“Hey, Victoria,” Avery said into her phone as she stood in the doorway of an apartment complex. Her gaze flickered from one person to the other as they passed her. “Um… I was wondering if I could crash at your apartment for a day or two.”

The vampire yawned. “Are you okay, honey? It’s the middle of the day, and you usually don’t call me at this time. What’s going on?”

She twisted a strand of her hair around her finger, anxiety at levels that caused her to shake. What had she done? What had she been thinking?

“I… I need somewhere to crash for a while and was wondering if I could come to your place.”

Silence filled the air before Victoria answered. “Are you in trouble? Have you done something? You sound like your anxiety has the best of you.”

Was she in trouble? More than she could have ever imagined. She’d just had a Fae fight, trashed a cop’s apartment, and robbed him.

“It’s probably best if you don’t know the details. I just need somewhere to hide for a while.”

Victoria sighed. “What did you do?”

“Can you just please answer my question?” Avery asked, trying to keep the irritability from her voice. “Can I stay with you, or not?”

If Victoria said no, Avery had no idea where she’d go. She had enough money on her to buy a cup of coffee. She knew better than to use her credit cards as they were so easy for the police to track. Besides, it would be a miracle if a charge went through on them.

“I guess so,” Victoria finally replied. “Do I want to know what you did?”

For a brief moment, Avery considered spilling the story to her friend but decided against it.

“The less you know, the better.”

“Forget it. I don’t even want to know. Come over. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you, but make sure you knock before you come in so I can be sure to get into the bedroom.”

“Thanks, Vic. I owe you.”

“Yes, you do, little faery. Don’t forget to knock. I don’t feel like melting into a pile of flaming goo today.”

Avery hit the disconnect button, then shoved the phone into her pocket and studied the people walking past her on the street. No one even glanced her way, and it made her feel just a bit better about her situation. She didn’t think she had been followed, and no one appeared to hold any interest in her. For the moment, she felt safe moving through the city.

With a deep breath, she headed toward Victoria’s apartment, which was located only a couple of blocks away. She kept pace with those around her, but in reality, she wanted to sprint as though alligators bit at her heels with each step.

She reached the apartment complex, and instead of going to the main entrance, she went around the back, then down a set of stairs. Victoria lived in the basement, which had probably never been meant to be an apartment, but the landlord had converted it. With no windows, it was perfect for a vampire, except for the doorway, which still received natural light during the day.

As Avery knocked on the door, she glanced up the stairwell. Her coming here put Victoria in danger, but she didn’t have any other choice. Going to her own place was out of the question, and she figured McAllister would have someone watching her mother’s apartment as well. Besides, she didn’t think she could go back there. She’d become a criminal, which would have horrified her mother. She feared Melia’s ghost resided in the apartment and would give her a stern lecture about her recent bad choices.

She waited a few more seconds, then opened the door a crack. “I’m coming in, Victoria!”

When silence met her ears, she hurried in and immediately shut the door. She leaned against it and waited for her eyes to adjust to the candlelight.

Once they did, she glanced around.

Victoria liked black and red, and the whole living room was decorated with it. Black pillows accented a red velvet sofa that sat on a black rug, which partially covered the red tile. Red and black candles burned around the room, adding to the eerie feeling of an underground den. If Victoria hadn’t been her friend, she would have sworn she’d entered some old-fashioned vampire movie and was about the get the life sucked out of her.

The bedroom door slowly opened, and Victoria walked out dressed in a black silk robe, her short hair a tousled mess. She appeared seductive and stunning, with just a hint of evil brewing beneath the surface.

“Hey, Avery,” she said, sitting down on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other. Her robe split, and Avery got an eyeful of milky-white thigh. “I’ve changed my mind. I want to know what you did.”

Avery joined her friend on the other end of the couch and sighed, the paper in her pocket feeling as if it weighed a thousand pounds. She longed to study it, but she didn’t want to involve her friend any more than necessary.

“I’ve already told you it’s best if you don’t know,” she said again as she shook her head. “I’m in deep, Vic, and the less you know, the better off you’ll be.”

Victoria reached over and grabbed Avery’s chin, then turned her head so Avery had to meet her gaze.

“Did you kill someone?”

“No.”

But she had thought about it for a second when she’d stood over McAllister. Avery lowered her gaze as she recalled the moment. A heavy stone of guilt settled in her stomach.

“Then whatever happened isn’t as tragic as you think it is. Spill it.”

She wrenched her jaw away from Victoria’s grasp and stared down at the carpet.

They sat in silence for a long moment before Victoria spoke again, her voice low.

