by ID Johnson
Jack stood watching for a moment, not exactly sure how to make his presence known. He didn't want to interrupt the game, but the discomfort in his throat seemed to be increasing by the second, and he didn't know how much longer he could stand it.
Giovani was aware that Jack had joined them. He completed the sequence he was working on in the game, and then hit pause on the console. "Hey, Jack. We didn't wake you up, did we?" he asked sitting the controller down.
"No," Jack assured him, gesturing with his right hand. "Not at all."
"Good, good," Giovani said, standing. "This is my friend Rob. He lives in the apartments across the street."
"How you doing?" Jack asked, shaking the lanky fellow's hand.
"Please to meet you," Rob replied, not standing but stretching his hand over to reach. "You're Giovani's brother?" he asked.
Giovani nodded in Jack's general direction, letting him know that it was okay to confirm. "Yeah," Jack said, nodding. "We're brothers."
"Cool, cool," Rob said leaning back on the couch.
"Everything all right?" Giovani asked, a look of concern on his scruffy face.
Jack wasn't sure if Rob really was "cool" or not. He hesitated a moment before answering. "Yeah, I just. . . I'm really thirsty."
Amused Giovani said, "That right, brother? Well, then, we can take care of that. Rob, you wanna go grab a drink?"
Rob's eyes twinkled and Jack could clearly see two sharp fangs forming in his smile. "I'm always up for a drink," he replied, coming to his feet.
"Great," Giovani stated, smiling. "Well, then, let's go see what we can scare up."
***
Elliott was still engrossed in his phone when a rapping at the door got his attention. "Anybody order a pizza?" he asked the girls. Hannah was reading, not acknowledging the knock or the comment, and Eliza appeared to have dozed off. He sat his phone down and clambered to his feet, mumbling, "Who the hell knocks on a hotel room door at 5:30 in the morning?"
He didn't bother to check the peek hole, thinking there weren't too many people in the world he couldn't take. Pulling open the door, however, he wished he would have checked. At least he would have had a few more seconds to prepare. "Well, shit," he said, stepping out of the way so that his boss could enter the room.
"I'm really happy to see you, too," Aaron replied, walking past him but pausing just inside the doorway. "I can't tell you how badly I'd like to punch you in the face right now," he added, only half-joking.
"She's fine," Elliott assured him, pushing the door closed behind him.
"She'd better be," Aaron exclaimed, taking his coat off and tossing it on a chair by the door. "You don't authorize hunts, Elliott. Only I do that."
"I know, I know," Elliott replied, throwing his hands into the air and walking away, back toward the living area. Tossing himself back down in the chair he added, "Believe me, I didn't intend for her to actually take on Barbarosa. It just . . . happened. And it's fine. Everything turned out fine for all non-bloodsucking parties involved."
"Hey," Eliza interrupted, just waking up and realizing Aaron was in the room. She stood and hugged him gently. "How are you feeling?"
Aaron hesitated before returning the hug. "I'm fine," he replied, releasing her. Eliza returned to the chair she had been snoozing in, and he turned to Hannah, who had put her book down. "Hannah," he said, waving politely.
"Hello," she said. "Glad to hear that you're feeling better"
"Yeah," he replied, sitting down in an empty chair across from the couch. "Jamie fixed everything the second time, so it's really no big deal."
"Ha," Eliza chimed in rather loudly. "You were shot, Aaron. That's nothing to be trifle about. You could've died."
Aaron was very much aware of how close he had come to expiring that day. Nevertheless, the last thing he wanted was his teammates worried about him. "I know, Eliza," he said calmly. "But I'm fine now. Of course, you can imagine my surprise when I heard that Cadence had destroyed Barbarosa," he added, returning his attention to Elliott.
Shaking his head, Elliott attempted to explain again. "I told you," he said dismissively, "I never intended for her to actually engage him. She's . . . tenacious."
Aaron opened his mouth, as if he was going to respond, but then, surveying the room, he thought better of it, and closed it abruptly. He switched to IAC instead, speaking to Elliott, and only Elliott. "She's less than a month old. How could you have done something so completely irresponsible?"
