Page 29 of Burn Falls
The apartment was a corner unit in a two-story building, and after knocking four times, the door opened. “Hey,” Officer Ellwood greeted, a gun at his side. His ash-brown hair looked like I’d woken him up.
I eyed the Glock and then looked back to Ellwood. “I’m Draven. Invite me in.” I had to tell him my real name for him to invite me in. If I used my alias, it wouldn’t have worked.
He smirked. “I’ve heard about this.”
“Heard about what?”
“You need to be invited into homes.”
I rolled my eyes. “There’s really no time for games. Invite me in.”
“Draven, please come in.” He stepped aside, and I entered.
“Who did you tell about me?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and watching him close the door.
“No one.”
I heard the breathing of someone else in another room and the sound of two heartbeats, one fainter than the other. “Is your wife here?”
“Of course, but she’s sleeping.”
“Does she know about me?”
“No.” He shook his head. “But she cried so much when she found out. We really can’t thank you enough.”
“Why is the news saying Seattle has a vigilante if you didn’t tell them about me?”
“Because I didn’t know how to explain that five men had their necks broken and my partner was shot.”
I closed my eyes briefly and kicked myself mentally for helping him. “Step closer to me.”
He took a step back. “Why?”
“Because I’m going to wipe your memory and give you a cover story.”
“No.”
I moved to him in an instant. “Don’t test me. I was helping you last night, and now my cover can be blown,” I hissed low so that his wife wouldn’t hear.
“I’ll never tell.” He shrugged.
“Really? You found out vampires are real and you’ll never tell?”
“Can I tell you why I became a cop before you decide to wipe my memory like you’re Jay?”
I furrowed my brows. “Jay?”
Ellwood smirked, and I realized the entire time he spoke to me, he refused to look into my eyes like I’d asked him to. He was begging to remember, not begging to forget out of fear.
“You know, Jay from Men in Black.”
I stared at him, speechless.
“See, man, I’m cool with this whole vampire shit. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”
“Men in Black is a movie.”
“But you’re a human—I mean, a vampire neutralizer. Or … wait. Is that right? They use those neutralizers to make people forget …” He trailed off staring at the ceiling as though he was thinking.
