He shook his head slowly. “How can you say that? It’s hard enough to get by now without having someone like me torpedo your business. Not to mention how your best friend feels.”
“I’ll manage. I always do. I might not be a vampire, but I can be a tough cookie when I set my mind to it.”
He smoothed her hair away from her face and let his fingers travel along the edge of her cheek. “I know. I saw that fight in you the first time we met.” When he’d almost killed her.
Campbell pulled Olivia close and kissed her. He knew he should leave, figure out some way to make things right, but his need for her overpowered any other thoughts.
“Make love to me,” she said in his ear.
“My pleasure.” He lifted her effortlessly in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
* * *
The dip of the bed woke Olivia. She fought off the disorientation of sleep in time to see Campbell stand and pull his pants over long legs and lean hips.
“You’re leaving?”
He didn’t turn toward her. “I have an appointment at the blood bank.”
“You’re hungry?” Despite how she felt about him, the idea of his vampire hunger still stoked fear in the deepest part of her.
“Yes. I don’t like it when I start to think of your blood too much.”
She didn’t like that thought either. Instead she focused on the play of his back muscles as he slipped his T- shirt on. She resisted the urge to ask him when she’d see him again, partly because she didn’t like clingy women and didn’t want to be one. But she had to admit to herself that it was mostly because she didn’t want to give him the opportunity to say, “Never.”
When she tossed off the comforter, he turned toward her.
“No, don’t get up. Go back to sleep.”
Unease stirred inside her, but she didn’t voice it. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, and she became acutely aware of the distance between them.
“I shouldn’t have told you,” she said.
“Told me what?”
“About the loss of customers.”
He stood and slipped on the jacket he didn’t need. “I’m not leaving because of that. I’ve just got a lot to do.” He smiled. “Guy’s got to work for a living.”
Sadness settled in her chest. Though everything he said was true, she knew there was more to it. At least some part of Campbell was running away from her, whether he realized it or not.
* * *
As Campbell drank bagged blood at the blood bank a few minutes later, he berated himself for getting so involved in Olivia’s life. Not only was he a constant danger to her, as his yearning for her blood tonight proved, but now he’d also endangered her livelihood. And Mindy’s. But evidently he was a selfish bastard, because he still didn’t think he could stay away forever. Not even close to forever. But he had to figure out how to make things right.
But how was he supposed to undo this damage? He couldn’t make someone unsee him, couldn’t contact all her customers and tell them he posed no threat and would stay away.
After his feeding and then a fruitless questioning pass through Little Italy, he headed home. When he walked through the door, Travis looked up from his desk.
“Good news,” Travis said. “Olivia’s car has been located in Connecticut.”
Campbell headed toward his own desk with a nod and a sound of acknowledgment.
“And the award for least excitement goes to...” Travis said. “What’s eating you?”
“Olivia’s customers have deserted her diner. Guess whose fault that is.”
Travis adopted a chastised expression. “Sorry.”
Campbell ran his hand back through his hair. “And I have no idea how to fix it.”
“That’s easy,” Kaja said as she walked over from the kitchen with a new mug, this one with a big curly
Kaja took a drink and sat down at her computer. Instead of work, however, she started playing “Farmville.” For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine what her fascination with that game was.
He thought about what she said. Maybe an ad would help. Couldn’t hurt.
“I just emailed you the details about where to pick up Olivia’s car,” Travis said.
“I need you to do it.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.” Campbell didn’t use a tone that invited argument, and Travis didn’t give him any.
“Fine, whatever.”
Len, Colin and Sophia came in from patrolling with only a couple of minutes to spare. Billy rolled in on his skateboard a few seconds later.
“Look who’s cutting it close now,” Campbell said as he met Colin’s eyes.
“One of those nights,” Colin said.
“Yeah, if we were werewolves, I’d swear it was a full moon with the way things were going down,” Len added. “Fights, more than the usual amount of angry stares coming our way. Some weird vibe in the air.”
“At least one of us had a good night,” Colin said as he glanced at Billy. “I think Puppy here found himself a skater-geek girlfriend.”
Billy skated by Colin and bopped him on the head. “At least I’m getting some action, old man.”
“Don’t listen to him, Billy,” Sophia said. “I think she’s cute.”
“Thank you.” Billy paused to kiss her on the cheek before pushing off on his skateboard again.
Thumping from the street level drew their attention, then the sound of something coming down the drop chute. Campbell was sitting closest to the chute, so he headed for it. “Did anyone put in another order with Chloe?” he asked.
He heard the chorus of noes at the same moment he saw what had been dropped down the chute. He spun and pointed toward the back corner. “Get out!”
They almost made it.
* * *
Olivia considered not even opening the diner. She didn’t know if she could face another disheartening day of empty tables and the lack of friendly faces.
She remembered how she’d told Campbell she was a tough cookie, however, so she forced herself downstairs. Whatever the day dished up, she’d deal with it.
She was glad to see Jane a few minutes later, her first and perhaps only customer of the day.
“Something must be on fire,” Jane said as she walked in. “I heard a bunch of sirens, and there’s a big black plume of smoke coming from somewhere up near the park.”
Olivia turned on the TV mounted on the wall. A reporter was on the scene with fire trucks behind her.
“Officials say it appears a bomb has gone off at a vampire-owned building on the east side of Central Park. It is unclear if any vampires were in the building at the time of the bombing, which happened just after daybreak.”
A bad feeling started growing in Olivia’s middle. After taking Jane’s order, she retreated to the kitchen. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Campbell’s number. Her pulse raced faster with each unanswered ring. After his phone rang a dozen times, she hung up and dialed Chloe with shaky fingers.
When she got voice mail, she realized how early it was. She hung up and dialed Chloe’s cell phone.
“Hello.” The normal pep in Chloe’s voice was absent.
“Chloe, it’s Olivia. Where is the V Force headquarters? Where does Campbell live?”
Chloe didn’t answer, and tears popped into Olivia’s eyes.
“Tell me it’s not what’s on the news.”
“I’m sorry, Olivia.”
Olivia made an anguished sound. No, not again. She refused to believe it, not unless she saw it for herself.
