by C. J. Pinard
I bellowed in agony as the knife sliced through skin, muscle, and then my stomach organ. The pain was excruciating. I watched as blood leaked through my colorful Hawaiian shirt and began to pool on the sidewalk. They’d attacked me in a small, dark alley between a deli and a pharmacy so there really wasn’t anyone around. All the partygoers were cruising the main strip just a half a block away.
“Get the hell off me!” I yelled, trying to buck them off. They were the black-suited goons from Dick’s bedroom—throne room—whatever. One sat on my legs, the other right over my crotch.
Sick assholes.
The knife still embedded me, I yelled again. “Someone help me!” It was a pathetic cry, but I didn’t know what else to do. Could vampires bleed out and die? I had never lost this much blood before. The world began to swim in and out of focus, the two lackeys smiling down at me as I started to lose consciousness.
Dammit… once they brought me back to that creepy house, that would be it for me. I was gonna be Dick’s prisoner for the rest of my life. I fought to keep my eyes open as I pushed at the man’s chest who was sitting closest, trying to get him off. I feebly grabbed for the knife that was draining my life force, but was too weak.
Suddenly, I heard two loud pops, and then both men were no longer on top of me.
I felt myself being dragged out of the alley by the armpits and toward the street.
“Can you walk?”
I looked up to see a blurry version of my friend Alan who worked at the Bunny Hole with me, a smoking pistol in his fist. He yanked the knife out of my gut and tossed it away as he lay me on the ground.
I yelled at the pain. Then, nodding weakly, I said, “Yes, get me the hell outta here.”
He shoved the gun into his pants and then yanked me to my feet, wrapping my arm around his shoulder, helping me walk as I gripped my stomach. When we reached the main street, passersby gasped at my bloody show.
“Take me to my apartment. Please, Alan.”
Alan looked at me incredulously. “Shouldn’t I take you to a fuckin’ hospital, man?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m okay. I’ll explain later.”
“You don’t look okay,” he muttered under his breath.
“Did you shoot them in the head?” I asked, hopeful.
“Yes,” he replied shakily. “I… I’ve, ah, never killed anyone before. I’m gonna have to contact the police and let them know it was in self-defense. Dammit. What if they don’t believe me, Vane? You’ll vouch for me, right?”
I couldn’t exactly tell him that the goons weren’t going to die, that they were just gonna sleep for a while. So instead, I said, “Okay, yes, tomorrow. Just get me to my apartment, stay with me tonight. Please, man?”
“Of course,” he replied. “Yeah, your apartment. We’ll come up with a story there.”
Story… ugh. I just wanted to sleep. He wouldn’t need a story, but I couldn’t tell him that. I was too damn tired to care.
We went into the building and took the elevator up. My wound had closed by the time I went into the bathroom to check it, but I needed Alan to stay with me, so I showered and then put on a loose tee and pajama bottoms before crawling into bed.
“The sofa is a futon. Pull it out and sleep there.” I handed him the blanket from my bed. “Here, take that. I’ll wake you tomorrow if I wake up first.”
Alan’s brow furrowed as he stared at me with concerned brown eyes. He brushed his long hair from his face and said, “Are you sure you don’t want me to sleep on the floor in here in case you need help?”
I mustered up a painful chuckle. “No. This apartment is the size of a postage stamp. If I need you, you’ll know.”
“Okay, then.” He wandered out of the room and went to sleep on the futon.
I glanced at the bedside clock-radio: 2:42 a.m. Lucky for me I’d caught Alan as he’d been getting off after closing up the bar. What I was going to tell him in the morning was still a mystery. Also… was the guy always packing heat? Who knew. I was just grateful he’d had his piece on him tonight.
Then a thought hit me: That Everett asshole knew where I worked… but not where I lived. Not that I had any illusions that he couldn’t find out eventually. Hypnotize a cop into running a background check on me.
