Stakeout (Aurora Sky (11 page)

Henry walked in a second later and missed the
whole Valerie and Gavin barf show. He took mindful steps as he
glided over with a full martini glass, sipping from it only when
he’d stopped beside Fane and me .

Henry finished swallowing and looked directly
at Fane. “So Aurora was followed

here... again. Not the best track record,
Francesco.”

Fane smirked. “You mean that boy from
earlier? Mike? The only danger he poses is to himself.”

“He’s still a threat.” Henry took another sip
of his martini.

“What do you propose, Henry? We slash him and
stash him at the dump?” Fane chuckled softly.

Suddenly I wasn’t breathing. Fane better be
joking. They both better be joking. I looked at Henry.

He didn’t look amused, but he didn’t shoot
down the idea, either.

“Perhaps if you made it clear that you and
Aurora are together guys from the outside wouldn’t try swooping in
on her.”

Fane’s jaw clenched when he forced a
smile.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Henry said.
“I’m only pointing out the obvious. She’s trouble.”

“Yeah, she’s trouble all right.” Fane
grumbled under his breath. “But that’s none of your business.” He
started for the entryway.

“Where are you going?” Henry asked.

“Home,” Fane replied. He locked eyes with me.
“To drink tea.” Fane smirked when he saw Henry’s look of confusion.
Then he turned and headed for the front door.

Henry shot me a bemused smile. “Want a
sip?”

His martini glass was over half full thanks
to the dainty sips he’d taken.

I downed it in five seconds. After coughing
softly to clear my searing throat, I handed the empty glass back to
Henry. “I suppose there’s more where that came from.”

Henry leaned in. “Or we could take this
upstairs.”

“Why not?” I answered with all the numbness I
felt inside.

Henry leaned forward, inches from my eyes.
“You’re something special, Noel. So brave and beautiful.”

I didn’t have it in me to smile.

I’m not special. I’m not beautiful.

And brave? I simply didn’t give a shit if I
lived or died. I didn’t give a shit what happened to me. Maybe
that’s why I said what I did next.

“Has anyone ever told you, you talk too
much?”

Henry’s face darkened right before he let out
a bark of laughter. He gave me an appreciative nod. “You’re the
first.”

“Let’s get me a refill first. Unless you want
to drink alone?”

Henry smiled. “You can have as much as you
want.”

And more. So much more, but it turned out to
be too much.

When I first woke up, I didn’t know where I was
until several shades of orange came into focus. This was no sunrise
staring me in the face. I blinked four times, remembering that I’d
darted in front of Henry in the hallway earlier that morning and
led him into the unoccupied October room. At least Valerie hadn’t
taken that away from me. But it was just a room. I didn’t give a
shit about a room.

My neck ached where Henry had bit me.

I turned my head on the pillow, relieved to
find myself alone in bed. Not exactly a shocker. I was good enough
to bite, but not to bed.

Henry had, however, taken my shoes off and
pulled the covers over me.

The hardwood floor was cold. My mouth tasted
like cotton. I stuck my head under the faucet of the October room’s
private bathroom. Besides having a slight case of bedhead, I looked
about the same as when I’d arrived. My makeup wasn’t even
smudged.

After finger combing my hair, I emerged from
the room, pumps in hand, eyeing the doors I passed in the hallway.
Several were closed with bats dangling from the doorknobs. I wasn’t
the only overnight guest.

Was Gavin behind one of the doors?

Part of me wanted him to step into the hall
as I walked by. I wanted him to look me in the eye and see the hurt
he’d put there.

Maybe I’d misread his signals. Then again,
maybe a certain redhead had gotten in the middle and rained hot
lava all over my parade.

He’d said he’d turn me if he could. That was
practically “I love you” in vampire speak.

The smell of bacon greeted my nose at the top
of the staircase. Dull gray light filled the large windows below,
reflecting off the inlet. I circled my way down the stairs and
headed to the kitchen.

