by Jett Abbott
“Decades.” Clarissa relaxed into the firm body behind her and reached up to remove the blindfold, but was stopped.
“Not yet. I may want more. The night is still young.”
Clarissa shuddered remembering the beautiful brunette. Selene, as with Alexandra, had been what her fantasies had consisted of the last few decades. That was a different time, a different Clarissa, but a memory worth saving and treasuring, as twisted as it might seem to someone else. The car slowed to a stop in front of her house, with a promise that her car would be delivered that evening if she left her keys with the driver.
Chapter Fifteen
Selene watched as the limo disappeared behind the iron gate. She had been hired to watch and protect the young woman, but there was something niggling at Selene as she watched the woman get into the car at Knight-Pharmaceutical. She looked familiar, but then again, everyone had a look she’d seen in almost two centuries. From her vantage point along a utility easement, she watched a car slowly pass by in the other lane. The tinted windows were a dead giveaway to whom or what might be inside the vehicle. Slowly sitting back up, Selene watched it pass by her and turn into a driveway down the road. Another vehicle, this time a truck, made a slow pass on her side of the street. It was clear someone was watching the woman. In fact, a whole lot of someones.
Selene wrote the license plates down for future reference and then made herself comfortable. She had a feeling it was going to be a long night watching three people, two of whom were definitely on her list of possible playthings tonight. Picking up her cell phone, she dialed her employer.
“Kev.” She waited until recognition hit the person on the other end.
“Selene? What’s up?” She heard suspicion in his voice and wondered why. She and Kevin had a working relationship that went back decades, but she didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust anyone. Life did that to a vampire, and if it didn’t it would soon enough.
“I have two plates I need info on. One’s planted themselves outside the little bird you want me to watch, and the other I figure better be your guy.” Dictating the numbers, she watched as someone got out of the car parked down the street. Darkness barely hung in the sky, almost guaranteeing they weren’t human. “You better hurry on that one because he’s on the move to the bird cage.” Selene slammed the phone closed, pulling on her gloves and watching the dark figure moving up the hill. The truck from earlier passed in front of her again, this time slowing to a crawl as the driver looked up the hill trying to see something or someone.
“Shit,” was all Selene said. She gently closed the door on her car and bolted across to the roadside culvert. She watched as the truck continued down the road, slowing when it saw the parked vehicle. Brake lights made it obvious the driver was probably taking down the license plate. It must be Kevin’s guy, Selene thought watching the truck speed off. So, that makes this scumbag the bad guy, so to speak.
Selene slowly started up the hill, parallel to the stalker. She loved the hunt. The smell of the wet decomposing leaves the stranger kicked up took her back to a different time, a time when she only ventured out in search of food, a warm bed, or a distraction. She was like a cat with a mouse who played dead to save its life. They both knew what the outcome would be and it was just a matter of time. She felt her body start to spasm a bit, the chase energizing her blood. The rustling of leaves and a twig breaking assured her she was almost on top of him. She slowed down, not wanting the thrill of the chase to cloud her mission.
She could hear his breathing as he struggled to make it up the hillside. Poor fellow, he needs to take better care of himself. Why did vampires always let themselves go? Selene wondered. It was taking all she had not to pounce on the obviously out of shape stalker. Clearly, he wasn’t as in tune as he thought he was, or he would have picked up on her energy. Selene relished a good fight, especially since she hadn’t had one in a while, but she was patient. It was why she was so good.
