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Heirs to Darkisle 195
She paused and sniffled. Really? For years, she d tried to get
him to install one in the back, off the kitchen. He d never gotten any
further than a rough sketch on a paper napkin.
Yeah. You ll be able to put your plants out there when it gets
warm. Maybe even do some container gardening.
She couldn t help laughing. Container gardening? You don t eat
vegetables.
Maybe I d like them better if we grew them ourselves.
I guess it s worth a try. The image of the two of them pruning
tomato plants in plastic pails lightened her mood, but only for a
moment. Soon Sebastian intruded on her thoughts again. What a mess
her life had become.
I m serious about doing better, he said. I ve been sponging off
you all my life. It s time I stepped up a little. Dad would have wanted
that.
You haven t mentioned Dad in years.
I know. He saw that she had finished her food, and stood to take
her empty plate back into the kitchen. While he was gone, she heard a
car crunching onto their gravel driveway.
For one wild moment, she thought it might be Sebastian. He d
come to explain Amsterdam, or produce an official document from
the coroner proving that Ami had died in a simple drowning accident
after all. Everything would be normal again.
But Todd came back quiet and worried.
Will s here, he said. Looks like something s up. Stay there. I ll
get the door.
Will came in, his expression as unhappy as her brother s. Joel and
a female deputy she d never seen before accompanied him. The
emblem on her uniform sleeve revealed that she worked for the next
county over. Surely there hadn t been bodies washing up there, too?
Can we help you? Briana asked.
In a manner of speaking. We did some tests on those hair
samples you gave us. Turns out they match some other ones found on
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196 Cassandra Pierce
the victim s clothes. Will shook his head regretfully. I m sorry,
Briana. Gonna have to arrest you. Suspicion of murder.
On cue, the female deputy came around to raise Briana off the
couch and pat her down. The cuffs clicked smoothly into place around
her wrists.
Todd watched, ashen. I ll get a lawyer, he vowed. The best I
can find.
He followed Briana to the police car waiting outside the house.
Tell Reggie to keep the motel open, she called as the female
deputy pushed her head down and guided her into the car. We ve got
to try and keep the business.
Will and Joel got into the front, and the uniformed woman
climbed into the back with Briana. Procedure, she supposed. Lights
flashing, the car began a slow roll down the hill toward town. As they
passed rows of houses, shops, and docked boats, people neighbors
she d known all her life gathered at windows and street corners to
point and stare.
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Heirs to Darkisle 197
Chapter 16
Todd arrived at Morgan House a few minutes before dusk and
banged on the door until it opened. Ruby stood blinking at him in
surprise. Todd s eyes widened to find her dressed to go out spiky
hair, boots, and a short leather jacket over a purple midriff shirt.
I thought we weren t seeing each other tonight, she said in an
irritated tone. I told you not to bother changing your mind.
That s not why I m here, he shot back. It s your brother I want
to talk to. I mean, your grandfather. Or whatever he is. Where is he?
Ruby lifted her head to peer over his shoulder. Briana s not with
you? How did you get here?
How do you think? I took the car. Now where the hell is
Sebastian?
You shouldn t be driving without a license, Ruby said. You
could have gotten pulled over!
Yeah? By whom? The whole damn police force just showed up
at my house to bust my sister!
This time Ruby s eyes widened. What?
Explain yourself, Sebastian demanded. He loomed up behind
Ruby as if he had suddenly materialized from the shadows.
You heard me. She s been arrested. The cops think she killed
Ami.
Though Sebastian stood perfectly still, his hands snapped into fists
and his face became a storm cloud. I feared something like this
would happen, he said. Fortunately, our community retains
specialists who handle these kinds of things.
What kinds of things? People killed by vampires?
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198 Cassandra Pierce
When necessary. I don t think that s what happened in this case,
though obviously the resulting investigation could have wider
implications. In any event, Briana will need expert legal counsel. I
will see to that personally.
I don t understand why we need some vampire lawyer. Briana
didn t do anything wrong!
That, unfortunately, is irrelevant. And technically speaking, the
lawyer will not be a vampire. Though some of us do pursue that
profession, they find it impractical to spend their days in
courthouses.
I m glad you think this is amusing. Todd flared in rage. Now
I ll tell you something. My sister had better not be in this mess
because of something you did, Morgan.
Something I did? What a perfectly ridiculous suggestion. Why
would I kill Ami?
Who knows? You might have had reasons. Ami wasn t stupid
and she knew how to manipulate guys. Maybe she found out the truth
about you. Maybe you weren t feeding off my sister because you
were feeding off her. Maybe you did it for kicks. What does it matter?
You d never admit it anyway. Survival for the two of you that s all
you care about. Briana and I don t matter one bit to either one of you!
I bet you d kill us both to stop us from revealing what we know!
Like a strike of winter lightning, Sebastian flew across the foyer.
His icy fingers curled into the collar of Todd s shirt.
You dare to question my motives toward your sister after you ve
humiliated and lived off her for years?
I admit I haven t always done the right thing. Todd s voice
came out a bit more strained than usual, owing to the bunched fabric
compressing his windpipe. But things are different now. Better.
I see little evidence to support that conclusion. What progress
you have made is the result of my, and my sister s, intervention.
And now that I think about it, you had more motive to kill Ami than I
did. Did Ruby demand that you put an end to her following you two
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Heirs to Darkisle 199
everywhere you went? You d do almost anything to please her, I
think.
Not that. Never.
His rage fading, Sebastian relaxed his grip on Todd s shirt and
pushed him away. Forgive me if I find that hard to accept. I have
lived a long time, and I know mortals are capable of violent acts that
would disgust many vampires. I ve seen humans tear each other to
bits over petty mortal jealousies they don t even remember the
following day.
So I guess we should all follow your example. Sucking people s
blood until they pass out is one way to build character, I ll grant you
that.
Sebastian s body tensed, visible rage boiling up in him. Hastily,
Ruby stepped between them and placed one hand on each man s
chest.
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