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Andrea was already there, loading firearms and laying them out on the table. Julie froze when I came in.
I thought we were past that. I tried my best to grin. “Getting settled?”
“Andrea has jerky and there is pizza.” Her voice wilted. Any kid would be thrilled about the pizza. Boy, it just wasn’t going too well with me and her today.
“I’m sorry you’re mad at me. I brought you a book to read.”
I putCraft Chronicle on the table.
She didn’t say anything.
Oh, screw it.
I stepped right across the heavy silence hanging between us and hugged her. “I’ll be back soon, okay?
Stay here. Andrea is very cool. You’ll be safe with her.” She looked about to cry. “Who knows, I might come back with your mom.” I’d go to hell for making promises like that. Straight to hell with no detours.
“You think so?”
“I hope so,” I told her. “I’ve got my saber and I’ve got my belt.” I touched the belt, equipped with a half dozen pouches containing herbs and silver needles.
“Batman belt!” Julie said.
“That’s right, Barbara. Protect the cave while I’m gone.”
Julie took the monisto off her neck. “Here. I’m not giving it to you. I’m just letting you borrow it for a little while. You’ll bring it back, right?”
“Right.” I slid the monisto into a pocket under my leather.
Andrea and I nodded to each other and I went.
CHAPTER 13
WE MOVED THROUGH THE STREETS OF BUCKHEAD ATa brisk pace. Few things looked stranger than a vampire forced to run on the ground. No longer bipedal but still too disjointed to achieve good speed on all fours, it loped forward in a jerky gait, leaping and running, at times pressing low to the ground and at others jumping too high. Its gallop was completely soundless, betrayed neither by a scrape of the claw on the asphalt nor a whisper of an errant breath. A vampire belonged to the night, to the darkness, hidden from the world, a stealthy and deadly assassin. Out here, brazen in the sunshine of early afternoon, in full view of the stately old mansions drowning in verdant greenery, it looked grotesque, unreal, a nightmare come to life.
I watched the vampire and couldn’t help but think of Julie. She had this abandoned look on her face. But to make any headway, I had to understand what was going on, and for that I needed Saiman. Hopefully, he would give me enough information to sort through this tangled mess, and then I could go back and check on her. She would be behind the wards. In the vault. Nothing should go wrong.
Something always could go wrong.