I didn’t say a word, and I wouldn’t to Melcher, either. If Dante needed to hold onto his knife to feel secure, he could do whatever he damn well wanted. Nothing would stop me from doing my job.
“Are you armed?” Dante asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Do vampires suck blood?”
He glanced from my legs to my face. “Where is it?”
“Under my skirt.”
Dante smiled slowly. “So how do you access it?”
“I lift up my skirt,” I answered.
Dante’s grin widened. He glanced at my legs again. “You should teach Aurora that trick.”
Okay, someone needed to get his mind back on the mission.
“I imagine she’s got her own tricks up her sleeve.” I reached for the door handle.
“Ah, but a trick up the skirt beats a trick up the sleeve any day of the week,” Dante answered. I rolled my eyes again.
Dante slipped his knife halfway down the front of his pants and zipped up his jacket. “All right, let’s go get this blood sucker.”
I glanced dubiously at the house across the street. Well, whatever. No vampire I’d ever met would be caught dead making a snowman, but Dante obviously thought we were onto something.
I slammed my door shut and followed Dante up to the house. He paused in front of the snowman to look back at me. “You see that?”
“What?” I asked.
“They used blood to draw a mouth.”
“Or food coloring.”
Dante turned abruptly and stormed the front steps of the porch. He looked at the door knocker and then at me, raising a brow as though pointing out an obvious clue. I squinted at the knocker. Nope, nothing demonic about it, just a typical brass handle.
Dante curled his fingers around the knocker and pounded the door twice. We waited.
And waited.
The jingle of a dog leash rattled behind us. A woman passed the house with her German Shepard.
“I don’t think anyone’s home,” I said.
Dante had his fingers on his chin, stroking his lower lip. “They’re home, all right. Hiding out is what they’re doing.”
“You think so?”
Instead of answering, Dante turned abruptly and took the stairs down to the yard. He started walking across the snow-covered lawn to the tall wood fence surrounding the backyard.
I followed the footsteps he’d made in the snow and joined Dante in front of the gate.
As Dante lifted the latch, a dog snarled from behind the fence. I took a step back.
“Nice touch,” Dante said. “They got themselves a guard dog. What we need is a steak... and I don’t mean the kind made out of wood.” Dante immediately laughed at his own joke.
Now that the dog was aware of our presence, he’d gone ballistic—lunging at the fence and snarling. My eardrums protested with each piercing bark.
“Maybe we should check out the third address then come back?” I suggested.
Dante shook his head. “No good. They know we’re here now. If we leave they’re gonna flee.”
I glanced across the street. Lights were on inside the surrounding houses, but not this one.
Dante’s phone rang inside his jacket. The dog barked louder. Dante fished his phone out, looked at the screen, and answered. “It’s Dante. What’s that? Really? Luck be a lady.”
I don’t know how he could hear or have a conversation with that animal going off like a broken car alarm.
Dante slipped his phone inside his jacket pocket. “That was Agent Crist. She said Aurora and Valerie got the vamp house. They want us all to return immediately.” Dante shrugged. “Can’t win ’em all.”
After Melcher’s debriefing, I returned home and pulled into an empty spot along the curb, scanning the street for Broncos of any color.
Before stepping out of the vehicle, my phone rang. I pulled it out of my backpack and glanced at caller ID before answering. “Hey, Whit.”
“Hey, you little hussy,” she answered back.
“What’s up?”
“Besides the fact that I’m not speaking to you for leaving in the middle of the year?”
I chuckled. “How’s that going for you?”
“It was going fine until I heard a bit of gossip too juicy to keep to myself.”
“So spill.”
“Fine, you know I can’t stay mad at you forever, but just so you know, you’re still on probation.”
“Fine. Now, what happened?”
“Word is Valerie Ward broke up with Fane.”
“Oh, yeah?” I reached into my backpack for a piece of gum.
“I figured Aurora would want to know. You still hang out with her, right? Out there at your suck-ass new school.”
