by C. J. Pinard
“Do you have a business center with a fax machine?”
He nodded and pointed. “Right over there.”
I smacked the counter twice with the palm of my hand. “Thanks.”
Pulling a blank sheet of paper from a nearby printer, I fished a pen from my purse and wrote a quick cover sheet so Waters would get it, then unfolded the picture of my vampire and faxed the pages over to our precinct.
I wasn’t sure what to do with myself while I waited, so I went walking around the Strip by myself. The time passed quickly because there was so much to look at. I even did some gambling, but the cigarette smoke was too much for my sensitive nose so I never stayed long, and I sure as hell didn’t win anything. Luck definitely wasn’t my middle name. I think that was proven to me from pretty much the day I’d been born.
Around 5 p.m., my cell rang and my heart sped up when I saw Waters’ name on the caller ID.
“Whatcha got for me?” I asked, putting down the hamburger I’d been eating by myself in the restaurant of my hotel.
“That picture was horrible, Smith,” he replied.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever, just tell me what you found.”
“Okay, well his name is Brandon Jacobs and I’m emailing you a pic of his driver’s license.”
A name! I had a name! I wanted to yell out and punch the air. But of course I didn’t. “We sure it’s him?”
I heard Stephan take a sip of something then swallow. Stupid sensitive hearing. “Yeah about 90 percent sure. The computer spat out three names of possible matches, but only one lives in Vegas. One other was in Florida and the other lives in the United Kingdom.”
This had to be my guy. “Well ya done good. I owe you.”
“What did this guy do anyway?” he asked.
I ignored his question. “Bad connection, can’t hear you, I’m going through a tunnel. I’ll call you later.”
“But there are no tunnels in –”
I smiled as I ended the call, clicking over to my email and refreshing the stupid app until one popped up from Stephan.
I excitedly opened the attachment and looked at the photo. Driver’s license said he was six-foot-two and had a Vegas address. So what was this guy doing in Denver? And was he still there? Well a little trip to his place was in order. Hopefully the address on his driver’s license was accurate because I was about to pay his peeping tom ass a visit. As I was now sure that my vampire killer and the guy who’d been hanging around my apartment window were, in fact, one and the same.
It had begun to get dark and I went back to my hotel room and showered and changed. Pulling my hair back into a ponytail, I walked naked to my suitcase and pulled out the black leather pants and jacket I’d brought. I knew it would be a bit warm for this but I didn’t care. I looked super-hot in this outfit and I thought it was would be fitting for Vegas. Plus it was soft and I could move really easily in it.
I slid on the soft leather pants and a loose top, finally throwing on the leather jacket over it. I had attached my Lotus body holster under my jacket. Finding my ‘special’ handcuffs in my bag, I folded them and shoved them into the tiny canvas cuff holder I wore on my belt. Those and the gun had been fun getting through security at the airport. Thankfully my Denver P.D. badge worked just fine without me having to put anyone in a trance.
Slipping on some chunky black ankle boots, I looked at myself in the mirror. I thought some funky hair color might be fun, so I went downstairs in my outfit and into the salon connected to the hotel. Thankfully they weren’t busy and I asked her to put some pink dye into the sides where it was pulled back. I couldn’t believe I was doing this – it was definitely crazy for me, but I figured hey, I was in Vegas and I was gonna live a little. Then I’ll go visit ol’ Brandon.
Satisfied with my new hair, I paid the lady and used my phone’s GPS to find Brandon’s address. It wasn’t within walking distance so I hopped into the first cab I saw waiting in front of my hotel and gave the driver the address.
The driver kept looking at me in his rearview mirror as we drove the short three miles to the apartment complex. He didn’t seem like a perv but more curious or maybe suspicious. I was sure he saw a lot of weirdos in this crazy town but sometimes I knew I gave off a strange vibe. I’m sure it was the vampire part of me, because surely that was more frightening than a damn faery. Or so that’s what I told myself.
“We’re here,” he said in a heavy accent.
I looked at the meter and threw him some cash and sprinted off quickly to the front of the complex. The taxi sped off, as if he could sense that I was up to no good.
And maybe I was.
I walked up one flight of stairs with my gun drawn but down by my side as I reached the second floor. I crept quietly down the hall until I spotted apartment number 210. I waited quietly to see if anyone would be coming or going but the entire floor, aside from a couple TVs and a crying baby, was eerily calm.
Deciding I had nothing to lose, I went to 210 and knocked and waited in the smelly hallway. I heard movement from inside and kept the gun down at my side, then slid it behind my butt, holding it there. An ordinary-looking human man opened the door and regarded me carefully. He kept the door closed around his body so I couldn’t see inside.
“Hi, is Brandon here?” I asked with a flirty smile.
He shook his head. “Nah, he moved out like six months ago. You his old lady?”
I kept my fake smile turned on. “Something like that. Can you tell me where he lives now?”
“No, but I think he still deals blackjack down at the Wyndham.”
I looked him square in the eye. “I was never here. Right?”
He nodded and closed the door.