Guessed I was out of a job, dammit. I really liked that freakin’ job. But the more I thought about it, I realized that actually, I needed to leave Tampa altogether as soon as possible. Another wicked vampire I had to be on the run from. Why couldn’t I meet any decent ones like myself, for cripes sake?
Fuck my life.
Chapter 16
Why Me?
MyAnna
As I sat cross-legged on the bed, I stared up at the camera pointed down at me. They claimed it was there to keep me safe. To be sure I didn’t leave the apartment. Whatever. I picked up the iPad and checked the time: 2:03 p.m.
My sleep schedule was all messed up. These monsters, they slept all day and were up all night, unlike the last monsters I’d lived with before. At least they’d kept to a normal human sleeping schedule. Well, not during the full moon, but that was a whole other story.
I closed my eyes at the memory of the day they’d kidnapped me.
I’d had myself a nice job and an apartment in Jefferson Parish. I’d just broken up with my boyfriend Braden of two years but was doing okay on my own. I was waiting tables at a fancy restaurant, and when I went out back, responding to an urgent text message from my ex, I was horrified to find three scary-looking men standing there with a gun to Braden’s head.
“Get the fuck out of here,” they told him, and he took off into the night without so much as a look back, the phone still in his hand.
The smaller and younger-looking one of the three came toward me.
“What do you want?” I asked, backing up, wiping my sweaty palms on my server’s apron.
“Come here, we just want to talk,” he said. “I’m James. This is my Uncle John and cousin Terry.”
“What do you want?” I repeated.
James grabbed me around the waist and covered my mouth with his gross, meaty hand. They tossed me into a van, kicking and screaming. Once inside, they tied my hands together and stuffed a rag into my mouth. The van took off at high speed.
“Well, that was too fuckin’ easy,” Uncle John said, looking back at me and laughing.
Terry, who was driving, replied, “Stupid kid owed me money. He shoulda paid up.”
Uncle John, still leering at me, said, “Guess he thought she was worth more than his gambling debt.”
Braden had a gambling debt? He did go to the casinos sometimes. That asshole…
“She’s nice ’n pretty. She’ll make you a great wife… nice birthin’ hips for your pups, too,” Uncle John said to James.
I stared at them in horror. Wife? Pups? What the hell?
They had tied my hands in front of me, stupidly, and I used them to pull the gag out of my mouth. “Let me out of here now! I’m not marrying anyone! You kidnapped me, you assholes!”
“Shut up,” James said, slapping me across the face. He reached for the handkerchief I’d spit out of my mouth.
I started to cry at the pain on my cheek. “What did Braden owe you?” I asked, my anger ebbing and fear starting to take root in my stomach. “I have some money saved, I could pay his debt.”
“Oh, you will be paying it, little girl. Make no mistake,” Uncle John said, laughing.
I watched as James poured something from a glass bottle onto the handkerchief and then grabbed me by the hair. He shoved it over my mouth and nose. It stunk so badly, and I couldn’t breathe, that I was kicking and screaming. After a few seconds, I passed out cold.
I woke up hours later tied to a dirty bed in a big house. They fed me but left me up there alone night and day, with no way to escape.
A few days later, a group of women came into my room, untied me, forced me to take a shower, then dressed me in a hideous wedding gown. None of them told me what was going
on.
I was mortified when they forced me at knifepoint into the backyard and I saw a wedding set up. James stood in what were probably nice clothes for him at the end of the aisle.
“What is going on?” I asked the older lady, who went by Mama April.
“Just go on, now,” she drawled. “Do your wifely duty, girl.”
“What? No, I’m leaving,” I said, trying to turn to run. Of course, that got me nowhere. Mama April escorted me roughly down the aisle by my upper arm and planted me in front of James, who smiled down at me wickedly.
Shit…
A priest began to say the regular wedding words and when asked if I would pledge my love and loyalty to James, I screamed out, “No!”
The preacher stared at me, annoyed. That was when I felt something cold pressed against my temple. “The answer is yes, girl,” I heard Uncle John say before cocking the hammer on the gun.
With tears in my eyes, I nodded and said yes.
