Morganville (Justin Bieber)

Chapter 41

It was dark, it was Morganville, and I was seventeen years old. Not the best idea ever, going out of the house again, but I put on my darkest pair of jeans, a black shirt, and a big, gaudy cross that Eve had given me. I felt queasy at the idea of stakes. Double queasy at the idea of actually stabbing somebody with one.

I still have protection. Amelie said so. I hoped that would actually mean something. I called Detective Hess's number from the card Eve had left pinned to the board in the kitchen. He answered on the second ring, sounded tired and depressed.

"I need a ride" I said. "If you're willing. I need to talk to Amelie"

"Even I don't know how to get to Amelie" Hess said. "Best kept secret in Morganville. I'm sorry kid, but-"

"I know how to get to her" I said. "I just don't want to walk. Given...the time"

There was a second of silence, an then the sound of a pen scratching against paper. "You shouldn't be out at all" Hess said. "Besides, I don't think you're going to get anywhere. You need to find something who can back up Justin's story. That means one of his dad's biker buddies. There may be one or two running around loose, but I don't think talking sweet to them's going to get you much

"What about his dad?"

"Trust me, you're not going to find Jeremy Bieber. Not before the powers that be do, anyway. Every vampire in town is out tonight, combing the streets, looking for him. They'll find him eventually. Not a lot of places he can hide when it's an all out effort" he says.

"But...if they catch him, that's kind of a good thing. He could tell them Justin didn't do it!"

"He could" Hess agreed. "But he's crazy enough to think burning in a cage alongside his kid is going out in a blaze of glory. Some kind of victory. He might say Justin was a part of it just to punish him. We can't know"

I couldn't deny that. I swallowed hard. "So are you going to give me a ride or not?"

"You're determined to go out" Hess said. "In the dark"

"Yes. And I'll walk if I have to. I just hope I don't have to"

His sigh rattled the phone speaker. "All right. Ten minutes. Stay inside until I honk the horn"

I hung up the phone and turned, and nearly bumped into Micheal. I yelped, and he reached out and steadied me.

He looked like he had something he wanted to say, but he didn't know how to say it. And finally, he looked away. "Hess coming?"

"Yeah, ten minutes, he said"

Micheal nodded. "You're going to see Amelie?"

"Maybe. I've got exactly one shot. If that doesn't work, then..." I spread my hands. "Then I guess I talk to Oliver instead"

"If...you do see Amelie, tell her I need to talk to her" he said. "Will you do that for me?"

I blinked. "Sure. But...why?"

"Something she said to me before. Look, obviously I can't go to her. She has to come here"

That raised a little red flag in the back of my mind. "Micheal, you're not going to do anything, well, crazy, right?"

"Says the seventeen year old about to walk out the door in the dark to go see a vampire? No, Ana. I'm not going to do anything crazy" he smiled. "I hate this. I hate letting you go. I hate Justin for getting himself caught. I hate this-"

"Don't punch anything, okay?" Because he had that look again. "Take care of Eve. Don't let her go crazy, okay? Promise? If you love her, you need to take care of her. She needs you now"