"What am I wearing? Why, right now it would be the blood of two giants, among other naughty unmentionables," I purred. "What does that do for you, sexy?"
Silence.
Then Finn cleared his throat. "Uh, Gin? Did you dial my number by mistake? Shouldn't you be cooing these sweet, sweet nothings into Owen's ear instead of mine?"
"No mistake," I chirped in a bright voice. "I just thought I'd call you and tell you that there's been a slight change of plans. Bria and I aren't staying at the Blue Sands hotel anymore."
"Why not?" he asked in a sharp voice.
It was amazing just how much suspicion and accusation Finn could put into two simple words. Then again, he knew me all too well. And really, suspicion and accusation were always warranted whenever the Spider was around.
"Let's just say that we had some unwanted visitors tonight - the kind who were intent on making sure we didn't live to see the dawn. Of course, that didn't work out so well for them."
More silence.
"What the hell did you do?" he finally asked. "And more importantly, is my car still in one piece?"
"Well," I said. "I suppose that depends on your definition of in one piece."
Finn just groaned.
Chapter 10
I filled Finn in on what had happened. He agreed to call Owen so they could get an early start, drive down to Blue Marsh, and meet Bria and me for brunch at the Sea Breeze at ten. I also asked Finn to dig up everything that he could on Randall Dekes. I wanted to know exactly whom and what I was dealing with before the vampire sent more men after us - or decided to make an appearance himself.
I hung up with Finn and took a long, hot shower, washing away the stench of bleach that clung to my hands and scrubbing the blood out from underneath my fingernails. When I was done, I changed into a pair of loose cotton pajamas and brushed out my wet hair. Bria had already gone to bed, and I added my bloody clothes to hers, which were already burning in the fireplace. I should have crawled into bed and tried to sleep, but instead, I curled up on a couch in front of one of the sliding glass doors that overlooked the endless ocean.
Restless, I picked up my cell phone and hit one of the numbers in the speed dial. He picked up on the third ring.
"Hello?" Owen Grayson's deep voice rumbled through the receiver.
"Hi, it's Gin," I said, even though he knew my voice as well as I did his.
"Hey." Warmth immediately filled his tone. "How are you? I just got done talking to Finn. He told me that you and Bria had a run-in with some local muscle earlier."
"You might say that."
I told Owen what had taken place tonight, starting with Pete and Trent showing up at Callie's restaurant and threatening her and ending with Bria and me dumping the four men's bodies into the palm-tree-shaped pool at the Blue Sands hotel.
Owen chuckled at that. "You know, you're going to give the pool boy a heart attack in the morning when he goes out to clean the filters."
I joined in his laughter. "I know."
We fell silent, but it wasn't an awkward, uncomfortable pause. It was one of the many things I loved about Owen. He didn't rush to fill in the empty spaces but was content to just let them - and me - be when I needed him to.
"So why did you really call?" Owen finally asked in a soft voice. "I can tell that there's something else going on besides Bria's friend being threatened. I can hear it in your voice. Something's bothering you."
Owen and I had only been together for a few months, but he could read me better than almost anyone else could, even Finn sometimes. I'd told Owen everything - except for the fact that I'd also run into Donovan tonight.
I was still trying to figure out how I felt about seeing the detective again. Oh, I didn't love him, not like I did Owen, but Donovan and I had shared something once upon a time, even if it had been only for a little while. It was hard to ignore the echoes of the old feelings and memories in my heart, even though I knew that what I felt for Owen was much, much deeper and that he was far more important to me than Donovan had ever been.
"I called because I wanted to hear your voice," I murmured. "I needed to hear it. Being on vacation is . . . harder than I thought it would be."
"How so?"
I rubbed the spider rune scar on first one palm, then the other, struggling to put my feelings into words. "Because I don't seem to be very good at it. We haven't even been gone a day, and it feels like I'm right back where I started. Like I never even left Ashland and the bad guys behind. I was looking forward to relaxing. And I tried today - I really did. I let Bria drag me around all afternoon, and I even oohed and aahed over tacky T-shirts and cheap seashell necklaces just like you're supposed to when you're on vacation. Can you believe that? I don't think I've ever oohed and aahed in my entire life."
Owen laughed again.
"What? It's not funny," I grumbled. "It's downright embarrassing."
"Ah, don't worry about it." I could hear the smile in his voice through the phone. "This too shall pass."
"I know, I know. It's just a long weekend, and I'll make the best of it. But then there's Bria," I said, finally focusing on what was really bothering me.
"What about Bria?"
I sighed. "She loves it down here, Owen. She absolutely loves it. You should have seen her face today. Other than the visit to the cemetery, she was so happy, especially when we first walked into the Sea Breeze and she saw Callie again. I keep forgetting that this was her home for so many years, that she had friends and a job and a life down here. Part of me wonders if she regrets leaving all of that behind to move to Ashland. To find me. Because, let's face it, things haven't exactly been easy for either one of us these last few months."
"Just give it some time," Owen said. "Bria's only been back in your life for a few months. The two of you are still getting to know each other. There's bound to be an adjustment period as you both figure out what kind of relationship you can and want to have, especially now that Mab isn't around to constantly be a threat to both of you."
"Yeah, but so far, I don't think that Bria likes what she sees very much. I wanted this vacation to be stress- and bad-guy-free so we could finally have a chance to connect with each other, but it looks like it's going to be anything but that."
We fell silent again. Outside, the waves continued to crash into the shore, while the moon slowly sank toward the ocean, making the frothing water glimmer with a pale, ghostly light.
"You know, if I left now, I could be down there just after sunrise," Owen murmured in a low, sexy tone. "You, me, a deserted beach. The possibilities are endless."