Nick grunted a half-humorous, half-agreeing laugh.
“You vampires are just… gross.”
Nick laughed louder at that, leaning his hands on the metal bar over the edge of the cement landing. He was about to answer her, likely by making an inappropriate joke, when a guy next to him grabbed his arm.
“Hey! You! Can I talk to you?”
Nick tensed. He turned slowly, staring at the hand on his arm before he lifted his eyes to the person attached to that hand.
The man standing there was a total stranger to him.
Moreover, he wasn’t just some drunk idiot who grabbed hold of him to keep his balance, like Nick assumed.
The male human standing in front of him wore an expensive, if strangely retro suit. His brown hair was slicked back with some kind of augmented reality product that made it shimmer and ripple in watery, alive-looking ripples and waves. The AR-effect was vaguely disorienting, making him look like he was drifting underwater.
His blue eyes were sharp, and didn’t show any sign of drugs or alcohol, unlike the vast majority of the people there. He wore an expensive wrist-band, and a headset that looked next-gen.
Somewhat incongruously, he also wore retro-looking sideburns and a black, arrow-shaped beard that formed a line up his neck to end in a triangle below his lower lip. Those had also been smeared with the same augmented-reality jelly product he’d put on his hair.
All in all, he looked like money.
Hipster money, Nick would have called it, years ago.
“Don’t grab me,” Nick warned.
The human released him at once, holding up his hands.
He didn’t move away, though.
He looked Nick over instead, his blue eyes openly appraising, like he was trying to calculate the black-market value of a particularly rare species of heritage dog, or maybe a cybernetic race horse he was thinking about buying.
Nick noted the shrewd look in those eyes, the utter lack of personal interest, and fought to keep his voice polite.
“Can I help you with something?” he said.
“You’re a vampire, right?”
Nick blinked.
Then he scowled.
So much for disguises.
He glanced at Charlie, who had leaned over the balcony and was staring at the guy now too, a harder set to her mouth. Nick practically felt the protectiveness emanating off her. Her eyes had gone from glassed to almost hard.
“Hey,” she said, loud. “Whoever you are. Take a walk.”
Her voice was one hundred percent cop.
Nick felt an odd surge of affection for her at the words.
It struck him as funny, too, how little those words had changed over the years.
The other human was unmoved.
He didn’t so much as blink. He gave her a brief, indifferent glance, then the man in the expensive-looking, retro, three-piece suit turned back to face Nick.
“You interested in making some money?” he said. He spoke loudly, but utterly calmly, and clearly. “We have an open slot tonight. One of our fighters didn’t show.”
Nick frowned. “What?”
“An open slot.” The man jerked his chin towards the ring. “Tonight. We’re down a fighter. There’s good money in it for you––”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Not at all. Not in the slightest.” The man looked him over again. “You fight? Right?” His lips thinned, his eyes on Nick’s chest and arms. “…You look like you do. Frankly, you’re the first vampire I’ve seen in here who’d be worth the cost of admission.”
At Nick’s blank stare, the man shrugged.
“A hundred thousand to fight. Twice that, if you win.”
Nick gave him a derisive laugh.
“A hundred thou just to get beat up? I thought these were amateur fights. Some kind of championship––”
“No.” The man’s eyes shifted up, giving him a puzzled look. “Well. Not here. Not in this ring. The human fights, sure. This ring is pro fighters only. No humans.” He looked at Nick’s face and mouth. “We’d have to muzzle you, of course. We can provide all of that.”
Nick stared at him incredulously, then looked at Charlie.
She was laughing now. She nudged Nick’s ribs.
“Go for it,” she said. “Why not? You’d kick anyone’s ass in there. Easy money.”
Nick grunted, then turned back to the blue-eyed male human.
“No,” he said. “Thanks? I guess? But no.”
“One-fifty,” the man in the suit said at once. “We need this slot filled. It’s one of our big fights. You’d be going against one of the champions.”
