Bite Club Page 0,100

The one where they were parked had sheets tacked up as curtains in the windows--those that weren't covered up with peeling, rain-warped plywood. Trash had blown up against the walls, and from the look of it, some of it was older than Claire was.

"This is it," Eve said. "You're sure."

"This is his address."

"Good. You go first."

Myrnin gave her a wicked smile. "Whatever happened towe don't need you ?"

"We don't," Eve said. "But while he's busy staking you, we can get the drop on him."

Myrnin didn't seem to see the humor in that, but he shrugged and hurried to the door, looking ridiculous in his flapping trench coat and old-lady hat, right up until he kicked in the door with one casual blow, leaned in, and said, "Please don't run. I'm not in a good mood. Better if you just sit still."

He cocked his head and listened, then smiled. What was it with vampires and chilling smiles? His made Claire grip her antivampire bag tighter and wish she hadn't stood quite so close. "Ah," he said. "And there he goes. You two wait here."

He dashed off, moving like a flicker of light. Claire looked at Eve, who shook her head and stepped over the threshold into the house. Claire stayed with her. There was some kind of commotion at the back of the house, where she presumed a rear door was located, and as the two girls walked through the deserted, messy living room (what was it with guys and old pizza boxes? Could they not throw them away?) Myrnin reappeared from the back, shoving a pale, skinny man ahead of him. The guy they were looking for, Claire supposed. He looked terrified.

"Sit," Myrnin said, and shoved the guy onto the threadbare couch. He looked around, sighed, and pushed some old pizza boxes and fast-food bags off an end table, then sat down. "You really should look into a maid. Just a thought."

"Are you Harry?" Claire asked. "Harry Anderson?"

The man was not only pale and unshaven; he was also shifty-eyed. He looked like he was lying even when he wasn't talking. When he did finally answer, it looked even worse. "No," he said. "I'm, uh, watching the place for a friend. Harry's my friend, I mean."

Eve reached into her bag and pulled out a crossbow. She stuck a lethal-looking metal bolt on it and cranked back the string. The man watched with increasing worry. "Uh, I'm not a vampire," he said.

"Yeah, I can see that, since you're wearing Oliver's Protection bracelet," Eve agreed. "That's not the only thing this is good for. You'd be surprised how effective it is on liars, too, Harry."

He licked his lips, staring at her, and then shifted his gaze to Claire. He must have decided she was nicer, because he said, "You're not going to let her do this, are you? What are you girls, anyway, twelve? Do your parents know you're hanging around with vampires old enough to be your--"

Eve snapped the trigger, and the bolt whizzed past Harry's head and buried itself in the wall next to him.

He yelped and almost jumped off the sofa, but Myrnin put a hand on his shoulder and held him down as Eve reloaded.

"Now," Eve said. "We've got some questions, Harry, and I'm going to suggest,strongly , that you just go ahead and answer them. If you think Claire is going to be any kinder to you than I am, you're very mistaken. My boyfriend's only missing. Hers is in your little fight club."

"Oh," Harry said, and then, in an entirely different and much more worried tone, "Oh.This is about--"

"ImmortalBattles-dot-com," Claire said. "You helped set it up, so you know these people. You know where they were."

"Uh, sure, but they're not there now."

"Nobody's there, idiot. They blew it up," Eve said. "You see the bruises and cuts on my friend there? That's what your friends did. They tried to blow up theFounder. How do you think that's going to go over, Harry? Because I'm thinking that you should just take this crossbow bolt straight in the heart and get it over with. She's not the forgiving type."

Harry closed his eyes and sweated, a lot. Claire waited, content to just stand there and look--well, not menacing, but maybe impatient. Myrnin, on the other hand, looked menacing. He'd shed the hat and coat, and now was perched with inhuman grace on the arm of the couch, staring down at Harry with those glowing, scary red eyes.

"Harry," he said quietly. "Do