Page 54 of Starved Until Sunset

Clarabell smiled. “I knew you liked me, Stretch.”

“And now my heart is stone again.” Cody gave Demetrius’s hand a gentle tug. “Let’s go.”

Demetrius nodded, but lingered, looking at Clarabell. “You’re sure?”

“I’m fine. Go on home. Nothing we can do right now. You guys keep your eyes open as you’re driving around town in the city trucks.”

“Okay. We will. Be safe.”

Demetrius followed Cody out into the hallway. The grip of Cody’s hand felt warm and familiar, but Demetrius couldn’t help feeling like they should have stayed at least a little longer.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Clouds obscured the rising sun, and a light breeze pulled a chill along behind it. Cody shivered as he pulled his truck into the DPW parking lot. He wished he’d grabbed his Critter Catchers hoodie off the peg by the side door. Maybe they could stop by the house when they found out what John the Bastard had lined up for them. Shrieky Pete’s motorcycle still waited at the side of the garage, surprisingly still sporting his pill-shaped boombox. Apparently the vandals in town avoided the city lots. Or the power of all that gospel shrieking had it protected.

“Think he’ll ever ride it again?”

Demmy’s voice was quiet and sad from the shadows on his side of the truck. Cody laced his fingers together on the upper curve of the steering wheel and rested his chin on top. He stared at the motorcycle, glad it was there to give him an excuse to not look at Demmy.

“Don’t know. A weird, apparently masochistic side of me hopes so, because the town doesn’t feel the same without Pete blasting his wailing praise music as he rides the streets.”

“Trying to save us all,” Demmy said.

“Gonna take more than that.”

“We’ve already lost the Widow Monroe. It’s tough losing the people that make the town feel like home.”

“Right, no matter how annoying.”

They were quiet a few moments, then Demmy said, “I don’t see John’s truck yet.”

“We could have slept in a little longer.”

Demmy squeezed his upper arm, and Cody finally looked at him. It was as he’d thought. A shadow of exhaustion was draped over Demmy’s thinking face. Or, as Cody had come to think of it, his resting obsessive face. However he wanted to describe it, it was proof Demmy hadn’t slept much the night before. Cody hadn’t either, of course, and maybe his tossing and turning had contributed to Demmy’s restlessness. But Cody knew Demmy had been awake thinking about vampires. He had been, too, but in a different way. More like how to save Zenona instead of a burning desire to dig into those creepy books at the library and find out all the little details about vampires. Some days—okay, most days—he longed to return to a life ignorant of monsters.

In the bright lights of the hospital cafeteria, with Amelia still in the triage area and his adrenaline up, Cody had been all for figuring out what new threat had come to town. He’d been ready to kick some monster ass. But finding out it was vampires and seeing them in action the night before had softened his resolve. Yes, he wanted to protect those he loved. And right now the only way he could see to protect the most important person in his life was to keep as low of a profile as possible.

Demmy, of course, never felt that way. He needed to insert himself—and by extension, Cody—right in the thick of danger.

“I know you’re worried about Zenona,” Demmy said.

“Yeah, I am.” And before he could stop himself, he said, “And I’m worried about you, too.”

“Me?” Demmy pulled his hand back to his lap. “Why me?”

“I’m worried you’re going to go off on another dangerous monster hunt with bright eyes and a savior complex, like usual.”

Cody regretted the words the second he said them. Demmy’s shocked expression morphed into hurt and then anger. The sight of it, and especially knowing he’d been the cause of it, sent a dagger of guilt and remorse into his heart.

“Demmy… ”

“Our good friend is missing,” Demmy said, his tone hard. “We watched her taken off to God knows what kind of fate. And all we could do after that was go home and try to get a good night’s sleep. Doesn’t that feel wrong to you? Like it or not, we’re the ones with experience in this kind of shit. We’re the ones who should have been out all night going up and down streets looking for her.” He pointed at himself as tears filled his eyes, pushing that icy shard even deeper into Cody’s heart. “I went home last night because I knew you wouldn’t want to get more involved than we already are, leaving Clarabell alone with a vampire. In a morgue! I hated myself for it. If that’s a savior complex, then fine, I have a savior complex. But right now, after what you just said, I hate you a little bit for that as well.” He shook his head and turned away, opening the door to step out.

“Demmy, wait,” Cody said.

“No.” Demmy looked back at him, the hurt and anger evident in his expression. “Tell John I’m not feeling well, please. And don’t come home until later, okay? I think we both need some space right now.”

“No, come on.”