The Sharpest Kiss by Elizabeth Myles (the false prince .txt) 📕

work for probably called them when you didn’t check back in with them.”

“No,” Frankie shook his head vigorously, “that’s just it. If it’s not an emergency—and I told them it wasn’t—then they’re supposed to give me time to secure the area and then call the cops myself. I was going to, but then I got knocked out.”

“And you don’t think they’ll follow up on you?”

“They already did.” Frankie patted the phone in his pocket. “They texted me. And just a while ago, I texted them back to let them know I’ve still got everything under control here.”

“So the police aren’t coming,” Jessica said.

Frankie shook his head at her. “Not yet, anyway. I’ll wait until you guys clear out of here and then I’ll make the call. That’ll give me time to fix the cameras for you, too.” He pointed up, and Kiefer followed his finger to one of the dark bubbles protruding from the ceiling. “I’m guessing you don’t want anyone to see what was recorded on them.”

Kiefer looked at Jessica. “Can’t you take care of that?”

“Sure,” she said, “but there are cameras in the courtyard, too. I don’t have access to those.”

Now Kiefer looked annoyed, but Frankie started to smile. “I do,” he said. “I have access to them! I can fix ’em all if you want.” Just don’t erase my memory. The plea was there, clear and determined, in his sparkling brown eyes.

Kiefer turned and exchanged a look with Nathan. The two of them seemed to communicate without a word. After a second, he swung his gaze back to Frankie. “You can be cool, right? I’m not going to regret this?”

Frankie’s face lit up. “I won’t say anything, you have my word.” He grabbed Nathan’s hand and kissed it before turning and darting off into Jessica’s office, where the recording equipment was kept.

Nathan watched him go. “You could have scrambled those cameras with magic, Kiefer,” he said.

“Yeah, I know.” Kiefer watched Nathan with glimmering eyes and a smile tugging at his lips. “But it probably would’ve busted the cameras. And anyway, did you see how excited that kid was to be helping you? Someone’s got a new number one fan.”

Nathan snorted. He pushed past Kiefer, who was snickering, on his way toward the courtyard, shoulder-checking him so hard he nearly fell over.

Chapter Twenty-One

Outside, Jessica had expected to find bedlam. Shattered glass and torn books and maybe mutilated bodies strewn around everywhere. Instead, the Courtyard at Vintage Meadow Lake was nearly empty and surprisingly calm. Two people, a man and a woman, huddled together on the sidewalk in front of the store, their filthy clothes torn to ribbons and dirt encrusting their bare feet. The woman’s wiry hair looked as though she’d stuck her finger in an electrical socket. They both looked bewildered, maybe suffering from shock. Theo stood with one foot on the curb, watching over them.

“These two were vamps; turned back when Celia died,” Kiefer explained to Nathan. In an undertone,  he added, “Don’t worry, I’ll, uh, help them get their memories in order before we take off.”

“What of the others?” Nathan asked.

Kiefer shook his head. He gestured for Theo to come over and asked him what had happened while he and the others had been busy hauling Jason into the bookstore.

“Dorian’s people—the ones that were still awake,” Theo said, “picked up the rest of their crew and their weapons, threw ’em in the trucks, and took off. They set all the vampires loose, though. Took the collars off ’em, and let the monsters just take off running. I counted twenty-eight of ’em.”

“Great,” Kiefer raked his fingers through his hair. “That’s just awesome.”

“We will find them soon,” Nathan assured him. “We will deal with them accordingly.” He eyed the people sitting on the curb. “In the meantime, I will ask Frankie to call an ambulance when he summons the police.”

“I’ll go tell him to do it,” Theo offered.

Nathan examined him suspiciously, noting, “You are no longer under Kiefer’s command.”

“Nah,” Kiefer said. “It’s a long story, but…in the end, Theo had his uses.” He turned his attention to the erstwhile minion.

Kiefer must’ve looked rather fierce, because wariness snaked into Theo’s expression. He stiffened. “What? You guys gonna kill me now?”

“That would be the easiest way to make sure you don’t go running back to Dorian.”

“I told you I don’t want anything to do with Dorian!” Theo turned a pleading look on Nathan. “I have family nearby. I just want to go home and see ’em again. Stay out of trouble from now on. I swear it.”

“What makes you think Dorian will simply allow you to walk away from his operation? Your former compatriots will report how you betrayed him in order to help us. He will likely be angry over it.”

“He’ll be freaking pissed,” Theo acknowledged with a spark of fear in his eyes. “But I wasn’t exactly high in the ranks of his outfit or anything. I’m no one important. And I’ve got other friends around here, people who can help me hide. Maybe as long as I don’t get in Dorian’s way again, he’ll forget about me and just let me disappear.”

“Perhaps.” Nathan sounded doubtful. He considered Theo a moment longer. “If you do choose to hide, it will likely be more prudent for you not to visit your family. Your calling on them could put them in danger. At least for the foreseeable future.”

Theo nodded gravely. Then he seemed to realize what Nathan was saying. “So, you are going to let me go?” he asked hopefully.

Nathan glanced at Kiefer, the two of them pretending to weigh Theo’s life in the balance.

The sorcerer’s expression hardened as he looked back at Theo. “Yeah, alright, but make sure you do stay out of trouble. ’Cause remember, I’ve been in your head now. I cancome find you anytime I want to. And if I have to do that, trust me—you won’t like what happens next.”

Theo raised his hands, cracking a brittle smile.