“Then hell no,” Nick said, laughing a little, mostly in incredulity. “I’m here to watch a friend fight,” he added, motioning with his head and jaw towards ring number two. “Human. I only came down here as a tourist. I don’t even know the fucking rules––”
“There are very few rules. What few there are, we can teach you––”
“––And I’m not missing my friend’s fight,” Nick said, his voice shifting to a warning. “No matter how much money you want to throw at me––”
“We can move the slots around,” the man said.
His voice reflected nothing but unyielding persistence, a calm confidence that he would close this.
“We’ll put your fight second to last,” he offered. “That gives you roughly three hours. More likely four, since we’re running a bit behind. Will that work? Anyway, if your friend’s in the human championships, her fight will be long done by then––”
“How the fuck could you know that?” Nick growled. “I didn’t tell you her name.”
The man didn’t even flinch.
His voice grew somehow even more calm, more patient.
“The end of the night is all top-billers for the vamp fights,” he explained. “By design, human fights are all over by then. You’d be one of the headliners… not just for this ring, for the whole event. The big fights are the pro fights. The big draws are our headliners. That’s why I can’t have an empty slot.”
Nick frowned.
He looked at Charlie.
She laughed, holding up her hands.
“Don’t look at me,” she said. “I’d pay good money to see you fight. And who the hell turns down one-fifty thou in credits for a few hours’ work?”
The man was already handing Nick a card when he turned.
He passed it to Nick, who took it before he’d made up his mind not to.
“That will get you past security,” the man said. “I’m David.”
David nodded towards the card, which Nick turned over in his hands.
The front of the card glowed gold and green. David Farlucci, Event Promoter shimmered across the front in raised, bright blue, augmented text.
“Everyone knows me here,” the man added, leaning closer, his voice loud. “Show them this, tell them you’re the stand-in. Someone will take you to where I am.”
Nick glanced down at the AR-enhanced card, frowning. He made up his mind to hand it back, to give the guy a harder no––
––when he looked up, and realized the human had vanished.
Nick looked around sharply, trying to find him with his eyes, but the man had disappeared entirely, melting back into the crowd.
Still scanning faces and bodies, Nick tensed.
Was the guy a vampire?
Had Nick been talking to a fucking vampire, and he didn’t even notice?
He scowled at the thought.
Turning all the way around, he scanned faces in the flowing sea of humanity walking in both directions along the cement ring, most of them looking more than a little loaded. Still scowling, he looked back down at the card in his hands, tilting it to examine at the symbol on the side. It looked like the same sea creature he’d seen on that stocky boxer’s back, the one with the mohawk who ripped off the green-haired vampire’s jaw.
“Jesus,” he muttered.
Charlie b
urst out in another laugh, thumping him on the back.
Chapter 4
Dead Vampires
“Hey! Vampire!”
Kit burst out in a laugh at Nick’s startled look.
She shocked him even more when she ran up and leapt at him.
He caught her in reflex, despite her bruised skin and blood-speckled clothes, the tank-top stuck to her neon-pink sports bra, the slickness of her arms, hands and face with sweat. Before he could decide how to react, she enveloped his neck in a rough hug, kissing him on the cheek.
She released him at once, leaping just as nimbly out of his arms.
“Did you see that?” she said, grinning. She darted forward, punching him playfully in the chest. “Did you see that shit, Nick? I kicked ASS!”
He laughed, in spite of himself. “I saw it. You did great.”
“Great? I was historic, man! Fuckin’-A epically historic!”
Nick laughed.
“And you came!” she said, still grinning, obviously high on her win. “You’re here, Nick. In the flesh, no less…”
Her eyes drifted to the left of where Nick stood, and her voice trailed.
Nick watched his tech-punk friend focus on the curvy, part-Asian, part-black Charlie who walked up to stand by his side, arms folded.
