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 You re welcome. I didn t exactly expect you
to have pulled a blade and kidnapped a human.
He glanced at Sarah.  What happened?
 Don t know. Drugs? Glamour? I m not sure.
Either way, we need to get her out of here.
 I m right behind you, he said with a nod,
and we made our way to the elevators.
The doors were open when we got there; I
helped Sarah inside while Jonah mashed buttons
until the doors closed, muting the sounds of
fighting behind us. I slipped the dagger back into
my boot.
It wasn t until we were halfway down the
building again that I let out the breath I d been
holding. I glanced over at Sarah.  Are you
okay?
She nodded.  I m okay. But all those other
people in there. We need to get them out, too.
Jonah and I exchanged a glance.
 Maybe you could call the police? she asked.
 Tell them about the party, and when they come,
they can get the rest of the humans out?
Jonah looked back at me.  If the cops come . .
.
I nodded, understanding his concern. If it took
cops to shut this thing down, we d be swimming
in bad press and right back in the mayor s office
 assuming Tate hadn t already issued Ethan s
warrant.
But maybe we didn t need the cops. Maybe
we just needed the fear of the cops. . . .
 We can beat them to it, I said as the elevator
doors opened again.  Help her outside. I ll meet
you there in a minute.
We shifted positions at Sarah s side, and while
they shuffled to the front door, I hustled to the
security desk. The guard s gaze followed Jonah
and Sarah out the front door, his hand on the
walkie-talkie on his desk.
 Hey, I said when I reached it, drawing his
attention to me.  We just got a call the cops are
on their way to the top floor. You better head
upstairs and make sure they clear out, or there s
sure to be arrests and a gigantic mess. I know you
don t want that in the papers tomorrow. Your,
um, fanged clientele won t be happy about it.
The guard nodded with understanding, then
picked up his walkie, turned a knob, and asked
for backup. I hoped he had enough of it and
maybe some vampire repellent while he was at it.
I left him to his preparations, gulping in fresh,
untainted air when I made it outside again. I
watched Jonah and Sarah hobble across the street
to a small square of green. He helped Sarah to a
wrought iron bench; I stayed where I was until I
was sure my mind was clear and my hunger was
under control.
A minute or two later, I crossed the street.
 Evacuation in progress, I told Jonah, then
crouched down in front of Sarah.  How are you
feeling?
She nodded.  I m okay. Just really, really
embarrassed. She pressed a hand to her
stomach. Whatever haze had silenced her passed,
and she began to sob in earnest.
Jonah and I exchanged an uncomfortable
glance.
 Sarah, I softly said.  Can you tell us what
happened? How did you end up there?
 I heard vamps were having this party. She
rubbed a hand beneath her nose.  I thought, oh,
vampires, that could be fun, you know? At first it
was okay. But then I don t know. The tension
in the room got kind of high, and then I started to
feel really weird, and I sat down on the floor. I
could see them out of the corners of my eyes.
They d move around and take a look at me, like
they were trying to see if I was ready.
 Ready? I asked.
 Ready to give blood? She shuddered and
sighed.  And then you came along. She shook
her head.  I m just really embarrassed. I
shouldn t have been there. I shouldn t have
gone. She looked up at me.  I really want to go
home. Do you think you could find me a cab?
 On it, Jonah said, stepping back to the road
to scan for passing cabs. It was late, but we were
still within a couple of blocks of Michigan, so it
wasn t completely unlikely that we d find one.
As he moved away, I looked down at Sarah
again.  Sarah, how did you find out about the
party?
She blushed and looked away.
 It would really help us if you could tell me. It
might help us put a stop to these parties.
She sighed, then nodded.  My girlfriend and I
were out at a bar one of those vampire bars?
We met a guy there.
 Do you know which vampire bar?
 Temple?
My stomach sank. That was the Cadogan bar.
 Go on.
 So, I went outside to get some fresh
air there were a lot of people in there and
there was a guy outside. He said a party was
happening and we d have a good time. My
friend, Brit, didn t want to go, but I wanted to,
you know, see what it was about.
So Sarah had gotten info about the rave at
Temple Bar, and Jonah had found the phone at
Benson s. That meant the folks who frequented
the bars also knew about the raves. Ethan was
going to be pissed about that one.
 The guy you talked to what did he look
like?
 Oh, um, he was kinda short. Older. Dark hair.
Kind of grizzled-looking? And there was a girl
with him. I remember because she had on this,
like, gigantic hat, so I couldn t see her face. Oh,
but when I was walking back inside, he called her
name. It was kind of old-fashioned, like Mary or
Martha. . . . Sarah squeezed her eyes closed as
she tried to remember.
My heart thudded in anticipation.  Was it
Marie?
Her eyes popped open again.  Yeah! It was
Marie. How did you know?
 Lucky guess, I said. I may not have known a
particularly short man, but I knew a vamp with a
predilection for causing trouble. And once upon a
time, she had been known as Marie.
Before I could ask a follow-up question, Sarah
grimaced.
 Are you okay?
 Just a headache. There was something weird
in their air, I think.
Excellent segue to my next question.  Did you
take anything while you were there? Maybe a
drink someone handed you?
She shook her head.  You re asking about
drugs, but I don t do drugs. And I know not to
drink anything I didn t pour myself. But I did see
this. Another girl a human handed it to me.
She pulled a small paper envelope, the kind
that might hold a gift tag, from her pocket. It was
white, and there was a V inscribed on the front. I
stuffed it into my pocket for later. And then I
asked a question that made me hate myself a
little bit, but it had to be asked. The stakes were
too high.
I had to know if she posed a risk to Cadogan.
 Sarah, are you thinking about going to the
police?
Her eyes widened.  Oh, God, no. I shouldn t
have gone to the party, and if my parents found
out, if my boyfriend found out, they would freak.
Besides, she shyly added,  if I called the cops,
you d get in trouble, too, right? You re a
vampire, too, but you helped me.
I nodded, relief in my chest.  I am a vampire,
I confirmed.  My name s Merit.
She smiled a little.  Merit. I like that. It kind of
describes you. Like you were always meant to be
good, you know?
This time, I was the one sniffing back a sudden
errant tear.
The clack of a car door opening pulled my
gaze to the street. Jonah stood beside a black and
white cab, door open.  Let s get you home.
Sarah nodded. She still wobbled on her feet,
but we made it the dozen or so feet to the cab. At
the door, she turned back and smiled at me.
 Will you be okay? I asked.
She nodded.  I will. Thank you.
 You don t have to thank me. I m sorry about
what happened. I m sorry they made you feel
uncomfortable.
 It s forgotten. But I won t forget this, she
said,  not what you did tonight. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]