“That’s not a surprise.”
Though he didn’t sound derogatory at all, his comment felt like a slap. Maybe it was just that she wanted to be able to help and had offered up nothing useful.
“Okay, I...I don’t know what I thought. Listen, it’s busy, so I need to get back to work. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.”
She hung up as his last word still hung in the air, the only sound in the emptiness around her. She scolded herself for being such an idiot, but that still didn’t prevent tears from blurring her vision as she sliced a large piece of lemon pie. When she got through the rest of this day, she was taking what was left of this pie upstairs and eating every single bite. She’d eat her way back to sanity.
For three days, Campbell stayed away from Olivia, didn’t even call her. They were the three longest days of his immortal existence.
During the past seven years, he’d done nothing but work, keep his sexual encounters limited to vampires and remind himself of Bridget Jameson every time he was tempted by the human world. Then Olivia ran into his life and turned everything on its head.
When Kaja stopped on the sidewalk in front of him and placed her hands on her hips, he realized she was waiting for a response from him.
“Honestly, have you heard a word I’ve said?” she asked as she spun to face him.
“No.”
“Will you please just go see her?”
“Who?” he said, looking past Kaja to the dark street beyond her.
“Don’t play dim. I know you’re smarter than that, your attraction to a human notwithstanding. You have been half here at best since you last talked to Olivia. If it takes regular visits to her for you to keep your head in the game, then by all means, do it.”
“I thought you believed it was a bad idea.”
“I do. For her, at least.”
“Thanks.”
“You know what I mean.”
He sighed. “I do. That’s why I’m staying away.”
“So you don’t get any more attached?”
He didn’t respond to that question. Rather, he walked past her down the street they were searching for any signs of the missing women or evidence of illegal vampire activities.
“You know you just answered the question by not answering it, right?” Kaja asked as she fell into step beside him.
“Why is everyone suddenly so interested in my love life or lack thereof?”
“Vicarious thrill?”
He glanced at her and laughed. “Sorry you’re not getting much of a thrill.”
“Why her?”
He stopped again and looked up at the top of the Empire State Building. “I can’t explain it. I never believed in this sort of thing, this kind of attraction, until it hit me square in the chest. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Once upon a time none of us believed in vampires either.”
He glanced at her, shook his head and started walking again. “It doesn’t matter. You were right. I can’t be with her. It’s too dangerous.”
Kaja was quiet for the space of a block. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you could make it work. You could wear blessed bracelets like Ethan.”
“And be useless in my job. That’s unacceptable.”
“You’d only have to wear them when you’re with her.”
“I’d still be a danger to her with nothing more than my strength. And the bracelets wouldn’t control the hunger, just my ability to act on it. I don’t want her to see me like that again. Damn it, I already almost ripped her throat out once.”
This time Kaja didn’t have any response. They fell back into their search on their way to a designated meeting spot with Rico, who’d texted with a short message earlier that he had some information.
It was almost 1:00 a.m. when they entered the warehouse district that was well away from the hotbeds of nighttime activity and thus prying eyes. As they rounded a corner, they both stopped abruptly, having both caught the scent of death. With a glance at each other, they pulled out stakes and edged forward as quietly as they could.
When they rounded the front of a big box-style delivery truck, they found Rico, a stake in his heart and way too far gone to save. He was stone-still, his eyes now totally devoid of color, and his body was as white as chalk. No matter how many times he saw staked vampires, it always sent a shock through him. It was so final, even more so than human death.
Campbell cursed, then stood still and slowly did a sensory check in every direction. There was nothing more than a stray dog three buildings closer to the river.
He stared down at Rico. The guy might have been on the sketchy end of the Souled spectrum, but he’d been basically a decent sort and a good informant. He didn’t deserve to go this way. Hating that he had to do it, Campbell lowered himself to his knees and searched Rico’s clothing for any evidence, any indication of what he might have been going to share with them. When he found nothing, he sat back. To be so close to maybe cracking open this case, only to have the answers ripped away along with Rico’s life caused his anger to flare like roaring flames.
“Call Travis. Have him see if he can figure out where Rico was when he sent that message,” he said. “I’ll call for the disposal team.”
Kaja walked away while dialing Travis. Campbell hit the number on his phone that always caused his stomach to heave.
“Blake, it’s Campbell. We need a pickup in the warehouse area off of Water.”
“The dead human male or female?” Blake always contacted the human authorities about where to find bodies when there was a vampire kill.
“None. Just one of our own this time, a Souled vamp.”
Blake cursed. “We’ll be there in ten.”
It actually took only nine minutes for the disposal team to arrive. When Blake Sands stepped out of the black van, it struck Campbell as it always did how big the man was. Campbell wasn’t small by any stretch, but Blake had been a professional wrestler once upon a time. Add vampire strength to that, and Campbell doubted anyone dared to mess with him. He’d actually tried to recruit Blake for V Force, but the guy had said he’d rather work in a job where people didn’t talk back and he wasn’t tempted to break their necks.
“A friend of yours?” Blake asked as he and Vaughn Styles made quick work of covering and loading up Rico’s body.
“An informant.”
“Think that’s what got him killed?”
Campbell stared at the sheet-covered body on the stretcher. “Probably.”
Blake cursed again. He was actually quite fond of colorful words. “As if we don’t have enough problems. We have to go around killing each other.”
As Blake and Vaughn got in the van and drove away, Kaja came back. “Travis said he’d have to go back to the cave to do that kind of search. He’ll call when he’s got something.”
Campbell was struck with the oddest sense of not knowing what to do next.
“I’m going to head over to a friend’s place, see if she’s heard anything in the wind,” Kaja said.
“Vampire model gossip?”
“None better. See if you can find something to do with the rest of the night.” She gave him a significant look,
