Page 9 of In the Dark

“No, but I’ll track him as he moves. He knows we’ll be watching him, so let’s play.”

Kelvin sat back and watched Gray track Maxim as he moved from street to street. Watching Maxim made Kelvin think about Key and what he couldn’t have because of this vampire’s family. He’d studied their history at school and he knew what was recorded barely scratched the surface of the atrocities Maxim’s family had caused.

Maxim Hutch. A name no one was likely to forget, but he’d somehow had a son that they knew very little about. How old was he? What was his name? Where did he live? Did he work or did he do what his father wanted?

Did it matter?

Kelvin wasn’t sure if it did. They kept an eye on them and no doubt they watched, too. The Hutch Regime, as it became known. An almost separate entity with their own rules. They still hunted humans, or tried to. Their patrols put a stop to that, but still, they couldn’t save everyone, and they did have to clean up and put cover stories in place.

The council had created a division to deal with the Hutch’s once it became clear that they might disappear, but they would never be gone. The council anticipated a time when they might return, and so they watched and waited, trained men and women to be capable of defense if it was needed.

They were needed, but not as the council had originally thought. They rarely encountered any of Hutch’s people – Maxim Hutch or the families who sided with him. Now they dealt with the aftermath or tried to intercept before it happened.They were the hunters who did clean up. And Kelvin was good at his job.

Chapter Five

Leaving his office, Key sighed, letting his shoulders droop. Another long, boring and frustrating week. It started off well, especially the presentation the bosses had asked him to create. The fact that it went on for over an hour and a couple of the men kept dropping off had Key hiding a smile. Data wasn’t exciting unless you love IT and graphic design like Key did.

That was Monday, and today was Friday, and he needed to go home and relax. Maybe order some takeout, open the bottle of wine Dad had given him, then relax in the bath and let the stress of the week melt away. That sounded like bliss, and Key couldn’t wait.

Of course, his ever present stalker/stranger/follower or whatever – because he still wasn’t sure which it was – was behind him. Key could feel the man’s intense stare between his shoulder blades and he shrugged his shoulders back, shivering slightly at the cold damp chill in the night air.

It was later than normal, the street lamps on, casting a muted glow on the sidewalk below them. Shadows seemed to lurk in every doorway, and around every corner, and maybe Key shouldbecome a writer. Or a hacker. Get into some rich person’s account, take their money and run away to some far-flung place where he could lie on some beach with nearly naked men serving him.

Or maybe not.

The feeling of being watched intensified till it was no longer pleasant, no longer a feeling Key associated with his ‘whatever’. Someone else was watching him, and this time it did feel like a stalker. Key didn’t feel safe at all, and wanted to be in his car as soon as possible.

His pace quickened, and he somehow managed to not look over his shoulder. He didn’t want the person following him to know he was aware of their presence. He saw his car up ahead and sighed in relief. Not long now and he would be in relative safety.

Pulling his car keys from his coat pocket, Key made sure to have them ready so he could get in his car straight away. Once he reached the car, he pressed the fob, seeing the lights flicker. He quickened his pace again, practically running, and when he reached his car, he grabbed the handle just as someone grabbed the back of his head and slammed it into the car.

Key cried out, dropping to the ground, stunned and in pain. His head bounced, the pain ricocheting throughout, and he could do nothing to stop the hands from grabbing him under his arms and dragging him up. He hit the car again and was spun around, but Key was only half aware of what was happening.

His head rang, his eyes bouncing around as whoever had assaulted him grabbed his hair, and pulled his head to one side, exposing his neck. Key’s eyes shot open, and he tried to push the man away. Yeah, he could tell it was a man, and as he tried to free himself, he was suddenly released.

Falling back to the ground, Key managed to stop his face from impacting the sidewalk. His head spun, and he swallowed, tryingnot to vomit as sounds of a fight reached him. He lifted his head slowly, trying to focus on the two men fighting each other in front of him, but it hurt.

Closing his eyes, he attempted to crawl away, even though he couldn’t see where he was going. He only knew he had to move away from danger. He was in danger. He knew he was, and he also knew he had to get himself out of there somehow.

A heavy grunt reached him, followed by cursing, and suddenly it was silent. Except for heavy breathing. When the sounds of running footfalls reached him, Key whimpered. He had no idea if it was his assailant running away or the man who’d tried to help him.

Opening his eyes, Key groaned as everything spun and he fell forward, his cheek hitting the sidewalk. The spinning continued as he heard the sounds of someone approaching, and he barely managed to lift his head when he heard a whispered, “I won’t hurt you,” before finally falling into darkness.

The lights hurt his eyes.

His head pounded.

His body ached.

Carried. He was being carried.

Couldn’t open his eyes to see. It hurt too much.

“Shh. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” Low, deep. Nice.

“I…”

“You’re safe. No one will hurt you.”

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