Texas Hold 'Em (11 page)

Megan fidgeted in her chair, an uncomfortable reminder that I was seeping blood from several different places right next to a hungry vampire. As much as I trusted Megan, I was starting to get worried.

“Which way to your hotel?” Lacey asked. We had been driving for a few minutes despite not having any destination.

“West of the city, about thirty minutes,” I said.

“Not enough time. How about this Jacob? Is he close?” Lacey asked.

“I don’t know. Where are we?”

Megan handed me her phone and I pulled up the GPS. We were less than five miles away from his place. “Maybe ten minutes,” I said.

“Great. How do I get there?” Lacey asked.

“I’m not so sure he’d be up for guests. He’s kind of anti-social.”

“Tough—he’ll have to deal. Now, which way am I going?”

I relayed the directions and Lacey drove with determination. Even so, by the time we reached the store the eastern sky had grown a few shades lighter than the west.

“He lives in a Sew-and-Vac repair shop?” Lacey asked as she pulled the van to a stop on the empty street in front of Jacob’s.

“Above it, yeah.” It was all I could do to remain conscious. I was fighting a losing battle to stay awake. Despite the pain that was emanating from every corner of my body, my eyes wanted to close. Bryan came around to support me as I got out of the van. Megan took my other side, and I sagged in between them.

The security gate was still open, but the door was locked. The building didn’t have an intercom or doorbell, and after thirty seconds of knocking proved futile, I was ready to use Megan’s phone to call Jacob. But before I could, we heard the audible click of a bolt retracting.

“Chance, what happened? I’ve been waiting for—” Jacob stopped mid- sentence as he realized I wasn’t alone. He had obviously come to the door without checking his security cameras.

“I was too late to save Fred. I’m sorry.”

“I said you would be,” he said, then acknowledged my companions with wide-eyed anger. “Who the hell are these people?”

“This is my brother Bryan, and my friends Megan and Lacey. Guys, this is Jacob.” Jacob was unmoved by the introductions. “Look, Jacob, it’s okay—they’re friends. If it wasn’t for them showing up when they did, things might have gone south.” I ignored Lacey’s snort.

“By the look of you, if things had gone any more south you would have hit the pole,” Jacob said. He considered for a full minute while I swayed despite Megan’s and my brother’s support. Lacey shot an anxious glance to the east, where the first signs of dawn were spreading over the horizon.

Finally Jacob relented, stepping aside. “Well, come on in, then. Don’t stand there on my doorstep drawing attention.” Not a single car had driven by since we parked, and we were the only ones on the street, but I didn’t bother asking whose attention he was talking about. “Go on, tell me what happened,” Jacob said as he locked the door and motioned for us to follow.

I gave him a quick recap of the night, or at least the part I was conscious for, while we made our way through the store and up to his loft.

“This security is tight,” said Bryan, waving at the cameras as the elevator door shut. “Damn, kind of wasted, though,” my brother added when the doors opened to reveal the maze of documents.

“Wasted, my ass! Do you have any idea how valuable this information is?” asked Jacob.

“Nope.”

“At least you’re honest about your ignorance.” We followed him back to the office area. It was the only part of the big expanse that was well lit, and Jacob let out a loud whistle when he got his first good look at me. “Put him down on the couch. I need to take a gander at that leg; we might have to get you to a hospital pronto, unless you don’t mind losing it.”

“We can call him Stumpy,” offered Bryan. “My brother always needed a good nickname.”

“And here I thought I was born with one,” I said, wincing as Bryan and Megan helped me down on the old battered couch. I hoped any vermin I was displacing wouldn’t hold a grudge.

Jacob gave me a once-over, but I was covered in so much blood he had a difficult time finding all of the wounds. Eventually he found the tears in my chest and back, the chunk missing out of my neck, a good portion of the glass bits embedded all down one side, and the piece missing from my leg. The leg was clearly the worst, and once he made sure nothing else was life-threatening, he bent down to examine it.

Jacob squinted to get a better look, Lacey peering over his shoulder. Bryan had gone to check out the computer equipment while Megan stood back, her head down and to the side. She was wringing her hands in either concern or restraint.

“Well, Chance, your brother might have the right nickname for you. You need a hospital, and even so, I’m not sure what they can do with most of your calf gone.”

