A Vampire for Christmas(92)

Duster guy grabbed both of the boys and shoved them up against the wall, his hands wrapped around their throats and squeezing just hard enough to make it difficult for them to breathe.

His voice was deep, his words devoid of any emotion and all the more effective for it. “Now, put the money back and apologize to the lady, and we’ll call it even.”

He let the one loose who’d raided the tip jar.

The kid started to say something, but one look at his much-scarier opponent had him nodding like a bobble-head doll. When he dropped the cash back in the jar, her rescuer released the second one. He made a show of straightening the kid’s jacket and then brushing some imaginary dust off his shoulder.

Apologize,” he repeated.

Their heads both swiveled in Della’s direction. “Sorry, ma’am. We was only kidding around.”

She accepted both the apology and the lie. They weren’t sorry; they were scared. Fine. Anything to get them out of her diner. Before they made it to the door, the man had one more thing to say.

And boys, cause the lady any more problems, and we’ll dance, just the three of us.”

They both swallowed hard and fought to be the first one out the door. She watched to make sure they kept going. When they were out of sight, she turned around, intending to thank her hero. He was already back at his table doing the crossword puzzle someone had left behind and acting as if nothing had even happened.

Okay, she got it. The man didn’t want her gratitude or a fuss made over what he’d done. That didn’t make him any less of a hero in her eyes. She’d honor his desire for privacy, but maybe he’d at least accept a refill on his coffee instead.

CHAPTER TWO



ALL RIGHT, that was stupidity to the nth degree, Eagan thought. So much for blending in. There was no way that woman or any of her regulars would forget him anytime soon.

Especially the lady herself—Della, according to her name tag. Even before those two punks got caught ripping off the tip jar, she’d been way too interested in him. Now there was no way Eagan could continue to patrol this area without her noticing him. He’d have to come up with some excuse to hang around that held more weight than just a craving for hot coffee.

Hell, under other circumstances he might have even taken her up on what those big brown eyes were offering. Just the thought of what she could serve up with that generous mouth was enough to have his cock sitting up and begging.

Yeah, right. Who was he fooling? Even if he wasn’t an undercover cop, he was a vampire. Somehow he doubted she’d be willing to add fresh blood to the list of daily specials.

No, far better that sweet, innocent Della remain happily unaware of the supernaturals whose world occasionally bumped up against hers. He looked up from the crossword puzzle that he had no real interest in. Della was chatting with the wolf bitch seated in the corner booth when she leaned over to look at something the redhead was showing her. Damn, the way those faded jeans cupped that sweet ass should be outlawed. The wolf caught his scent, her eyes briefly flashing gold and angry. Clearly she did not like him paying attention to her friend’s lush attributes. He considered flashing his fangs at her, but restrained himself—barely. There was no use in antagonizing the local pack, especially in front of the unsuspecting humans. He tipped his head to acknowledge the warning but lifted his upper lip to briefly reveal the tip of his fangs.

Her eyes sparked gold again. Message received. He turned his attention back to the crossword puzzle. Four across, three letters. Santa’s helper. He rolled his eyes. Was he the only one who was already tired of the tinsel and twinkle lights? Evidently. He neatly filled in the boxes with e-l-f and moved on.

He was reaching for his coffee when he finally spotted some action across the street. A pair of males in black hoodies were double-timing it down the sidewalk with a smaller guy between them. There was no indication he was there under duress, but he appeared to be purely human. His companions definitely weren’t.

Even if it turned out to be nothing, it was time to go anyway. Eagan tossed back the last of his coffee before heading up to the register to pay his bill. However, when he reached inside his coat for his wallet, it wasn’t there.

What the hell? Had one of those punks lifted it when Eagan had them pinned against the wall? No, he would’ve noticed. He closed his eyes and thought back to when he’d last seen it. For sure he’d had it with him earlier when he’d bought coffee on his way to the precinct.

One look down at his well-worn jeans and faded sweatshirt gave him the answer. He’d changed into street clothes before going on the prowl. No doubt his wallet was in his leather bomber jacket, the one he didn’t wear while on the job. He muttered a curse and checked to see how much change he had: two quarters and four pennies.