Free Unseen by Yolanda Sfetsos Page B

front door, switched off the light, motioned for him to step out first, before locking the door and pocketing the keys. “So, where do we start? Have you been tracking him?”
    Doug didn’t say anything until they’d reached the foyer. He opened and held the security door open for a couple who were walking in. They thanked him and exchanged smiles with him while Trina kept her gaze down, avoiding eye contact. She didn’t like to get friendly with her neighbors. It was easier this way. Wedging distance between her and humans made everything easier.
    She was suddenly reminded of what had happened two nights ago with Zeke and Millie, which confirmed that it was better to keep people at a distance. That way she didn’t have to get so involved she had to deliver them to their homes, nor did she have to deal with jealous girls, or guys who tried to convince her to spend the night with them, like Zeke had just before he’d crashed on the couch.
    Thankfully, she hadn’t seen either of them since then. Millie didn’t work on Fridays, and apparently Zeke was sick. Hung over, more likely.
    After her neighbors headed up the stairs, Doug held the door open for her, and she brushed past him, stepping out into another crisp and cold winter night. Although the ground was shiny and wet, it wasn’t raining at the moment. But it did explain the extra curl in Doug’s hair. Rainy weather wasn’t kind to her hair either. It suited him though.
    Winter was the perfect time for vampires in Sydney . The nights were longer, the weather was cooler, and most places weren’t completely packed. It was easier to go undetected while searching for prey.
    Generally, Trina spent more time out and about during the three coldest months of the year, but this year she’d taken a break so she could pretend she was normal. And this is what had happened. Some ancient vamp dude was out killing and turning people, while the vigilante beside her took it upon himself to take out the new vamps and shadow her.
    It’s just my luck to have this crap happen when I’m on a break, she thought dourly. Maybe she should’ve waited for summer. At that time of year vamps were rarely in the suburbs. The days were longer, more people were out and about at night, and it was more difficult to separate a single person from the herd. Sometimes in the warmer months, she ventured out of suburbia and into the city to find vamps for the urn.
    Trina led the way down the few steps to the cobblestone path and then the street. She heard her phone ring upstairs. She recognized it instantly and even knew who it was. Tomas. He’d either be calling for an update or to be the bearer of bad news. He was good at that, and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with his doom and gloom.
    She kept walking as she said, “Okay, you can talk now. Not that anyone was listening in before.”
    “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Someone could be listening all the time. You just assume no one knows about vampires or anything else that goes bump in the night. You’ve become so accustomed to taking out the garbage, you keep forgetting you’re not the only one dumping it on the curb,” Doug said.
    Trina gave him a sideward glance. “Whoa, very poetic, but it still doesn’t answer my question. Do you have any idea where to start looking for this vamp?”
    “Have you?”
    “Well, not exactly, though he decided to pay me a visit at work the other night. So that might be a good place to start.”
    “What about last night? Was he there too?”
    She stopped under the streetlight, crossed her arms and stared at him. “How do you know I was working last night?”
    “I make it my business to know.”
    “You’re turning out to be quite the stalker.”
    “And you’re turning out to be his new target. If I follow you, then I’m sure to find him.”
    “How’s that working out for you right now?”
    Doug shrugged, an easygoing smile crossing his lips. “I can’t see him yet, if that’s what you