“Yeah. We save that guy,” I say, waving Riley and Lily back towards downtown. “And Addie might have clues. The Beaumonts. Shit. That means they're here, or staying somewhere close.”
“And that means Dominic could be here, too. We can stop him before he tells the High Council what I did,” Riley says.
My head thumps with the power building up inside. If there's any time to control it, it's now. Addie will be the perfect test subject for my full potential, and I have zero qualms about taking out my anger on her. She's given me plenty of ammunition.
“This way,” Lily hisses, joining me while Riley takes up the rear. “She was just leaving the store when I saw her, but she’s hanging in an alley nearby.”
Now is also a good time to try out my disguise. I bring back the vivid image of the homeless girl as we walk, and though I look the same to myself, Lily's eyes pop as she watches me. “Is that your new getup?”
I just nod as we turn another corner.
We storm downtown, me in the lead, and I spot the row of stores near the Oceanside hotel. I lead the way, keeping the homeless girl image up, projecting it to anyone within range. Only a few cars remain in the parallel parking spots. No one’s on the streets. I scan the stores. The cell phone talk has stopped, and only the tired sounds of employees near the end of their shifts filters through glass. A woman, tapping her fingernails on the counter of a beauty place. Someone sweeping. Money shifting as someone counts a cash register.
And I hear the man inside a store labeled Threads. Yeah, it's just Threads, like that old nuclear war movie. And that's not ominous at all.
He's shuffling some clothes. I sense no one inside with him, but I know she's around. My hearing picks up nothing, but Truebloods can be quiet.
I stop at the end of the stores and look at Riley and Lily. Then I lower my voice. “There's one guy in there. Addie will wait until he leaves to spring her attack.”
Lily frowns. “The Beaumonts have stopped caring about attacking people, then.”
“They stopped before they got thrown from Moon's Peak.” Riley glowers at the front of the Threads store.
We can't see the guy inside, but I know he's in there, wrapping up for the night, with no idea that there's a predator lying in wait. “I don't hear her,” I hiss.
Riley leans close to me. “She’s lying in wait somewhere. We follow that guy when he leaves.”
Yes. Addie will wait in the shadows and then follow this man away from the store. Then she'll pounce as soon as he’s away from downtown.
And then she'll kill.
“Can we warn that guy?” I ask Lily. This is her territory.
“No. I doubt he knows what's going on.” She steps closer to the store. Inside, fancy clothes fill up the windows and glow under string lights. Dresses. Skirts. Necklaces. It's a place where Addie would shop for her little short skirts, all right. And possibly for blood.
I wish my kick to her face would have ended her. How many people has she killed?
“The Beaumonts are violating what it means to be a Trueblood,” Riley growls, marching to the front of the store. He pretends to admire the suits and size them to himself with his hands. “We're supposed to coexist with society. This isn't it.”
Lily joins him and so do I, and I project that image of the homeless girl again. I can see past the mannequin couple inside the window, and yes, there is one employee inside. He's straightening out a rack of pants at the back of the store, which is dark, and letting my vision come into focus reveals he's alone back there. There's the back door to a storage room that's shut, and I can't hear anything from back there other than a buzzing electrical box. The guy finishes straightening out the clothes before retreating to a computer behind the checkout counter. He taps something, and the Open sign glowing above our heads clicks off.
He's a college guy. Young. In good shape. Maybe even athletic, and on his way to a bright future of playing sports and mastering some program. He's sharply dressed in slacks and a polo shirt, and the ideal victim for Addie. Provided her specialty is young men.
“He's in danger,” Riley breathes, backing away from the window. “We have to follow him because I don't know where Addie is.”
I search the street. It's way too quiet out here. Lily reaches under her baggy pant leg as if to make sure whatever weapon she's carrying is there. “We should injure her. Make her take us to where Dominic is and finish him.” She looks at me, raising an eyebrow. “Can you do that?”
I wait for Riley to flinch, but he only frowns, resigned to it. “We're going to have to kill him,” he chokes.
The employee types on the computer as I reign in my senses. He's punching out and about to take a brisk walk home. If we fail at this, he could die a horrible death.
“I'm sorry,” I hiss to Riley.
Riley grimaces and puts his hand on my shoulder. “It's fine. I have you. Dominic is a menace, and he always has been.”
Lily taps my arm. “Okay, homeless girl and Riley. Get ready.”
I gulp, though I'm amazed I've maintained my disguise without trying. The college-aged guy is approaching the front door. He exits, glancing at us with a wave. We're not suspect, at least, and if we walk some distance behind him.
The guy strides down the sidewalk, shoes clicking against the concrete.
I swallow, letting my hearing and sight expand.
The quiet downtown comes to life again, with its aura of light blending with the stars, but I can't let the sights distract me. The guy turns a corner, and I break into a run, Riley
