Servicing the Undead

Home > Other > Servicing the Undead > Page 10
Servicing the Undead Page 10

by Isabelle Drake


  He was deciding whether to invite himself over to her place or invite her to his when he spotted her coming down the steps that led up to his apartment. She was carrying a cardboard box and keeping her gaze down, so she could walk as fast as possible on the ice-covered steps.

  “Hey,” he said when she nearly slammed into him.

  She stopped short, looked up but did not smile. “Oh, hey.”

  The sleeve of her favorite sweater hung down the side of the box. Other things visible in the box included an old pair of sweatpants and a pile of books. And her favorite coffee mug—the one she always drank out of first thing in the morning when she spent the night.

  So it was like that.

  He’d made a mistake, thinking she was over what’d happened. Hayden opened his mouth to apologize, again, for what he’d pulled her into, but a voice from behind stopped him short.

  “Yo, Hayden.”

  A shiver ran up Hayden’s spine as Matthew brushed past him, making a point to shove him off balance with his bony shoulder.

  Rachelle’s gaze darted from the stuff in the box to Hayden’s face to Matthew and then back to Hayden. “I’m— I—”

  “It’s obvious, isn’t it, Hayden?” Matthew said, standing beside Rachelle.

  “Shut up,” Hayden replied. As soon as the words were out of mouth he took a step back, out of Matthew’s quick reach. Then, to Rachelle, he added, “Are you going somewhere with him?”

  She shrugged but didn’t smile. “Semester’s over, I can just hang out for a while. So, yeah, I am.”

  He couldn’t help staring into the box. “Why?”

  “I want to.” Her hair got caught in the wind and she reached up to brush it from her face.

  Hayden reeled, his stomach tensed and then rolled. “You’re going back to the camp?”

  “Yeah.” She shifted the box so it sat on her hip, creating a barrier between her and Hayden. “It’s cool. They like me.”

  Matthew put his hand on Rachelle’s back and guided her down the steps.

  When Rachelle reached the sidewalk, she turned and spoke softly to Hayden, as though she was hoping Matthew wouldn’t hear her last words. “I know about the tea, Hayden. Mattie told me. She told me everything.”

  Matthew stopped short, his head pivoting slowly as he sought out Hayden’s gaze. “You’re the one Mattie didn’t tell everything. Starting with who she thought was going to replace you.” Matthew kissed Rachelle on the side of the face. She smiled. It was a smile Hayden recognized, the same smile she’d turned on him many times.

  “Rachelle, you don’t remember what happened there.”

  She blinked, and he knew he was right.

  “Fuck off, Hayden.”

  Together they reached a truck parked by the curb. The battered green Chevy was parked between a black Audi A4 and a sleek Mercedes wagon. Matthew took the box from Rachelle, put it in the truck bed, dug around for something then came back with a coil of rope and a thermos. Rachelle drank what was offered to her and then lifted her hands, putting her wrists together to make it easier for him to bind them. He tied the knot efficiently. She climbed into the truck cab, used both hands to slam the door, and then stared straight ahead.

  The effects of the tea were quick, and she was probably already feeling them. At least that was the reason Hayden clung to for her not taking one last look at him.

  Mattie hadn’t lied to him. Rachelle was free to do as she wanted. Obviously, Hayden hadn’t had any idea what his girlfriend—ex-girlfriend—actually wanted.

  Matthew leaned past Rachelle and turned to look out the passenger window. Hayden saw the man’s face but not his eyes because Matthew’s chin was lifted upward, his gaze fixed high above. He stayed that way, staring, his body stiff as though he was waiting for something. Finally, he gave up waiting and jerked his head around, started the truck, and hit the gas. The engine rumbled and the tires rolled across the packed snow.

  Hayden turned and lifted his head, looking for whatever was worthy of Matthew’s time and attention. The doorway of the brownstone was empty, the steps clear. Even though it was dark outside, it wasn’t that late, so most of the windows of the building were yellow with light. There was nothing unusual there, except a long narrow shadow on the roof. It wasn’t a shadow, Hayden realized. It was her, lying across the steep roof, her long legs stretched out behind her, her body still and stiff with cold, her eyes growing green.

  About Isabelle Drake

  Thrill-seeking risk takers, heroes with a dark past, sexy locales, untamed women! Isabelle Drake writes stories featuring men and women who aren’t afraid to go after what they want. An avid traveler, she’ll go just about anywhere—at least once—to meet people and get story ideas.

  Isabelle welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

  Tell Us What You Think

  We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email the author directly or you can email us at [email protected] (when contacting Customer Service, be sure to state the book title and author).

  Also by Isabelle Drake

  By Request: Cuckold by Request

  By Request: Roughneck by Request

  Ellora’s Cavemen: Flavors of Ecstasy IV anthology

  Everglades Wildfire

  Fate Unbound

  Hard Fall

  Letting Off Steam

  Satisfaction Guaranteed

  Show and Tell

  Undone by the Undead

  Print books by Isabelle Drake

  Cowboy for Hire

  Ellora’s Cavemen: Flavors of Ecstasy IV anthology

  Everglades Wildfire

  Hard Hats, Hard Bodies anthology

  Satisfaction Guaranteed

  Steamy Afternoons anthology

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing

  www.ellorascave.com

  Servicing the Undead

  ISBN 9781419942303

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Servicing the Undead Copyright © 2012 Isabelle Drake

  Edited by Shannon Combs

  Cover design by Fiona Jayde

  Photo: Margarita Borodina/Shutterstock.com

  Electronic book publication November 2012

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book.

  The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com to find erotic reading experiences that will leave you breathless. You can also find our books at all the major e-tailers (Barnes & Noble, Amazon
Kindle, Sony, Kobo, Google, Apple iBookstore, All Romance eBooks, and others).

  www.ellorascave.com

 

 

 


‹ Prev