I eyed him up, deciding whether or not he was telling the truth. He was the sort of bastard that would kill Jane, but return to the scene of the crime to get his jollies on remembering killing her. But even if he got some thrill off it, what good would standing outside her window do?
Unless he was telling the truth. He didn’t like being stolen from, I knew that much. If he wanted revenge, he had to find out who the killer was, and I’d ended up here because I was running out of places to look.
“You better not be lying to me,” I warned him, pressing my arm harder to his chest. “I’ll rip out your heart with my bare hands.” His dark eyes searched mine, and he saw I was telling the truth, so he nodded.
“I’m not lying.”
“So what do you know?” I asked.
“You don’t need to pin me here. I’m not running, and you could catch me if I did,” he smirked.
Reluctantly, I dropped my arm and took a step back from him. Whether he killed Jane or not, I still didn’t like him. He straightened out his clothes and cocked his head at me.
“How did you get so strong?” Jonathan asked.
“Practice.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“But you shouldn’t be stronger than me, not yet. You’re still a baby.” He narrowed his eyes, trying to get a read on me, and I didn’t like it. “There’s something… different about you.”
“Yeah, well, we’re not here to talk about me,” I snapped. “What do you know about Jane?”
“Not that much.” He shook his head. “Not anything at all, really. She was murdered, and when I find out who did it, I’ll kill him.”
“Do you think it was a vampire?” I asked.
“Doubtful. We conform to human rules.” His voice dripped with venom when he said the word human. “We don’t like to draw attention to ourselves more than need be.” He pointed over to the streetlight. “On the subject of which, weren’t you worried that you’re theatrics would catch some attention?”
“It’s dark and cold. Everyone’s inside.” I glanced around after he said it, realizing he had a point. I’d been lucky that nobody had seen me jumping out of a five-story window and landing unscathed.
“Yes, god forbid a human realize what we are,” Jonathan said sardonically. “Then we’d have to answer to their ‘higher’ authority.”
“Yeah, whatever.” I ran a hand through my hair and ignored his tirade. “I’m around the clubs a lot, and I’m keeping my eye on you. If you find out anything about Jane, you better tell me.”
“Of course,” he smiled, and I’m not sure if I believed that either.
I heard Bobby panting behind me, his heart pounding like mad, but I didn’t turn around until Jonathan was long gone. I didn’t want to take my eyes off him.
“Who was that?” Bobby asked, working to catch his breath.
“That’s Jonathan. You remember? He used to ‘date’ Jane, and he tried to kill you,” I said.
“Oh yeah.” Bobby rubbed at his side and nodded. “I just never got a really good look at him.”
“Well, now, you have,” I said and turned to walk back towards the car.
“What was he doing here?” Bobby asked.
“He says he’s doing the same thing we are, but I don’t know,” I shook my head. “I’m not sure if I can believe anything he says.”
“Why didn’t you just kill him then?”
“Because.” I stopped and looked at Bobby. “I don’t know if he did it. And even though he’s a bastard, I’m not gonna kill him if I’m not sure. I don’t want innocent blood on my hands, even if it’s a vampire’s.”
“I understand,” Bobby said, and we started walking again.
“What did you tell Jane’s parents when you left?” I asked.
“Nothing. They were too busy yelling to notice me, so I just ran out the front door. And then I ran all the way down here, and I couldn’t find you for a minute.” He took a deep breath. “That’s why I’m so short of breath.”
“We should hurry home before Jack and Milo realize we’re gone,” I said. “Then we’ll both be in deep shit.”
Neither of us said much on the car ride home. I think Bobby was still trying to catch his breath, and I told him he needed to start training with me if he wanted to keep going out like this. I didn’t want him getting hurt or killed.
The rest of the time, I was lost in thought. Jane knew her killer. But that didn’t mean that much. She’d been running around with all sorts of vampires, and while Jonathan had been her main squeeze, that didn’t mean she didn’t know other vampires. And if she relapsed and wanted to get bitten again, she would’ve been desperate to get in contact with anyone.
Or maybe it was something else entirely. Maybe it wasn’t even a vampire, like Jonathan said. A human is just as capable of murder.
“Have you decided if you believe Jonathan yet?” Bobby asked as I pulled into the garage at the house.
“No. I don’t know if I ever will,” I sighed and shut off the car. “I might never know what really happened to her.”
“We’ll find out who did it,” he reassured me, looking at me seriously. “We can do this.”
“I hope you’re right.” I got out of the car and noticed the Jetta was in the garage too. “Milo’s home from school. What are you gonna tell him we were doing?”
“What are you gonna tell Jack?” Bobby countered.
“It’s a crappy day. I picked you up from school, so you didn’t have to take the bus,” I said as we walked to the house. “How does that sound?”
“You’ve done it before, so sure,” he shrugged.
“Good.”
Bobby was in front of me, and he opened the garage door to walk into the house. Jack was home, so he wasn’t worried about deflecting Matilda. Unfortunately, he had a much larger problem waiting for him.
He’d only made it two steps into the house before Daisy flew at Bobby, knocking him backwards before he could even scream.
14
I lunged at Daisy, burying my fingers in soft blond hair and yanking her head back before she could sink her teeth into his neck. She screamed as I lifted her up, but I didn’t care. I wanted to make sure Bobby was safe before dealing with her.
