Bare Bones Read Free Page B

arguments with my own siblings, without the cursing and vampire reference though.
    “That was the deal,” the girl shot back, her voice crackling with anger. “I help us sneak out and get away from Grandmother, then you help me find a vampire.”
    Oh sheesh. Kids sneaking out. Been there, done that. I looked quickly over at the two, judging them to be about sixteen or so. The boy had black hair in an overgrown buzz cut. The color made him look Goth in contrast to his pale skin. The girl was equally pale, her long, golden-brown hair with streaks of blue and pink pulled back into a ponytail. The profile of her face showed a cute upturned nose and an excess of eyeliner, as well as neon-pink lip gloss.
    “Whatever.” I could practically hear the eye roll in the boy’s voice. “You wanna kill yourself messing with vampires, have at it. I’m sticking with humans.”
    Smart boy.
    “Where’s Lawton?” The girl asked, abruptly changing the subject like teens seemed to do. “He was supposed to meet us here. Think he’s okay?”
    The boy made a frustrated sound deep in his throat. “We should have ditched him days ago. He’s home with his family. Something about his dad needing help and his kid’s baseball game. I can’t wait around for him. I’ve gotta change and stop by the bitch’s house for my backpack and some cash.”
    I blinked, disturbed by the boy’s callous language. And what friend of theirs could have a kid old enough to be playing in baseball games? But before I could eavesdrop further, Janice showed up. She was all aflutter with sparkling eyes and a very carefully put together skirt and sweater-set combo. I was dying to pump her for details on yesterday, to see if the charm worked or not, but waited for her to settle in with a beer and a few oysters first.
    “So…how did things go with the tall blond guy?” Finally. I was squirming with excitement. Judging from her happy expression, things had gone very well indeed.
    Janice blushed. I don’t think I’d ever seen the reporter blush. “We have a date tomorrow night. He’s already texted me.”
    We both squealed and stomped our feet, which caused our waiter and several other patrons to turn and stare. Even the two teens looked our way before moving off the step and heading down the pathway toward the aquarium. I didn’t care. It’s not like the little outdoor raw bar was particularly upscale, and I was thrilled for my friend.
    At least something had gone right yesterday.
    “So…” Janice squirmed, giving me a sly smile. “His name is Sean Merrill. He’s a real estate developer in Harford County. Divorced two years with no kids. He was already hinting at taking me to an upcoming campaign fundraiser for one of the mayoral candidates. If things go well tomorrow night, I might be shopping for a black-tie dress.”
    Wow, she really had hit the jackpot. “That’s awesome!”
    She grinned. “I know! We’ll have to double-date with Zac one night.”
    A double date with Janice and her new beau wouldn’t exactly send the “just friends” message I needed send to Zac. Darn it. It sounded like such a fun, mature, adult couple thing to do. It sucked that the one guy in the last two years that I really wanted to be with was dead. Or undead, actually.
    “Sean really wants to meet you.” Janice nodded enthusiastically. “In fact, at first I thought maybe he was interested in you, not me. He saw your tattoo and commented on it. He was fascinated to hear that you were a Templar. Couldn’t stop asking me questions about you. I was starting to get a bit jealous.” She laughed. “After you went off with Zac we got to talking and suddenly he was asking me to have coffee with him.”
    Maybe I was overly suspicious, but that whole speech worried me. The guy could be a history buff who did lots of reading about the Crusades. Or maybe he was less interested in Janice until he realized I was already taken. Still…
    “You wearing your bracelet?”
    Janice