"You're absolutely right," Elliott agreed. "I should have never taken her out there in the first place. And once I did, I should have demanded she stand down and dragged her back to the vehicle. But, I didn't. I couldn't. I just watched her. . . in awe. I've never seen anything like it. I'm sorry, man. I shouldn't have been screwing around. It won't happen again."
"Was this pay back?" Aaron asked, wondering if Elliott had taken her out there intentionally trying to get her hurt, or worse.
"No, well, not exactly," Elliott admitted. "I was just trying to scare her. I definitely didn't want to see her get hurt. I wouldn't have let that happen."
"There might not have been anything you could do about it. The guy was a freaking nightmare, something out of a bad dream. You were there when we lost Williams and Morris. And the other time when Campbell didn't make it out. Honestly, Elliott, I'm questioning your judgment now, and that's not a good thing." This was about as stern with Elliott as Aaron had ever gotten, and he could see his friend's expression changing from one of slight disappointment in himself to one of a child being reprimanded by his favorite parent.
Elliott sighed, attempting to get his thoughts together before he replied. Finally, he said, "You're absolutely right, and, again. I'm sorry."
Physically nodding, despite the fact that the girls in the room were not privy to the conversation, Aaron said, "All right. Just. . . don't ever let it happen again. Got it? No matter how much you don't like her, it's my job to keep her alive. And it's your job, too."
"Oh, no," Elliott corrected, "that's all over with now. She's great. I mean, she's amazing. I love her." Aaron's forehead visibly furrowed, sparking Elliott to clarify. "I mean, like she's my little sister or something. What I'm trying to say is, you don't have to worry about me complaining about her anymore. You wanna date her, I'm all for it. In fact, go ahead and marry her. I'll stand next to you."
Aaron blushed, something he had a propensity to do whenever the topic of dating Cadence, or almost anything associated with Cadence, came up. "Good to know," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I guess that's better than the alternative," he added as an afterthought.
Elliott waited a few moments before asking the question that was burning in his mind. "How did you find out?" he inquired, wondering if Eliza or Hannah had ratted him out.
"What difference does it make?" Aaron asked, protecting his source.
"I'm just curious," Elliott admitted. "It had to be one of these two lovely ladies."
"Possibly," Aaron replied. "But honestly, it doesn't matter. It should have been you. And you should have called for back up as soon as you realized she was headed in."
Considering that remark, Elliott absently pulled at a string on the edge of the armrest. "I thought about it," he confirmed. "I just didn't think anyone would get there in time. Either she'd have him, or he'd get away. Or. . . "
"He'd have her."
"Hey, are you guys about done with your private conversation?" Eliza asked aloud. "I feel like I used to when I was a kid and my mom and dad would spell things because they didn't want me to know what they were talking about."
"And what did you learn from that experience, Eliza? Apparently, nothing!" Elliott said, only half joking. He had learned how to work with the sassy, petite Guardian, but he didn't always like her, and since he was convinced that she was probably the one who tattled on him to Aaron, she was definitely on his list again.
Eliza shot him a glare before crossing her arms and saying, "I want to talk to Aaron, too, you
know," with a pouty look on her face.
Aaron glanced at Elliott, a questioning expression on his face, before turning to Eliza. "What do you want to talk to me about?" he asked, thinking her behavior a bit strange, even for her.
"You know," Eliza replied, "Stuff. How's it going? When are you going to Billings? How's the crew at LIGHTS? That sort of thing."
Hannah chuckled, shaking her head slowly. "Eliza's full of questions tonight," she said quietly, picking her book up and returning to the fictional story that couldn't possibly be as exciting as her real life.
Eliza ignored her. "Well," she said, turning back to Aaron. "I know you said Jamie was well enough to go on a hunt, so that's good right?"
Aaron hadn't really come for small talk, but he didn't want to be rude, either. "Right. He's fine. Everyone is fine. Their hunt went well. They didn't catch the guy, but they have a good indication where he's hiding out. My plane leaves for Billings at 10:00"
"In the morning, like in a few hours?" Eliza clarified.
