The man beside him nodded. "See what I mean, Boss? No girl."
The fat man glanced over the camera and at me. "Is this some kind of trick?"
I shook my head. "No, I swear it."
The man shoved the camera into his lackey's chest and grabbed his gun. He stepped towards me and pointed the barrel at my thigh. "You're some kind of agent, aren't you? That's why the camera won't work and why you're not on any of the surveillance recordings. You're covered in something that hides you, aren't you?"
I tried to scoot my thigh out of the line of sight. "I'm not an agent! I just got lost!"
"Nobody gets that lost," the fat man growled. He cocked the gun and put his hand on the trigger. His beady eyes glared at me. "Now tell me who the fuck you are or I start ventilating you."
"I would rather you not touch her."
The fat man spun around and his lackeys pulled their guns and likewise turned. Behind them in front of a path between the high stacks of crates stood Simon. My heart skipped a beat and my eyebrows crashed down.
"Where the hell have you been?" I snapped at him.
He swept off his hat and bowed to me. "My apologies, but I felt this was the best way to show you the severity of their evil."
The fat man snorted and glanced from me to Simon. "So you two are together, huh? That means I don't need both of you." He pointed his gun at Simon's head. "Maybe we are evil like you say, but it's better than being what you are."
Simon's smile didn't slip off his face as he raised an eyebrow. "And what am I?"
The fat man chuckled and pressed his finger against the trigger. "Dead."
The shot rang out and echoed around the expansive warehouse.
"Simon!" I screamed.
The bullet tore through Simon's cloak that lay over his heart and lodged itself somewhere inside his body. He glanced down at the hole in his attire as though it was an annoying bee sting and frowned.
Simon's eyes flickered to the fat man. "This is a rather expensive cloak."
The fat man's eyes widened and he stumbled back so he stood flush with my chair. He whipped his head to his men and jabbed a finger at Simon. "S-shoot him, you idiots!"
The men fired off shot after shot. The bullets hit him in the chest, legs and arms, but Simon merely set both hands on his cane and leaned on the stick. The cartridges ran empty after two dozen rounds, but their target still stood after that barrage. Only his hole-filled clothes showed the extent of their effort.
Simon glanced from one gunman's face to the other. "Are you quite finished?"
They both took a step back. One of them glanced at the fat man. "B-boss?"
The fat man shook his head and his mouth bobbed up and down. He managed to swallow some fear and get out a few words from his fat lips. "W-what the fuck are you?"
Simon chuckled. "I'm undead, but you won't have the pleasure of such an existence."
Simon's hat flew off as he swept towards the pair of gunmen and grabbed one by the side of his throat. He buried his face into the man's neck and I had a clear view of the sharp fangs entering the flesh. The gunman's eyes widened and he opened his mouth in a soundless scream. It didn't take long fro his body to grow limp. His weapon fell from his limp hand and clattered to the concrete ground. His head lolled back and his empty eyes stared at nothing.
Simon pulled his face away and opened his hand. The man dropped lifeless to the ground.
The other gunman stumbled back until his right shoulder hit the stack of crates. He pulled out another cartridge from his pocket and jammed it into the weapon just as Simon turned to him. "S-stay the fuck away from-" Simon didn't let him finish his last sentence.
The vampire was on him in a flash and the man became victim number two for the evening. The fat man slid behind me and wrapped his arm around my neck. I stiffened when he pressed the cold barrel of his gun against my temple.
His fat, sweaty body pressed against the back of mine and jammed my hands against the seat. "S-stay back or she gets it!"
Simon dropped the dead gunman and turned to us. His smile slipped off his face and his narrowed eyes glowed a bright red. He nearly crushed the gold top of his cane in his tight grasp. "Release her," he growled.
The fat man scoffed. "Like hell I am. She's coming with me." He fumbled with the ropes that bound my wrists. They wouldn't budge. "Fuck. . ." he muttered under his breath.
The man glanced down at my wrists. Big mistake, and his last. Simon did his disappearing act and reappeared beside the man. He wrenched the gun from the fat man's hand and threw it across the room. It slammed into a crate and disappeared inside the broken wood.
