Blood Debt

police and you can spin them the story?"
    "How did I get out of the restraints?"
    She threw up her hands. "Do I have to think of everything?"
    "But you're not thinking." He caught her gaze and held it, unafraid of what he'd find. "We have to set this up so that we, I, can answer the questions they're going to ask. You and Fitzroy can't become involved."
    Statements, court dates—no chance at all that the system would only want them after sunset. Vicki turned to look at Henry and saw the two men were in complete agreement. Worst of all, she had to admit to herself it made sense. To herself. Not to them. "You've been drugged all evening. You're in no condition to make plans."
    "My body is tapioca and my head is pounding, but my cognitive processes are unimpared."
    "Sure. And you usually talk like that." Sighing, she began to flick the hair on Celluci's arm in the wrong direction. "I still don't like it."
    "Stop that." His hand covered hers. "Vicki, it's going to take you what, an hour to get back to the condo? It's June. Sunrise is at 4:14.
    You haven't time to do anything tonight, so, please, let the police handle it."
    "The ghosts want Henry to avenge their deaths."
    "Then let Henry make the call. It's the only way everyone involved will get what's coming to them."

    Her lips curled back off her teeth. "If they hurt you, Mike…"
    "You can hurt them back." He wouldn't have said it except that he was certain he wouldn't be hurt—her answering smile was everything he was afraid it would be. "This is the only way to cover all the bases, Vicki. I'm not asking you to be happy about it, I'm saying that it's the way it's got to be. Now redo the restraints and get out of here, and it'll all be over in a couple of hours."
    " If Swanson dies, if you kill him, it's more than I can ignore… This is where I'm drawing my line in the sand."
    The words hung in the air between them.
    If she carried Celluci out of the clinic, he'd never forgive her and that was a certainty. If she left him, and Henry sent the police in immediately, what could go wrong?
    In spite of the lingering scent of another woman—and for Celluci's sake she hoped it was the woman with the needle—her smile took on a different flavor as she buckled down his wrists. "You know, this has possibilities." When a gentle caress up the inside of his bare arm raised goose bumps, she took the waistband of his jeans in her teeth and tugged.
    "Vicki!"
    "Michael…"
    "Fitzroy, would you please get her out of here."
    She shot him a warning glance. Henry raised a speculative brow.
    "As tasty as he looks, perhaps now is not the time."
    Celluci grunted as Vicki vaulted the bed, hand still on his thigh.
    "Touch him and I'll rip you into pieces so small you'll be able to…"
    Then she stopped, straightened, and frowned. "You did that on purpose."
    "Yes." In spite of their progress, it took remarkably little to evoke a territorial response. He looked past her to Celluci struggling against the restraints and allowed that that particular response could have been evoked almost as easily before she changed. "Don't worry, Detective. I have no desire to feed at this time. Say good-bye, Vicki, and let's go."
    Muttering under her breath, Vicki turned back to the bed and Michael Celluci. She bent to kiss him and paused just above his lips where she could taste his breath. "I'm not sure I can just walk out and leave you here."
    "Bullshit. You can do anything."
    "Don't patronize me, Celluci."
    "Then stop being such a tragedy queen. I'll be fine until the police arrive." His mouth moved under hers. "Now go."
    "We should go out the front. The back door's probably hooked to an alarm."
    "I don't see anything." Vicki quickly ran a finger around the door edge. "And I don't feel a wire. Look, the car's right outside in the parking lot. Let's just do what Mike said and go." She pressed down on the bar and pushed. The ambient noise of the clinic remained unchanged. "See, no alarm. These are sick people in here, probably don't want to terrify them with loud noises. Come on, old man, I'll race you to the car."
    As Henry had observed, it took very little to evoke a territorial response. Once she started running, he had to chase after her. Moving too fast for mortal eyes to follow, they reached the car before the door slammed.

    He was awake instantly, on his feet the instant after, unsure of what he'd heard but sure he'd heard something. If he'd learned anything in prison, he'd learned to sleep