Stakeout (Aurora Sky (22 page)

A little after two, I began eyeing the front door.
School had ended. It probably would be good if I at least made an
attempt to call in sick. Maybe tomorrow.

I didn’t know if Fane planned to come
straight home or go do whatever it was he planned to do to
Clive.

My heart beat out an erratic rhythm, and I’d
broken into a cold sweat as though I were the one about to confront
my father. Like Joss, I trusted Fane. I didn’t know what he had
planned, only that I had full faith in him. Waiting to hear the
plan was pure torture, though.

At two forty-five, I was sure Fane had gone
straight to the hospital, but a couple minutes later, a car pulled
into the driveway. Fane walked in after that, kicking snow off his
shoes against the door frame before stepping inside.

He shrugged out of his long leather jacket,
draping it over the armchair.

“How was school?” Joss asked. He’d resumed
his spot on the couch with a book after lunch, which he’d also
served me: some kind of potato soup, salad, and an orange. My body
hardly knew what to make of actual nourishment.

“Keeps me young,” Fane answered with a
crooked grin. “Not to mention it’s the perfect place to round up
reinforcements.”

Reinforcements? Was he planning on taking the
hospital by siege?

Joss set his book on the coffee table, got up
slowly, and went to the adjacent kitchen. The microwave started. A
minute later he brought a mug half-full of blood to Fane.

What a thoughtful vamp wife.

Fane thanked Joss as he took the mug and had
a sip.

When Joss caught me watching Fane, he said
defensively, “He needs it to stay healthy.”

Fane chuckled. “Yeah, and so does he, but
Joss refuses. Poor guy’s practically skin and bone. No color in his
face. He’s the poster child for all vampires about what happens if
you don’t drink enough blood.”

Joss glowered at Fane. “I’m still alive,
aren’t I?”

Fane stiffened. “That’s right; you are. Maybe
you should start appreciating that fact.” Fane set his mug on the
coffee table and scooped up his jacket. “I need a smoke.”

I looked at Joss then quickly put on my shoes
and coat and hurried after Fane. He already had a cigarette lit and
was puffing on it on the front stoop. Fane smiled when I stepped
out. “Want one?”

“Sure.” I didn’t consider myself a smoker,
but I did light up on occasion with Whitney and Hope. Having a drag
with Fane seemed like the right thing to do at the moment.

I took a cigarette from him, stuck it in my
mouth, and let him light it up.

I glanced at the door. “What’s with your
roommate? Has he always been this gloomy?”

Fane snorted. “Every day for the last 167
years—ever since I found him.”

Wow, that was a long time to be stuck with
Eeyore. “Where did you find him?” I asked.

“Small village in England. He dug himself out
of a mass grave.”

I flinched.

Fane nodded solemnly. “Not the most romantic
tale of vampirism.”

“I hope you didn’t have to dig yourself out
of a grave.”

“No, I did not.”

Fane didn’t elaborate, so I respected his
privacy by not prodding further.

We stood in silence for several minutes
watching our smoke clouds rise through the frosty air into wispy
white vapor.

“Cigarettes don’t do anything for me,” Fane
said suddenly. “Don’t feel a buzz. But I love watching the smoke.”
This he said while watching his last white billow of smoke disperse
into the atmosphere.

I felt a kind of peace settle over me. There
was something poetic about that.

“I’m limiting myself, though,” Fane said. “I
don’t want to end up with yellow teeth for all eternity. Not a big
turn on for the ladies.” He grinned.

Thinking about yellow teeth made me want to
stub out my cigarette. Not a pretty combination with my ivory skin.
I pinched the cigarette butt between my fingers and slowly let it
burn out.

I’d reached that moment where I had to ask a
question, similar to the one I’d asked Joss. I crossed one arm over
the other, careful not to get ash on my skirt. “Why are you helping
me? I work for a unit of the government that kills vampires.”

Fane took a drag on his cigarette, blew smoke
in the air above us, and smiled as though keeping a secret all to
himself. “Tell me, Noel, how did you find yourself in the position
you’re in now?”

I squinted at him. “As an undercover
informant?”

Fane lifted his brows.

“I was recruited.”

