Chapter 69: Chapter 69
Eliza had arrived in town a few hours before, and while Cadence was less than thrilled to see her, she decided she might be useful. She was petite and cute, and there was a chance she could loosen some tongues with her siren skills. While Cadence had been elated to see Cale earlier, he had passed on the trip to the club, as had Morgan who wanted to go over every scrap of evidence herself. But there were plenty of other people who were willing to go on the little excursion, and Cadence found herself sitting at the bar, drinking a tequila, watching Eliza belt out “Alone” by Heart while her fiancé flirted with some girls who may or may not have any information for them and Jamie, Christian, Meagan, Shane, Andrew, and Aurora spread out to see what they could uncover.
Cadence could tell instantly who was a Vampire and who was not. Unfortunately, many of them knew who she was as well, and they didn’t really want to talk to her despite the fact that they followed the rules. She was sitting next to a guy who looked like he was in his mid-twenties, but for all she knew he was much older. He was talking to a human girl who thought everything he said was hilarious for a few moments, but as soon as he asked if she wanted to go back to his place, she suddenly needed to check on her friend across the bar. He sighed and turned back to the bartender, signaling for another drink.
“Tough blow,” Cadence mumbled, not making eye contact.
He looked at her, looked closer, and then focused on the bartender who was bringing him his drink, not acknowledging that Cadence was speaking to him.
She tried again. “I mean, some girls just like to flirt, you know.”
He cleared his voice uncomfortably before saying, “Sorry, Miss Findley, but I don’t know anything, okay? And even if I did I wouldn’t tell you.”
Cadence turned to face him, a hurt expression on her face. She adjusted the short black skirt she was wearing and asked, “Why is that?”
The reluctant Vampire sighed and leaned on his elbows on the bar. “Because—I don’t want to get myself destroyed, okay?” he said quietly.
“By who?” she asked, her face wrinkling, though she was certain she knew the answer.
“You know by who. In fact, if anyone even sees me talking to you, I could be in trouble,” he replied, looking around nervously.
“Giovani threatened you?” she asked, feigning shock.
“No, not personally,” he admitted. “But everyone knows that if we snitch he could come and get us.”
“Him or one of his henchmen? Those military guys—like Howard?” she asked, slowly fishing out information.
“Right,” he nodded, “and I don’t want to tangle with those guys.”
“I don’t blame you. All eight of them looked pretty big to me.”
“Eight?” he asked. “See, his numbers are growing by the minute. And I can’t be a part of that.”
“I don’t blame you,” she shrugged turning back to the bar. “You probably avoid that area over by the Delaware like the plague, huh?”
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “I don’t even go over there during the day.”
“Well, I don’t blame you for not wanting to talk to me,” she said, taking another swig of her drink. “But if you ever need protection, you know Andrew and his team of Guardians can keep you safe, too. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to go to that place—oh what’s it called? Over there?”
“You mean Jeweler’s Row?” he asked. “I never go there. There’s way too many Rogues for that. Look, I wish I could help you, but I just can’t.”
“I totally understand…” she paused, hoping he would insert his name.
“Tony,” he said quietly.
“Tony,” she repeated. “Thanks anyway.”
“Good luck,” he said, picking up his bottle of Budweiser and crossing to another group of attractive girls on the other side of the room.
“Any luck?” Aaron asked as he laughed at a tall, skinny blonde woman’s apparent joke.
Cadence glared at her back; she wasn’t even a Vampire. Her friend was—but she was saying nothing. “Yes,” she said. “He mentioned something called Jeweler’s Row. Heard of it?”
“No,” Aaron admitted. “As soon as Eliza’s song is over, let’s reconvene at that table over there where Jamie and Aurora are sitting and see if anyone else has.”
“Ah, but blondie looks so enthralled,” Cadence fake pouted.
“She’s not my type,” he assured her. “She’s too blonde, too tall, and she just mentioned Alexander Hamilton in perfect context.”
“All right, you,” she said physically crossing her arms. “I’ll have you know I didn’t think the correct answer was Thomas Jefferson—I was just joking around. And I know the Statue of Liberty is in New York City.”
He smiled at her, and as Eliza belted out the last notes of her ballad, he excused himself from the disappointed ladies and headed back to the table. Cadence watched him from across the room, wondering how she got to be so lucky, before she followed.
The rest of the team made their way over as well, huddling around the oversized table, everyone congratulating Eliza on her lovely rendition. “Who’s taking the mic next?” Christian asked, looking around at his teammates.
“I’d do it,” Aurora said, shrugging, “if someone would get up there with me.”
