“It’s Thomas’s house,” I said. “We’re not staying.”
I didn’t have many expectations for my next home, but a big one was not living under Thomas’s roof. Call me crazy, but I didn’t want that vampire to have any more of a hold over me than he already did.
“Technically, it’s your name on the deed,” Connor corrected.
“Maybe so, but do you really want to give Thomas a chance to throw this in our face the next time we go against his wishes?”
Because I sure didn’t.
“There is an easy solution for that,” Connor said. “We buy it from him.”
“Is that all?”
Why didn’t Connor ask for the moon and the stars while he was at it? Because that’s what it would take.
“I hate to break it to you, but I don’t have that kind of money,” I said.
In this market, with its location, lot size, and square footage, that house had to be close to a million dollars. That was before you took into account its interior or the rather sizable external garage located behind it.
Even with my bonus from the new ruler of Noctessa, I couldn’t afford it. Nor would a bank authorize a loan to someone whose income was as unstable as mine.
I’d be lucky if they didn’t accuse me of money laundering, given the source of some of my customer’s payments. When you didn’t exist under human law, it necessitated creative banking.
“No problem. I can.”
I shot Connor an incredulous look. “Since when do you have money?”
He’d been a stag for centuries. It wasn’t exactly a position that came with an investment plan.
“I’m Thomas’s child,” he said as if that was a reasonable explanation.
“So?”
“He set aside a small inheritance for me after my mother’s death. That, coupled with my own personal holdings before my disappearance has accumulated over the years,” he admitted. “My fortune has grown quite nicely under Thomas’s diligent management.”
I processed the fact that my vampire brother was a probable multi-millionaire in silence.
Undeterred, Connor gave me a tiny smile. “That means, dear sister of mine, we can afford whatever house we desire.”
After Connor’s unexpected announcement, we made a quick stop at the house for a change of clothes.
When I checked on Deborah, I found her occupied with a movie on TV. I let her know one of Thomas’s people would drop off a car later that night for her use before Connor and I headed out again.
Twenty minutes later, I was pulling off the highway to make my way through the neighborhoods bordering the Blue Pepper. Located in the no man’s land that existed between the bigger and more popular neighborhoods of Clintonville and Worthington, the Blue Pepper was a staple. Once considered run down, the area had undergone a renaissance over the last few years, drawing in a lot of new businesses and residents.
It meant more traffic, but it still wasn’t as bad as the University District to our south.
Spotting the bar, I pulled into the tiny parking lot to find it full. The only spot left was located at the back of lot between a dumpster and a truck that made me glad Gwyneth wasn’t an SUV. She’d never have fit otherwise.
After I parked, we climbed out of the car. I slowed as the feeling of being watched intruded. Connor continued a few steps toward the bar as I scanned our surroundings.
He stopped to look back at me in curiosity. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head in puzzlement. “I don’t know.”
There was nothing out there that I could find. Despite that, I couldn’t shake the sensation that there we were being watched. It was disturbingly similar to what had happened last night with my stalker.
Connor must have thought the same as he rejoined me, his gaze alert as he searched the shadows around us.
