Stakeout (Aurora Sky (3 page)

After Alex called the police, we stood watching from
Trudy’s bedroom window, which offered a closer view of the Bronco.
I still couldn’t see inside the vehicle from where I stood. My
nails cut into my hands as I balled them into fists.

Maybe it’s not him
,
I tried reasoning. Clive didn’t own the only red and silver Bronco
in Anchorage. And what was I doing, letting a car freak me out? So
what if it was him? I wasn’t the pathetic girl I used to be. I was
Noel Harper, government agent, trained to kill.

Clive should be afraid of
me
.

Unfortunately, Clive wasn’t afraid of
anything. He thrived on fear. I’d rather be stuck inside a cell
with a rabid vampire than creepy Clive.

Two beams of light appeared from the one-lane
dirt road between our building and the warehouse. Blue and red
lights bounced between the two walls.

“Here come the police,” Alex said, sounding
the most animated I’d ever heard him.

I watched long enough to see the police car
pull up behind the Bronco and an officer step out. I backed away
from the window.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

Alex leaned into the window. “An officer’s
approaching the car.”

“Now what?”

Alex didn’t respond right away. “The guy’s
rolling down his window. I can’t see his face, but he’s talking to
the policeman.”

“Get down!” Trudy yelled suddenly. She
grabbed Alex’s arm and pulled him down with her.

“What?” Alex asked, staring into her wide
eyes.

“I saw him look up here.”

“There’s no way he could see us with the
lights off,” Alex said.

“Well, I saw him look.”

“Doesn’t mean he saw us.”

Trudy pulled at the ends of her hair. “Now
he’ll know we’re the ones who called the police.”

“It’s okay, babe. Anyone would come look from
their window if they saw police lights flashing below. Probably
everyone on this side of the building are at their windows watching
right now.”

“Unless they’re asleep or out enjoying their
Saturday night,” Trudy grumbled.

We waited silently for several minutes, me
standing in the doorframe, Trudy and Alex sitting on the floor.
Finally, Alex began to rise.

“What are you doing?” Trudy asked.

Alex grinned. “Taking a look outside.”

He stuck his face inches from the glass.
“He’s still there,” Alex said in disbelief.

I gripped my arm.

“He is?” Trudy asked. “What about the
policeman?”

“Gone.”

Alex remained in place staring down while
Trudy and I kept out of view. Alex uncrossed his arms. “That’s it.
I’m finding out what’s going on.”

Trudy hurried to her feet and followed Alex
out of the room. I moved quickly to the side to let them through
before following slowly into the living room.

“Alex, do not go down there!”

“I’m not. I’m calling the dispatch woman back
and asking what happened.”

“Like they’re going to tell you,” Trudy
said.

“I have the right to know if some stalker is
hanging around my girlfriend’s apartment.” Alex yanked his phone
out of his pocket and hit redial. “Hi, I called like twenty minutes
ago about a man who’s been parked in front of my girlfriend’s
apartment building for several hours and you sent a policeman here,
but he’s come and gone and the guy is still sitting out there.”
Alex was silent a moment. “Okay. Thanks.” He slipped his phone back
inside his pocket.

“Well?” Trudy asked.

“She said the officer talked to him and he
had a good reason for being there and that’s all she could tell
me.” Alex shrugged and headed for the TV.

Trudy placed a hand on her hip. “What reason
could anyone have for waiting hours inside their car, in the cold,
watching a building all creepy-like?”

“I don’t know,” Alex said, picking up the
controller. “Go ask him.”

“You ass!” Trudy yelled. “You’d send me down
there to confront some psycho killer?”

“Yeah, sure that’s exactly what I’d do,” Alex
said.

I retreated into my room. It was a small
comfort that I slept on the opposite side of the carport. The
street was below my bedroom window, which meant no one could park
beneath.

I thought about calling Agent Melcher. He’d
helped me before. But I shouldn’t need his help anymore. I should
be able to handle my own shit. So I booted up my laptop and began
looking at ads for roommates. There were some rooms for rent in the
area. Nothing as close to school as my current location, but on the
off chance Clive had found me, I wasn’t sticking around. Let him
sit out in his car freezing for hours watching the wrong building.
At least he wasn’t at home terrorizing my little brother.

Christopher.

I chocked back a sob.

Melcher said I could never see my mom or
brother again. If I wanted Clive out of my life for good it was all
or nothing. Melcher had helped me, but he hadn’t shown sympathy. I
didn’t deserve any. If I’d succeeded in killing myself, I wouldn’t
have seen my brother again anyway. At least now I had the
opportunity to take down bad guys.

And I loved bringing them down.

The fewer creeps in the world the better. Job
satisfaction to the max. And it felt good knowing that in the end
Clive hadn’t gotten the better of me.

Noel Harper lived on. The vamps weren’t the
only ones who’d cheated death.

