Flirting Under a Full Moon - By Ashlyn Chase Page 0,68
let me see it?”
Brandee had to think fast. How could she deflect the conversation without outright lying? “It’s my business what kind of tattoo I get, isn’t it? Besides, you’re one to talk. You have a tattoo.”
“Yeah, it’s a butterfly at the bottom of my back. No one sees it.”
“Some people call that a tramp stamp, you know.”
Angie gasped. “Do not.”
“Do too.”
“Are you calling me a tramp?”
Brandee hesitated a moment too long.
Angie’s lips thinned. “Nice work deflecting the conversation and pissing off your roommate at the same time, Brandee.”
“I wasn’t. At least I didn’t mean to.”
Angie rose. “I’m going to bed.”
“It’s only eight o’clock.”
“I’m tired. Good night.” She stormed off to her bedroom.
Brandee didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified.
***
Thanks to Captain Hunter, Nick was receiving the full cooperation of the New York Police Department in Manhattan. He’d already identified two of the suspects—“boss” and “Mr. M.”—and after some intense interrogation, they finally gave up the name of the person who’d hired them: Martin Rossi.
Though Rossi had been a fake name, Nick had enough info to track the guy to his home in the Hamptons.
Thrilled by a real ID, he decided to relax a moment and call Brandee. He missed her like crazy and figured she might be missing him too.
“Hello, beautiful. How’s my favorite waitress?”
A long pause on the other end of the phone started the hair on his arms tingling. “Brandee, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Angie. She took off.”
Nick raked his fingers through his hair. “Shit. Why?”
“She may have overheard our conversation the other night. I tried to reassure her, but she just didn’t act the same way after that. She went to bed early and mad. That’s not like her. When I woke up yesterday, she was gone.”
“People sometimes act angry when they’re really afraid. You do that too sometimes.”
“You noticed that, huh?”
“Yup. You didn’t confirm anything we talked about, did you?”
“Um, not really.”
Fuck. Mother Nature is going to fry my lying ass. Nick tried to control his voice. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I told her I couldn’t elaborate on anything I had promised to keep a secret. It might have been better for all of us if I had.”
“But you would have broken your promise if you did. Is Anthony out looking for her?”
“Yes, but so far he’s had no luck. He tracked her to the bus station, then lost her scent there.”
“Her scent?” Nick wondered what Anthony had said, if she confronted him.
“Yeah. I guess the crazy lady wasn’t so crazy after all. Anthony told me all about himself. He wouldn’t confirm any of the other stuff, though.”
“What other stuff?”
“Wizards, witches, shapeshifters, that stuff.”
“Are you okay?”
“For some reason, I am. I don’t know if Anthony did his hypnosis thing on me or not, but he convinced me I was perfectly safe like you said, even safer than at a normal bar.”
“What do you mean you don’t know if he hypnotized you or not?”
“Well, he said he didn’t. He offered to—again. But I’d rather know an awful truth instead of believing a pretty lie.”
Nick didn’t quite know what to say. On one hand, he was proud as hell of her. Anthony had told her he was a vampire, and she didn’t flip out. On the other, Anthony had told her he was a vampire. He was sure Anthony must have impressed upon her how important keeping that secret was, but Nick didn’t dare leave anything to chance.
“You’re keeping his secret just as vigilantly as you’re keeping mine, right?”
“Of course. How can you even ask that?”
“Sorry.” What else could he say? Anything more would sound as if he didn’t trust her. Mother Nature was the bigger threat. What a choice. Being dropped into an active volcano or solving an important case? It’s not like I can solve anything if she fries me in lava.
“I’m coming home.”
“Did you solve the case?”
“For now. At least I have the information I need.”
“Good. So Katie’s out of danger?”
“I didn’t say that. I need to talk to her parents and the Boston police, but I’d rather do it in person. Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll get this guy.”
“I hope so. Be careful, okay? I couldn’t stand anything happening to you. Especially because…” Her voice trailed off.
“Because?”
“Well, I wasn’t very nice to you at the bar a couple days ago. When you didn’t call yesterday, I was afraid I had blown it. I thought maybe after you thought about it, you decided I wasn’t worth the trouble and wanted to break up with me.”