Nikki's gaze jerked to his. "You? On the wrong side of the law?" His smile was wry. "Often."
Though his clashes with the law had more to do with the darkness within him gaining the upper hand than anything else. He'd walked the edge for more years than he cared to remember. If he hadn't met Seline, he might not have been around to find Nikki.
They took the stairs to the fourth floor. Michael checked the corridor and motioned everyone out of the staircase. Lenny's apartment was the third from the end. Though the echo of heartbeats came from the apartments on either side of Lenny's, no life beat in his.
Michael stopped and switched to the infrared of his vampire vision. No life at all inside, human or otherwise.
He stepped back and glanced at Nikki. "Your turn."
She pressed a hand against the door. Energy shimmered through the air, dancing lightly across his skin. The door opened without a creak of complaint.
There was little furniture in the living room—a chair, a TV, and a ratty looking coffee table dotted with dried coffee rings.
"What are we looking for?" she asked, stepping through the doorway.
"I don't know. Something unusual. Something out of place." She nodded and began searching. Jake followed her in. Michael leaned against the doorframe and watched them explore.
They were going through the drawers, when he heard the distant sound of footsteps in the stairwell, footsteps that were moving up towards them. He looked toward the stair door, his gaze narrowing as he listened. Two sets of steps. Two sets of heartbeats. One human. One not. He pushed away from the doorframe. Nikki, someone's coming. She looked over her shoulder, expression pensive. Shall we leave?
No. Warn Jake, then close the door. I'll go check it out.
Be careful
Definitely. We have a date I have no intention of missing.
The warmth of her smile ran through him, stirring the very heart of him. Good. He turned and walked toward the stairwell. The footsteps stopped, and for several seconds, all he could hear was the drumming of hearts in the apartments around him. Then the footsteps echoed on the stairs again, this time heading down in a hurry.
They've sensed me, Nikki. Stay in the apartment until I get back. Be careful.