I woke up to Cyndi Lauper’s “Into the Nightlife”
Monday morning, not bothering to take my ear buds off as I slid my
feet under the covers to the floor a foot below my mattress. My arm
brushed over the hilt of my dagger—the perfect bed companion to any
vampire informant being stalked by her psychotic father.

The Bronco hadn’t returned Sunday morning and
Clive would be at work now. He might know where I lived, but I knew
all that and more about him, including his work schedule and that
he’d never miss a day no matter how much he enjoyed tormenting
me.

I yawned and stretched. Monday mornings
sucked like nobody’s business.

I began riffling through a pile of clothes
near the head of my mattress. They weren’t folded, but they were
clean.

What to wear? Black fishnets or striped
stockings? Decisions, decisions. I thought of Gavin and had a
sudden urge to sneak into my roommate Trudy’s room and snatch a
pair of tan tights. Shit, I’d even settle for plain black. I don’t
know how Agent Crist got it into her head that Gothic wench equaled
vamp bait.

So be it.

I tossed the striped pair back into the pile,
shimmied on a pair of black panties, followed by the nets. The old
me would have died of mortification if she showed up wearing these
things to school. The new me didn’t give a crap and knew how to
convey that in one look. If the evil eye didn’t work a few hostile
words usually did the trick. “You looking at something?” Most
people weren’t expecting the mouth off. For the truly heinous
teenagers who rose up to the challenge, I saved the scorcher.
“Bitch, I will cut you when you least expect it.” If the first two
attempts didn’t have the desired effect, the last one always did. A
threat was as powerful as any weapon.

I dragged my ass off the mattress and made
for the beat-up dresser. I’d spotted it on the curb in front of the
building last week with a handwritten “Free” note taped on top. The
middle drawer was missing, but that still gave me two more than
what I previously had. Not like my meager government stipend went
very far.

I reached through the gap in the center of
the dresser and pulled a black tulle skirt out of the bottom.

Once I’d secured my black corset, I stepped
out of my bedroom. The only good thing about waking up at the
butt-crack of dawn was having the bathroom to myself, even if it
meant being extra quiet while Trudy and Michelle slept in the other
room. The other bedroom was bigger so they shared it. Plus, they
were friends. Probably wanted to give the Goth chick separate
quarters.

I brushed through my black hair, careful not
to rip out my ear buds. I applied red lipstick and heavy black
mascara, the two essentials.

After finishing two bowls of Fruit Loops, a
Pop-Tart, and cup of instant coffee, I grabbed my coffin-shaped
backpack and drove to school.

At lunch I joined Gavin and Henry in the
cafeteria, paper sack in hand. They’d been nice inviting me to eat
with them after I transferred. But today three girls were seated at
the table before I had a chance to sit down. The paper bag crinkled
in my fist when I squeezed it. I lifted my chin and walked over
despite the lack of empty seats.

Gavin smiled when he caught sight of me,
fueling my resolve. He stood up before I reached the table. “Hello,
Noel. Have my seat.”

“Thanks.” I sat down casually. Good thing my
corset was tight. It held in my thundering heart as Gavin scooted
in beside me.

The girl to my left wore a black skirt
similar to mine. I suddenly hated that I looked like her.

“Ladies,” Henry said. “This is Noel
Harper.”

“Hey,” the girls said. They certainly had the
dark, angry, “I don’t give a shit” look down.

Henry shot me a devilish smile. “You ever
want the lowdown on where to spend an unforgettable Friday night,
get on this girl’s good side. Noel’s in the know.”

The girls exchanged glances.

“Nice to meet you,” the tallest of the Goths
said. “I don’t recognize you.”

“Just transferred,” I said.

“Cool.” The girl’s hair was parted down the
middle with a black braid on each side. Someone ought to call The
Addams Family and let them know Wednesday had migrated to
Alaska.

At the end of lunch, Henry herded the group
of girls out of the cafeteria. I lingered behind with Gavin.

“What’s with the black widows?” I asked.

Gavin’s brows jumped in amusement. “Marcus
requested we make new friends, says his parties are becoming a
little too dead for his liking. Anyway, we’re doing what we can to
help improve the demographics. What happened to your friends, by
the way? Haven’t seen them around in a while.”

“Whitney and Hope?” I shrugged. “They’ve been
hanging out on the east side.”

“Uh oh,” Gavin said. “Don’t tell me Marcus
has competition.” He winked playfully.

“Hardly,” I said, rolling my eyes. “They’re
more comfortable with that crowd, I guess.” I didn’t want to
identify the type I meant, but I’m sure Gavin already knew. Junkies
trying to exchange blood for a hit.

Gavin studied me carefully. “And you’re
not?”

I straightened my shoulders. “Don’t let the
appearance fool you.”

“That’s a relief.” The bell rang. Gavin
placed a hand on my shoulder. “See you at lunch tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” I said.

As I turned to head to film class, my phone
beeped. I stopped in front of some lockers and dug it out of my
pack. Melcher had sent a text.