Texas Hold 'Em

by PATRICK KAMPMAN

  “They’re not going anywhere,” Marie said, com-pletely without enthusiasm.

  “Well, now that we know where she is, how do we get in the room? Knocking will ruin the surprise.”

  “I can take care of that,” said Megan.

  Chapter 17

  The elevator redefined “taking one’s time” as it made its way to the top of the building where the suites were located. A loud ding punctuated our crawl upwards as we passed each floor.

  As was customary, everyone faced the doors—except for Marie, who stood with her back to the doors and faced the rest of us. She was humming “The Girl From Ipanema” as she picked a rust-colored substance that I hoped was dirt out from under her nails. Unlike Megan’s perfect manicure, hers were on the short side and painted with chipped black polish.

  I spent the ride mulling over how to deal with Marie. Despite the ample time the journey provided me to ponder my options, the best I could come up with was to wait until she made a move, then stake her.

  I admit to briefly toying with the idea of preemptively killing her right then and there in the elevator. Maybe attack her from behind when she turned to exit the elevator. She was old, but I would have the element of surprise. The problem was it might not be enough. Bryan would go ballistic if I tried it, and if she lived through the first attempt, my brother would do something stupid like try to save her. I also knew that Megan would not be thrilled to have me kill a vampire for what she would consider to be no good reason.

  Besides, despite my vampire-hunter origins, I found my perspective had shifted. Now, straight-up killing a vampire—at least, one that wasn’t trying to kill me first—felt too much like murder.

  My shoulders slumped at the realization that my world was no longer the much-easier-to-deal-with black and white. I was living in shades of gray. Things were a lot less complicated when I thought like Jacob did: all monsters were bad, and you took them out as soon as you came across one.

  I glanced at Marie. Still humming, she lifted her gaze from her fingers and winked at me. I looked back down. I knew Marie was going to turn on us; the question was when. At least Kevin wouldn’t be around when the inevitable betrayal came. Jacob would never forgive me if I let his nephew get hurt on my watch.

  I couldn’t get Kevin to leave the hotel, but we compromised on having him wait safely for us back down in the restaurant. Even that had taken some negotiation. When the offer to buy him dessert failed, Marie surprised us all by telling Kevin that if he stayed put he could watch her “vamp out” after we were done. I had a feeling he would be sorely disappointed.

  A final ding rang out as the elevator lurched to a stop. I glanced at the red number to confirm we were on the right floor, then looked over the top of Marie’s head at the closed doors. A few seconds passed, and I was considering reaching for the emergency phone, when the doors finally parted with a cacophony of squeaks and groans.

  We spilled out of the elevator, got our bearings, and headed down the hall in the direction of the room numbers Kevin had given us. The hotel was a circular tower. All of the rooms faced outward, while things like the elevator, the staircase, and the vending machines were on the inside.

  We found the three rooms we were looking for. They were all in a row, with the one that had numerous charges to room service sandwiched between the other two. Megan pulled out the key card she had procured earlier.

  When Megan said she could take care of getting us in the rooms, I had wondered if she had some sort of mad lock-picking skills that I wasn’t aware of. It turned out she used vampire hypnosis to push a maid into handing over her master key. It was effective, but anticlimactic.

  I put a hand out to stop Megan. She paused and watched me lean against the door to try to feel for any supernatural auras. The room seemed clean, but with the interference I was getting from Megan and Marie, who were both leaning in close, it was hard to be sure. I was awash in the cool vibe that is vampire.

  “All I hear is the TV. Something with a laugh track,” said Marie. Thinking I was listening for sounds of people, she had placed her own ear to the door.

  Lacey filled her in. “Chance is our resident vamp detector. He doesn’t have to hear you guys. He can feel you when you get close.”

  “Really?” asked Marie, pushing away from the door to stare at me. “That’s strange. What are you?”

  “What do you mean, what am I?”

  “Well, are you some kind of psychic? A Faerie? Alien? Escaped secret government experiment?”

  “Um…noooo…just human.”

