Merle was in the middle of saying, "It's over now, it'll be ok," when she opened the car door and ran out into the street without closing it behind her.

His instinct was to run after her, but he couldn't leave the car at the intersection. There were no options for him to weigh. The light changed, compelling him to lean over and close her door before continuing through the intersection.

He hated that his first thought when he got back to his dorm room was to call and check on her. But he didn't go through with it because he couldn't see that it would do any good. Instead, he had a staring contest with the banker's box. Maybe if he didn't want the money anymore, it would go away. He closed the lid and wished for an empty box. When he lifted the lid a moment later, the box was full again.

He was tempted to try repeating his spell backward, but he was afraid he might summon a demon or something worse. He was out of his depth, and Amber was the only person who knew about this world. Everything he had learned had been filtered through her, and now he couldn't trust her. She had used him from the very start. He was nothing more to her than a means to an end. But she had been so much more to him.

There was only one other person who knew his secret. He pulled out the stranger's card and studied the words.

Her name was Tiffany, and she represented an elite clientele of vampires.

Merle later told me he thought he had hit rock bottom, "Because how much lower can you sink when you have to call vampires for help?"

Something to remember when you think you're having a bad day.