Selene stealthily climbed up a tree, opting for a better view and to wait until the idiot did something worth getting worked up over. From her vantage point, she could now see the house that sat nestled on the hill. She watched a naked woman busy herself around the quaint home. Naked! The buxom woman walked around the kitchen, her breasts gently moving back and forth as she grabbed a robe and slid it on. Maybe she knows she’s being watched, Selene wondered. A shiver ran through Selene as she continued to stare at the beautiful woman, recognition shaking her. A flash of memory put her back in her club, decades ago. A beautiful woman, her arms above her head moaning. The memory almost sent Selene tumbling from her perch. Clarissa! Selene knew she was oblivious to the eminent danger she was in, but that wouldn’t last, not for long. Tearing her eyes away from Clarissa, Selene looked around the landscape. She noted her exit points, the hill behind the house and the only other way out, the way she came in. There wasn’t much in the way of plant life this time of the year, and she was thankful poison oak didn’t affect her when she saw the abundance of it throughout the hillside.
Another twig breaking brought her back to the man slowly making his way to the top of the hill. It was time for Selene to do something before he reached the driveway and had a clear shot to the house. She knew once she hit the ground the stalker would be alerted, so she had to make sure she landed as close to him as possible. Pushing off the massive oak, she aimed herself to land a few yards from his feet. Surprise would be on her side if she kept her feet under her and ran like hell at him. Landing, she did better than she hoped, but she had a knee down on one side causing her to roll towards him rather than take a run at the fat man. Righting herself, she caught a punch to the jaw that staggered her back.
“I thought I heard something back there, stupid bitch. You should really be more careful.” Another punch caught her in the chest, buckling her to her knees. Selene put her hands up in time to block a knee aimed at her face and catch the heel of her attacker. Pivoting her body around, she knocked his other leg out from under him and watched his face plant into the composting. As she twisted his leg, she positioned it between hers and wrapped her one arm under his neck throwing and positioning her other arm behind his head locking it in place.
“You wish, asshole. You’re breathing so heavy you couldn’t hear a cheeseburger drop right in front of you.” Tightening her grip, she felt her incisors drop and a surge pulsed through her body. He was a dead man, but she needed to know who he worked for before she snuffed his candle. “So who sent you, and be smart or this is going to be a very long night for you. You decide.”
Pulling tighter, she felt him squirm more, the pressure in his neck causing his veins to bulge. The temptation was too great for Selene and she quickly nipped the bulging artery. His blood tasted old, and muted, not fresh and vibrant like she was used to. She spat it out. She would have to be happy killing him and leaving his blood for someone else.
“Look, you’re in no shape to fight me, so why don’t you just tell me who sent you, and I’ll make it painless.”
“Fuck you. I’m not saying shit.”
“Oh yes you will. You’ll just wish, when it’s all said and done, you would’ve told me sooner. Cause trust me, this is gonna hurt.”
“I told you, I’m not saying shit. So fuck off!” His hands were pulling on Selene’s arm as he tried to roll her off. He only succeeded in rolling them both onto Selene’s back. Selene knew she was eventually going to have to release him so she could get to her dagger, but she was in control and would let him tire himself out. He continued to push with his one free leg, using their bodies to clear a circle in the leaf debris. After ten minutes of rolling around, Selene realized the man had more stamina than she expected so she had to come up with a plan B or choke him out.
“Listen to me, fat man. You’re not getting out of here alive, and you definitely aren’t getting to that woman, so give me a name, and I’ll be quick about your death. Otherwise, we’re gonna be here all night, and I have better things to do than screw with you.” A
rching her back, she pulled tighter on his neck, hearing buttons pop off his shirt as she stretched him backwards.
If he were a thinner man, he would have been able to reach Selene’s face as he tried to reach back for her, but his bulk prevented him from even making it to her upper arms. Laughing, she whispered in his ear, “Whoever hired you is a stupid S.O.B.”
Selene heard a pop as he transformed, his body morphing into his original form. “You might think I’m stupid, but even a mouse gets a break once in a while.” His now sharp nails dug into her upper arms shredding her jacket and drawing blood. Selene recoiled enough that the attacker took the advantage and rolled forward and curled, throwing Selene from him. Landing on her back, she scrambled upright, her own transformation complete. His black eyes transfixed on her every movement as she circled him. She watched as he licked the blood off his fingers.
