Page 23 of Nexus
The bouncers’ noses twitched, no doubt smelling the cougar on me as I sauntered back downstairs without waiting for Clay to follow me. I waved at Lenny, who lifted his hand that was missing a couple of fingers in return, then headed for the exit. All I wanted to do after that epic orgasm was take a shower, make a hot cup of coffee and chill out while playing videogames for a few hours.
While I hadn’t been given a job to hunt down and kill a rogue, I’d still had a good night. I’d met my colleagues and had chatted with them like I was one of them and I’d gotten laid. What else could an elite bounty hunter like me ask for?
Chapter Eighteen
I RECEIVED A CALL FROM Ruen a couple of nights after meeting my colleagues at the Den. “What’s up, partner?” I asked, lounging on my couch and pausing my videogame. It was after one in the morning, but I didn’t intend to sleep for a few hours yet.
“We’ve just been allocated a job,” the vamp said.
“Really?” I asked in shock.
“Why else would I be calling you?” he retorted. “I’m not the type to make inane phone calls.”
“What’s the job?” I asked instead of making a snarky comeback.
“I’ll fill you in when I pick you up,” he said, then hung up before I could ask him how long he would be.
Looking down at my hot pink leggings and ratty white t-shirt, I knew I’d never live it down if I was seen in public wearing this outfit. I ended my game, then hurried over to my closet to get changed. It only took a few minutes to pull on something appropriate and gather my weapons.
A horn honked in the parking lot and I crossed to my window to peer downwards. Ruen’s bland black car was parked next to my orange hatchback. I waved and he deigned to nod in return.
“He’s so warm and friendly,” I murmured sarcastically, shouldering my kill-bag and hurrying to the door before he could lose his patience and drive away. Ruen’s engine was running when I reached his car. I climbed in and he began backing out even before I closed the door. “What’s the rush?” I asked.
“I want to get this job finished before dawn,” he replied, yet drove just below the speed limit when he hit the road.
“What are we hunting this time?” I queried.
“Demons,” was his succinct answer. “Several of them, from what I was told.”
I gaped at him in horror. “What? I thought demons were too dangerous for a newb like me to handle and I’m supposed to hunt down several of them?”
“These targets are the lowest on the demon hierarchy,” the vamp said, enjoying my momentary fright. “I’m sure you won’t have any trouble dealing with them. They have no power in their human forms. Felicity and Otis have wiped out plenty of rogue demons like them without suffering any damage.”
He slid a look at me and I knew I’d just been issued a challenge. “Fine,” I grumbled. “Mom and I took down a few weak demons last year. I’m sure this pack won’t be a problem for me.” We rode in silence for a few blocks, but he didn’t offer me any further information. “What do you know about them?” I asked.
“The location where they’re hiding and not much more.” He was surlier than usual, so I subsided back into silence.
Ruen drove to a neighborhood where people walked with one hand on their wallets and didn’t make eye contact with anyone.
“Are you sure this is the place?” I asked doubtfully, eyeing the decrepit building as my pallid vampiric partner assistant drove past it. It looked like it was about to fall down. Only desperate people would live in a crap hole like this.
“I’m quite sure,” he replied. “I can hear the perpetrators discussing their latest victim,” he informed me. “Believe me, you don’t want to hear the details.” Turning the corner, he drove around the block, then pulled into an empty parking space a hundred yards away from where my targets were lurking.
“It still freaks me out how sharp vamps’ hearing is,” I said with a small scowl.
“Shh!” Ruen admonished me, squinting at the building across the road and several doors down. He listened intently, probably filtering out all the other noises from the apartment buildings that surrounded us. “You need to get in there now,” he urged me. “They’re planning to leave soon to search for their next conquest.”
“Boy, will they be in for a surprise when I knock on their door,” I said as I opened my door to climb out. “The last thing they’ll expect is to have a helpless little woman like me begging for help.”
Moving with spooky silence and speed, Ruen joined me at the back of his black sedan. He rolled his eyes at my description of myself, upper lip lifted high enough to show a hint of fang. “How are you possibly going to conceal any weapons beneath that outfit?” he asked as I delved into my kill-bag that I’d placed on his trunk.
I glanced down at my slinky, lowcut red top that barely covered my bra. “I guess I’ll have to stick a machete down the back of my pants,” I said with a shrug.
“Your leather trousers are far too tight to stick anything down them,” he told me prissily. “How are you supposed to run after your targets if they escape?” he added in a nagging tone.
Heaving a sigh, I studied my black suede ankle-high boots. They only had two-inch heels, but he had a point. “I won’t give them a chance to run,” I figured with a shrug.
Thin lips pinched shut in disapproval, Ruen watched me pull a short, compact machete from my bag. I’d added more weapons to my arsenal, so I’d be ready for anything. I had a small crossbow, holy water, a bunch of silver stakes, knives and other stabbing implements to choose from. My sawn-off shotgun wouldn’t fit, so I might need to think about getting a bigger bag.
