Read The Nightlife: Las Vegas (The Nightlife Series) Online
Authors: Travis Luedke
The Nightlife: Las Vegas (The Nightlife Series) (27 page)
His client was dead, the object of the investigation,
Alexander Demarco, also dead. The police wouldn’t handle this kind of
situation very well. Certain facts would surely be swept under the carpet.
He had put most of it together rather quickly. Aaron was
the newbie in the deal. He’d been a nobody in New York a few weeks ago, and
suddenly he’s here in Vegas, a rip-roaring badass. Michelle must be the
catalyst. She came into his life and made him what he was. Which meant their
condition could be passed on, acquired.
In the police investigation, these creatures would probably
become the subject of a manhunt … but is that what he wanted to see happen?
“No.”
His own answer shocked him. He no longer cared who they had
killed, or even why, though he had deduced more or less the why. What mattered
at the moment was the answer to a different question.
How does one become a vampire?
That answer mattered
more than anything else.
* * * *
“It’s my fault she died. We never should have stayed at Caesar’s
Palace. We should have left Vegas. You were right.” Michelle lamented, her
face down in shame on Aaron’s chest.
“I was supposed to protect her. I promised. But I was too
high and stupid on heroin. I let you bring us back to Demarco’s house.”
“I gave you the drug. Is my fault.”
“The first time, but then after that? We were both stoned
out of our minds Michelle. You didn’t force me to do it all night long.”
“I brought us back to the house, because I wanted more
heroin.”
“Michelle, I let it all happen when I walked right into that
trap like an idiot. I was so arrogant. I thought I was untouchable. And now
she’s dead. I lost my wife. I miss her so much Michelle.”
“Make love to me Aaron. We are still alive, we have each
other.
Je t’aime
.
Fais-moi l'amour
.” Michelle
took the initiative, sliding under the covers to swallow him whole.
Lying together in bed at the La Quinta Inn, Aaron and
Michelle consoled one another in the only way they knew how, physically. They
made love, slow, languorous, sentimental love. They made love like there was
no one else on the planet earth besides them, lost in one another.
Resting, hunger gnawing at his belly and calling him out
into the city, Aaron’s thoughts inexorably returned to Anastasia. Everything
about Vegas reminded him of Anastasia. To set one foot out the door of their
hotel was to travel the streets they had come to know with her by their side.
“Let me show you something.”
Michelle brought him out of his morosity with her cell phone
in hand. She scrolled through photo after photo of their lovely pet in all her
brilliance and splendor.
“And look at this.” Michelle replayed a ten second video
clip of Ana twirling and smiling as she showed off one of her brand new dresses
at the Gucci store.
“Remember the first night?” She took hold of Aaron’s head
in her hands as she broadcast to him a vivid memory of Ana standing gloriously
nude for their inspection after having pledged her devotion to them both.
Aaron sent a memory of his own to Michelle via their bond,
of Ana laughing and clapping after he bested the security guards in the hallway
outside Kramer’s room. He shared his memories of their special moments. Ana
holding him close as they danced beneath the strobe lights in the nightclub. Ana
smiling beautifully, her eyes closed, her fingers tangled in Michelle’s hair
while she administered loving first aid between her thighs. Ana grinning from
ear to ear beneath her bridal veil as they said their wedding vows standing
before Elvis.
The wonderful memories poured in; washing away the
melancholy with the love they felt for her and each other. They shared
memories back and forth across their psychic bond for hours. They replayed and
relived Ana’s moments of ecstasy, pain, joy, and above all, the unconditional
love she bestowed upon them both. She’d been one of the most tortured souls they
had ever known, yet her flame had burned so very brightly in their lives for
their short time together.
It was decided. They would leave Vegas. Michelle decided
it for them.
“We go to Paris. I will show you my homeland. Is
très magnifique!
”
The vampires fled Las Vegas the following night via airline
to New York and on to Paris.
Michael Jamison followed.
* * * *
The End
* * * *
Connect with Travis Luedke:
http://www.twluedke.com/
Travis Luedke is a husband, father, and author
of Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Fantasy, Young Adult
Fiction, and Sci-fi. He is currently catching a third degree sunburn in San
Antonio, Texas, and loving every minute of it. His recent works include “
The
Shepherd
” and “
The Nightlife: New York
”, the first in a very long
series of Nightlife novels.
Publication Release Schedule:
The
Nightlife Series:
I
The Nightlife:
New York
II
The Nightlife:
Las Vegas
The
Nightlife: BLOODSLAVE
December 2012
III
The Nightlife:
Paris
February 2013
IV
The Nightlife:
London
May 2013
V
The Nightlife:
Moscow
August 2013
The
Nightlife: SAN ANTONIO
September 2013
Young Adult novels by
Travis Luedke (TW Luedke)
The
Shepherd
December 2012
BOGUS
April
2013
Science Fiction novels
by Travis Luedke
BLACKKNIFE
2064
November
2013
Social Media, Book links,
Author profiles, blog, & other links
Continue reading for an excerpt of his new
Young Adult novel
“The Shepherd”
.
