Keep Me Close Read online

  Her mind still on the insane events of last night, Vinny muttered, “When the magic flies away and the shadows dry next day…”

  “…all that’s left is dust,” Dom finished.

  “You know Dark Carnival?” she asked. Not many people did.

  “You kidding? It’s one of my default movies. My brothers and I watched it practically every weekend for a year. I can recite all the lines.”

  “Isn’t Gene Kelly so good in it? He’s terrifying in that one scene with the funhouse mirror. The ways he moves… Good on one side, evil on the other. I love it.”

  Dom nodded, but didn’t add anything.

  They fell silent again. Vinny had to tell herself that trading obscure movie quotes was not the way to disentangle herself from a guy.

  Vinny drank too much coffee, trying to make her brain behave. It kept jumping back to Dom’s kisses that morning, replaying, offering a hundred potential futures if they’d done things a little differently.

  “Vin?” Dom was looking at her.

  “What?” she asked, realizing he’d asked her something. “What did you say?”

  “I asked if you were okay.”

  “Yeah. I’m…thinking. Sort of. Overthinking.”

  “I do that a lot,” he said. “Let me know if you want pointers.” Then he showed her the map he’d been looking at on his phone.

  “We’ll reach Seattle by the end of today, no problem. Late afternoon, if we’re lucky,” he said.

  “Great,” Vinny said. She didn’t feel great. As much as she wanted to get to Emma, she wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye to Dom. She knew chances were very slim that they’d see each other after that. Maybe they’d stay in touch online, but how often did that work, really? And what did they have in common, really?

  “Guess we should get on the road for real now.” Dom turned to her. “I kind of want to drive slow. But I won’t. I don’t want to keep you from your friend.”

  “Thanks,” Vinny whispered. Damn. Why did this demon hunting bad boy have to be so nice?

  She held onto him the whole day, wishing life wasn’t complicated.

  He gassed up a few miles before they hit Seattle. “Getting close. You should give me your friend’s address so I know where I’m going.”

  “Oh, no. You don’t have to do that. Just drop me anywhere near transit and I’ll do the rest myself. You’re not a chauffeur.”

  He said, “You think I’m only going to go ninety-nine percent of the way, Vin? Be serious.”

  “Look, it’s fine. You’ve got your job to get to. I’ll call now that I’m close…”

  “Vin.” He shut her down. “Give. Me. The address.”

  She gave it to him—she knew it by heart.

  He paused, entered it into his phone, and frowned.

  “It’s out of the way,” she said hurriedly. “It’s not quite in town, so…”

  “I’m taking you, Vin. No argument.”

  “But it’s far.”

  “Nope,” he said. “Let’s roll.”

  Chapter 11

  Dom had given her a funny look when he heard the address, but he had insisted on taking her, so Vinny decided to just roll with it. She wanted to get the most out of the last part of their time together, so she held onto him way tighter than she had to.

  Emma lived well outside the city, where the ground rose rapidly to take the bike into hills swathed in lush evergreens. A little fog hovered in the tops of the branches because this area was so close to the sound. There were a ton of bays and little waterways around here. They drove across a bridge over a fast-running river, high from rains and snowmelt. The very few houses that could be glimpsed from the road tended to be big and expensive.

  At last a familiar gate appeared. Vinny tapped Dom on the shoulder and pointed to it. He slowed the bike, stopping directly by the gate. It was heavy metal, and locked in a serious way. An electrified fence ran along the property.

  Dom edged the bike up next to the security intercom positioned so people could press the button without getting out of a vehicle. He pulled his helmet off, and Vinny did the same.

  “Time to let her know you’re here,” he said, looking back at Vin.

  Feeling more nervous than she would ever admit, Vin learned over and pressed the buzzer. “Hope someone’s home.”

  After a few seconds, a woman’s voice answered, the sound crackling a bit. “Hello? Who is it?”

  “Hey! It’s Vinny. You should open your gate.”

  There was a pause. “Vinny? Vin?”

  “How many girls named Vinny do you know?” she asked.

  A shriek burst out of the speaker. “Oh, my God! Vin? Is that really you? Like right outside?”

