Dead Is Not an Option Read Online Free PDF Page A

tell you all about it in a bit. She's a little shaken up."
    Once inside, we ran into my mom in the hallway. She had car keys in hand and was clearly on her way out. "Daisy, Chief Mendez called me and told me what happened. I'm on my way to the crime scene right now."
    She paused for a moment and gave me a long hug. "I've got to go, but we'll talk later, honey. Your sisters are here, and if you need anything, call my cell."
    "Be careful, Mom," I said.
    "You too," she said. "Don't answer the door unless you know who it is, and even then be cautious."
    I nodded, and then we went into the kitchen.
    "I'll make you some tea," Rose said.
    "You're lucky Dad's still at the library," Poppy commented. "You know he'd freak out."
    Rose shot her a dirty look. "You're not helping, Poppy."
    She stuck her tongue out at Rose. "I'll find some cookies," Poppy said to me. "Sugar's good for you. You've had a shock."
    "Isn't that for when you give blood?" Ryan asked.
    The word blood reminded me of Elise and how much of her blood had been all over.
    I sat down hard on a kitchen stool.
    "Sorry," Ryan said. "I spoke before I thought."
    "It's okay," I said.
    Rose put a steaming cup of mint tea in front of me and spooned a liberal helping of honey into it. "Drink this," she ordered. "I'll take care of the groceries."
    Poppy handed me a cookie. I was lucky to have sisters who cared so much about me.
    I took a sip of the tea, then took a deep breath and told them the whole story.
    Before I could finish, Dad came rushing in, followed closely by Rose's boyfriend, Nicholas.
    "Daisy! Thank goodness you're not hurt," Dad said.
    I was happy to see he wasn't shaking. He'd been abducted by the Scourge when I was little and had only recently come back home. Overprotective was an understatement.
    I started from the beginning again and then finished with what I'd heard Elise say. "Vamps."
    "And you're sure that's what you heard?" Nicholas asked. He was pretty intense about it, but I knew he'd tell his dad, who was the head of the Nightshade City Council.
    "I'm sure," I said. I'd gone over it in my mind about a million times since I found her.
    Poppy crossed her arms over her chest. "You must have heard wrong, Daisy," she said flatly.
    What's her problem? I sent a message to Rose telepathically, but Poppy caught on.
    "Stop that, you two," she said. "If you have something to say, then say it."
    "Okay," I said. "Why are you acting so weird about this? You're acting like I accused you of attacking Elise."
    "I just think you may be jumping to conclusions is all," she said.
    I shrugged. "Maybe, but I heard what I heard. The chief said he'll look into it. So, you can't tell anyone what I told you."
    "I'll let the council know," Nicholas said.
    "My dad said he'd give your dad a call," Ryan said. Chief Mendez and Mr. Bone worked together to keep Nightshade safe.
    Poppy still looked irate, but there was nothing I could do to appease her when she was in this mood.
    "I want you girls to be careful," Dad said.
    "We will," Rose soothed him.
    Dad changed the subject. "Who's hungry? I'll order takeout."
    The thought of food made me want to gag, but I didn't want to disappoint Dad. He always wanted to feed everyone when there was a crisis.
    "How does apology Thai food sound?" I asked Ryan.
    "Not as good as your chicken mole, but you know me, I'm always hungry," he replied. He gave it his best effort, but his smile didn't reach his eyes.
    "She'll be okay," I said softly. I wasn't sure if I was telling the truth, but I prayed Elise would pull through. Elise had helped Ryan through a difficult time, when he first learned to deal with shifting. She had really been there when Ryan needed someone who understood what being a shifter meant. Nicholas had tried to help Ryan, but two male Weres in the same room didn't necessarily equal peace and tranquility. He and Ryan got along fine now, though, which was a relief.
    "We'll find out who did this to her," I added.
    This time, his smile was a