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. He says it in a rush, like it s an unpleasant speech he s been practicing.And the implication that I vechosen to be absent from work makes my mouth fall open in disbelief.Then the light bulb goes on again. Did Gloria tell you to say that? Silence. Gloria is there, isn t she? Gloria.Of the long legs and big tits.I can see it in my head, Gloria, sitting on David s lap, making sure thehead he s using isn t the one on his shoulders.She hates me.Okay, I hate her right back.But she doesn t usually have this kind of effect on David.There must besomething else going on.Then I know.She met Max yesterday.And if Max acted the way most men do around her, she sconvinced that Max would be a much more appropriate partner for David than me.In her convolutedway of thinking it would make perfect sense.Why settle for one man lusting after you when you couldhave two? Tell Gloria it was a good try, I say in a voice you could pour on pancakes. But it won t work.She snot getting rid of me that easily.And, just so you both know, Max left forWashington this morning.I haveto go now, David.If youreally need me, I ll have my cell phone with me all day.Oh, and David? Tellyour girlfriend I said she s depriving some village of an idiot. I hear a quick intake of breath. Anna, I m- I cut the connection beforehe , or Gloria, can say anything else.I m angry.At Gloria.At David.At myself.The cell phone rings again.The office number flashes.I shut it off with a decisive jab and bury the phonein my purse.There is one good thing that comes from the conversation, though.Any guilt I had about shirking myresponsibilities at the office vanishes with the image of Gloria whispering encouragement in David s ear.Page 63 Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlWe ll need to have a conversation about that later, David and I, but now I m free to pursue Carolyn witha clear conscience.But damn that Frey.I have to see Trish first.Make sure she s all right, that I didn t scare her to death bybuzzing the condo like that.I look around.I d pulled over right in front of the complex.A high, brick wall surrounds it, parking lotand all.Now, getting over the wall won t be a problem.I could probably jump it without breaking asweat.Butit s daylight and this is a busy street.The only shrubbery consists of low growing bushes and avine of some kind that snakes over the brick.Nothing that would afford mecover.At least nothing that I can see from here.I start the car and ease into traffic, following the brick wall for several blocks until it makes a right turnand extends away from the main road.I turn right, too, and almost immediately find what I m looking for.This block is lined with trees, big, leafy trees with lots of low hanging branches.I won t have to climb.I just have to jump.I must admit, I ve come to enjoy some of my newly acquired vampire traits.The super human strength.The improved visual and sensual acuity.The ability to leap onto tall tree branches in a single bound.Ittakes me less than a minute to get over that wall and drop onto the grass on the other side.And I luck out.There s no one peering out of a window to see me take the jump or to sprint across thegrass to the sidewalk.I then saunter purposefully toward Frey s unit.I m just about at the building when Isee them.Two men.Tall.Husky.Wearing dark suits and walking just as purposefully toward Frey s front door.Andthey re coming from the direction of the parking lot.How did they get by the security guard? They recloser to Frey s than I am and don t seem to have spotted me, so I hang back behind a tall, fragrantbougainvillea bush to watch.Suit One rings Frey s bell, then steps back.He puts his hands behind his back and rocks a little on hisheels, smiling toward the peephole in the door.His expression is friendly, expectant.He waits a moment.Then rings again.Suit Two, meanwhile, is a step behind him.He s looking around.I make sure I m in the shadows whenhis eyes sweep in my direction.They scan right over me, keep going.I detect no unusual or supernaturalvibes, and when I surreptitiously try to probe his mind, I get nothing.He s human.He turns back to hispartner and nods.It s eight o clock on a Wednesday morning.It s obvious that most residents are at work, but it takesballs to break into someone s apartment in broad daylight.But that s just what these guys try to do.SuitOne takes a small leather case out of his pocket and extracts a thin, metal wire.While Suit Two standswatch, he goes to work on the door.That s when I lose it.Trish is inside.All I can think of is protecting her.In two strides, I m at the door.Before surprise can register on their faces, I ve grabbed both of them by the scruffs of their necks andflung them to the ground.I crouch over them, teeth bared, beyond all reason, snarling like an angrymother bear.Page 64 Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlChapter TwentyThen two things happen at once.The neighbor to Frey s right opens his door. Hey, he shouts. What sgoing on? In the same instant, Suit One puts a knee to my chest and heaves.The sudden appearance of the guy in the doorway distracts me.Suit One s knee catches me off guard.Before I can recover, I m flying off him to land in an ungraceful heap at the neighbor s feet.He reaches a hand down, but rather than help me, it gets in the way of my leaping up and the two of usdo a kind of weird dance trying to get disentangled.By the time I get my feet back under me, the suitsare up and away.The neighbor is a kindly looking old guy, with aMr.Rogers smile and a shock of wiry white hair peekingaround the edges of a faded baseball cap.He frowns at me. Are you all right, Miss? He pushes the capback and scratches his head. What just happened? Should I call the police? But I m looking after the Blues Brothers, who are racing back toward the parking lot.The neighbor puts a hand on my arm. Were those men coming out of Daniel s apartment? he asks. He s not home, you know.He s at school. I m trying to regain my balance and pull at my sweater, which has ridden up embarrassingly high.Myeyes are following the suits, and just as I decide to go after them, the old guy says, Wonder if they re kinto that sweet young niece of Daniel s? That snaps my attention back. Niece? The old guy s little prune face is wreathed in a wide smile. Met her last night.Daniel was taking her todinner. He taps a forefinger near the corner of his right eye. These old eyes don t miss much.I wasright there at my window when they came out.Just like this morning.Naturally, I did the neighborly thingand came out and introduced myself.Daniel said the girl was visiting fromBoston.That s where he sfrom, you know. I don t share with him what I know-or what I want to do to Daniel when I get my hands on him
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