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"Four vampires fit the description Five if you count Ma-rio Esposito He’s Italian, and shorter, but he’s dark skinned None of the that I know of, no vampires except the five, and of the five known dead, tere fair-haired, one was Negro, and the others were of European background, with brown hair But I’ll ask around"

"I’d like the security dossiers on the, a that’ll-never-happen expression He sipped once race suited to the dance floor or a du eling ring I edged his age up froiven him "Thanks for the tea It wasn’t bad"

"You’re welcome The security dossiers?"

"I’ll see what I can do" His tone said he wouldn’t put et the key? More of Leo’s security precautions?"

"Yeah" He stuck his hands in his pockets, pursed his lips, and looked around, as if about to say so Instead he one

"That accomplished jack," I said to the empty house

I swept up the dried mud, showered, and hit the sack I was exhausted

A ringing phone woke me I fumbled until I found Beast’s travel pack and unzipped it The cell’s battery was low, e beep even as I answered "Yeah?"

"They’re sending Katie to ground tonight You need to be in the ceht"

"I need to what?" I stretchedat the corners It was still daylight, and I heard laughter outside, tourists chatting "Troll?" I said to the cell

"Katie survived the attack," he said, his voice weary "But Leo says she needs to go to ground It’s a healing cereate at the cemetery and they" His words trailed off "They bury her"

"And getting buried heals her?" I said, striving for sarcasust Vamps creep me out "And I have to be there why?"

"They’ve been su The older vampires will be there, all in one place" I heard him lick his lips Softer, he said, "Huet there early and find a place to hide"

So I can do surveillance Right I checked the ti Send one of the girls with directions"

"Will do And Jane? Get this guy" His voice broke, and I realized he was grieving for his bloodsucking boss I had a quick ainst the wall by the rogue’s will "Take him out," he said

"Sure," I said, uncorieve for a piece of e it up and took a look at my hair The snarl would not do for a funeral And hoas I supposed to hide froroup of va question and no answer Not yet

I spent the next few hours doing the scut work of the security and investigating business--records search and paperwork I started out studying the boilerplate of contracts with blood-servants and the security dossiers of the fiveto let me have access after all, not that there wasinteresting beyond name, date and country of birth, and vainal va to see the interconnected and twisted relationships all the way back to AD 700 in one case, but little was really useful So far as I could tell, there was nothing linking the fiveti about anything theyThe five vamps had just vanished from their secret lairs They did inviteo, and they tendered an invitation to a party for the city’s security-specialist blood-servants, to take place at a shooting range that served beer and pizza Networking in the city of vamps