“Likewise,” I said tightly.
“What an ugly necklace,” she said. “But I guess you don’t have much of a choice in accessories these days, do you?”
I touched my gold chain. “Bite me.” I glared at Thierry. “You, too.”
His dark eyebrows went up at that. “Is that an invitation or are you trying to be rude?”
“Let’s try door number two,” I said.
I could tell that amused him. Super. I should charge admission for my afternoon comedy show.
Janie smiled thinly. “Geez, I was just kidding. Somebody’s not as lighthearted about life as they used to be.”
“Somebody’s roots are darker than they used to be.”
She touched her hair. “Take that back.”
I tried to control my inner bitch. It was like my nightwalker was poking around in her cage, growling, and trying to find a way out while I still wore the gold chain.
“You know, Janie, I never would have thought Thierry was your type,” I said. A couple emerged from the restaurant and crossed between us to get into a cab. When they pulled away from the curb, I continued. “I mean, the last time I saw you two together you had him handcuffed and were going to stake him.”
She leaned against his tall, solid form. “No more stakes in our relationship. But the handcuffs are always fun to have around.”
I dug my fingernails deeply into Quinn’s side.
Quinn cringed and cleared his throat. “We should probably get going.”
Janie’s expression softened when they looked at each other and I felt like they shared an unspoken moment. “Wouldn’t want to keep you and your new girlfriend from… whatever it is that Sarah does with her unemployed free time.”
“Tons of sex,” I said. “And maybe a movie later if Quinn’s not too tired. You know, from all the sex.”
“Right. Well, likewise,” she said curtly, hanging tighter to Thierry’s arm.
Well, this was uncomfortable.
“Bye now,” I said, as we brushed past them. Thierry reached out and grabbed my hand in his. His touch made my heart thump wildly.
“It was very nice to see you again, Sarah,” he said. I could have sworn I saw some regret slide behind his silver-colored eyes. Did he know why I was peeved? It must have been written all over my face. Luckily it just would have looked as if I didn’t want to be anywhere near him—a believable reaction to being faced with one’s ex.
Our fingers brushed against each other as he let go of me.
I blinked and nodded, fighting the sudden lump in my throat.
I finally managed to tear my gaze away from his. Thierry briefly eyed Quinn and, despite the fact he was the one to ask the ex-hunter to help out, there wasn’t an ounce of friendliness in the look.
Quinn and I started to walk away down the street.
“That wasn’t a lot of fun,” Quinn said. “And now I even have to turn down the tons-of-
sex suggestion since I’m a one-woman kind of guy.”
“Then it’s good that I was kidding.” I turned back to see Thierry and Janie moving in the opposite direction. Thierry glanced briefly over his shoulder at us, his expression still tight.
I was glad that seeing me with Quinn seemed to still bother him. Call me petty.
Quinn smiled. “Honestly, Sarah, back when I was all fixated on you I didn’t think there would be another woman for me. But Janie slammed head-first into my life at the completely wrong time. I couldn’t have been less interested in starting a new relationship, but it’s like fate intervened to let me know she was the one.”
“Yeah, she seems like a real sweet girl.” Sarcasm at no extra charge.
“She actually is. But she can hide it when she wants to.” He was quiet for a moment.
“Thierry told me the Red Devil’s back and he’s keeping an eye on you as well.”
I sighed. “So many people are watching me I feel like I’m starring in a reality TV show.”
“It won’t be long before everything’s back to normal.”
“Except for my nightwalker curse and the fact that I’ve sired Gideon to become a super vamp.”
“Except for that, yeah.” He actually laughed. “You’re a magnet for trouble. Anybody ever tell you that?”
“It’s a gift.” It was a bit funny, actually. If I turned my head to the side and squinted—and if this was all happening to someone else—I guessed I could see the humor. “So is there an actual plan you and Thierry discussed that I should be aware of or is everyone just planning to run around the city all helter-skelter?”
Quinn pulled me off the main sidewalk and away from the growing crowd so we could speak in virtual privacy. “Gideon has to die. After we’re sure who his assassins are and that everyone is safe.”
I don’t know why that surprised me. “And who’s planning to pull the trigger? You?”
He shook his head. “Thierry’s given that job to the Red Devil, or whoever the guy actually is. He loves you, Sarah. I know I doubted that in the past. Hell, I didn’t think there was actually a living, breathing person behind that miserable prick exterior—” he grinned “—
no offense.”
“We can agree to disagree about each other’s significant other.”
“It’s a deal.”
“Do you think the Red Devil is trustworthy?” I asked. “Don’t you think he’s dangerous? I mean, where’s he been for a hundred years?”
“No idea. But Thierry seems confident in his abilities. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?”
“I guess.”
It seemed fair, actually. Gideon wanted to kill the Red Devil. Now the Red Devil was going to kill Gideon.
Then why did it feel so wrong?
Did I think this story was going to have a happy ending for everyone involved? Not very likely, was it?