I re-holstered my gun and ran down the steps and swore when I realized I’d need to call another cab.
It was times like this where I wished I really could fly. It would definitely come in very handy. But then again so did all my vampire talents, like hypnosis and super strength.
I ignored the blood hunger that had begun to build and pulled out my phone and dialed up the first cab company that showed up on Google and waited. Thankfully, I only had to wait a few minutes when the cab showed up. Not the same driver, not that I was surprised. I instructed this one to take me to the Wyndham, the whole time my heart thudding out of my chest.
I practically sprinted into the Wyndham and followed the sights and sounds that led to the casino. I got a few glances from people as I whizzed by them, but I paid them no mind.
Slowly walking into the casino, I spotted the tables and made my way over, trying to act casual and calm when I felt nothing but. The blackjack tables were scattered but I didn’t see any dealers even remotely resembling Brandon Jacobs. I then scanned the other tables and got no better results. With anger and disappointment boiling inside of me, I made my way to the elevators and decided I was gonna search this damn hotel from top to bottom.
I reached the elevator bank and was thankfully alone in my brooding. I was in no mood to share a car with a chatty or smelly human. An elevator in the center dinged its arrival at the exact moment I heard a scream and smelled blood. A lot of blood. I drew my gun as the elevator door opened and inside was a man and woman fighting. The mirror inside had been splintered, most likely by the woman’s head, who was bleeding through her wild mop of curly red hair and down her face, which was masked in horror. The man – the vampire – my vampire – was fangs-deep in her neck and she was putting up a hell of a fight.
He unlatched himself and looked at me. “Leave us!” he roared.
“And I thought it was going to be much harder than this!” I squealed in delight, holstering my gun and pulling out my cuffs.
He stood up straight and wiped his mouth from the redhead’s blood. She made a dash to get away from him, but he grabbed her arm so tight I could see her flesh turning white.
“Who the fuck are you?” he growled at me.
“Brandon Jacobs, you’re under arrest,” I said back, my cuffs gripped
in my fist. “You wanna do this the easy way, or the hard way?”
Then the asshole had the nerve to laugh at me while the redhead squirmed in his grip. “Under arrest? For what?”
“For being a dipshit,” the redhead murmured.
I smiled at her. I think I’m gonna like this girl.
Her face fell as Brandon gripped her arm even tighter and barked, “Don’t talk!”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” I sighed, launching myself into the elevator.
Brandon reared his fist back to punch me, but I ducked and swung a sliding kick, taking his legs out from under him. He went flying back and his head landed a matching crack into the mirror. He fell to the ground then grabbed my leg and pulled me down onto the floor. It hurt but I was too angry to care. Grabbing his head, I wrapped my arm around his throat and put him I the best headlock I’d ever done. I looked up at the girl. “You wanna take a shot? Go ahead. After what he did to your face, it looks like he more than deserves it.”
I watched her touch her cheek, and that’s when I noticed the star-shaped scar on her neck. It looked so much like mine, and was in the same spot. I had to hold back a gasp and try to concentrate on the task at hand.
“Uh, no that’s okay. Thanks, though,” she replied, wiping the blood from her fingers onto her slutty outfit.
I glanced behind me, thankful the area was still void of humans, and looked at the redhead. “You’re a vampire.”
“So are you,” she said right back.
Brandon was still squirming and hurling insults at me but I held him tight. I had both knees pinning his hands down so he couldn’t move at all.
“Yep,” I replied, not bothering to try to explain the whole hybrid thing, because it really didn’t matter.
Brandon spat more curses at me and I rolled my eyes. “Shut up!”
“Are you a vampire hunter too?” she asked.
“Nah, I’m a cop, but sometimes I hunt vampires. Like this asshole,” I said, my eyes darting down to him then back at the girl. “What’s your name?”
“Jezebel,” she replied.
I grinned at the name that matched her outfit.
“You?”
“Lotus. Hey, grab my cuffs, will ya?” I asked her as I spotted them lying in the corner of the elevator.
Nodding, Jezebel picked them up and handed them to me, concern etched on her beautiful but bloody face. “These can’t possibly be strong enough…”
I winked at her. “They are when they’re enchanted. Put them on him, will you?”
Yes, my handcuffs were enchanted. I’d met a witch about 10 before who had done me the favor of making them completely unbreakable no matter what, which is why I kept them close to me and in control of them at all times. I’d hate for them to be used on me or fall into the wrong hands. Jezebel was looking at the cuffs in confusion. Brandon was still squirming under me and now trying to bite my arm so I squeezed his neck harder. He grunted and began to turn purple.
“Just push the button and they’ll open. And hurry.” I could feel his head slipping out of arm since my leather jacket was slick and the blood that had dripped down his mouth was leaking all over it.
I pulled my knees off his arms when she was in position and she quickly put them on him and then stood up.
“Well, thanks,” she said, walking out of the elevator.
I stood Brandon up and then pushed him back into the corner of the elevator as he tried to skirt past me with a curse.
“What was going on in here anyway?” I asked her.
