Sex and the Single Vamp by Robin Covington Page B

feeding the information into the right folders to make sure he was one step ahead of the police. A pop-up text from Andy caught his attention and he cursed when he read the contents.
    “What?” Cici turned, her emotions under control once again.
    “We’ve got to get moving.” He thumbed through the last of the message and slid the phone in his pocket. “The cops took the bait and are processing the paperwork to bring you in for questioning.”
    “Jesus. Why don’t they just arrest me?” She followed him out of the room, keeping close on his heels as they exited the house the way they came. He glanced up and down the street, remaining in the shadows of the porch while he listened to the sounds in the night air.
    No tail. Not even a cop on duty to watch the house. Dumbasses. If this were his case, he’d have two men watching this house 24-7. For once he was glad they were being sloppy.
    “You’ve got an alibi for the first murders since you were being interviewed on TV and the judge is skittish to arrest a media darling like you with such a big hole in the story,” he said.
    “Thank God for Entertainment Nightly .”
    “Don’t send them a thank-you basket. Please .” He slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and eased out onto the street. They remained quiet for a few moments while he made sure they weren’t followed before he relaxed back against his seat, navigating the light traffic on the roads at this hour. “Actually, you need to thank the moron who thought the department should be divided into two sides, one for the humans and one for Others.”
    “Why should I thank him?”
    “When cases involve human and Other victims, they spend more time jockeying for position than solving the crime. This case is moving at the speed of sludge due to the bickering. We’ve got time.”
    “Is that why you left the force?”
    He jumped on I-495 North and headed toward Cici’s house, the traffic picking up on the highway. Concentrating on the other drivers kept him from launching into a diatribe on what he now hated about the job he’d loved for so long. If he hadn’t opened Aura Mortis, he would have been really lost. The job was all he had for so long and the loss had been much harder than he expected.
    “When the pissing contests between the sides became more important than solving the crime, I had to leave.”
    “I’m sure you were missed when you left.” He glanced over in the gloom at her face, only catching glimpses when the oncoming headlights flashed into his truck. She met his gaze for two beats and then reached across the console to squeeze his thigh. “Or not.”
    Deacon stared out at the road. He’d never spoken to anyone about how much it had hurt to be turned on by his brothers when they found out what he was. Men he’d sworn to take a bullet for rejected him because he didn’t have a heartbeat. Friends who’d had him over to their houses for barbecues were suddenly afraid to let him near their children.
    Brothers. Partners. Men he no longer trusted to have his back. One more point in his book against Others and humans trying to mesh their worlds. It never worked out.
    Cici squeezed his thigh once more, communicating that she got it. He didn’t know how, but she understood. He lowered his hand to cover hers, not pulling away when she threaded her fingers with his.
    “Or not,” he said.
    They rode in silence until they reached her house and he pulled around back along the alley, stopping at her back door. He cut the engine and exited the truck, scanning the area for unwanted visitors before heading to her door and opening it for her to leap out.
    “So what’s next?” Cici asked.
    “I have a source I want to talk to. If anyone has a lead on the scum of the earth, he’ll know.”
    She laughed. “Is this source a friend of yours?”
    He thought about that. His interaction with Antonio was a strange one from the beginning so many years ago. Sometimes they were allies,