Read Almost Midnight for Free Online Page B

joking and if you can’t take this seriously then get your vampire butt out of here, because I’m not playing around.”
    Della slumped back in her chair, knowing when to shut her mouth. She really wanted to do this assignment for the FRU. Wanted to win Burnett’s respect. Everyone needed someone to impress. And since impressing her parents wasn’t an option anymore, she’d settle for Burnett.
    Not that impressing anyone was the only reason she wanted to go. Even before she’d been turned into a vampire, she’d considered a career in criminal justice—something that allowed her to kick butt. Of course, her parents had frowned on that. They had her earmarked to be a doctor. They had her earmarked to be a lot of things.
    But not a vampire.
    Not that they knew what she was. The way Della figured it, if they went bat-shit crazy just because she’d stopping eating rice—which after being turned tasted like curdled toe jam—how the hell were they going to accept that she was a blood-drinking vampire? The answer was obvious. They wouldn’t, couldn’t accept it.
    Lucky for her, she’d been accepted into Shadow Falls—a boarding school for supernaturals—and didn’t have to worry what her parents thought about her choice of careers, or whether she ate her rice or not. And yet … now Della couldn’t help but question if they ever thought or worried about her at all. Did they sit down to eat dinner and notice her chair was empty? Did her mom ever forget and set an extra plate at the table?
    She doubted it.
    Yes, they came to the parents’ day visitations, but they were always the first to leave, and eager to do it. Especially her father, the man Della had spent her entire life trying to impress.
    A daddy’s girl, her mom used to call her.
    Not anymore.
    No doubt her sister had taken over that role.
    Turning vampire hadn’t been Della’s choice. It was one of those things life slapped on your ass and you just had to accept it. Which meant she’d had to accept that her family would never be able to accept her. Not that it really bothered her. Not anymore.
    She was so over it.
    â€œAm I making myself clear?” Burnett asked, yanking her back to reality.
    â€œOne hundred percent,” Della said, working hard to keep her attitude from spilling over.
    â€œYes, sir.” Steve nodded.
    Yup, an ass-kisser.
    â€œOkay, you got your orders?” Burnett said. “You know where to go and what your cover is? They expect you to meet them at four in the morning. Don’t be late, don’t be too early. Don’t let them lure you back to their compound. The policy, if they follow their own policy, is that three of the members will meet with you to talk. You get the information about joining, you get out.”
    â€œGot it.” Della held up the brown envelope. And you’ve gone over this ten times.
    â€œThen go get your things.” Burnett eyed Della. “And please, don’t make me regret sending you on this.”
    â€œYou won’t,” Della said.
    Della and Steve stood to leave.
    â€œSteve,” Burnett said. “Give me a few minutes.”
    Della looked from Steve to Burnett. What the hell did he need to talk with Steve about that couldn’t be said in front of her?
    Burnett shifted his gaze to Della and then cut his eyes to the door.
    Frowning, Della shot up from the chair and left. She stopped about fifty feet from the porch, holding her breath and not moving a muscle. Hoping Burnett wasn’t still listening, she tuned her own vampire hearing and waited to discover what the hell was up. The afternoon sun spilled over the trees, casting shadows on the ground as she stood frozen in one spot.
    â€œI’m trusting you to keep Della safe,” Burnett said.
    Della inwardly growled at Burnett’s chauvinistic approach and fought the need to rush back in there and give him some lip.