by Tina Folsom
Zoltan let go of his neck and tossed him in the garbage where he belonged. He felt better now.
Strengthened, he marched out of the alley and made his way to a better area, one where fancy high-rises and classy restaurants had sprung up in the last years.
He reached into the pocket of his long coat and pulled out a key fob, swiped it on a pad at one of the high-rises and gained entry. The foyer was empty. He walked to the elevators and pressed the button. Moments later, a ping sounded. Zoltan waited for the doors to open. He was about to rush in, when he stopped, narrowly preventing himself from crashing into the woman coming out of it.
“Oh, excuse me,” she said and looked him up and down.
“My apologies,” Zoltan said quickly, and slid into the elevator, eager to get to his condo, already pressing the button for his floor.
“Mr. Vaughn, isn’t it?”
He snapped his head to her, forcing a smile. “Evening, ma’am.”
He pressed the button to close the door, hoping to avoid a conversation with the woman who inexplicably knew his assumed name, a name he’d taken a few years earlier together with the condo that belonged to the real Mr. Vaughn.
He’d tried to remain under the radar, sneaking in and out of the building at times when he was least likely to encounter the other residents. It appeared that despite being careful, somebody had taken notice of him. For a moment he wondered whether he should take care of her, make sure she wouldn’t snoop around. But a person from his building disappearing might draw more attention to him than he wanted to deal with. It was best to instead keep an eye on her for now. He could always kill her later if necessary.
Zoltan slid his hand between the closing doors.
“Mrs…?” he asked.
“Rollins, my mailbox is next to yours.”
“Ah!” he said with another forced smile. “So nice to finally meet you.”
Now that he knew who she was, he allowed the doors to slowly close. “Have a good evening, Mrs. Rollins.”
“Miss,” she corrected him, just before the doors closed and the elevator started ascending.
Miss? Even better. At least there would be no pesky husband to get rid of if Miss Rollins turned into a problem.
When moments later Zoltan entered his condo, he let out a deep breath. He liked coming here. The luxurious place was a far cry from his lair in the Underworld. The view was breathtaking, and not having to deal with his stupid subjects for a few hours helped him recharge his batteries, particularly after the debilitating, migraine-like attacks that had been plaguing him for many years and were getting worse. Hiding those attacks from his underlings had become increasingly difficult.
But here, in his refuge, he could let himself go and be himself, or at least a version of himself, the version that now called itself Eric Vaughn.
It would only be for a few hours before he would have to return and be Zoltan, the Great One, again.
~ ~ ~
Also in this series:
Lover Uncloaked (Stealth Guardians #1): US or UK
Master Unchained (Stealth Guardians #2): US or UK
Warrior Unraveled (Stealth Guardian #3): US or UK
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Other books by Tina
Samson’s Lovely Mortal (Scanguards Vampires #1): US or UK
Amaury’s Hellion (Scanguards Vampires #2): US or UK
Gabriel’s Mate (Scanguards Vampires #3): US or UK
Yvette’s Haven (Scanguards Vampires #4): US or UK
Zane’s Redemption (Scanguards Vampires #5): US or UK
Quinn’s Undying Rose (Scanguards Vampires #6): US or UK
Oliver’s Hunger (Scanguards Vampires #7): US or UK
Thomas’s Choice (Scanguards Vampires #8) US or UK
Silent Bite (A Scanguards Wedding Novella #8 1/2): US or UK
Cain’s Identity (Scanguards Vampires #9): US or UK
Luther’s Return (Scanguards Vampires #10): US or UK
Mortal Wish (A Scanguards Vampires Christmas Novella): US or UK
Blake’s Pursuit (Scanguards Vampires #11): US or UK
Fateful Reunion (Novella – Scanguards Vampires #11 1/2): US or UK
John’s Yearning (Scanguards Vampires #12): US or UK
A Touch of Greek (Out of Olympus #1): US or UK
A Scent of Greek (Out of Olympus #2): US or UK
A Taste of Greek (Out of Olympus #3): US or UK
A Hush of Greek (Out of Olympus #4): US or UK
Venice Vampyr #1: US or UK
Venice Vampyr #2 Final Affair: US or UK
Venice Vampyr #3 Sinful Treasure: US or UK
Venice Vampyr #4 Sensual Danger: US or UK
Venice Vampyr #5 Wicked Seduction (by Michele Hauf): US or UK
Lawful Escort (Eternal Bachelors Club #1): US or UK
Lawful Lover (Eternal Bachelors Club #2): US or UK
Lawful Wife (Eternal Bachelors Club #3): US or UK
One Foolish Night (Eternal Bachelors Club #4): US or UK
One Long Embrace (Eternal Bachelors Club #5): US or UK
One Sizzling Touch (Eternal Bachelors Club #6): US or UK
In collaboration with Lara Adrian
Cut and Run (Phoenix Code 1 & 2): US or UK
Hide and Seek (Phoenix Code 3 & 4): US or UK
Short Stories
Steal Me: US or UK
The Wrong Suitor: US or UK
Audio Books
Click here to browse through Tina’s audio books and listen to samples.
About the Author
Tina Folsom was born in Germany and has been living in English speaking countries for over 25 years, since 2001 in San Francisco, where she’s married to an American.
Tina has always been a bit of a globe trotter: after living in Lausanne, Switzerland, she briefly worked on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, then lived a year in Munich, before moving to London. There, she became an accountant. But after 8 years she decided to move overseas.
In New York she studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, then moved to Los Angeles a year later to pursue studies in screenwriting. This is also where she met her husband, who she followed to San Francisco three months after first meeting him.
In San Francisco, Tina worked as a tax accountant and even opened her own firm, then went into real estate, however, she missed writing. In 2008 she wrote her first romance and never looked back.
She’s always loved vampires and decided that vampire and paranormal romance was her calling. She now has over 36 novels in English and over four dozens in other languages (Spanish, German, and French).
For more about Tina Folsom:
http://www.tinawritesromance.com
http://www.twitter.com/Tina_Folsom
http://www.facebook.com/TinaFolsomFans
You can also email her at [email protected]
Copyright
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
License Notes
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