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"Wanna fry?" Nolan asked, his eyes red and his suess not all of the ifted in the kitchen

"Let those cool before you throw them out I’ll call for delivery, and then we can talk about this file you’re working on"

In Keaty’s office, I was digging around for a phonebook when nize it, becausetone was To "Baby, It’s Cold Outside" Leave it totone while I was asleep for the day

In my haste to answer, I didn’t check caller ID so I opened with a questioning, "Hello?"

"Hey, Secret, it’s Cedes"

"Hey, lady, what can I do for you? You find Sharon Stone yet?"

There was a long pause, then she cleared her throat "Keats ht?"

"Yes," I replied warily

"I’ to need you to come down to the precinct"

My whole body tensed When a homicide detective asked you to co looking less stabby and more vampy? ’Cause I haven’t been on active duty for months, so it wasn’t m--"

"It’s not a vampire I’m worried about" Her voice was hushed, so she e, weren’t big believers in va on?"

"Can you just come, please?"

"Sure"

The NYPD’s seventy-sixth precinct looked like a high school thatwar at anywith no color and no life I dragged ht make Mercedes callreceptionist who on several previous visits

"Barbie," I greeted No, I wasn’t kidding And this girl gavenamed…

"Secret" Her smile was forced and her voice barelyyou in the conference room"

Novak? Oh sweet, honorable crap Detective Tyler Noas the last person I was prepared to see tonight For some stupid reason my hands flew up to checkwith it As for ht black leather pants and knee-high boots, I hada lilac cardigan over a butter-yellow tank Still, it’s hard not to look like you’re aleather pants I’d gotten sick of ruining all my best jeans with bloodstains, and leather was easier to keep clean

I let out a sigh and took the stairs behind Barbie’s desk up to thethe far as a room with more s than walls, and I could see Mercedes and Tyler sitting next to each other at a table I weaved h the sea ofat the frame to announce my presence

"Secret," Mercedes said with a s"

She and Tyler rose, and both shook my hand As always, I flushed with pleasure frorip

We’d had an ill-fated blind date It had gone perfectly until a group of vaet how I’d ginsued a trio of rogue va life was hard

Now he thought I’d bailed on our date without rhyave him my best smile, but he only stared back with detached indifference I wished I could explain things to him, but now that I was one third of the vampire Tribunal, it was extra impossible to defy the rules

I took off my cropped motorcycle jacket and eased into the chair across from them The three of us sat in silence, and I had no intention of being the one to break first I was part va length of time

Tyler cleared his throat and placed a manila folder in the middle of the desk

"Do you have a queasy stomach, Miss McQueen?"