are allowed to use it on me. So Ringo gave me a drug that blocks it.”
Shit.
I swallowed hard and plastered a smile on my face. “Of course not, sweetie. I meant every word. You give me his address, and I’ll make it worth your while.”
He sighed and pushed me off him. “Sorry, Dani, but you’re just not my type. But I’ll give you the address just so you’ll get out of here.” He typed something on his computer and then scribbled something on a sticky-note. “Here you go. Now don’t say I never did anything for you.”
I looked down at the address and smiled broadly, then kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Jonie, you’re the best!”
As I was leaving, he called out, “Thanks for making our future working relationship hella awkward!”
“You’re welcome,” I sing-songed from the hallway, knowing that was probably the last time I’d ever see him again.
15
Daniela
I stared incredulously at the humongous white mansion sprawled out before me.
“He fucking lives here? What kind of money is this guy making?” Judson asked, mirroring my thoughts.
“I don’t know but it’s much too big for just him.”
Just then, a Bentley pulled up and a distinguished-looking man—a vampire who wasn’t Ringo—emerged from the house. A driver with white-blond hair got out and opened the back door for the man. After he got in, they drove away, and the house seemed even more eerily quiet.
I observed the circular driveway with a thick overhang in front—no doubt to shield from the sun—immaculately trimmed bushes and flowers, and all-black windows. An ornate door-knocker sat on the huge wooden front door. “Let me find out this asshole is living like this while I rent a damn room from a human just to have a roof over my head.”
“No shit,” Judson replied from the passenger seat of my SUV.
“So you think I should just knock on the door and ask for Ringo, or what?” I asked.
“Not sure… don’t think there’s any other way. Surely there are cameras and security everywhere else if you try to sneak in.”
I sighed. “Agreed. If he answers the door, which is unlikely, I’ll just stab him in the neck. If he doesn’t, I’ll kill him once I reach him. If I’m not out in an hour, just leave. Okay?”
He stared at me in horror. “No, not okay. At all. If you’re not out in thirty, I’m coming in to get you.” He pulled a pistol from his waistband and racked the slide. “Silver bullets dipped in holy water.”
I grinned at him. “The silver won’t do much. Unless there are werewolves in there. The holy water will definitely pack a punch.”
He threw his fist in the air. “Yes! I at least got one right.”
“Okay, Buffy, calm down. Let’s be level-headed about this. It’ll be easy. I’ll sweeten him up then stab him in the chest with this dagger.” I pulled it out of the small of my back. I wished I could have had it blessed with holy water, but that would have obviously hurt me, too.
“It still scares me. Please be safe.”
“I promise I will.” I kissed him on the cheek and left the car running, my keys inside, in case he needed a quick getaway.
Dressed in all black, I went to the front door and rang the bell. A tall man in a suit answered. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, I’m looking for Ringo. He’s expecting me,” I lied.
The man looked me up and down, and sensing I was a vampire, as was he, he opened the door. “Upstairs, first door on the right.”
“Thanks, Lurch,” I replied with a wink.
He rolled his eyes—actually rolled them—and said in his deep, Lurch-like voice, “Like I’ve never heard that before.”
I giggled and made my way up the long, circular staircase. Once I was at the top, I rounded the corner and steadied my breathing. I knocked twice on the door and waited for it to open. A woman answered—wearing only a see-through lacy black robe—and looked me up and down. “What do you want?”
Crap. I was hoping he’d be alone.
Without answering, I pushed her down onto the floor and then drove the dagger into her chest. She barely had time to let out a squeak before she crumpled to a pile of ash and lace.
“What the fuck, Dani!” Ringo roared. “If you wanted my dick you could have just said so instead of killing off the competition. Geez!”
I lunged at him with the dagger, but he side-stepped me and I missed. Then, he snatched the