by Jen Pretty
“Sure, I’ll just sit here,” I said, stepping into one of the tiny pews and sitting down. The floor at my feet was new, not worn like in Father John’s church. In fact, the whole floor was shiny and new looking. The walls were painted white, and the windows had stained glass guitars in them instead of the Virgin Mary and Christ on the cross.
I waited while Father Elvis blessed the union of the happy couple. Then he sang a song and the couple left.
I walked up to the pulpit and knelt down.
“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been a week since my last confession. I lied to my boss, yelled at him, and scared the plumber. I also hissed at some people in the sauna, but one of them had a terrible laugh, so I don’t think that was a sin. Jesus would have told her to go away, too.”
“A little less fight and a little more spark. Close your mouth and open your heart,” he said in a bit of a melody. It didn’t make much sense, but sometimes Father John spoke in riddles too.
“Thank you, Father Elvis. I’m also having trouble with my boss. He keeps asking questions and provoking me. It's like he wants me to go crazy.”
“When things go wrong, don’t go with ‘em.”
“Yeah, all right. Uhm do you want me to say some Our Fathers and stuff?” I asked. I was more confused than when I had walked in.
“Sure, whatever you like,” he said.
“Thank you.”
I didn’t feel lighter. If anything, I was heavier, the weight of eternity pressing down on me. I walked out to wander the city like I used to do before nightclubs made hunting so easy.
—
By the 1920s prohibition was in full swing, but that didn’t stop the people from drinking nor did it stop me from dining on the drunks. Back then I was a bit dramatic.
I stalked my prey down the streets of Chicago. My feet were light on the sidewalk. The man wore a heavy wool coat. It was almost Christmas, and I was cold. He weaved through the crowds of shoppers, dashing in and out of the shops. Their parcels, wrapped in glittery paper and trailing ribbons, overflowed their bags. The country was bountiful and people were living well for that blink of time between the end of World War I and the Great Depression. A great time to be American. The man I stalked wore a finely-made, shiny top hat, displaying his wealth.
I watched him earlier in the speakeasy, laughing and joking with his friends as they drank. He spoke confidently and laughed in a self-assured way. I craved him. My teeth longed for his neck, but I needed to get him alone -- to single him out and keep him for myself. I hunted him like a lioness on the plains of Africa, moving in as close as I dared.
As he turned a corner, I hurried to catch up, dashing around the corner, and bumped right into him.
“Well, hello there,” he said, his voice like silk. It floated on the night air.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I dropped my chin so he wouldn’t see my teeth. Before vampires came out to the humans, we still hid our teeth.
“It's a pleasure bumping into you, I assure you, but why are you following me?” he asked.
He put his finger under my chin, lifting my face into the streetlight for his inspection.
“You are exquisite. Would you like to come home with me?” he asked. He was drunk, so I agreed. Drunk men were easy targets, and they always passed out after I had finished.
He slid my arm under his and led me down the cold streets to his house. It was a narrow two-story house tucked up between two others. The row of identical brick-faced houses lined the street. He led me inside and stoked the fire, making the room deliciously warm. I lounged on the chaise until he returned.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked.
I nodded, and he smiled. There was a small counter in the far end of the room with decanters and glasses. His casual disregard of the law just made me long for him all the more. He returned with two glasses and we toasted.
“So, tell me about yourself,” he said, sitting down beside me and resting his arm around the back of the couch. He was easy to talk to. We spoke of many things that night; from favourite drink to politics. Of course, I lied and told him gin was my favourite drink. I enjoyed speaking to him and sitting in front of the fire.
“Do you want to bite me?” he asked, shocking me out of the quiet that had fallen on us.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You are a vampire, right? That’s why you followed me. I was bitten a few years ago, though I don't remember much of it. If you want to bite me, you can.” He moved closer, his cocky smile rather endearing.
I took him up on his offer and he was as delicious as I had imagined. I stayed with him that night and the next. Another month passed and soon it was spring. I had bitten Edward several times, holed up in his row house. We spent most nights wrapped in blankets together in front of the fire.
“I have to leave soon,” I told him one sunny day. The tulips had flowered, and my family was moving south. Staying indoors all winter had almost driven me mad.
“You can’t. Please, Nia. You can stay here for the summer. Don’t leave!” He wrapped his arms around me and sobbed like a child.
I had broken him.
The following day I left while he was out at the market. He was handsome and wonderful but humans couldn't handle being bitten more than once. I had sinned and the handsome man I once pined for had become a shadow of himself.
Later, I read in a news article that he had jumped from the top of the Home Insurance Building to his death.
—
I walked down the Strip to the nightclub Vein. The music was pounding, and the line was long. I walked up to the bouncer and he moved the rope that blocked the humans from entering and then held the door for me. I winked at him and walked through.