  “Open your damn gate and find out,” Vinny responded with a huge grin. A huge weight around her heart lifted, and she took a breath. Had she really thought Emma wouldn’t let her in? Was she that messed up about friendships?

  “Opening! Get in here, you little snot!” Emma’s voice cut off as the gate buzzed and started to swing inward.

  “Okay if I keep the helmet off for the rest of the trip?” she asked Dom.

  “Just this once.” He smiled back at her. Then he said, more seriously, “Hey, Vin. Don’t mention what I do. If anyone asks, I’m your ride.”

  She hadn’t planned on mentioning it. How do you explain a demon hunter to your friends?

  He drove up a very long, twisting driveway to the top of a ridge. A huge, modern house sat up there, flanked by a forest of tall pines on one side. On the other, the ridge fell away to offer a view of a sparkling bay. Behind that, another line of mountains hid the Pacific. The sunsets here were spectacular.

  “This is nice,” Dom said in a neutral tone, taking in the mansion and the view. What he thought about it all, Vinny couldn’t say. Maybe he found it pretentious. But after all, this house was built on rock and roll.

  Emma was already running out the front door, hopping ridiculously after one of her shoes fell off on the steps. Vinny just got off the bike in time to be tackled by her friend.

  Emma crushed her in an embrace. Vinny returned it, so happy to see her. Why had she stayed away so long?

  “Hey, there,” she gasped out when she could get a breath.

  “Ohmygod…ohmygod…ohmygod…,” Emma kept saying. “You’re here. This is the best. I can’t believe you’re here. And why’d you sneak up on me? I would have flown you out, you jerk.”

  “Surprise.” Vin couldn’t stop from laughing, not from the expression on Emma’s face, but from the sheer joy of being with her best friend again. And more importantly, seeing Emma perfectly healthy and happy. Not in danger at all.

  “Holy shit, you’re such a sneaky little…I’m so glad you’re here!”

  Vinny laughed again, prying herself out of Emma’s arms.

  Emma finally noticed Dom. Her eyes widened. “Um, hi.”

  “Hi,” Dom said, looking exactly as cool and distant—and hot—as he had when Vinny first saw him.

  “Oh, hey,” Vinny said awkwardly. “Emma, this is Dom. Dom, my best friend Emma. She lives here.” Duh, Vinny. Of course she lives here. It’s her house.

  Dom nodded, then offered a hand to shake. Emma took it, but obviously wanted nothing more than to corner Vinny and ask her a million questions.

  Just then, Dom’s eyes shifted to someone else coming out of the house. Emma turned and yelled, “Jonas! Vinny’s here!”

  “Yeah, I got that,” the man said. His tone was deliberately cooler-than-thou. If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. But then, Jonas was always like that.

  Vinny waved to him. “Hey! Surprise!”

  Jonas gave her the smile that had been plastered on albums and posters and magazine articles for years. “I am shocked, shocked to discover Vinny in this establishment.” His smile faded a bit as he took in Dom.

  “Hey. Jonas Belling, but you probably knew that,” Jonas said, offering a hand.

  Dom shook it politely. “Call me Dom.”
>
  “Jonas, how about you show Dom around real quick? We girls have to catch up.” Emma immediately pulled Vinny over to another spot of the yard. The men walked toward the gigantic garage, presumably so Jonas could show off all his fancy cars, which he tended to collect. Vinny waved at Dom when he was dragged off.

  “You look great!” Emma said.

  “Ha,” Vinny retorted. “You look better than me…as usual.”

  It was true. Not only was Emma gorgeous, with pale, clear skin and dark brown hair that fell in waves down her back, she was also curvy like Vinny wasn’t. Ever since Vinny met her, Emma was always the one men looked at when they walked into a room. Vinny was never jealous of that. In fact, she felt relieved when attention went to Emma.

  Years later, she was still gorgeous. Only her eyes were a little strained, with shadows underneath. But she was smiling, and she did look fantastic.

  Emma looked over at Dom, then grinned conspiratorially at Vinny. “I see you showing up wasn’t the only surprise. Nice arm candy you’ve got there. Bad boy comes complete with bad boy bike. How come you never mentioned him?”

