THE DATE NIGHT
“So there were three of them?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“How did you get away?”
“I got lucky Frank was nearby.”
“I still can’t believe you know him.”
“I didn’t think you were ever shocked.”
“I used to think that. But then you started bringing me clients and now I’m constantly surprised Mr. Ford.”
“You don’t have to call me Mr. Ford. We’re not in the office.”
“I know Jasper. I just kind of like the sound of it.”
“Well in that case, I won’t stop you.”
She smiled. Amanda was a lawyer friend and one of the few people who knew about my life dealing with some rather strange characters.
However, it was nice to be spending a Friday night in a restaurant and not chasing some monster through some poor farmer’s field.
“So our friend is safe?” Amanda asked. She and her client’s father were paying me to keep an eye on him.
“Yes,” I answered, “I got another apartment. He’s holed up there.”
“How do you know he won’t go anywhere again?”
“There might have been handcuffs involved.”
“I see. Do you need special ones for him?”
“They’re silver.”
“Makes sense. I only have experience with the regular kind.”
“You do?” I said smiling.
“Don’t get excited. I interned at the D.A.’s office in law school.”
“Northwestern?”
“University of Chicago.”
“Impressive.”
“You went to Northwestern though.”
She got me. Very few people knew that.
“You had me investigated?”
“I like to know who I am working with.”
“What else did you find out?”
“Not much. You grew up in rural Michigan. All state hockey. Played Juniors in Canada for a year. Ended up in Northwestern where you majored in Literature, but you also did the prereqs for Medical school. I’m sure there’s a story there,” she paused.
“I have a wide set of interests.”
“But then you drop off the grid practically. Other than some articles here and there.”
“Writer is the best cover story.”
“Is it?”
“You have an excuse for no day job. I can bounce around and ask questions without people getting curious.”
“Makes sense.”
“I sense a question coming.”
“So you basically disappear after college…”
“Right.”
“Is that when it happened?”
“What?”
“Whatever happened to introduce you to this world.”
I paused for a long time. I’d sized up Amanda the second I met her. I knew in my gut I could trust her. It’s a feeling I’d learned to pay attention to over the years. Besides it would be nice to have someone other than vampires and werewolves to talk to.
But I paused just a moment longer.
Waiting.
I’d already pulled her into this world, but this would be another level.
“My sister was killed by a vampire.”
“Oh my god.”
“It was right before I graduated. We went camping. She was attacked in her tent. It was the first time I ever saw one. I tried to fight him off.”
“How did you manage that?”
“Kimmy worked on a farm and brought the truck. It had a rifle in the back.”
“Did that kill it?”
“No but it was stunned enough to hit it with an ax. It was just dumb luck that I hit the head.”
“That’s awful. How did you even know what to do?”
“I didn’t. Pretty quickly an old vampire hunter named William showed up. He was distraught. He was tracking it and was trying to reach it before it hit the camp ground. He became my mentor. I followed him everywhere. I wanted to take out as many as possible.”
“Did you?”
“Eventually, I ran into Finn the vampire clan’s leader and we came to an understanding. If I would stop taking out his people he would make sure they’d behave.”
“Didn’t you recently kill Finn?”
“Yes. The agreement was broken.”
“And that’s why they attacked you in the alley?”
“Pretty much.”
“So how do you do it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like how can you tell one’s around?”
I was about to tell her the signs when a tall, pale woman walked in.
I reached under my coat, “You’re about to find out.”
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