The fat man screamed and stumbled away behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that he clutched his wrist against his chest. The angle of his hand was wrong.
Simon stalked up to the fat man and grabbed the front of his sweat-covered suit. The vampire lifted his heavy girth two feet off the ground. The blubbering blog pawed at Simon's hand. "P-please let me go! Please! I-I won't tell nobody about you! I swear it!"
Simon's lips curled back in a sneer. His fangs peeked over his upper lip. "Pathetic."
I cringed and turned my face away. The fat man gave one final, long wail before it was cut short. I shut my eyes, but I couldn't block out the stifled gurgling as Simon drained him. The time felt like an eternity, but was only a few moments. The fat man's heavy body thumped onto the ground.
I was saved, but at a terrible price.
CHAPTER 5
Simon moved over and I felt my hands freed from their bindings. He slipped around and stooped in front of me, and my ankles were released. His work done, Simon stepped back and turned to snatch his hat from the ground.
I stood and rubbed my wrists. The skin was sore, but not broken. I swept my eyes over the bodies and shuddered. I didn't dare look behind me knowing the fat man lay there.
My voice was low and trembled. "Did you have to kill them?"
Simon placed his top hat on his head and glanced down at the gunman. His lips curled back in a sneer. "I gave them more mercy than they planned for you."
"But killing them?" I persisted.
Simon turned to me and his face softened. He shook his head. "There was no other way, particularly after you yelled my name. They knew too much."
I started back. "You. . .you killed them because I used your name?"
He gave a nod. "Yes."
I marched up to him and slapped him on the face. His head whipped to one side, but his expression didn't change. I stood straight and glared at him. "Why the hell didn't you pull your mesmerizing trick and make them forget?"
He closed his eyes and sighed. "Because the abilities of the vampire are limited in scope." He turned his head to face me. "In this instance, mesmerizing them would not have worked. The memory-the emotion of your scream-would have been too powerful to purge from their minds. Also, too much time had elapsed from your yell and the death of the large man."
I leaned back and blinked at him. "Too much time?"
He nodded. "Yes. A vampire can only force a human to forget a fleeting memory, a quick, forgettable instance of a familiar face or place."
I hung my head and ran a hand through my hair. "This. . .this is unbelievably stupid."
"Vampires are immortal-with caveats-but we are not omnipotent," Simon told me.
My eyes swept over the floor and fell on the camera dropped by one of the goons. I strode over and picked up the device. It was still on so I flipped through the latest album. My eyes widened and I glanced up at Simon.
I held out the camera towards him. "What the hell is this?"
He took the camera and swept his eyes over the image. It was the chair in which I sat a few moments ago, but I was nowhere to be seen.
"It is your vampire body protecting itself," he explained as he held out the camera to me. "An evolutionary step, if you will. Your image will not be seen in electronic devices until you have become a full vampire."
I took the camera and raised an eyebrow. "So no cameras or videos or anything?"
He smiled and shook his head. "Nothing."
I tossed the camera onto the ground. "Finally some good news. Now could we get out of here?"
He stepped aside and swept his hand towards the rear of the building. "This way."
Simon led me through the maze of crates and out through the rusted rear door. I blinked against the harsh light and Simon ducked his head so his hat hid his face in shadow. The limo still waited for us, though across the street, and as we approached Certus stepped out and opened the door.
"To Ardolf's, if you would," Simon instructed him as he ducked into the car.
Certus bowed his head. I followed Simon, but paused in the doorway when a noise behind me caught my attention. Certus looked in the direction of the warehouses, and I followed his gaze. The men on the docks were thrown into a panic. The armed guards surrounded the perimeter and I saw many of them run towards the warehouse we just vacated.
"It seems our adventure has been discovered," Simon mused.
I pursed my lips, but slipped inside and took my usual seat. The door was shut, and we drove off. The car bumped along the rough roads and kept close to the river. Simon and I swayed side-to-side with the car. I averted my eyes from his face, but he stared directly at me.
"You're angry with me," he commented.