Night's Touch (Children of The Night 2)

Getting out of the car, he looked around for her bodyguard’s Lexus. He had followed Cara and her bodyguard for the last week, getting to know their routine. The bodyguard always followed her inside, stayed for an hour or two, then left the library to stretch his legs.

Anton whistled softly as he walked toward the body-guard’s car. Getting Cara to the lab would be relatively easy, but first he had to fix it so her bodyguard couldn’t follow. Pulling a knife from his pocket, he slashed all four tires on the Lexus.

Still whistling softly, he slid the knife into his pocket, then walked around the building to the entrance.

Cara was at the front desk helping an elderly woman fill out a form for a library card when she saw Anton walking toward her. She couldn’t help wondering what he was doing there, since it had been weeks since she had seen him.

“Just sign here, Mrs. Green,” Cara said, handing the woman a pen.

Anton rested one elbow on the edge of the counter. “Hey, sweet cakes, long time no see.”

Cara nodded at him. Taking the pen from Mrs. Green, she handed the woman a temporary card. “You can use this tonight. You should receive your card in a couple of days.”

“Thank you, dear,” Mrs. Green said. She looked from Cara to Anton and smiled, then walked slowly toward the back of the library.

Cara looked at Anton. “What brings you here?”

“Just stopped by to say hello and see how you were doing.”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“How about going out for a cup of coffee?”

“I don’t think so.”

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I really need to talk to you.”

“What about?”

“Your father.”

“My father! What about him?”

Anton glanced around, as if he was afraid of being overheard. “I don’t think this is the place to discuss it, do you?”

Cara tapped the pen on the counter. He was right, of course. This wasn’t the place to discuss anything that had to do with her parents. She glanced around. The library was empty save for Sarah Beth, Mary, Mrs. Green, an elderly man reading a newspaper, and Frank, who was sitting at a nearby table working on a crossword puzzle. Still, she wouldn’t want anyone to overhear her having a conversation that included vampires.

“Let me tell Bethy that I’m stepping out for a moment,” Cara said, dropping the pen in a drawer. “I’ll be right back.”

Cara took Sarah Beth aside and told her she was going outside for a few minutes.

Sarah Beth glanced at Anton, who was leaning casually against the front desk. “Is everything all right?”

“I don’t know,” Cara said. “He said something was wrong with my father, but…” She shook her head. “I can’t imagine what it could be, or why Anton would know something I don’t.”

“I hope your father’s okay,” Sarah Beth said sympathetically.

“I’m sure he is. I won’t be gone long.”

She nodded at Frank as she walked by his table, then headed toward the rear of the library. Ever the gentleman, Anton held the door for her, then followed her outside. She noticed his car was parked near the back door instead of in the lot.

“So,” she said, turning to face him, “what’s all this about my father?”

“Let’s talk in the car.”

She shook her head. No way was she getting into the car with him. She didn’t trust him any farther than she could throw him! “We can talk here.”

“No,” Anton said curtly, “I’m afraid we can’t.” And so saying, he grabbed her by the arm, opened the passenger-side door, and thrust her inside, slamming the door behind her.

Alarmed, Cara tried to open the door, only it was locked and wouldn’t budge. Before she could do anything else, Anton slid behind the wheel and sped out of the parking lot.

“Anton, what are you doing?”

“All in good time.”

“Let me out of here, now!”

“Just sit tight, sweet cakes. It’ll all be clear soon enough.”

Overcome by a sudden nameless fear, Cara glanced out the back window, hoping to see Frank’s car behind them, only there was no sign of him, and as they reached the outskirts of town, there was no sign of anyone at all.

“What’s going on, Anton? Where are you taking me?”

“To see your father, of course.”

Cara looked out the window. There was nothing to see but a few old houses and soon even they were gone. “What would my father be doing out here?”

“He’s not here yet.” Anton looked over at her. “But he will be.”

“I don’t understand.”

“All in good time,” Anton murmured. “All in good time.”

Cara stared out the window, chilled from the inside out. Where was he taking her? And why? And what did her father have to do with it? She bit down on her lower lip as her father’s voice rose in her mind. “I’m a wealthy man,” he had once told her, “and I have many enemies. Frank is there to make sure that no harm comes to you.”

Only Frank wasn’t there.

Vince sat at his usual table in the rear corner of The Nocturne. Time and again he stared at his watch, as if glowering at it could make the hands move faster or the hours pass more quickly. He had left town almost two weeks ago, fully intending never to return, determined to put Cara out of his mind forever. It sounded simple enough. It turned out to be impossible. She filled his every waking moment. He missed her voice and the sound of her laughter. His body ached for her touch. He missed her in his arms, and in his bed.

Remembering Mara’s advice, he had burrowed deep into the ground, seeking oblivion, but the memory of Cara’s sweetness had followed him even there. Right or wrong, he had to see her again. He would tell her the truth and live with the consequences. Even if she rejected him, at least he would see her one more time. He felt like the worst kind of coward for leaving town without telling her good-bye, but when it came right down to it, he just hadn’t had the nerve to face her, couldn’t bear to see the hurt and disillusionment in her eyes and know he had put it there.

He glanced at his watch again, an oath escaping his lips. Would nine o’clock never come? He thought of storming into the library and confronting her there, but that would never do. If she denounced him in public, it would be embarrassing for both of them. If she accepted him for what he was, that would be embarrassing, too, because no matter where they were, as soon as she said she was his, he intended to drag her into his arms and make love to her until they were both exhausted.