That was the first day of a months-long nightmare I was glad was over.
But had I found myself in another?
I got up and began to wander through the tiny “apartment.” One room, one small furnished living room area, one minuscule kitchen. I guessed since these monsters didn’t eat food, they had little use for one. And from what I’d gathered in my four days here, they only drank blood and other liquids like coffee and booze. I never saw any of them drinking water.
I wandered to the refrigerator and saw a case of bottled water at the bottom. I pulled one out and cracked it open. Other things, like bread, fruit, and lunchmeat were inside as well. The freezer held about ten boxes of Hot Pockets. I had eaten one a few days ago and I supposed they thought I loved them or something.
Knowing it was boredom and not hunger, I pulled one out anyway and popped it into the microwave. As I sat down to eat, I pulled out a pen and a crossword puzzle book from the kitchen drawer and kept my mind busy with the puzzle before I went insane. I knew the vampire monsters didn’t come out until after it got dark.
“Four down: One’s birthing parent. Six letters,” I said aloud, smiling. That one was easy. Mother. I filled in the letters and then frowned before tears welled in my eyes.
I missed my mom something fierce. She’d overdosed on heroin six days after my eighteenth birthday. My stomach roiled at the memory of finding her dead on her bedroom floor, the burnt spoon and liquid just inches away from her fingers, the needle still lodged into her arm.
I pushed the Hot Pocket away from me, no longer hungry.
I wanted to hate her. I wanted to think she was just a selfish bitch who cared nothing about herself or her kids. I’d been the youngest of four and was already eighteen at the time. My dad had been killed in a car accident the year before, but why did she need the drugs to cope? Addiction wasn’t something I’d ever wrap my brain around, but it was a real thing and just because I didn’t understand it didn’t mean it wasn’t a struggle for those knee-deep in it. All I knew was that it destroyed lives—including mine and those of my siblings.
Shaking my head as if that would free the memory from it, I continued my crossword puzzle. A little while later, I heard the outside latch to my door unlock and I stood up, leery of who might walk through the door. That Viper guy had told all the other monsters to leave me alone, but who knew if they would actually listen to him. I wished I had a lock on the inside.
Viper strolled through the door, looking frightening in a black tee, black jeans that had some kind of chains on them, and his rough black boots. He wore that vest with his name patch on it over the T-shirt. I let my gaze wander to his arms. The muscles were straining against the fabric so much it looked like the sleeves might rip. His blondish hair was always combed to the side, but it looked soft somehow, like I wanted to run my fingers through it.
A chuckle broke me out of my assessment. “Like what you see?”
My cheeks heated something fierce—a trait I always hated. I was so pale that anytime I was embarrassed, my face would turn beet-red, and I could never hide my feelings.
Instead, I lifted my chin and folded my arms over my chest. “No.”
He continued to grin at me. “Okay. Well, I brought you some clothes. If you don’t like them, take it up with Jewel. She picked them out.” He tossed a yellow bag onto the sofa, then he turned to walk out.
“Wait,” I said.
He turned around, eyebrow lifted. “What?”
“Um, thank you for the clothes.”
He grunted, “You’re welcome.” Then turned to leave again.
“Also,” I said quickly to keep him from leaving, “can I leave the apartment? I’m bored.”
He regarded me carefully before pointing at the crossword puzzle. “But you have a drawer full of those. Plus the TV and the iPad.”
I nodded. “I know, but I’ve never been much of a TV watcher, and the iPad only allows me to get on YouTube and news sites. It took me a whole day to figure out how to use it anyhow.”
I watched curiously as a small smile lifted his lips and I wondered why he found that funny.
“A girl after my own heart.” He chuckled.
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
“I fuckin’ hate technology. I thought you young people loved that shit.”
Now, I was confused because he looked maybe thirty. “Young people? Like you?”
He paused as if he was hesitating on telling me something.
“What?” I asked. “You can tell me anything.”
