“Works for me.”
“Bastard,” I said. “All of this for a lousy grand.”
“You aren’t taking the kids money.”
“Why the hell not?”
He just looked at me. I didn’t say anything else. He didn’t need to know I’d already taken some of it. I’d just keep that part to myself.
I turned and checked my surroundings. My clothes weren’t exactly clean, but they were good enough for a dark Vampire bar. I shrugged into a shoulder rig and loaded the 220 with the silver packed hollow points. I pulled my Mossberg out of the closest and slapped two shells into the box mag. I worked the bolt, chambering a shell, and dropped the mag back out. I put in another shell and slapped it back in.
Ankle sheath with the silver-coated SOG went on my right leg, and I finished it off with my silver painted vest, trench coat, and the spray bottle full of silver nitrate water tucked into my fanny pack. I looked like I a Matrix cosplayer, but bars are dark, especially ones where Vampires hang out. I would look fine in the dimly lit room.
Carl came back with his leather jacket on. He looked trendy but was underdressed in terms of equipment. I gave him the P64 and a coffee filter I’d dumped silver nitrate powder into and rubber banded tightly so it would break when thrown at something. He looked at it and his eyebrows raised in confusion.
“Is this a coffee filter?”
“It’s filled with silver nitrate powder. You see a Vampire, hit them with that and they’ll go down.”
“Were you watching Home Alone when you made these?”
“Shut up and put it in your pocket. We see any Vampires that thing will be more useful than the gun. Also, don’t shoot me in the back.”
“That was an accident!”
Sure. Accident.
18
Carl drove. He wanted to park his truck in the lot, but I insisted on a spot just down the street that would let us bolt quickly down side streets if we needed to. I wanted him to stay with the truck, but he didn’t feel like playing wheel man.
Hopping out into the cold, I had to be careful not to slip on a patch of ice on the side walk. I shrugged into my coat, feeling the comforting weight of the Mossberg and the 220 tucked under my arm. We walked up the dimly lit street. I kept my eyes open, scanning. There were only two lights in the parking lot and both of them were out. They looked like they’d been shattered with rocks. The place was engulfed in shadows and perfect for snatching unsuspecting victims. I could hear the muffled sound of music from inside. I hated loud bars.
The only people outside were the bouncer, and a handful of people huddled together smoking. I saw at least one asshole vaping. I hate vaping. It’s smoking for people with commitment issues.
Carl and I walked up the front door and handed our ID’s to the bouncer. He gave them the cursory once-over, waving a blacklight at them and then let us in with a nod. We walked into a sea of people. The music assaulted us as soon as the door opened, and the wall of liquor behind the bar was back lit and the each of the bottles glowed with ethereal light. My mouth watered a little bit and my brain itched. Carl put his hand on my shoulder.
“You gonna be alright?”
I looked back at him, trying to look as annoyed as possible. “I’m fine,” I said. “Let’s post up and try and find her.”
I’d shown Carl the picture of Veronica that Charlie had given me. Two sets of eyes should be able to find her in the crowd.
“Sounds good. I’ll go to the bar. You find a table.”
We’d talked about this on the drive over. If you want to blend in at a bar, you need to have a drink in your hand. I would have preferred to go to the bar myself, but he was probably doing me a favor. I spotted a table with two empty stools. I grabbed them both and sat down while Carl fought his way to the bar.
I scanned the room. I didn’t see Veronica or Cat. Of course, there were too many damn people in the way to know for sure. I thought about calling the fire marshall to shake the place down. I kept getting jostled and bumped into.
Someone spoke in my ear. “Hey there.”
I turned to my left. A redhead who looked to be in her late twenties had sat down next to me. She was wearing faux leather pants that caught the ambient light, a black tank top and her hair was done up in a high pony tail. She had a bit of a sexy cat burglar thing going on, but the only thing I could think was that she was going to be cold as shit without a coat when she left. I blame Carl for that thought. I should have been ogling the woman, not worried about her catching a cold.
“You look lonely.” She said.
“Not anymore.”
She laughed. She set her drink on the table, spilling some as she did. The dark beer smelled like malt and vinegar. I got a hint of coffee in it as well.
“Oh dear.” She said.
I had a flash of anger at the thought of her wasting alcohol. I thought about licking the table.
“What’s your name?” She asked, leaning in to hear me.
“Deckland,” I said.
She held out a hand. “I’m Rachel.”
“Pleasure,” I said, shaking her hand.
I pulled back a bit, but she kept talking. I tried to scan the room, looking for Veronica. The sooner I could get out of here, the sooner I could go home to a cold shower and some peace and quiet.
“You from around here, or are you just visiting?”
I looked for Carl. I couldn’t see the righteous bastard anywhere. I usually let him do all the talking when we went places. He enjoyed talking to people. I enjoyed being left the hell alone.
“Little bit of both.”
“Interesting.” She sipped at her beer. “You don’t have a drink?”
“Trust me; I’m not happy about it either,” I said, looking for Carl.
“Are you waiting for someone?”
I nodded.
“Girlfriend?”
“Roommate,” I said. “Though sometimes I don’t know if he thinks there’s much of a difference between the two.”
