Dark of Night

by T. F. Walsh

  “We’ll need to see ID first,” I said as I stroked Willy with my foot.

  “I was talkin’ to the fag, not you, Blondie. Besides, what you need ID for? Y’all serve liquor?” His buddies punched his shoulder like he had just made a big joke. “You got a dog back there?”

  My “Oh Shit Meter” was sounding red alert, but Raf seemed totally calm. Willy tried as hard as he could to get out from under my foot. “We need ID to prove you’re eighteen or we need a parent to sign giving consent. It’s just a precaution in case you get burned,” I answered as calmly as I could. I noticed the odd man, the one without a girl attached to him, seemed to be sidling closer to the counter. I turned slightly to better keep an eye on him and Willy used the opportunity to roll out from under my foot and the counter. He headed straight for Harley.

  “Hey look!” Kat squealed. “The dog’s in a wheelchair!”

  “Damn, dog’s a gimp,” Harley declared as he squatted for a better look. He reached for the chest harness as if he wanted to pull Willy closer.

  Willy responded by showing all his teeth, tail wagging slowly from side to side, hackles raised. Dachshunds think they’re Great Danes when it comes to a fight. Willy was in fighting stance.

  Harley drew back his hand as if to strike him, and I flew around the counter totally forgetting the odd man in my haste to reach my dog. He grabbed me before I registered his movement, twisted my arm behind my back and poked a knife tip to my throat.

  “Where you goin’, Blondie?”

  A scream of rage and fear tore from my soul when Harley backhanded Willy, sending him and his cart crashing into the wall.

  CHAPTER 11

  My memory of the events that followed is a bit shaky as my attention was divided between my unmoving dog under his overturned cart, the knife at my throat, and the action going on around me.

  The two girls screamed as the bulk of the man named Harley flew through the plate glass storefront and well into the street beyond. After a sound much like a branch snapping in a storm, the knife at my throat dropped to the floor and my arm was released. I had no interest in the gurgling sound behind me as I ran to Willy and carefully freed him from his overturned cart. Only when he was cradled in my arms did I really take stock of the mayhem around me.

  The girls huddled in a corner staring toward Raf who held man number three suspended in the air by his throat — the gurgling sound. Taller than Raf by several inches, his toes barely touched the floor. I realized then Raf hovered about a foot off the floor. The one who attacked me leaned against the counter cradling his limply dangling wrist.

  Sirens warbled in the night.

  My face hardened into a savage smile when I saw Harley lay unmoving in the street. With a little luck the wailing squad cars would run him over before they saw him.

  Strong arms lifted me and carried me into the office, Willy and all. I raised my eyes to Tom’s dilated ones, asking the question I couldn’t form into words. He stood me on my feet before carefully removing Willy from my arms and laying him on the desk. His eyes opened and seemed to focus but his little body was motionless.

  “Is he breathing?” I somehow managed to ask.

  “His breathing seems even and strong.” Tom pulled a seat cushion from one of the chairs and placed it on the floor, gingerly moving Willy to it.

  Tom’s fangs were still fully extended when he turned back to me. “You’re bleeding.”

  I raised my hand to my throat. It came away covered with blood. The knife had nicked me after all. I remembered the limp, dangling hand and smiled. “Please tell me Harley is dead.”

  The left corner of Tom’s mouth curled before he answered, “I’m not sure. The paramedics are still working on him.”

  A commotion in the lobby made me turn. I shot past Tom and out the door.

  “Leave him alone! He saved me,” I yelled at the officers trying to force Raf to release the third man. The gurgling had stopped. The officer brushed me aside to hit Raf with a stun gun. I plowed my fist into the cop’s nose.

  “Put your weapons down now!” a feminine voice bellowed. The officers did as they were told but the one with the stun gun sure looked pissed as blood streamed down his face.

  “Raf, honey, you can put him down now. Raf?”

  He turned in my direction but I wasn’t sure he saw me. His eyes were dilated as Tom’s had been, his fangs extended. The paramedics swarmed the limp man as he dropped to the floor. Surprisingly he wasn’t dead, only unconscious. A few more minutes might have made a difference. Who’s to say? I threw my arms around Raf and his slowly wrapped round me.