Unless he was telling the truth. He didn’t like being stolen from, I knew that much. If he wanted revenge, he had to find out who the killer was, and I’d ended up here because I was running out of places to look.
“You better not be lying to me,” I warned him, pressing my arm harder to his chest. “I’ll rip out your heart with my bare hands.” His dark eyes searched mine, and he saw I was telling the truth, so he nodded.
“I’m not lying.”
“So what do you know?” I asked.
“You don’t need to pin me here. I’m not running, and you could catch me if I did,” he smirked.
Reluctantly, I dropped my arm and took a step back from him. Whether he killed Jane or not, I still didn’t like him. He straightened out his clothes and cocked his head at me.
“How did you get so strong?” Jonathan asked.
“Practice.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“But you shouldn’t be stronger than me, not yet. You’re still a baby.” He narrowed his eyes, trying to get a read on me, and I didn’t like it. “There’s something… different about you.”
“Yeah, well, we’re not here to talk about me,” I snapped. “What do you know about Jane?”
“Not that much.” He shook his head. “Not anything at all, really. She was murdered, and when I find out who did it, I’ll kill him.”
“Do you think it was a vampire?” I asked.
“Doubtful. We conform to human rules.” His voice dripped with venom when he said the word human. “We don’t like to draw attention to ourselves more than need be.” He pointed over to the streetlight. “On the subject of which, weren’t you worried that you’re theatrics would catch some attention?”
“It’s dark and cold. Everyone’s inside.” I glanced around after he said it, realizing he had a point. I’d been lucky that nobody had seen me jumping out of a five-story window and landing unscathed.
“Yes, god forbid a human realize what we are,” Jonathan said sardonically. “Then we’d have to answer to their ‘higher’ authority.”
“Yeah, whatever.” I ran a hand through my hair and ignored his tirade. “I’m around the clubs a lot, and I’m keeping my eye on you. If you find out anything about Jane, you better tell me.”
“Of course,” he smiled, and I’m not sure if I believed that either.
I heard Bobby panting behind me, his heart pounding like mad, but I didn’t turn around until Jonathan was long gone. I didn’t want to take my eyes off him.
“Who was that?” Bobby asked, working to catch his breath.
“That’s Jonathan. You remember? He used to ‘date’ Jane, and he tried to kill you,” I said.
“Oh yeah.” Bobby rubbed at his side and nodded. “I just never got a really good look at him.”
“Well, now, you have,” I said and turned to walk back towards the car.
“What was he doing here?” Bobby asked.
“He says he’s doing the same thing we are, but I don’t know,” I shook my head. “I’m not sure if I can believe anything he says.”
“Why didn’t you just kill him then?”
“Because.” I stopped and looked at Bobby. “I don’t know if he did it. And even though he’s a bastard, I’m not gonna kill him if I’m not sure. I don’t want innocent blood on my hands, even if it’s a vampire’s.”
“I understand,” Bobby said, and we started walking again.
“What did you tell Jane’s parents when you left?” I asked.
“Nothing. They were too busy yelling to notice me, so I just ran out the front door. And then I ran all the way down here, and I couldn’t find you for a minute.” He took a deep breath. “That’s why I’m so short of breath.”
“We should hurry home before Jack and Milo realize we’re gone,” I said. “Then we’ll both be in deep shit.”
Neither of us said much on the car ride home. I think Bobby was still trying to catch his breath, and I told him he needed to start training with me if he wanted to keep going out like this. I didn’t want him getting hurt or killed.
The rest of the time, I was lost in thought. Jane knew her killer. But that didn’t mean that much. She’d been running around with all sorts of vampires, and while Jonathan had been her main squeeze, that didn’t mean she didn’t know other vampires. And if she relapsed and wanted to get bitten again, she would’ve been desperate to get in contact with anyone.
Or maybe it was something else entirely. Maybe it wasn’t even a vampire, like Jonathan said. A human is just as capable of murder.
“Have you decided if you believe Jonathan yet?” Bobby asked as I pulled into the garage at the house.
“No. I don’t know if I ever will,” I sighed and shut off the car. “I might never know what really happened to her.”
“We’ll find out who did it,” he reassured me, looking at me seriously. “We can do this.”
“I hope you’re right.” I got out of the car and noticed the Jetta was in the garage too. “Milo’s home from school. What are you gonna tell him we were doing?”
“What are you gonna tell Jack?” Bobby countered.
“It’s a crappy day. I picked you up from school, so you didn’t have to take the bus,” I said as we walked to the house. “How does that sound?”
“You’ve done it before, so sure,” he shrugged.
“Good.”
Bobby was in front of me, and he opened the garage door to walk into the house. Jack was home, so he wasn’t worried about deflecting Matilda. Unfortunately, he had a much larger problem waiting for him.
He’d only made it two steps into the house before Daisy flew at Bobby, knocking him backwards before he could even scream.
14
I lunged at Daisy, burying my fingers in soft blond hair and yanking her head back before she could sink her teeth into his neck. She screamed as I lifted her up, but I didn’t care. I wanted to make sure Bobby was safe before dealing with her.
