She sighed, her shoulders hunching. “Very well.” Pivoting, she stumbled into him.
Pain flared through his arm. Heat rushed through his veins, and his head grew heavy. Gravity claimed him, and he started to fall.
“Sorry,” she whispered, helping him down to the floor and setting his back to the wall.
He blinked, his tongue thickening as he saw the small syringe in her hand. The last thought he had before passing completely out was to wonder where such a curve-hugging dress had pockets.
Then he was out.
Chapter 2
Ginny rushed into the suite in her ancient hotel, running for the bedroom to quickly pack. She’d been waylaid too many times on her way out of the ball, but she’d had appearances to keep up. This identity was one she cherished, and she’d fight to keep it. She considered it her good one. The one that did honorable things like help organizations like Other Tracks.
Oh, Theo would only be out for a short time. The sedative she’d brought had been created for shifters, just in case Jack had tried something. It would take a vampire like Theo down, but not for long.
She threw clothing into her suitcase, trying to keep her energy up. After working the ball for two hours, she was spent and needed rest. Grabbing her sparkly flats, she quickly exchanged them for her three-inch heels, packing those in the bag. Where the heck should she run? She had to stay close in case Jack was able to broker a deal. Her final deal. Then she was out.
The hotel was in the seedier side of town, so no way would Theo look for her there.
Theo Reese couldn’t be allowed to screw this up for her.
Damn that vampire. He was far too smart and sexy for her peace of mind. Not once,not once, had he ever fallen for the character she most often played in life. While that intrigued her, totally against her will, she didn’t have time to explore it. Not now. Not when she was so close.
She grabbed her suitcase and the laptop bag, running into the living area.
The door crashed open and banged against the wall. Twice.
She halted, her lungs seizing.
Theo Reese stood in the doorway, his tux askew, fury across his hard face. All vampires had hard faces. Yet Theo’s was a rock-like formation chiseled into rugged planes and fierce angles that had haunted her dreams more than once through the years. His body was muscled and tight, yet he moved with the grace of a panther shifter. Deadly and sure. His thick brown hair was several shades lighter than his midnight black eyes, which right now swirled with an anger that stole her breath.
She swallowed, looking for an escape.
“In that dress, you’ll never make it down the fire escape.” He stepped inside and shut the door behind himself. Well, he shut what was left of the door. “Your sedative didn’t last long.”
The bastard probably had the metabolism of a demon. Damn vampire. “I said I was sorry.” She dropped her bags and let her voice go breathy. “But…but I had no choice, Theo.” Yes. Good tremble on the last.
“Bullshit.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest, staring down from at least an additional foot of height.
She coughed. Nobody swore at her. Ever.
He lowered his chin. “I swear, Ginny. If you don’t drop the fucking act, I’m going to lose my temper. You don’t want that.”
No. She truly did not want that. Why hadn’t she taken time to change out of the ball gown? It was nearly impossible to fight in the darn thing. No wonder it had taken so long for women to reach equality in this new world. Their very clothing had held them back. “Theo, there’s no need to get nasty,” she said, her mind spinning for a plan.
“You haven’t seen nasty. Yet.” He cocked his head to the side and focused on her laptop bag. “Is my flash drive in there?”
“No,” she said honestly. “I have no idea what flash drive you’re talking about.” Aye, she lied that time.
His focus slashed back to her face. “Ah, baby. That’s the first time we’ve had this type of conversation. I have a baseline for you now. You have a tell when you lie.”
“I do not,” she burst out before she could stop herself.
His smile was slow and somehow dangerous. “You do.”
“I’m a natural redhead,” she spat, forgetting all about how tired she was.
“Lie.”