  “Huh. Can you only feel vampires, or other things as well?”

  I was going to have a talk with Lacey later on about volunteering information about me to strange women.

  “I can sense when I’m around any type of supernatural, um, person.”

  “Curious. And what do you feel is in this room?”

  “With you and Megan insisting on being so close to me, I can’t feel a thing except for you two, so there’s only one way to find out. Let’s open it up and see what’s inside. If we’re lucky, we can get in and out with my mom before anyone notices.”

  Megan and Marie looked at each other and then walked down the hallway. As their auras faded, I tried to test what I could feel. Something was there on the periphery. It felt like a vampire, but not in this room. Maybe the one to the left.

  “I think this room is clear, but at least one vamp is next door,” I said.

  Bryan interrupted. “Man, she’s probably not even here. It’s Saturday night. You know they’re out on the town, tearing it up.” I wasn’t sure if he had intended the play on words.

  In whispers, we agreed on a plan. Megan slid the key card in and out of the slot. The door made an electronic-sounding click and the three small LEDs above the card reader flashed green.

  Megan opened the door and stepped silently into the room. Less gracefully, Bryan and I followed, drawing our guns as we did. Marie had elected to wait in the hall and keep lookout, because violence “wasn’t her thing.” Lacey hung back to keep an eye on Marie, because Marie wasn’t hers.

  The expansive suite could have used a refresh, but despite its out-of- date décor, it was elegant. We walked into a large living room with a small kitchenette in one corner and a bar in the other. An open door led to what was presumably the bedroom. The ceilings were high and the outer wall, like the restaurant below, was made entirely of glass. The view across the river was spectacular.

  My mom sat on the couch watching one her favorite TV shows. She looked up in pleasant surprise as we entered. It certainly didn’t look like they had abused her; in fact, she appeared better than she had in a while. I didn’t recognize her clothes, which were new and more expensive than she could have afforded. For once, her makeup was tastefully applied, and there wasn’t even a full ashtray in front of her.

  My mom had always been attractive, but the years had been hard on her. The pace of her life—not to mention single-handedly raising two boys—had taken its toll. All that seemed to be gone now, and the beauty she’d had in her youth was apparent. I was apprehensive as I approached her, but I felt no sign of a vampiric aura. I let go of the breath I had been holding since we entered.

  “Chance! Bryan! What are you doing here?” Her smile gave way to nervous confusion. “And what are you doing with those guns?”

  Seeing no obvious threat, we quickly put them away. “Nothing. We thought you might be in trouble.”

  “Why would I be in trouble? I’m having the time of my life! Look at this place!” She waved an arm around in emphasis.

  I decided not to spoil it by reminding her of the fact that she was paying for all of it. “The room’s nice, but you kind of disappeared on us for a while there, Mom. With a guy you don’t really know.”

  “Nonsense—it hasn’t been that long. And let me tell you, I know Christian! Biblically.” She laughed at her own crude joke, then added, “every inch of him,” in case we didn’t get it. That’s my mom.

>   “I’m so glad you’re both here!” She had dropped the issue with the guns, which was odd. It was as if she were under a mild sedative. She was a little too mellow. She smiled at us and asked, “Who’s your friend?”

  “There’s no time, Mom. I’ll introduce you later. Right now we have to go.”

  “Go? Go where? We can’t go. Christian is out and won’t be back for hours. I want you two to meet him. I think you’re going to hit it off. Why don’t you sit down and introduce me to this young lady while we wait?”

  “Mom, this is Megan; Megan, this is my mom, Robin,” I said quickly, hoping we could leave as soon as the mandatory introductions were completed.

  Megan smiled and extended her hand to my mom, who got up to shake it.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Lee.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, too, honey. So where did y’all meet?” She gestured at a pair of armchairs that faced the sofa she was sitting back down on.

  “Out in California.” I remained standing.

  Bryan wandered toward the bedroom. I was happily surprised he’d thought to make sure nothing was hiding, waiting to pounce. But a few feet from the door, he veered left to the mini-bar. He pulled a beer out of the small fridge and headed back our way.

