The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands Page A

ready," Bricker said, taking the empty blood bags with him to throw away in the kitchen.
    Mortimer nodded in acknowledgment and then moved to the windows and peered outside. The clack of a screen door drew his attention to the neighboring lawn. Mortimer slid the screen open and stepped out to see Alex and Sam huddled over a pot on the barbecue. Mortimer didn't know what was in it, but he'd seen them put it on the barbecue to boil when Bricker had first gone into the bathroom to take his bath.
    Mortimer had found himself repeatedly drawn to the screen doors to watch the activity next door. Even as the men had lectured him, he'd stood grumbling suitable responses as he watched the women hustle about, preparing for their "power outage party."
    Unfortunately, doing so had only made him more certain than ever that Samantha Willan was not for him. The woman was unbearably clumsy. She'd lost her balance countless times, dropping two drinks, a plate, silverware, and Lord knew what else as they'd rushed about setting the table and working at the barbecue. She couldn't possibly be meant for him.
    The clatter of Bricker's feet on the stairs made him sigh heavily and turn back to move inside. He was pulling the door closed when the younger immortal stepped off the bottom stair and announced, "Decker is just getting out of the shower. He said to go ahead without him; he'll finish up and bite a quick bag or two and then follow."
    "Why don't we just wait for him and go together?" Mortimer suggested.
    "Because it's seven o'clock and that's when the girls said to be there when they brought their food over to put in the refrigerator. We'll just go over and tell them Decker will be right along." Bricker moved past him as he spoke and slid through the still-open screen door. "Come on, buck up. Parties are supposed to be fun."
    "Right," Mortimer said on a small sigh, and followed reluctantly.
    Sam was gone from the deck when they reached the Willan cottage, as was the pot that had been on the barbecue for the last hour or so. Alex was still there, however, hovering over an assortment of burgers, sausages, and strips of steaks grilling on the barbecue.
    "Welcome." She greeted them with a bright smile as they stepped onto the deck and then frowned slightly as she saw there were only the two of them. "Isn't your friend coming?"
    "Decker will be right along," Bricker assured her. "We had to take turns at the showers and he's still getting ready."
    "Oh." A crooked smile curved her lips, and then she shrugged. "I hope he doesn't take too long. This stuff is almost done."
    "He'll be quick," Mortimer assured her, and then added, "Bricker is the only beauty queen in the bunch. He takes forever about his toilette."
    "I do," Bricker admitted with a shameless grin. "I like to soak until my skin is nearly falling off."
    "So does our Jo," Alex said with amusement, and then offered, "Would the two of you like a beer?"
    Mortimer hesitated, his glance slipping to Bricker. Alcohol didn't have the same effect on them that it would on a mortal. Rather than give them a buzz, it merely forced their blood to work harder at removing the chemicals that caused that effect in mortals, which made them thirsty for something else entirely. Still, he knew it was a social drink and expected at barbecues. It might seem odd if they declined. And they had consumed extra blood.
    "They're cold," Alex added temptingly, and when they both glanced at her in surprise, added, "We've been using Mother Nature's cooler. The lake," she added when that didn't clear their confusion. "It was Sam's idea. We put some pops and beer and such in fish baskets and sank them in the lake off the dock."
    "That's clever," Bricker said with admiration. "Isn't that clever, Mortimer?"
    "Yes, it's clever," Mortimer agreed, just managing not to roll his eyes at the man's obvious ploy to point out the woman's good points. It was going to be a long night.
    "We'd love a couple beers," Bricker decided for them,