  Vinny shrugged, playing it down. “Nothing to mention. He was my ride. Most of the way. He picked me up on the side of the road in Texas. It was hot.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. “Picked up? As in, literally? You hitched a ride with him?”

  “Yup.”

  “But he’s not just a ride anymore, right? He drove you all the way from Texas, which means you got to know him. I hope you did, anyway.”

  Vin knew what Emma meant by getting to know him, and she got a rush of shyness. “Uh, no. Not really.”

  “You didn’t?” Em sounded so disappointed.

  “No,” said Vin. “But we did, um, make out a bit once. Maybe twice.”

  “Oh, that’s better. I guess any more would be fast for you. That hasn’t changed, right?”

  “Of course not,” Vinny said, feeling defensive. But then she glanced over at Dom, and he smiled back at her. It was a smile with voltage, and not only did she forget what she was going to say to Emma, she almost forgot to breathe.

  “Uh-huh,” Emma murmured, having noticed Vinny’s reaction. “Even if he’s just a ride, this guy is interesting. If you let him go without at least trying him on for size, I will never let you forget it.”

  “Let’s see if you still approve after you actually, you know, talk to him,” said Vinny. She knew Emma would approve. Dom got more charming every second he was around. Even when Vinny was mad at him, she still liked him.

  Then Emma looked over Vinny’s shoulder, an odd expression on her face. “Is that a cat?”

  “Oh! Piewicket!” Vinny spun and saw Pie standing near Dom’s bike, looking around the place as though it might be good enough for her. Or not. “Yes, Dom’s got a cat.”

  “He has a cat? You should totally snag him!”

  “A pet is a terrible reason to hook up with someone.” Vinny wasn’t a relationship expert, but she was pretty sure of that one.

  “I’ve hooked up with people for way worse reasons,” Emma said. Then she zipped toward the cat. “Oh, you’re so cute!”

  After seeing the cat claw a vampire, Vinny didn’t think cute was the best word to describe Pie, but that would be hard to explain. So all she said was, “She’s an extremely good kitty.”

  “I love her! Does she like being petted?”

  Pie nuzzled Emma’s hand and purred loudly.

  Emma’s expression slid into the blissful zone. “Oh, you poor thing. We need to get you some food and treats, stat. Do you like milk?”

  Pie’s purring volume increased.

  “Using your looks to get what you want, huh, Pie? Typical.”

  The men had rejoined them, and it was Dom who commented on the cat’s opportunism.

  Jonas bent down to pet the cat, but Pie flattened her ears at him and scooted away.

  “Oh, look at that,” Emma teased. “Guess she likes me better!”

  “That’s fine,” Jonas said, straightening up. “I’m allergic to cats anyway.”

  “Since when?” asked Emma, with one eyebrow up.

  “Maybe this cat is allergic to me.”

  “Well, hope she’s okay in the house.”

  Jonas looked alarmed. “They’re not staying here!”

  “Oh, we can’t push Dom out now,” Emma said with a conspiratorial smile toward Vin. “He just drove Vinny all the way here. He’s got to stay for dinner at least. You need to eat, right?” she asked Dom.

  He nodded. “Sure do.”

  “And your kitty needs downtime. Let’s get you guys comfortable.”

  Emma and a reluctant Jonas led them into the house. Jonas said Vinny had to have the blue bedroom—that being a nice big one that looked out over the bay. He then pointed Dom to a much smaller room across the hall and down at the end—away from Vinny’s.

  “You can chill there, and the cat doesn’t need a ton of room, right? You can keep her in the closet.”

  “Jesus Christ, Jonas,” Emma snapped. “Show some class. Dom, let the cat do whatever she needs to do. She doesn’t have to be locked up.”

  “Say that again after she claws the hell out of the furniture,” Jonas muttered.

  “She’s good,” Vinny said, in defense of Pie.

  “We’ll let you guys get settled,” Emma interjected. She put her hand on Jonas’s arm, virtually dragging him away. “Come on downstairs for drinks when you’re ready! We have so much to talk about!”

