Campbell detected a hint of threat in Salmeri’s words, but he didn’t acknowledge it. The vamp was used to scaring others to get his way. Well, Campbell didn’t scare easily.
He nodded to Len and Kaja that it was time to go.
“You’re forgetting your photo,” Salmeri said.
Campbell looked back at Salmeri, wearing his surface cool with a practiced air. “You keep it. Maybe it’ll help jog your memory.”
With that, Campbell and the rest of the team filed out of the restaurant, intently aware of all the eyes on them and the level of malevolence thick inside.
Once they were out on the street, Kaja glanced back at the entrance. “Can I just rip that guy’s throat out and be done with it?”
“Get in line,” Len said.
“I wouldn’t mourn his loss, but we need to watch him instead,” Campbell said. “He knows something. I saw it in his eyes.”
“Eyes I’d like to poke out,” Kaja said quietly.
Though he’d love to let Kaja do whatever she wanted to Salmeri, would even lend a helping hand, he was the leader of this team. The one who had to ensure the rules were followed by all vampires, including his friends.
Including himself.
* * *
Olivia thought she might as well get used to not sleeping very well ever again. After several insomnia-filled hours, she finally drifted into REM shortly before dawn. It seemed as though she’d only just shut her eyes when her alarm clock started blaring as though it was trumpeting the end of the world.
“Turn it off before I come in there and shoot it,” Mindy yelled from the living room.
Olivia slapped the button to quiet the clock, then lay there staring at the ceiling and trying to remember the last time she’d had a day off from work. She let herself fantasize about what she’d do if business picked up enough to where she could hire another cook and waitress. She’d wander through the Met, eat somewhere besides her own kitchen, hang out in the park with Herbie, Roscoe and their friends, and enjoy the feel of the wind and sunshine on her face.
She let out a long sigh at the elusiveness of all those things. When she finally dragged herself out of bed, she felt as if she were slogging through hip-deep mud. Her brain was sending the appropriate signals to her arms and legs, but they didn’t seem to want to obey.
A shower helped marginally, but she was still not up to par when she wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a huge mug of the strong coffee Mindy had made.
“You look about how I feel,” Mindy said when Olivia joined her in the living room.
“Then you must feel as if you’ve been through the wringer a few times and have the energy of a slug.”
“That about sums it up.”
Olivia took a drink and stared at a random spot on the coffee table. She’d had just one too many shocks lately. Hiding a burned vampire in her freezer and giving him what felt like half her blood was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
“I feel as if I need an energy drink to even make it down the stairs,” Mindy said.
“What I wouldn’t give for a day at a spa. Massages, facials, manis and pedis, maybe a new hairstyle.”
“Now you’re just being mean, putting that idea in my head.”
“Misery loves company,” Olivia said.
This felt right, joking around with her best friend. She tried not to think about what she would have to give up to keep this type of relationship with Mindy.
They slipped into silence as they drank the rest of the pot of coffee.
“Guess we better get to it,” Olivia finally forced herself to say. “Don’t want to scare poor Rusty by being late to open again.”
She beat Rusty to the front door by about thirty seconds. “Morning, Rusty,” she said when he slipped inside. “What’ll it be?”
“Feels like an oatmeal-and-whole-grain-toast morning.”
“Coming right up,” she said as Mindy came out with his coffee.
“You girls need a day off. You work too hard.”
“We were just thinking the same thing this morning,” Mindy said.
“Alas, days off don’t pay the bills,” Olivia said.
Though she was still tired, some of her fatigue receded as she dived into her morning routine.
“Oh, Lord,” Rusty said as he opened his paper.
“What?” Mindy asked from where she was putting the cash in the register.
“Those kidnappers got someone else, a teenage boy on his way to school this time. Poor kid.”
A kid in the hands of vampires. Had he been taken because they’d failed in abducting her? Nausea welled up in Olivia and she had to force it down through pure willpower. She couldn’t imagine the horror his parents were going through.
And the reality that the threat hadn’t gone away simply because Campbell had killed those two guys made her even sicker. How many kidnappers were there? How many people were they after?
As the next several minutes progressed as they usually did, Olivia couldn’t get her mind off the boy and what he must be going through. She tried to focus on something else by looking up at the sound of the front door opening again. But instead of a customer, it was a woman carrying a huge vase of roses, pale pink ones with dark pink at the tips of the petals.
“I have a delivery for Olivia DaCosta.”
Olivia stared at them for several seconds in disbelief. He’d sent her flowers? When a few curious stares and even a couple of appreciative sounds came from the customers, she hurried to the front counter to take the roses.
“I’m Olivia,” she said.
“Lucky girl,” the delivery lady said. “These are the prettiest roses we have in the shop.”
“Thank you.” Olivia tried not to be obvious when she grabbed the card and slipped it into her back pocket.
“Looks as if someone’s been holding out on us,” Rusty said as he gave her a wink. “Do tell.”
“Nothing to tell.”
“That’s not what those roses say.”
“Stop embarrassing her, nosy,” Jane said from her spot next to the window.
When Rusty shifted his attention to Jane, Olivia took the opportunity to grab the flowers and retreat to the kitchen. She set them in the corner so she could look at them as she worked. It was remarkably difficult to keep the wide, silly grin tugging at her mouth from fully forming. No need in feeding the curiosity fire.
She flipped the bacon and sausage before slipping the card out of her pocket, then out of its little envelope. “Olivia, thank you for everything. Sorry I couldn’t stay last night. C.”
Mindy brought some dirty dishes into the kitchen and placed them in the sink. “You shouldn’t have accepted them.”
Olivia bit her tongue. She was tired of the constant Campbell bashing. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she had no idea what it felt like to lose family members to vampires. Mindy didn’t hate without good reason.
“I don’t mean to be such a bitch,” Mindy said.
“I understand. And...I’ll break off contact. It’s just...” She stared at the roses until tears pooled in her eyes.
“You have no idea how much I wish this guy was still human,” Mindy said. “I’d be planning your wedding already.”
The thought of a wedding caused a pang in Olivia’s chest.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think,” Mindy said.
“It’s okay.” She’d never thought she’d even want to think about getting married again after losing Jeremy. Now... She shrugged at the situation in which she found herself, falling for a guy who not only posed a very real threat but was also one she’d never be allowed to marry. No church, no human authority would ever recognize it. She glanced at the flowers. “I’m just going to enjoy the flowers because they’re pretty.”
Mindy surprised her by giving her a big hug before returning to the front of the restaurant.