Page 34 of Shadow Scorching

“That’s the sticky wicket. Give me some time to do more research.” She motioned for us to leave her alone, so Dante and I retreated to the living room, where we kept an eye on the app, waiting for Jet to take the bait.

I decided to call Lazenti. He answered right away. “Do you ever sleep?”

“When I’m bored. I may not be able to walk out in the sunlight, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use my time when I’m stuck inside,” he asked. “So, what do you want?”

“Would you be willing to join us when we try to clear Michael’s house? We’ve discovered that, besides the revenant, there’s also a shadow man. We have to distract them while we clear out the other spirits first. There will be danger for you, but we would welcome your help.”

My guess was that Lazenti, even though he’d been a vampire for decades, still had some of his human nature left. Not all vampires lost their humanity, though some chose the darker path. That he wanted to work with us told me that he still wanted to add some good in the world.

Lazenti didn’t even pause. “My time is yours, Kyann. Whatever you need, tell me. But can we do this at night? I don’t want to chance being thrown out of a window into the light.”

“Of course. Thank you. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel.”

Lazenti cleared his throat. “My sister was driven out of her home when I was young. She was older than I was—by about fourteen years—and her husband abandoned her and her kids. Our parents told her she brought it on herself and refused to help her out. I was ten. There wasn’t anything I could do, so I begged my parents to help her. But our father refused, and he ordered my mother to turn her back on her own daughter.”

I sighed. Even now that he was a vampire, I could hear the pain in his voice. “What happened?”

“I stole my mother’s credit card and bought a bunch of groceries. I took them to my sister, but I couldn’t chance it a second time. My mother knew—I know she knew—but she never said anything. But groceries only last so long. My sister tried to manage, but her ex had beat her down—both mentally and physically—and she ended up on the streets. CPS took the kids away, and my father refused to let us speak of her—or my nieces and nephews—again. My sister vanished and we never heard from her again.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

Lazenti sounded tired. “Later, when I was turned into a vampire, I went back and tried to trace her. I finally found her. She was working as a clerk at a small second-hand store. But she wasn’t really my sister anymore. She was worn out, an alcoholic, and she might as well have been dead.”

After a moment, where I wasn’t sure what to say, he added, “So, you see. When good people lose their homes, I remember my sister. Some bounce back, but some can’t. I don’t want to see this family torn apart by some fucking ghosts. I’ll do what I can.”

I’d been on the fence about Lazenti, but now I decided to set aside my skepticism. He might be a vampire, but a little voice inside said that—if he was your friend—you could count on him for anything you needed.

“Thank you,” I said. Then, without realizing what I was saying, I added, “Some time, why don’t we get coffee together? If you’re going to be working with us, we should have a nice chat.”

“I’d like that,” Lazenti said.

As I hung up, I wondered what I was getting myself into. But Lazenti intrigued me, and given he was willing to chance his life for a family he didn’t know, I wanted to find out more about him. I hung up and turned to see Dante looking at me. But he said nothing—just went back to watching TV. Before I could say anything, my phone sounded. It was a notification from the dating app. Jet Shy had swiped right on me.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“We’ve got a bite!”I said, opening my phone.

“Jet?” Dante sat up, his voice eager.

“Looks like it.” I opened the dating app. Dante peeked over my shoulder and we read the message together.

Dear Estelle:

I was pleasantly surprised when your message came through. I, too, am looking for a partner in today’s cold, aloof world. I understand loneliness. Your picture is lovely, and I found myself captivated by it. I’m an undercover agent posing as a financial analyst, so I can’t disclose my whereabouts, only that I’m on an important mission for the government. Know that it has to do with national security and involves the president.

I would love to talk to you more. Do you mind switching over to What-The-App, in case I accidentally say something that my supervisors would be angry at me for disclosing? WTA is more secure. Please write back. I have a lonely life and I want to find a woman I can treat like a queen. –Jet

I rolled my eyes. “Every cliché in the book, but then again…they wouldn’t use these lines if they didn’t work.”

Dante’s eyes narrowed. “Damn him. We were right. If he was truly planning on marrying Tilly, he wouldn’t be contacting you.”

I set down my phone. “So many of these scammers try to avoid meeting, so Jet’s an exception. It makes me wonder why.”

Dante thought for a moment. “I don’t know, but there has to be something fishy about it.”

“I’ll write back and tell him I’d love to chat. Maybe…can that website be hacked? Do you think they’d have a way to tell where their clients are located? I’m talking pinpoint it to the house.” My thought was that Carson might be able to hack in and figure out where Jet Shy was.

“I don’t know,” Dante said.

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