She was out of the car before it came to a full stop, a surge of relief sweeping through her when she saw that the security door was open. He was still here! Chiding herself for her foolish fears, she hurried inside, only to come to an abrupt halt when she saw that his car was gone. Then she noticed that his big red toolbox was also missing, and that Cat wasn’t curled up on a corner of the desk.
“Can I help you, miss?”
Cara stared at the man walking toward her. He wore a pair of overalls and carried a paintbrush in one hand. “Who are you?”
“Max Felton; I own this building.”
“I’m looking for Vince Cordova,” she said, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Vince, yeah. He called me late last night and said he was moving out and he wouldn’t be back.” The man shook his head. “I got here around seven this morning and he was already gone. He must have taken off in the middle of the night.”
“Do you know where he went?”
“Sorry, I sure don’t.”
She swallowed the lump rising in her throat. “Did he leave any messages for anyone?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Thank you.” Feeling as though her heart was breaking, she walked back to the car.
Di Giorgio was there to open the door for her. “Where to now?”
“Just take me home. My home,” she clarified.
With a nod, Di Giorgio closed the door.
Cara stared out the window, scarcely aware of anything around her. He was really gone this time, with no good-bye and no hope of her ever seeing him again. This time it was final; she felt it in the deepest part of her being.
A short time later, Di Giorgio pulled up in front of her place. Opening the door, he handed her out of the car and followed her up the walkway and into the house. He went from room to room, making sure everything was as it should be.
“I’ll be right outside if you need me,” he said.
Cara nodded. She felt suddenly old and dried up, as if all the life had been sucked out of her body.
Frank patted her shoulder, his eyes filled with compassion. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
She nodded again, too numb to speak. All she could think of was that Vince had left her. Again. Only this time it was for good. She moved woodenly through the house, watering her wilted plants, dusting the furniture, vacuuming the carpets, and all the while, the words, “he’s gone, he’s gone,” repeated themselves in her mind over and over again.
After putting the vacuum away, she went into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. She stared at the floor, more unhappy than she had ever been in her life, hardly aware of the tears that trickled down her cheeks.
Vince was gone and nothing else mattered.
Frank Di Giorgio stretched his arms over his head, then checked his watch. It was a quarter past three. Cara had been inside for almost four hours. He wondered what she was doing in there now. The last time he had looked in on her, she had been vacuuming; that had been almost an hour ago. She was a sweet thing. Too bad life had handed her such a raw deal. Of course, there were those who would think she had it pretty easy. She lived in a big house, she had lots of money, and enough clothes for a passel of females. Still, it couldn’t be easy, having vampires for parents.
Rising, he stretched the kinks from his back and shoulders, then decided to take a turn around the yard to stretch his legs.
He paused when he reached her bedroom window. Moving closer, he listened but heard nothing. Maybe she was asleep.
He had just reached the corner of the house when the short hairs prickled along the back of his neck. Drawing his gun, he spun around, his finger on the trigger.
For a split second, Frank and the creature stared at each other, and then Frank pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the creature in the heart, but it had no visible effect. Frank fired again and yet again.
He was about to pull the trigger a fourth time when Anton stepped out from behind the creature and, with a flick of his wand, sent the gun flying out of Di Giorgio’s hand.
With a guttural cry, Frank lunged toward Anton.
And then everything went black.
She was dreaming. Vince had come for her and he was carrying her away. Smiling, she tried to wrap her arms around his neck, only her arms wouldn’t move. Frowning, she tried again, but to no avail.
Opening her eyes, she saw the creature staring down at her.
Cara screamed and screamed again, trying to wake herself up.
And then, to her horror, she realized she wasn’t asleep.
She closed her eyes and opened them again, but the creature was still there, staring down at her, its eyes empty of feeling, of life. There were three neat holes in its white shirt. It took her a moment to realize they were bullet holes. A living man would have been bleeding or dead, but the creature wasn’t alive, nor was it Undead, like her parents. It was…she didn’t know what it was. Anton stood beside the thing that had been his father, his face impassive as he watched her.
She tried to move, only then realizing that she was in what looked like a basement and that she was lying on the floor, her hands and feet bound behind her.
“I’m sorry it had to come to this,” Anton said.
“Wh…what do you mean?” She hated the quiver in her voice, the way her body shook with fear.
“I promised my mother I would avenge my father’s death, and now I must avenge her, as well, thanks to you.”
“Where are we?”
“My father’s house.”
“Where are the people who lived here?” she asked, certain she wasn’t going to like the answer.
He glanced toward the far corner.
Cara followed his gaze, her stomach churning when she realized that what looked like a pile of smelly clothing covered by a sheet was in reality the house’s former occupants. “You killed them?”
“No, I’m afraid the creature did that.” He smiled. “It seems fitting, don’t you think? My father died here, at your father’s hands, and now you’ll die here, at my father’s hands.” He laughed softly, maniacally. “It’s perfect, don’t you think?”
She was cold, so cold, and it had nothing to do with the cement floor beneath her. She was going to die, here, in this place, and there was no one to save her this time, no one who even knew where she was. “Please…”
“I’ll be back when it’s over.”
“Anton! Please! Wait! Please, don’t do this!”
But it was too late. He was gone and she was alone with a monster.