Page 83 of Sundowners
“I don’t like the idea of him going home with you,” she said to Roman.
“I don’t like it either, Detective Cabral.” I hated the possibility of putting them in danger.
She scowled for a moment longer then rolled her eyes. “Fine. Call me if anything weird happens. I’m going to see Tita Frances, and I’ll tell her you’ll be by tomorrow, alright? All of you. She’s been in a state about her Nurse Creed being gone, and she’s having more episodes. It would do her good to see you, even though I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”
She was about six inches shorter than Rey, who was about four inches shorter than me. But she had no reason to trust me, and I respected her. She exuded strength and kept her emotions closer to her chest than her brother and nephew.
“See you tomorrow,” Rey said. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this,”
She frowned at him. “You better.” She mumbled something in Tagalog as she walked away.
“Ouch,” Roman said, laughing at his uncle.
“Weird. I’m sick of weird. Too much weird. Alright, who wants Betty’s?”
“Good call,” Roman said, and I knew he was still talking, but once I put my arms around Rhonda, I was out.
26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Roman
We got backto the house with the burgers to find Creed and Rhonda still sleeping together in the backseat. Rey tried to lift her, but she lowered her ears at him, so I stepped in front of him and took her leash from Creed’s wrist. She happily followed me up the steps to the house. “I’ll come back for him,” I said, but Rey had already tossed Creed over his shoulder and was carrying him up the front steps.
“Where do you want him?” he asked me.
“I, uh…”
I wanted him in my bed. I did, despite the fact that there were serious issues we needed to work out.
“Excuse me?” Creed lifted his head and then it lolled to the side.
“Yeah, hang on.” Rey knelt down and put Creed’s feet on the ground, and Rhonda ran to his side. “You need to eat, dude. I shouldn’t be able to toss you over my shoulder this easy.”
“Thank you. I know. I would love a shower if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Come here,” I said, putting my arm around his waist. He leaned against me as I walked him into the downstairs bathroom. “Do you need help?”
“No, thank you,” he murmured, sitting on the toilet. “I don’t like being here, Roman. I don’t want to put you and your uncle in danger.”
“You want to stop this guy, don’t you? Because if he shows up here, that’s a perfect opportunity for us to catch him.”
He hunched his shoulders again. “And I can’t do this alone. But it’s not just Stephen. If others like me find out that I shared information about us…that part of the myth about, well…vampires, I guess, is true. I only just learned. I thought I was alone.”
“Do you think…Doyou consider yourself a vampire, Creed?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what else you’d call it. Apparently I need blood to survive. I was told that once I stop,I’ll…stop. I thought… For fifty years, I followed the teachings of the Source and believed that I could sustain myself with the energy of others and the very occasional Exchange. I thought I could stop, that I would begin to age and eventually die like a normal person. That isn’t the case. I don’t know what to do, Roman.”
“You’re going to shower, that’s what you’re going to do, and then we’re going to figure this out. Together, okay? Shower, let’s eat, and then you can sleep. I’ll bring you some clothes.” I grabbed a towel from the cabinet and put it on the counter, then went to the door. “Rhonda, come on.”
She’d plopped down on the fuzzy rug by Creed’s feet and apparently wasn’t going anywhere.
“She’s fine. I’ll be out in a bit. And Roman?”
“Yeah?” The heartbreak in his expression killed me but I was a mess. I didn’t know which way was up other than I loved him. So much.
“I mean it. I love you, but if at any point you can’t take this—”
