by Kelley York
Or the letters I wrote. Sometimes ten a week. Asking for Ruby's advice about school and boys and friends. There must be hundreds of them buried in the backyard, because I was determined that God would deliver them to my dead sister.
And all this time she was alive and couldn't be bothered to tell us.
Ruby's expression sobers. "Don't be stupid, of course I cared. I wasn't in a position where I could contact you guys." Her eyes lock onto mine, something distant in them that makes me shiver. "You should know why now."
"Why would I know?" But even as I'm saying it, things start making sense. Her disappearance, the vampires looking for her, and the fact she was able to look me in the eye without so much as flinching.
"We're alike now," Ruby whispers. "That's why I couldn't tell you. But when I realized what Joel and Artie had done, I came as fast as I could."
I don't know whether the feeling in my chest is a laugh or a sob waiting to break free. Ruby was just like me. Scared and alone, trying to adapt to her new life. Being so close to her family but so far away. This time, I'm the one grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight. Ruby lets me sit in silence while I roll all this over in my head. "What happened...?"
She lowers her gaze, lashes at half-mast. "I was dating this guy for a few months. I didn't think Mom and Dad would approve, so I snuck out to see him."
Surprised? I guess I am. But just because we were close sisters doesn't mean she had to tell me everything. I probably would've let it slip accidentally if I had known. "He was a vampire?"
"No." She plucks her spoon from the table and stirs her coffee. "He wasn't, but he didn't show up to our meeting spot one night. I was attacked on my way home."
It makes me think of Noah, and how if he'd been back sooner, Sherry and I never would've been walking across that bridge alone. I can't find it in me to blame him, though. It wasn't like he knew. Besides, who's to say he could've stood up against two vampires anyway?
Granted, he stood up to Oliver pretty well. Just the memory of it makes the back of my neck prickle uncomfortably.
"Do you know who it was?" I ask.
Ruby stops stirring, giving her drink a long and purposeful look. As though she has to question herself whether or not to tell me. "His name is Maverick. I stayed with him for awhile because I had nowhere else to go."
Maverick. The vampire I can't put a face to yet. The one Cole and Oliver are hunting.
This is getting better and better.
"He's mad that you left, isn't he?" What other reason for sending his idiot brigade after me, trying to get to her? Ruby blinks and tilts her gaze to me.
"How would you know that?"
"Because those friends of his have been after me, wanting to know where you were." There's really no way for me to say it without sounding accusatory, so I don't bother trying. "I ran into Joel and Artie at home, of all places. And dumb and dumber found me at the park."
"Alex and Fred," she offers. Great. More names to faces I never want to see again.
"Yeah, well, whatever. Point is," I catch my voice raising and force it back down, "...the point is, they were at home, Ruby. What if they go after Mom and Dad? What did you do that pissed them off so much?" There's more to it than her simply leaving. Besides, whatever information she can give me on Maverick might come in handy for Cole and Oliver.
Ruby sighs. "Mav had a brother. I may have killed him when I escaped."
I stare at her. "Gosh, that's no reason to hold a grudge."
"It was either kill or be killed," she snaps.
I hold my hands up. "Not judging. So, what, he wants revenge on you? Going to kill you or something?"
Some of the defensiveness slips out of Ruby's face. "I guess so. But if I ever thought he would have used you to get to me..." She shakes her head and looks back down at her coffee.
Honestly, if some guy turned me into a vampire and held me captive, not so sure I would put it past him to hurt my family. But maybe that's just me. "You don't have to worry about me now, I'll be safe. But if you have any info about where this guy and his group might be..."
"You'll burst in there with guns blazing?" She arcs an eyebrow. "Or those friends of yours?"
My chest tightens. Makes sense she would know about Oliver and Cole if she was paying close enough attention to know where I'm staying. Still, I don't know how much of the truth to tell her. Pretty stupid, considering she's my sister, and I guess it's fine since Cole didn't tell me not to say anything. "They're after Maverick, too. He's in trouble for something or another. So if you know anything..."