  “California? When did you go to California?” my mom asked.

  “Actually, I just got back. It was a work trip,” I explained.

  “That’s nice. I always wanted to go to California, but I never made it farther west than Vegas. I had actually intended to go out to L.A. that trip, and become a movie star.” She gave a hollow laugh and continued. “But instead I met Chance’s father, had a glorious weekend, and headed back to Texas. I don’t know what I would have done without my boys.”

  “Do we need to tell everyone about the one-night stand that brought me into being?”

  “Now, that’s not fair, Chance. It wasn’t a one-night stand, it was a four-day weekend. And what a weekend it was! I think it was the best I ever had. Don’t tell Christian that, of course.” She directed the rest to Megan. “You know how men get. They don’t want to hear that you’ve ever been with someone else, let alone had a better time with them.”

  Megan nodded and said, “I know. Chance has certainly set the bar high for anyone else.”

  Considering all the trouble I’d been for her, I somehow doubted that. Still, it was a sweet thing to say.

  “She’s a keeper, Chance. Now, Megan, sit down so we can gossip about my son.” My mom patted the sofa.

  Megan beamed, setting off alarm bells in my head. I didn’t think this was the time or the place for pumping my mom for information about me. Megan, however, clearly disagreed, as she sat down next to my mother.

  “So you’re from Texas, then?” my mom asked.

  “California.”

  “And you came all the way back here to be with Chance? Are things serious?” My mom made a show at checking Megan’s hand for a ring, as if she hadn’t the minute she saw her. She had been wanting grandkids before my brother and I were even born.

  “No ring yet, I’m afraid.”

  “Don’t worry, honey. I’m sure he’ll come around. Speaking of rings, I have one here for you, Chance. It was your father’s.” She dug around in her purse and pulled out a silk handkerchief. I took it in shock.

  “Ignore the hanky; I needed something to put it in, so Christian gave me one of his handkerchiefs. The ring inside of it was your father’s. He gave it to me on the last day we were together—to remember him by. Said it would bring me luck.”

  I opened the handkerchief and looked at the ring sitting in its center. Megan got up to peer at it as well. It was made of gold, with two intertwined bands. They had no beginning or end.

  “I never wore it, of course,” my mom continued. “It’s not my type; much too masculine. Still, it’s real gold, and the workmanship is amazing.” She leaned forward and pointed at the ring to emphasize the quality.

  “Damn, my dad never gave me a ring,” Bryan said, coming closer to check it out.

  “That’s because your father was a two-timing ass. He never had two sticks to rub together, let alone anything as nice as that ring. If he did, he would have gambled it away or spent it on booze.” She softened a bit. “And he didn’t give it to your brother, Bryan. He gave it to me. But I’ve had it sitting in a drawer for years. I had forgotten about it, to be honest with you. Found it when I was sifting through the ruins of our house.”

  “What happened to the house? Did they know what caused it?” I asked tentatively. My mom had been missing when the vampires burnt it down in the hope that I was inside. I doubted she knew Christian was the one responsible.

  “They said it was arson. Someone threw Molotovs through the windows. Probably kids. At least it was insured, for what that’s worth. But the ring survived, if you can believe it, though not much else did, I’m afraid. Oh, Bryan—I’m sorry, but your trophies all melted.” Bryan had been a good baseball player when he was younger, and his team had won a slew of little league championships.

  “That’s all right. It’s been a long time since I played ball, anyways.” Bryan took a drink and did his best to pretend losing everything but his truck and the clothes on his back didn’t matter to him.

  “Well, don’t you worry—when the insurance check shows up I’ll let you know and we can get you a little something to make up for it. I’m glad you like the ring, Chance.”

  I nodded, feeling as sad for Bryan as I felt happy for having something of my father’s. On one hand, at least my brother knew who his father was. On the other, he knew the guy was indeed a deadbeat. At least I could pretend mine was a decent guy.

