To me it was, but that wasn't going to be helpful. I found it hard to understand an industry that would kill for pleasure or money, even realizing that the whole thing may be run by another vampire.
"Sorry about your pet," I said, releasing my spell. The vines from the bush, still clutching Corbin's organs retracted, pulling his shattered torso along for the ride and leaving a blood smear on the pavement as it did.
Silas threw the heart at the other man as I drug over his legs.
"Familiars are cheap," Corbin said as his body started the process of regeneration.
"Familiar?" I asked. "Neither of you bit him?"
The both shook their heads.
I asked if they had any other enemies and they both said now. The only explanation I had was that someone wanted all three of us dead and sent Bryan here to do it. Of course I would kill the one being that could give us any answers.
That put me back to square one with two days off the clock. The only good news I had was the two vampires deciding to play nice for the next few days while we sort this all out. It wasn't much, but if I was going to deal with threats against my life, I was glad to have a pair of vampires on my side. It sure was better than having them on the other side.
- 18 -
A long time ago I learned that thinking about your troubles on an empty stomach was about as productive as trying to write a check without a pen. Sure, there were creative ways to get around either problem, but it's easier to just get things right the first time.
I picked through my scrambled eggs and sausage, disappointed that the later was overcooked to the point of becoming a hockey puck and the later not looking much different than it did coming out of the shell. If it wasn't for the hot brunette that had yet to fail at filling my coffee cup before it was empty I would have left the minute I saw the plate.
I forced half of the overcooked sausage patty into my mouth while I tried to make sense out of the events of the last few hours. It may be because I'm part of a different culture, but I find it hard to believe not just one, but two vampires take on random clients through another contact that neither had yet to meet. Call me old fashioned, but I preferred to do business the easy way. With a handshake and a smile, or a handful of pages of print with appropriately placed signatures. Either way's fine, but I want to meet you before I work for you.
What bothered me most was how both of them acted like there was nothing wrong, like that was how business was supposed to be done. I don't know about them, but if I walked into every situation blind as a bat, I would've been in a worse spot than I already was. And that was saying I didn't end up with a kook crazier than I am.
What
The server, nearing the end of her shift, printed out a copy of my bill and placed it under a peppermint candy as she took the now abandoned plate of raw eggs from my sight. Seven eighty-seven for my poorly cooked meal with an unlimited supply of fresh coffee seemed like a steal, but not enough to make me run. Besides, I wasn't going to take out my frustrations out on the girl who was easily the only bright spot in the joint. I suspected the diner would've closed down months ago if she wasn't here to save the day. That or perhaps the daytime service was much more pleasant than the late night one was.
With a smile I pulled my debit card out of my pocket to pay for my meal since I didn't have any cash. She returned the smile, grabbed the card and walked up to the front register to run it all. I watched her closely, wanting to admire the view before she, and I, both left for the day.
She stood up at the register for a few minutes, swiping my card at least four different times for reasons I couldn't comprehend. Unless the magnetic strip had faded again there's no reason the card shouldn't have gone through since I had Stacy make sure the check from the Boulder Police Department went through the moment I got here. Not just that but there was also the deposit from Alfred that hit the bank before I got here as well. I hadn't checked on whether it had gone through, but I knew I hadn't spent much of anything since I'd been here.
I started to get nervous when the cook, who I expected was also the manager, walked up to the girl to give her a hand. From my seat across the diner I couldn't make out conversation, but could tell it was about me as they were both taking turns looking at the only patron on this side of the store.
The conversation ended abruptly when the cook went back to the line to take a phone call, leaving the brunette waitress to me. She gathered the stack of receipts from the register and strolled to my table, head slumped to the ground.
"I'm sorry," she said, placing the receipts next to my cup of coffee. "Your card was declined."
"Did it give a reason?"
She shook her head. "All it says is approved or declined, you have to call your bank to find out why."
"You sure you ran it right?" I asked, looking over the three receipts. "Can you try it again?"
"I'm sorry, sir. Company policy says we can only run it three times." She looked up at me revealing a set of rosy cheeks on her otherwise somber face. "Do you have another form of payment."
I sighed. I always had another form of payment, but I'm still wondering why this one failed to go through. It just wasn't making sense. I wasn't going to take it out on her though, so I pulled out my American Express and handed it over. I even said a little prayer to help sooth the transaction.
The manager poked his head around the corner when she walked by, apparently pleased to see she had another credit card to run. By this point I was starting to wonder about the long term prospectus of the diner if my little bill was causing this much of a commotion. The food couldn't have cost them more than a buck to make, and even when you factor in my heavy sugar and cream there wasn't any way they should've been acting like this.
I watched the server intently as she ran this card through the reader, this time looking back at the manager with a smile when it went through. Her attitude changed on her return trip to the table, walking with a bounce in her step and a smile on her lips.