“Oh.” She said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
I raised an eyebrow, confused. Carl chose that moment to show up. He slid a glass in front of me. He looked from me to Rachel and smiled. I wanted to strangle him. Moving to set his drink down he bent toward Rachel and introduced himself.
I snatched up my own glass and held it to my nose. I sniffed. Nothing but the smell of crisp carbonation. Club soda. I bit back every curse that tried to fight its way out of my mouth and took a drink. It was bubbly and burned on the way down. It wasn’t the burn that I needed at that moment, but it was better than nothing.
I heard Rachel giggle. I turned long enough to see Carl smiling and looking back at me.
“Gonna take a dump!” I shouted. “Might be a bit. I’ve been brewing a real monster for a few hours now!”
There was a small satisfaction in the shock value as Rachel’s smile turned to a weird mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
I got up and walked back toward the front door. The bathrooms were one-seaters, and they were both locked when I tried the handles. I didn’t really need to go, but I wanted to splash some water on my face. I walked a couple of steps to the side and leaned against the wall. I looked around, trying to get a bead on Veronica. I tensed as I saw a bouncer put a guy in an armbar and walked him out the front door, shouting at the guy the whole way. I felt cold air push into the room when the door opened. I watched them go out and nearly fell over.
Veronica Owens walked in, followed by Cat and another brunette. I watched them walk by, stunned. Veronica saw me and smiled quickly before looking away. I got a whiff of cigarette smoke as they walked past. Carl and I must have walked right by them when we came in.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered.
Veronica and the other women walked through the crowd smoothly, heading straight for a door to the left the bar. They all walked through it and disappeared as it closed.
I walked back to the table where Carl was still talking with Rachel.
When I walked up, she seemed surprised I came back, but she also didn’t look remotely interested anymore. Good for her.
I leaned in to talk to Carl. “Our girl just came and went through the back door.”
“She’s here?” He asked. The song ended right when he did, causing it to ring out awkwardly.
“Who’s here?” Rachel asked.
“Just some hottie we’ve been stalking online,” I said. “I’m gonna go bag that one. You coming or you settling for this one?”
“Excuse me!”
I thought about giving her the finger as I walked away, but held back. I didn’t need another talking to from Carl. I moved to the patio door and looked back. Carl was still at the table, getting an ear full. He had his apologetic face on. The guy needed to learn when to run.
I touched the handle of the Mossberg, feeling the comforting weight of it as I got to the door leading outside. I took a deep breath to settle my nerves and pushed against the door. The noise level dropped off immediately. It was deceptively quiet as I walked out into the cold night air. A big guy in all black moved to block me.
“Private party.” He said, holding up a meaty hand.
I’m reasonably tall, but this guy had me by five inches and at least a hundred pounds. I looked up into his eyes. They were crystal blue, so pale they were almost white. They were the eyes of a dead man. I felt a small shiver run through me. The big guy was a Vampire, and he was talking to me instead of trying to eat me. That meant he’d drank Hellion blood, recently. Despite that, he was playing bodyguard instead of banging a whole horde of Vampire hotties. That wasn’t good.
“Sorry,” I said, trying to look around him. “I was looking for the can.”
I could see Veronica and Cat sitting with the other girl they’d come in with on the far side of the patio. They were in a group of people, and at the center of the group sat a man dressed in black slacks, black vest, and a crisp white shirt. His tie was a black on black paisley and adorned with a silver clip. The sleeves were rolled up to display a series of tattooed Celtic knots running up and down his forearms. I even saw the chain for what I assumed was a pocket watch draping out of one of the pockets on his vest. It was the Vampire that I’d seen at the rift, Maccus. The Feds had been right about this being his hang out.
“Inside, by the front door.” He said.
I looked back at him, almost forgetting what I’d said to him.
“Oh cool. Thanks.”
I turned to walk back inside, and the big Vampire followed, closing the door behind me.
Rachel had apparently said her fill because Carl was sitting at the table with a brunette now. If the guy wasn’t so damn pious, he could really clean house. I walked up and leaned toward the table, between the two of them.
I looked over my shoulder at the girl. “Scram.”
“Excuse me?” She said.
Carl gave me a look. I held my ground.
“Jerk.”
I didn’t hear her leave, but I felt the closeness of her disappear.
“What was that about?” Carl asked.
“Our girl’s outside. She’s not alone though. At least two Vampires out there with her. Both of them Awakened.”
“What do we do?”
I looked around. People were mingling all around us. The place was packed. Anything that happened inside would end up with someone getting hurt or killed.
“We could wait for them to come back inside, but if anything goes down, someone is going to get hurt.”
“That’s not an option.”
“I didn’t say it was.”
“Just making sure,” Carl said.
I picked up my club soda and drank. The carbonation was already starting to weaken. “We either need to wait for them to leave or go out back and start something.”
“You want to wait for them?”
I nodded. “We can set up an ambush. Do it on our terms. Out there, they control the area. They know the layout. I don’t even know if I saw everyone who was out there.”
“So we wait?” Carl asked.
“If I hadn’t brought you along, yup.”
“What do you mean?” He asked.
