A Drop of Red by Chris Marie Green Page A

him to get out of his med habit, and Dawn had gone the extra mile to help him this past year while on the road: intervention, visits to more doctors and therapists. Kiko had worked to get clean, but he was too hooked.
    She locked gazes with him, damned if she’d be the first to glance away.
    “I hate to see you like this,” she said, “but if getting knocked off the team is what’s going to put you in gear, Kik, then I’m not going to go against Costin if he’s brought in someone to take your place. I’m tired of trying everything I can think of.”
    Kiko shrugged, but it didn’t fool Dawn. Back in L.A., he’d been a “little person” thespian, and even though he could act! like hell, his career had failed along with his back.
    “It’s easy for you to be okay with that job security, ain’t it?” He redirected his glare to the deadened, charred fireplace. “You’re so key that the boss is never going to let you go.”
    She didn’t answer, because Frank was walking back into the room bearing a tray of beverages. Natalia trailed him.
    As Psychic Number Two sat in her chair, sans coat this time, Frank poured her a cup of coffee. The aroma of roasted nuts should’ve smelled comforting. Should’ve.
    Frank gave Kiko a steaming cup, too, which Kik didn’t drink.
    Her dad didn’t remark on that, merely handing Dawn a glass of supplement juice and winking at her. He’d no doubt caught her entire conversation with Kiko from the kitchen with his vamp hearing, muffled or not.
    Man, it was hard to live with these guys.
    “You two were talking about the whole ‘key’ thing?” Frank asked, refraining from a drink of his own as he confirmed Dawn’s suspicions about overhearing. “Is that where we want to start with Natalia?”
    “I’m not sure where to start,” Dawn said.
    Kiko fixed his gaze on the new girl across the way. “I was just saying to Dawn that none of us can be too cozy when the boss hires us. Not unless you’re key.”
    Backup Psychic sipped from her delicate cup, listening intently, withstanding Kiko’s stare like a pro.
    Impressed, Dawn gave her a few brownie points. But just a few. Costin might’ve looked into the girl’s head, yet what if she was better than any other type of vamp at shielding? What if this new Underground didn’t give off any preter vibes at all?
    “What Kiko means,” Frank said, assuming his place by the fireplace mantel, “is that Dawn is key to the team. Once upon a time, he had a vision about how important she’d be to bringing down this whole bad-vamp house of fangs.”
    Kiko added, “And that vision came true. Or, at least, it’s on its way to being fulfilled.”
    Frank gave the floor to Confident Kiko. “Then maybe you should explain and we’ll take it from there.”
    “Eh, I’m not so on board with dumping all my intel on some poppy-wearing gift who walks in off the street. Or maybe Ms. Putri has already sensed what she needs to know by now?”
    Dawn cringed at Kiko’s implied challenge as Natalia gently laid down her cup on a saucer, then transferred the set to a nearby end table.
    “I think both you and I know that we don’t divine anything and everything, Koo-Koo.” The new girl put on a sweet smile. “It comes when it wishes—we cannot turn it on and off. So unless you’ve already sensed everything about me , I would be more than happy to make you comfortable with my background.”
    Latching on to the girl’s obvious eagerness to land this job, Dawn settled in for a good listen. It was weird that Natalia was so desperate, even if she had said she trusted her visions more than anything else.
    Then again, maybe that made total sense in their world.
    At any rate, “Koo-Koo” seemed focused on the fact that Natalia wasn’t telling him to go to hell yet.
    “What Kik is saying,” Dawn offered, “is that your hiring is pretty sudden. We’re used to depending on each other and not really anyone else.”
    “I understand,” Natalia