Page 124 of Envious Of Fire
“You’ve known these guys for a day.”
“And I’ve known you for a month,” snaps Kyle, taking Elias aback. “What’s the difference in a day or a month? I’ll remind you that it’s an immortal vampire asking you that question.”
Elias’s eyes turn dark. “You’re not avampire, Kyle.”
Kyle hardly noticed he used the term on himself. His gaze catches the trio at the table, Cade, Layna, Jeremy, all three of them watching their argument, frozen to the spot. Kyle looksaway only to find Drake and Mikey staring back.
Drake cuts the tension by cheerily stating: “I have an idea.”
Elias eyes him. “No one asked.”
“My idea is that I leave,” finishes Drake, catching Elias by surprise. His lips curl with that cute, charming flair of his, tiny dimples popping out at a corner of his mouth. He combs his fingers through his pink hair, all the short and uneven strands flipping and resettling however they please. “Ididsay I was just an escort for you, Kyle, you and pet boy—sorry, bro, I’m just not vibing yet with ‘Mikey’, but I’ll get there—and if I go, then there’s no reason for them to come here. Maybe I can talk Salazo into keeping a real pet instead. Y’know, like a cute little ankle-biting Chihuahua. And even if he ends up eating it, what’s the harm? No one likes Chihuahuas anyway.” He puts up a peace sign, gives a thumbs up to Mikey, then winks at Kyle. “I’ll see you in another lifetime. Or maybe never would be better. I’m saying that with love, by the way. I’m not a grudge holder. Zero hard feelings, except for the ones in my pants.”
Then Drake slips out of the door, as easy as that.
When it shuts, the room falls silent. Even emotionally, it’s as if everyone has shut off, relieved somehow at his departure, Kyle picking up everything with his Reach.
Kyle glances at Elias. “Happy now?”
He frowns back. “Do I look happy?”
Just then, they hear voices outside, startling them all. Kyle senses someone else, and their emotional landscape—red hot and vibrating—is familiar enough to recognize at once. Kyle hurries to the door and slips outside. The police car is by the curb, and standing at the front step of the porch is the rigid shape of Chief Juan Rojas, appearing to be facing off with Drake. The chief sees Kyle, lifts his flashlight up.
Kyle shields his eyes and squints. “Chief?”
“Who’s this guy? Why’s he in my town?”
Kyle already gets the fast impression that the chief knows something is up. “Just a visitor, sir, on his way out.”
“What was all of that yelling inside your house? Is it your birthday? Having a party in there?”
Drake glances back at Kyle, appearing to stifle a smirk.
Kyle shakes his head. “No, it’s—”
“I know you’re not having a damned party,” snaps the chief with eyes narrowed. “Something’s going on. Spit it out, Kyle.”
It’s then that Cade appears at the door. “Juan.”
The chief straightens up, his voice softening. It always does when it comes to her. “Cadence?You’rehere?”
“You don’t have to worry, Juan. I’m sorry for acting funny, for being so secretive lately, making you worry. It’s just that …” She glances back into the house, wringing her hands.
“What is it? Tell me.”
She frowns, then turns back to the chief. “It’s my daughter. She’s … going through something.”
“So why are you here?” presses the chief, still trying as best as he can to maintain his calm. “At Kyle’s house, of all places?”
“Because it’s something I thought Kyle could help me with. Something …” She finishes in a whisper: “…unusual.”
Somehow, the chief seems to understand her. He stiffens up, his harsh eyes on the front window, his lips pulling into a straight line. “This where my son is, too?” he asks. Cade nods. “And this is why Leland and Becks are running the bar all by themselves tonight? You and this thing with your daughter?”
“Yes.”
After eyeing the others, the chief comes even closer, right up next to her. “Are you in danger, Cade? Tell me straight.”
“Quiet,” hisses Drake at once.
