Page 20 of Fangs and Fudge

“Remember how Cross said he owned a club.”

I nodded, not wanting to think about the courtesans. “What about it?”

“He said he liked it because it distracted him from his long, boring life.”

“And?”

“He can be a club owner again. Juicy’s available, right?”

“No. That’s a horrible idea.” I shivered, remembering getting trapped there and the bloody aftermath. “Shepard said they’d destroyed the place to ensure the vampires wouldn't come back. Plus, can you imagine the clean up? No way.”

“Cross won’t care about blood and bodies. He’s the one that made the mess, anyway.”

She was right. But he’d only made the mess because he’d had to come and save us.

“I bet we could get that building cheap,” she said. “No one would want to go in there after that bloodbath, and when Cross buys the place, I can get a finder’s fee.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “You forget one thing.”

“What?”

“Shepard said Juicy is under his watch now. He’d never let Cross stay there.”

Vena frowned. “But it’s a perfect place. He can have his club on the first floor, and he can live on the top floor. He’ll be so busy with renovations and starting the club up that we won’t have to see fangs ever again. It’s a win-win.”

It was my turn to frown. “Unless he has papers to make himself a legal citizen, he’ll still need me. The building would be under my name. I’d be the one responsible for permits and business registration and–”

“I’ll talk to Shepard about Juicy tonight,” she said.

“Are you even listening, Vena? No. No Juicy. No talking to Shepard. I don’t want him to know about Cross. Shepard’s on a mission to get rid of all the vampires. It won’t matter to him that Cross isn’t like the others. I’m not throwing Cross to the wolves like that.”

“Just by being near you, he’s already involved with the wolves because you are.”

I didn’t want to think about it now. “Let’s go see Miles. Maybe he can help us think of a place for Cross. It will give him something to do. He’s got to be bored by now.”

As we drove to Miles’ apartment, Vena spoke more about the building Juicy had been in and its potential.

“Maybe you should rethink treasure hunting as your career and go into real estate,” I said.

“I just see the value in it.”

I parked outside of Miles’ apartment building and glanced at the vehicles, not spotting anyone I knew.

A message buzzed on my phone from Shepard.

Shepard: I see you’re at Miles’ place. Problem?

Me: Nope. Just stopping to check in on him. Where’s his guard? Truck’s empty.

Shepard: Inside watching for signs of unusual behavior. Call me right away if you think there is any.

CHAPTER FOUR

“Is Shepard being a stalker again?” Vena asked.

“He’s not stalking; he’s worried. There’s a difference,” I said.

She made a doubtful sound. “You should have never given him access to track you. It’s never too late to revoke it.”

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