's a really nice tux. I wouldn't imagine a guy like you owning one."

"A guy like me? You said that twice now, what does it mean?"

She shrugged, "Just a regular guy, not a rich snooty leech lover, is all I meant."

"And it wasn't a date either. It was business to help the investigation."

"Alright, I'm sorry, geeze." Her eye caught something on the carpet near the door, standing up straight, she walked over to it. Reaching down, she picked up the diamond studded hair comb. "Well, this doesn't look like it's your style." She walked back over and threw it on the counter.

Trent picked it up, "It's belongs to Corliss." He threw it back down on the counter.

"So, she was here last night doing something that knocked a hair comb out?" She rose an eyebrow.

"Yeah, helping my drunk ass into my apartment. Don't look at me like that, I wouldn't touch a vamp." He swallowed hard, before looking over at the coffee pot.

Samara frowned, "I didn't suggest anything. You are in a bad mood this morning."

He turned his head to look into her eyes, "I have a bad hang over, I'm sorry."

With a grin, she picked up the hair comb, "Those real diamonds you think?"

"Probably."

"How much you think something like this would cost?"

"I have no idea." Trent laid his head back down on the cool surface of the counter.

She frowned, "You have lipstick on your mouth and chin." With that she turned around to find them some coffee cups.

Trent sat up, and rubbed the back of his hand against his face. Pulling it away he found the lipstick smeared on his hand. "Shit." Standing up, he walked into the bedroom to make his way to the bathroom. He had to jump over the sacks of trash that covered the floor, it was why he didn't sleep in there that night.

Samara pulled four mismatched coffee cups from the cupboard, and poured her and Trent each a cup. After several long minutes, he returned and chugged down the hot cup of coffee.

"So, it wasn't a date, huh?"

"Ah, some woman at the party was trying to kiss me all night, you know how those vamps are." He lied as he slammed the coffee cup onto the counter.

"Looks a lot like Corliss' shade." Reaching across the counter, she wiped some off the corner of his mouth with her thumb, and held it up to him.

Trent snorted, "Yeah, because she would kiss a slob like me. Besides, what do you care? Are you jealous?"

"Maybe." Samara took the empty cup off the table and filled it, handing it back to him.

Trent sat with a look of shock on his face.

She realized her mistake and swallowed, "I mean after all, couldn't you tell that I wanted Corliss? I may make fun of her, but, man, is she hot. Love, hate relationship, but I want to jump that leech's bones."

He laughed, understanding now that she was making a joke before.

"Can I watch?" Isaac asked, neither of him had noticed him come through the door. He sat down on the stool next to Trent.

Coyle stood in the doorway, his jaw was about to drop.

Samara tried not to blush, "It was a joke, Coyle. Damn it!" She grabbed the coffee pot and poured them each some coffee.

"Oh damn, for a minute, I thought my sister was a leech loving lesbian." He laughed as he shut the door, and walked over to the counter. "What's this?" He picked up the hair comb.

"It belongs to Corliss, Trent thinks those are real diamonds." Samara told him.

Coyle raised an eyebrow, "What was she doing in here that knocked loose her hair comb?"

Isaac looked at Trent with a serious expression, "That's what I would like to know."

"I was drunk, she helped me up. It must have come loose then." He frowned, "Anyway, Samara said you guys found something."

Isaac shrugged, "I wasn't with them."

"Yeah, we went to talk with the Razor Claw Gang, who the bartender at the Dog Pound said use to hang with Rylan's pack girl." Samara told him, "Her name is Amelia, but she's been missing since Rylan died. They haven't heard anything from her, and no one has seen her."

Trent tapped his finger against his hot coffee cup, "What are you thinking? Another victim or suspect?"

Coyle shrugged, "We don't know. Turns out though, that it wasn't her gang that kicked her out. She was welcomed, and they didn't mind the leech coming around. They just asked the pair to stay away from them during social situations. That way no one thought they were friends with any leeches. Can't have good street rap with something like that hanging over your head."

"I see." Trent looked into the black void of his coffee, "Why didn't they mind the vamp?'

Samara grinned, "He brought money with him. That always makes you friends quick no matter what species you are. He never insulted them for being members of the pack, so they didn't mind him."

