Page 12

“We don’t have time to hide the body, but I can toss it outside if you’d like so it doesn’t stink up your apartment.”

Laney could do nothing but stare. How could he be so cold? So unfeeling?

She watched as he set the animals down. Picking Sasha up with one hand gripped in the neck of her coat, he dragged her over to the window, opened it wide, and tossed her body down into the courtyard. Laney slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle her cries as he slammed the window shut, locked it, and picked up the animals again.

“Shoes,” he said. When she didn’t move, he ordered, “Now.”

Laney stumbled into her room and dropped to her knees in her closet. Through tear-filled eyes, she searched for her Nikes, finally finding them in the back corner where she’d tossed them. Once she had socks and shoes on, she grabbed her slouchy backpack that substituted for a purse and threw a few extra things in it. Then she went to the nightstand and opened the drawer. She stared at the small book lying there with her heart in her throat, then grabbed it and shoved it into herbag.

The vampire was waiting patiently by thedoor.

“I need stuff for Fraidy. The cat,” she clarified when he gave her a quizzical look. Maybe she could find something to stake him with while she was in the kitchen.

“No need,” he said, picking something up off the floor without dropping the animals. When he straightened, he had Fraidy’s food bag in one and the litter in the other. “Let’s go. I’ve waited long enough foryou.”

“You could always leave me here,” she tried. “Find someone else to drive you. Lots of people around here havecars.”

He gave her that chilling smile. “No chance, little mouse. Now, come.”

Laney took one last look around her apartment. Somehow, she had the feeling that this was the last time she would see herhome.