His black satin cape was lined in red, and his black hair curled inside the stand-up collar. "If I was making a vampire movie, I'd hire you in a second."
Carlos cleared his throat. "If you two are finished admiring each other, we'll get on with this." He
approached the back kitchen door and knocked lightly. The maid peered out the window and smiled when Carlos waved. She opened the door and spoke to him softly in Spanish. He motioned to Toni and Ian, and the maid nodded.
"Maria's letting me sneak up the back stairs," Carlos told them. "I'll collect Bri's stuff and meet you downstairs. She says the doctor's in the library at the front of the house." "I'll go around." Ian disappeared into the shadows. Carlos slipped up the back stairs, while Maria escorted Toni to the library.
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Dr. Joe Proctor was pacing behind his desk, talking on his cell phone. "Look, Jenkins, you're supposed to be the best PI in the business. Don't tell me you can't find one lousy girl." He paused, rubbing a hand over his balding head. "Yeah, I realize she must be getting help. It's--" He spotted Toni at the library entrance. "I'll call you back."
He dropped his phone on the desk as he approached Toni. "Who are you?" "I'm Toni Davis, Sabrina's roommate." He hesitated, then broke into a big grin. "Toni, how wonderful to meet you. You must be terribly
worried about Sabrina. Let me assure you, I am sparing no expense to find her. You wouldn't happen to know anything about her disappearance, would you?"
"You'll never find her." His smile morphed into a snarl. "You helped her escape, didn't you?" He strode back to his desk and grabbed his phone. "I'm handing you over to the police. Of course, you could avoid being arrested if you just tell me where Sabrina is."
"Go ahead. Call the police. I'd like to report some crimes. Let's see, there's medical malpractice for claiming Bri was delusional when she wasn't."
He lifted his chin. "Any psychiatrist would agree with my diagnosis." "Then there's the embezzlement of her trust fund and holding her prisoner so you could steal more of her money."
He snapped his phone shut. "You can't prove any of that."
Toni strolled toward him. "Once the police investigate your financial records, it'll be very clear. You imprisoned Sabrina. You poisoned her mind. You tried to steal her entire life from her." "No, no." He waved a hand in the air. "I wouldn't have kept her locked up forever. I just needed a
little money to pay off a few gambling debts." "And then there would have been more gambling debts." Proctor's eyes narrowed. "Those guys would have killed me. I didn't have any choice." "Those guys are the least of your problems. Have you wondered how Bri escaped?" He watched her warily. "Of course I wondered." "You locked her away because she said vampires are real. But only a vampire could have helped
her escape." "You're as crazy as she is." Proctor's eyes lit up. "I'll lock you both up." Toni smiled. "You can try. But first let me introduce you to someone." She lifted a hand to cue
Ian, who was waiting outside by the window. His body materialized in the middle of the room. Proctor gasped and stepped back. "What? This--this is some kind of trick." Ian raised his arms, spreading his cape wide. "You doona believe in the existence of the Undead?"
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Toni bit her lip to keep from laughing. Ian's fake Transylvanian accent still had a touch of Scottish in it.
"Im-impossible," Proctor breathed. Ian zoomed toward the desk at vampire speed. Proctor stumbled back and knocked against the bookcase.
"Ye will believe." Ian levitated into the air.
Toni winced as his head almost bumped the ceiling. At least Proctor looked truly terrified as he cowered behind his desk. She just thought Ian looked incredibly cute. He dropped onto the desk, and with a flash, his eyes glowed a brighter blue and his fangs sprang
out. Toni flinched. That wasn't very cute. Proctor huddled on the floor, lifting his arms in a defensive posture. "Don't hurt me. Please." With a hiss, Ian flipped his cape back over his broad shoulders. Toni wobbled as her knees grew
weak. Good grief, he was in full monster mode, and all she could think of was Bite me. How strange that the Malcontent attack had left her terrified and disgusted, while the thought of Ian biting her made her skin tingle with anticipation.
Her