AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Speak of the devil . . . I took the phone and moved into the hal .
“What’s up? Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just thought I’d check in with you. Listen, Erin is happy as a clam to be working again.
It’s al we can do to find enough work for her. She genuinely seems content.” There was an undercurrent of tension in her words.
“I hear a but in there.”
“Yeah . . . just that . . . I hate locking her in the safe room during the day. I know she’s safe there, but after I leave at night, that leaves her alone for several hours. She’s able to talk to people in the bar, but she hasn’t been socialized much over the past year, boss. I think she real y needs to meet more vampires and learn how to interact with breathers.”
There was one place where she could do that, and I knew it. “Let me cal Wade. He was There was one place where she could do that, and I knew it. “Let me cal Wade. He was supposed to let me know about his decision anyway.”
“Decision?”
“Never mind. I’l see what I can do. Meanwhile, thanks for looking after her. I’l try to be in tonight, but we have an emergency and I’m not sure if I’l be able to get there before the bar closes. Ask Chrysandra to watch Derrick, and tel Erin good night for me, please.” As I hung up, I was already dialing Wade’s number.
He answered on the second ring. “Dude, we need to talk. I need your answer and I need to ask you a big favor.”
“You kil ed Sassy,” he said softly.
“I had no choice.” I didn’t bother to ask him how he found out but ran over my meeting with her.
“She lost it, Wade. She lost it in a big way. I had to keep my promise.”
“Yeah, I understand. Listen, nobody else knows. I only know because her lawyer contacted me.
Sassy left her mansion to the VA. There’s so much we can do with it—we can run a hotel and have a ful meeting space.”
“You mean you can. I’m not part of the group, remember?” I couldn’t help myself. My voice was bitter. I was stil pissed over the situation.
“I wanted to talk to you about that. I was wrong, Menol y. I’m sorry. Please, come back to the group. I’l smooth out any hard feelings there. And, I thought about what you said. I’l step down—as long as you promise Terrance won’t win the position.”
“That, I can promise. Ro—my . . . source . . . has no desire for Terrance to be in charge.”
“Then color me cooperative.” Wade paused, then added, “Menol y . . . I know we don’t have a chance of dating again. Too much water under the bridge. But I real y miss our friendship. If I promise never to screw up again, wil you give me another chance?”
I stared at the phone, then let out a sigh he could hear.
“Whatever you say is gonna be serious . . . you never breathe unless you have to.” He tried to laugh, but I could hear the uncertainty in his voice.
“Wade, I hardly ever give second chances. But . . . one more chance. Screw up again and we’re forever on the outs. You owe me big for saving your life. Normal y I don’t keep score, but this time, I am. And I’m going to start cal ing in my markers now.”
“What do you need?”
“Erin needs a mentor. I am so bogged down with . . . wel . . . you don’t want to know what, but it’s terribly dangerous. Erin needs a place to stay, she needs to learn how to interact with both other vampires and breathers. That’s what Vampires Anonymous is al about. You give me your word you’l help me with her. I’ve given her a job that she likes, but she needs more than that in her life.”
I waited. Wade was silent for a moment, and then he laughed. “Is that it? I thought you were going to ask for one of my fingers or something. Yeah, I’d be glad to help, Menol y. You’re right, that’s what the VA is al about. I’l drop in at the bar tonight and have a chat with her, if that’s okay.”
“Thanks, Wade. I’l cal and let them know you’re on the way. Now, I have to run. We have a serial kil er to catch.” As I hung up the phone, it felt like two big weights had lifted off my shoulders.
Being on the outs with Wade had bothered me, and I’d missed the VA more than I wanted to admit.
And now, Erin would meet others in the life and learn how to interact with the living without losing control. I thought for a moment about Roman and sent him a brief mental kiss. Without him, Wade and I would stil be fighting, and Erin wouldn’t have much more of a life than she had with Sassy.
Maybe this was al going to work out after al .
After dinner, Tril ian, Shade, and Nerissa stayed with Delilah and Iris. Camil e and Morio headed out in her car, Vanzir and I in mine. We met up with Chase down in the Greenbelt Park District, in a deserted street near a manhole cover. The snow had let up for the time being and the streets had been plowed, but there was a thin layer of black ice spotting the city, and twice on the way, I swerved and almost lost control of the car.