  “So who wants to tell me what happened here?” Becki got more than she bargained for when she was rushed by customers, all wanting to tell what they had seen.

  While we were occupied, the lobby and lounge had filled with customers in varying degrees of undress as they exited the tanning rooms. Any who might have been attempting to enter had wisely detoured. Someone apparently dialed nine-one-one but had yet to step forward as Becki’s officers took witness statements.

  Tom put a hand under my elbow and led me to the restroom. The neck of my tee shirt was wet, and blood seeped down near my breast. A glance in the mirror revealed the wound was about an inch long and maybe half an inch in depth. It bled profusely, possibly due to the pain reliever I had taken earlier in the day, or maybe neck wounds just do that? It was only a flesh wound, having luckily missed the artery. Tom’s eyes were stygian pits in the reflection above me, his yearning, palpable.

  “Is this my idea? You’re not putting thoughts in my head?” The reflection’s nod was slight but unmistakable. I tilted my head slightly and closed my eyes.

  A shudder ran through him and seemed to enter me as his head lowered. His tongue flicked in my ear. My eyes flew open and I jerked away, not in fear, but surprise, and turned in his embrace. He offered me a crooked smile before again lowering his head to the wound. He began to lick very gently, tracing the blood trail to the hollow of my throat. I held my breath, exhaling only when he retraced the trail back to my wound. He cleaned it tenderly, carefully, never drawing on it, only the gentle rhythmic motion of his tongue until the wound began to seal itself. His lips trailed to mine in a kiss so filled with longing I felt something in my heart give way. My arms found his neck and I returned his kiss measure for measure. I’m not sure which of us pulled away when we heard Becki calling. He allowed me to leave first. I sat on the office floor with Willy answering Becki’s questions by the time he strode in.

  “Do I need to call Lori for you?” Becki asked tactfully. “Several of the witnesses stated they saw the dead guy knock Willy into the wall.”

  Yippy Skippy, he’s dead.

  Becki met my gaze with a cold smile. She and I were on the same page.

  “I appreciate the offer Becki, but what could she do now, put him in a cage till morning and give him steroids to reduce any swelling? I can do that. We’ve been through this before.” Never this bad. “I have prednisone at home. He flipped his cart when he was learning how to drive.”

  I felt tears building behind my eyes. I wouldn’t be able to keep it together for long. I tried a different tack.

  “What was with officer stun gun?” I rubbed Willy’s tummy with my good hand, knowing he couldn’t feel it. The comforting gesture was as much for me as him. My right hand’s knuckles were swollen twice their size.

  Becki winced. “Look Connie, you know the jerks out number us ten to one. You can’t throw a rock around here without hitting a bigot. We’ve got them on the force just like everywhere else. It takes time to change decades of stupid.”

  “You’re not charging Raf — or me?”

  “Hell no! Everyone in this place said it was self-defense, although, I doubt your friend was worried about himself.” She raised an eyebrow. “All three of those idiots had knives and the
dead one even had a gun in his boot. I wouldn’t be surprised to find the girls are packing, too. But, I’d try not to make it a habit of hitting my officers if I were you.”

  “Harley,” I said in relief. “Dead guy’s girlfriend called him Harley.”

  “Harley, huh? Now I got to rename my puppy.” She sighed. “So what do you two think the motive was?”

  “Robbery maybe? The guy who cut me was working his way to the counter. Willy started growling before they even came through the door.” I choked on his name, swallowed and continued. “Willy got loose and the shit hit the fan.” Brave little guy. I tried hard not to break down, swiping the back of my swollen hand across my eyes.

  Becki turned to Tom, “So how did it go down?”

  “Unfortunately I was on the phone with the governor … ”

  “Oh yeah, congratulations,” Becki said.

  I had no idea what she was talking about.

  “Thank you. At any rate, Raf had already taken care of … Harley. I removed the knife from Connie’s throat.”

