They were his friends. Family really.
And his stomach was in knots wondering if they would accept or shun him.
The way things were going, all his friends might not be talking to him by the end of the night. Damek was certainly going to be pissed with him for leaving the apartment, but Craig had to do what he thought was right. And finding out one of his new vampire skills was the ability to open locks, electronic and old-
fashioned, was a bonus.
“We’ll stop at my place first, if that’s okay?” He kept all his senses open, staying aware of everyone and everything around them. It was a cold night, but he didn’t feel the chill of the air like he used to and was quite comfortable with his leather jacket open.
Evie, on the other hand, was hunched over, almost shivering. He knew it was more nerves than the night air.
“Sure.” Her eyes darted here and there, and he knew she was searching for Vladimir Drake in every shadow. And, like him, she was concentrating on not becoming overwhelmed by all the outside stimulus. It might be late, but the city was still alive with people and sounds.
“You’ll have to forgive the dust in the place. I was going to call in the cleaning service but…” He shrugged when she looked at him. “When I’m working I forget about things like cleaning and laundry and food.”
One corner of her mouth tilted upward and he felt as though he’d won a huge victory. He stopped in front of an older brick building. “What do you think?”
She studied the plate glass window in front of them. “This is a gallery.” She looked up at him, questions in her eyes.
“My sister and Bethany own the place.” He took her hand and pulled her to the door next to the gallery. He pulled out his keys and unlocked it.
“You live above?” she asked as he pulled her inside and ushered her up the stairs.
“Yeah. We each have our own apartments.” Neither one of them made a sound as they made their way to the top floor. “Actually my family owns the building.”
She came to a sudden halt. “You own the building?” There was tension in her voice and he wondered at it.
“Yeah. Is that a problem?”
Is that a problem? Evie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Craig owned a building with his brother and sister. His sister ran an art gallery, one that had made huge waves in the local art scene over the past few years. She was very familiar with the Artistic Endeavor, had even been to a showing here earlier this year.
She lived in the same tiny studio apartment she’d lived in since she moved to the city. The chances of her owning her own home, let alone an entire building were next to nil. She lived hand to mouth, finding the necessary money each month to pay the rent and buy art supplies. Some months there wasn’t a lot left over for food, but she was okay with that as long as she was painting.
He was way out of her league.
“What exactly do you do for a living?” She’d told him about her art, but she’d never asked him what he did.
Craig unlocked the door and ushered her into his apartment. The scent of fresh lemons permeated the air. Evie looked around the living space. It was comfortable, yet all the furniture and finishes were high-end. The kitchen had new granite countertops and stainless-
steel appliances. She half-expected the sofa to be leather, but it was a dark brown fabric of some kind. Two leather club chairs were angled around a wooden coffee table. A large flat-screen television sat in the center of an entertainment unit that took up most of one wall.
“Well, what do you think?” He removed his leather jacket and hung it on a hook by the door. Then he held out his hand and waited until she handed him her coat.
What did she think? She studied the place and tilted her head to one side considering. “I think the cleaning lady was here while you were away.”
He laughed, the sound deep and joyous. “I guess Chrissten must have had someone take care of it.”
Evie found herself smiling. “And you never did tell me. What do you do for a living?” Her gaze narrowed. “It’s not illegal, is it?” Not that she thought that for a minute. Craig was too open and honest for that.
He shook his head. “No, it’s not illegal.” He took her hand and led her down a short hallway, stopping at the first door on the left. “But I’ve done my fair share of hacking.” He led her into what had to be his office. There were several framed prints on the wall that depicted scenes from popular video games. Several computers sat on a long table, along with a gaming system. A bookcase was filled with books, games and several pictures of Craig and his family.
“You work with computers?”
Craig nodded. “I’ve designed several games.” He gestured to the pictures on the walls. “I’ve also developed a few Apps.”
He dropped into his desk chair and pulled a laptop in front of him and opened the cover. How many computers did the man actually own? She’d assumed the one that Damek’s employee had brought over to the apartment was it.
Craig’s fingers flew over the keys and several screens opened. He made a humming sound and kept typing. She had no idea what he was doing. The man was a freaking computer genius.
Evie leaned against the back of his chair and watched, bewildered as he seemed to be in some kind of banking program. “What are you doing?”
“Sorry, I obviously haven’t been keeping up with things over the past few days. I needed to sell some stock now that the prices have gone up. I think they’ve topped out and don’t want to wait until they start dropping.”
She felt as though he was speaking another language. “Stocks?”
“Yeah. I fool around with the stock market.” He shot her a boyish grin. “It’s fun. It’s a numbers game, a puzzle at times, but I enjoy it.” He closed down the computer, pushed out of his chair and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Come on. I need to change and then I’ll take you down to Haven.”
Her stomach clenched. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” She didn’t think either of them should be out running around town, not until they knew where Vladimir was. She needed a weapon too. If the only way to kill a vampire was to behead him, she needed a sword or an axe or at least a sharp chef’s knife.
She hated walking around the city feeling so totally exposed. She also knew Damek wouldn’t be pleased either when he found out. And he would find out. Of that, she had no doubt.
She wouldn’t be surprised if some sort of silent alarm had gone off the moment they’d left the apartment. Craig was certain he’d shut down all alarms, but she wasn’t quite as confident as he was. All the way over here, she’d kept expecting Damek to appear out of the dark and confront them. Since he hadn’t, maybe Craig’s skills with locks and security systems were as good as he seemed to think they were. He was obviously a computer geek who understood how such things worked.
It wouldn’t do her any good to keep worrying about it. She put it out of her mind and looked around and simply let herself enjoy being in Craig’s home.
His bedroom was simple, but the furniture was good quality wood. A dark-green comforter covered the bed and wooden blinds covered the windows. She peered out the window at the city skyline. Streetlights, signs and stoplights illuminated the sky for as far as the eye could see. She looked up and down the street but saw only a few people out walking.
She sighed and turned away, finishing her examination of the room.
There were no pictures on the walls in here, no knickknacks or books, making the room feel stark. She had a feeling he slept here and nothing more. He really lived in his office. That’s the only place she’d seen anything remotely personal.
“Do you want to borrow a shirt or sweater?” Craig yanked off the sweater that had been in the knapsack Damek had had delivered. He tossed it onto the chair in the corner, went to the closet and pulled out a black long-sleeved pullover.