“Does it have to do with your mom?”

Tears welled in Avery’s eyes, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep them from spilling. She couldn’t talk as emotion clogged her throat, so she just nodded.

“Is there anything I can do besides offer up my couch and not question you?” Victoria asked.

Avery shut her eyes, wishing she could sleep. When was the last time she’d had a good eight hours, anyway? She couldn’t even remember. Ever since that day when Jake had attacked her at work, she’d been living on caffeine, adrenaline, and her desire to know what had really happened to her mom.

“No,” she said, rising from the couch and heading to the kitchen. “There’s nothing you can do.”

She kept her eyes focused down as she got a bottle of water from the fridge, which contained little else besides some yogurt and string cheese, But as her stomach howled, the snack became a five-star buffet to Avery.

“Okay, then,” Victoria replied as she rose from the couch. “I’ll go back to bed, and I’ll be up in a few hours to head to work. You let me know if you need anything, and if you turn on the television, keep the volume low, please.”

Avery watched her friend over her glass as she retired to the bedroom, then shut the door.

Finally. Alone. Avery’s shoulder sagged, and she set down her bottle. She pulled out the crumpled paper from her pocket and concentrated on it in her palm for a moment.

What if it was a misplaced grocery list, or a note from a lover? What if everything she’d done and had been through the past few hours had been for nothing?

If she was caught, chances of her going to Spectral Prison were very high. Avery had never heard anything good about it either. All varieties of paranormal entities were jammed into small spaces, no matter whether they hated each other or not. Shifters were housed with the Fae… vampires with aliens. She couldn’t imagine a worse fate than being sent there. But then again, she supposed the humans felt the same about their own jails and prisons.

There was only one way to find out if all of her efforts had been for nothing, and that was to read the damned paper.

She returned to the couch and sat, pulling one of the candles on the side table closer to her. Carefully, she straightened out the note.

Avery stifled a scream as a loud knock sounded at the front door, then shoved the paper between the cushions. Bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her shins, she bit her lip and closed her eyes, fully expecting the police to break down the panel at any second. She had no place to go, so she didn’t bother to hide. It was time. She’d assaulted a cop, for the sake of the gods, and now she had to pay her dues.

As she waited for the wood to splinter and McAllister to come rushing in, her heart raced.

After a few seconds, nothing happened. She opened her eyes and turned her gaze to the door.

The person knocked again, but she didn’t budge.

Finally, she heard faint footsteps climbing the stairs, away from the door.

She exhaled and pulled out the paper again, her hands shaking and sweaty.

Probably a solicitor or a neighbor.

Avery focused on the writing, trying to calm her anxiety. At this rate, she’d give herself a stroke before she found out the truth about her mother’s killer.

Two names and an address were scrawled across it. She didn’t recognize them, and her gaze traveled down the page as she read.

Vampires – convicted of crimes against humans or other paranormal entities.

Okay, so she wasn’t really dealing with upstanding citizens of the paranormal world, but then again, good people didn’t murder others.

So, what did it mean?

She laid her head back on the cushions and clutched the page to her chest. This paper was in her mother’s file, so it had to be related to the case, didn’t it? Could these be the two suspects McAllister had his eye on? If so, why would he tell her paranormal entities weren’t involved in her mother’s murder?

She’d have to ask.

The thought of going back on the city streets curled her stomach. She felt somewhat safe here in Victoria’s dark, underground apartment, and she didn’t want to leave.

However, she’d set this series of events in motion. She’d done things she never imagined she’d have the guts to do, but here she was.

For a brief moment, Avery considered giving up the search for her mother’s killer. She could go to McAllister and apologize for breaking and entering, claiming that grief had rendered her temporarily insane and hope he forgave her. She could then go back to her life and leave the police work to the professionals.

She quickly brushed the idea aside. No turning back now.

The desire of wanting to know the truth of what happened to her mom had shifted into something else entirely.

Revenge.

Avery wanted vengeance, and it bothered her. Before her mother’s death, she’d just been a chick who loved to work in construction, who minded her own business, and had a fairly uncomplicated life.

Where had that woman gone?

Avery had no idea, but she was nowhere in sight. This other person had taken over; the one who ran on emotions, adrenaline, anxiety and caffeine was now in charge. Her focus lay on avenging her mother’s death.

Besides, it had become blatantly obvious the police weren’t going to do anything to solve the case. In fact, it seemed they were going to cover it up, so it was now up to her.

And the next step was to visit the addresses on the paper. Although, if it was in the part of town she thought it was, it could definitely be a frightening trip.