THE SHEPHERD
By T.W.
Luedke
Skate punks, a kleptomaniac vampire, clairvoyant visions
and reincarnation.
A teen is stalked by a young girl who believes he is her
dead fiancé reincarnated. Their mutual obsession leads to violent
consequences.
16 year old skater Mike Evans has issues. His alcoholic
father's unemployed and he's stuck living in a white-trash trailer park after
the foreclosure of their family home. The last two years have sucked royally,
one disappointment after another. Worse, he's plagued by clairvoyant visions
of strange-grisly events with an annoying tendency to come true. Mike lost his
best friend, ex-girlfriend treats him like a leper, and his only remaining
friend Anita wants to get in his pants––he's clueless. Since his mother died
at birth and his father doesn't give a damn, Mike's on his own.
His fortunes begin to change after helping a 13 year old
girl named Nadia, the victim of a hit and run on the highway. A bond is forged
between them through an intense night of ministering to her injuries. He
suspects Nadia is homeless. An unusual relationship develops as she sneaks
into his room nightly for a place to stay.
Mike starts living a double life. His daylight hours at
school are filled with his new girlfriend, skating, and working part-time. His
nights are spent with Nadia. She's a secret friend, keeping him company all
night, listening to his problems when no one else will. Strangeness abounds as
they develop a codependency crossing all the boundaries of friendship. Nadia
is not your average little girl and she's obsessed with him. He suspects
things, but ignores the obvious signs of danger.
The situation comes to a head as Mike struggles to avert his
latest vision of gruesome death. He can no longer ignore the evidence leading
to the undeniable conclusion that his secret friend is much more than what she
appears to be.
Prologue
Thursday
September 9th, 9:15 p.m.
Heavily faded on 40 milligrams of Oxycontin stolen from his
mother's prescription in the medicine cabinet, Justin Shelby felt pretty damn
good. His judgment, questionable even in sobriety, was that much further impaired
with intoxication. Goaded on by his friend Tommy Schroeder, one of the
wrestling elite of Moses Lake High School, Justin was inspired to new heights
of idiocy. He quickly scaled the side of the outdoor playcenter at McDonald’s.
Justin typically spent his free time skating through
downtown Moses Lake and the skatepark across from the Aquatic Center, harassing
the bathing suit clad girls, enticing them into conversation and who knows what
else. Like most skaters, he was thin, toned, and moderately athletic with a
strong sense of balance and equilibrium forged by endless hours of skateboarding.
Climbing up the playcenter wasn't really any more dangerous than the myriad
skate stunts he and his friends attempted while recording videos for posting to
YouTube.
Justin quickly reached the apex, standing exalted atop an
airplane shaped plastic toy. A seven year old kid gawked up at him from the
inside. Tommy encouraged Justin's antics with loud catcalls, laughing at every
step of the way. Justin proclaimed his status as king of the hill, arms held
up high. A flagrant violation of the rules posted at the entry gate (rule #3:
no climbing outside the play center, rule #4: no children over the age of 14
allowed).
“Yeah bitches, hell yeah!” Justin yelled and hooted at the
top of his lungs, pumping his fists in the air.
His antics were observed by another, one Mike Evans, who was
once so close a friend to Justin they called each other BFFs––Best Friends
Forever. Their relationship had suffered as of late since Justin began hangin
with Tommy, who hated Mike. The feeling was definitely mutual for Mike, he’d
begun to hate them both.
Parked in the McDonald’s drive-thru awaiting his dollar
cheeseburger, Mike leaned out the window of his 87 Geo Tracker for a better
view of Justin bellowing like an inebriated idiot. Mike shook his head,
laughing at Justin––not with him––wondering what could have brought on this
latest spell of insanity. Then Mike noticed Tommy Schroeder's up turned face
and wicked grin, and the why and how of it became obvious.
Justin was putting on a show for his new buddy. Tommy was
cool, popular, and wealthy, he also happened to be one of the biggest arrogant
pricks in the 10th grade. Justin's induction into the cool crowd via
friendship with Tommy was fairly recent. Justin was still in the
something-to-prove phase, being extra obnoxious at times … like right now.
Unable to resist a jab, Mike called out to Justin, “Hey ass
munch, get down before you break your neck!”
Justin's head whipped around to the sound of Mike's voice,
causing his body to sway with the movement. He spotted Mike and a nasty smirk
bloomed across his face. In a moment of sublime inspiration Justin dropped his
pants to moon Mike with a show of lily white butt cheeks. In raucous laughter,
Tommy yelled, “How about a double McAss burger Mikey?”
The girl delivering Mike's cheeseburger had her hand over
her mouth to cover her braces as she giggled and snarfed at the sight of
Justin's naked rump shaking back and forth while he taunted, “It’s a full moon
out tonight Mikey, hope you enjoy the view!”
