She was still trying to figure it out when she fell asleep.
Late that night, Jason called the vampire council together. They all looked at him askance, since meetings so close together were rare.
“I’ll keep this short and to the point,” he said. “In case it’s escaped your notice, there’s a master vampire in town. And it’s not Jarick.”
Chapter 18
Sara opened the shop the next day. Overstreet sat in the back corner of her office. Armed with holy water, a stout wooden stake and the pistol Travis had given him, he passed the time by writing in his notebook, or just staring out the front window.
The supplies Sara had ordered arrived late that afternoon and she spent a couple of hours restocking the shelves and going over the books.
To her surprise, she had a dozen customers between the time she opened and seven o’clock when she and Overstreet walked down to the café. She remarked on it to Overstreet over dinner.
“You’re not complaining about having a lot of business, are you?” he asked with a wry grin.
“Of course not. It just seems odd, that’s all. I don’t think I’ve had that many customers in an entire day, let alone in four hours.” She nibbled on a piece of fried chicken. “Do you think they’re spying on us?”
“More likely on me. I’ve no doubt they all know why I’m here.”
“That could be dangerous for you!” Sara exclaimed.
Carl shrugged. “I’m probably safe enough as long as the sun’s up. After dark, I’m depending on Travis and Ronan to keep the bad guys at bay.” He took a few bites of his steak, his brow furrowed. “Although I’m not sure I can count on Ronan.”
“He’s scary as all get out,” Sara said. “I wouldn’t put it past him to kill all of us.”
“Yeah. Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
They ate in silence for several moments, then Sara asked, “How’s your story coming along?”
“It isn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, until something actually happens, there’s nothing to tell. I need concrete proof that there’s a nest of vampires selling humans to other vampires. All I have now are Joey Cannon’s story and my own suspicions and that doesn’t cut it.”
“Travis and Ronan seem convinced.”
“I can’t sell a story on speculation, no matter now certain they seem.”
Sara pushed her plate away, then picked at the chocolate cake she’d ordered for dessert, while Overstreet wolfed down a large slice of apple pie.
It was dark out when they started back to the store. Sara didn’t see anyone on the street, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. Grabbing Overstreet’s arm, she said, “Let’s go home.”
When he didn’t ask questions, she guessed he had also felt those unseen eyes tracking their every move.
Travis, Ronan, and Shannah were waiting for them on the front porch when they reached Sara’s house.
“We went by the store and you weren’t there,” Travis said, his voice tinged with anxiety. “Did something happen?”
Sara glanced at Overstreet. Now that they were safely home, her fears seemed foolish.
Travis’s gaze searched hers. “Sara?”
“I …” She shrugged one shoulder. “I just had the feeling we were being watched and it freaked me out.” She unlocked the door and stepped inside.
Travis followed her.
Ronan and Shannah remained on the porch.
Travis tugged on Sara’s hand. “You need to invite them in.”
Sara stared at him, eyes wide. Inviting the master vampire into her house was the last thing she wanted.
“We can’t talk out here,” Travis said. “You can rescind the invitation when they leave if it will make you feel better.”
Sara glanced over her shoulder. Ronan looked like the angel of death itself. Shannah was lovely, with long black hair and expressive blue eyes. She looked very young, probably in her early 20s. With a sigh of resignation, she said, “Ronan, Shannah, please come in.”
Sara stepped back. She felt a strange vibration in the air as the two vampires stepped across the threshold.
Leading the way into the living room, she invited her guests to sit down.
Shannah sat on the chair by the sofa. Ronan stood behind her, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders.
Overstreet dropped heavily into the other chair. Sara and Travis sat side-by-side on the couch.
“You were right to come home,” Ronan said.
“So we were being watched.” Overstreet said. It wasn’t a question.
“Yes. There were a number of vampires lurking in the shadows.” Ronan looked pointedly at Sara. “We’re very good at that,” he added, a note of menace in his tone.
Shannah covered one of his hands with hers. “Ronan, stop it. She’s already afraid of you. Don’t make it any worse.” Looking at Sara, she said, “You’ll have to forgive my husband. His social skills are non-existent.”
“I can see that.” Sara smiled at Shannah, thinking that, in other circumstances, they might have been friends.
“We aren’t here to discuss my social skills or lack of them,” Ronan growled. “Travis and I are going out to have a look around. If it’s all right with you, Miss Winters, Shannah will stay here.”
Sara nodded.
“All right then.” Leaning forward, he kissed his wife’s cheek, then headed for the door.
Squeezing Sara hand, Travis said, “We won’t be gone long.”
Overstreet glanced at Travis. “Do you want me to come along?”
“Do you want to?”
Overstreet shook his head. “Not really.”
Throwing the journalist a grin, Travis followed his sire into the night.
“So, what’s your plan?” Travis asked as they lingered in the shadows outside Jason Bowman’s house. A single light burned in an upstairs bedroom, but all was quiet.
“I haven’t decided whether to just destroy the nest or see if I can talk some sense into their leader.”
“You’d kill them? All of them?”
“There are unwritten rules for vampires. The first is tell