  “You’ll probably have to get it sized if you want to wear it,” my mom offered, pleased by my reaction.

  “I’ll do that. Thanks, Mom,” I said, really meaning it. I took the ring out and tried it on to see. It actually fit. I crammed the handkerchief in my pocket.

  Megan took my hand and studied the ring up close. She gave me her smile of approval. “It’s Celtic. A lovers’ knot.”

  My mom nodded in affirmation. “He told me it had been in his family forever.”

  There was a brief pause.

  “So, what do you do, Megan? Are you a student?” My mom asked, changing the subject. Though we didn’t have much money, my mom had worked retail for many years and could spot decent clothing. And Megan didn’t wear anything but. I knew my mom was curious.

  “I’m a student. Majoring in Computer Science.” This was true; Megan had been a student for a long time. She was working on her fifth degree. She was one of those people who liked school, and now that she had the time, she had apparently decided to see how many degrees she could earn.

  “That’s nice. Chance here is the first one in the family to go to college. Of course, he’s majoring in P.E.,” she said with a mix of pride and exasperation.

  “We’ll work on him. Maybe we can give him a nudge over to Physical Therapy—there are some good jobs in that field,” said Megan. I kept examining the ring as my life was planned out in front of me.

  “Speaking of school….Chance, don’t your classes start Monday?” asked my mom.

  I nodded. I still had to buy books. I hoped some would still be left in stock Monday morning, because it didn’t look like I would be making it down there any sooner.

  “So, Megan, are you out here visiting, then, or were you planning on staying? UT is a nice school.” My mom had barely met Megan and was already trying to make her a permanent fixture. She was like that when she found someone she approved of.

  “Just visiting, at the moment.” Megan said it casually, but I wasn’t dumb. I knew those last three words were not meaningless. They were a question for me. How would the long-term relationship between us work? Or, more importantly as far as I was concerned, did I even want it to? I was still not entirely used to the idea of friendly vampires. Dating one was a big step.

  “Oh, that’s nice.” My mom was disappointed.
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  I’m not sure if it was my mom’s disappointment, or if I had already made an internal decision, but the next words that came out of my mouth were, “Don’t worry, she’ll cave eventually. How could she resist not transferring out here? I mean, if getting to wear burnt orange isn’t enough, there’s me. The combination is truly irresistible.”

  “Sorry, honey. Chance tends to overestimate his appeal, but UT is a good school.” My mom looked at Megan, who wore a look of playful defiance.

  “Oh, his appeal isn’t so bad. It’s deciding if all the trouble he gets into is worth it.”

  “Hey! I’m worth it.”

  “Oh, I know what you mean!” said my mom. “Chance has always had the strangest luck. Things either go incredibly bad or incredibly good with him. Mostly it evens out, but it’s always an adventure.”

  “So, Megan, you up for an adventure?” I asked her.

  Whatever Megan was about to say was lost when the door to the hotel room opened. We all turned. My heart sped up, adrenaline bursting through me as my hand went for my gun. But it was only Marie.

  She smiled her vapid smile as she entered. “Hey, everyone, Lacey wanted me to find out what’s taking you guys so long. Well, that’s not exactly how she put it; I’m paraphrasing for decency.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “Hey, Mom—this is my new girl, Marie!” said Bryan, brought out of his funk by the chance to show off his main squeeze.

  “Well, hi, Marie,” my mom said with cautious enthusiasm as she stood. Bryan’s girlfriends tended to be a mixed bag, and my mom was wise enough to expect the worst.

  Marie smiled and walked up to my mom. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Wow, are you here all alone in this big room?” The question was asked innocently enough, but I could see the concern on Marie’s normally relaxed features.

  My mom never got a chance to answer.

  Chapter 18

  A streak came from the bedroom, almost quicker than I could follow. I had just registered that it was heading for me when I was shoved out of the way. The charging vampire collided with Megan, who was now occupying the space where I had been a split second before. I’m not sure if it was intentional, or if he had simply misjudged his speed, but the momentum carried both vampires sailing through the window.