Free The Awakening by Mary Abshire Page B

silence us. “It’s my alarm. The sun is up. Stay here.”
    Boss darted down the hall and Jonas's gaze met mine. He shook his head and lifted a finger to his lips, gesturing for me to keep mum.
    The beeping stopped and Boss reappeared. “Jonas, she cannot stay. I’m sorry.”
    “You can’t throw her out. She's one of a kind,” Jonas said. “She’s like the biggest treasure imaginable.”
    I swallowed my laughter. I was more of a freak than a goldmine. Lips sealed, I sat back down.
    Boss gripped Jonas’s arms. “Listen to me. Someone created her and is bound to be looking for her. Whoever it is, they must be very powerful. This goes beyond the organization and beyond any creature or entity I have ever known.”
    Tabby rose from the sofa. “You can’t make her leave. It’s not right.” She strode over to Boss. “She needs our help.”
    Boss shook his head. “Tabby, this is not your concern.”
    “If you throw her out, I’m going with her.” Tabby crossed her arms.
    I couldn’t believe my ears. This near-stranger was willing to give up everything to help me.
    Boss glared at Tabby. “You’re not going anywhere.”
    “If she leaves, I leave too,” Jonas said.
    Boss grumbled as he stepped back from Jonas and Tabby. He raked his fingers through his hair and paced. Jonas and Tabby stood motionless, waiting.
    My heart raced. I hated seeing them argue. They were happy until I arrived. Everywhere I went, chaos followed. Maybe Boss was right and I should leave before one of them ended up hurt.
    “I don’t want to cause any more problems than I already have,” I said softly. “Could you at least give me some cash and drop me off somewhere?”
    Jonas and Tabby stood together as a team with their eyes on Boss.
    Boss dropped his arms. “Fuck!”
    We all flinched.
    Boss’s eyes leveled on me and then Tabby and Jonas. “You are risking your lives for her.”
    Jonas folded his arms over his chest. “She’s worth it.”
    Boss stepped closer to them. “One person is not worth your souls. You don’t know what she is capable of. This goes beyond my knowledge and power.”
    He sounded like a father trying to protect his offspring. His deep tone made it clear how much he cared for Jonas and Tabby.
    Jonas took a deep breath. “Then we’ll leave.”
    “No, you won’t,” Boss replied curtly. He ran his hands through his hair again.
    Tabby and Jonas exchanged glances.
    “Can she stay Boss?” Tabby asked.
    Boss turned to Jonas. “You need to do some research. Check the groups as we discussed earlier. Look for anyone missing with the initials SB, but do not communicate with anyone.”
    Jonas gave a nod. “I’ll get on it right away.”
    Tabby placed her hand on Boss's arm. “Thank you, Boss.”
    “Help Jonas. We need answers or places to start.”
    “I will.” She pecked him on the cheek before she ran up the stairs.
    “We’re going to have to contact Sal by tomorrow evening,” Jonas said.
    “Think of something. He doesn’t know she’s a vampire and we need to keep it that way. The less he knows, the safer we all are.”
    “I’ll get to work.” Jonas picked up the camcorder from the coffee table in front of me. Our eyes met and he gave me a wink.
    “Leave the camcorder. I want to review it,” Boss said. “Then I’ll have to destroy it. We can’t leave any traces of her existence around.”
    Jonas handed the device to Boss. “Thank you.”
    Boss turned away from him without responding.
    Jonas took one last glance at me before he too darted up the stairs.
    With a deep breath, I leaned back against the sofa and folded my arms over my ribs. I didn't want to stick around anymore than Boss wanted me to. Staying in a home where I didn't feel welcome bothered me. Nor did I like the fact that my existence put others at risk. “If it makes you feel any better, I can stay somewhere else. I know everyone is putting their lives in danger to help me. If you give me some money, I can sneak away.” In