by T. J. Quinn
She asked, “Did you know they featured you on the news tonight and talked about how quickly you found the missing woman? She made a public statement thanking you.”
Garan sighed and replied, “They all do. It is just how they cope with the whole situation. It doesn’t mean we did anything particularly heroic.”
She could not quite believe what she was hearing from the gorgeous hunter. He certainly had a way of minimizing his achievements.
He waved the conversation away and began talking about vehicles. He said, “I have been thinking of purchasing a shuttle to use while I am here because I don’t like rentals. Do you think that is a good idea?”
She looked amused and asked, “I kind of like your rental…it’s very posh. How long are you planning to be here?”
He sighed and responded, “Not long if my son continues not to be interested in hunting with me. It’s been several weeks, and there has been no sign of his foster person. I still worry about him though.”
“Then there is this issue of a beautiful red head. Perhaps if she agrees to more dates with me, I will stay longer. Oh, who am I kidding? If she just agrees to see me more often in a group setting, I would still stay longer.”
She smiled at him and stated, “So you have a thing for redheads, do you? Well if you are trying to date a bunch of us just think of us as interchangeable. One of us is always bound to be free when you are in a mood to go out celebrating.”
He burst out laughing and replied, “It would never in a million years have occurred to me to attempt such a thing. You are an amusing person, Miss Lona.”
Lona gave him directions to a small restaurant on the outskirts of a nearby town. It was filled with human/vampire couples. The smell of food was not overpowering, and the vampires were all drinking either Synth-B or actual blood from a bag. He realized almost immediately that some few of them were discreetly fresh feeding. Lona asked for tea for herself and water for him.
He tilted his head, and she reminded him, “You have to stay hydrated. Now, what do you want to eat in the way of food? They have Synth-B, Blood Bags and naturally, I would be happy to feed you fresh if you prefer. She noticed he looked a little mortified at the last suggestion.
He said, “Bag please.”
She nodded and when the server came back over she said, “I would like a number five and my friend will have a bag and a glass please.”
Lona sipped her tea, and he sipped his water. She slipped her hand into his and said, “So tell me your very short story about finding the woman today.”
He smiled and replied, “Well we were hired because we are South American and therefore Spanish speaking but come to find out she was from Brazil and of course spoke Portuguese as her primary language. I speak a little but not much. Anyway, we went over her information with the father’s contact and accepted our partial payment. I always like to begin a case as soon as possible after the disappearance at the site of the abduction. I went to the bar she was taken from the evening before, and we found body fluids in a restroom and on the top of the building.” He could tell she looked confused, so he said, “Vaginal fluids mixed with sperm…normally what you see when people have been sexing.”
She nodded, and he continued, “While I was on the roof I had a look around with my binoculars. In one of the nearby high rise apartments, someone had a device for spying on their neighbors. My gut told me that maybe the perpetrator had watched the target sexing, liked what he saw, so he grabbed her. It was the most logical explanation that fit all the pieces of information, so we headed down to the shuttle, loaded up with weapons and paid a little visit to the apartment.”
“We found the woman, but her abductor was not there. He left her tied to a bed in the back. I called her father held the phone to her ear and began untying her. She was frightened and did not want me to leave, so I sat across the room until the police and her father arrived. She seemed like a nice person, and her father put the rest of my fee in my account before I left her apartment. That was all. I told you it was a boring story…no gun fights…no car chases…no working to puzzle together clues. Boring case really. Sorry, love if you were expecting more.”
She seemed rather impressed and gushed, “I think that is a fantastic story. Imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t gone with your gut on that one Garan. You still might be looking, and she might be dead by now. I think you are really good at what you do and you should be happy that you got in and out without anyone shooting at you. I would not like it if you got yourself hurt.”
He smiled and said, “thirty-six.”
She asked, “thirty-six what? Is that how much you got paid?”
He laughed and said, “thirty-six is how many times I have been shot in my life…I got paid a million for the case…but thirty-six is a lot of getting shot. Trust me I am used to it.”
She looked at him strangely. "Stop getting yourself shot. I mean it.”
He smiled at that little protective streak she had and said, “You don’t seem very impressed that I got paid a million dollars…most women would be you know.”
She looked at him disapprovingly and scolded him, “You should donate some of that to a good charity…not all or most but a little would go a long way for underprivileged kids.”
He looked at her with admiration and said, “I will do exactly that if you chose a charity.”
She smiled and replied, “There is a children’s home very near here. That is where I put all my donations. They take good care of the kids there.”
He responded, “Consider it done.”
She looked at him and said, “You know, I think it must be nice to be you. Good looking, exciting, glamorous job, being a hero, saving damsels in distress, always being the good guy and wealthy to boot. You could probably be on a date with just about any woman you want, so do you mind if I ask why you are with me?” She could tell by the look on his face he was not taking a word she had to say very seriously until she asked the last question.
