Bound by Blood (Vampire Romance) by Tara Manderino Read Free Book Online Page A

wine more for something to do to hide her embarrassment than because she wanted it. “Look, I didn’t mean to pry.” She played with the stem of the glass. “I’m just on edge and I don’t feel comfortable anywhere tonight.”
    “Would you rather I have someone come in here to keep you company while I’m gone?”
    She shook her head, then looked at him quizzically. “Why are you doing this? You don’t know me. I could be a thief and when you return everything will be gone. Or, maybe I really killed Sandy and am trying to cover it up.” She put her hand to her mouth. Had she really said those awful things? Things that she would never do. Things he might be obligated to research professionally.
    He reached out and pulled her hand down from her face. “You wouldn’t do any of those things. I’m an excellent judge of human character. You are what you say.”
    “I haven’t said anything much, have I?” she admitted. What could she tell him?
    “Not in words,” he agreed. “But in your concerns and your actions, you have told me a lot.” He stepped away from her, seeming to want to break the contact.
    “I am going to go headquarters for an hour or so. Let me show you where you can sleep.”
    “I’d rather just sit on the couch, if that’s all right,” she said. No way could she actually sleep in a bed; the nap she had in the car probably ruined any chance of sleeping she had.
    Alex studied her face for a moment then seeming to come to some conclusion, he headed away from the hall and turned towards the room beyond the kitchen.
    She released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Thank you.”
    “Not a problem,” he assured her as he led her into a great room. It was an eclectic grouping of furniture, dominated by bookcases in one section of the room. The shelves were packed with books, not knickknacks. He headed to the corner of the room furthest from the windows. There was a small grouping of chairs and a love seat facing a large television hanging on the wall. It was not the largest screen she had ever seen, she thought the Morgans had that, but certainly big enough. She shook her head.
    “What?”
    “Sorry. I was just thinking there was something about boys and their toys,” she said, motioning toward the TV with her chin.
    He gave her a genuine smile. She could tell the difference. This one made his eyes crinkle and his eyes briefly shone with humor.
    “True. But tonight, you get to enjoy it,” he told her. Quickly, he snatched up the remote and turned on the set, then handed it to her. “I’ll be back in a few hours unless something comes up on any of the cases.”
    Nodding her thanks, she sank into the loveseat and pretended to be concerned about what was on the screen.
    “It will be all right,” he assured her before leaving.
    As soon as he left, she relaxed against the cushions of the sofa, feeling totally drained.
    It was better here than at the Morgans, she thought. She closed her eyes trying to recreate the entire scene from the playground in her mind, playing it over and over. She had heard people say things happened in the blink of an eye, but she would have sworn that was exactly the case here. She had blinked and he was gone. Sandy with him. How could that be? Sandy hadn’t even a chance to scream. Hot tears form at the corner of her eyes thinking how frightened the little girl would be, torn away from everything she knew. She would give the detective and the FBI their chance to find her, but she knew that come tomorrow she would be with them. She couldn’t stand by idle. She had to look for the child herself. Even thinking that, she had a hard time opening her eyes to make some kind of plan, tentative as it might be.
    ~*~
    Alex met Louis at El Lago. No message was necessary. Since their business with Carlos hadn’t been concluded the other night, he knew Louis would be waiting for him and was not disappointed. They sat at one of the tables at the far end of the room,