"I don't." Ruby sighs against the rim of her cup and takes a drink. It has to be cold by now. "I'm too busy trying to keep away from him. That's why I sent you the note, you know. In case you were being watched, I didn't want to just walk up to you on the street. Plus, I didn't know if those two you're hanging out with were Mav's."
"They're nice guys, I promise." I hesitate. "Why don't you come back to the hotel with me? I'm sure Oliver and Cole will be more than happy to help." In exchange for whatever information she can give them about Maverick, of course.
Something flickers in Ruby's gaze. "I don't think that's such a good idea. You shouldn't be getting caught up in all this."
Oh, come on. I roll my eyes and gesture to myself. "Uh, hello? I'm pretty wrapped up in it already. We're sisters. We should be sticking together. Let me help."
Ruby shakes her head, pushes back her cup, and slides out of the booth. "No. Your friends can keep you safe, but they're only two. If Mav sends his whole group after you guys to get to me, you won't stand a chance. I can't risk that."
There's more to it than that, I can feel it. Maybe she still doesn't trust Oliver and Cole. I guess I can't blame her. But the thought of Ruby leaving me again is too much. Why can't it just be us? Why can't she stay close? I grab hold of her arm, ready to beg her if I have to.
"Ruby—"
"I need you to trust me on this. When everything is settled, you and I can go somewhere, just the two of us. But I can't do that until I know you, Mom, and Dad will be safe." She sighs, gently prying my fingers away. "Please don't make this harder than it has to be."
I let go reluctantly. Nothing she says is making any sense, but maybe I'm being selfish. She's right; if the vampires come after us, I can't promise that the boys are enough to take care of things. I can't put them in that kind of danger.
Before she can leave me, I grab a napkin and scribble my new phone number on it. "Can I ask you something?"
She gives me a patient look. Waits.
I can't help but ask... "Did you ever see that boyfriend of yours again after you were infected?" I don't know what I'm expecting. Maybe I hope her experience was happier than mine. Or maybe I want to be reassured I wasn't alone in how miserably that whole scenario had played out.
Her smile is sad this time. "Yeah. Noah wasn't too happy about it."
If I were standing, I'd be hitting the floor right about now.
Coincidence, that's all.
"What was Noah's last name?"
She purses her lips. "D'angelo. Noah D'angelo. Why?"
Of everything she's told me, this makes the least amount of sense. No coherent words will form in my throat. My mouth has become useless for human speech. What do I tell her? That I think we had the same boyfriend?
I shake my head slowly. Ruby tucks the napkin with my number into her pocket, cups my face and squeezes my cheeks. "Chin up. I'll be in touch, okay?" She shifts the shoulder strap of her purse, adjusts a clip in her hair, and leaves.
17. Wednesday – 9:02pm
I'm numb all over.
Can it be coincidence? There has to be half a million guys named Noah in the country. But Noah D'angelo? That makes the idea of coincidence pretty slim. The second that name fell from her lips, I couldn't think of anything to say.
For another twenty minutes I sit there, staring into her cold cup of coffee and breathing in the faint cherry blossom scent she left behind. Would probably ke
ep sitting, except my cell starts to vibrate. The text has nothing but a question mark on it from Oliver, wondering where I am, if I'm okay.
I will my legs to work and slip out of the café, dazed. My dead sister isn't so dead after all, and she just might have been dating my (ex?) boyfriend. On top of that, I didn't get much useful information for Cole and Oliver. I should have kept her longer and questioned her more. Overall the entire meeting feels counter-productive to maintaining my sanity.
Not two feet out the door, someone is behind me. It could be anyone walking down the road, but they're too close, right up on my back. I suck in a breath and turn slowly.
The guy from the park Ruby labeled as Fred. His face is not on the top of my list of people I want to see, but thank God he's not on the bottom, either. The air whooshes right out of me. I guess he doesn't like the way I roll my eyes and turn around to keep walking, because his eyes widen briefly before he glares.
"Hey!"
"I'm so not in the mood for you right now, Freddy."
