Page 26 of Vampires and Violas (A Vampire’s Guide to Gardening #2)

25

I’ve been feeling off since breakfast, but I don’t have time to be sick today. Transitioning to the next stage will just have to wait until after work.

I ignore my rolling stomach as I put the final touches on the arrangements for Kayla’s daughter’s party.

Noah opens the door to the cellar just as I’m finishing.

“Pink ribbon or green?” I ask him when he joins me at my workbench.

All my tools and supplies hang tidily from a pegboard, and various vases, mason jars, and decorative pots are tucked into cardboard boxes that rest underneath the bench.

It’s a good system, but I never wanted to be a part-time florist. I’d much rather grow the flowers than arrange them. To keep my mind off my nausea, I’ve been daydreaming about my nursery, imagining happy customers wandering the flower fields as they pick their own bouquets and the cheerful sight of greenhouses filled with baby plants.

I haven’t talked to Cassian about it again, but things have been a little chaotic. For all I know, he decided it was a lousy investment and politely forgot we had the conversation.

“Green,” Noah answers, watching as I pull a length of ribbon from the spool. “I think your check came, by the way.”

“From Tea Rose Floral?” I ask, surprised.

“That’s what the return address said.”

“It’s too bad it didn’t show up before I sent you out in the dark to check the mailbox.”

“Ironically, I think it was there, but I forgot to look for it after the attack.”

I frown at the ribbon as I tie it into a bow, deciding the money was more trouble than it was worth.

“There,” I say, finished with the arrangements. “All done.”

Kayla picked pink gerbera daisies, pink and white roses, and the sweetest white forget-me-nots for the arrangements. To tie everything together, I added some greenery and a few sprigs of pearls. They’re perfect for a seven-year-old’s princess party.

“I have some news,” Noah says.

“Good news?”

“Not particularly. I just got off the phone with Daniel. The police department called this morning. There weren’t any fingerprints on the gun except ours.”

I nod, disappointed.

Noah has assigned several hunters to the case, but Ethan’s assassin might as well have vanished into thin air—again.

Thankfully, I’ve been busy enough with work that I’ve been able to keep my mind off it.

Mostly.

“We’ll find them,” Noah promises, and then he nods to the flowers. “Are these ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

Noah helps me carry the arrangements to the truck. The sun beats down on us, too hot. It’s bothered me all summer, but right now, I’m wilting in the direct sunlight. My skin feels like it’s burning up even though I put on sunscreen.

“Want me to drive?” Noah offers, frowning in my direction like he senses something is wrong.

“Please.” I head to the passenger side of the truck. “I’d like to text Kayla and tell her we’re on our way.”

We’re halfway to Kayla’s house when my phone rings. I glance at the screen and then answer. “Hi, Sam.”

“Hey, Piper. Kayla asked me to call. There’s been a change of plans. The party has been moved to my place. Kayla forgot to call you last night.”

“That’s no problem,” I say. “We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

“See you soon.”

I end the call and then direct Noah to Sam’s address.

There are a few cars in the drive when we pull up, along with pink and purple birthday balloons on the fence.

“Looks like this is the right place.” Noah parks beside the sidewalk and gets out to help me.

“We’ll run these up to the door, and then maybe we can grab lunch?” I take a moment to steady myself, standing in the bare shade cast by the truck. “I’m feeling a little woozy. I think I need some protein.”

“Did you remember your second dose of blood this afternoon?”

I grimace. “Yeah.”

Noah has that look again—that not good look.

As we carry the arrangements up the drive, I decide I need to buy a better sunscreen. But do they make SPF 1000?

I ring the doorbell and wait. When there’s no answer, I try again.

When there’s still no answer, I call Sam back.

He answers on the first ring. “Hey, Piper. Are you here?”

“Yeah, we’re on the front step.”

“We’re in the backyard setting up. Come on in through the side gate.”

“They’re out back,” I tell Noah when I hang up. “He said to go through the gate.”

A strange premonition passes over me, like maybe someone is watching us. I glance behind me, wondering if we were followed.

But the sun is high in the sky and stupidly bright. Vampires aren’t out and about right now, not unless they’re taking the daylight drug, and Noah said they’d have to be registered with NIHA to obtain it.

I juggle the flowers as Noah opens the gate, and we walk in together. I feel like we’re trespassing, and I don’t love it.

We walk through the small, graveled side yard, passing an AC unit and a lawnmower. When we round the house, we pause.

Though there are balloons on the gate, there’s no sign of party prep going on back here. Several guys sit on the patio in cheap, collapsable camping chairs, looking bored. They’re in T-shirts and shorts, but they’re all pale —too pale for Colorado, a state that claims three hundred days of sunshine each year.

Unless they usually only come out at night.

The four men stand as if to greet us.

My eyes quickly scan the rest of the yard, and warning bells go off in my head. Though the front yard always looks lived in, with beach towels and toys and shark sprinklers, the back is bare. There’s not even a grill on the patio. No table, no chairs, and no toys whatsoever.

“You must be the flower people,” one of the men says. “Piper, right?”

Noah instinctively edges in front of me. Quietly, he asks me, “Which one is Sam?”

“None of them,” I whisper.

Oh no—is this Colin all over again? Did these guys somehow figure out we were coming and shove Sam in a closet?

The gravel crunches behind us, and I turn, gasping when four more men appear.

“Hey, Piper,” Sam says. “Glad you could make it.”

