Chandler: Books 4 The Witch and the Vampire by Fawn Lowery Page B

office in order to get you enough evidence to convict the crook so you could be done with your dangerous investigation. Now you tell me there’s more.” His eyes narrowed.
    “ Collins will be back in town Monday morning. I’ll have him arrested then and I’ll get a search warrant to look through everything else in his office.”
    Monday morning? The words lodged in his brain.
    “As soon as he’s taken into custody, my days as an exotic dancer are over.” She smiled at him. “But until then I have to be up on that stage, strutting my stuff, and pretending I like all the attention, and Mike has to play the role of bouncer, tossing out anyone that can’t behave.” She placed one palm against his chest. “And for your own safety, you should not return to the club…under any circumstance.”
    “ Collins will be back Monday morning ?”
    She nodded her head. “He comes in early every day.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose he checks on things before the doors open. Or maybe he sells the stolen art at that time of day. I don’t know why he’s there so early, but a few weeks into the investigation, Mike and I were trying to figure out when we could sneak into his office and have a look around when Mike saw one of the waitresses coming out of his office. She was disheveled and we figured she had been servicing Collins in some capacity.” She rolled her eyes. “Horny son-of-a-bitch. He’s fucked every waitress who works at the club…and all the dancers.”
    Chandler snarled and levered himself off the bed. He strode across the room where his clothes lay in a heap. The night was rapidly waning. He had to leave, despite his not wanting to.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Fifteen
     
     
    The master has figured out how to live in the daylight! Chandler turned on his heel and strode across the attic room, his brow furrowed. Johannes had lived many centuries. He had a wealth of experience and knowledge. He gave full reign to his thoughts. Being fearful of the consequences, he had never dared risk being engulfed by the daylight. He had sought the security of his crypt at the first hint of sunrise.
    He paused his steps and gazed at the small attic window he had shrouded so carefully. What if I pull away the covering and… The risk was great. Should the light engulf his body for very long, he would surely perish, shrivel up from the hot rays and wither and die, then turn to ashes and smolder until nothing remained. He had seen the demise of a vampire. Johannes had cast a poor creature into the sunlight and he had seen the deathly effects it had on him. Therefore he knew the terrible death awaiting those who risked fate beyond their capabilities. But the master has figured out how to survive when the night gives way to daylight.
    A thought sprang to mind. He would tear away the window curtain and wait for the sun to fully rise. He would stand at the window and face the new day. Ready at a moment’s notice should his body revolt at his plan. He would merely replace the curtain, go to the darkest corner of the room and fall into the sleep of the undead.
    If the master can do it, perhaps there’s a way that I can, too. The thought of being able to exist during the light of day filled him with wonder. Hope sprang up inside him like a fountain, pouring forth its bounty and giving him great expectation.
    The sun began rising beyond the city, its golden rays blinding to his eyes. He stood at the window and squinted, keenly aware of the risk to his existence. He raised one hand and shielded his eyes while not daring to look away. He wasn’t cowardly by any means—though to slink beneath the ground for survival was the vampire way—
    His eyes pained. He was forced to close his eyelids in an effort to halt the assault. Still he stood at the window and braved the new day as it rapidly awakened around him. His limbs felt heavy, fatigued, as though he had walked a great distance or lifted an extraordinary weight. He