"That one worked," she said when she reached the table, handing me the receipt and a pen. I signed the paper with the sloppiest rendition of my signature I could muster, the only real recourse I had, but not without making sure I added a little extra for her. Hopefully the new amount would go through when she ran it later as I didn't plan to stay there a moment longer.
I finished off the coffee and placed the cup on the edge of her copy of the receipt before strolling out the front door. Once I was outside I wasted no time calling Stacy, even knowing she might be asleep. Unlike me, she was always a day person and had the bubbly personality of one who was content with it. She knew this possibility existed when I hired her for the job, but I always did my best to limit the amount of times I'd call. While I still felt bad, I admit letting out a sigh of relief when she answered the phone after two rings.
"Well the good news is you're not dead," she said, groggily answering the phone. "Is everything OK?"
"Not as well as I'm expecting," I said. "Have you paid any big bills lately?" The normal procedure I had in place would tell me no, not unless there was an official repossession letter or a shut off notice delivered the last few days. The last I checked, most the bills were close to caught up, the only slacker being the payment on the Edge that I planned to ship out the moment I got back. Even that shouldn't have had a notice sent as it wasn't legally in my name.
"Nothing yet. I was waiting for you to get back in town. I know how you feel about spending deposit money." Deposits in my line of work have always been a mixed bag. When I can, I do my best to secure one, but I'm not cut and dry about declining work if I'm unable to get it. When I do, however, I have a firm rule in place that states we are not to spend any money from that deposit unless it is being spent directly on the case. In the case of a cancellation I would take out any of the expenses I'd already had out of the money I'd secured before sending the rest back to the client.
This wasn't always the policy though. It was one I put in place to save my butt after ha
ving a dispute a few years back. Like now, money was tight so I was ecstatic after receiving a retainer for nearly five thousand dollars for a case I knew I could handle in a week. Even securing that money ahead of time, I was assured they would pay the amount once again after removing a spirit from their new house about a half-hour outside Dallas.
The problem came into play when they expected a faster turnaround than I was able to deliver. Even after I told them I would be in New York for another month handling something else. Out of the blue, less than three weeks later, they demanded a refund since I refused to deliver the service promised. It wouldn't have been a problem, but like a giddy school girl with Daddy's credit card, I spent the money the minute I got it to catch up all the bills. It took me two long months of work to pay that one off, not to mention doing the job for free. I know they say any press is good press, but I could never agree.
"Mind giving the account a check?" I asked. Call me a slacker, but I can never remember the information. Not to mention I've never been comfortable keeping the information on my phone as I have a knack for losing them in the worst places. The blue android in my pocket was easily my third phone in six months. One of these days I'll keep one long enough for the free upgrade, until then I'd rather not keep anything on them I'm not willing for someone else to have.
"Sure, give me a moment." She uttered a few other words that I'm sure she didn't want me to hear as she undoubtedly woke up and walked to her computer. I can't say I blame her, I would've been upset if she woke me up for the same thing.
"That's odd," she said. "Both your business and personal accounts were wiped clean overnight."
"What do you mean, wiped?"
"I mean, someone came in and transferred all the money out of them." I heard her frantically tapping the keyboard in the background. "And I think I know who did it."
"Are you going to tell me, or do I need to call you back?" I asked after giving her a minute to give up the goods. I've never been the most patient person in the world. When it came to my finances, I'm a thousand percent worse.
"Alfred Jacobs."
"How did he..."
"You had me give him the account information so he could wire over his payment. Remember?" I did remember, but it only explained one account. There should've been plenty left in my personal account to pay for my breakfast and then some. I could feel my face getting flustered as my blood pressure rose. It never feels good to be double crossed like this, but this one hurt more than it should've. Probably had something to do with my talk with Silas followed by the fight with Corbin and Bryan to start the night.
"Looks like I need to pay him another visit," I said, cracking my knuckles. "The unpleasant type."
"Sounds like you have this figured out," she said, yawning. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed."
- 19 -
As I approached the gentleman's club from the west around four-thirty in the morning, I was amazed to see the parking lot still full to the brim. I circled the lot three times looking for a spot before giving up and parking it across the street next to a ten foot tall chain link fence lined with barbed wire angling away from the brick building on the other side. Before getting out I made sure I was armed to the gills. Sword, light, if there was something in the car that could help me in a fight, I was bringing it with me.
I took my time as I entered the parking lot, making sure to look inside the cars I passed to make sure I wasn't walking into an ambush. If I had another hour I would've cased the lot three times over to make sure there wasn't anyone around, but I wanted to get this done before daybreak. Call it a hunch, but these men were mainly business owners from around the area, telling me they all had places to be sometime today. The longer I sat out here checking the cars, the more likely it was that someone would notice and possibly call the cops. After my fiasco the night before, the last thing I wanted was them to play a part.
Nervousness washed over me as I closed in on the door near the top of the ramp. Before knocking I glanced around the parking lot one last time, just to make sure nobody was approaching from behind.
"I must be going crazy," I said to myself, shaking my head.