Eliza had arrived in town a few hours before, and while Cadence was less than thrilled to see her, she decided she might be useful. She was petite and cute, and there was a chance she could loosen some tongues with her siren skills. While Cadence had been elated to see Cale earlier, he had passed on the trip to the club, as had Morgan who wanted to go over every scrap of evidence herself. But there were plenty of other people who were willing to go on the little excursion, and Cadence found herself sitting at the bar, drinking a tequila, watching Eliza belt out “Alone” by Heart while her fiancé flirted with some girls who may or may not have any information for them and Jamie, Christian, Meagan, Shane, Andrew, and Aurora spread out to see what they could uncover.
Cadence could tell instantly who was a Vampire and who was not. Unfortunately, many of them knew who she was as well, and they didn’t really want to talk to her despite the fact that they followed the rules. She was sitting next to a guy who looked like he was in his mid-twenties, but for all she knew he was much older. He was talking to a human girl who thought everything he said was hilarious for a few moments, but as soon as he asked if she wanted to go back to his place, she suddenly needed to check on her friend across the bar. He sighed and turned back to the bartender, signaling for another drink.
“Tough blow,” Cadence mumbled, not making eye contact.
He looked at her, looked closer, and then focused on the bartender who was bringing him his drink, not acknowledging that Cadence was speaking to him.
She tried again. “I mean, some girls just like to flirt, you know.”
He cleared his voice uncomfortably before saying, “Sorry, Miss Findley, but I don’t know anything, okay? And even if I did I wouldn’t tell you.”
Cadence turned to face him, a hurt expression on her face. She adjusted the short black skirt she was wearing and asked, “Why is that?”
The reluctant Vampire sighed and leaned on his elbows on the bar. “Because—I don’t want to get myself destroyed, okay?” he said quietly.
“By who?” she asked, her face wrinkling, though she was certain she knew the answer.
“You know by who. In fact, if anyone even sees me talking to you, I could be in trouble,” he replied, looking around nervously.
“Giovani threatened you?” she asked, feigning shock.
“No, not personally,” he admitted. “But everyone knows that if we snitch he could come and get us.”
“Him or one of his henchmen? Those military guys—like Howard?” she asked, slowly fishing out information.
“Right,” he nodded, “and I don’t want to tangle with those guys.”
“I don’t blame you. All eight of them looked pretty big to me.”
“Eight?” he asked. “See, his numbers are growing by the minute. And I can’t be a part of that.”
“I don’t blame you,” she shrugged turning back to the bar. “You probably avoid that area over by the Delaware like the plague, huh?”
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “I don’t even go over there during the day.”
“Well, I don’t blame you for not wanting to talk to me,” she said, taking another swig of her drink. “But if you ever need protection, you know Andrew and his team of Guardians can keep you safe, too. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to go to that place—oh what’s it called? Over there?”
“You mean Jeweler’s Row?” he asked. “I never go there. There’s way too many Rogues for that. Look, I wish I could help you, but I just can’t.”
“I totally understand…” she paused, hoping he would insert his name.
“Tony,” he said quietly.
“Tony,” she repeated. “Thanks anyway.”
“Good luck,” he said, picking up his bottle of Budweiser and crossing to another group of attractive girls on the other side of the room.
“Any luck?” Aaron asked as he laughed at a tall, skinny blonde woman’s apparent joke.
Cadence glared at her back; she wasn’t even a Vampire. Her friend was—but she was saying nothing. “Yes,” she said. “He mentioned something called Jeweler’s Row. Heard of it?”
“No,” Aaron admitted. “As soon as Eliza’s song is over, let’s reconvene at that table over there where Jamie and Aurora are sitting and see if anyone else has.”
“Ah, but blondie looks so enthralled,” Cadence fake pouted.
“She’s not my type,” he assured her. “She’s too blonde, too tall, and she just mentioned Alexander Hamilton in perfect context.”
“All right, you,” she said physically crossing her arms. “I’ll have you know I didn’t think the correct answer was Thomas Jefferson—I was just joking around. And I know the Statue of Liberty is in New York City.”
He smiled at her, and as Eliza belted out the last notes of her ballad, he excused himself from the disappointed ladies and headed back to the table. Cadence watched him from across the room, wondering how she got to be so lucky, before she followed.
The rest of the team made their way over as well, huddling around the oversized table, everyone congratulating Eliza on her lovely rendition. “Who’s taking the mic next?” Christian asked, looking around at his teammates.
“I’d do it,” Aurora said, shrugging, “if someone would get up there with me.”
