Whispers at Moonrise

her wore jeans and a light blue shirt. He was tall, dark, and …
    Kylie almost thought handsome, but stopped herself from going there.
    “How did you know she was here?” she asked.
    “When I saw she was gone, I called her. She said she was at the café, and when someone walked up, I heard her say his name.”
    Kylie looked back at the window and tuned her ears to hear Holiday’s conversation.
    “I just came here to ask you if you’ve seen her,” Holiday said.
    “And I came here to try to explain what happened,” Blake countered. “I made a mistake. It’s been over two years, and I haven’t stopped loving you.”
    Burnett growled and moved for the door. Kylie caught his elbow. Dressed in all black today, he looked fierce.
    “Wait,” Kylie said.
    “For what?” Burnett’s nostrils flared.
    “We need a plan.”
    “I’ve got one.” His eyes grew brighter when Blake touched Holiday’s arm.
    “One that doesn’t include murder,” Kylie muttered, and then added, “You can’t just storm in like a jealous boyfriend.”
    “I’m not jealous,” he said.
    Kylie heard his heart skip beats. Oh, that was so cool .
    “Really?” Kylie arched a knowing brow at him.
    “He killed her sister,” Burnett defended himself.
    “I said he might be the one who killed her.”
    “That’s good enough for me.” He reached for the door again. Kylie stopped him again.
    “Do you really want this to be the way Holiday finds out her sister is dead? In public?”
    He stepped back, his eyes telling her he’d seen reason. “Okay, what’s your plan?”
    She didn’t have one, but said, “We hang back and watch.”
    He frowned. “He could pull a knife and kill her before I could save her.”
    “In public?” Kylie asked.
    “It’s not the smartest move, but this guy screwed up and lost Holiday. That tells me he’s an idiot.” Burnett never looked away from the window as he spoke. His eyes turned a brighter green. A low growl came from his lips. “He’s touching her again.”
    “That’s not why I called you, Blake.” Holiday pulled her hand back. Her red hair hung loose and stood out against the pale yellow sundress that she wore. “I just want to find Hannah.”
    “But she’s not letting him touch her,” Kylie said. “Let’s move before she spots us.”
    Too late.
    Holiday looked up, and her eyes widened at the sight of them standing outside the glass door.
    “You got a new plan?” Burnett asked. “Because I’m fresh out of ideas, and she looks pissed.”
    Kylie almost smiled at the fear she heard in the big, bad vampire’s voice. “Don’t tell her anything until we get her back to camp,” Kylie said quickly.
    The door swung open as Holiday stepped out. She looked at Burnett, then Kylie. “What’s wrong?”
    “I needed to talk to you,” Kylie said, improvising.
    “About what?” When no one answered, Holiday spoke up again. “What happened?”
    Burnett started to answer. Afraid he might tell Holiday the truth, Kylie blurted out, “I happened.” She pointed to her forehead.
    Holiday tightened her brows and her eyes widened. “Oh, my.”
    The bell from the restaurant doors chimed behind them and Blake walked out. He stopped beside Holiday. “Is everything okay?” He cut his gaze to Burnett.
    Burnett, eyes ablaze, pulled Holiday to his side.
    “That depends,” said Burnett, “on how quickly you get your ass away from here.”
    *   *   *
    Thankfully, Blake had simply offered Holiday a good-bye nod and left without incident.
    Kylie couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he was suspicious that they knew the truth. Burnett seemed to share the same thought when he watched Blake walk away. The low growl coming from his chest left no question that Burnett planned on seeing the man again. And probably sooner than later.
    Burnett and Kylie rode back with Holiday. Holiday peppered Kylie with questions as she drove. “When did you turn into a vampire? Have you experienced any pain? Have your powers changed?” Then Burnett started in with his line-up of questions about Kylie’s newly acquired pattern.
    Kylie answered as vaguely as she could, not wanting to talk about her grandfather. She accepted she’d have to come clean, eventually, but considering what other news she had to give Holiday, Kylie didn’t want to add anything else for the camp leader to worry about just yet.
    Back in the office, Holiday tossed her purse on the sofa and looked at both Burnett and Kylie with her