I waited for his next question, but it never
came. Silence was just as effective, if not more.

I threw my cigarette across the porch into
the snow-covered yard.

“Fine, I tried to kill myself.” I turned my
arms over. My black wrist warmers covered the scars, but I told
him. “I slit my wrists, bled out, and nearly died. Somehow this
agent found out and saved me.”

Fane’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why would he
do that?”

“Because I have AB positive blood.”

Now Fane nodded. “We all have some form of AB
blood.”

He was so cool and smooth. Not to mention
frustrating. I’d asked the question, and he’d answered with his own
question—one I answered with something very personal. Something I
never discussed with anyone.

“You didn’t answer my question. Why are you
helping me?” I prodded.

Fane’s lips twisted into a smile. He glanced
toward the road. Following his gaze, I noticed two juniors from
Denali High—Reece and Daren—coming up the driveway.

“We came as soon as we could,” Reece
said.

“Right on time,” Fane answered.

Right on time, my ass. I’d shared my personal
shit with Fane Donado, received no answers in return, and now, how
convenient, a couple of Fane’s followers came traipsing up the
walkway. Okay, I had to admit, it made me smile to see Reece and
Daren again.

I waved. “Hey, guys.”

“Noel, long time no see.”

Daren stepped over and gave me a hug. I
couldn’t remember the last time someone hugged me. I caught Fane
grinning behind Daren’s shoulder. He had cool groupies, no doubt
about it. I wondered if Daren and Reece knew how lucky they were to
have Fane as their vamp idol. I could think of a lot worse
choices.

The guys were dressed all in black... like
Fane... like me. We looked like we belonged to a secret club.

“Why don’t you two catch up with Noel while I
change?” Fane said.

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Fane slipped back inside. Reece pulled a pack
of American Spirits, the same brand Fane smoked, from his leather
jacket.

“Want a smoke?”

“No thanks, I already had one.”

Reece handed one to Daren, along with his
plastic lighter once he’d fired up his own.

“What exactly did Fane recruit you for?” I
asked.

That’s the other burning question I’d wanted
to ask Fane: what exactly was the plan? But then he was even better
at evading questions than I was.

Reece and Daren exchanged glances.

“What?” I demanded. It was a whole heck of a
lot easier to act snappy with these two dudes than Joe Cool
Vampire.

Daren flicked ash off the tip of his
cigarette over the edge of the porch. “Um, Fane didn’t want us
discussing the details with anyone.”

I placed a hand on my hip. “I’m not anyone.
This is my dad.”

“Yeah, he sounds like a real jerk,” Daren
said.

I shrugged.

Reece blew out a cloud of smoke. “Do you
think we should go in and see if Fane’s ready?”

Daren nodded. They stubbed their cigarettes
out on the concrete stair before depositing them in an ashtray on
the window’s ledge. Hadn’t noticed that before. I’d pick up my
cigarette butt later.

The guys waited for me to go in first. Joss
and his book were no longer in the living room.

“So, you’re crashing here for now?” Daren
asked. “That’s cool.”

“Just until I find a new place.”

There was an awkward silence as the guys
looked around. I felt like I should offer them something, but it
wasn’t my place. It was a relief when I heard a door open and close
down the hall. It wasn’t until Fane stepped into the glow of the
living room that I got a good look at what he was wearing.

Oh my God!

Where to start? He had on a translucent
black, netted T-shirt with nothing underneath but a solid six-pack
that was guaranteed to yield appreciation for centuries to come.
Beneath the shirt, Fane wore a pair of black cargo pants and a
studded belt. His combat boots were pulled over his pants, just
above his ankles, laces untied.

Realizing that my jaw had been hanging open
way too long, I snapped my mouth shut.

Hot damn!

Did wanting to jump a guy’s bones after
seeing his abs make me a shallow whore?

“Rock on. You look killer, man,” Reece said,
eyes bugging out nearly as much as mine.

Fane’s hair was all messy hotness on top. He
made Gavin and Henry look like choir boys. I guessed the next time
Aurora was pining after Fane, I’d have more sympathy. A lot more
sympathy.

