Reborn

Chapter Thirty

Della spotted Kevin moving through the brush. He lifted his nose in the air, testing it to find her.

“I’m here.” She stepped out from the tree and started toward the fence.

He walked closer, and was about to latch on to the fence post when she said, “Stop. I told you not to touch the fence.”

He pulled his hands back. “So it’s true that there really are alarms set?”

“Afraid so,” she said.

“And you can’t just fly over it?”

“Not without setting it off.”

“Damn! I could never live like that.”

“It’s to keep people out, not us in.”

“Right,” he said.

Della frowned. “Look, I was hoping you might be able to help me out. I’m looking for someone who I think belongs to the Crimson Blood.”

“Why?” he asked.

“He was the old boyfriend of the girl I sort of ran across.” The fact that the girl was dead didn’t have to come up.

“I don’t think I met all of them. I just hung out with them a couple of days.”

“His name is Phillip Lance. He used to be in a band. Has brown hair. A tattoo on his neck of a skull.”

“This ain’t gonna come back and bite me in the ass, is it?”

“No,” she said.

“And what do I get for doing all these favors for you?” He smiled.

“I’ll owe you.”

“You already owe me,” he said.

“I’ll owe you more.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know why I like you.” He sighed and hesitated before finally talking. “There is a Phillip. Don’t know his last name, but he has brown hair. I don’t know if he played in a band.” He glanced up as if debating saying more, and then he blurted out, “He has a tattoo, but I’m not sure what it is.”

It had to be him. She nodded and a feeling of success filled her chest. “Thank you.” Now to get one more thing. “Where do they hang out? So I can go see him.”

Kevin held up his hands. “Now you’re asking too much.”

“Please.” It didn’t bother her nearly as much to beg when it was for someone else. And this was for Billy.

He hesitated. “Look, I can’t tell you where they call home, but there’s a supernatural bar on the north side of Houston called Hot Stuff.”

“Chan took me there,” Della said, remembering bits and pieces of the first week she’d been turned. If she had to, she thought she could find it again.

“Well, a lot of the Crimson Blood hang out there. You go there and you should run into one of them eventually.”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

He studied her a second, up and down, checking her out. “You got a boyfriend?” he asked, his blue eyes sparkling with interest.

“Yeah.” When her heart didn’t skip a beat, she realized it was true. Steve was her boyfriend. She didn’t know how things would be after this weekend, but …

“A shame.” He paused. “So, did you get Chan a proper burial?”

“Not yet. The FRU are doing an autopsy to confirm cause of death.”

“They should,” he said. “I was told it was freaky the way he got sick.”

Della remembered that niggling concern that she could actually have the same virus Chan did. “What … I mean, how was it freaky?”

“They said, he wasn’t feeling right for a while. I mean, he wasn’t feeling great when he left for Texas, but and they said he got a nasty rash.”

Della inhaled, with a tiny bit of relief. She didn’t have a rash.

Kevin shook his head. “You know he’s the first vampire I ever heard of that died of illness. I mean, I’ve lost several friends to gang fights and all, but I didn’t know we could get sick.”

“There’s viruses and such,” Della said, thinking she’d just had one. Was still dealing with one, minus the headache. And the sooner it all went away and she had her sense of smell back the better.

“Yeah, but they are like tiny colds, nothing that could kill you. I mean…” Kevin leaned his head back. “Company coming. Later!” He lit out.

Della inhaled, but still got nothing. Then she heard it, a rush of air. It was fast. Fast enough that she knew it was one of two people. Burnett or Chase.

The panty perv landed beside her. He took a sniff of the air. “Who was here?”

“Just someone I wanted to chat with,” Della said.

He glanced away. “Why are you meeting someone this late?”

“None of your business.” She started walking then turned back around, deciding she didn’t have to mention Jenny, but she could still say what she knew. “Unless you want to tell me who you’ve been meeting out here late at night.”

Surprise widened his eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.” His brow twitched.

“The hell you don’t.”

He looked puzzled. “How do you … Okay, fine, it was an old friend.” His brow didn’t shift; neither did his eyes. He told the truth.

“Why the secrecy?” she asked.

“He’s not registered.” Nothing wiggled on his face this time either.

She believed him.

“And now it’s your turn,” he said. “Why are you meeting someone at this time of night?” He looked concerned. Why?

“Let’s just say I’m trying to fix your mess. I’m following another lead on the murder.”

She saw him tilt his head to the side to listen to her heart rate. “True, but vague,” he said.

“You only deserve vague. You lied to Burnett about Billy.”

“I believe the kid is guilty, and I’m almost positive it was his trace I got, so that’s not really a lie.”

“And I believe he’s innocent,” Della countered.

He didn’t say a word.

“I’m leaving.” She only got a few feet.

“Wait,” he said.

She paused, but didn’t look back. And in spite of not wanting to go there, her mind took her back to the kiss. To the way it felt to be held close by him.

“Why?” she asked.

“To talk.”

“You have nothing to say I’m interested in hearing.” She got almost to the line of trees when she heard him.

“How about I tell you where I know you from?”

Of all the things he could say, that was the one that would stop her. She slowed down and heard him walking up beside her.

When he got to her side and didn’t say anything, she spoke. “I’m waiting.”

“One run, and then I’ll tell you.” He studied her face, as if looking for something. What? What could her expression give him? He could read her heartbeat and know if she told the truth.

“No,” she said, and went back to walking. “I’m not playing games with you.”

“It’s not a game. One run. You want to know, admit it.” This time she studied his face and there wasn’t a twitch or a blink. Giving in felt wrong. But curiosity bit.

Bit hard.

He flashed in front of her. Stood close. This close, she could smell him.… Again she remembered his scent when he’d held her and flown like the wind. When his arms had held her so tight.

“One run, one lap around the property … and if you answer one question I’ll tell you.”

She took a step back. “First it was just a run, now it’s a run and a question.”

“It’s an easy question.” He moved in an inch. “I want to know if you enjoyed the kiss. I mean, I think you did. I know I did.”

She tilted her chin up and wished like hell she could tell him no. “So you can kiss, it doesn’t mean shit.”

He smiled. “It could mean I might get lucky and sneak another one.”

“Not on your life.”

The smile vanished from his eyes. “So you’re really into the shape-shifter, huh?”

“You said one question,” she growled.

“And one run.” He took off.

She actually debated not going, but she wanted to know where she’d met him. She took off, pushing herself until she almost caught up with him. He sped up. She pushed harder, but not to the point of puking. She’d done that twice too many times.

When he realized she wasn’t going to push herself faster, he slowed down. And amazingly true to his word, when they had made one lap, he started down.

She landed beside him, a little winded, but not embarrassingly so.

He studied her. “You could have gone faster.”

“It’s late,” she said.

He nodded. “It is.”

Della’s phone dinged with an incoming text. She ignored it, thinking it was from Steve. And she didn’t want to text him back in front of Chase.

“Okay spill it,” she said. “Where did we meet?”

Chase moved over to the fallen tree where Della had been sitting earlier and dropped down, motioning for her to join him.

“Just tell me,” she said.

“I am, but it’s going to require some explanation. So sit down.”

She did, but she made sure there was plenty of space between them. “I’m sitting!” she said, losing her patience. “Start talking!”