Marcus stood over a frying pan in a pair of
black silk pajama pants with a matching buttoned top. A man in a
suit sat with a cup of coffee and the newspaper at the small table
against the far wall of the kitchen. I’d only met Marcus’s partner,
Richard, once. Where Marcus was boisterous, Richard was reserved.
He sat with perfect posture and a serious gaze.

Marcus looked over his shoulder. “We’ve got
an early bird.”

“Sorry,” I said. “I don’t remember falling
asleep.”

“You’re welcome to stay the night,” Richard
said, surprising me. “There’s no reason to put yourself at risk on
the road.”

I looked from him to Marcus.

“Richard has a heart of gold,” Marcus said.
“He’s a rare find.”

The two men stared at each other for a moment
before Richard cleared his throat and buried his head in the
newspaper.

“Now! Noel,” Marcus said cheerfully. “What
can I get you for breakfast? I’ve got scrambled eggs, fried
potatoes, bacon, and homemade scones,” he said, setting down his
spatula to clap softly, “in the oven.”

It had been a long time since I’d had a real
breakfast, but at that moment my intestines felt like charred
toast.

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry.” Okay, so I was
hungry, but my stomach couldn’t handle anything, not since twisting
in on itself after seeing Gavin with Valerie.

Marcus smiled at me warmly. “Honey, I applaud
your figure, but you’re not leaving here without one of my homemade
scones.” He ripped a paper towel from a roll on the counter and
pulled a scone out of the oven with his bare hand.

“Thank you,” I said, taking it from him.

“Don’t you dare throw that out,” Marcus
called after me as I left the kitchen.

He probably thought I was anorexic. I
actually had a hearty appetite. I simply didn’t gain weight. Hate
me all you want. Tough shit.

I just wasn’t in the mood for a scone. It’s
like, “Oh, the guy you have a major jones for just hooked up with
the bitch from hell. Here, have a scone.” I felt like chucking the
damn thing into the road. But I didn’t.

After wrapping it in the paper towel, I set
it on the passenger’s seat to save for later. It was early Saturday
morning, and the roads were quiet.

After crossing town, I did a U-turn in the
street and grabbed a parking spot beside my building. Morning
always felt calmer than night. Safer. Bad things never seemed to
happen in the immediate hours after nine a.m.

The washing machines spun their way through
rinse cycles as I passed the laundry room.

I took a quick look through the wood slats in
the outer hallway. A couple of cars were warming up under the
carport and a woman from the first floor was brushing snow off her
windshield from an open spot beside the building. Other than that,
the coast was clear.

I breathed the cool air in and out as I
unlocked my apartment door. I quickly locked it behind me.

It was eerily quiet inside. Michelle had most
likely spent the night with her boyfriend. Trudy did morning
yoga.

I set Marcus’s scone on the kitchen counter
to save for later... maybe even now. I was starting to feel hungry.
I’d bypassed all the appetizers at Marcus’s in favor of numbing my
emotional pain as quickly as possible. Happy fucking Valentine’s!
Always had hated this holiday. Now I hated it even more. It was a
slap in the face to anyone who had no one to love them.

I stepped out of my pumps, scooped them up,
and was walking barefoot across the carpet toward my room when I
saw a figure in the living room from the corner of my eye. My heart
jumped instantly into my throat and began hammering out of
control.

Clive sat on the couch, smiling smugly.

“Hello, Noel.”

6

I dropped one shoe and clutched the other against my
stomach. “How did you get in here?”

“Your roommate let me in on her way to yoga.”
Clive smirked. “Nine a.m. Saturdays, right?”

“You can’t be here.”

“Of course I can. I’m your father.”

“You can’t be here,” I repeated, and this
time I saw a flash of anger cross over his eyes.

He leaned forward like he might stand up. I
squeezed the pump in my hand as though gripping the handle of a
knife. I’m sure the heel could do some damage—especially when aimed
at an eye. A cold sweat broke out over my body. If Clive came at me
I was more likely to freeze up than take out his eye. I was
equipped to kill vampires, not monsters.