Мишель Роуэн - Stakes & Stilettos

I didn't want to love him, but I did.

I wanted to stop loving him, but I couldn't.

And if it meant I had to turn Gideon Chase into a vampire to save him and all of my friends, then that's exactly what I was going to do.

I let out a shaky sigh and closed my eyes.

Then they snapped right back open a moment before I sat bolt upright in bed.

What the hell had I done?

I got out of bed, straightening my bright pink I'm a Rock Star nightshirt (with the image of a cartoon star wearing sunglasses and playing an electric guitar—chic it wasn't) and left my tiny bedroom to scramble in the darkness for the phone. I pecked out the numbers instinctively.

"You've reached Haven." George's voice boomed in my ear. "How can I be of excellent service so you will strongly recommend to the new owners that I can keep my job here?"

"George," I whispered into the receiver. "I need to talk to Thierry. Please… can you get him for me right now?"

There was a pause. "Sarah? Is that you?"

"Yes." I was afraid to raise my voice to regular speaking volume.

"Do you have laryngitis?"

"No… just, please, George, get Thierry for me."

Bottom line: I was not Gideon Chase's bitch.

I don't care what he threatened to do, he wasn't infused with superpowers—he was only human. He couldn't possibly know what I might tell Thierry. I'd gone along with him out of fear and confusion, but now that I'd had some time to think things through, I was sure that I'd made the wrong decision. Hugely wrong.

Gideon didn't have to know what was going on, but Thierry did. He could help me. I wasn't exactly sure how, but at present I was at Gideon's mercy, and I didn't like that at all, since, from what I knew of the guy, he didn't have any honor or compassion to go along with his billions of dollars.

He was a murderer. He'd killed countless vampires over the years, and he'd even murdered

Stacy last night. He was a very bad man. Not that this was a revelation.

I'd tell Thierry I had to talk to him. I'd explain what had happened and then we'd… we'd…

I didn't know what we'd do, but it would be better than waiting and worrying that Gideon would just kill everybody anyhow.

This was the best was. The only way.

And sure, it did bother me that Thierry had accepted our break-up without even standing up from his desk; with his expression only growing colder and more distant.

Then again, he might not believe me. After everything I'd said to him…

Oh, God, I thought. He has to believe me.

"Sorry," George said. "He's not here."

I licked my dry lips. "Where is he? This is urgent."

"Look, I'd get him to give you a call, but he's gone. Like gone, gone. I figured you already knew about this."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't believe you broke up with him, Sarah. Wow. I didn't see that coming. He was in a foul mood when he came out of that office. Foul. I asked him where you were and he told me that you dumped him—although he didn't use those exact words, of course. He finished the paperwork and cleared out his office of all of his personal belongings, which I believe amounted to a fountain pen and an extra black shirt. He said he was going to the airport."

My stomach turned over. "The airport?"

"I figure he's going back to Europe. Now that Haven's gone, and you're moving on, there's nothing to keep him here anymore. Are you okay, sweetie? Amy said you and Veronique had a talk earlier and I guess I can tell that it didn't exactly go well, did it?"

Thierry had left for the airport. He was gone. Shock quickly spread over me.

"It…" I tried to swallow. "It went fine. But it made me realize a lot of things about me and Thierry. And yeah, it's over."

"Sorry."

"Don't be." I was speaking at a normal level now and my throat ached with every word.

"Look, I want to help you through this, I do, but I have ten tables who need service glaring at me right now. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Okay."

"Chin up. It might feel sucky now, but in the long run it's probably the best decision. You guys were really different. I guess opposites don't always attract after all, huh?"

"You're right." I sniffed. "See you later."

I hung up and put my hands over my face and sobbed until I was all out of tears and felt utterly exhausted. The proverbial bed had been made and now I had to lie in it. Thierry was gone and Gideon was still here waiting for our appointment with destiny.

I felt for a tissue, but the box next to the phone was empty so I reached to turn on the light. It didn't work. I stood up and walked over to the floor lamp next to the sofa, stubbing my already-blistered toe on the coffee table as I went.

I swore loudly.

Could the night seriously get any worse?

I felt at the wall for the light switch, but it didn't work either. I'd shut the lights off before I went to bed, so they were working. Was there a power failure? Had we blown a fuse?

I heard the floorboards creak and I froze in place. They creaked again.

Somebody, other than me, was in the house.

It wouldn't be George since he was still at the club. Then who? Was it Gideon? Had he followed me home and broken into the house? What was he going to do? Or, even worse, was it another hunter? I'd been bodyguard-free on my walk home, and somebody could have picked up my trail and slipped in through a window.

I didn't care who it was, my survival instincts kicked in and I knew I had to get out of there. I made a beeline to the front door, turned the lock, and put my hand on the knob.

Somebody grabbed me firmly from behind. Before I could scream, a hand came over my mouth and I clutched at him, clawing at his arms and imagining my death a thousand different ways. But if I was going to die, I was taking whoever it was with me. I waited to feel a sharp wooden stake at my throat, but there was nothing.

"Shh, Sarah. It's okay."

My eyes bugged. I released my death hold on his arms and he removed his hand from my mouth. I slowly turned around to face him.

"What is going on?" I managed in a hoarse whisper.

"Is that new?" Thierry asked, referring to my amazingly stylish Wal-Mart nightshirt. "I don't think I've ever seen that before."

It was dark in the house so I could barely see him, even taking my improved vampire vision into consideration.

"Shh." I peeked out of the curtain to the outside. Gideon was nowhere to be seen, but I wouldn't expect him to survey the house from a visible location. "George said you went to the airport."

"Obviously that's not the case."

I could barely breathe. I wanted to tell him everything in a rush of words but I held back, too stunned to think rationally. "I figured you'd never want to see me again."

He cocked his head to the side. "Those actually were your words, not mine."

"You shouldn't be here."

He moved closer and studied me. "You've been crying."

I shook my head. "Allergies."

"I came here because there are a few things that must be said between us before I will accept once and for all that our relationship is over. That's why I'm here."

I glanced out of the window again.

"What are you looking for?" he asked. "Or, should I say, who are you looking for?"

I blinked. "You shouldn't be here."

"Why not?"

"I told you that this was over, Thierry. I…" I swallowed hard. "I still mean it."

"I don't think you do."

I sucked in a quick gasp of air at that response. "Then you're wrong."

His gaze grew serious. "Who is responsible for this, Sarah? Who is coercing you to say these things to me?"

This was bad. Very, very bad. I'd already had second thoughts about telling him everything. It was too risky. Was I willing to put the lives of my friends and family in jeopardy just so I could tell Thierry I hadn't meant all the cruel things I'd said to him?