He sat up in his chair and asked, “Are you actually making fun of me to my face. That’s very bold and more than a little disrespectful.”
He seemed aggravated and hurt. Lona’s eyes narrowed a bit as she tried to figure out his response. Good looking rich men didn’t normally date overweight red headed kitchen managers. This is something everyone understood.
She said, “Oh, I’m serious all right.”
He stood up and excused himself. When he didn’t return to the restaurant, so she walked outside and found him on his cell phone. She could tell he was being solicited for another hunt.
He closed the phone and said, “Sorry but the police are having a hard time catching up with my last target’s abductor, and her father has retained my services again. I guess there really is no time for rich, handsome heroes to celebrate tonight. It’s just as well. I think you were tiring of my company anyway.” His voice went from sarcastic to dry as he spoke the last sentence to her. She wondered what his problem was.
He opened her door, and after closing it behind her, he got into the driver’s seat, and they headed back to the institute. He spent the entire time on his cell, and she realized he spoke at least three languages; Vampier, English, and Spanish. He was quick and efficient in planning for his trip. Again Jared turned him down. She could tell he was disappointed and her heart ached for him. Even if he was wealthy, gorgeous and totally out of her league he still deserved to have a relationship with his son.
As soon as they arrived at the institute, Garan walked her to her door and politely took his leave of her. Well, that was her kind of her life story. Guys started out interested, but shortly after spending time with her they couldn’t run away fast enough. Good thing she hadn’t let herself get too close to this one. He was nice, sexy and vulnerable in some ways. It was a lethal combination. She could have easily fallen for him. This was her reality check to keep him at arm’s length.
Chapter 4
The Unusual But Cute Vampire
Gar
an was gone for a few days this time and was returning just as she was leaving for her weekend on the mountain. She noticed him looking at her, but she didn’t turn to him. As she was closing her trunk, he walked up to her. God, he was one sexy vampire. His hair was damp and sticking up all over his head, and he looked super relaxed. If she didn’t know better, she would think he had a just sexed look about him. She glanced up and saw one of the pretty blond scientists standing near his porch.
Lona was extremely irritated because the pretty blond was just the kind of woman she would expect someone like Garan to be with. She worked to keep the disappointment from showing on her face. If life had taught her one thing, it was the people like her didn’t get happily ever afters with good looking men. It wasn’t fair, but that was life.
Her spine stiffened as he approached her, but she managed a smile and polite conversation, “So did you find your bad guy?”
He nodded and asked if she was heading to town because he was looking for a ride to pick up his new shuttle craft. She told him she was not going to town in particular but would be happy to drop him by to pick up his vehicle because she was early for her appointment and looking to kill some time.
He smiled warmly and thanked her. She could not stand the silence hanging between them on the drive, and her nature was just to keep talking until the uncomfortable feeling went away. It almost always worked for her. She asked, “So when did you get back from the hunt?”
He replied, “Right before I walked up to you…well ran up to you. That strange blond haired scientist is always trying to talk to me. She is very pushy, and I do not know what to say to a scientist. Is there a signal that you humans have to stop talking to me please?”
Lona burst out laughing, and Garan looked thoroughly confused. He screwed his face up as if he were trying figure something out and stated, “I think I am not supposed to ask the woman I am interested in how to get rid of the woman I’m not interested in. Is that correct information? Humans confuse me sometimes and human women most of all.”
All the strain between them evaporated, and she responded, “I was laughing because when you walked up to me you looked so relaxed and your hair was messed up so when I saw the blond scientist near your place I thought you had come home last night and sexed with her. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were…well running from her.”
He immediately began trying to smooth down his unruly hair and said with a worried expression, “I did not know that is what messy hair meant to humans.” In his world, he was strong, confident, and self-assured. In the human world, he was very much the opposite.
She giggled and assured him, “Don’t worry it only means that for good looking males like yourself.”
He looked confused and signed. She glanced over and invited, “If you have questions you should ask them. I am a good human to ask questions to because I will be honest with you.”
He looked at her strangely and said, “You have referred to me several times as attractive, cute and sexy. No woman has ever said those things to me. Why do you?”
She smiled and responded, “Because I’m honest.”
He waved his finger in the air and argued his point, “No, no, no. I don’t think that is accurate information, Miss. Lona. Large male vampires with long hair and sexy fangs are attractive to human women, not big ugly vampires with short, unruly hair and large brutal fangs like me. Many women have told me not to bite their neck because my fangs are so large and unattractive. The women of my village were reluctant and took turns servicing me because I was the least attractive male. Try another explanation…something believable. I think you say complimentary things to everyone and I am the only male foolish enough to think it means you are actually interested in me.”
Lona glanced at him and insisted, “You overthink my friend. You are sexy and attractive, so get used to it.”