Coyle chuckled, "As a matter of a fact, the alpha was rather charmed by him. Seemed really torn up when we told him that Rylan had been killed."

"You get a last name?" Isaac asked.

Samara shook her head, "They weren't even sure if Amelia was her real name, she seemed to be hiding from something. One time they heard Rylan call her Amica, or something like that."

"Forgot the cheese Danishes in the car." Isaac said interrupting everyone's train of thought.

"I'll get them, give me your keys." Coyle offered.

"Thanks." Isaac slid his keys over to him, and Coyle disappeared out the door.

"So, that all you found out?" Trent asked after Coyle left.

Samara nodded, "Well, other then a few places that she is known to crash at. It's a lead. What are you going to do with the leech today?" She turned to get milk out of the fridge, but the only liquid was beer. Shutting the fridge door, she returned her gaze to Trent.

"Don't know, other then the Faustos we really don't have any leads."

Isaac scowled, "What do you mean? Don't you have that Fausto that Adriel's son married?"

He shook his head, "Nah, that was discovered to be a dead end last night."

"Oh, how?"

Trent looked down into his coffee cup, "Just trust me."

Samara looked between the two men, Isaac looked upset that his partner was holding something from him. She thought that he rightfully should feel that way. "Did you talk to her last night?"

"I guess you could say that. She was with the Macreas before Rylan was born, and then they never saw each other at Macrea Corp for the most part."

"Yum yums!" Coyle announced entering the apartment with a cardboard tray of danishes that were covered in saran wrap. Setting him on the counter, he tore into the wrapping and scooped up the first pastry.

Everyone joined him in devouring their breakfast, when the ringing sound interrupted their silent eating. Samara grabbed at her heart, "That scared me."

The phone was on the wall next to Trent and he picked it up, pressing the button on the small cordless phone, he placed it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Good morning, you awake yet?" Corliss' familiar voice came from the other end, she sounded as cheery as Samara.

"Yeah, Samara, Coyle, and Isaac came over, we are having breakfast." He didn't know why he told her that, probably because he wanted her to trust him, as much as he wanted to trust her.

"Oh, hope it's all pleasure and no business." Corliss said flatly.

Trent grinned, "Being with them is never a pleasure."

Isaac punched him in the upper arm.

"Alright, guess I will cut this meeting short…" She paused and Trent could hear the sounds of someone talking in the background, she answered him with a yes, "I'll be there in a half hour… make it forty five minutes."

"Ok, see you then. Good…" Trent heard the phone click on the other end, and looked at his phone. "She hung up on me." He threw the phone back on the charger.

"What she have to say?" Isaac asked.

"Not much, she's in a meeting and said she'll be here in less then an hour."

"Good, gives us time to discuss our strategy about what we saw at the funeral." Samara announced.

"She knows we were there." Trent told her then took a sip of his coffee.

"She knows?" Samara bit her bottom lip, "Did you tell her?"

Isaac chuckled, "A Geo and beat up Honda in a sea of limos, come on. I doubt he had a chance to blow our cover."

Trent nodded, "Besides we were parked right behind her. She said you guys were lucky that Adriel ordered them not to bother the dogs."

Samara took a bite out of another Danish, "Well, did she admit that she was related to him?"

Trent didn't know if he wanted to tell them, he had already lied about sort of meeting with the Fausto daughter. It was a theory between them, but he didn't want them to think that Corliss had something to hide or that she was leading the investigation astray.

"Oh God, she is a Fausto, isn't she?" Isaac read his expression, "She is the Fausto that married Adriel's son, please tell me it's not true."

He didn't want to lie to his partner. In ten years in Paranormal Investigations, he had had only two partners, and never lied to either of them. So, he lowered his head in shame.

"What the hell are the leeches doing putting her on this case?" Coyle asked.

"Gets worse." Trent told them, "Corliss isn't even an independent vampire, she's Adriel's toy."

They all moaned in unison.

"Well, she is obviously here to destroy the investigation. We can't let her be part of this any more." Samara stomped one foot.

"There is nothing that we can do. The Macreas want her on this case, besides she wants to find her brother's killer even more then we do." Trent knew he shouldn't have said it after the words were already spoken. Fourteen years as a cop, and he couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut lately.