"Yes," he confirmed. "In a few hours. Did I miss anything?"
Eliza looked hurt again. "No," she said quietly. "I just . . . don't talk to you very much anymore, that's all."
"Eliza, we talk all the time," he replied, once again shaking his head in disbelief. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Yes," she declared. "I'm fine. I just. . . missed you, that's all."
It was Elliott's turn to laugh this time. "Eliza, you begged to go with us, remember?"
"I know," she replied defensively. "But I didn't know I was going to be sitting around, bored to tears. I thought I was going to be needed, but all Cadence has done since she got here is hang out with her other friends. And sleep. And kill a Vampire. She hasn't talked to me!"
Once again, Aaron was speechless. He chose not to reply to Eliza's remark but turned his attention back to Elliott instead. "Speaking of Cadence, is she asleep then?"
"Yes," he confirmed. "She's been asleep for a couple of hours. She was exhausted after the hunt."
Aaron nodded. "Well, I think I'll go check on her, then," he said standing.
"What?" Eliza said, a little louder than she meant to. "She's asleep."
"I . . . know. . ." Aaron said questioningly.
"Well, why would you need to check on her if she's asleep?" she reached.
"I . . ." he started but thought better of what he was about to say. Because I miss her, I want to be with her. I'm trying to get away from you. Instead, he turned to Elliott and said simply, "Elliott? Please?" and walked toward Cadence's bedroom door.
Eliza slumped back into her chair, feeling as if she had just lost a beauty pageant, her arms crossed across her chest. She glanced up at Elliott and could see by his expression that he was not very happy with her. "Aaron, does Elliott know that I told you?" she asked through the IAC, just before he reached Cadence's door.
"He doesn't know for sure. I mean, I didn't tell him. But, yeah, he knows."
"I think he wants to hurt me," she replied. "Aren't you going to physically protect your source?"
"Eliza, he's not going to hurt you. Besides, you're a very talented assassin. You'll figure it out." He disappeared into the bedroom, leaving the girl with the burgundy hair to fend for herself.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Eliza asked, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Elliott's eyes were like darts, penetrating into her skull. "I think you know why," he replied, his voice almost as deep as a growl.
"Don't look at me," Eliza said. Hannah wasn't paying any attention so she tipped her head in Hannah's direction, indicating it had been the blond who sold him out.
He wasn't convinced. "Just remember, payback is hell," he replied, pulling himself to his feet and walking towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Eliza asked as he pulled his coat out from under Aaron's and put it on.
"Out," Elliott spat, yanking the door open and slamming it behind him.
The sun wasn't quite peeking over the horizon as Aaron entered Cadence's bedroom. Only the light from the clock illuminated the space, but he had no trouble navigating with his night vision. She had pulled the blanket over herself only partially and her breathing indicated that she was in a state of deep sleep.
He stood at the foot of the bed and stared at her for a moment. Her long brown hair was tossed over her shoulder, one arm tucked under her chin, the other stretched beneath the pillow. She was still wearing the dark clothing she had worn on the hunt, and it looked fairly uncomfortable. The blanket was pulled halfway up her back, one bent knee sticking out from under it. She was on the very edge of the bed, leaving most of it empty, and it only took him a moment to decide she wouldn't mind if he climbed in with her.
Slipping his shoes off, he slowly slid in next to her, careful not to shake the bed so as not to wake her. She didn't stir at all as he lay down next to her, adjusting the blanket so that it covered the rest of her. Even with that, she didn't make a sound. He gently stroked her hair and kissed her lightly on the head leaning back on the pillows. Though he was certainly angry at Elliott for acting so irresponsibly, he was also incredibly impressed with what Cadence had managed to do on the hunt, yet again. He was also thankful that she had made it through the exchange unscathed and that he was given another chance to be with her. She never ceased to amaze him.