He looked at her strangely for a long time, and she corrected softly, “All right, I do give lots of compliments to people. I always try to find something to like about a person, and I usually mention that something to them. I think you are attractive because you are large, you have unruly hair, large fangs and you are a little awkward. It’s adorable. To me, you are very sexy and attractive. That doesn’t mean we have to date or sex or anything. It is just me saying that in my eyes you are attractive. I can’t remember saying that to very many males in my lifetime, so that makes you special.”
He smiled and relaxed back into his seat murmuring, “Such nice people here.”
Lona smiled to herself that this vampire was so adorable she could hardly stand to be around him without wanting to put her hands on him. She really did think he was quite adorable with his messy hair and large fangs…he was unusual but quite attractive none the less. What she could not figure out was why he would be trying to date her after spending five years with the breathtakingly beautiful Dakota. If Dakota was the kind of woman, he was normally interested in why bother with a plump little redhead?
She dropped him off at a local area vehicle dealership and headed to the ranger’s station. It was her weekend to teach, and she was excited. She loved teaching the rangers outdoor skills. It made her feel like she had something just a little more interesting to add than 953 ways to make cupcakes. She got to hike, track and do all the things she missed since moving out of her father’s place some seven years ago. She took out her cell and called him. He was 900 miles up on one of the peaks near her home. He sounded wonderful.
He asked her to come home for V Day. She loved that particular holiday. The day earth celebrated their victory against the alien overlords. It was a twenty-four hour nonstop party, and she looked forward to it each year. She and her father took turns drinking each year so someone could stand watch because they spent it hiking every year. One year when she was fifteen-year-old she saw a baby Crayon. Naturally, no one believed her, but she did just the same.
Chapter 5
Professional Insults Not Withstanding
Garan blew into the dining area bright and early on Monday morning with his men as loud and boisterous as ever. Good God, Garan was hot as hell even in the morning. What was going on with that hair? It always looked ten kinds of messed up like a baby lion whose mother had groomed it in the wrong direction. That coupled with his flirtatious insolent attitude honestly made her want to grab a brush and give him a good paddling and then brush out that hair.
Oh, who was she kidding? She loved his messy cute hair very, very much. She seriously needed something to take her mind off it. Well, there was that nutritional consult for the scientist working on the self-stable energy bars, and she was technically signed on as the nutritionist. She headed towards the science units.
Garan headed back into the main building with Josh at midmorning and noticed Lona in one of the science units, so he decided to see what they were working on in there. Perhaps it was some sort of hair care product for women because all the scientist were females. He sighed as he noticed the blond female who seemed intent on talking to him was there. He could hear their conversation as he approached with Josh.
The blond-haired scientist…what was her name…Malory or something like that was saying, “I am surprised that Dakota hired a fat nutritionist. Seems like if you were good at your job, you would be of a more normative weight.”
Lona reminded her, “You are the one who sent me the request for a consult. Was it actually just to get an opportunity to insult me or do you need something?”
Malory responded, “Kind of touchy are you, dear. You have been a little short since I started taking to your little vampire friend. Honestly, I think you are getting the wrong idea about him. Large vampire warriors have a type and honey you are not it.”
Lona turned on her heel and said, “E-mail me if you change your mind ladies.”
She ran right into Josh and Garan. Garan slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her to the side of him, and Josh asked, “So what is going on here? Did you, in fact, ask for a nutritional consult then not a
ccept it once the nutritionist made time in her busy schedule to see you?”
Malory attempted to gloss over the situation by saying, “It’s not a big deal. Sometimes that happens in our line of work. We don’t always get the quality of person we need when we consult.”
Josh said, “Funny it sounds like you are using the institute’s resources to amuse yourself.”
Arianna was listening in the doorway and said curtly, “Malory, you are on administrative leave until further notice. Pack your things. Josh if you will take her key card and escort her to her vehicle.”
Malory gasped out loud, “All this over one fat little kitchen staff.”
Lona felt Garan pull her closer and slightly behind him, it felt like he was protective of her.
Arianna said sharply, “Congratulations, you just fired yourself. You’ll be getting a letter, and your final pay will be deposited to your account. Josh, contact IT and have her removed from the system. Make sure she doesn’t take information on a flash drive. Her projects are all the intellectual property of the institute.”
Garan glared at the woman as Josh escorted her out of the room.
Arianna turned to Lona and said, “May I extend my apologies to you for this situation. I hope you will not think badly of the institute or my family because of it.”
Lona looked confused and replied, “Of course not but I don’t know that firing her was all that necessary.
Garan literally hissed, “Her behavior was deplorable. She doesn’t deserve to work around nice people like you.”
Arianna quickly added, “I agree, I can’t have her here using company resources to hold her own little grudge matches.”
Lona relented, “Whatever you think is best for your company and your family.”
Arianna placed a hand on her arm and added, “For our employees as well.”
Lona nodded her understanding. Arianna was always a considerate person, and Lona was not even surprised that she rose to the occasion this way.