“Hmm, you’re young. So, who sent you?” he asked, licking his last finger clean.
Pulling her shredded jacket off, she tossed it at him as she tucked her head and slammed into him. An audible exhale escaped him as he tried to toss her off. Pushing, Selene backed him into a tree and slammed her knee between his legs. She reached up and pulled his head down and made contact with a knee to his face. A double strike with her hands to his back and he was bent over groaning. Stepping behind him, she pulled his head back and pressed her dagger into his spine.
“Now, I’m gonna ask again. Who sent you?”
“Who sent you?”
Selene pushed the dagger into the fat that encased his back. “I asked you a question. Who sent you?”
“For what?”
Pulling the dagger towards his head, she felt it hit each rib as it moved upward, slicing fat and muscle along its path. Stopping just under his shoulder blade, she twisted the dagger sideways and pressed it between two ribs. The razor sharp dagger slowly entered his body barely touching his heart. The smell of his blood wafted up towards her nostrils making her skin tingle. It wouldn’t be long now, and Selene knew it. The smell of death hung around him.
“Even if you kill me, he’ll send another and another, until he gets what he wants.”
“Who will send another?” Staring down into his dark eyes, she twisted the dagger a quarter turn. “Who?” The question hung in the air, as the smell of blood assaulted her senses again. Licking her lips, she watched as he squinted at the pain, his eyes starting to glaze over into a death mask.
“You’re wasting your time, I’m not telling. He owns me and I owe him. That alone means I would rather die at your hand than his. So finish the job, bitch.”
“So you’d rather die on your knees than fighting? Pathetic.” Plunging the knife into his heart, she felt her body start to spasm as his blood coated her hand. Grunting, Selene let his body drop forward watching the life ooze out of him. This wasn’t what she had hoped for, but it was clear he wasn’t going to tell her anything. He was too afraid of whoever sent him and that meant death by her hand was more welcome than to go back and face the wrath of his master. Selene was shaking as she fought the urge to drink his blood. The animal that controlled her body commanded her head, doubling her over as she fought back. The smell of him was starting to make her sick, so she backed away from him, dry heaving into the pile of leaves that had formed from their fight.
Selene reached for her shredded jacket as her phone vibrated in the pocket.
“Yeah.”
“Selene, I got that information you wanted. The car is registered to a—”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s dead and—”
“What? What do you mean he’s dead?”
Selene heard Kevin choke out the response as she continued, “He’s dead. I just killed his sorry ass. He said he would rather die than go back and face his master.”
“Shit.”
“Look, he said that whoever sent him will send someone else. So you better come up with a plan for the little bird I’m watching, or I’m gonna be killing these guys ’til you do. You got it? So you go back to whoever hired me and tell him that.”
“Are you sure he said ‘him’?”
“Positive.” The silence on the other end of the line made Selene uneasy. Surely, Kevin had known this was a possibility. She was an assassin for god sakes. Her reputation wasn’t exactly stellar when it came to this sort of work. Besides, she had been hired to protect the woman in the house, and that is exactly what she did, protect.
“Can you make it look like an accident, Selene?”
“It’s gonna cost you more. This guy’s a fat son of a bitch.”
“Do whatever you have to. Just make it look like an accident.”
“Okay.”
Snapping the phone shut, Selene wiped her hands on the shredded jacket and cleaned off her dagger before putting it back in her boot. Wrapping the jacket around her waist she bent over and heaved the obese man onto her back. “Thank God it’s downhill.”
Chapter Sixteen
Kevin looked down at the closed phone, and then across the desk to A.J.
“That didn’t sound good.” A.J. turned the light off on her desk. It was starting to give her that rare headache she got from too much light exposure. She pushed her chair back staring at Kevin in the darkness. “Well, what happened?”
“Shit, A.J., this is getting messy. Selene killed the guy stalking Clarissa. He wouldn’t tell her who sent him, only saying that he would rather die at her hand than go back to his master.”