"Brother? Rylan is her brother?" Isaac shrieked, "No, fucking way, man. You don't put a someone on their sibling's murder case, no, no, no…"

"Shut up, Isaac." Trent snapped, "Look, there is nothing that can be done. She's on the case and they are keeping her on the case. We just have to be caution, who knows why she was the one they sent. I will keep working with her, and keep my eye on her. At least, she won't be at your side, screwing up your part of the investigation."

They nodded, and each picked up another Danish.

---***---

Corliss pulled on her blue jeans, and checked out how they shaped her thighs and buttocks in her full length mirror. When she was satisfied, she pulled on a dark brown shirt that allowed barely an inch of her stomach to show, but displayed her bust. She sighed, dressing down was harder then dressing up. Pulling on her three inch heel brown boots, she walked through her beige colored room to the closet. She had four of them, but the one she was heading towards was for hats only.

Opening the door, she began to ruffle through her hats. She found a dark brown cowboy hat that had the sides pulled all the way up, it was made of wool felt. Deciding it would best match her outfit, she dropped it atop of her head. She had curled her hair that morning with loose small curls. Putting on her silver earrings, bracelets, and a cross necklace, she turned to the door when the knock came.

Opening the door, she looked at the woman standing before her. She recognized the soft features, and the straight dark brown hair. "Ellice, what…" Corliss stuck her head out to ensure no one else was in the hallway, then pulled her into her bedroom. After, slamming the door, she turned to her fellow kine. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Corliss, I know, I should have sent a pet to inform you that I wished an audience." She looked around the room at the clothing on the floor, and then looked at her outfit, "What are you wearing?"

Corliss sighed, "It's a long story, I'll explain another time. What are you doing here?"

She sniffled then wiped the tears from her cheeks, "I heard that you were looking into Rylan's murder." Her small lips pressed together as she swallowed, "I think that I may have some information for you."

"It isn't wise to talk here, Ellice. Farquay and Adriel would be upset with us." She looked at the watch on her left wrist. "I need to leave, but I will call you soon, and tell you where you meet us."

"Us?"

"I am working with a human investigator, he will need…"

"No, no humans, Corliss. This is too important for human ears."

She looked down at the beige carpet beneath her feet, "He can be trusted, Ellice. If he is to help me…"

"No, I won't speak to a human."

Corliss looked up at the woman dressed in a silver evening dress, "Do you want to get justice for Rylan?"

"Yes, but I…"

"Then you will speak with the human. I promised no more secrets."

Ellice crossed her slender arms, "Since when do you keep promises to humans? I recall you tricking…"

"I didn't trick anyone!"

She chuckled, "Seduce, whatever you want to call it. You are still the reason that Adriel has so many pets. You've lied, kept secrets, and broken a thousand promises to practically every human you've met."

"What's your point, Ellice?" Corliss hissed.

She scowled, "My point being that you've never objected to keeping secrets before and I am asking you to do no more then what you have always done. I do not want to meet with this human, either you speak to me alone or I won't tell you anything."

Lifting her hand, Corliss threw the back of her hand against Ellice's cheek. She stumbled back holding the stinging skin of her face, her eyes piercing through the red head before her.

"Listen carefully, Ellice, I hold your secret. Rylan was the only reason that I never told Farquay of the things you do. I will call you later today, be here. You will meet with me, when I say and where I say."

Her eyes began to tear up, "Or what, Corliss? Would you tell Farquay of my treachery? Could you be so heartless? He would have me put to death!"

"I hold no affection for you. Your death would cause me no amount of pain. I call you friend only because it's convenient. Besides, if you think I have been treacherous to humans, you would be astonished as to what I've done to others of the kine." Corliss folded her arms, "I'm sure Farquay would love to know of your many transgressions."

She stood up straight and adjusted her dress, "I do not understand why you hold this human in such high regard, Corliss. However, you give me no choice. I will do as you command."

Corliss stepped aside, allowing Ellice to leave the room. After she was gone, she pressed herself against the door and took in a long breath.

---***---

"Why didn't you go with them?" Trent asked as he pulled the milk out of the fridge. Isaac and Coyle went to get donuts and a newspaper from the nearby supermarket, everyone was still hungry after eating the small tray of danishes.