“I can fix it,” said Lacey. A wave of relief rushed through me, which quickly dissipated when she added, “More or less.”

Jacob looked skeptical. “If you say so, Miss, but if it were me, I’d be wanting a hospital. Even so, I keep a few medical supplies on hand just in case. You’re welcome to use what I have.” Jacob rose and went off to fetch two large cases, both filled with medical equipment.

“A few supplies?” Megan commented as Jacob opened the bags.

“When you’re in the biz, you have to be prepared,” Jacob responded.

“The biz?” Megan asked.

“Christ, Chance, I thought they helped you out. How did they miss all the vampires?”

“So you’re a vampire hunter too, huh?” asked Lacey.

“A heck of a good one. And you might be a heck of a good doctor, but I’m not sure what you can do with that leg that would be any better than an emergency room downtown. Come on, Chance, you ain’t got no gunshot wound; there won’t be a report. Just tell them you were mugged. Cops are too busy nowadays to go bothering you too much about it. They’ll patch you up better there than we can do here on my couch, and they’ll send you on your merry way.”

Jacob followed his speech with a look that pleaded for me to ignore the crazy blonde girl and go to the damn hospital already.

“I’m not a doctor, so I won’t be needing the first-aid kit. But if you give me some scissors, I’ll show you what I can do that’s better than any emergency room,” Lacey said, nudging Jacob out of the way so she could get a better view of my leg.

Jacob was wearing a full-force frown as he handed her an orange-handled pair of scissors from his desk. Lacey bent over me and started cutting the pants away from what was left of my ruined leg.

Before Jacob could ask the obvious question, Bryan interrupted. “Hey, dude, what’s up with your video on some of these cameras? Looks like some kind of freaky predator vision or something.”

“What? Oh, those? You got it right, kid—it’s thermal, like the predator.” Jacob went to where my brother was examining the various camera outputs on the monitors. “I use ‘em so I can spot—”

Jacob stopped mid-sentence, drawing everyone’s attention to him. When he grabbed a handgun that had been hidden under the desk and spun at a speed I didn’t think the old guy capable of, we all turned with him.

I thought Christian had somehow found us, but no one was there. Only empty aisles of grey metal shelving stacked high with bits of information disappearing into the darkened expanse of the loft.

“What the hell, dude?” asked Bryan, the first to realize who Jacob was aiming at.

I looked back at a shaken Jacob. In his trembling hands he held a .45 automatic leveled at Megan. The monitors behind him told me what he’d seen. The thermal display on the far right showed this office space. We all lit up in a combination of dark reds and oranges, except for Megan. She was in blues.

“Vampire,” was all Jacob managed to get out, his throat going hoarse. I hoped he wasn’t having a cardiac arrest; I wasn’t sure if Lacey could fix those.

“Yeah, but it’s okay. She’s my brother’s old lady. Get it? Old lady? ‘Cause she’s like a vampire, and all old and shit? Damn, I crack myself up!” said Bryan. “Seriously, though, dude, put the gun down.”

“Not sure you’re helping there, Bry,” said Lacey, who was splitting her attention between the guy with the gun and my leg. I’m not sure which concerned me more: that she had a nickname for my brother, or the strange sensation I felt after she touched my leg. The blood that had been slowly oozing out of me had turned direction and was heading for her hand.

A lot of it was leaking out of me then, and it could be used for more than blowing up vampires. I had a sneaking suspicion that it was being aimed at the guy with the gun.

“Jacob, it’s all right. She’s cool. Put the gun down and we can talk about it.” I tried to sound as sincere as I was.

“Put the piece away and chill so Lacey can do her magic stuff and I don’t have to watch my big brother hobble around in a circle for the rest of his life. It’s not like the gun’s going to do much to the vampire anyway. Trust me, dude, I accidentally emptied half a magazine into Megan an hour ago. It mostly just pissed her off.”

“My God, are you telling me that girl is a witch? Chance, what have you
done
? Who are these people?” Jacob stared at Megan, finally realizing that some of the holes in her dress were indeed from bullets.

“I’m going to have to go with Lacey on this one, Bryan—you’re not helping.” For her part, Megan waited calmly with her hands by her sides, purposefully non-threatening, though I had no doubt she was ready to move if required.

