Read Online Reality Bites by Nicola Rhodes - Free Book Online Page A

Finchley?  He smelled of soap – not that men shouldn’t wash, but soap , I mean it’s not very manly is it?’ she gave him a look that made his knees tremble. But he was also alert. She was trying to distract him.
    Like a shark in the water, Stiles sensed a weakness here.  She was babbling nervously, and why was she nervous?  Stiles guessed that it was because she was now trapped with him, with no distractions, no way to avoid his questions.  Time to move in for the kill, but first to put her off guard, approach her from an unexpected angle.
    ‘So,’ he began, ‘what did you mean downstairs, about not leaving me alone?  What I’m getting at is I thought that vampires couldn’t get in a place unless they’re invited.  Or is that just folklore?’
    ‘No, it’s true enough,’ she answered readily enough, ‘but, this is a public building, in fact more than that, it’s an Inn, a place where they actively encourage visitors so it’s a sort of permanent open invitation to all comers, vampires can come in here just fine.’
    ‘Damn!’ he thought. She fielded that one nicely. He had been hoping that she would have been forced to admit that she had made a mistake, which would put her off balance.  She was damn good at this; he had to admit that maybe he had met his match.  Perhaps he should stop thinking of her as a suspect and more as just a person. The trouble was she was acting so damn suspiciously.
    She was smiling at him.  ‘I can’t tell you any more than I have already,’ she said. ‘Let’s just get that out of the way right now, shall we?  I’m sorry; I really am. I like you, I think you’re a good man and you deserve better than all this.  I will tell you this: I intend to help you if I can.  I’m going to find out what’s going on and stop it.’
    ‘Who sent you?’ he demanded.
    ‘I don’t know – exactly, just some men who asked for my help, and that’s the truth.’
    ‘And why you?’
    She shook her head. ‘Sorry.’
    ‘Do you think that they know what’s going on?’
    She shrugged.
    ‘Oh, come on – you’ve got to give me something.’
    ‘I’ve told you everything I can.’
    ‘Except who you really are.  Why did you lie about your name?’
    She was silent.
    ‘Okay, forget it.’  He realised he had pushed too hard.  For the first time, he realised that there was no earthly reason why she should trust him, any more than he should trust her. Less, in fact; trust had to be earned, and he had been acting like a right suspicious git ever since he had met her. Pushing and probing and questioning, it was no wonder she did not want to talk to him.  She must have some strong reason for wanting to preserve her incognito and it really was not any of his business, she had not done anything wrong, quite the contrary, in fact.  He wondered if there was a self-help group he could join. “Suspicious Bastards Anonymous”.
    ‘I mean it, forget it,’ he reiterated. ‘It really doesn’t matter, maybe you’ll tell me when you’re ready – or not,’ he added hastily. ‘It’s fine; you’ve saved my life three times now. That should be enough for anybody.’
    She managed a smile.
    ‘And you got me cigars, what more does a man need?’
    This time the smile was wider.
    ‘So,’ he said, heartily.  ‘Are we going down to eat? Man doesn’t live by cigars alone you know, I’m starving.’
    ‘Mmm, I asked Charlie to bring us something up, is that okay?’
    ‘That’s fine, um – what exactly?’
    ‘Oh, I don’t know.  Shepherd’s pie probably.  It’s always Shepherd’s pie in places like this; I think it’s a rule or something. Or pasties.’
    ‘Or those huge chips like doorstops with the skin still on them,’ agreed Stiles, laughing.
    ‘Yeah.’  She smiled at him. ‘You know …’ she began and was interrupted by a loud shriek.  With instincts natural to them both, they ran for the door without hesitation. Naturally Kitty won; she opened the door to be