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IT'S LATE OCTOBER IN SAN FRANCISCO AND IF I WERE still huht up froree teh, ex-football player David Ryan, looks uncomfortable

But it's not the cold that has hiaone up in smoke And why

We're standing in thethe entrance of a bar on the corner a few doors away For a Wednesday, the place is ju Good news and bad news for e intend Good news because a crowd offers cover Bad news because there's always the danger that soht misunderstand and try to intervene It's happened before But since we know our skip, Tony Tuturo, is inside-we followed him here-it's a chance we're prepared to take

And did I mention we had a plan? I'm dressed in a short black skirt, silk halter top, learner jacket, coo inside, entice him with my womanly charms, and make him an offer he'd be too dazzled to refuse Once outside, David and I would hustle his ass into a car In less than an hour, we'd be off to the airport and hoo Should have worked Should have been a piece of cake

David looks at ay?"

I do now Laughter erupts before I can stifle it "Would I be dressed like this if I did?"

He frowns "So what do we do?"

I can't believe he has to ask "What do you think we do? You go inside and I wait here God, one look at you and"

"Okay" He stretches the word out He's watching the door and a steady strea their way inside Melancholy strains of soft jazz float out each tih thick, close-cropped hair "I don't think I'm dressed properly for this"

He's wearing jeans, a black T-shirt and a black leather duster Underdressed, perhaps, compared to the suits we've seen pass into the bar But David was a tight end for the Broncos when they were Super Bowl chaood physical condition now as then His muscular 250 pounds is well distributed on a six-foot-six fraenerous mouth

I lift an eyebrow "Believeto notice how you're dressed"

He looks down at"Okay, then" He hands me the car keys "See you in a few"

David goes inside and I'm left on the sidewalk to twiddle my thumbs I move off to stand beside our rental car I like it so rates It makes ht very much like this one last summer Except that skip turned out to be-not e expected And when he attacked, the co of our blood turned me into a vampire

I lean ainst my eyeballs

Vampire

I've co human blood is my sustenance and immortality my future But I haven't accepted it all The balance between the supernatural and the hu I feel it er, harder to keep in check I have a roup, of sorts, to make the transition easier But I also have a human family and a business partner who don't knohat I've beco as I can

The door to the bar swings open and David is back, his ar and Tony puts an arm around David's waist and pulls him close

That didn't take long, not that I thought it would I slip into the driver's seat and crank the engine

David steers Tony toward the car Tony is a few inches shorter than David, and about seventy pounds lighter He has brown hair and sht and screaray Arun, either, unless his tailor had made adjustments for one in the jacket He's wanted in New York, accused of extortion and grand theft I bet there's a gun

They're approaching the car David lets his hand drop from Tony's shoulders and skih Tony's

Very smooth The subtlest frisk I've ever seen

For the first ti hi He takes a step closer, sees me, and stops

The smile dissolves into a puzzled frown "Who's in the car?" he asks

David's grip tightens, one hand is still around Tony's waist, the other closes on his arm "A friend, Tony My driver"

I flash a smile

Tony starts to fidget "We don't need a driver We'll take my car"

But David has hiives Tony a push that sends hiainst the side of the car While he's still off balance, David snaps on the cuffs and with one hand holding hiainst the car, pats him down