Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Putting my hands to my face, I rub my eyes. “Okay,” I say, thinking out loud. “Antonio overheard Vivian and Marcus talking about the drug problem. He heard them repeat the rumor that vampires were behind it.” I open my notebook and scribble down my thoughts. How long ago was that? It doesn’t matter. “And then a vampire supposedly was dealing to teens in the area, and some of the wolves from Larkin’s pack bought from him.”
I tap my pen on the notebook. “There’s something here and I’m missing it. I can feel it.”
“The whole thing does feel really set up.”
“It does. Getting the werewolves to fight us would distract from anything and everything else going on at the moment.”
“Where do you even get drugs?” Mabel asks, which gives me an idea.
“Every rinky-dink dealer has someone above them. If you follow that chain—”
“Eventually you’ll find the supplier.”
“Yep.” I smile. “Thank you, Mabel.”
“What did I do?” She fixes Ellen’s curls and puts her in a highchair next to her.
“Just sparked the idea. The only problem is, people know who I am and what I look like. You’re a vampire, so you wouldn’t buy drugs. I need someone undercover but also who knows about demons and wouldn’t be freaked out by a vampire drug dealer.”
“I don’t know anybody. Sorry. I do have great-granddaughters. I’ve never met them so they would definitely think it was weird I asked them to buy drugs.”
“Yeah, probably best you don’t ask. Do they live around here?’
“No. They’re all out west. Well, the ones I know about.”
I hold up my hand. “I’m gonna need to unpack that later.” Biting my lip, I get up and pace to the fake window. Up close, the screen gives off an unnatural glow. Today, Mabel has it set to a view of New York City at sunrise. The video plays on an endless loop, casting faux sunlight into the room. This is exactly the kind of thing we do as hunters when we travel from city to city. If I were still in the Order working this case now, I’d ask another hunter to—
“That’s it!” I gasp.
“What’s it?”
“Delphi. She knows what’s going on and wants to put a stop to it. This dealer already sold to wolves so he either doesn’t care or is too young to really tell the difference yet.”
I go back to my computer and look up her office number. Impatiently tapping my nails on the coffee table, I call and tell the receptionist I have an emergency and Doctor Brenner told me to contact her directly. I’m on hold for a minute before she picks up.
“Hey, it’s Wren.”
“You have a medical emergency?”
“No, but I have another kind of emergency and I need your help. It has to do with that condition we talked about.”
“Go on.”
“Can you leave the office?”
“I have two back-to-back- appointments coming up but then I have a free hour.”
“Perfect. Want to come with me to buy drugs?”
Chapter
Twenty-Three
“Thanks for picking up food,” Delphi says when she gets into the G-Wagon. “Is Xavier going to kill us for eating in here?”
“He might give me a judgmental glare, but no, he won’t kill us.”
“I don’t even eat in my car, and it’s eight years old and a Honda.”
I laugh and back out of the parking space. Delphi got a walk-in at the last minute so I had Alan make us food to bring and picked her up at the clinic where she works. “I thought doctors all had fancy cars.”
“Eventually. Once the school loans are paid off.”
“You seem to be doing pretty well here.”
“Oh, there’s no shortage of sick kids.” She shakes her head. “That sounded bad. You know what I mean.”
“I do. I need to make a stop before we buy drugs. We can find a table and eat outside.”
“Perfect.”
“Egg salad isn’t easy to eat while driving. And yes, I’m speaking from experience. As hunters, we drive a lot.”
“Egg salad is an interesting choice, regardless,” she teases.
“I don’t eat meat, so it’s grown on me. And I’ve been craving it ever since I mentioned it last night.”
“Craving?” She raises her eyebrows. “Wow, sorry, not only was that pretty sexist of me, but also…vampire husband.”
“Right. It’s nice not having to be on birth control and still not worry about getting pregnant.”
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
“We’re going to buy drugs together, I think you’re safe to ask me anything.”
“Do vampires, ya know, when they finish?”
“Cum?”
Her eyes widen and she nods. “Yeah.”
“They do, and yes, it looks just like normal.” I shrug. “They have blood running through their veins and their eyes water and they have saliva.”
“From a medical standpoint, it doesn’t make sense. Then again, neither does shifting into a wolf.”
We both laugh. “Magic isn’t supposed to make sense.”
“It’s funny when you think about what used to be called magic years ago is science now.”