Why did I say that? I didn’t care about this monster or his friends. I just wanted to get out of here. I couldn’t go back and live with the wolf monsters—nor did I want to—but I had a couple of friends I could crash with. Or my cousin Jenna. She would let me occupy her couch until I could find a job and an apartment. My attempts at getting on social media or my email to get ahold of her had been futile on the iPad since it was firewalled or whatever.
“I’m much older than I look.” He stared at me so long I had to resist squirming under his gaze. Then, he finally said, “Yes, you can come out of the apartment, but you’re not to leave the clubhouse or the Cobalt Room.”
I glanced at the microwave clock to see it was after 5 p.m. Guessed I had gotten lost in the crosswords after all. I squealed and ran over to Viper. I wrapped my arms around his middle and said, “Thank you.”
He stiffened against me and then gently pried me off him. “You shouldn’t hug vampires. Or any strangers, girl.”
With that, he left the room and I scowled at his retreating figure. Rude asshole.
I lifted my glass and clinked it with Jewel’s. “Fuck men!” she said. We both laughed before downing the burning liquid.
“Ooh wee!” I said on a gasp. “That’s some strong stuff. I haven’t drank in… I don’t even know how long.”
“It doesn’t do shit for me anymore,” Jewel commented. “Old habits die hard, though.”
I wiped my mouth with my thumb and indicated for her to pour me another. This was fun. The wolf monsters never let me have anything fun. No alcohol, no weed, not even pain medication. Assholes.
I downed the shot with another gasp and then asked, “So, how long have you been a vampire monster?”
She made a face and I immediately wondered if I’d offended her.
I bit my lip. “I’m… sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. I was just curious, because—”
She laid a cold hand on my forearm and said, “No, it’s okay. But just vampire or vamp is fine. We know we’re monsters, no need to remind us.” She smiled sadly at me.
Yikes. So I had offended her. Oops. I looked down at her blinged-out hand on my arm and said, “Sorry about that.”
Feeling a little woozy from the liquor, I looked around the bar. There were no patrons in yet but a glance at the clock on the wall told me they’d be opening in half an hour. After only four days here I knew they opened up at 8 p.m.
I had no intention of leaving, though. I spied a dartboard on the wall and had
plans to spend the rest of the night hustling someone in darts because I was very good at the game. Leaving the shot glass on the bar, I wandered over to the dartboard and realized I needed some cash or a credit card to put into the machine to retrieve the darts. I huffed in frustration and turned around to storm over to Jewel to beg for a couple bucks when I crashed into a tall wall of muscle.
He gripped my upper arms. “Where’s the fire, shortstop?”
I looked up into Viper’s infuriatingly handsome face and those hazel eyes that seemed to change color depending on his mood. Yes, I’d paid way too much attention to those frickin’ eyes. I narrowed mine at him. “Shortstop?”
He chuckled and said, “Well, you’re short, and I like baseball. So there’s that.”
I lifted my chin. “I am not that short.”
“What are you, five feet tall?” He smirked at me and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to slap it off his face or kiss those nice lips of his. They’d be cold, so forget that.
“I’m five-foot-one. And a half. Just so you know,” I snapped.
He chuckled again. “Good to know, shortstop. Now, answer the question.”
“What question?”
“Where are you headed in such a hurry?” He cocked his head to the side.
“I…” Hesitating, I stared up at him. If I told him I wanted money for darts, he’d either give it to me, and I’d owe him, or he’d tell me I couldn’t play and had to go back to that prison cell he called an apartment.
Clearing my throat, I said, “Nowhere. Just back to the bar for another shot.”
Viper made a tsking noise with his tongue. “No more booze for you.”
I stomped my foot. “Excuse me, but last time I checked, I was a grown-ass twenty-seven-year-old woman, and I can drink as much as I damn well pleased.”
He let go of my arms and crossed his across his chest. “Is that so? Are you paying for those shots?”
I laughed. Is this guy for real? “Seriously? You keep me captive and now I have to pay for drinks? Screw you, dude.” I skirted around him toward the bar. Jewel would have my back. Right?
