A Vampire for Christmas - By Michele Hauf Page 0,99
and it was Eagan’s job to make sure that didn’t happen by putting a stop to the deaths and taking out the bastard behind them.
He fought down the wave of rage that threatened his control. No one deserved to suffer and die the way those kids had. There would be a reckoning and the guilty would be dealt with. He just wished that would be the end of it, but there was always another killer waiting in the wings. He should know. He’d spent decades hunting down predators and eliminating them. Always the same dance of death, one that played on and on.
Eagan waited until he was at the far end of the block before crossing over to the other corner in case Della was watching where he was going. The last thing he needed was for her to poke that cute little nose in his business. He stopped to taste the night air, hoping to pick up the trail left by those two supers and their human companion. Nothing.
They had to have gone to ground somewhere close by. He studied the area in all directions. No hint of any movement anywhere. All he could do was circle the block again and hope he got lucky. If not, he’d call it a night and try again tomorrow.
DELLA BUSSED THE LAST FEW tables herself. One of her usual helpers hadn’t shown up for work and hadn’t called. She’d learned long ago not to let herself worry too much about that sort of thing, but she couldn’t seem to help herself when it came to Daniel Cortez. Hopefully he’d check in before she turned the lights off.
Daniel’s home situation was complicated, thanks to an absentee father and a mother who often took extra jobs cleaning offices to make ends meet. When that happened, Daniel stayed home to watch over his younger siblings. With that thought in mind, she packed up some of the leftovers from the daily special so she could send them home with him in the event he came by.
She looked outside, telling herself it was Daniel she was looking for even though she knew better. Not seeing anyone out there, she turned off the neon Open sign but left the twin Christmas wreaths in the front windows plugged in, liking their soft glow in the night. Her last few customers started for the door. On her way out, Lupe stopped to talk.
“You watch out for him, Della. He’s trouble.”
At first Della thought her friend was talking about Daniel, but then Lupe glanced toward the table by the front window. Oh, Eagan, not Daniel. Well, tell her something she didn’t know.
“That was his first time here. Considering how embarrassed he was about not being able to pay for his coffee, I doubt I’ll see him again anytime soon.”
Lupe stepped closer. “But he promised to come back with the money, didn’t he? He wants something. A man like him has no reason to be hanging around a place like this.”
How had Lupe heard him when she’d been all the way over in a far corner? The place had been pretty crowded, not to mention the Christmas music playing over the intercom.
Della wiped down the counter. “I told him not to bother, that it was on the house. But why do you say that? Do you know him?”
The older woman shook her head. “I just know his type. The world would be better off without them.”
The vehemence in her friend’s voice shocked her. Lupe rarely had anything bad to say about anyone. Who did she mean by “them”? Tall men? Ones who wore dusters?
She tossed her washcloth back in the sink. “Look, all I can say is that I was glad to have him here. I still can’t believe those boys tried to rob me after I gave them pie and coffee. And right before Christmas, too!”
Her friend frowned. “I keep telling you that you’re a soft touch for every hard luck story in this town. You need to be more careful, especially when it comes to a man like him.”
Lupe gave the empty table another pointed look. “Trust me on this, Della. A lot more careful.”
Then she was gone. Della started to lock the door but realized the diner wasn’t completely empty yet. Old Harry had evidently dozed off. She went over to shake his shoulder.
“Harry, it’s time for you to go now.”
He sat up and blinked at her. “Sorry, Della. Didn’t mean to fall asleep.”