Page 30 of Phoenix Falling
“You do?” the darker vampire asked.
“I do.” I set the thumb drive on the table and pushed it across to Sun. He slapped a hand over the spinning drive and held it up between thumb and forefinger.
“You do know how to work that, right?”
This time it was Sun who frowned at me. I caught a quick grin from Hollywood, though.
“Of course I know how a thumb drive works.”
I held up my hands. “Just making sure. All the information is on there. Granted, it’s not a long list, but enough to start.” I tilted my head to the side, striving for inquisitive instead of nosy. “That is, unless you want me to do the background work on them? Where exactly do you plan to go from here?”
Sun palmed the thumb drive and slid it into his pocket. “That, we haven’t quite figured out, but I’ll let you know if I need help on that end.”
“Do you want me to continue to look?”
“Yes,” Hollywood growled.
I raised an eyebrow at that tone. “Good to know.”
Sun ignored the side exchange. “You said there was bad news as well?”
“Yeah.” I rubbed my thigh under the table, wondering exactly how to put this. “So…your friends from before, the ones you had me doing surveillance on? I’m pretty sure they’re back.”
“The A—” The distinct snap of teeth hitting each other sounded as the darker vampire quickly shut his mouth.
Sun cursed under his breath. “Why are you thinking that?”
“Just a couple of incidents that have caught my attention. If it is them, this set is definitely smarter—I haven’t found anything on any cameras. But the other night a couple of teenage boys were attacked by a group of big burly men that terrorized them kind of like the other guys.” I left out the “glowing eyes and fangs” part. “And tonight…”
When I paused, Hollywood asked impatiently, “What happened tonight?”
I met his gaze across the table. “Tonight a man was attacked over by the park. The police said his throat was cut so badly that it almost took his head off. I’m not sure if they are definite on a knife attack, but given how so many of those women were savaged…”
More curses. Sun rubbed his eyes as if stressed. It took everything I had not to get up from the table and move around to his side, put an arm around him, massage his temples to ease his tension. But I couldn’t do that, could I? I wasn’t the me that he knew. I wasn’t Rissa. At least not right now.
I’d never be the whole me in front of Sun.
“Did you want me to see what else I can dig up?” I asked, gripping the cracked vinyl of the seat to keep myself in place.
Sun drummed his fingers along the table. “Yes, Risk. That would be appreciated. Any…anomalies, please bring those to my attention.”
“Will do.” I moved to slide out of the booth. “You’ve got my account information for that transfer?”
Losing my mind over Sun or not, I still needed to pay my bills.
“I do.” Sun gave me a brisk smile that almost hurt after seeing him—the real him—up close and personal, without all the trappings of whatever it was he did for the Archai. “And I have your contact for our next meeting.”
I gave him a nod and stood.
“Risk.”
Sun’s voice had me turning back to face him.
“Thank you for your help.”
I nodded again, hurrying out the back door before I could give myself away with a look back.
ChapterThirteen