He grabs me by the arm and yanks me around, which earns him a swift kick in the shin that gets him to let go. He hops back on one leg, nursing the other with both hands. "Ow! You stupid bitch!"
Do I laugh, or do I feel sorry for him? His words are hollow, like a five-year-old repeating what he's heard and not thinking of it himself. "Someone's teaching you bad language. What do you want?"
Fred looks back up with a petulant little-kid scowl on his twenty-something-year-old face. He straightens up, folding his arms across his chest. "You know what I want. You were here seeing your sister, weren't you?"
If it were Joel, I'd be terrified to lie. Something tells me he wouldn't fall for it, but this guy—even the blonde bitch that was with him last time—they're different. Compared to Artie and Joel, Fred is a kitten. "I don't know how many times I have to say that I don't know where Ruby is. She died years ago, and if that isn't true then I don't know what to tell you."
"Then what are you doing here?"
Shrug. "Waiting for a date. He couldn't make it."
This statement seems to amuse the hell out of Fred. "Got stood up, huh?"
I counter with a smile, complete saccharine. "You'd know all about that." His expression falters. "I'm going to tell you one more time: I don't know where Ruby is. Stop following me." I turn to leave, pause, glance back again. "And tell your friends to stay the hell away from my family."
Fred opens his mouth to say something, thinks better of it and shakes his head. "Sorry, but I can't let you go. Even if you don't know where she is, I bet she'll come running when she knows we have you." As he's reaching for my arm again I hop back a step, out of reach.
"Touch me again and I'll scream rape."
He glowers. "You would not."
I offer my arm. "Try me." His gaze flicks from my arm to my face and back again, wary. But no grabbing. Wow, he's easy. "I'm willing to bet you don't want to make a scene in public; even you guys aren't dumb enough for that. So get out of here before I scream anyway." This is all bravery I'm going to regret the next time I run into any of them in a dark alley, but I'll savor it while I can.
Fred gives a quiet snarl, and for a second I'm worried he just might try something despite my threats. But as quickly as that look crosses his face, it's gone again, and I realize someone is approaching from behind.
"Briar! I'm late, I'm so sorry."
That smooth voice entwined in a silky French accent isn't one I've heard before, but when I turn around and fix my eyes on the person it belongs to, there's no questioning it. I just know.
"Al—Daniel?"
I shouldn't be surprised. He can turn into every other animal under the sun, why not a human? He's tall, pale-skinned, and his chocolate-colored hair hangs in his face. He's slender and devastatingly handsome. Never, ever the kind of guy I could really get a date with, and by the look on Fred's face, he's thinking the same thing.
"This is the guy you were waiting for?" he asks.
I flash Algonquin—Daniel—a grateful smile as he slides his arms around me in a tight embrace. He even goes so far as to press a chaste kiss to the corner of my mouth, and my face starts to burn. Really, was that necessary?
"Ma belle. I hope you were not waiting long." Daniel hugs me to his side and looks questioningly at Fred. "I am sorry to interrupt. You are...?"
Fred glares sullenly and I can tell he's debating whether or not to make a grab for me anyway. I wrap an arm around Daniel's skinny waist, clinging too tightly, and silently pray that Oliver is nearby in case something goes wrong.
Finally Fred averts his eyes, scuffing his heel against the sidewalk. "No one," he mutters. With his metaphorical tail between his legs, he shuffles off up the street. Daniel coaxes me to turn around and we walk the way he came, with me casting glances over my shoulder. I don't relax until Fred is out of sight.
"God, today sucks. What were you doing, anyway?"
Daniel gives me the most patient of smiles. "You were taking too long. It might have looked suspicious if another vampire rushed to your aid. So...moi."
I stop walking and stare up at him. Wanting to ask why now of all times he decides to let me see him like this. In the grand scheme of things, though, I guess it isn't important. Daniel gives me a quizzical look to which I shake my head and start walking again.
Oliver is waiting for us right where I left him, pacing the alley. He halts, whirls, looks both of us over to make sure we're okay before letting out a sigh. "One of them was nearby, weren't they? I could feel it."
