Free Wanted: A Blood Courtesans Novel by Michelle Fox, Kristen Strassel Page A

his hand firmly on my back. The girl shook her head, and he sighed. “Do you have any contact information for her?”
    “Just her phone number, but it’s out of order. Probably didn’t pay the bill. Again.” The girl was getting uncomfortable. “Does she owe you money? Because you’re never gonna get it. I’d give you her stuff if I thought you could sell it, but she’s got nothing. Or else she wouldn’t live here.” She laughed, but it wasn’t funny.
    Nash handed her a card. “If you hear from her, would you please call us? She’s not in any trouble, and neither are you. My Lady is a friend of hers, and she’s concerned about her.”
    Several deadbolts tumbled when Olivia’s roommate shut the door. “It’s worse than I thought,” I whispered. “We have to find her.”
    “We will. I hoped we’d get something that would lead us away from the Greenwich Forest.” Nash didn’t let go of me, even though we had to walk single file down the dark, narrow staircase. I couldn’t wait to get out of here. When we found Olivia, I wouldn’t let her come back, either. She could mail her roommate any money she owed her.
    Nash didn’t say anything to the vampires lurking on the street. All he had to do was nod. I barely saw them, they’d managed to blend in so well. They all sprung to action, zipping into the sky so fast I didn’t believe my own eyes.
    “Can you do that?” I asked, pointing up at the sky. The vampires had already vanished. Nash nodded. “Why didn’t we do that tonight?”
    “Those vampires are using glamour. Only the people who are meant to know they’re involved will see them. We had to be seen tonight. And I wanted to bring the car in case we got separated. I assume you can drive.”
    “I’ve never driven a getaway car, though.” I pictured peeling out of the forest, Olivia riding shotgun. Nash could fly home.
    We weren’t the only ones who drove, several cars way too nice for this neighborhood lined the street, and I wasn’t surprised to see the police circling slowly, probably looking for some evidence of a drug deal. Crap. I hid behind Nash as they drove by us.
    He squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry, love. I glamoured them. They never saw you.”
    Getting in the car was so boring after watching the other vampires fly away. I’d make Nash teach how to do it as soon as he turned me.
    “That Wayne guy. Is he one of the forest vampires?” I asked as he pulled away, Olivia’s home growing smaller in the rear view.
    “I don’t recognize the name. But many of us go by pseudonyms. I’ll call Desiree. She keeps records on any vampires that aren’t part of our coven.”
    That reminded me. I pushed his shoulder. “So I’m your Lady , huh?”
    He glanced over at me. An army of yellow cabs zoomed by us, but that look made time stand still. “I like to think so.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means I like having you around. You challenge me. It’s been a long time since anyone’s done that. I’m looking forward to getting to know you, and I hope you’ll stay for a long time.”
    “That’s sweet.” Sometimes I forgot that staying with the coven was voluntary. I could walk away from our agreement at any time. “Does that mean I have to call you ‘Lord’?”
    “Call me anything you want, as long as you keep coming to me.” His lips curled in a smile before he turned back to the road. He’d been carved out of ice, but he knew how to make me melt. He was old-fashioned and stubborn, but I liked that about him. And he’d ruined me for any human man in bed. There was no mistaking what he was, and as much as I liked to tease him, he did deserve his title. After all, he’d orchestrated this search party for a wild goose chase across state lines to find a girl I’d met once.
    As we crossed into Connecticut, I started to panic. We’d be so close to my house. What if I saw my parents? Nash had directed the police back to the forest, so I’d have to avoid them, too. I did