Page 93 of Blood and Bonbons

She looked a little sick as she put her phone away.

“Crystal.”

“Inside, ladies. As Sierra pointed out, it’s not safe out here.”

I stood back, letting her go first, and glanced back at the cat. It was watching us all with an avid interest that seemed very un-cat-like.

Shepard motioned for us to follow him while Sierra put away her things. Back in Shepard’s office, he asked Vena and me to take a seat.

“There’s a lot going on right now,” he said, moving to the glass wall that overlooked the main floor. He clasped his hands behind his back, stretching his button-up shirt over his broad shoulders.

“People are dying, and the police can’t do a thing about the killer.” He turned to look at us. “But my pack can. I’m asking for your discretion so we can do what we do best.”

“And what’s that?” Vena asked.

“Protect the places we call home and the people who live there against vampires.”

“I appreciate the public service,” Vena said.

Shepard gave her a hard stare.

“Seriously, I’m not going to say anything to anyone,” she said. “But I’m probably going to have some questions. Mind if I ask Anchor tonight?”

He lifted a hand to rub over his mouth. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to hide a smile or a frown.

“I’ll let Anchor know you’re curious. You should know, Vena. My kind doesn’t do casual relationships well.”

Her smirk vanished.

“I will absolutely keep that in mind. Thanks for the warning.”

He nodded and looked at me.

“You have nothing to worry about from me,” I reiterated. “I meant what I said. You’re like family to me.”

A slight frown pulled at his brows before quickly disappearing.

“Then maybe you can help me understand why you smell like something we’ve sworn to kill?”

“Uh…”

Vena came to my rescue.

“We’re trying to save up for the next semester and heard there might be daytime openings at Juicy,” Vena said. “For servers, not strippers. But when we got there, this creepy guy locked us in a room filled with syringes and tubes. You know…the kind for taking blood.

“Everly cut herself when we were trying to jimmy the door with my knife, which is why she’s wearing a new bandage. Seriously, pure accident. Don’t trust her with sharp objects.

“Anyway, when we got out, everyone in Juicy was already dead. But, I think that syringe room is why she smells like a vampire.”

Shepard’s arms fell loosely to his sides, and he stared at both of us for a long minute. “You got locked into a room at a strip club, and everyone was dead when you got out?”

“We didn’t kill them. Promise. Everly hyperventilates at the sight of blood. Not a murderer bone in her body,” Vena said.

Shepard leveled her with an unamused gaze before yelling for Anchor. I jumped. Shepard glanced at me, his expression bordering on anger. For the first time, it felt like it might be directed at me.

Anchor appeared in the doorway and glanced questioningly at us.

“Take Buzz and go to Juicy,” Shepard said. “It might be a vampire den. I want as much info as you can get before we open tonight.”

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