“Yeah, we see each other in film class.”
“I’m sure this piece of information will make her happy,” Whitney said.
I stopped chewing. “Aurora broke up with Fane—not the other way around. She had her reasons.”
“Really?” Whitney’s voice lifted. “Does that mean Fane’s up for grabs?”
I snorted. “Good luck with that.” Maybe I should have been more encouraging, but this was Fane Donado we were talking about. He didn’t date junkies... or any girl under five seven.
Whit always did have a thing for Fane. We met him at one of Marcus’ parties at the end of sophomore year. When Fane actually said hello to us in the hallway the following week at school, Whitney had nearly fainted with excitement. Vampires had celebrity status in her eyes.
“Is it because I’m a lowerclassman?” Whitney asked.
“Something like that,” I said between chewing.
“Oh well, there’s always next year.”
“Hey,” I said suddenly. “You and Hope should come by Marcus’s this Friday night.”
“Or you could wander over to the east side.”
I missed my friends, but they definitely were not worth hitting up the east scene. Besides, one of my first instructions as an undercover informant had been to keep an eye on Marcus.
“You should come downtown. Gavin misses you guys,” I said. Not a big stretch. Gavin had asked about them, and he did say Marcus needed more warm bodies. Might as well be Whitney and Hope opposed to those crows Henry had rounded up at West High.
“He does?” Whitney asked, her voice perking up once more. “And Henry?”
“Him, too.”
“In that case, wouldn’t want to disappoint them.”
“Nope,” I said, tossing my gum wrapper inside my bag. “Never disappoint a vampire.”
“Or a good friend.”
“Aw,” I said. “You’re so sweet.”
“And you’re such a bitch for leaving us, but we still love you.”
“Admit it. I’m irresistible.”
Whitney responded, but I only half-listened. My thoughts unwittingly shifted to Gavin. If only I were irresistible to him. It was pretty challenging to entice a guy, as I was a shorty without hips, curves, height, or a chest to speak of.
Maybe that’s why Melcher had never asked me to seduce or date a vampire.
After getting off the phone with Whitney, I stepped gingerly onto the icy street, holding my keys in my fist. As I walked toward my building, I heard the rumble of a car come from behind me. I stepped up to the sidewalk, quickening my pace. The car slowed as it neared me, sending my heart into panic mode.
Every instinct screamed at me to run for the front entrance, but I turned my head, slowing my steps in the process. The Bronco had returned. Clive drove alongside me. I didn’t see his face until he rolled down the passenger’s window. “Hello, Noel.”
I’d faced two rabid vampires and killed one. Every time I stepped inside the palace I put my life at risk, but none of that compared to the terror I felt at the sound of his drawn out, nasally voice.
My stomach tightened instantly.
The street was deserted, but the entrance wasn’t far. I ran as fast as I could while avoiding icy patches on the pavement.
/>
“I’m not done talking to you,” Clive called after me.
Well, I was done listening to him. I didn’t have to answer to the jerk anymore.
The car sped up and came to a stop in front of the building. A door slammed. I ripped open the front door and ran past the wall of metal mailboxes. When I reached the locked door at the end of the entryway, I forced myself to slow down enough to pluck the correct key from the ring in my palm and push it steadily inside the lock.
The outside door flew open at the same time I unlocked the second door and wrenched it toward me. I slipped through like a mouse squeezing between a narrow gap and pulled the door shut using my entire body. It clicked in place as Clive advanced on me. Only a pane of glass separated us, but I’d gotten through in time.
He didn’t reach for the handle. He’d never make a fool of himself that way, knowing the door was locked. Instead he smiled and ran a hand through his thick, wavy hair. I’d forgotten how diabolical those lips looked no matter which way they turned.
“So, this is where you ran off to,” he said through the glass. He glanced around the entryway, his head turning slowly to look at the scratches etched in the mailboxes. One had stickers peeling on the outside. His eyes drifted to the stained carpet. Clive looked up at me. “At least you’re not at a halfway house or under a bridge.”
