Page 22 of Be Still My Unbeating Heart

The waiter wrung his hands. “I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

De Luca stepped forward. “Talk about what?”

“The League!” Emilio blurted, then looked pained, as if speaking the word hurt him.

“What are you talking about?” De Luca grunted. “What league?”

Emilio swallowed. “I’m in love.”

“Who’s in love?” Bastian asked. “You and the dead girl?”

“Luna,” De Luca corrected him.

“Not love,” Emilio said. “Love.L-O-V-E.”

“The League of Vampire Enthusiasts,” Whitby said from her spot at the top of the stairs, despair in her tone.

“League of what?” De Luca’s jaw was tense, hands balled at his sides. He looked out of his comfort zone. Suspicion and unease etched into every inch of his face.

Bastian ignored him, focusing on the waiter. “I thought the League was a British thing.”

Softly, like he shouldn’t be speaking at all, Emilio said, “It was. It is. But we’re here, too. We support vampire rights in Vernazza.” His mouth twisted. “But I’m not supposed to—”

“Support how?” De Luca interrupted.

Emilio blinked at him rapidly and swallowed, turning even paler. He was clearly intimidated by the inspector, and that wasn’t going to get them anywhere. De Luca wanted to take the lead, but if Emilio was a vampire ally, that gaveBastianthe advantage.

He stepped between them, pressing a palm to his chest and speaking as if he were treading the boards at the Globe.

“If you truly are an ally to vampires, then, dear Emilio, I thank you from the bottom of my unbeating heart, forIam a vampire.”

“Oh, brother,” Whitby said.

For a second, Bastian worried he had oversold the reveal, but his words appeared to have the desired effect. Emilio’s eyes were round as pennies, fixed on Bastian, and his cheeks flushed pink. He seemed to think for a moment before speaking.

“The League believe vampires deserve respect,” he said. “The undead deserve the same rights and privileges as everybody else. Vampires are creatures full of passion, knowledge, and history. They havelives, even though they’re unalive, technically. Also, you know, a lot of the time they’re”—he averted his gaze from Bastian—“pretty hot.”

Bastian almost smiled. The waiter’s heart was racing, but not necessarily because he’d done anything wrong. He seemed harmless. Bastian got the feeling he wasn’t looking at Luna’s killer. Plus, he spied an opening that he could exploit.

He went over and put his arm around Emilio, feeling the waiter shiver, whether from cold or pleasure at proximity to a vampire, he couldn’t be sure.

“You hear that, Inspector?” Bastian said. “I’m hot. You’re not so bad yourself, Emilio. Love the blond. Now, why did you run when you saw the infinity pin?”

Emilio’s cheeks glowed almost as red as the neon sign. “Because I’m not supposed to talk about the League. We’re not ready yet.”

“We?” De Luca asked. “Was Luna part of this, too?”

“Inspector, give the man a minute to think!” Bastian said. He squeezed Emilio’s shoulder. “Are you okay, dear? Perhaps you’d like some water? A little neck rub?”

“I, uh, that would be, uh—”

“Answer the question,” De Luca said.

Emilio swallowed. “I suppose a neck rub would be nice.”

De Luca gritted his teeth. “The question about Luna. Was she in the League?”

“Oh, no. She said she was too busy to join, which is cool. Everybody has their thing.”