Ordering two drinks at the bar, I downed the first one fast, letting the pure alcohol burn through my throat and down to my stomach. I drank the second one even faster, giving myself a light buzz. Then I lost myself on the dance floor. Bodies and limbs moved and shook like an earthquake. The lights flashed in different colours making my eyes struggle to see, but I didn’t need to see. The music was so loud, it felt like my heart was beating in my chest and I felt alive. I let my mind shut off. I didn’t care about vampires or humans or old ladies who had done more living in one life than I would ever accomplish in a millennia. Hands caressed my body and the scent of pine and vodka reached my nose. I fell into the moment, turning and twisting with the collective dance.
Eyes tracked me; gaging, hunting eyes. And when I looked in the direction of the intent stare, I found Matthew. I left my eyes locked on his and moved against the body behind me. Matthew’s eyes traced my features and then followed my body down to my feet. Goosebumps rose on my flesh. He was hunting and didn't try to hide it.
His eyes would dart from me to a blonde. Her hair traced the top of her ass and her skirt barely covered it. I moved across the dance floor to be near her. When I danced beside her, she smiled at me. Her features were delicate, like a flower in perfect bloom. Her skin was so pale, we could be twins and when I put my arm around her thin waist, she moved her body with mine in perfect harmony.
I watched over her shoulder, Matthew's eyes burned with fire and desire. I had his prize in my grasp. He had been stalking her, but she was in my arms. I held his eyes as I flashed my fangs at her and she tipped her head.
Time stopped.
I held Matthew’s eyes as I licked her lavender scented neck.
Goosebumps rose on her hot flesh.
Matthew licked his lips.
I slid my fangs through her milky skin and into the vein pumping her life through her body. The rush of salty tang slid down my throat and I closed my eyes as it warmed my mouth. When my eyes opened again, Matthew stood before me, his prize sandwiched between us. His Adam's apple bobbed in jealousy. Mine bobbed a swallow of the nectar from his victim. I drank my fill, his eyes intent on mine like he could know how she tasted by watching me. I closed the wound and let her go.
Matth
ew pulled me to his arms and roughly sealed his mouth on mine. Like a man dying of thirst, his tongue scrapped the inside of my mouth but the meal was beyond his reach. It filled my veins now. It pumped to the wakened will of my heart.
He released me and spun, leaving the dance floor as the music came back to my ears and the rest of the room came back to my awareness.
I danced, embracing the beat of the music as it tried to compete with the pounding in my chest. But it was just a momentary lapse. An escape from the eternal stillness.
When my heart finally stopped beating, I walked back to the casino alone.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I had intended to go to my suite and watch soaps, but the casino lights caught my eye and I followed my feet to a poker table. One particularly slow night, I had watched the table and figured out the rules of the game.
I slid a crisp twenty-dollar bill out of my purse and handed it to the woman working the table. She pushed back a stack of chips.
“Ante,” she said.
The others at the table tossed a chip in the middle so I followed suit.
She then dealt out the cards and each of us peeked at our own while she set out three more cards in the center of the table, face down.
A few of the other players tossed in coins so I did as well.
As the dealer revealed the cards, I found I didn’t have any type of hand and planned to fold, but instead I couldn’t stop myself from calling. As the last card was turned over, I pushed all my chips into the center. My hands, working against my better sense.
The only man still playing tossed his cards in the middle and the dealer pushed all the coins towards me.
Interesting.
I continued to play several more hands, some I folded and others I called, but I invariably made more and more money. That is until Thor appeared at my elbow. I looked up into his dark eyes.
“The boss would like to see you.”
“No doubt,” I muttered. I left my chips on the table since I didn't need the money. I had been paid for my work and it was more than I needed for alcohol.
Thor led me through the back hallways to Matthew’s door.
As he raised his hand to knock, I pushed past him and opened the door. Matthew was expecting me, after all.
I walked in and slumped down in the chair across from Matthew, then kicked my booted feet up onto a stack of folders sitting on the corner of his desk. He ignored me, staring down at papers, his pen tapping on the desk surface. I waited, examining my fingernails.
After several moments he stopped his incessant pen tapping and lifted his head. “Why are you playing poker in my casino?”
“I couldn't find any more tall blondes to drink,” I replied, still examining my fingernails.
His pen snapped in two. I wasn’t sure if he was angry or excited at the reminder of my thievery. Either emotion was fine with me.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered.
“Done what?” I looked up at his face and licked my lips slowly. His eyes tracked the movement and his eyelids lowered a fraction of an inch. I smiled, and he dropped his eyes back down to the papers on his desk.
He cleared his throat and said “You can’t gamble in my casino. You work here. It’s part of the rules if you remember.”
I didn’t listen to his rules, so I didn’t know that, but there were hundreds of casinos in Las Vegas so it wasn’t a big deal.
“Ok,” I replied.
“Ok?”
“That means I accept your words and will abide by your rule,” I rolled my eyes.
“Ok,” he replied.
I stood to leave.
“Wait.”
“What?” I said when he didn’t speak.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, picking up and straightening the papers on his desk like that was what he had meant to say all along.
“Sure.” I walked out the door and through the tunnels to the lobby, then took the elevator up to my suite. I changed and collapsed on the king size bed, pulling the heavy blankets over top of me. I wasn’t cold, but the comfort of the cocoon held me together as I drifted off to sleep.