Walk away, Noel. I didn’t have to listen to this. Not anymore.
I took a step backward. Clive’s eyes narrowed. “We’re not done here, Noel.”
“Yes, we are,” I said, finding my voice and immediately regretting that I’d used it. It always ended up sounding shaky when I spoke to Clive.
He heard it, too. I could tell from his smug smile.
Clive moved up to the glass door. “You need help, Noel. You need family. If you don’t come home you’re only going to hurt yourself again.”
I lifted my fist, slow and deliberate, and flipped Clive off.
I’d wanted to do that my whole life. Nothing like a pane of glass separating me from the devil to provide a false sense of courage. A smile sprang to my lips. Damn, that felt good. Should have flipped the asshole off years ago.
Clive’s face turned red and began creasing around his eyes and lips. I turned quickly and hurried down the hallway before I could see the beast come out of hiding.
Trudy and Michelle were both working that night, leaving me trapped in the apartment alone. I locked the door as I’d done a hundred times before and tried turning the knob just to be sure. I’d learned how to shoot a gun in training. Now I was regretting not owning my own piece. Not that I could shoot Clive.
I wanted him dead, but I’d rather his car careen off a cliff or he get pneumonia or mad cow or whooping cough. The scoundrel didn’t have AB positive or negative blood, thank God, so he couldn’t come back as a vampire. Then again, that would give me a reason to kill him.
I kept the apartment lights off, avoiding the kitchen window even as my stomach grumbled for a snack. All I’d eaten since lunch was a cookie and a piece of gum.
“Thanks a lot, Clive,” I said sarcastically. Talking out loud helped, especially when using my snarky, don’t give a shit, voice.
I took a seat on my bed and scrolled through email to see if anyone had answered my rent inquiries.
What was Clive doing bothering me on a school night? School night meant work night, which meant he should go live his own fucked-up life and leave me the hell alone!
“Go away, Clive,” I said to the open doorway.
I tossed my phone on my bed before crawling on all fours from my room to Trudy and Michelle’s across the hall, stopping momentarily to shake my head and laugh bitterly. “This is sad, Noel. Look at you.”
I straightened out slowly and approached the edge of the window.
The Bronco was in the same spot it had been idling the night before.
“Just great.”
I backed up to Michelle and Trudy’s closet and began pushing through the hangers. What I needed was a disguise.
What I needed were normal clothes.
My roommates weren’t as petite as me, but they were skinny and wore tight clothing. I pulled a white turtleneck off a hanger.
I took the turtleneck to the bathroom and set it on the counter while I yanked at the strings on my corset. While I was at it, I tugged off the tulle skirt and unfastened the sheath around my waist. After nabbing a pair of blue jeans from my room, I pulled the turtleneck over my head and stared into the mirror.
I gathered all my hair over one shoulder.
Not the sexiest girl on the block, but I wasn’t anything to sneeze at, either. I had flawless skin for one thing and not an ounce of body fat. There were girls who’d kill to be a size zero. I turned sideways and scrutinized my profile in the mirror.
I pulled the turtleneck off before tossing it into the clothes pile beside by my bed.
Gavin whistled as I walked up to his lunch table the next day. “Looking good, Noel.”
Luckily I didn’t have the type of skin that flushed easily. “Thanks,” I said. “Just something I had lying around.”
Henry leaned over the table, grinning all the while. “I think you look beautiful no matter what you wear.”
Henry may have used the word “beautiful,” but Gavin’s “good” still had more impact.
“Did you receive Marcus’s invitation?” Henry asked, never breaking eye contact.
Gavin snorted and looked upward before turning his focus to the table.
I looked in Gavin’s direction. “The candy was a nice touch.”
Gavin smiled. “So, you’re going?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Henry looked between the two of us. “You seem happy here at West, Noel.”
