Always the Vampire

“Wait. If this dude is a vampire, why ain’t she safe in the day?”


“Minions.” I blurted, but the lie seemed to take hold in his tiny mind. “The vampire has human minions, but I know they won’t get past you.”

“Damn straight they won’t.” Gorman’s barrel chest puffed out. “I can take care of her day and night.”

“Not at night. It may take Saber a week to find this vamp. You won’t be effective if you don’t sleep, so I’ve arranged for vampire guards at night. Two Marines who were Turned against their will. They work for the VPA.”

“Shit in a bucket, you gotta be kiddin’ me. I ain’t lettin’ any blood suckers in my house.”

“They won’t guard her at your place, Gorman. They’ll pick her up when it’s full dark and take her to another location, then bring her back before dawn. You just send her out the door, and they’ll take care of the rest. You won’t have to see or speak to them.”

“But they’ll know my name and where to frickin’ find me.”

“We’ll give you a code name,” I improvised. “Tell them it’s just another safe house.”

“I dunno.”

I ground my teeth and reached for patience to continue the charade.

“Please, Gorman. You’re our only hope to keep this girl safe. And did I mention we’ll compensate you?”

Dollar signs instantly danced in his eyes.

“How much?”

“Fifteen a day,” Saber said out of the blue.

I shot him a glance, struggling to keep a straight face at his sudden leap into the conversation.

“Gov’ment has to pay better’n that. Make it thirty.”

“Twenty.”

“Twenty-five, and money for her board. Girl’s gotta eat, right?”

Saber raised a brow at me. “Is that agreeable to you, Cesca?”

“I’m sure we can get the VPA to approve the funds,” I replied, then eyed Gorman. “Do we have a deal?”

“Not so fast,” Gorman said, still eyeing Saber. “I’ll need my weapons back. The ones you arranged to have confiscated.”

Saber snorted. “The ones you’ve already replaced on the sly?”

Gorman reddened and would’ve blustered his way out of the accusation, but thought better of it. Instead, he said, “Then you hafta okay me usin’ deadly force if it comes to that.”

Saber gave him flat cop eyes. “Don’t let it come to that.”

“Gorman,” I said quickly, “we’ll speak to the sheriff’s office if needed, but this is more an undercover operation than a shoot-out. Okay? Do you agree to the deal?”

“Yeah, I’m in. So, when do I meet this chick?”

“She’s not a chick, Gorman, she’s a young lady. You’ll probably meet her tomorrow afternoon. She has to agree to the plan, but I’m sure she will when she knows you’re the one who’ll be protecting her.”

“I do have a reputation.”

“You sure do,” I said as I stood.

Gorman popped out of his seat, too. Not to be a gentleman, but so that I didn’t stand over him.

“Now you’ll need to come up with a code name and a distress word, too,” I said as I walked to the door. “Not that I expect trouble, but you’re a man who likes to be prepared, so I’m sure you know what to do.”

Gorman left muttering under his breath. Fang Fighter Alpha? Geez, nothing like a comic book code name. Well, whatever made him happy. I had a more pressing problem. Placating Saber.

But when I turned, he wasn’t on his feet ready to explode. He sat still in the chair, his mood belied only by his fingers digging two inches into the leather upholstery.

As I resumed my place on the sofa, I saw my darling visibly rein in his emotions. His skin color had lightened some, almost back to its Latino tan color, and I took that as a positive sign.

“How much of what you just told Gorman is bull? Are the Marines really landing?”

“I don’t know yet if Ken and David are willing or able to come down here. I left each of them a message.”

“And where do you propose to house them if they come?”

“At the beach house.”

The house that sat in the middle of the last three lots of property my father had bought for me. The same property he’d entrusted to Triton’s care before my family left town. The worn little cottage on the dunes we’d discovered when Saber was house hunting in July.

“That place is a dump, Cesca.”

“Was a dump. I hired a plumber and an electrician while you were on your nest-closing trip, then did some power washing and painting. I scrubbed the place squeaky and even found a load of furniture at a garage sale. Cheap, because I hit the sale at the end of the day. The place isn’t a five-star hotel, but it doesn’t suck.”

“It’s a decades-old beach shack. With no protection from the sun.”

“Did I mention the guys who installed storm shutters? I found blackout curtains at Walmart, too. Though they’re off-white, not black.”

He shot me a look of pure vexation. “You think that’ll protect your fanged Marine buddies?”

“If not, they can always go to a hotel.”