“Until now.”
“We just have to be cautious. Doesn’t mean we have to go around afraid all the time. That’s not the kind of life I want to lead, especially after it was spared during the Bokor outbreak.”
Olivia decided she liked Chloe a lot, really admired her attitude and outlook on life. “So how did you start working with V Force?”
“My brother was turned toward the tail end of the pandemic, and Campbell’s team found him and helped him through his transition. Now he’s sort of their unofficial doctor. Ethan told me about them and how they did their work. When he told me that their source for holy water at St. Patrick’s had died, I went the next day and made a very successful argument for the church to hire me so I could help V Force. Of course, I didn’t tell the church officials that last part.”
“If you don’t mind my saying, you have a very different attitude toward vampires than I’d say pretty much everyone.”
Chloe glanced toward her. “Except you.”
“Oh, no, I held the prevailing attitude until a few days ago.”
“Really? What changed then?”
“Campbell showed up outside my building to apologize for almost killing me.”
Chloe jerked her attention to Olivia, a wide-eyed look of surprise on her face. “What?”
“He didn’t tell you how we met?” Olivia said.
“Um, no. Wait, Ethan told me Campbell came into the blood bank recently in full-on bloodlust. Is that when it happened?”
Olivia pushed down the remembered terror. “Yeah. I’ve never been so frightened in my life.”
“And an apology changed that?”
“Sounds insane, doesn’t it?”
“Or fate.”
“I think it’s more likely I’ve gone completely loony.”
Chloe made another turn and headed along the edge of the park. “Maybe not. He’s attractive. A good guy.”
“A vampire who shares my blood type.”
“Okay, I’ll grant you it’s problematic.”
“Try impossible.”
Chloe didn’t have anything to say in response. Her inability to claim that there was a way Olivia and Campbell could maybe see where things would go caused a fresh sadness to wash through Olivia.
When they reached the area of the park where Olivia normally distributed the meals, Olivia directed Chloe to a pull-off. With the box of food in hand, Olivia made her way toward the group of people sitting on the benches passing the time, Chloe beside her.
“Olivia,” an older man said as he stood and toddled toward her.
“Hey, Herbie. Your arthritis bothering you today?”
“Oh, you know it. Weather changes and my old bones feel they have to protest. Where you been? We were worried.”
“Have had a little trouble with my car.” No need to concern Herbie and his friends any more than they already were. They had enough to worry about surviving day to day.
Attitudes toward the homeless hadn’t changed after the pandemic, so their lives certainly weren’t any easier. People in power were still more likely to hire and rent to the people coming to New York from other cities, states and countries than those who’d lived here their entire lives but who called the streets their home.
Herbie gestured toward Chloe. “You have a mighty pretty chauffeur.”
“Why, thank you,” Chloe said. “You’re a handsome devil yourself.”
Herbie got a good laugh out of that, as did the rest of his buddies.
The guys tried not to show it, but they were obviously glad to get a meal. Olivia couldn’t help wondering if they’d eaten since she’d seen them last, if the shelters that provided food had been full. Though it wasn’t her fault, guilt nevertheless swamped her at the thought that they’d been hungry all that time. Chloe endeared herself to her even more when she sat down next to Herbie’s best friend, Roscoe, who was trying in vain to get a splinter out of his finger. She pulled out her tweezers and made quick work of it.
“I think I’m in love,” Roscoe said, earning himself a kiss on the cheek from Chloe.
When they got ready to leave to head to another part of the park, Herbie grabbed her hand, then Chloe’s. “You girls be careful. We’ve been hearing awful stories about girls being stolen right off the street.”
“We’re being careful,” Chloe assured him.
Olivia squeezed his hand. “What have you heard?” Maybe he’d know something that could help Campbell and his team.
“These girls get taken, and nobody sees them again. Get taken underground. Permanent blood supply for big-shot vampires, the ones with money.”
“What else?”
Herbie shook his head. “That’s all I know.”
As Chloe drove away from Herbie and his friends, something about what he’d said was tickling the back of Olivia’s brain.
“You okay?” Chloe asked.
“Yeah.”
But she remained unsettled throughout the rest of their deliveries and all the way back to the diner. “You want to come in for some pie? I have fresh lemon meringue.”
“That sounds wonderful, but I’ll take a rain check. Got to get back to work.”
“Thank you for doing this. It means a lot. And thank Campbell for me, too.”
Chloe smiled. “I think I’ll let you take care of that last part yourself.” She glanced at the diner. “I hope you and your friend patch things up.”
“Me, too.”
By the time Olivia got inside, she had to race to get ready for the midday rush.
“Where’s Mindy?” asked Faye Jarvis, who worked down the street at a chiropractic clinic.
“She had something she had to do today.” Like be furious at Olivia.
When the last of the lunch customers left, Olivia collapsed into a chair, exhausted. The quiet began to weigh on her, making her realize how alone she was. Though he was the reason she was alone, she called Campbell since she knew he wouldn’t be asleep.
“Raines,” he said, sounding distracted.
“Hey. I called to thank you for sending Chloe over to help with the food deliveries.”
“No problems?” He sounded less distracted but still not totally like himself.
“No. We’re both back at work.”
“Good.”
“Campbell?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you helping me?” She felt as if she was treading into dangerous territory but that she had to know the answer to the questions uppermost in her mind—was he experiencing the same types of feelings she was? Was that kiss playing over and over in his mind? Did he think it was a mistake? Did he think about it at all?
He was quiet for several moments before saying, “Atonement. For what happened that first day.”
“Oh.” Her heart sank, and she chided herself for caring so much when she knew nothing could come of it. What a fool she was.
“Why did you want to know?”
“Curiosity.” She tried to sound casual and hoped she’d pulled it off. How had she totally misread the look in his eyes the night before? The urgency of the kiss? Had she simply seen what she wanted to see? “By the way, I don’t know if this helps at all, but when I was talking to one of the guys in the park today, he said he’d heard that the girls who are being taken are being kept underground. For vampires who are wealthy enough to pay big bucks for them.”
“That’s not a surprise.”
Though he didn’t sound derogatory at all, his comment felt like a slap. Maybe it was just that she wanted to be able to help and had offered up nothing useful.
“Okay, I...I don’t know what I thought. Listen, it’s busy, so I need to get back to work. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.”
She hung up as his last word still hung in the air, the only sound in the emptiness around her. She scolded herself for being such an idiot, but that still didn’t prevent tears from blurring her vision as she sliced a large piece of lemon pie. When she got through the rest of this day, she was taking what was left of this pie upstairs and eating every single bite. She’d eat her way back to sanity.