Page 40 of Dark Obsession

Shaking his head, Demetrius headed for the house.

For the next two hours, Demetrius and Cody circled each other around the party but never managed to come back together. By late afternoon, Demetrius caught Cody’s eye across the yard. Cody gave a single nod, and they met by the slider door to go in search of Amelia to say goodbye.

“You keep those feisty old ladies out there in line,” Cody said, giving Amelia a hug.

“They’ll be fine without you around riling them up.”

“Riling them up,” Cody said with a grin. “I like that.”

Amelia hugged Demetrius tight and whispered in his ear, “You call me if you need to.”

“I will,” he whispered back.

They left the condo and walked in silence along the block to their trucks.

“That was some interesting conversation back there,” Cody finally said.

“Yeah, it was.” Demetrius unlocked his truck but leaned against the quarter panel. “The marks on the neck at funerals suggest vampire victims who haven’t been turned.”

“But the missing people makes me believe some of them are being turned,” Cody said.

“Right, or just haven’t been found yet, which is…” Demetrius shook his head and made a face. “Maybe worse.”

“So, we’ve got a mix of things going on.”

“As usual.”

“That woman they were talking about, the one from Ike’s Market. I think that might be Annie Wilkerson. Do you remember her from high school?”

“Yeah, I do. And her twin brother, Andy.”

“Right, yeah.” Cody looked along the street, his eyes unfocused. “He always acted like a dog scared of being beaten.”

“Yeah, he did. And she really liked the bad boys.”

Cody grunted in agreement then pulled his phone from his pocket, and silence dropped over them. Finally, Demetrius asked, “Are you going right home?”

“I want to make a stop first, but it shouldn’t take long.”

Demetrius waited for more, but Cody’s attention was on his phone. Any other time, Demetrius would have asked where he was going, but things between them still felt brittle. His stomach knotted when he realized he didn’t feel like he could ask Cody that question.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll see you back home, I guess.”

“For sure.” Cody flashed a smile before walking away.

Demetrius watched him go, Cody’s stride quick and purposeful like a man on a mission. But where to, and to meet with whom?

He drew in a deep breath, the air heavy with humidity, the smell of fresh cut grass, and the smoke from the barbecue in the back.

Getting into his truck, he started it and headed for home, alone, to wait.