I shook my head, looking around the room. “We know there are Vampires out there. If Veronica hasn’t been turned or eaten, she’s in danger every second she’s out there. Not to mention that anyone could wander out there, or be taken out there. That patio is covered, and you can’t see in it. No one in here would ever hear anyone scream.”
“So we go out there?”
“Unfortunately.” I rolled the glass in my hand and knocked back a very unsatisfying chunk of ice.
“What do you need from me?” Carl asked, ignoring the fact I’d said if he weren't there I’d leave them all out there to get eaten.
“Have my back. Stay by the door and be ready to move if we need to.” I put the glass down. “I’ll handle the heavy lifting.”
I started walking back to the door. Carl fell into line behind me. I moved casually, feeling my stomach start to go weightless. Adrenaline was dumping into my system with every step. I swallowed my nerves, calming myself. I felt my hands steady. The familiar feeling coursed through my body, the feeling that came when I was about to get my violence on.
I pushed past a couple of coeds and stopped at the door. I turned back to Carl. His jaw was set. He looked nervous, but he was trying not to show it. He caught my eye and nodded. He was out of his league, and I hated bringing him with me, but like it or not, it felt good to have someone watching my back.
I reached inside my coat and gripped the handle of the Mossberg. I took a deep breath and pushed against the crash bar. The door opened, and I walked through. The big Vampire looked at me, his eyes a mixture of displeasure and confusion.
“Where did you say the bathroom was again?” I asked. “I walked over there, but only saw the front door.”
I turned, pointing back into the room. The Vampire’s eyes followed my outstretched hand. He wasn’t watching as I stuffed the barrel of the Mossberg into his stomach and pulled the trigger. The gun bucked in my hand, and the big Vampire screamed, clutching at his stomach as he staggered back.
Carl moved quickly. He pushed out of the door and shut it. I worked the bolt and chambered another shell, sweeping the barrel to the left. The big Vampire wasn’t getting up anytime soon. There was plenty of silver in each shell to put down a Vamp.
Blood and pus were pouring out of his stomach. He was trying to go through the change, but his body was working too hard to repair the damage caused by the silver. His hands had grown into something resembling claws. They could still rip someone apart, but they were occupied trying to dig out all the silver in his guts.
There were five people at the far end of the patio. Another guard stood next to a wrought iron gate that must have led back out into the parking lot. The three women and Maccus still sat on benches. All eyes were on me.
“You guys want to buy some cookies?” I asked.
The second guard moved too fast to be human. He was a new Vampire. I could tell because he went for his gun instead of transforming and coming at me with fangs and claws. He dipped his hand in his jacket. I didn’t give him a chance to draw. I had a shotgun with a short barrel and a helluva of a spread.
I pulled the trigger. A cloud of powdered silver, fork prongs, and a couple bits of birdshot came out of the barrel. Holes opened across his neck and face. I also pruned several branches woven into the steel frame that covered the patio, sending leaves and flower petals flying.
He was too far to get all the powdered silver, but enough of it got there because the bastard screamed and groped for his face as a series of nasty hives swelled up. They popped when he touched them, spilling milky pus and blood. I could also see moisture clinging to his white undershirt where one of the silver prongs must have hit him. Dammit, I love being resourceful.
I worked the bolt again. One round left.
“Anyone else?” I asked.
The brun
ette that had walked in with Veronica and Cat roared, unhinging her jaw and letting her needled tongue fly out. She didn’t seem to have any qualms about what weapons to use.
“Easy lady,” I said. “Trust me when I say I have no issue shooting you.”
Maccus put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him as he shook his head. “I think there may have been a wee bit of a misunderstanding.” He said. “You’re clearly here for a purpose, but I can’t imagine what wrong I could have possibly done you, friend.”
He spoke almost musically, with a thick Irish accent.
“I’m here for Veronica,” I said.
Blonde hair flowed through the air as she snapped her face toward me. “Me?” She asked.
I nodded. “Yup. Your brother’s worried about you. He seemed to think you’d been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped?” She asked. “Do I look kidnapped to you?”
She stood, rising into a stream of moonlight coming in from a hole in the canopy. I noticed something that I hadn’t seen when she walked in. The low lighting in the bar and my shock and seeing her had distracted me. As she came forward, I got a good look at her face. Her eyes were a pale blue. She’d already been turned.
“Well hell,” I said. “Padre?”
“Yea?” Carl asked.
“I think we may have misjudged the situation.”
The dark haired Vampire stood up and moved to the left. The patio was too narrow actually to be able to flank us, but if she and Veronica each took one side, I couldn’t stop both of them before one of them got to me. I also noticed that the second guard had finished clawing a layer of reddened skin and pus from his face. One of his eyes had swollen and popped, and was leaking a mixture of red and black blood, but the other was open and looked pissed as hell. He was struggling to get to his feet.
“I think it might be time for you to leave,” Maccus said. “I respect the fact that you came here trying to save the wee one. Especially since you seem to know what you would find here.” He nodded toward my shotgun. “If you leave now, I am willing to overlook this misunderstanding. Provided you never come back or interfere in my affairs again.”
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