“All right, gang, let’s go,” Fane said,
throwing his keys in the air and catching them one-handed. Fane
stepped in front of me when I started toward the door with Reece
and Daren. “Not you.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“I’m going to have a chat with the good
doctor.” Fane’s lips curled into a smile.

“And them?” I asked nodding at Daren and
Reece.

Fane’s lips extended further. “They’re
extras.”

“Extras?” What was this? A movie set?

Fane grabbed his leather jacket and breezed
past the boys. “Come on, the others will be waiting.”

“Wait. What others?”

Daren and Reece hustled after him with
expressions that looked like kids on their way to the carnival.
Reece turned around quickly at the door and said, “There’s going to
be about twenty of us, including your friends Whitney and Hope.
It’s going to be killer. Later!”

I stared at the door for several minutes, my
heart doing some heavy thumping. I wondered how long before I could
call Whitney. I didn’t want to interrupt any part of Fane’s plan,
but waiting around to hear what happened was torture.

I needed a distraction. Reading proved
useless, but wearing out the rug pacing back and forth was a great
use of my time. Joss remained in his room the entire time I was
going out of my mind. An hour and forty minutes later, Fane
returned alone.

He walked in without a word wearing black
lipstick in addition to the ensemble I’d seen earlier. His
expression gave nothing away. As he shucked off his coat I said,
“Well? What happened?”

Finally, Fane showed some teeth. He leaned
onto the armchair lazily and said, “I wouldn’t worry about your
father bothering you anymore.”

“What did you do?”

Fane smirked. “I delivered a warning.”

“That’s all? A warning?” Clive didn’t listen
to warnings, he issued them. Why did I let Fane go? Clive was going
to be even more unreasonable than before now that he knew I’d
gotten friends involved and worse, told them where he worked.

Fane’s eyes locked on mine. “It was a very
persuasive warning. It’s all about finding a person’s weak points
and using them to your advantage. Your father values his reputation
at work. If he doesn’t do as I say, I will scare off every last
patient, and he knows it. Dr. Harper would be ruined, and that
scares him more than physical harm ever could.”

What Fane said made sense. Damage to his
reputation would freak my dad out far more than anything else. It
might be the only thing in the entire world that could shake him
up.

As I was getting ready to thank Fane, my
phone rang. Before I could say “hello,” Whitney started talking
into my ear.

“Is it true you’re staying with Fane
Donado... at his
house
? If I didn’t love
you so much I’d hate you.”

“Hi, Whit.”

“Don’t “Hi, Whit” me. Why didn’t you tell me
your dick dad had found you when you called earlier?”

“It sounded like you had your own
problems.”

“No kidding, mind lending Fane to me?”
Whitney giggled. “So, did he tell you everything?”

I glanced at Fane. “He was just beginning
to.”

“No way! I want to tell you.”

“And me!” I heard Hope yell in the
background.

“And Hope, too,” Whitney said. “Should we
meet somewhere... or come over there?”

“Let’s meet at Tastee Freez,” I said quickly.
I already felt like I was encroaching on Fane’s personal space as
it was and getting out sounded good. Being stuck inside the same
place all day was getting under my skin real fast.

“On our way.”

“See you soon.”

Fane nodded at my phone after I ended the
call. “You’ve got a couple of loyal friends there.”

“You as well.” Guys like Daren and Reece were
warriors, honored and willing to answer the call to action at any
second. Fane seemed to inspire that kind of loyalty in people.
Well, not Valerie, but she was in a class of her own and only loyal
to one person—herself.

I slipped on my purple coat and leaned
against the wall to put on my combat boots. At the door, I paused.
“My boss is working on finding me a place to live.”

“Stay as long as you need to.” Fane looked
sincere. Ultimately, he was a nice guy. Badass, sure. I could
understand why his friends would do anything for him and why Joss
trusted him above all others.

“Thank you, Fane.”

Fane grinned with his black lips. “Anything
for a friend.”

I felt a flutter in my heart. Not the
romantic kind, but the grateful, touched sort of sensation that he
considered me a friend despite who I was. Lost for words, I nodded
and walked out the door.

It felt good to hit the roads. Freedom was
sitting behind the wheel of a car. Left here. Right there. The
ultimate control. There were no cliques or “in” crowds on the road.
Everyone in movement, anonymous.