Page 46 of Twilight Destiny

“Hot,” she said. “You should see my sunburn. Are you guys having a good time?”

“You bet.”

“I wish I’d come with you,” she said. “Did you buy me a souvenir?”

“What do you think? Are you sure you’re okay? I’ve been worried about you.”

“I don’t know why. I’m a big girl now.”

“Uh-huh.” He was quiet a moment. “Are you all right, Rosie?”

“Right as rain. I’m thinking about getting a kitten.”

“A kitten? What on earth for?”

She heard the worry in his voice. “Well, I can’t leave a puppy home alone all day. But a cat … They’re pretty self-sufficient. When are you coming home?”

“I’m not sure. The brothers have another two weeks before they have to go back to work. The folks can stay as long as they like. I guess Sofia and I can, too.”

“Well, tell everyone hi for me.”

“Will do. Behave yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered. “Stop worrying about me, big brother.”

He was laughing when he ended the call.

She really should have gone to Italy, Rosa mused as she turned off the TV and the lights and headed for the bedroom. She might have met a nice Italian man who didn’t drink blood.

Chapter Eighteen

Paul Rhinehart drove slowly through the streets of Morgan Creek, searching for Rosa’s rental car. He didn’t know much about her except her name and that she was driving a late model, beige Kia. He didn’t see it anywhere. Not in front of the restaurant where she usually ate. Not in the theater parking lot, or in the driveway of Saintcrow’s house.

The only other place he could think to look was the cemetery, though he figured the odds were slim to none that he would find her in such a place, especially after dark.

She wasn’t there, of course.

He sat in the car with the motor running, staring at the hundreds of wooden crosses. Either she had gone for a drive out of town, or she’d gone home, which was no big deal. Finding her shouldn’t be too difficult. But hard or not, he figured she was his best hope of finding Kincaid.

He hadn’t seen Luca since the necromancer’s ultimatum to bring him the head of Jake Kincaid or forfeit his own and those of his family. Knowing Luca wouldn’t hesitate to carry out his threat, Paul had sent Nancy and the kids to visit her grandparents in Ireland.

Feeling sick to his stomach, he lifted his hand to his neck, wondering, morbidly, how Luca would separate his head from his body. A sword? An axe? The guillotine he kept in the basement?

With a shudder, he stepped out of the car, let out a startled gasp when Rylan Saintcrow materialized in front of him. “Dammit, bloodsucker, don’t do that!”

“Nice to see you, too. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Looking for a burial plot?”

Saintcrow lifted one brow.

“Luca has given me an ultimatum. If I don’t bring him a head, he’ll take mine.”

“Any head in particular?”

“Kincaid’s. Although he might settle for yours.”

“Too bad. I’m not finished with mine yet. Not sure Kincaid’s ready to part with his just yet, either.”