When I woke, rain was hitting the window. A flash of lightning that illuminated the room followed a rumble of thunder. I imagined the power it would take to shake the sky like that. A million running horses, or stomping sumo wrestlers.
I threw back the covers and got ready for my shift in the casino. My hair tied up in a bun and clad in my uniform, I walked down to the lobby.
Ben was standing there. He looked up when I got off the elevator and then held my eye and walked into the coffee shop. I only had five minutes, but I followed his obvious summons.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he sat down in a booth in the back corner.
He opened his laptop and his fingers flew over the keyboard, then turned the screen in my direction.
It read “I’m in trouble.”
“What did you do?” I asked, clicking through to my program to make sure he hadn’t messed it up. It seemed to be fine. When I looked back up at him, he had tears rimming his eyes and his lip quivered.
I turned the laptop back to him. He just sat there.
“Type,” I commanded.
He jumped at my harsh tone and the tapping of keys filled the silence. He typed for a long time before he turned the laptop back.
The new words read, “I owe a lot of money to a man who will kill me if I don’t pay him back. I borrowed money for my mother’s hospital bills but she died and now I have nothing and the man keeps charging more and more interest.”
“How much is a lot?” I asked him.
He typed. “500,000”
His tall lanky frame had crumpled into a ball like he wanted to disappear. This loan shark shouldn’t have done business with a kid, even one with a sad story.
“All right, I have to go to work, but after my shift, I’ll meet you here.” Then I turned and went to work.
Carson led me to a table near the back.
“Why am I all the way back here today?” I asked
“Boss’ orders,” Carson mumbled.
I laughed. Punishment for stealing his prize? I looked up at the camera in the ceiling and licked my lips, betting the man himself was watching. Then settled in for a night of doing nothing.
Near the end of my shift, a vampire walked in who didn’t particularly look like he was there for a night of fun and relaxation. My neck prickled when his eyes locked on mine and he turned and walked to my table like he had been searching for me.
The man put a chip down and I dealt for him. When he lost, I saw him slide a note between the cards as he pushed them forward, then he stood up and left the casino. I raked them in and slipped the note into my pocket.
Thor showed up at my shoulder. I smiled at him but his stern face didn’t change. He just watched me. My table was quiet for the rest of my shift and when it was over I walked out of the casino and up to my suite.
I locked the door behind me and took out the note.
It read: We have the kid. Bring 1 million dollars. Be in front of 44 Low Street in 24 hours. If you’re late, the kid dies.
I wondered if they had his laptop. His IP was logged in my cloud server. A safeguard in case he took off with my software. I just needed a computer to track him down.
Operation Recover Ben’s Laptop was a go.
I walked down to the lobby and out onto the casino floor. Then weaved through the tinkling slot machines and card tables until I found Thor.
“Can you ask Matthew to meet me in the coffee shop?” I asked him.
Thor put a finger to his earpiece and spoke in a hushed tone. His eyes got a faraway look for a second and then refocused on me. He nodded and then turned back to his surveying of the casino floor.
Step one complete.
I hustled into the boutique and stood behind a mannequin with a clear view of the hall. There, I waited for Matthew. I wouldn’t have much time once he walked by.
“Can I help you?” Deb asked timidly.
“Shh,” I replied, and she backed up a few steps. She would blow my cover. I hissed at her and she ran away. I stifled my laugh and reminded myself this was serious.
When Matthew walked by, heading for the coffee shop, I zipped out behind him and across the lobby to the door that led to the back hallways.
I had memorized the route to his office and ran the whole way, my feet slapping hard on the cement floor to gain time. I slipped through his office door and immediately walked to his desk. His computer was on and the video feed was of the casino floor.
Matthew was talking to Thor. Hopefully, that kept him busy. I minimized the program and logged into my cloud, grabbed the IP for Ben’s laptop and logged into the dark web.
I posted a request to track and got a reply a few seconds later from someone who went by the name Stonewall. The bid was higher than the money in my bank account. I counter bid the exact dollar amount I had earned since I started here. He accepted, so I transferred the money and gave him the IP.
I tapped my fingers waiting for the results. Popping back up the window with the video feed, I saw Matthew had left. I hit the arrow keys to move from camera to camera but didn’t see him anywhere. Finally, the computer pinged, and I switched back to the dark web.
Bingo.
I wrote down the address on a piece of paper, stood up and tucked it in my pocket, then logged off the dark web. Just as the office door opened and Matthew walked in, the computer screen went black. He stopped in his tracks and looked at me. I froze like a deer in headlights for a half a second and then did the only thing I could think. I undid the top button on my shirt. His eyes flashed down to my hands. I pulled my hair around to one shoulder, bearing my neck. He took a step closer, shutting the door behind him.
I turned on my super seductress and swaggered across the room to him.
“What are you doing?” he asked. His throat bobbed harshly.
I was already walking down the road, I wouldn't back out now. I stepped right up to him, so the coolness of his body mingled with mine. My neck was right in front of him, but he kept his eyes trained on mine.