Lacey now cupped a small puddle of my blood in her palm. I’m not normally squeamish, but it was unnerving to watch my blood steadily flow into her hand. Not to mention she was getting twitchy. When she started a barely audible chant, I figured this was going to go downhill unless I stopped it fast.

Jacob focused on me. “Was it you, Chance? Did you kill Robert? Fred?”

And the paranoia never stops.

I sighed. “No, Jacob, I didn’t kill anyone. Well, at least not Robert or Fred. Like I said, these people are my friends.”

“Chance, you don’t understand—she’s a
vampire
!” And by that, he implied she could never be my friend.

“Dude, I think he knows that; I mean, they’ve been all up in each other’s business,” said Bryan, ignoring everyone’s pleas for him to shut up.

“That can’t be.” Jacob, if possible, looked even more horrified at the idea, even if it was slightly exaggerated. Not that I hadn’t wanted to be all up in her business. The opportunities just kept getting foiled.

“Nah, dude, it is. They might be dead, but vampires can totally have sex.” Bryan was nothing if not enthusiastic in his effort to push Jacob farther over the edge.

“Jacob, I know it’s a lot to swallow, but it’s okay. And really, Megan’s harmless.” I did my best to sound reassuring, while ignoring both Megan’s raised eyebrows and Lacey’s snort at my calling her harmless, neither being particularly appreciated or helpful.

“Now, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to put the gun down. Lacey is going to give back my blood.” Megan’s attention snapped to fixate on the contents of Lacey’s palm. The desire in her eyes was unsettling. Jacob also spared a glance that way, only now realizing that the witch was up to something. His gun moved halfway between the girls, unsure which was the greater threat.

“Bryan is going to shut up. And I’m probably going to pass out. After which Lacey is going to patch me up and we’re going to get Megan something to eat before we
do
have an issue, because despite what Bryan said about his bullets, they did cause Megan to lose a lot of blood and she hasn’t eaten yet tonight.”

“I’m only a little hungry; it’s not like I’m not going to go feral and eat everyone.” Megan went for a casual smile and was only partially successful. She was trying her best to appear calm and rational.

Somehow Jacob managed to look even more horrified. “It hasn’t eaten tonight? Chance, it’s almost morning! You knowingly brought a wounded
starving
vampire into my house!”

“I’m not starving, just a little hungry,” said Megan.

“Technically, Jacob, you’re the one that invited her in. But I take full responsibility for her actions,” I said.

“Like that will matter after we’re all dead!” Jacob was starting to sound a little manic.

Lacey rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so melodramatic. She’s tiny; she doesn’t eat that much. She’d stop after one or two of us so we won’t
all
be dead. And really, Chance? All of her actions? ‘Cause if so, could you please tell her to stop putting all of my stuff away in the house where I can’t find it?” Lacey and Megan exchanged glares while I kept a wary eye on Jacob.

“You live with her?” Jacob asked Lacey. The alien idea momentarily pushed aside his terror.

“What, you’re surprised? Have you seen the rents in the Bay Area? If I could handle the smell, I’d share a place with a pack of werewolves,” said Lacey.

“Come on, Jacob, put the gun down. If Megan wanted to do anything to you, she would have already. And they’ve both helped me. Not only here today, but back in California with that stupid urn of yours. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for them.” And that was the ironic truth.

“Wait a second, that was
his
urn?” said Lacey, pointing at Jacob with the hand not full of my blood. “Mister, you have a lot of explaining to do. That thing almost killed a lot of people. Me being one of them.”

Jacob was taken aback, accused of villainy by what he considered to be the bad guys. “It wasn’t mine! I was trying to get it destroyed!”

Lacey snorted. “What, by having Chance here do it? That was an epic fail waiting to happen.”

“Hey!” I said. “It worked out okay. Now please, can’t we all get along? At least long enough for Lacey to patch up my leg?”

Jacob glanced at my ruined leg and reluctantly lowered his gun, though he still held it ready at his side. I suspect the only reason he acquiesced and didn’t simply open fire was that he knew it wouldn’t do him any good. Even so, the gesture was a start.

With the immediate threat averted, Lacey extended her arm to Megan. With raised brows she offered the contents of her palm to her friend, who, after looking at it awkwardly, shook her head. Lapping one’s dinner out of someone’s hand wasn’t dignified.