“Stay where you are. I’ll send Carl to pick you up. I would come myself, but—”
“The sun, right,” I said numbly.
“You’ll be safe if you stay in the sunlight. Whatever you do, donotgo inside your apartment. Avoid shadows.”
“Robert, I don’t want you to send a car. I can’t stand to be near where Liz was . . . I’ll come to you, okay?”
“As long as you aren’t too upset to drive?”
“I’ll be okay,” I said. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I will always worry about you, Olivia.”
“I’ll see you in a few,” I said, hanging up.
26
Icame to a screeching halt in front of Robert’s driveway, frightening some poor man holding a leaf blower half to death. I’d driven like a maniac on the way over, nearly rear-ending a minivan full of screaming children at a stoplight. The driver, a stressed-out mom with a nasty case of bed head, had shaken her fist at me angrily before giving me the finger.
Carl was waiting for me outside. He was polished and professional, despite the early hour. I wondered when the man slept, or if he did at all.
He bowed his head. “I’m very sorry for your loss, Olivia.”
I bowed my head. I’d known people who’d died of natural causes and accidents, but never of murder. I felt like there was more that could have been said beyond, “Thank you,” but I couldn’t find the words.
“Please, follow me. Robert apologizes for not meeting you at the door.” He raised a hand toward the sun. I caught his drift. “He’s waiting for you down in the sleeping chamber.”
Carl led me underground to the chamber, then left quietly. I found Robert nervously pacing the room and I called his name, breaking his trance. Before I knew it, I was enveloped in his strong arms.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you weren’t harmed. When I heard you crying on the phone, I didn’t know what to think. I can’t understand why anyone would want to hurt Liz.” I tensed in his arms, and he changed course. “How are you feeling?”
“Numb,” I whispered. “Like I’m stuck in a nightmare.”
He pulled me closer. “You’re safe now.”
“I just . . . I can’t deal with this right now. It’s too much. Liz was my best friend. She was my family.” I buried my face in his chest. “I don’t want to sound cold, but can we please talk about something else?”
“Whatever you want. I’ll always be here for you when you’re ready to mourn.” He took a step back and took in my soggy dress, mud-encrusted stilettos, and Jerry’s enormous coat. “Whathaveyou got on?”
I looked in the mirror hanging next to Robert’s bed, struck by my freakish appearance. “I was coming home from a Dignitary thing when I discovered . . .” I shook my head. “I didn’t want to go inside the apartment to change.”
“You decoyed last night?” he said, pursing his lips.
“You sound jealous.”
“It doesn’t matter now. Here, please.” He led me to the bed, where I sat down on the edge. He bent down and removed my stilettos. “I’m afraid I’ll be burned by sunlight if we leave the chamber, so this will have to do for seating. But if you’d be more comfortable, I could have Carl fetch a chair?”
“No, this is perfect.” I leaned back on the plush down duvet, exhaustion hitting me like a ton of bricks. My nerves felt like the frayed end of a rope. “You know, my client last night was a gay man. It was a last-minute booking.”
“Oh?” He tried to convey a sense of indifference, but his relief was palpable. “And what of your relentless suitor? Is he still bothering you?”
“Nick?” I said his name with unimportance. It was amazing to feel nothing for my ex: not hurt, not anger, not longing.Nothing.“You make him sound way classier than he is by calling him mysuitor, Robert. He’s just some dumb guy I used to know—an insignificant blip in my past. It seems he’s finally taken the hint and will now leave me alone. I hope so, anyway. That must have been some punch you gave him.”
Robert took my hands. “Olivia, from the bottom of my heart, I’m terribly sorry about the scene I made outside the coffee house. I know you must think the absolute worst of me because of my appalling behavior, but when I saw thatdumb guygrab your arm . . . I was only trying to keep you safe. I couldn’t bear to see you hurt. I know that I can be terribly old-fashioned with my protectiveness. You’re more than capable of taking care of yourself.”
“No, I’m the one who should be sorry. You were obviously right to be paranoid. Maybe if I had listened to you, Liz would still be alive.” Fat, angry tears spilled from my eyes. “I should have warned her, Robert. Maybe I do have a stalker. It’s my fault she’s dead.”
“Donotblame yourself for what happened,” Robert said furiously. “The murderer is responsible. For all we know, what happened to Liz could be entirely unrelated to what’s been going on with you. If it is, indeed, a vampire who did this, I will face justice. I promise you.”