Kit looked her over, her jaw falling slightly as she stared at Charlie’s light brown, almond-shaped eyes, sensual lips, high cheekbones, long lashes. Charlie was so obviously, shockingly beautiful, Kit seemed briefly stunned into silence.
Kit also clearly had a bit of a thing for women, Nick noted.
He couldn’t help but notice, hearing and seeing her heartrate and blush response as she stared at the admittedly gorgeous homicide detective.
Then Kit blinked, looking at Nick.
“Is this her?” she said. “You brought a date?”
Nick frowned, shaking his head. “No.”
“No?” Kit frowned back. “She’s with you though, right?”
Nick hesitated a bare breath, trying to think of an answer, when Charlie stuck out a hand.
“Charlie. Charlie Raider. And no, we didn’t come together.” She motioned between herself and Nick. “We’re work friends. I ran into him down by the vampire ring.”
Kit’s eyes widened.
“Work friends?” She looked at Nick, a faint panic in her eyes.
Nick shrugged, motioning subtly at his throat for her to not say anything.
“I won’t say anything,” Charlie said, clearly reading the looks passing between the two of them. “I told Nick as far as the department’s concerned, I haven’t seen him since he went into official debrief at the close of the Kellerman case.”
Kit pursed her lips.
Nick could see the doubt on her face, even before she glanced at him. He was glad when he saw her decide to let it go, to take Charlie’s words at face value, at least for now.
This definitely wasn’t the time or the place.
Anyway, the damage was done.
“You were amazing,” Charlie said, speaking louder above the crowd and leaning past Nick to Kit. “That last round was unbelievable!”
“Thanks!” Kit grinned.
“How do you know Nick?”
Kit hesitated, glancing at Nick.
Nick hesitated too, returning Kit’s look.
Again, Charlie looked between the two of them.
Clearing his throat, Nick shoved his hands in his pockets.
“She saw me going outside the grid to surf,” he said. “Told me I was a fucking idiot for going out there, that I’d definitely end up dead. When I came out alive, a few hours later, she offered to buy me coffee.”
Kit burst out in a laugh. “More or less. Yeah.”
Charlie smiled, nodding.
Nick saw the curiosity that remained in her eyes, along with a glimmer of the homicide detective––a detective Nick was learning was damned good, despite her young age, just like he’d been forced to see in Jordan, and Morley, for that matter. Nick saw the laser-like scrutiny in her light-brown eyes, and realized they weren’t fooling her at all.
Charlie knew there was more to the story than either of them were saying.
To her credit, she didn’t call them on it, though.
Instead, she turned back to Kit.
“Hey. Nick’s fighting tonight, too. Did he tell you?”
Kit’s enhanced blue and brown eyes widened comically.
She turned, staring up at Nick. “What?”
Nick exhaled.
It was more of a mannerism than a real breath, since he didn’t need to breathe, but it conveyed his point. Fishing into the pocket of his jacket, he pulled out the metallic, AR-enhanced card he’d been handed down by the vampire ring, and passed it over to Kit.
“You know this guy?” he said, half-shouting for her benefit.
She turned the card over in her fingers, which were still wrapped with cloth from the fight, and bruised and bloody where the cloth didn’t cover them.
Her eyes flinched and widened all over again when she saw the name on the other side of the card.
“Farlucci?” She looked up, aiming that stunned expression at Nick. “Jesus, Nick. How long have you been here? You met David Farlucci?”
Nick grunted, taking the card back when she handed it over.
“More like he met me,” he half-shouted, leaning closer. “Offered me money to fight. Says they’re down a slot.” He studied Kit’s face. “What do you know about him?”
She frowned, unhooking the Velcro on her left hand and unwinding the cloth wrap.
“I know he put this whole shindig on,” she said, motioning vaguely with the same hand to indicate the surrounding stadium. “He’s basically the promoter who owns this whole show. He just came up to you? Cold, like that?”
Nick nodded.