“Interesting.” A.J. stroked her chin as she leaned on the desk. A long sigh escaped her lips alerting Kevin she was pissed. “What the hell happened to Brax? I thought he was supposed to be watching Clarissa and Selene was watching both of them? Where was he when this whole thing went down? I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit.”
“Brax called me after Selene did asking for information on the same car Selene saw. So obviously he was there, too.” Kevin palmed his phone in a nervous gesture as he watched A.J.
“Nothing is obvious here, Kev, nothing. I want you to call Selene back and tell her to watch Brax real close. Something doesn’t add up. He should have been the one on top of this guy, not her. Her role was secondary, not primary, and that makes me wonder.” Again, A.J. sat back in her cool leather chair, her eyes closed as she thought about what she knew about tonight. She wasn’t surprised that Selene had killed the guy stalking Clarissa. What did surprise her was that Brax wasn’t around when it all happened. If that was the case, the stalker could have easily gotten to Clarissa, and Brax wouldn’t have been there to stop him. It was looking worse and worse by the minute, and she knew what she needed to do.
Jumping up, A.J. grabbed her keys and jacket heading for the door. “Didn’t you just tell Selene to make this guy’s death look like an accident?”
“Yeah, I figured that would buy us some time before whoever hired him realizes he’s dead. Why?”
“Cause that means Clarissa is unprotected, that’s why.”
“Brax is there.”
“If Brax was there, why didn’t he help Selene? If Brax was there, why didn’t he try to kill either one of them, especially since they were within yards of Clarissa’s house? Something isn’t right here.”
“What’re you going to do?”
Running down the hallway to the elevator she yelled back, “I’m gonna protect Clarissa and hope I don’t get caught in the process.” Punching the panel, she felt like ripping the doors back and vaulting down the shaft to get there quicker. It took everything she had not to, as she yelled back at Kevin running behind her, “Call Brax and find out where he is. Tell him security was breached and that Clarissa is down at the mall or something. I don’t want him anywhere near her until Selene gets back and we can check his story.”
“Are you sure you want to do this? I mean he’s been with us for decades. Come on, A.J. It’s Brax.” Chuckling nervously he continued, “I mean, shit, he’s our go to guy. He knows where the bodies are buried.”
“Exactly.” A.J. j
umped into the elevator and inserted her over-ride key in the panel, punching the garage floor. “Call me when you know more.”
A.J. watched the floors clicking off the overhead panel thinking through the events of the evening again. Things had twisted out of control since seeing Clarissa in the bar last week, and this wasn’t the first time she had thought about how the events were spiraling out of control. But now things were getting messy. Someone, a seeker, was suddenly watching Clarissa, A.J.’s tangling with a seeker just the other night, and now an AWOL Brax. Thank God Selene had been there to prevent anyone from getting to Clarissa. But now Clarissa was alone, and unprotected. A.J. stopped as the elevator doors opened to the garage and realized Clarissa wasn’t just anyone. She was a vampire who had survived a century obviously without her protection. That was before the events of last week though, thought A.J.
Peering around the doors of the elevator, A.J. looked around the garage and then sniffed the air. Nothing. Closing her eyes she listened, trying to hear anything that might be out of place in her personal space. Slowly, she eased into the garage and pulled her keys from her charcoal slacks. She was determined she wasn’t going to be surprised again like she had in the park. She smiled when she thought about the ass-whipping she delivered to the unsuspecting seeker. Drugs were getting to be a problem for seekers and they couldn’t function like normal vampires, feeling each other’s energy and avoiding their fellow vamps. Sad really, thought A.J. keying the lock to her Land Rover. Seekers and gang bangers were going to be the death of each other and that was fine with A.J. The problem was, seekers could make more seekers before they died, while gang bangers just killed each other.
“Not my problem,” A.J. said, sliding into the black Rover. Keying her ear piece, she rang Kevin. “Hey, what have you got for me?”
“Well….”