Samara brought her brow together, "I looked in there for milk earlier, I didn't see any."

He grinned, "Magic." Opening the cardboard container, he sniffed the milk, then made a sour face. Looking at the expiration date, he sighed, and turned to dump it out in the sink.

"Looks like I was lucky not to find it." She leaned against the counter, "When is the last time you went grocery shopping?"

He made an audible gulp sound that Samara assumed was a chuckle, "I went shopping like two days ago."

"Besides for beer."

Trent hesitated for a moment, before chuckling. "My step mother comes over here once a month. She takes my debit card and buys me what I need. Isaac normally eats most of it by the end of the week though."

"You and Isaac spend a lot of time together?"

"Yeah, well, we don't have any other friends. Both of us have families, but our jobs get in the way. What about you and your brother?"

"Not uncommon for pack siblings to live together until they find mates. And even after finding a mate most male siblings live together for life."

He threw the container away in the trash can under the sink, and turned to her. There was a bowl of cereal on the counter without any milk, the danishes hadn't filled him up. "You have other siblings then?"

"Yeah, well, giving birth to triplets is more likely for a packy then single or double births. But Coyle and I were always different. We were a rare double birth. Our other siblings never liked us, and we found a home within PAWS." She watched Trent eat his cereal with his hands. "You have any siblings?"

"Brother and a sister. Haven't seen my sister in over twenty years though." He said with a mouthful of food. "Brother lives in Boston, works for Paranormal Investigations there. Feel sorry for our parents, both of us are in jobs that pretty much stop us from getting married and having kids."

"Why? Isaac seems to have managed."

"Yeah, well, Isaac has been divorced three times and has two kids from one marriage. He lies to the women and makes them believe he'll have time for them. I can't go into a marriage without the woman knowing what she's getting into. Every time that I've come close, she sees the truth and heads for the door."

Samara nodded, "Yeah, about the same for me and Coyle. It's different for males of the pack though, normally for about a decade after they turn twenty all they can think about is finding a mate. But Coyle never went through that, he's thirty two now, still more focused on his career then anything."

"What about the females?"

"Females go through that for a decade after they turn thirty. So most of the time, males end up with an older woman." She shrugged, "I am suppose to be going through that now. So, either it's subtle or not happening."

Trent shrugged and ate another handful of frosted wheats.

"Think though that Coyle is starting that cycle late, he seems more interested lately in females then his job. So, makes me wonder if mine will be ten years late too."

"Better to have it for a decade then the rest of your life." He jested. "Wonder what's taking them so long."

"Shouldn't be a WFL game on this early, so I don't know." Samara looked at the door, then down at the diamond studded hair comb, "That was really Corliss' lipstick on your face, wasn't it?"

He snorted, "I doubt it."

"Don't lie, Trent."

His playful expression melted into a cold stare, "I was really drunk." He replied, and looked at Samara who seemed to be waiting for more, "That's all I have prepared."

She grinned, "That's a really hot flame to be playing with, you know?"

"Not as hot as if she were a dog. I mean all you have to do is scratch me, and I'm a werewolf. At least with a vampire, she has to bite me and make me eat her blood. It's a project!"

"So, you would rather date a leech then a packy?"

"I would rather date a human, and that's who I will keep on dating… when I find time."

"Then asking you out to coffee and maybe dinner this Friday would be a no?"

Trent nearly choked on his dry frosted wheats, "What?"

"Forget that I asked, never mind." She tried not to blush, "I just thought that since you went on a date with her, then you… never mind."

It was silent for a moment, and Samara felt the blood filling her cheeks.

"Just as friends, ya know. Get that trust thing going." She finally said.

"Um, alright, as long as we go as friends." He didn't know why he agreed to go, but Samara had been nice enough not to tell Isaac and Coyle about the lipstick.

"Ok." She smiled, as the light tapping occurred at the door.

"Bet that's Corliss."

Samara stood up from her stool, "I'll get it." As soon as she opened the door, she burst out with laughter, "What the hell are you wearing?" She asked seeing Corliss in her cowgirl outfit.

Corliss stepped in and looked over at Trent, who tried to hide his embarrassment about the evening before from her.

"Well, yeehaw!" Samara put her hand above her head and made a circling motion, "We got ourselves a bonafide cow folk!"

