Free Stalking the Others by Jess Haines

contracted to Alec Royce wasn’t smart. I just hope we get to the person responsible before the vampire does.”
    And I hoped I would get to him before the police or the vampire did.
    “Anyway, check in with me again in a couple days if you can. Stay low and keep out of trouble, and I’ll keep you posted on how the investigation is coming along.”
    As soon as I hung up, I dialed Royce’s cell phone, also from memory. I was startled when it was answered by a woman. Using a very throaty, just-had-sex voice. A voice I had zero patience for dealing with at the moment.
    None of my business. None whatsoever. I silently repeated that to myself a few times while I asked, “Is Royce there?”
    “He’s occupied at the moment. Who is this?”
    I gritted my teeth when I recognized her. Miss Sunshine herself. “Jessica, please don’t play games with me. This is Shiarra. I need to talk to him. Now.”
    “Oh! Oh, yes. Hold on one sec.”
    It seemed “one sec” meant, as usual, an age and a half for Royce to deign to talk to me. Staring over the water, listening to the monotone lapping of the surf didn’t sooth my nerves at all. Once he finally got around to it, the vampire sounded about as thrilled to talk to me as I was to call him.
    “Ms. Waynest. What a surprise.”
    “What have you done with Sara?”
    “That’s it? No hello? No ‘terribly sorry for throwing your hospitality back in your face and all the inconvenience I’ve caused you despite your generosity’? Not even a ‘I have a really good explanation for my actions, I swear’?” I could almost visualize him doing talky hands at the phone while he assumed a higher tone to mimic my voice. He did a rather scarily accurate imitation, actually. If I hadn’t been so red from embarrassment at his statements, I might have laughed at the sheer incongruity of the thought of him doing something so absurd. It didn’t help that I could hear Jessica giggling in the background. Damn it.
    ‘Don’t fall for his tricks,’ the belt hissed, startling me. ‘You know as well as I do that it’s a monster. It doesn’t deserve an apology. Not from you.’
    Common sense warred with the belt’s warning. Royce had been devious and underhanded, yes, but he hadn’t done anything to do me direct harm. Still, he’d never been fully forthcoming with me, and offering him any kind of apology now might lead to my giving him more information he could use against me. I’d have to remember to be careful about that in all my dealings with him from now on.
    “No,” I managed to say aloud, responding to Royce in a much more subdued tone. “Not now. Not yet.”
    He made a sound that might have been a snort. It was hard to tell over the crappy cell connection. “Forgive me if I don’t have the patience to deal with your insufferable attitude this evening. Good day.”
    And the bastard hung up on me.
    I had to look at the screen to be certain. But it was true.
    That fucker.
    He probably would have said as much if Sara was hurt (or, God forbid, worse). Surely she was fine. But now I wouldn’t know until the next time I confronted the vampire in person.
    And apologized.
    That. Fucker.
    I’d make the time to see him and check on Sara. Somehow. Meanwhile, with both the Nightstrikers and a couple of NYPD detectives on my side, I should be able to track Chaz down in no time. The sooner I put an end to this mess, the better.

Chapter 9
    I returned to the house much subdued. There wasn’t a lot of time until sunrise, and despite my confidence that I could find Chaz, I was consumed with a sense of quiet desperation about what to do about Sara or what would happen if I turned. No matter if I turned or not, I was certain there would be consequences for killing Vic, too. The belt wasn’t helping with its alternately radiating senses of smug superiority and irritation. When the sun rose and the belt went inanimate, the soreness and aches of the night settled in to take their places as my