“Ruby, what the hell is going on?” Mark asked, looking around the empty parking lot she had chosen for them to meet in. “We got a call to your apartment, and the place was wrecked, bullet holes everywhere, not to mention three dead guys lying on your floor. Care to tell me what that’s about? You haven’t been picking up your phone. I thought you were dead, for god’s sakes!”

“I’m sorry, Mark. I really am,” Ruby said, trying to find a way to calm down her former partner. “But things have gotten a little crazy lately. I should have thought to let you know I’m okay, I know…”

Mark didn’t even seem to be listening as he shook his head in disbelief.

“And then you call me up asking for a favor? I should have reported it to my superiors. You’re a person of interest in three murders, Ruby,” he carried on, clearly upset and confused.

“Mark, please,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “You know me. I can explain. Those men were at my apartment to kill me. I acted in self-defense. But I couldn’t stay there to explain, not when I knew there would be more coming.”

“Oh, Ruby,” Mark sighed. “What have you gotten yourself into?”

Ruby didn’t want to lie to him, especially since he was putting his career on the line just by meeting with her. But trying to convince Mark vampires existed might be too tough of a sell. So she opted for a story with as much truth as the situation allowed.

“That night, in the alley… I saw something I wasn’t supposed to see. That man who attacked me and the other woman works for Theodore Greene, and now they’re tying up loose ends. I’m one of them,” she said, and Mark’s eyes grew wide.

“Big Theo is after you? Jesus,” he shook his head. “What the hell did you see?”

“The face of his new assassin, I guess,” Ruby shrugged. “I didn’t really get a chance to ask the goons he sent to my apartment why exactly I’m a liability.”

“Ruby, I can get why you ran… But now, it’s time to do the right thing. Come on, we’ll go to the precinct and you can clear this all up. We can protect you from Greene,” Mark pleaded.

“I can’t. There’s something I need to do first,” Ruby insisted, staring at Mark as the wind whipped her hair around.

It was already getting dark and the weather was taking a turn for the worse. She was still wearing Harlan’s button-up beneath her leather jacket, which she was clutching to her body. The Corvette was parked behind her, black and shiny beneath the flickering streetlight above them.

The anger and hurt from being cast aside by Harlan was still fresh, but she chose to channel those feelings into finishing what she had started with him. Grant was going down, one way or another, even if she had to do it all by herself.

All I have to do is find Theo Greene, that will lead me to Grant. And I still have some contacts who can help me with that. I just hope they don’t end up double-crossing me, like Mickey.

“No, no, and no,” Mark disagreed. “Whatever you think you need to do, it can wait until you’re safely in police custody.”

“That’s not up to you, Mark. I’m sorry I didn’t call, and that I’ve put you in such a tough spot, but if you are truly my friend, you’ll trust me when I say I can’t do that right now.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re planning on doing something extremely stupid?” Mark asked, crossing his arms as he studied her closely.

“You might be right. But it’s something I need to do. So unless you’re not going to wrestle me to the ground and take me in by force, which I promise to never forgive you if you do, we should get down to business. Did you bring what I asked?”

Ruby didn’t enjoy forcing Mark’s hand like this, but she was growing desperate. If Harlan and Julius got to Grant before she did, she would never get a chance to give Grant what’s coming to him.

Unless I want to travel to Romania and battle a bunch of vampires to get to him.

With her life continuing to fall apart all around her, it felt like this mission of hers was all she had left. Whatever happened after, it was important that she get this last thing done, to make up for the fact she wasn’t able to save Sarah that night.

Mark sighed, glancing back at his own car. Ruby was well aware she had asked more of him than she had any right to, and she wasn’t sure if her friendship with Mark could survive this.

I’ll make it up to him, on the off chance I come out of this alive, she promised herself.

“I brought it,” Mark sighed. “It wasn’t easy, but the lock-up guy owes me a favor,” he said, turning to walk toward his beat-up Honda. “If it’s not back in its place tomorrow, though…” he trailed off.

“It will be,” Ruby hurried to assure him.

“Good, because removing evidence is a serious offense, you know,” Mark raised a brow at her, trying to joke despite the worry still clear on his face. “What the hell is this thing for anyway?” he asked, popping the trunk. “The techs said it was silver?” he asked, as both he and Ruby peered inside.

The net Theo’s goons had used on Harlan lay inside, wrapped in a neat little bundle. Images of Harlan, writhing in pain on the floor filled Ruby’s mind, but she shoved those thoughts aside. She needed to focus on the task at hand, and this silver weapon was just the thing she needed to get the upper hand.

“Thank you, Mark,” she said as she reached inside and picked it up, conveniently ignoring his questions. “I’ll never forget this.”

Watch out, Grant, wherever you are. I’m coming for you.