  Once Emma and Jonas disappeared, she turned to Dom. “So.”

  He dropped his leather bag on the bed. “So. Who exactly are these friends of yours? What do they do?”

  “They’re musicians.”

  “I didn’t know musicians were millionaires.”

  “Well, one of Jonas’s bands made it big. You heard of Mercury Thief?”

  Dom looked puzzled, as if mentally going through playlists. “Maybe?”

  “Do you live under rocks? Anyway, the band had some great timing, and their songs got on the soundtracks for those movies with the car racing and the robots…shit movies, but people liked the music. There were tours and a lot of ticket sales. Then Jonas got a gig to actually write the score for the next movie in the franchise. He banked a ton of the money. That’s how they were able to build this place. There’s a recording studio downstairs and practice space and everything. Jonas planned it all out.”

  “What about Emma?” Dom asked.

  “She was in another band when they married, but she’s more of a writer. Music journalism and profiles and stuff. She knows a ton of people in the industry.”

  “But the money is Jonas’s?”

  “Why?” Vinny asked.

  “Just curious. Did you two used to date?”

  “Me and Jonas? Hell no.” Vinny laughed. “Why?”

  “He was very…not pleased at the idea of me. I got the impression he was jealous.”

  “That’s crazy. He’s got Emma, who’s way hotter than me.”

  Dom looked skeptical. “He’s got something for you.”

  She shifted, uncomfortable with the idea. “That’s his rock star persona. He’s just real flirty.”

  “Huh. He wasn’t being flirty when he was warning me off you.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He said I’m not your type.”

  Vinny bristled immediately. “I don’t have a type.”

  “That’s what he said next. He said you do have standards, implying that I’m not up to them. Or that nobody is…including him.”

  “You read him wrong,” she said. “And anyway, why do you care what he thinks?” Vinny grabbed his hand. “New subject. If I forget to say it later, thanks for everything.”

  “Hmm. Well, don’t thank me yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Save it till the end, is all,” Dom said cryptically. “We should probably go downstairs. Emma is expecting us…mostly you.”

  “Oh, she’s curious about you too. Prepa
re for a lot of questions.”

  Since Emma had declared, loudly, that Dom had to stay for dinner, that meant he stayed. And dinner was very nice. Emma, now wearing a long, casual dress that made her look like a boho princess, served it outside on the deck so they could watch the sunset as they ate.

  Dom took it all in stride, apparently perfectly comfortable with these new people. Emma warmed up to him instantly. She kept nudging Vinny’s foot with hers every time Dom said something that made her laugh.

  Partly to save her poor foot, Vinny volunteered to clear the plates, and Jonas stood up to help.

  “Wow, look at you being all domestic,” Emma said to Jonas, a bite to her comment.

  Vinny could tell that the couple was not having the best time, but she tried to smooth it over. “Always nice to have help. We’ll be back in a bit.”

  In the house, after they got the plates to the kitchen, Jonas pulled Vinny along into a side room and closed the door. “Hey, sweetheart. It’s really good to see you. Honestly. But also I wanted to talk to you.”

  “What’s up?” Vinny asked. “Are we having a secret meeting?”

  “Sort of. What’s the word on this guy you’re dragging around?”

  Vinny remembered Dom’s comment that Jonas seemed jealous. She hadn’t really believed it, but there was something in Jonas’s voice now. Maybe big brother protectiveness?

  “You heard the story at dinner,” she said. “I got into a bad spot while hitchhiking and Dom helped me out. That’s it, really.”

  “Then why did he drive you all the way here? This guy could be some kind of stalker.”

  “I don’t think it counts as stalking if I say it’s all right,” Vinny pointed out.

  “Is it all right with you?” Jonas asked. “Did he suggest it? Or pressure you?”

  Vinny made a face. “What’s your problem? You don’t like him.”

  Jonas sighed. “Look, sweetheart. I’ve got some experience with this. When random people appear out of nowhere and hang around, it’s because they want something from you.”

  “Well, then I’m good, because I don’t have anything. I’m flat broke. Seriously, Dom paid for most of my meals on the way.”