She jerked her head at Brandon, her mussed hair sticking up everywhere. “He was trying to kill me.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Some kind of bounty.”
My brows furrowed. “Bounty?”
She waved a hand in the air, her wrist beginning to blossom with a purple bruise. “Slip of the tongue. He was trying to bring me back to Daddy. I declined the invitation.”
With that, she was gone, trying to saunter out into the casino with a little bit of dignity.
“I’m gonna kill you, bitch,” Brandon said, jutting his chin at the redhead. “You just cost me 10 grand.”
I looked around and then reached up and punched him in the mouth. “Shut the fuck up, you murderer.”
He spit blood out, barely missing my awesome boots and looked at me and smirked. “Seriously? You’re part vampire, Lotus. You never killed anyone?”
I ignored the shock at him knowing I was part vampire, and paraded him out into the casino, garnering a lot of stares and gasps, everyone giving us a wide berth. Two security guards came running up. “You need help, miss?” one asked.
I nodded. “Detective Smith, Denver P.D. Chased this guy all the way down here. You got a security office or detaining room I can use?”
One nodded. “Yes, right this way.”
The other said, “Would you like me to take him?”
I shook my head. “Nah, just grab an arm.”
Brandon seemed to be a lot more compliant, even though I could tell he was trying to slip the cuffs. He never would, though. I had the key and no amount of supernatural strength would break them.
We reached the security office and the guards were tripping over themselves to open the door for me.
“Thanks, guys. I got it from here.”
They looked confused and disappointed, but I waved them off. “Really, you can just wait out there and then you can lock up when I’m done.”
They reluctantly nodded and left me alone with Vampire Brandon.
He watched the door slide shut with a snide smirk and said, “You think it was easy to find me, but guess what, bitch? I’ve been looking for you, too.”
I kicked him in that special pressure point on the thigh that makes a normal person’s eyes water. Worked on vampires, too apparently. He screeched in pain.
“First off, don’t call me a bitch. Secondly, I know you’ve been looking for me. I almost caught you when you were looking in my window in Denver. Now tell me what is going on here.”
He scowled at me. “Daddy’s not just looking for Jezebel. He’s looking for you, too, little faery girl.”
Part 2 – Watcher – Daughter of Darkness (Lotus’s Journey, Part II) coming October 27, 2015! You can pre-order here (Amazon US) or here (Amazon UK)
Four authors will each take a different daughter born from the Prince of Darkness, Vlad Montour. (Also known as Vlad the Impaler, an evil villain from history.)
Blair – Chrissy Peebles
Jezebel – Kristen Middleton
Victoria – W.J. May
Lotus – C.J. Pinard
Blair can be downloaded here!
Victoria can be downloaded here!
Jezebel can be downloaded here!
OTHER BOOKS BY C.J. PINARD:
Paranormal Fantasy:
Enchanted Immortals 1 DOWNLOAD FREE
Enchanted Immortals 2: The Vortex
Enchanted Immortals 3: The Vampyre
Enchanted Immortals 4: The Vixen
BSI: Bureau of Supernatural Investigation DOWNLOAD FREE
Enchanted Immortals Box Set: 4 Books + Novella
New Adult Contemporary Romance:
Patriotic Duty (Duty & Desire, #1) DOWNLOAD FREE
Tour of Duty (Duty & Desire #2)
Boots Beneath My Bed (Duty & Desire #3)
Playing the Field (Duty & Desire #4)
Paranormal Romance:
Unscathed (A paranormal romance novel with Tim O’Rourke) .99 CENTS!
Soul Rebel (Rebel Riders #1) DOWNLOAD FREE
Soul Redemption (Rebel Riders #2)
Soul Release (Rebel Riders #3)
Lotus, Daughter of Darkness Lotus’s Journey, Part I. (Daughters of Darkness Series with Kristen Middleton, W.J. May, and Chrissy Peebles)
Free Book Collaborations & Short Stories:
Three of a Kind: Tales of Luck, Chance & Misfortune (short story collaboration)
Summer Sizzle: Stories of Love, Lust, and Passion
(short story collaboration)
Blood Bites: Three Vampire Tales (short story collaboration)
Tidal Wave: Tales of Deep Passion (short story collaboration, a Duty & Desire short)
Coming Soon:
Watcher (Daughters of Darkness) Lotus’s Journey, Part II
Imperfect Heroes Series (Three-book contemporary romance series)
Unraveled (Paranormal romance #2 with Tim O’Rourke)
Soul Seeker (Kovah’s Story, A Rebel Riders Novella)
All books available on Amazon. Click HERE for complete list.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.J. is a west coast native who has lived on both coasts and now lives near the middle, in Colorado! Coming from a family of writers and editors, she feels writing is in her blood and hopes people will lose themselves for a little while in the fantasy and fun of her stories. She also loves sweet red wine, the SF 49ers, and unlike most authors, doesn't have any cats (allergies!). When she's not writing, she can be found chasing around her kids or working at her day job, which she totally feels interferes with life, but it also gives her inspiration for her books, since reality is sometimes way more interesting than fiction.
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