Page 35 of More Than Meets the Eye

This time, I was silent.

“Tess?”

“Um. Are you hitting on me, Carlos?”

The way he burst out laughing wasn’t all that flattering.

“Tess. Even if I weren’t involved with someone, and even if I didn’t cherish our friendship enough not to want to risk it, I quite like my neck.”

“What?”

“I don’t want to wake up one evening with a tiger’s fangs in my throat.”

“There you go, exaggerating again. What’s up, Carlos?”

“I just want to warn you: do not find yourself alone with Sheriff Reynolds. He’s a killer.”

“Funny. He said the same thing about you.”

“I’m a vampire,” he said, his voice turning dark and smoky. “It goes with the territory. But I haven’t killed anyone recently, and I never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it.”

“Okaaaay. But I promise I’m being careful. What about you? Do you—are you safe when you’re asleep during the day?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’m making pecan pie. Why don’t you come over for a late dinner once it’s dark? Jack was planning to go with Lizzie to the full moon run with the Riverton pack to help her learn how to shift, but I don’t know if that’s still on.”

I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from Jack recently. It made me nervous, since there were killers about.

“I’ll be there at eight-fifteen. Sunset is at eight oh six.”

“Ooh! How do you know that? Is it from your supernatural vampire senses?”

“Weather dot com.”

“Huh.”

“I’ll see you soon, Tess. Lock your doors, please.”

We hung up, and I locked my doors. I also checked my rifle. I’d practiced enough, so I was quite good with it. The killer from last night had better not show his face around here again.

When the doorbell rang an hour later, it was Sheriff Reynolds, and he was alone.

He was also armed.

13

Jack

I made quite a few phone calls on the way back from Orlando. Not a single person I called had a good thing to say about Barstow.

Not one.

I called Alejandro back. He was still stuck on the Riverton sheriff.

“You still think Reynolds might be the killer? I’ve got to tell you; I don’t get that feeling from him. He worked with me on that situation this spring when you were down here, and he was a good guy and a good cop,” I said.

“Good cops can go rogue in their personal lives. You know that as well as I do,” he said.

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