She was irritated he was there, and she didn’t know any of the answers he was probably looking for. She just wanted to be alone.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi.”

“Kirby called me.”

“Good for him.” She attempted to walk past him as she dug out her keys. He shot up and tried to block her path to the front door.

“Beatrice—”

“Nothing you say,” she bit out, “is going to make me feel better right now. Nothing.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t want to talk to you or see you for a while, so please leave me alone.”

“I have information about who attacked Mano.”

She closed her eyes and pressed the heel of her hand into her forehead to try to still the headache that began pounding.

“Just…give me a few days,” she whispered. “I need a few days, Gio.”

He tried to touch her shoulder, but she pushed him away.

“I understand,” he murmured.

“No, you really, really don’t.”

He paused before speaking. “I’ll put them off for a few days. Call me when you’re ready to talk.”

Beatrice still had her eyes closed when she heard him walk past her, down the porch, and toward his car. She didn’t open them until she heard the Mustang pull away. Then she opened the door and retreated to her silent house.

Chapter Seven

Los Angeles, California

December 2009

“Anything else?”

“I got a call from Ernesto’s assistant today wondering whether you were going to bring B by this week.”

Giovanni frowned and tugged on his hair. It still wasn’t as long as when he first met Beatrice, but it had grown around four inches from the time he’d singed it off when Lorenzo had taken her.

“When does he need to know?”

“Kelli said he was going down to Mexico for some business next week so he was hoping to meet with you both tomorrow evening, if possible.”

He nodded. “Let me ask her tonight. She and Benjamin are due back soon.”

Matt smiled. “Spending time with the kid, huh?”

Giovanni cocked his eyebrow. “He’s been her preferred company for the last couple of weeks.”

“Well…” The private detective shifted in his seat, looking slightly nervous. “Mano…he was a good guy. I mean, I know it’s none of my business and all—”

“Do you consider yourself her friend, Kirby?”

Matt nodded. “I do.”

“Then it’s your business,” Giovanni said, giving the tacit approval the man seemed to need. “And I’m not going to kill you for liking Beatrice’s ex.”

“Good to know,” he said with a tight smile.

“How is the lovely Desiree? Beatrice said you two are seeing each other.”

Matt chuckled. “Well, after the initial shock, she’s fairly fascinated by all of it, to be honest. I think being part of the supernatural world gave me a leg up dating her.”

Giovanni smiled before he burst into laughter. “Well, you’ve certainly taken enough risks over the years, I’m glad it finally paid off for you. Thank God for curious women.”

Matt’s head cocked when he heard the hum of the Mustang coming up the drive. “I should go.”

“I’ll call you about the meeting with Alvarez later tonight.”

“Let me know. I’m sure he won’t mind putting it off for the girl, with their connection, but it’s getting close to Christmas and I know you’re leaving for Texas…”

“No, I understand the urgency.”

“And I’m not sure how long you want that guy to sit in the dry room, either.”

“Oh,” Giovanni murmured. “The longer the better as far as that goes. As long as he’s conscious, he’ll suit my purposes.”

Matt nodded. “Just give me a call when you have a date. If it’s not office hours for you, I’ll take care of arranging the appointment.”

“Thank you, Kirby. Your assistance, as always, has been excellent.”

“No problem at all.” He nodded toward the vampire, who showed him to the door.

“And give your father and mother my best.”

“Of course. Have a nice night.”

Giovanni closed the door and walked back to the kitchen, curious why he hadn’t heard the stomping and shouting that normally followed Ben’s return to the house. When the basketball began to bounce, he had his answer. He heated a glass of bagged blood and sat down at the counter to drink. Soon, Ben and Beatrice’s quiet conversation drifted to his ears.

“—doesn’t matter if you want to go. It’s part of life. Just get it over with.”

“But I hear really bad stuff about going to the dentist, and I’ve never been. My teeth are probably super bad, and he’ll have to pull them all or something.”

He could hear Beatrice laugh. “You’re not going to get all your teeth pulled. I’ll make the appointment with my dentist. She’s really cool, and I’m sure she can fit you in next week.”

“Hey, did you ask Gio if we could go to the blue alien movie?”

“Not yet.” He could barely hear her mutter.

“Oh, come on, B! Will you guys stop fighting already? You could at least start talking to each other again.”

He was tempted to go out and yank Ben’s ear for talking to Beatrice that way, but he was too curious what she would say in response.