With a roll of her eyes, Corliss ignored Samara as she took a seat in the stool that the pup had recently occupied.

"No, really, why are you wearing that?" Samara asked, sitting down beside her.

Again, Corliss ignored her, and began to talk to Trent, "Got one of Rylan's kine girlfriends to talk to us. Now, she came to me and I told her that you and I would have to meet with her before she told me anything. She says that she may have some information."

"Alright." He answered bumping hands with her own in his cereal bowl, "That's mine." He watched her bite into one, then her face cringed.

"Yuck!" She threw the other half back into the bowl. "My hair comb!" Corliss snatched it up from the counter, and shoved it into her dark brown purse. "I was looking for that all night."

Trent snorted and ate the half piece of frosted wheat.

Samara was shocked to see him eat something that the leech had had her mouth on.

"With as many of those that you had in your hair, I am surprised that you knew any where missing." Trent said.

"I have a case for them in my safe, and there was an empty spot."

Samara frowned, "How did it fall out of your hair?"

"When I was helping Trent up here last night, he had a little too much fun at the party." Corliss buttoned her purse. After hearing that, Trent wished he would have stuck to his lie when Samara confronted him. At least, Corliss' story and his would have matched.

"Maybe it was when he was kissing you." Samara snapped.

Trent inhaled some of the frosted wheats and had to turn around to get a drink with his hand out of the sink. Corliss frowned, and glared at Trent when he turned back around, wiping his hands on his slacks.

Her scowl turned to a grin, "I'm sure that Trent has exaggerated the tale. I merely pecked his lips twice as a show of respect."

"My ass, there was lipstick all over his chin." Samara chuckled, her smile faded when Corliss kissed her briefly.

"Oh god!" Coyle exclaimed as he stepped into the apartment.

Samara sat in shock for a moment, "What did you fucking kiss me for?"

"Go look in the mirror at the amount of lipstick on your face now." Corliss told her, "When he was sleeping he probably smeared it around."

She wiped the mass amount of lipstick from her face, "Disgusting!"

"I don't know, I think it was pretty hot." Isaac chirped.

Corliss turned her eyes to Trent, and winked with her left eye so that no one could see her do it.

"So, you were saying about Rylan's kine girlfriend." Trent said, trying to ignore Samara's revolted sounds.

"Yes, she said to call her and she will meet us whenever and wherever we want. We need to go somewhere that no other kine will spot us. She is a toy to Farquay, and he would not be pleased to see her speaking with me."

Trent nodded, "Alright." He turned his eyes to Isaac, "And you guys will be checking up on Amelia's hiding places?"

Isaac nodded.

"Amelia?" Corliss asked.

"Amelia is the packy that we think was Rylan's girlfriend, at least that's what her gang said." Coyle told her.

"Don't know if that's her real name though." Isaac said, his truthfulness annoyed the werewolves.

"Oh, why is that?" Corliss asked, almost taking another frosted wheat from Trent's bowl, before realizing she had already tried them.

"Rylan called her Amica, several times. Or something like that."

Corliss grinned.

"What?" Samara snapped, she didn't like the look of humor in the leech's eye.

"Amica is Italian for girlfriend." She told them and everyone looked at her blankly, "Oh come on, I am sure you know by now that Rylan was a Fausto… and they came from Italy three generations ago."

"Well, that solves that mystery." Trent announced when everyone else remained silent.

"Yeah too bad, she can't tell us who killed Rylan." Coyle said flatly.

"Oh, I'm sure she can." Samara frowned.

Corliss sighed, "Well then we all have things to do." She grabbed her purse and stood up, as Coyle put the box of donuts on the counter.

"We have to eat." Samara opened the box.

"Eat as you work, time to get busy." Corliss ordered and walked out the door.

"Well, isn't she bossy today." Samara looked over at Trent, who was walking around the counter to grab his jacket of the couch.

"Before you go, Trent. The Upper Circle asked to see us this evening around eight." Isaac told him.

"Why didn't they call me?"

His partner shrugged, "I don't know, they caught me on my cell phone before we came over here."

Trent sighed, "Alright, I'll meet you there then." He watched Isaac give a sharp nod, before chasing Corliss out the door.

"I guess we lock up?" Samara asked.