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Guilty Pleasures :: Гамильтон Лорел
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“I can't tell you.”
“But you do know?”
“Edward …”
“How deep are you in, Anita?”
“Eye level and sinking fast.”
“I could help you.”
“I know.”
“Would helping you allow me to kill more vampires?”
“Maybe.”
He grinned at me, brilliant, heart-stopping. The grin was his very best harmless good of boy smile. I could never decide whether the smile was real or just another mask. Would the real Edward please stand up? Probably not.
“I enjoy hunting vampires. Let me in on it if you can.”
“I will.”
He paused with a hand on the doorknob. “I hope I have more luck with my other sources than I did with you.”
“What happens if you can't find the location from someone else?”
“Why, I come back.”
“And?”
“And you will tell me what I want to know. Won't you?” He was still grinning at me, charming, boyish. He was also talking about torturing me if he had to.
I swallowed, hard. “Give me a few days, Edward, and I might have your information.”
“Good. I'll bring the shotgun later today. If you're not home, I'll leave it on the kitchen table.”
I didn't ask how he'd get inside if I wasn't home. He would only have smiled or laughed. Locks weren't much of a deterrent to Edward. “Thank you. For the shotgun, I mean.”
“My pleasure, Anita. Until tomorrow.” He stepped out the door, and it closed behind him.
Great. Vampires, now Edward. The day was about fifteen minutes old. Not a very promising beginning. I locked the door, for what good it would do me, and went to bed. The Browning HiPower was in its second home, a modified holster strapped to the headboard of my bed. The crucifix was cool metal around my neck. I was as safe as I was going to be and almost too tired to care.
I took one more thing to bed with me, a stuffed toy penguin named Sigmund. I don't sleep with him often, just every once in a while after someone tries to kill me. Everyone has their weaknesses. Some people smoke. I collect stuffed penguins. If you won't tell, I won't.
16
I stood in the huge stone room where Nikolaos had sat. Only the wooden chair remained, empty, alone. A coffin sat on the floor to one side. Torchlight gleamed off the polished wood. A breeze eased through the room. The torches wavered and threw huge black shadows on the walls. The shadows seemed to move independent of the light.
“I can't tell you.”
“But you do know?”
“Edward …”
“How deep are you in, Anita?”
“Eye level and sinking fast.”
“I could help you.”
“I know.”
“Would helping you allow me to kill more vampires?”
“Maybe.”
He grinned at me, brilliant, heart-stopping. The grin was his very best harmless good of boy smile. I could never decide whether the smile was real or just another mask. Would the real Edward please stand up? Probably not.
“I enjoy hunting vampires. Let me in on it if you can.”
“I will.”
He paused with a hand on the doorknob. “I hope I have more luck with my other sources than I did with you.”
“What happens if you can't find the location from someone else?”
“Why, I come back.”
“And?”
“And you will tell me what I want to know. Won't you?” He was still grinning at me, charming, boyish. He was also talking about torturing me if he had to.
I swallowed, hard. “Give me a few days, Edward, and I might have your information.”
“Good. I'll bring the shotgun later today. If you're not home, I'll leave it on the kitchen table.”
I didn't ask how he'd get inside if I wasn't home. He would only have smiled or laughed. Locks weren't much of a deterrent to Edward. “Thank you. For the shotgun, I mean.”
“My pleasure, Anita. Until tomorrow.” He stepped out the door, and it closed behind him.
Great. Vampires, now Edward. The day was about fifteen minutes old. Not a very promising beginning. I locked the door, for what good it would do me, and went to bed. The Browning HiPower was in its second home, a modified holster strapped to the headboard of my bed. The crucifix was cool metal around my neck. I was as safe as I was going to be and almost too tired to care.
I took one more thing to bed with me, a stuffed toy penguin named Sigmund. I don't sleep with him often, just every once in a while after someone tries to kill me. Everyone has their weaknesses. Some people smoke. I collect stuffed penguins. If you won't tell, I won't.
16
I stood in the huge stone room where Nikolaos had sat. Only the wooden chair remained, empty, alone. A coffin sat on the floor to one side. Torchlight gleamed off the polished wood. A breeze eased through the room. The torches wavered and threw huge black shadows on the walls. The shadows seemed to move independent of the light.