“Obviously, I’m not going to do it,” he said, his voice still loud. “That Farlucci guy walked off before I got the chance to tell him that, or to tell him fuck off… nicely… if for the third time.” He paused. “Do I need to make my apologies in person? Any reason why I shouldn’t just blow him off? I’m not going to end up with mafia assholes at my house with a tranq gun, am I? If I decide to just take a walk?”
Kit laughed. Before she could answer him, Charlie did.
“No,” she said. “Don’t do that.”
Nick stiffened. Turning, he stared down at her with a faint frown.
“Why the hell not?” he said.
He’d thought she was just joking before, with the wanting to watch him fight thing. Now, looking at her, she looked deadly serious. He also didn’t see any trace of the drunk fighting fan on her now. She looked cold sober.
More than that, she looked like a cop.
“Why the hell not?” he repeated. “You know they record these things, right? They televise them, Charlie. Live. I can’t have my face on every screen in New York. I’m not even supposed to be here, remember?”
“You’ll be wearing a mask,” Charlie said. “They won’t know you. No one will.”
Nick stared at her.
“Are you being serious right now?” he said finally. “Why would you think this is a good idea in any way?”
Charlie hesitated, looking between the two of them.
Then she exhaled, as if making up her mind.
“Look, Nick. I’m not here to see the fights. I’m here on business.”
Nick stared at her.
Then, turning over her words, he found himself understanding more than he wanted.
“Farlucci?”
“Possibly.” She exhaled, folding her arms in front of her. “We got word of a vampire ring. Meaning a not-willing kind of vampire ring. As in, they’re kidnapping vampires and possibly enslaving them.” She hesitated, then added, “…and killing them.”
Nick stared at her.
That time, when the beat ended, he let out a disbelieving sound.
“And I’m what? Bait?”
Hugging her arms a
round her, she shrugged. “Well. Honestly, if you weren’t on this stupid leave thing, I would have asked you to partner with me on this already. When I ran into you down there, I couldn’t believe it. Even so, I wasn’t going to mention the case… but then Farlucci came up to you. It’s a pretty good bet he doesn’t know you’re a cop.”
Shrugging again, she added, “And even if he scans your barcode and finds out, he approached you, so he could hardly suspect you were here to approach him.”
“Great.” Nick glanced at Kit, who was frowning openly at Charlie, anger in her eyes. “I’m still not seeing the good in this, Charlie, at least not for me. If they’re disappearing vampires, doesn’t that mean I disappear, too? Or do you think you can yank me before I get shipped to Asia or Poland or wherever?”
“No.” Charlie shook her head. “No, Nick. That won’t happen. Their fighters are all legit. We’ve verified that. If Farlucci’s involved, it’s strictly a side operation. Probably involving vampires they hope no one would miss––”
“Like stand-ins for fights?” Kit snapped, her voice hard as she leaned past Nick. “Like some random vampire who’s not on Farlucci’s regular roster? That kind of vampire?”
Charlie gave her a bare glance, but continued to talk to Nick.
“––He wouldn’t be stupid enough, or ballsy enough, to grab an unknown vampire who could have a code-designation with the I.S.F.,” Charlie added seriously. “…In fact, one who probably does, given that you can afford to come to the fights at all. He wouldn’t risk harming you, Nick, or pulling you into any of that. It’s not just us, or the I.S.F. they would fear. Whoever is behind this, they definitely wouldn’t want to be on the radar of Whitewing.”
Nick grimaced.
That time, he knew exactly who she meant.
She was talking about the vampire mafia.
The White Death, or “Whitewing,” as they were often called, was one of the biggest of those, and definitely the most infamous.
Gauging his face, Charlie added,
“I genuinely believe he has a hole in his schedule and saw you…” She shrugged, motioning up and down Nick’s length. “You do look like a fighter, Nick. Even if you completely sucked, you’d look good for the cameras before you went down.”
Eyes of Ice Page 6