Jeaniene Frost - One Foot in the Grave

A Night Huntress Novel

To my father.
You are now,
and will always be,
my hero.

I WAITED OUTSIDE THE LARGE, FOUR-STORY home in Manhasset that was owned by a Mr. Liam Flannery. This wasnt a social call, as anyone looking at me could tell. The long jacket I wore was open, leaving my gun and shoulder holster clearly visible, as was my FBI badge. My pants were loose-fitting and so was my blouse, to hide the twenty pounds of silver weapons strapped to my arms and legs.

My knock was answered by an older man in a business suit. Special Agent Catrina Arthur, I said. Here to see Mr. Flannery.

Catrina wasnt my real name, but its what was on my doctored badge. The doorman gave me an insincere smile.

Ill see if Mr. Flannery is in. Wait here.

I already knew Liam Flannery was in. What I also knew was that Mr. Flannery wasnt human, and neither was the doorman.

Well, neither was I, even though I was the only one out of the three of us with a heartbeat.

A few minutes later, the door reopened. Mr. Flannery has agreed to see you.

That was his first mistake. If I had anything to say about it, it would also be his last.

My first thought as I entered Liam Flannerys house was, Wow. Hand-carved wood adorned all the walls, the floor was some kind of really expensive-looking marble, and antiques were tastefully littered everywhere the eye could see. Being dead sure didnt mean you couldnt live it up.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as power filled the room. Flannery wouldnt know I could feel it, just like Id felt it from his ghoul doorman. I might look as average as the next person, but I had a few secrets up my sleeve. And lots of knives, of course.

Agent Arthur, Flannery said. This must be about my two employees, but Ive already been questioned by the police.

His accent was English, which was at odds with his Irish name. Just hearing that intonation made a shiver run up my spine. English accents held memories for me.

I turned around. Flannery looked even better than the picture in his FBI file. His pale crystal flesh almost shimmered against the tan color of his shirt. Ill say one thing for vampiresthey all had gorgeous skin. Liams eyes were a clear turquoise, and his chestnut hair fell past his collar.

Yep, he was pretty. He probably had no trouble scaring up dinner. But the most impressive thing about him was his aura. It flowed off him in tingling, power-filled waves. A Master vampire without a doubt.

Yes, this is about Thomas Stillwell and Jerome Hawthorn. The Bureau would appreciate your cooperation.

My polite stalling was to gauge how many other people were in the house. I strained my ears, but so far came up with no one but Flannery, the ghoul doorman, and myself.

Of course. Anything to assist law and order, he said with an undercurrent of amusement.

And youre comfortable speaking here? I asked, trying to get more of a look around. Or is there somewhere private youd prefer?

He sauntered over. Agent Arthur, if you want to have a private word with me, call me Liam. And I do hope you want to talk about something other than boring Jerome and Thomas.

Oh, I had little intention of talking as soon as I got Liam in private. Since hed been implicated in the deaths of his employees, Flannery had made my to-do list, though I wasnt here to arrest him. The average person didnt believe in vampires or ghouls, so there wasnt a legal process for dealing with murdering ones. No, there was a covert branch of Homeland Security instead, and my boss, Don, would send me. There were rumors about me in the undead world, true. Ones that had grown during my tenure at this job, but only one vampire knew who I really was. And I hadnt seen him in over four years.

Liam, youre not flirting with a federal agent whos investigating you in a double homicide, are you?

Catrina, an innocent man doesnt fret over the wheels of law whenever they rumble in the distance. At least I commend the feds on sending you to speak with me, beautiful woman that you are. You also look a bit familiar, though Im sure I would have remembered meeting you before.

You havent, I said immediately. Trust me, I would have remembered.

I didnt mean it as a compliment, but it caused him to chuckle in a way that was too insinuating for my liking.

Ill bet.

You smug son of a bitch . Lets see how long youll keep that smirk.

Back to business, Liam. Are we talking here, or somewhere private?

He made a noise of defeat. If you insist on traveling this path, we may as well be comfortable in the library. Come with me.

I followed him past more lavish, empty rooms to the library. It was magnificent, with hundreds of new and old books. There were even scrolls preserved in a glass display case, but it was the large piece of artwork on the wall that caught my attention.

This looksprimitive.

At first glance it appeared to be wood or ivory, but on closer inspection, it looked like bones. Human ones.

Aborigine, nearly three hundred years old. Given to me by some mates of mine in Australia.

Liam came nearer, his turquoise eyes starting to glint with emerald. I knew the pinpoints of green in his gaze for what they were. Lust and feeding looked the same on a vampire. Both made the eyes glow emerald and the fangs pop out. Liam was either hungry or horny, but I wasnt going to satisfy any of his cravings.