Eliza had arrived in town a few hours before, and while Cadence was less than thrilled to see her, she decided she might be useful. She was petite and cute, and there was a chance she could loosen some tongues with her siren skills. While Cadence had been elated to see Cale earlier, he had passed on the trip to the club, as had Morgan who wanted to go over every scrap of evidence herself. But there were plenty of other people who were willing to go on the little excursion, and Cadence found herself sitting at the bar, drinking a tequila, watching Eliza belt out “Alone” by Heart while her fiancé flirted with some girls who may or may not have any information for them and Jamie, Christian, Meagan, Shane, Andrew, and Aurora spread out to see what they could uncover.
Cadence could tell instantly who was a Vampire and who was not. Unfortunately, many of them knew who she was as well, and they didn’t really want to talk to her despite the fact that they followed the rules. She was sitting next to a guy who looked like he was in his mid-twenties, but for all she knew he was much older. He was talking to a human girl who thought everything he said was hilarious for a few moments, but as soon as he asked if she wanted to go back to his place, she suddenly needed to check on her friend across the bar. He sighed and turned back to the bartender, signaling for another drink.
“Tough blow,” Cadence mumbled, not making eye contact.
He looked at her, looked closer, and then focused on the bartender who was bringing him his drink, not acknowledging that Cadence was speaking to him.
She tried again. “I mean, some girls just like to flirt, you know.”
He cleared his voice uncomfortably before saying, “Sorry, Miss Findley, but I don’t know anything, okay? And even if I did I wouldn’t tell you.”
Cadence turned to face him, a hurt expression on her face. She adjusted the short black skirt she was wearing and asked, “Why is that?”
The reluctant Vampire sighed and leaned on his elbows on the bar. “Because—I don’t want to get myself destroyed, okay?” he said quietly.
“By who?” she asked, her face wrinkling, though she was certain she knew the answer.
“You know by who. In fact, if anyone even sees me talking to you, I could be in trouble,” he replied, looking around nervously.
“Giovani threatened you?” she asked, feigning shock.
“No, not personally,” he admitted. “But everyone knows that if we snitch he could come and get us.”
“Him or one of his henchmen? Those military guys—like Howard?” she asked, slowly fishing out information.
“Right,” he nodded, “and I don’t want to tangle with those guys.”
“I don’t blame you. All eight of them looked pretty big to me.”
“Eight?” he asked. “See, his numbers are growing by the minute. And I can’t be a part of that.”
“I don’t blame you,” she shrugged turning back to the bar. “You probably avoid that area over by the Delaware like the plague, huh?”
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “I don’t even go over there during the day.”
“Well, I don’t blame you for not wanting to talk to me,” she said, taking another swig of her drink. “But if you ever need protection, you know Andrew and his team of Guardians can keep you safe, too. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to go to that place—oh what’s it called? Over there?”
“You mean Jeweler’s Row?” he asked. “I never go there. There’s way too many Rogues for that. Look, I wish I could help you, but I just can’t.”
“I totally understand…” she paused, hoping he would insert his name.
“Tony,” he said quietly.
“Tony,” she repeated. “Thanks anyway.”
“Good luck,” he said, picking up his bottle of Budweiser and crossing to another group of attractive girls on the other side of the room.
“Any luck?” Aaron asked as he laughed at a tall, skinny blonde woman’s apparent joke.
Cadence glared at her back; she wasn’t even a Vampire. Her friend was—but she was saying nothing. “Yes,” she said. “He mentioned something called Jeweler’s Row. Heard of it?”
“No,” Aaron admitted. “As soon as Eliza’s song is over, let’s reconvene at that table over there where Jamie and Aurora are sitting and see if anyone else has.”
“Ah, but blondie looks so enthralled,” Cadence fake pouted.
“She’s not my type,” he assured her. “She’s too blonde, too tall, and she just mentioned Alexander Hamilton in perfect context.”
“All right, you,” she said physically crossing her arms. “I’ll have you know I didn’t think the correct answer was Thomas Jefferson—I was just joking around. And I know the Statue of Liberty is in New York City.”
He smiled at her, and as Eliza belted out the last notes of her ballad, he excused himself from the disappointed ladies and headed back to the table. Cadence watched him from across the room, wondering how she got to be so lucky, before she followed.
The rest of the team made their way over as well, huddling around the oversized table, everyone congratulating Eliza on her lovely rendition. “Who’s taking the mic next?” Christian asked, looking around at his teammates.
“I’d do it,” Aurora said, shrugging, “if someone would get up there with me.”
Most of the team members looked around at each other, waiting for someone to speak up. “Ah, I can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” Meagan sighed. “But I’d cheer for you!”
“Well, before we get too distracted by the karaoke, did anyone get any useful information?” Aaron asked, running a hand through his hair as if the thought of singing in front of everyone made him more anxious than facing a legion of Vampires on the battlefield.