Noah growls under his breath, realizing we’ve walked into a trap. But most of my attention is on the big guy next to Sam—the really big guy.

“You,” I hiss. “I know you.”

He’s the thug who blocked my escape when I tried to get out of Ethan’s house with Olivia. The man is easily six-four and muscular, with an ample amount of padding protecting his vital organs. He appears to be of Hawaiian descent, and he looks like he’s happier to see me than I am him.

Hilo nods like I said hello, and then his eyes pass to Noah. “You’re not really a firefighter, are you?”

“And you’re not really throwing a birthday party,” Noah answers, though his attention is on Sam.

“Nice to see you again, Montgomery,” Sam says, looking less pleasant than usual.

“You two know each other?” I whisper, edging closer to Noah, still holding these ridiculous flowers.

“That’s Ethan’s assassin,” Noah says.

“The man who tried to kill you?” I gasp.

“Yeah.” Noah glances at the men who are moving up behind us. “Apparently, he brought more backup this time.” He smiles at Sam. “You fought me twice and decided you needed to recruit seven more guys to take me down? That’s flattering.”

“Maybe don’t antagonize the murderer,” I suggest quietly, making Noah chuckle.

Though he appears unconcerned, I feel his tension. He’s like a coiled spring.

My eyes move to Sam’s bruised jaw, and I realize I did that when I head-butted him. That was me. I maimed the assassin.

“You tried to kidnap me,” I accuse. Sure, we weren’t close, but still. It’s rude.

“I was hoping you’d go out with me, and we could make it easy. But you turned me down.”

“Your employer taught me I should never date customers.”

“You’re a final-stage vampire,” Noah says, interrupting our conversation. “How are you out in broad daylight?”

Maybe he’s genuinely curious, or perhaps he’s buying time to figure out how we’re going to get out of this.

“I stole the daylight drugs off your porch in Denver,” Sam says, like it should be obvious. “You really shouldn’t leave those lying around.”

Noah grunts, and I realize Sam was the guy Marissa saw snooping around my mailbox. He was hoping to intercept Noah’s prescription.

“When will NIHA share that with their black-market partners?” Sam asks. “They work great.”

Noah narrows his eyes. “Excuse me?”

Sam grins as he strolls up to us, probably thinking he’s safe since he has us surrounded. “Don’t play dumb. You’re the chief of investigations. You know we’re not getting our meds from the pharmacy.”

Noah smiles again, his eyes sharp. “Tell me more about your black-market contact at NIHA. A name would be great.”

“I’d love to chat, but I have a birthday party to get to, and we’re running out of time.”

“There’s actually a birthday party?” I ask.

“Yeah, for my niece,” Sam says slowly, like he’s worried I’m having trouble keeping up. “You made the flowers.”

“When we came back here and saw your thugs, I figured it was a setup.”

“No, the party is real. I’ll take the flowers when we’re done here and send you the money tonight.”

“Why would you send me money?” I study him. “Aren’t you going to kill us?”

“No, we’re only going to kill him.” He nods to Noah. “But I really do need to get going, so let’s get on with things and discuss how this is going to work. If you don’t give us any trouble, Noah, we’ll let Piper walk out of here.”

“What do you want?” Noah asks.

“I need to bite her—quick and easy. I’ll make it as painless as possible.”

“You already bit me.” I hold up my arm so he can see the scratch. It’s not very impressive, granted. But it did its job.

“Why?” Noah demands, not waiting to hear Sam’s answer. “Ethan is in jail. Why are you still after Piper?”

“Ethan’s in jail for a hundred years,” Sam explains. “If Piper remains a pre-vamp, she’ll pass away before he gets out. So, this was the backup—what he told me to do if anything should ever go wrong. Reinfect Piper, make sure she enters the final stage, and get rid of her annoying hunter friend.”

Holy crow—Cassian was right .

“So they can be together when he gets out,” Hilo adds like we didn’t connect those dots on our own, his eyes softening like it’s romantic.

And it’s not. It’s really not.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” I say, my fear gradually giving way to irritation. “Ethan and I aren’t together—we were never together. We’re never going to be together. Why is this so hard for him—and you—to figure out?”

“Let me bite you, Piper,” Sam says calmly, ignoring everything I just said. “And agree to meet again in a couple months for another bite, and then I will leave you in peace. How does that sound?”

“It sounds like you’re not listening.”

“I’ll even keep my subscription—my grandmother loves the bouquets you’ve been putting together for me. I’ll even make sure all the guys sign up. Flowers for everyone .”

That’s probably the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard a thug say. And I’ve been around a few now.

“Just one little bite,” he coaxes, like a dad trying to get his toddler to eat her dinner.

I point to my arm. “ You already bit me. ”

“I’m not convinced that was enough to spread the virus.”

“The sun is saying otherwise,” I snap, realizing I’m sweating—and not just because I’m scared to death.

Sam frowns at me. “You are looking a little sunburned.”

“You’re not touching her,” Noah says, tired of the conversation. “We’re leaving now. If you try to stop us, I’ll kill you.”

“You’re good.” Sam smiles like Noah was joking. “I will give you that. But you’re not one-to-eight good. Come on, Piper. Be reasonable.”

“Why would I cooperate when you said you’re going to kill Noah?” I demand.

Sam’s dark eyes lock on mine, and his eyebrow twitches. “Good point.”

Then he jerks his head, giving a silent signal, and his men attack.