‘Down, boy. I’m not your enemy. Claire called me to help.’ Jesse flashed a brief, biting smile at me. ‘After she asked me if I had gone munchies on her friend, of course. But that’s a sensible and sane question, for someone who’s lived where you’ve lived. I would have asked it, too, in your shoes. Relax.’ She moved her fingers on his phone’s keypad, lightning fast, and then handed it back. ‘I’ve forwarded the pictures on to a friend who can do the footwork. Quick thinking, getting the shot. And not rushing in. You’d have ended up taken just like Derrick, I think. No offence, but it’s likely these are men trained in quick, quiet abduction. It’s not like fighting vampires.’

‘Nothing here is like fighting vampires,’ I said. ‘It’s more like fighting smoke. I think I like it when I had an actual enemy to face.’

‘Oh, don’t worry, you have some. We just haven’t seen them yet,’ Jesse said. ‘But we will. And when we do …’ She showed fang, just for a moment; anybody who happened to catch a glimpse would have doubted their sanity, especially since the teeth disappeared in a flash. ‘When we do, we’ll settle this Morganville style.’

‘What’ll we do about Liz, and Derrick?’ Claire asked. ‘They don’t have anything to do with this, if it’s about me and Professor Anderson and vampires. They’re just caught in the middle.’

‘You know what generally happens to people in the middle, Claire?’ Jesse asked, as she got to her feet. ‘Crossfire.’ She speared me with a long look, and I threw it right back at her. ‘Shane, get her someplace safe. I’m holding you responsible. I have your phone number now, and I’ll be in touch when I have something. Until then, lay low.’

‘What about the police?’ Claire asked. ‘Shouldn’t I call them?’

‘Call them if you like,’ Jesse said, ‘but when you do, they’re going to ask you to explain why you dumped a fresh pizza on the floor inside the house, found blood in your housemate’s room, and didn’t call 911 immediately. They’ll match the store receipt to your route and the time you were seen entering the house. And the first person they’ll detain is you. You had the keys. There was no forced entry. And in the police’s experience, generally the person who lives in the house is the first person to suspect.’

It was all pretty damn logical. Brutally logical. Claire swallowed hard and nodded. ‘No police then.’

‘Smart girl.’