“No,” Shane said, “none of them wanted to talk.”
“They kept shying away,” Meagan agreed.
“I made eye contact with a dude in the back,” Eliza chimed in. “I might be able to get something out of him.”
“I spoke to one of our usual informants,” Andrew said quietly, and everyone quieted to listen. “He said he knows the insider. Kid by the name of Dalton Ford. He said he stopped by here last night, bragging about how he helped pull off the job. But no one has seen him since. Now, they’re all scared that Giovani knocked him off for having a big mouth.”
“Did he say where Giovani might be hiding?” Christian asked.
“If he did, my informant refused to say. Claimed not to know,” Andrew replied.
“What is Jeweler’s Row?” Cadence asked, hoping she wasn’t the only one left in the dark.
“It’s an area in Center City where a lot of jewelry shops are located,” Andrew replied. “Why do you ask?”
“The guy I was talking to mentioned it. Does it have any significance?” she continued.
Andrew shrugged. “Not that I know of. It’s kind of far from where the helicopter disappeared last night, I mean, on foot anyway.”
“Do you know anything about it, Christian?” Aaron asked.
“Not really,” he replied. “When I moved away from here, it was still row houses. But it might be worth checking out.”
“Let’s put that on our list for tomorrow,” Aaron said to Andrew.
“All right, anything else?” Cadence asked, looking around.
“No, but I really think you and Aaron need to get up there and sing us a duet,” Jamie said, a mischievous grin on his face.
“I don’t think so,” Aaron replied, shaking his head.
“Oh, come on! It’ll be fun!” Cadence exclaimed, pulling on his arm.
“It’s really not my thing,” he said, throwing his hands up.
“Tell you what—if Cadence can answer a history question with no help from any of us, you have to do it,” Christian proposed.
“How am I going to know she didn’t get any help from you?” Aaron asked, a bit unnerved.
“Honor system,” Meagan offered.
“Oh, come on!” Aurora pleaded. “It will be fun!”
Aaron looked around at his teammates faces and could plainly see how much they really wanted to see him make a fool out of himself. “Fine,” he finally sighed. “But make it a hard one, Christian.”
As everyone cheered, Christian thought about what he would ask. After some careful consideration, a twinkle lit his eyes, and he confidently asked, “Who led the US Cavalry charge at the Battle of Little Big Horn?”
Cadence’s eye widened. She wasn’t sure she’d even studied that part of history. She really had no idea, and everyone seemed to be respecting the honor system, no one offering her any sort of an answer via their IAC. As she continued to think about what might be a decent guess, she heard Aaron tell her, “Custer. General George Armstrong Custer.”
She looked at him, a questioning expression on her face, and he nodded so minutely only she could see it. “Custer?” she said slowly.
Christian looked shocked. “Who told you?” he asked, looking around at his teammates.
“No one. I’m just that smart,” Cadence shrugged, trying to look as confident as he had when he’d asked the question.
“Is she right?” Meagan asked, clearly just as clueless.
“Yes,” Christian replied, as the table began to cheer.
“All right, but I get to pick the song,” Aaron said. He grabbed the shot of whiskey sitting in front of Jamie, and downed it before approaching the stage. Cadence was so elated, it took her a minute to follow.
With the opening notes, Cadence recognized the song “Closer” by The Chainsmokers and Halsey, and when Aaron actually started singing, she was very impressed. His gesture at their table of friends when it got to the part about hoping he never saw her friends again elicited an uproar of laughter. Even though Cadence had never been much of a soloist herself, she was happy to belt out Halsey’s part while staring into the eyes of the man she loved, so thankful to have this experience with him. It wasn’t often that he let his shield down, but when he did, he was a lot of fun. Clearly, their team needed this, and so she knew why he had told her the answer. At the end of the song, she wrapped her arms around him, and stepping away from the microphone, she said. “Thank you! I love your serious, organized, take-no-prisoners side, but I also love it when you’re silly and crazy with me.”
“I love that you let me know it’s okay to be silly and crazy with you,” he said kissing the top of her head. “Now, why don’t you say we blow this popsicle stand? I think our work here is done.”
Looping her arm around his waist, she followed him off the stage, back to their adoring fans. She agreed, there was nothing else to find out from this crowd. She may as well go back to the hotel room and get some rest so they could try again tomorrow; after all she was exhausted, and she wasn’t going to be any good in a battle against Gibbon and Giovani if she didn’t get some rest. Tomorrow meant daylight, and daylight meant her team had the upper hand on those who preferred to dwell in the dark. With any luck, they would find Giovani and his ward, and all of this would be over by the time the sun set tomorrow night.