Free Caught in Darkness by Rose Wulf Page B

left side of her collar, was another odd-shaped bruise, though
this one was less formed at the moment. Fortunately, it would probably be
coverable with just about any shirt. There were also a few bruises forming on
her left upper arm, but those would be easier to hide also—she’d just have to
wear sleeves.
    At the least the bruises explained
the pain. The shoulder/collar area of her chest had been throbbing since the
adrenaline had faded, which made sense in conjunction to that bruise. Do
vampires use pain medication? It would be awfully hard to take anything if she
didn’t have access to it.
    Releasing a heavy sigh, Veronica
stepped back from the counter and left the bathroom, being sure to turn off the
light as she moved. Yeah, she had some nasty bruises—and they’d only be worse
when she woke up in the morning—but it could have been so much worse. As
horrible as it sounded, she was well aware that she’d been lucky. And if I’m
really lucky Seth will find Richards and I won’t have to worry about going
through that ever again. But that was probably too much to hope for.
    ****
    Frustrated, Seth let himself into
his condo a couple of hours later. Richards had been long gone by the time he’d
gotten to Veronica’s house, and once again the man seemed to have vanished into
thin air. He undoubtedly had a hideout that no one knew about, and now that he
was being hunted by his former Family he was staying there permanently. Unfortunately,
Seth didn’t have a clue as to where to look for it. Instead of wasting another
night searching in vain for another lead he had opted to return home and check
on his houseguest.
    Veronica was curled up in the
corner of the couch, feet tucked beneath her and hands wrapped around a mug of
what smelled like tea, watching reruns of a recently-popular comedy. Only she
didn’t really look like she was paying any attention to it.
    “Sorry I was gone so long,” Seth called
gently as he flicked the deadbolt behind him.
    With a shake of her head Veronica
offered him small smile and said, “ It’s okay. Oh, I
hope you don’t mind, but I helped myself to some of your tea….”
    “I don’t mind,” Seth assured her as
he crossed the short distance to the couch. As he sat he set down an old duffel
bag on the cushion between them and added, “I took the liberty of bringing you
a few changes of clothes. Your purse is in here, too.”
    Eyes wide, Veronica turned her full
attention to the bag and said, “It is? I just assumed he’d have taken it.”
    “I guess he doesn’t have a need for
a purse,” Seth replied. “But I don’t know what may or may not be missing from
inside.”
    The look on her face said she was
kicking herself for not considering that possibility, and she leaned forward so
that she could set her mug on the small coffee table before turning toward the
duffel. “Then let’s find out,” she mumbled as she unzipped the bag and wrapped
her hands around the straps of her purse.
    Seth watched as she dug through the
contents within. Most vampires that he knew would never bother stealing from a
human (or anyone else, for that matter), but he was well aware that he tended
not to associate with the ones who gave vampires a bad name. And he’d certainly
met a few who might consider it too good an opportunity to miss if someone’s
purse fell at their feet. He suspected Richards fell into that second category.
    “Damn,” Veronica grumbled, setting
the purse down with a frown. “He swiped my entire wallet. And
my car keys.” Eyes widening, she looked up and asked, “Was my car still
parked next to the house?” She groaned even before he could answer, adding,
“That means he has my house key!”
    Trying to keep the glare from his
face, Seth scowled and replied, “Your car was still there, and you can get your
locks changed.” There wasn’t much he could offer for the missing wallet. She
was going to have to cancel her credit cards and get a new driver’s license