Chapter 2
Estelle led Virginia through the winding streets of the French Quarter until they reached Broussard's Restaurant.
The historic restaurant possessed an understated elegance. White tablecloths, soft lighting, polished wood, and quiet conversation gave it an air of refinement, yet nothing about it was pretentious. It was the sort of place where two people could sit for hours over dinner without anyone rushing them. The scent of butter, garlic, fresh French bread, and rich Cajun spices drifted from the kitchen, mingling with the sweet fragrance of jasmine blooming in the courtyard.
Virginia hesitated at the entrance. She couldn't remember the last time she had even considered walking into a restaurant this nice. For a moment, tears threatened to return.
The maître d' greeted them with a welcoming smile.
"Good evening, ladies. I have a quiet table in the back corner if that would be acceptable."
Estelle smiled.
"That would be wonderful. Thank you."
He led them through the dining room and seated them in a secluded corner. Almost immediately, water was poured, and a waiter appeared moments later.
"Good evening. May I start you with something to drink?"
Estelle looked across the table.
"Whatever you like, Virginia."
Virginia glanced uneasily at the wine list.
"I'll...I'll just have the house wine."
Estelle smiled, looking at the waiter before he could write anything down.
"What is your favorite wine?" she asked, knowing Virginia was simply trying to cost her as little as possible.
Virginia looked almost embarrassed.
"I've always liked Cabernet."
Estelle closed the wine list.
"Then we'll have your finest Cabernet." She smiled at the waiter. "And make it a bottle, please."
"Certainly, ma'am."
The waiter nodded appreciatively before walking away.
Virginia watched him leave.
"You've already done so much for me," she said softly. "You don't have to spend money like this."
Estelle smiled.
"I know."
Then she gently shook her head.
"But tonight isn't about money. It's about reminding someone that she's worth more than she thinks."
Virginia lowered her eyes. For a long moment, neither woman spoke. Finally, Virginia looked back up. Something still troubled her. She asked the question that had been weighing on her ever since they left the apartment.
"What do you want from me?"
Estelle looked genuinely puzzled. For several seconds, she simply stared. Then understanding softened her expression.
"Oh..."
She quietly folded her hands on the table.
"I understand. You think kindness is a business transaction."
Virginia said nothing.
She couldn't.
Because in her world...
it was true.
Estelle's smile became almost sad.
"No, Virginia. I don't want anything from you."
She leaned forward slightly.
"I simply wanted you to have dinner."
Virginia felt something inside her begin to crack. Not from pain and not from fear, but from the realization that someone—perhaps for the first time in years—had shown her kindness without expecting anything in return.
And this person...
was a vampire.
A single tear escaped down her bruised cheek.
Estelle reached across the table and gently laid her hand over Virginia's.
"Tonight," she said softly, "you're safe."
Virginia stared.
Estelle smiled.
"This may sound a little unusual." She laughed softly. "But I'd like you to become my companion."
Companion?
Given the life Virginia had been living, her thoughts immediately went in an entirely different direction.
Estelle recognized the misunderstanding almost instantly.
She laughed.
"Oh, goodness, no." She shook her head. "Nothing like that. I actually happen to prefer men."
Virginia relaxed a little.
"Oh."
"I have a very nice apartment," Estelle continued, "but it's too quiet." She smiled. "I'd simply like someone to live there with me. Someone to talk to." She grinned. "And someone to remind me when I'm about to do something spectacularly foolish."
Virginia tried to understand.
"Talk to?"
"Yes."
The idea seemed almost impossible. Only an hour earlier she had watched this woman kill Eddie without the slightest hesitation. Now she was asking Virginia to move in simply to keep her company.
The waiter returned with the wine. He presented the bottle, uncorked it, poured a small taste for Virginia's approval, then filled both glasses.
"Have you decided on dinner?"
Virginia looked at the menu.
"I'll have the ribeye steak."
She glanced at Estelle for a second, as though asking permission.
The vampire said nothing.
The waiter turned toward Estelle.
"And for you, ma'am?"
Estelle smiled.
"I've already dined." She nodded toward Virginia, who fully understood what she meant. Again, there was a little smile at Eddie's expense. "I'm just here to enjoy dinner with my friend."
The waiter returned her smile, collected the menus, and quietly walked away.
Virginia looked back across the table.
"I still don't understand. Why me?"
Estelle took a small sip of wine before answering.
"Because I like you."
Virginia looked surprised.
"You've known me less than an hour."
"I know," Estelle said with a smile. "But sometimes..." She gave a slight shrug. "...that's enough."
She leaned back comfortably in her chair.
"I have someone I'm very close to, but she's in Savannah. She's taught me a great deal, but now I'm on my own." Her smile became wistful. "And I've discovered that my life can be rather lonely."