I raise an eyebrow. "So you waited for me to run into him first before sending Daniel?"
His expression tightens. Daniel laughs. "Well, I could not stroll down the street naked. Oliver had to fetch me clothing first."
What? Oh. Oh... I hadn't...thought about that. Awkward.
"The darling even had it in him to pick me out undergarments." He smiles sweetly and Oliver goes an amazing shade of red. I can't help but laugh.
"Shut up! Would you have rather run around without them?!" Apparently, Oliver doesn't want an answer to that because he spins around and stalks off down the alley. Daniel and I exchange amused smiles and follow.
I walk between them, taking comfort in their presence and at least knowing there's no way Fred would double back to come after me again. It's just a feeling, but I think Oliver could take him in a heartbeat. Daniel...well, he doesn't look like much of a fighter, but who knows? He could surprise me.
Halfway back to the hotel, Oliver finally cracks and asks, "So...what did she say?"
Where do I even begin? That she used to date my boyfriend? Maybe I should leave that part out. "That Maverick guy is the one who turned her. She doesn't know where he is, though." Wow, I really didn't bring back any useful info, did I? Oliver sighs and I try to offer, "I know he only has those four vampires working for him. Fred and Alex were the two from the park."
"Unfortunate odds," Daniel murmurs, gaze flicking to Oliver.
"I can handle it," Oliver says. "But if I run around killing his people, I'm going to be the one in trouble. We technically don't have any proof they're the ones behind the murders, so until we do..."
Wait a second! "But you do. I saw him, Oliver. Joel was the one who attacked me and Artie killed Sherry. Isn't that enough?"
"Not enough to kill someone over." He looks back at me.
Daniel offers a small smile. "The laws of the vampires are not so much different than the laws of humans." He slides an arm around my shoulders, drawing me to his side and coaxing me into walking again. "If ma bien-aimée were to kill on the hearsay of someone else, Maverick could return to the council of elders and get Oliver into a good deal of trouble for not performing a proper investigation first."
How stupid. What are we supposed to do, present a group of witnesses? "Then what's the plan?"
"Honestly?" Oliver is so casual that the words out of his mouth make me uneasy: "I get them to attack first so I can say I killed in self-defense. They'll know I'm
telling the truth."
A shiver rushes down my spine. "How can you say that so calmly?"
He rolls his broad shoulders into a shrug. "Because that is what it'll come down to: kill, or be killed."
Just like Ruby said about Maverick's brother. I consider those words for a moment. This obviously isn't the first time Oliver's had a job like this, which makes me wonder just how old he is. How long has he traveled with Cole, policing other vampires? Any of those questions would probably be okay to ask, and yet I blurt out: "Have you killed a lot of people?"
Just like that, any warmth flees Oliver's face and his gaze hardens. He stops dead in his tracks. Daniel's arm tightens around me, a silent sign that I've said something very wrong. I'm not sure if I should back-pedal and apologize, or just shut my mouth. "I'm—"
"We are going to take a detour," Daniel announces brightly. "You have things to attend to, non?"
Oliver seems to relax a little. There isn't time to really tell because Daniel is already steering me away, taking a turn and leaving Oliver behind. I keep my head down, frowning at my feet. "I didn't mean to upset him."
"I know this. He knows this, too, I'm sure." Daniel draws his arm away and takes my hand instead. All this touching should make me uncomfortable, but I find it kind of nice. It's really no different than having Algonquin-the-cat curled up on my pillow, or Algonquin-the-duck in the bath—
Yeah, okay. More awkward.
"Oliver's human life is not one he is proud of," Daniel explains. "He spends much time trying to be at peace with himself, but it does not come easy."
I nod. There are a hundred questions those statements bring to mind, but if Daniel thought I should know, he would tell me. Or maybe it's something I should hear from Oliver himself. Instead I try thinking of a happier topic. "When I first brought you to the hotel, he knew who you were. Do you travel with them?"
"Now and again." His expression softens. "During my first visit to America, I met Oliver outside a little café. He had…such lovely, sad eyes, and I knew immediately I wanted to go wherever he went.”
