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He continued, “I just want you to know, I’m okay with that. It’s a damn good start. And I know this because I feel the same way. The difference between you and me is that I know it’s the real thing.”
She still didn’t say anything, so he went on, “Probably because I wasn’t completely honest with you in the beginning. You need time to trust this, to trust love and to trust me, and I get that. And I’ll be here when you finally do.” He pushed the glasses up and started the car.
* * *
Forty-five minutes later they parked in front of the first house on the list of Stone residences. Della look around. This was a not-so-nice house in a not-so-nice neighborhood. A dog, which looked to be a cross between a pit bull and a Tasmanian devil, was chained to a metal pipe stuck in the ground.
Chase glanced at her. “Meet Trouble.”
Della recalled the hot dogs and couldn’t help but grin.
Then she looked around. The house next to it had a CONDEMNED sign in the yard. she glanced up and down the street. The place looked like a great location for a meth lab. But was it a great place for a vampire on the run? Perhaps. She sure as hell hoped so.
Two weeks.
When Chase cut off the engine, the dog rose up and let out a low, serious growl.
“Friendly sort,” Della said and realized Chase could probably say the same thing about her. She hadn’t spoken since they’d pulled out of the parking lot. What could she say? Oh, she wanted to tell him he was so slick that his own bullshit just slid right off of him. She wanted to accuse him of thinking he looked like hot stuff in that black suit and dark sunglasses. But he did look hot, and she knew him well enough to know he was being sincere. Her only answer was … Not now. And she kept that one to herself.
“Get the hot dogs,” he said.
“You’re gonna get past him by feeding him hot dogs?” Della asked.
“It’s better than what I fed him three weeks ago.”
“What did you feed him?” she asked.
“A bite of my ass.” He chuckled. “I thought I could rub his belly and make a friend.”
“He bit you?” Della couldn’t help but laugh.
“He didn’t get much,” Chase said and reached behind to touch his butt.
They got out of the car.
“So this house belongs to one of the Stones you’ve already investigated?” she asked, catching the scent of garbage and seeing the two overflowing metal cans on the front porch.
“Yeah.”
“Remember, Burnett has ruled them out and thinks we should move to the new list of Stones.”
“He also said for me to follow my gut. I feel as if I might have missed something. I want to circle back around, just to be certain.”
The dog barked, calling their attention again. He scratched at the ground like a bull ready to charge. Then he bolted toward them. The canine’s lip curled and exposed teeth, the hair on the back of its neck stood straight up, and drool oozed from its jowls. He got closer. Then closer.
Shit! How long was that chain?
Della was about to do a quick step back when Chase said, “It’s okay.”
Then, unfortunately, or fortunately depending whose side you were on, about a foot from where they stood, the dog ran out of chain. When he hit his limit, he was yanked up in the air and landed with a thud on ground. He didn’t stay down long.
“I think he was inbred a few too many times,” Chase said.
“Poor thing,” she said and meant it. Most animals were stupid or aggressive due to how their owners treated them.
“Open the hot dogs.”
“Why don’t we just fly over him to the porch? No one is out here.” She waved around.