She glanced around the softly lit restaurant.
"Immortality isn't nearly as glamorous as people imagine."
Virginia never imagined hearing loneliness described by a vampire.
"So...what exactly would I do?"
Estelle laughed.
"Oh, all sorts of things. When I have an idea that may not be particularly wise..." She grinned. "...I'd like someone to tell me."
Virginia raised an eyebrow.
"You would actually listen?"
"I'd try," Estelle answered with a sheepish grin. "I should warn you, though. I can be a little stubborn."
Virginia couldn't help smiling.
"A little?" Her thoughts flashed back to Eddie. "I think I noticed."
Estelle laughed out loud.
"Fair enough."
Virginia looked down into her wine glass. For the first time in years, someone had offered her a home—not because they wanted something from her, not because they intended to exploit her, but simply because they wanted her company.
She looked back up.
"I think..." A smile slowly spread across her face. "...I'd like that."
Estelle beamed.
"Wonderful."
She reached across the table and gently took Virginia's hand.
"You're finished with the streets. You'll never have to go back. I promise." She gave Virginia's hand a gentle squeeze. "No one will ever own you again."
Virginia nodded slowly.
"I believe you."
Estelle smiled.
"And think of it this way. You have my protection now."
Virginia glanced toward the restaurant window, remembering Eddie's final moments. A faint smile appeared.
"Yes...I think I understand exactly how valuable that is."
"There is something you can help me with almost immediately," Estelle said.
Virginia looked up from her wine.
"I've been away from New Orleans for quite some time." She smiled faintly. "I grew up here, but cities change, and so do the people who prey upon them." Her expression became more serious. "I need to know what's been happening. Who's calling the shots? Who are the pimps? Who's trafficking women and children? Who's running the drugs? I need to know all of it."
For several seconds, Virginia simply stared. Then her eyes widened, and a slow smile spread across her face.
"Oh my God..." she said excitedly.
Estelle tilted her head.
"What?"
"You're the one." She nearly pointed a finger at Estelle. "The Dark Angel."
Estelle laughed softly.
"Oh, no." She shook her head. "I'm not the Dark Angel."
Virginia looked confused.
"You're not?"
"Well..." Estelle smiled. "Perhaps I'm a dark angel now. But I'm not the one you've heard whispered about. My friend is. The one who now lives in Savannah. Her name is Bedelia."
For just a moment, warmth filled Estelle's eyes.
"She's one of the finest people I've ever known. She saved my life. Perhaps someday you'll meet her. I think you'd like her very much."
Virginia considered that for a moment.
Another vampire.
Then she shrugged inwardly. After everything she had seen that evening, what difference did one more vampire make?
"I think I'd like that."
Estelle nodded.
"So..."
Virginia smiled.
"I know a lot. And if I don't know something..." She glanced around the restaurant before looking back at Estelle. "I know people who do. Girls on the street hear everything, and people tend to underestimate women like us." She smiled. "I can help you."
"Good," Estelle said, taking another sip of wine.
Then her expression slowly changed. The warmth disappeared, and her brown eyes became almost frighteningly calm.
"There is something you need to understand."
Virginia's smile faded.
"My friend Bedelia..." A faint smile returned to Estelle's face. "...is an extraordinary woman. Wise, patient, compassionate. She believes almost everyone deserves another chance."
Estelle looked quietly into her wine.
"I'm..." She searched for the right word. "...different."
Then she raised her eyes again.
"You could say Bedelia is the Queen of Darkness."
A tiny smile crossed Virginia's lips.
"So, who does that make you?"
Estelle smiled.
"A queen occasionally needs someone willing to do the things she shouldn't."
The smile slowly faded.
"I am her executioner."
Silence settled over the table.
"I don't possess her patience. If someone spends their life destroying innocent people..." She gave a small shrug. "...I don't spend much time wondering whether they deserve mercy."
Virginia thought about Eddie. About the years of beatings. About the girls who had simply disappeared and never returned. Then she looked across the table.
Oddly enough, she wasn't frightened.
She felt safe.
Estelle noticed the expression.
"Oh, don't misunderstand." A gentle smile returned to her face. "You—and people like you—have absolutely nothing to fear from me."
Virginia nodded slowly.
She believed her.
It was an astonishing realization.
Less than two hours earlier, she had been certain she would die on the filthy floor of her apartment. Now she was sitting across from a vampire, sharing a fine Cabernet, waiting for a perfectly cooked steak, and talking about tomorrow.
The universe she had known no longer existed. It had been replaced by something impossible.
Something she never thought she would find again.
Hope.
Virginia lifted her wine glass.
For the first time in years, she wasn't drinking to forget.
She was drinking to tomorrow.