"You aren't crazy," Silas said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
"At least not completely," said Corbin, standing next to him.
I pushed myself off the brick wall one my nerves were settled, having been put to the test by the sudden appearance of the vampires. "What are you two doing here?"
"We came to the same conclusion you did, apparently," Silas said.
"Bank accounts?"
They both nodded.
"Me too. We doing this together?"
"Not that easy," Corbin said. "We are still bound by the old rules."
By that he was telling me they weren't allowed to go in without an invitation though it wasn't entirely the truth. They could both go in, but it would cost them their powers while they were inside. Anyone who has been gifted with extraordinary abilities, whether it be my magic, or the gifts that come with vampirism, knows it becomes addictive in a hurry. I can't speak for the vampires, but I know first hand how addictive magic is. Every day I fight against my natural instincts that tell me to use magic to do everything from answering the phone to cutting the grass. I know know I wouldn't willingly risk my powers unless the potential gain was worth more than a loss. In their case, they had me to do their dirty work, so I fully understood why they weren't willing to go in.
"If you can get Alfie to let us in, just come back and grab us," Corbin laughed. "We still have a way to help you out."
Corbin banged on the door with fervor while I stood next to the wall cloaked in a veil. The bouncer, now wearing a sleeveless white tee shirt and a pair of baggy blue jeans opened the door and stepped outside.
"What do you want?" he said, pounding his fist into his hand.
"Just a word." Corbin grabbed the bouncer by his wrists and pulled him well out into the parking lot. Before the door can shut, I stick my foot in the way allowing it to stay cracked. Away from the safety of the building the bouncer didn't stand a chance as the two vampires tore into him with a vigor reserved for their most hated enemies. With Alfred Jacobs well out of reach, they were more than happy to take their frustrations out on the bouncer.
"Go get Alfred," Silas said, delivering a fierce blow to the bouncer's chest. "We'll make sure he doesn't get away."
I gave him a nod and walked inside, the metal door locking into place as it closed. Inside the deepest recesses of my soul I felt bad for the bouncer and the beating he was taking, but I quickly got over it. If you are willing to work for a guy who lies, steals, and possibly murders for profit, you deserve whatever you get when your boss falls.
Once inside, I quickly passed through the beads separating the front room from the main portion of the warehouse, while keeping my invisibility veil going. I couldn't tell if anyone noticed my entry, but from looking at the packed card tables I figured the answer was no. As the players focused on the game in front of them, I lurched between the tables attempting to get to Alfred's office without being noticed.
I was well over halfway to my goal when the plan went down the toilet as a half full bottle of beer slammed into my back. People at the surrounding tables stopped what they were doing to stare in my direction. Specifically at the shattered glass bottle now at my feet.
Out of nowhere the patrons started their assault, pelting me with all manner of blunt objects.
Canes.
Glasses.
Through the assault I held my patience until I was hit with a half full glass of water containing a soaking pair of dentures. I could put up with a lot of things, having someone throw something that came out of someone's disgusting mouth isn't one of them.
I called upon my reserves to create a gust of wind, sending the cards from the nearby tables flying around the room. The moment the cards were in the air, tempers flared among the patrons. It didn't take long for me to turn the once peaceful warehouse into a fu
ll on melee.
Across the rooms, groups of people squared off against others they once called friends. I waited until the place was a full on melee before inching my way to the outer wall to avoid the ensuing chaos, dodging the occasional punch and beer bottle along the way. I made it around the first three tables before coming up to group of seven older men all wearing matching lime green polos and khaki pants that were surrounding three younger ones as they tried to flee the scene.
"I've had enough of your cheating, Phil," the leader of the older men yelled. He was a man with a heavily scarred face covered poorly by wisps of gray hair combed to cover only the top half of his head.
Phil, the younger guy in the middle wore a pair of tight leather pants, white sleeveless tee shirt, and a pair of high-top leather boots. His tye-dye colored mohawk stood out in the crowd of older gentlemen with primarily gray or balding heads. He backed up into the corner, both his similarly dressed friends at his side as the group of older men.
"I didn't cheat," Phil said as his back hit the wall. "I didn't even look at my cards."
"We'll see about that." With that the group of seven moved in for the kill. The old men on either side moved in ahead of the pack, to pull Phil's two friends off to the side, leaving the other five alone to deal with the one. I wanted to get back to Alfred, but I couldn't leave the kid all alone as any advantage he gained by his youth would easily be outdone by the number of the older men.
I allowed my veil to fade, opting instead for an extra boost of speed. Dodging between groups of other brawlers, I got to the kid around the same time as the older men moved into attack. The older man who started the mess, reared back to punch the kid after two of the others held him in place, each holding his arm.
"The punishment for cheating is a beat down these days?" I asked, catching his fist mid-swing.
The man struggled against my grip, only able to pull his hand back after I let it go. "What's it to you?" His once pale face turned red as he clenched his fists and stepped up into me.
Vampire for Hire: The Nephalem Files (Book 2) Page 11
