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Her face softened. “And I’m sorry.”
“Yeah.” Tucker nodded at the seat opposite. “Why don’t you sit down?”
She hesitated then pulled out a chair. “What are you really doing here, Tucker?”
“Detective Atkins asked me for help.”
“That’s it? She doesn’t look the type to charm a man out of a quarter of a century hiding in the woods.”
“I was never one for a pretty face.”
“You were once.” She smiled sadly. “But you told me I was too young.”
“You were. I was closer to forty than twenty.”
That wasn’t the only reason, of course. Beau would have never said it to his face, but there was no way he would have let his daughter date a black man.
“And what about now?” she asked.
“Now you’re married, and I’m too old.”
She gave a short, bitter laugh. “Yeah, guess we’re both screwed.”
“Jess—”
She waved a hand. “Forget it. It’s just been a day.” She gave him a harder look. “That freak from hell was at my dad’s house last night.”
“Athelinda?”
“She threatened him, Tucker. And it’s not the first time she’s been seen hanging around.”
“Beau report it?”
“No—and you know why.”
“Yeah, I do. Perhaps that’s why she was there.”
“I might have guessed you’d defend her.”
“Your dad killed three of her colony and kept their heads as sick trophies. You ever think she might find that upsetting?”
Jess rolled her eyes. “Don’t give me that. The woke brigade can try to paint vampyrs as harmless, persecuted victims, but we both know they’re killers. It’s in them. We spend thousands of dollars on campaigns encouraging us not to be afraid of colonies. To respect them. It’s garbage. We should be afraid. For ourselves, for our children.”
Tucker nodded toward the crucifix around her neck. “That what your church tells you?”
Her hand fluttered to the crucifix and then dropped. “Reverend Grey has been good for Deadhart. If it wasn’t for her and Rita, you’d have a lot more angry people to deal with. They’re the ones that have kept everyone calm. Told them to trust the police to do their job. But if you betray that trust…”
“What?”
“God has his own army.”
“Sounds like a threat.”
“You know what they called the last battle between vampyrs and humans? The Gathering. A battle for people’s very souls.”
It was Tucker’s turn to roll his eyes. “I thought you were smarter than that, Jess.”
Her face darkened. “There will be a Gathering, Tucker. Maybe here, maybe somewhere else. And you won’t be able to stop it.”
