SINGLE WHITE VAMPIRE Page 0,68

down the alley, dragging him behind her with one clawlike hand entrapping his wrist. She was walking in the most peculiar fashion; crouched over as if she thought that would reduce the chance of being seen.

Lucern eyed her behavior with some bewilderment, and wondered if her usually sensible mind had snapped. Surely she understood that walking in such a manner made her no less visible, and also made her look as if she was up to no good. Apparently not.

He sighed as the toe of his shoe hit a stone and sent it skittering, which in turn sent Kate skittering, too. She burst into a run, dragging him along with her until they reached a dumpster a little more than halfway down the alley. She pulled him behind it, then crouched there and peered out fearfully.

"Did you hear that?" she asked in an anxious whisper. "I thought I heard something. I don't see anyone, though. Maybe it was just a cat or something."

"Or a rat," Lucern bent to whisper in her ear. He knew it was a mean thing to do, especially when he knew what she'd heard. But he simply couldn't help himself. She was so easy to tease. He hadn't had this much fun in well, centuries, he realized with surprise.

"A rat!" Kate straightened abruptly, her head slamming into the bottom of his chin.

Lucern jerked back. Wincing, he rubbed the spot even as Kate grabbed her head and issued a howl of pain. She cut the noise off almost at once, of course, but still, Lucern couldn't help but think that perhaps stealth was no longer possible in this endeavor. Kate wasn't very good at this crime business.

"Shh," she said sternly, as if Luc had been the one who'd just let out the caterwaul. Lucern let her get away with it, instead watching with interest as she pulled two woollen hats from her pocket. She donned one, tugging it onto her head and pulling it down over her face. It was a ski mask. When she had the holes adjusted so that only her eyes and lips showed, Kate handed him the other.

"Put it on," she ordered. Taking the backpack he held, she set it on the ground with a clank.

"I am not putting this on," he said with disdain.

Kate heaved an impatient sigh. "Put it on, Lucern. I don't want to open the papers tomorrow and find your wan face glaring back at me."

"How could"

"Security cameras," she interrupted grimly.

Lucern snorted. "They would hardly have security cameras in a"

"They have security cameras everywhere nowadays," she interrupted again. "It lowers the insurance or something."

Muttering under his breath, Lucern gave in. Donning the stupid thing, he felt like an idiot, and was grateful none of his family members were there to witness it. Etienne in particular would have enjoyed taunting him for decades. Knowing Kate could not see his scowl did not prevent his aiming a particularly ferocious one at her. Not that she noticed; she was quite busy sifting through whatever was in her bag. There was an awful lot of banging and clanking going on.

What the hell had she brought? he wondered irritably.

"In your years of living," she began in a strained tone, "I don't suppose you learned anything about burglary, did you?"

"A thing or two," Lucern admitted.

"Good." She sounded relieved. "Because all I know about it is what I've seen on TV."

Lucern raised an eyebrow, but since again he knew she couldn't see it, he said in a solemn tone, "One would never credit it."

"It's true," she told him earnestly. "I like cop shows, and I just went by those. I hope I got what we need. I wasn't sureI just went through the hardware store and grabbed anything that looked useful."

Ah. This explained why she hadn't attended the cover model reunion. Lucern knelt at her side and peered curiously into her bag. The first thing he saw were several long, pointed tools. They looked like screwdrivers but with sharpened ends. There were several of them, in a variety of sizes. "Scratch awls? What are those for?"

"They always use sharp, pointy things to break into places on TV," Kate explained. "To pick locks." She paused, her expression thoughtful. "Or credit cards." She frowned briefly, then cursed. "I knew I should have brought my purse."

Lucern wasn't really paying attention; he was sorting through the bag. "A pipe wrench?" he asked, lifting the large, heavy plumber's tool.

Kate bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably. "I thought maybe if you couldn't