***
"This time of morning, it's pretty easy to find a group of druggies all passed out together," Giovani was explaining as he drove his Corvette into one of the worst neighborhoods in town. "Before we go, we make it look like they all overdosed. No one asks questions. Hardly ever even makes the news."
Jack was sitting in the backseat, a tight squeeze, but he had given Rob the passenger seat, thinking there's no way he could climb into the back with those long legs. "Okay," he said, hesitantly. He hadn't had any problem sucking the blood out of the corpse in the morgue, but this would be different. Actually biting into the flesh of a living human being, one capable of kicking and screaming, the idea terrified him, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to do it.
Even though he was driving and couldn't look directly at Jack, Giovani seemed to sense his lack of confidence. "Don't worry, brother," he reassured him. "Your instincts will kick in once you get in there, and you'll be just fine. You're a natural."
Jack wanted to believe him, but he wasn't sure. Still, he knew he had to do something to stop this burning sensation in his throat, and if that meant draining the life out of a crack head, then that's what he would do.
Rob had a tip on where some drug users were partying earlier in the evening. He was giving Giovani directions as Jack looked out the window at the slum-like buildings they were speeding past. Even in the dim light, it was evident this was not where the rich and elite of Omaha resided, and he felt like he would have never come to a neighborhood like this one in his former existence, particularly before the sun came up.
"It's right up here," Rob was saying, directing Giovani to a rundown home in the middle of a block of similar homes. There were a few older model, beat-up cars parked on the street, and Giovani would have hesitated to park his precious vehicle in such an area if he wasn't confident in his ability to get in, get what he needed, and get out within a few minutes.
One light was on in the back of the house, but other than that, there didn't appear to be any signs of life. "Hope they're all out," Giovani commented, putting his keys in his pocket and pushing his car door open. The others followed, Rob widening to the right, indicating that he planned to go in the back door. Jack wasn't sure what to do, so he followed Giovani, who walked straight to the front of the house.
The door was unlocked so Giovani pushed it open, catching Jack's eye in an expression of caution. Slowly, he stuck his head in the narrow opening, surveying the area. On the floor, he could clearly see four bodies, three men and a woman, all sleeping or otherwise unconscious. He heard a small creak from the back of the house and knew that Rob had also made entry.
Giovani
stepped into the living room, motioning for Jack to follow him. He locked the door behind his brother and signaled for him to slide to his right. The woman, dressed in a flannel shirt and a stocking cap, was slumped against the wall, drool or vomit sliding from the corner of her mouth. The men were all sprawled on the floor, one with a blanket, the other two huddled up against the cold. Clearly, there was no heat in the dump of a house. No furniture except for one beat up chair. It looked as if the place had been squatted for some time, and the smell of trash would have been bothersome if Jack wasn't so extremely thirsty.
A ruckus from the kitchen was an indication that Rob had found at least one victim there. It wasn't a scream but a yelp of surprise, followed by the shuffling of paper and the screech of glass against linoleum. Knowing that the slightest noise could be problematic, Giovani indicated that it was time for Jack to get to work. He motioned towards the girl, and Jack turned to examine her. She looked so peaceful; he was hesitant to make her his first victim. If he had started with one of the men, perhaps it would be easier. However, Giovani clearly wanted him to take the girl, so Jack moved in her direction.
As he approached, her odor filled his lungs and he began to feel a change in his teeth. Though she smelt more like body odor and urine than anything else, Jack could also distinctly smell the irony scent of her blood. As he came within a few feet of her, the urge to drink her blood became overwhelming, and he could no longer control himself. He lunged at her, sinking his teeth into her exposed neck before she could even open her eyes. She didn't struggle, not much anyway. Her muscles went rigid for just a second before they began to relax and then to twitch rhythmically, like the reflexive motion of an animal's heart, long after it's been removed from the body.
This blood tasted so much different than the coagulated substance he had sucked from the body in the morgue the day before. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and even though he couldn't describe it as delicious or tantalizing, it was certainly refreshing. Almost instantly, the burning in his throat ceased, and he began to feel invigorated and reenergized.