  Becki snorted, “You damn near removed the hand holding it! You do the clean-up?” she asked, pointing her pen to my neck.

  Tom quirked an eyebrow at her but answered truthfully, “Yes.”

  “Remind me to call one of you guys the next time I get shot.”

  She was dead serious. She had been shot twice in the line of duty. Both times they missed her vest. Luckily one round hit her in the shoulder and the last time, in her upper arm. If it had been neck, head, or groin she might not be here. She twirled her hand to indicate he should continue.

  Tom shrugged. “Raf had control of the other one by then and the girls didn’t seem to be a threat. I concentrated my attentions on Connie and Willy.”

  “Well Mr. Thornton, as much as I hate to say this, I’m going to have to shut you down for a while. Not that any of this is your fault. I’m not saying that at all. We have two incidences at this location, which are probably totally unrelated. Unfortunately they both ended up involving bodies.” She paused a minute before adding, “We’ll try to be a quick as we can. I’m sure some of these idiots have records, which should speed things along.”

  “I understand. My employees won’t mind a paid vacation. But please don’t dawdle. I’m not made out of money you know.”

  Becki gave another snort, “That’s not what I hear. Let’s say you can reopen next Monday unless something comes up.” Her hand touched my shoulder. “Take Willy on home. I’ve got your number if I think of anything else. Get some ice on that hand.”

  The customers were interviewed, statements taken, and personal information recorded before they were allowed to leave. Bright yellow crime scene tape crisscrossed the broken glass of the front window. The forensic guys crawled all over like ants on a pile of sugar.

  Raf came into the office and sat beside me, his arm around my shoulder. That’s all it took, I broke into a million little pieces. I cried until I had no more tears, sure I had lost Willy tonight. There isn’t a lot of hope for a quadriplegic dog. I barely heard Raf over my sobs.

  “You or me?”

  Tom answered, “I will.”

  I watched as Tom opened his wrist with the little letter opener from his desk. Wetting his finger in the blood, he rubbed it onto Willy’s tongue, once, twice, then a third time, no more than a couple of drops in all. By then, the cut had closed. In a few minutes Willy raised his head and looked at me, in a few more, his tail wagged and he rolled onto his back for me to rub his tummy. I found fresh tears, tears of joy. A little red wiener dog licked them from my face as they fell.

  • • •

  When the elevator door opened on the second floor of our home, we all walked out, including Willy.

  I had heard all the stories concerning the healing properties of vampire blood. Tonight I had seen for myself they were fact rather than fiction. My neck wound was sealed and only a thin red line remained. The thought of how it had been healed sent shivers up my spine. I glanced at Tom to find him smiling.

  While happily ignorant as to the full extent of Willy’s injuries, I was sure further spinal damage had been done when he hit the wall, re-injuring his lumbar area as well as the cervical. He’d been unable to move anything other than his eyes and breathe. Now my dog danced along beside me in high spirits. There was no sign of the former paralysis, not even lack of muscle tone. Willy was as healthy as he had ever been, perhaps more so.

  It was obvious something or someone was trying to ruin Tom’s new business venture. They were doing a bang-up job! Even with my job on the line, I couldn’t bring myself to be upset.

  Sure my throat had almost been slit, but I was a happy camper. My little dog was well and my boss finally showed his cards. I hadn’t realized how much his hot and cold, well lukewarm and cold might be a better description, attitude bothered me. I wanted him to notice me and he had. For now, I relished his change and mine. In this new, unquestioning frame of mind I was thrilled with the turn of events. Possibly if Bianca found a counter spell or whatever, my attitude would change. If so, I could and probably would, worry.

  Tonight I floated on air. I planted a kiss on Raf’s lips.

  “What’s that for?”

  “For my protector,” I said with a little curtsy and a grin.

  “My pleasure,” Raf replied with a bow.

  I picked Willy up and whirled around the room in a wild dance until his wiggling made me fear I would drop him. I kissed the top of his head before releasing him to bark at my feet. I went to his cookie jar and removed several of the treats inside.

  “A reward for my very brave — if stupid — wonder wiener.” The barking and bouncing ceased and he retreated to his pillow to eat his goodies.

