“And that’s the second place he’ll look, come on Tegan, you’re smarter than that.” He chides.
I stop swiftly and stand in front of him, our faces mere inches away. “You seem to know everything, where would you suggest I go?” I ask him through a tight jaw.
“Well, that all depends, did you ever mention to Cristescu the fact that I showed up at your place the night after he slaughtered my whole squad?”
I think a moment, try to clear my hazy mind, then I remember. “No. No I didn’t.”
“So he’d never make a connection between the two of us?” he continues to question me.
“No, I don’t think so,” I answer.
“That’s perfect,” he grins. “You can come stay with me until this all blows over.”
I glance at him in suspicion. “What? You want to help me now?” I ask in disbelief.
Finn smiles. “Of course I want to help you. I’m a nice guy,” a smirk, “and nice guys help damsels in distress.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know there’ll probably be a catch somewhere down the road, but I guess you’re the best bet I have right now.”
“So you agree to come stay at my place?” he asks, seemingly surprised I gave in so quickly.
I let out a heavy sigh. “Yes, even though it will most likely be my downfall.”
Finn ignores my dejection. “Good stuff,” he says, in an upbeat manner, before whipping his phone out of his pocket and dialling a number.
“Gabe, hey. Yeah everything’s fine,” Finn speaks into the phone. “I’m gonna bring her back to the house, make sure she’s off vamp territory.” A pause while he listens. “Yeah, okay, talk to you later.” Then he signs off.
“You called Gabriel?” I ask, as Finn slips the phone back into his pocket.
“He was worried about you,” Finn answers simply. “I told him I’d make sure you were kept safe. Come on,” he continues. “My car’s parked this way.” I follow him to a side street, where a nondescript black van is parked, it bears a similar personalised licence plate to the green van from before, the letters DOH in among the numbers. I feel strange and a little bit traitorous climbing into it.
Finn drives for ten minutes or so in silence, out towards a residential area past the North side of the Hawthorn River. The housing estate he turns into is in a working class area. The houses are a little worn but well-built and well preserved by their owners.
“Here we are,” he announces, as he pulls into the driveway of a red brick house with a brightly painted blue door. The lawn is slightly overgrown. He puts the car in park and we get out.
“This is your house?” I ask curiously.
“Nah, it belongs to my friend Noel, he lets me rent a room. He’s higher up in the organisation than I am, then again, he is near fifteen years my senior.”
“Oh.” I reply, monosyllabic, as Finn turns his key in the lock and an unusually large golden brown and black German Shepard comes running out from around the side of the house. Barking and yapping in joy as he spots Finn. I go still. Big dogs make me nervous.
“Hey Wolf,” says Finn, giving the dog a pat on the head and scruffing his neck. I slip into the hall and press myself up against the wall. Finn laughs.
“Don’t tell me the girl who hangs out with vampires is afraid of a pup like Wolf here,” he says mockingly.
“If you were only five foot five you’d be wary of big dogs too. Jesus, he’s almost the same height as me.”
Another laugh from Finn. “Ah, don’t worry he doesn’t bite. He might bump you in the side, but he won’t cause any lasting damage.”
My face pales. “What?”
“You really need to learn how to take a joke, love,” says Finn, shaking his head and leading me into the kitchen, Wolf sauntering on ahead of us.
“You hungry boy?” Finn asks the dog, pulling a big bag of dog biscuits out from under the sink. He pours them into a bowl by the back door and Wolf sits himself down and digs in.
“Will you have a cup of tea?” Finn asks, it takes me a second to realise he’s talking to me. I’m still staring at Wolf, wide-eyed and anxious.
“Y-yes, thank you.” I answer finally.