Page 12 of Mortal Heart

Regan had taken a step back when the car pulled up, but Mireille’s sympathetic expression and similar age seemed to ease her fears. “Hey, I’m Mireille,” the other girl said, coming around to open the passenger door. “I’m your chauffeur. What’s your name?”

“Regan.”

“Cool.” Mireille’s brow furrowed. “Like the president?”

Regan sighed. Arkady pressed the bloody napkins to her busted lip to hide her smile.

“I’m starving, and I bet you’re hungry too,” Mireille continued. “So first we’re going to get some cheeseburgers and like twohugeorders of fries. And then we’re going to this lady Alice’s house. She has a really sweet dog and a cat. And ajacuzzi tub.”

Which of those words were the magic ones, Arkady wasn’t sure, but Regan’s eyes lit up.

“She needs lots of water,” Arkady said and handed Mireille some cash. “Buy her a couple of bottles at a convenience store to go with those cheeseburgers and fries.”

“Yes ma’am.” Mireille pocketed the money, helped Regan into the passenger seat, and shut the door. “Thanks for trusting me to take care of her. Oh, and thanks for kicking Ricky earlier in the bar too. I’ve been wanting to do that for months.”

“Happy to be of service. Drive safe.”

Mireille gave Arkady a quick salute and ran around to the driver’s side. As she got into the car, Malcolm spoke from Arkady’s left. “You got things under control on this end while I ride with Thelma and Louise Junior out to Alice and Sean’s house?”

“Yeah, we got this.” Arkady scanned the shadows. Still no sign of Ronan. She thought maybe he didn’t want Malcolm to see him, which was interesting. “Just make sure the girls get there safely.”

“I guarantee nobody will touch them.”

For all his playfulness, when it came to taking care of business, there was no one she’d trust more than Malcolm, except Alice and Sean. It was the only reason she felt comfortable letting the girls drive off.

“Can I tell Alice and Sean that you’re going to deal with the people responsible for this?” he asked. “You andJohnny?”

She smiled. “You absolutelycantell them that.”

“I expect a full report on this Johnny too, the next time I see you,” Malcolm added. “If you need backup later, let Alice know and I’ll be here before you can sayspicy meatball.” And with that, the telltale cold sensation of his presence disappeared as the car pulled away.

Arkady let Alice know they were on their way and stuck her phone in her back pocket. She looked down at herself and muttered a curse. Her T-shirt was unsalvageable, but she couldn’t go around in her bra without attracting unwanted attention. She usually had spare clothes in her vehicle, but she’d used them a few days before and forgotten to put new ones in the back. So what to do?

Ronan still hadn’t reappeared, but he’d parked his Harley on the edge of the lot, under one of the few working lights. On a whim, she hurried over to it and carefully touched one of its saddlebags. No wards that she could feel. She opened it, rummaged through the contents, and came up with a black T-shirt that looked reasonably clean but had clearly been worn because it smelled rich and earthy, like Ronan’s body.

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” she muttered and put it on.

Even at her height of five-eleven, Ronan’s shirt still hung comically almost to her knees like she’d borrowed it from a giant’s closet. Grumbling, she used her knife to cut more than a foot from the length and then knotted it at her waist. Good enough.

She didn’t hear any footsteps or sense him approach, but she was in no way surprised when Ronan’s voice came from behind her. “That was my favorite shirt, Miss Woodall.”

“Ah, so that’s why you left it filthy and stuffed in your saddlebag for what smells like a week.” She turned. Ronan stood about six feet away, arms crossed so his biceps and chest strained the fabric of his shirt. That hint of silver glinted in his eyes again. What the hellwashe?

Meanwhile, his attention had focused on her injury. “I only left you alone for a few minutes. How’d you get the busted lip?”

“Milwaukee hand grenade.” She grimaced and stuffed the napkins in her pocket. She’d picked up Alice’s habit of never leaving anything lying around with her blood on it. “Regan was ready for whoever popped the trunk. She wouldn’t have gotten far handcuffed and barefoot, but she got a lick in. I liked her style.”

He frowned. “A Milwaukee what?”

“You haven’t heard of a Milwaukee hand grenade? Take a can of cheap American beer, shake it, and chuck it at your target. Luckily, the one she threw at me didn’t explode. A bloody lip is one thing, but I get soaked in shitty beer, I’m out.”

His mouth quirked. “It’s good to know what your boundaries are.”

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She checked the screen. “Excellent,” she murmured. “It pays to have friends inreallylow places.”

“You got a lead on Ace?” He appeared at her side in an inhuman flash of movement. His sudden nearness and aura of power elicited a spike of adrenaline, disgust, and nausea. Instinctively, her hand raised to protect her throat. She forced it to drop to her side and clenched her fist.

And of course he noticed her reaction. She could tell from the way his eyes darkened and his scowl deepened that he’d recognized that flinch for what it was: the reaction of someone who’d been brutally bitten by a vampire against their will.

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