Red by Kate Serine Read Free Book Online

made our way up the steps.
    “Seth tends to live in places with a lot of . . . character,” I explained, searching the intercom buttons for one that wasn’t broken. “It makes his condition easier to hide when there’s plenty of other weirdness to divert attention away from him.”
    Nate glanced around, taking in the rest of the grime and disrepair in the surrounding neighborhood. “Something tells me there’s no shortage of drama around here.”
    As if on cue, a deafening crash and a woman’s loud, angry voice sounded from somewhere down the street, making us both turn in time to see a half-dressed man beating a hasty retreat, ducking and covering as a heavy frying pan came flying after him.
    “And there goes one of those characters now,” Nate drawled with an amused smirk.
    I gave him an irritated look, then pressed the button at the bottom of the row. A moment later, a woman’s groggy voice said, “Hello?”
    “Hey!” I called back like she should recognize my voice. “Sorry to bug you—I lost my keys! Crazy night, ya know? Can you buzz me in?”
    “That’ll never work,” Nate mouthed to me.
    The woman giggled over the intercom. “I can totally relate! Hope you find your keys!”
    When the door’s lock sprung open at the sound of the buzzer, I lifted my brows at Nate and ushered him in ahead of me. “After you, Detective Know It All.”
    The corner of Nate’s mouth hooked up in the merest hint of a grin. “I stand corrected.”
    “How about walking corrected?” I said, casting a glance toward the junkie. “Our pal the prophet is starting to take an interest in us. I think he might recognize you.”
    The shadows around Nate’s face deepened immediately in response. Without even so much as a glance at the junkie, he flipped up the collar on his overcoat and pulled his fedora a little farther down over his eyes. “Let’s go.”
    “So does that happen often?” I asked as the door clicked shut behind us.
    Nate’s expression was hard to read beneath the shadows. “Often enough.”
    “Then maybe I should go first.”
    I stepped over a still-drunk twenty-something passed out at the bottom of the stairs and made my way to the third floor, feeling Nate’s presence at my back even though his footsteps were silent on the well-worn wooden stairs. It was oddly comforting to know I had a colleague, a partner, behind me, backing me up. Until that moment, I’d never realized how vulnerable and exposed I’d been in these kinds of situations before when I’d been on my own. Considering what I was about to face—both literally and figuratively—I was glad to have Nate with me.
    When we reached the third-floor landing, I motioned down the hall toward apartment 324. Nate gave me a nod and followed me to take up positions on either side of the door. I knocked loudly and waited for a response. When none came, I knocked again, louder. This time, I heard a rustle of movement and the light tread of bare feet upon the floor as they approached the door.
    I frowned, double-checking the apartment number on the door. It was the right place, but the wrong footsteps. Just then, the door swung open to reveal a lithe young woman with long, sleep-tousled dark hair wearing a hastily buttoned man’s dress shirt.
    “Can I help you?” she asked, peering at us with bleary eyes.
    My stomach dropped so swiftly to my feet, I couldn’t open my mouth for fear the amazing breakfast Nate had prepared would come launching back up.
    “We’re looking for Seth Wolf,” Nate stepped in, coming to my rescue.
    The woman glanced back and forth between the two of us, then said slowly, “He already left for work.”
    “And where’s work?” Nate probed.
    The woman narrowed her eyes at Nate, obviously growing more suspicious by the second. “What’s this about?”
    “Who are you?” I breathed, finally finding my voice.
    She turned her large dark eyes toward me and blinked away the sleepy haze as she focused on my face. “Who are