A
young vamp attacks Scott in the restroom. Kirk subdues him, demanding
information, but Scott tries to stop him.
"He
would have bitten you, Scott. Maybe turned you. If you were lucky,
he'd have ripped your throat out."
"I
wasn't going...."
Kirk
hit the vampire, shutting him up. "I can get this information if
you'll let me," Kirk replied. "We need to find Tommy,
before something bad happens. If it hasn't already. Time is rather
important!"
Scott
made up his mind. Holstering his weapon, he backed away from the
downed vampire. "Do it."
Kirk's
fangs extended again. He leaned over the vampire, his fangs brushing
the other's throat. "It's very painful," he whispered
hoarsely. "It burns as you change. Like your insides are on
fire."
"Y-you
said eu-euphoria."
"I
lied!" His teeth sank into the other vampire's throat.
A
scream echoed in the bathroom. Kirk did not begin to feed. He let the
other feel his fangs, letting him think about it.
"Okay!"
The young vampire whimpered. "Okay, I'll tell you!"
The
fangs receded. The dual holes closed slowly. Kirk kept the other man
pinned to the floor.
"Where
have they gone?" Scott demanded, weapon trained on the downed
vamp.
"There's
this house—more like a castle—outside the city. It's way out in
the middle of BFE...."
The
police officer and Kirk exchanged a look.
"Specifics,"
Scott demanded.
The
vampire babbled several minutes, telling them everything he knew.
When he was done, Kirk nodded. Before rising, he broke the vampire's
neck. Rising, he dusted his hands. Scott eyed him warily.
"Why
did you kill him? I could have cuffed him, arrested him."
"Your
cuffs won't hold us. Having him in the car would have been deadly for
us both. Now, he can't call anyone and tell them—can he?"
Scott
shook his head. "Just not the way I like to do things."
Kirk
washed his hands and put on his tie and jacket. "Me either, but
it had to be done."
"Shall
I call it in?"
"No
need."
Black
spots appeared on the vampire's body. Suddenly, he fell to dust,
which disappeared with a soft poof. Nothing was left, not even a hint
of what had happened. Scott shuddered.
"That's
disturbing."
"Somewhat,"
Kirk added with a disdainful sniff. "Shall we get the others?"
"Lead
on." What Scott didn't say was that he didn't want Kirk behind
him. He'd held it together, because the vampire wasn't against him.
However, he'd feel better where he could keep his eye on Kirk.
Kirk
understood the other man's concern. He didn't say anything, but was
careful how he moved, making no threatening gestures.
They
found the women near the elevator. For some reason, it wasn't
working. Sandy frowned. Margo bit her lip, drawing blood. Kirk
staggered at the sight and smell of the drop of fluid on her pale
chin. He reached out to taste it.
Margo
knocked his hand away, slapping him. Scrabbling with something in her
pocket, she extracted a vial of pills. Taking one, she forced Kirk's
lips apart and put it under his tongue. Clamping his lips shut, she
encouraged him to swallow. Closing his eyes, Kirk let the pill
partially dissolve before swallowing it. Inhaling slowly, he nodded
his thanks.
"Had
to vamp out, huh?" Margo asked.
Kirk
nodded once more. Scott told her what he'd seen. Having been
unconscious for most of the fight, he didn't tell her about that.
Seeing the bruises disappearing on Kirk's face, she reached her own
conclusions.
"The
elevator isn't working," Sandra said, touching the cut on
Scott's brow.
"Then
we take the stairs," Margo replied.
"It's
sixty-seven stories!" Sandra exclaimed.
"Did
you try the freight elevator?" Kirk asked.
"Is
there one?" Scott queried.
"Place
this size, has to be. Rich people don't want to see the hired help.
Probably this way." He pointed down the hallway.
"Have
you been here before?"
Kirk
shrugged, shaking his head. "Nope. Acoustics are different down
that hallway."
"And
you saw the sign," Margo said with a smirk, pointing to the
freight elevator sign on the wall.
Kirk
winked. "Of course, but where's the fun if I spoil it for you?"
Fortunately,
the freight elevator was working. Unfortunately, it stopped at nearly
every floor. Fortunately, there was no one in the parking garage.
Unfortunately, Kirk's rental car and the unmarked police car were
both heavily damaged.
"How
did they know which is yours?" Sandra asked.
Kirk
tapped his rather impressive looking nose. "Superior sense of
smell."
"That,
and the Barr Nunne brochures on the front seat. Kirk, quit trying to
out vamp us!" Sandra said with a grin. She punched his arm
playfully.
"Seriously,
even without that, there's a faint odor of Margo's perfume and my
cologne that would alert them to the right car."
©
2019 Dellani Oakes
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