“It’s not bad,” I answered. “But I miss my friends. I did talk them into making an appearance at Marcus’s this Friday.”
Henry clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Excellent. We’ll have to show them what they’ve been missing, won’t we Gavin?”
I don’t know what kind of expression Gavin had on his face because I wasn’t looking at either vampire. My stomach had bottomed out at Henry’s comment. Gavin had sucked blood from Whitney and Hope before—no big deal. Except it made me want to un-invite them both the moment school finished.
I tried to paste a bored expression over my face. Usually bluffing came naturally to me. At that moment, I felt like stabbing something, and I just had to hope it didn’t show.
“Do you think Aurora will ever brave the palace again?” Henry asked.
Getting kidnapped and tortured did put a damper on things.
“You haven’t seen the last of Aurora,” I said. “She’s tough.”
“But not as tough as you, Black Bear,” Gavin said with a wink.
The thump, thump, thumping in my chest started anew. I wanted like crazy to invite Gavin back to my apartment right now. Henry’s sly gaze snapped me out of it.
“Well, we ought to head to our lockers, don’t you think, Gavin?”
Gavin glanced at the wall clock before saying, “Yeah, sure.” He smiled at me. “Too bad we don’t have any classes together.”
“Sucks,” I said.
Henry scooted back. “See you tomorrow.” I didn’t have any classes with him, either.
“Don’t study too hard,” I said.
Henry’s lips lifted as though he might laugh. He patted my shoulder. “Take it easy.”
As I watched Gavin walk away, I decided I didn’t care if he hadn’t been assigned to me—I was assigning him to myself. My personal life wasn’t any of the agents’ business. Odds were the men I’d meet would be vampires since that’s who I was required to spend my time with. Well, every job deserved perks.
4
Here Comes Trouble
Whitney and Hope showed up at my apartment early Friday evening. We ordered pizza and drank hard lemonade that I’d purchased with my fake ID. Standard issue perk.
/> It was great to have my girls with me, but as we pulled up to the palace, I suddenly wished I was going in alone.
What if Gavin did ask one of them to accompany him upstairs?
My jaw clenched. I relaxed into a smile as we entered the palace. The lighting inside was dim, cozy, romantic—perfect for making out.
I hadn’t come armed tonight. No knives or mace. Tonight, I was after something else entirely.
I’d worn one of my favorite black sleeveless dresses. It had ruffles around the trim of the straps and bodice, which added a visual boost around my chest. A purple plaid pattern filled in the front from just below the bust line, ending at my thighs in a layer of black lace. I’d gone without stockings. Tonight I was all smooth, white skin beneath the hem of my dress. My arm warmers were laced up to my elbows, and I’d pulled up half my hair and clipped in a few purple hair extensions to match the plaid.
I watched the floor as we entered, making sure I didn’t trip in my black pumps on the stone entryway. Marcus had imported the stones straight from Jerusalem.
“Toto, we aren’t in Kansas anymore,” Whitney said.
Hope sniggered. “I’d nearly forgotten the Land of Oz.”
“Bram Stoker’s Oz,” I said with a smirk.
Whitney and Hope chortled. In that moment, I was truly happy to have them by my side. We’d always played off of each other well. That was something I missed at West—gal pals. No amount of male cuteness could replace the bonds of friendship.
Over Hope’s shoulder, Marcus smiled from the living room, taking languid steps toward us. His movements were as smooth as the silk shirt draped over his body. I doubted the man owned a single pair of blue jeans or a T-shirt.
“My three dark mice, together again,” Marcus said, taking us all in at once.
“Hello, Marcus,” Whitney said. “We’ve missed you.”
Marcus angled himself until the silk of his shirt was nearly rubbing against Whitney’s arm. “I hear I have competition on the east side.”
Whitney glanced at me quickly.
Marcus moved in closer. “What do they have that I don’t?”
Stakeout (Aurora Sky Page 4