Hello Darkness

Chapter Fifty-Seven

"How'd you know I was out there?" Julian brushes his dark hair out of his eyes as we walk back towards Victor's house.

"We amped up security after last night. Another vampire was killed."

"The Silvanos?" I swallow. Why hadn't Victor mentioned it?

He shrugs. "It's one hell of a coincidence."

Julian flashes away before I open the door to the entry. Victor's trotting down the stairs rubbing a towel over his hair, droplets of water still rolling down his shoulders. "Good morning." He plants a light kiss on my forehead. He doesn't seem the slightest bit concerned. Maybe he didn't know.

"Did you hear what happened last night?"

"Yeah. The VanAltenas. I'm headed there now to get a full briefing from Reuben. Then I'm headed down to the cells to have a little chat with your obsessive friend."

I rest my hands on my hips. "What do you think happened? Do you think it was one of us?"

"No. Our clan knows better. They know the—"

A knock at the door interrupts him. He doesn't think twice about answering—half-naked. Reuben stands on the other side. It appears Reuben would be meeting Victor here instead.

"Victor, I'm sorry to interrupt." His voice echoes in the entry "But I need to speak with Charley."

"Why?" Victor steps back, shielding me with his frame.

"I would like to speak with her first."

"And you take orders from me." His voice came from a place deep within his stomach. His arms cross his chest and his eyes narrow. "What's this about?"

"We have it on good authority, that she was seen entering the VanAltena's house around the time of the murder."

"What!" I gasp at the same time Victor growls.

Victor's neck muscles bulge. "She was with me all night, and she went for a run this morning. She wasn't even near the VanAltena house. You have that on my authority."

I hadn't been with him all night—I hadn't been on the grounds at all. Victor knows that. But I stay silent—anything I say will only make it worse.

Victor growls. "She had nothing to do with it Reuben. Now who is your good authority?"

Reuben leans close to Victor's ear. One single name slips from his tongue, instantly making the knot in my chest melt into lava.

Lace.

That conniving bitch. She can hate me all she wants, but to frame me for murder...

Victor steps away from Reuben, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I will have no more talk of this. I will speak with Lace myself. Is that understood? In the meantime, why don't you talk to the Silvano that we have in custody, instead of turning on your own."

Reuben returns a heated glare, but without argument he nods and makes a swift exit. Victor no more sets a foot toward the door, when a low rumble stops him. "Victor we need to talk." A mob congregated on Victor's front lawn. The man that spoke stood next to a middle-aged woman with bloodshot eyes and the girl Julian had his eye on at the bar. Only two other faces stuck out in the crowd: Julian and Lace. Julian watches me with concern while Lace watches Victor.

The man continues, "You promised us we would be safe here and we'd never have to worry about our children. How could you allow this to happen?"

"I assure you we have the best men on the job. I was just discussing this heinous crime with my colleague, and he assured me that the police have a suspect in custody. The man did not live in the estates. This was a robbery gone wrong, and we lost one of our own today. Please, I understand we are angry, but it's time to allow this poor family to grieve." A thickness fills the air, the humans fixed their eyes on Victor, eating up every word. There's a slight shimmer in the air above them. "Now return to your homes, I will inform you when I have more details."