I lead Yannis downstairs to the garage, taking one of the sedans since it’s easier to handle. Yannis is a bundle of nerves and stress right now.
“He’ll be okay. We’ll be there quickly.”
He nods, squeezing my hand.
“What would you like to tell him about me?”
Yannis wrinkles his brow for a second, then shakes his head. “I’ll tell him everything once he’s safe. Well, not everything. I’ll leave the vampire part out for now.”
“Hold on.”
I hit the gas and fly through the streets of New Onyx. At this time of night, there’s minimal traffic and any cop who tries to pull me over will quickly forget his mission. We make it to Yannis’s apartment building in record time, and he’s out of the car and up the stairs before I even pull into a parking space.
After shutting the car off, I follow him. He’s in front of his apartment door, talking to a much younger man who doesn’t look a thing like him. Dimi’s eyes shift past his brother to me and he smiles. That’s when I see the resemblance.
“Hi,” he says.
“Hello. Are you alright?”
He nods. “Yeah. Just a little freaked out.”
“What are you doing here at this time of night?” Yannis asks. “This is not a safe neighborhood. Why didn’t you call me and tell me you were coming? I could’ve picked you up. Why are you even here?”
“Hold on, yo. Give me a second to answer you.”
“Why don’t we do this in the car?” I say.
“Good idea,” Yannis says, grabbing his brother’s arm.
The three of us walk down the stairs, pausing as the car Dimi described appears again. I sprint towards it, but it takes off, its squealing tires shattering the silence.
When I turn around, Dimi’s mouth is hanging open, but Yannis only looks concerned.
“Who do you think that is?” Yannis asks.
“No idea, but I worry it’s related to the earlier incident.” I open the car’s back door for Dimi. “Could be nothing though. A coincidence.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Yannis mutters.
“It was already here when I showed up,” Dimi says, sliding into the car. “Parked down the street. I saw it when I walked past and then it started following me.”
“Honestly, it could be anything,” Yannis says. “There’s a lot of shit that happens around here.”
“Very true.” I pull onto the street. “You’re safe now.”
I glance at Dimi through the rearview mirror. He’s staring at Yannis. “What happened to your face?”
“Fight. Like I said, a lot of shit happens around here,” Yannis says.
“Is that why we’re going somewhere else?”
“Yep.” Yannis twists around in his seat. “I’ll fill you in later, but I’m staying with Hale right now.”
Dimi raises an eyebrow and I fight back a smile. He’s not an idiot. It’s the middle of the night and his brother is with another man.
We arrive back at my place and I pull Yannis aside as we head to the elevator.
“I’ll leave you alone to talk to your brother. I’ll be in the common area if you need me.”