  I could feel Tom’s eyes on the back of my head. Was he waiting for his reward? I tugged at the neck of my tee shirt. My blood glued it to me.

  “I believe I need a shower or maybe a bath. I’m feeling pretty gross. Keep an eye on Willy. I’m not sure what he’ll do if he needs to go out. Before his accident he used to go to the door and whine.” The only out door was the elevator. I shrugged. I called back over my shoulder as I wound up the stairs. “I’m sure y’all can figure it out,”

  Roses reminded me of a certain Incubus, so I chose jasmine scented oil for the bath and turned on the taps. I needed to ask Raf where he bought these oils. They were luscious! This one smelled exactly like the Carolina jasmine on the fence between our house and the neighbor’s when I was a girl living with my uncle in Dover. The thought made me frown. Not tonight.

  I concentrated on the smell as I pulled the bloody tee over my head and tossed it to the floor. It was a goner. My bra was stained as well but I held hope for it. Pink to begin with, maybe a cold water soak would remove the stain. Tossing it into the sink, I ran water to cover it, holding my swollen hand under the chilly flow. I sat on the vanity stool to remove my shoes and socks before letting the shorts and pink panties slide to the floor. I wiped the condensation from the mirror to look at the mark on my neck, barely visible in the dim light. Returning to the tub, I turned off the faucet and slowly eased into the heat of the water careful to keep my swollen hand on the rim. A loud sigh escaped my lips.

  I had seen a man killed today. How did I feel about that? Relieved? Probably a little more than that, if I were to be truthful with myself. Raf hadn’t actually done the killing, the plate glass window had. Harley had been cut in several places but the shard of glass that pierced his carotid had been the fatal one. The paramedics couldn’t stop the blood flow. Death by exsanguination they would call it on C.S.I. I thought my vampires (when did they become my vampires?) handled themselves admirably. No one had been bitten, even though they had every right to use deadly force to protect themselves or humans. I wasn’t sure deadly force was allowed when protecting property. Vampire law was a fairly new realm, especial
ly to me. What had been the goal of Harley and his buddies? Were they there to rob the place or up to other mischief? I closed my eyes and let the scent of jasmine carry me away. I would worry about the void in my conscience some other time.

  When I opened my eyes, he stood at the foot of the tub, watching. Our gazes locked briefly before his bare chest drew my attention. His shirt was gone, as were his boots, but his jeans still clung tightly to his hips and legs. The giant belt buckle shone softly, highlighting the bulge of his erection. Hmm … the oversized buckle wasn’t compensating for a damn thing near as I could tell.

  His chest was wide and well-muscled with a fair amount of dark hair angling into a thin line that disappeared into the denim. His hips and waist were narrow and his thigh muscles strong. He stepped to the side of the tub and reached in to lift me from it. I snagged the towel from the stool, but only because I was dripping everywhere. Tom didn’t seem to notice or care as he carried me into my room.

  Maybe he had thought about this too much or perhaps he wanted to finish what had been started in the restroom at the salon, either way what happened next seemed all too human. He laid me on my bed, quickly pulled the giant buckle loose, before unbuttoning and unzipping the snug jeans. He just couldn’t seem to get them off. He really wanted rid of them but they just weren’t cooperating at all.

  I stepped from the bed and pushed him over onto it, grasped the pant legs and tugged. It took a couple of attempts before they responded, giving way. I held up my trophy only to have them seized. The pull brought me down on top of Tom who seemed very pleased with the result. Very pleased. If he got any more pleased I might have cause for worry.

  I noticed his lovely olive green eyes held little golden flames as I lowered my mouth to his. I ran a tentative tongue over first one fang then the other before entering his mouth fully. In one swift movement he turned me until I was under him, his mouth devouring mine. Whether it was natural talent, years or centuries of experience that made his kisses so passionate I couldn’t say, but they left me breathless and wanting more. He had more to give and trailed kisses down my throat to my breasts where he spent considerable time before I pulled his mouth back to mine. I had the feeling he could go on forever while I definitely could not.