Page 42 of Death Deals

When the woman passed us, we popped out of our hiding place and continued after him. We walked for what felt like forever, especially with the frigid temperature biting at my bare arms. I never had to worry about winters as a spirit, and I really missed that luxury. It wasn’t long before Cornelius crossed the street and entered an old, abandoned theatre. The massive copper overhang and marquee were beautiful, even with the wordClosedlisted where a show should’ve been.

“No way. Here?” Ricky said, shocked. “I know this place. Passed it millions of times.”

“Hiding in plain sight,” I added. And I mean, why not? There weren’t many things vampires had to fear. Besides other vamps.

Ricky rubbed his arms, shivering against the cold. Not expecting our excursion, he was only wearing a T-shirt and jeans himself.

“Now what?” He blew into his cupped hands. “Do we turn back and tell the DeMontes?”

That was a good question. One I wasn’t sure how to answer.

“I’d listen to him.” The sultry French accent had every muscle in my body tensing.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. He’d found me.

Ricky spun, a quick gasp escaping.

Grimacing, I turned, too, and met Andre’s disapproving stare. “Uh…”

He raised his hand, telling me to save my breath. He was done with my petty explanations. “You’re coming back to the hotel with me. Now,” was all he said. Even though his tone was calmer than I expected—and than I probably deserved—the command was obvious. He wasn’t accepting a negotiation this time. No witty banter back and forth.

How did he keep finding me like this?

Oh, that’s right. The stupid blood thing.

“It helps that I can sense your emotions, as well,” Andre said as if he could read minds, too. “Even from blocks away.”

Well, fuck.

That explained how he’d known to come to the rescue during the fight at Murphy’s.

A quick glance at Ricky, and he said, “I suggest you go home.”

Ricky shrank back, unsure if it was safe to leave me with an angry vampire.

“Go ahead,” I whispered to him. As much as I loved having him around again, he’d been tangled in my mess of a life long enough. “Give your dad a hug for me, okay?”

Still, he hesitated.

Andre lunged toward him, flashing his fangs. “Go,” he growled.

Ricky was off and running in the next second, glancing over his shoulder every so often to make sure he wasn’t being followed. When he turned the corner and disappeared, I huffed.

“That really wasn’t necessary,” I snapped at Andre. “He didn’t do anything—”

His piercing glare made me swallow my words right back down. Looked like I really messed up this time.

“You released a prisoner. An enemy,” he said. The strange, tense calmness in his voice was a warning to the actual rage suppressed underneath. Like a landmine waiting to be tapped the right way to explode. “There’s no way I will be able to convince Hector and the others of anything but treachery. You’ve ruined everything I’ve scraped and clawed to arrange. Decades of work, sacrifice, and loss down the drain. I’ve been nothing but accommodating to you and your antics, holding up my end of our deal.”

I don’t know why, but my own anger shot to the surface. A dormant volcano suddenly erupting. “And what have I been doing? I helped you read your stupid letter, almost died for you to get to Cornelius, and let’s not forget getting groped by your wonderful teammate, Hector, in the fucking elevator. All while playing happy housewife to a deranged French asshole.” I didn’t like how he’d implied he was doing me a favor with all this, and I was nothing more than a burden to him.

With his mouth open, he blinked, astounded by my backlash.

“You know what? I’m out.” I held up my hands to show him I was really done with this arrangement we had, whatever it was. “The Omaris are hiding in there, in the theater, so you can take that information and do with it what you will. Shove it up your ass for all I care because what do I know, right?”

At the moment, I’d rather face Monnie with nothing more than a toothpick and some chewing gum than continue to deal with the vampires and their dumb politics.

I was done.

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