Stakeout (Aurora Sky by Nikki Jefford

cold. My mouth tasted
like cotton. I stuck my head under the faucet of the October room’s
private bathroom. Besides having a slight case of bedhead, I looked
about the same as when I’d arrived. My makeup wasn’t even
smudged.
    After finger combing my hair, I emerged from
the room, pumps in hand, eyeing the doors I passed in the hallway.
Several were closed with bats dangling from the doorknobs. I wasn’t
the only overnight guest.
    Was Gavin behind one of the doors?
    Part of me wanted him to step into the hall
as I walked by. I wanted him to look me in the eye and see the hurt
he’d put there.
    Maybe I’d misread his signals. Then again,
maybe a certain redhead had gotten in the middle and rained hot
lava all over my parade.
    He’d said he’d turn me if he could. That was
practically “I love you” in vampire speak.
    The smell of bacon greeted my nose at the top
of the staircase. Dull gray light filled the large windows below,
reflecting off the inlet. I circled my way down the stairs and
headed to the kitchen.
    Marcus stood over a frying pan in a pair of
black silk pajama pants with a matching buttoned top. A man in a
suit sat with a cup of coffee and the newspaper at the small table
against the far wall of the kitchen. I’d only met Marcus’s partner,
Richard, once. Where Marcus was boisterous, Richard was reserved.
He sat with perfect posture and a serious gaze.
    Marcus looked over his shoulder. “We’ve got
an early bird.”
    “Sorry,” I said. “I don’t remember falling
asleep.”
    “You’re welcome to stay the night,” Richard
said, surprising me. “There’s no reason to put yourself at risk on
the road.”
    I looked from him to Marcus.
    “Richard has a heart of gold,” Marcus said.
“He’s a rare find.”
    The two men stared at each other for a moment
before Richard cleared his throat and buried his head in the
newspaper.
    “Now! Noel,” Marcus said cheerfully. “What
can I get you for breakfast? I’ve got scrambled eggs, fried
potatoes, bacon, and homemade scones,” he said, setting down his
spatula to clap softly, “in the oven.”
    It had been a long time since I’d had a real
breakfast, but at that moment my intestines felt like charred
toast.
    “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.” Okay, so I was
hungry, but my stomach couldn’t handle anything, not since twisting
in on itself after seeing Gavin with Valerie.
    Marcus smiled at me warmly. “Honey, I applaud
your figure, but you’re not leaving here without one of my homemade
scones.” He ripped a paper towel from a roll on the counter and
pulled a scone out of the oven with his bare hand.
    “Thank you,” I said, taking it from him.
    “Don’t you dare throw that out,” Marcus
called after me as I left the kitchen.
    He probably thought I was anorexic. I
actually had a hearty appetite. I simply didn’t gain weight. Hate
me all you want. Tough shit.
    I just wasn’t in the mood for a scone. It’s
like, “Oh, the guy you have a major jones for just hooked up with
the bitch from hell. Here, have a scone.” I felt like chucking the
damn thing into the road. But I didn’t.
    After wrapping it in the paper towel, I set
it on the passenger’s seat to save for later. It was early Saturday
morning, and the roads were quiet.
    After crossing town, I did a U-turn in the
street and grabbed a parking spot beside my building. Morning
always felt calmer than night. Safer. Bad things never seemed to
happen in the immediate hours after nine a.m.
    The washing machines spun their way through
rinse cycles as I passed the laundry room.
    I took a quick look through the wood slats in
the outer hallway. A couple of cars were warming up under the
carport and a woman from the first floor was brushing snow off her
windshield from an open spot beside the building. Other than that,
the coast was clear.
    I breathed the cool air in and out as I
unlocked my apartment door. I quickly locked it behind me.
    It was eerily quiet inside. Michelle had