“The illegal canid inspection.” He gestured to the police officer, who I now noticed had one of those metal poles with a loop on the end, the kind that dog-nappers use in cartoons—and in real life, apparently. “As you can imagine, people hide their pit bulls and what have you if they know we’re coming.”
Heaven spread the salt around with her foot, as if that would make the men go away.
“I emailed you,” I said. “Tyrone killed the coyote. I wasn’t sure what to do with it, but I have it here.”
“How can I be sure it’s the coyote that bit me?”
“Test it for rabies. I don’t know.” Frustrated, I said, “But either way, I’ve done all I can.”
“I have concerns beyond the coyote…Ms. Blair, can I see your ID?”
Every cell in my body froze. “Why?”
“Just a formality.”
“You didn’t ask for it last time.” He hadn’t. He’d chatted cheerfully about rotted wood without ever mentioning an ID.
“My fault,” Mr. Jarvis said, staring hard at my face. “It’s standard practice.”
Heaven practically growled. I put a restraining hand on her shoulder. “I’ve got it,” I said. “No big deal.”
“No one in town has seen you for a very long time. You have no family left here,” Wayne said calmly.
“That seems more like my problem than yours.”
“But you can see how that also presents a difficulty for me. How do I know you are who you say you are?” He flashed all of his teeth in the world’s fakest smile.
Smiling to show all ofmyteeth, I handed him my driver’s license. “See.”
He frowned at the plastic card, turned it over, and ran his hands along the edges like he believed it was a fake.
Heaven and I exchanged a look.
No Fear.
The cop inspected my driver’s license as well. “Where have you been for the last decade?” he asked.
My chest tightened. Vlad had been right all along. They were going to run us out of town. He had tried it my way and it was a failure.
“I don’t think I have to answer that. Isn’t your domain building code compliance?” I said, turning to Wayne. I bared my lavender-activated fangs.
Wayne laughed uncomfortably. “It is indeed. And from what I can see, I don’t think you’re going to pass that inspection.”
Nope. I was not going to take this one lying down. A man in a cheap suit with no charisma was tellingme, a three-hundred-year-old vampire, what to do. Threatening to destroy my house, run me out of my own life. Sure, I could drain him, but that was a short-term solution. I decided to play nice. “I believe everyone in town knows that I lost my Jeff. The last few years haven’t been great.”
He nodded with his arms crossed over his chest like he knew there was more to the story.
“And then you moved to LA?” the cop asked.
“I always wanted to be an actress.” I looked away from the officer to Wayne. “Would you like to do your inspection now? Get it over with?”
Wayne smiled wolfishly. “Don’t mind if I do.” He turned to the cop and nodded. “You can wait in the car, officer. Thank you for your assistance.” He then took out a little notepad and started walking through the house.
I shut my eyes and centered my intention, my identity. I was Tiffany Amber Blair, a respectable woman born in Valentine, a woman whorightfully inherited this home and had the best intentions to fix it up. I did not have an illegal canid on the premises—we were all properly housebroken vampires at this point. Tiffany Amber Blair should have no trouble with a little house inspection.
Just like before the panic attack at Tyrone’s, my vision started fogging at the edges. I began to feel lightheaded. The porch had been repaired and Bob had rewired the house. We should be fine, but I didn’t feel fine. If I could just hang on for thirty minutes, be pleasant for this home inspection, and not kill Wayne, I would be fine.Wewould be fine.
I wanted to, though. I wanted to kill this man with every fiber of my being. He was too much. I was just trying to exist without hurting anyone, and he wouldn’t let me.
