Page 44 of Top Secret Vampire

“I can work on a book while you’re gone.”

He lowered the empty blood bag onto the delicate plate he’d used to bring it from the refrigerator. “I’d prefer to have you with me if that’s possible.”

“I haven’t done much marketing lately, and I no longer have an assistant to handle various tasks I tend to put off myself. Someone has to do these things. If I let them drop, I’ll lose readers. Visibility is everything in this business, especially after what happened. And I still need to work on my next release.I’ve slowed some in the past year, but I try to write at least five thousand words Monday through Friday.”

“Can you bring your laptop and do some of this while I’m speaking with them?”

“I can.” I bit back my sigh. It didn’t make sense for me to remain here alone. Someone broke into my house last night despite Wolf’s traps and my locked doors. I’d be foolish to think I was safe here by myself. “I need to get a gun.”

“Not a bad idea. Do you know how to use one?”

“Believe it or not, my mom was quite the marksman at one time. She took me to firing ranges when I was younger, but I haven’t handled a gun in years.”

“We can stop by Shriek & Nail before we come home. They have a small collection of weapons for sale. You might want to consider something other than a gun, however. A weapon like that is only good if they can’t grab it from you and use it against you. It’s the same with knives. You might be better with pepper spray.”

“Will that do anything for monsters or witches?”

“Some. Most, I think. We’ll ask about it at Shriek & Nail.”

I hated that it had come to this, that I needed to go everywhere armed.

“When can you be ready to leave?” he asked, his fangs retracting into his upper jaw.

“Give me fifteen minutes?”

“Alright.”

While he took our plates to the kitchen, I went to my office, grateful that the doll wasn’t lying on the floor, staring at nothing. Why had someone brought it here and left it? I hoped whoever Wolf spoke with today could give us answers.

I carried my laptop case into the foyer and was about to grab my keys from the bowl on a table when someone knocked on the front door.

Wolf materialized in front of me, urging me to step to the side while he carefully opened the door.

“Is Reese here?” a woman asked.

“Oh my gosh.” I rushed to the door and widened it. “Charmaine. Is it really you?”

“Reese!” Charmaine barreled into me, giving me a big hug. “It’s been forever, hasn’t it?”

We parted and grinned at each other.

“Wolf? This is Charmaine, my old friend from college. I haven’t seen her since I moved to New York after graduation. Charmaine? This is Wolfram, a friend.”

“Very nice to meet you.” He slid his arm around the back of my waist.

“Looks like more than friends to me.” Her smile didn’t fade, but her blue eyes sharpened. “I heard you had someone special in your life.”

“From whom?”

She frowned then shrugged. “Somewhere. I can’t remember.”

I guessed it didn’t matter.

I smiled up at Wolf. “He’s staying with me right now.”

“Ohhhh.” Charmaine winked. “I stopped by because I’d heard you bought this place. I’ve been living in Florida but came home to stay with my mom for a while. She fell and broke her hip, and I’ve been helping her after her surgery.”

“Aw, I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?”

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