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  “Everything will be fine. I just gave her a Romanian sedative.”

  Within a minute, Dee’s eyes popped open and searched her sister’s eyes. Tears filled the darkened sockets. “Oh God, you are really alive.”

  “In a loosely defined sense of the word, yes.”

  “How, how did it happen? Nick saw you die. The police said you were dead. We saw the news.”

  “I don’t know exactly how any of it happened. Angelique told me I had died and that Nick tried to save me, but he couldn’t. Somehow Angelique, through Nick’s thoughts, knew what happened and where to find me. She resurrected me with some ancient ritual that brought me back from the dead as a vampire.”

  “Are you sure?” Phillip asked.

  Sam parted her lips. A new set of glistening white fangs adorned her otherwise perfect smile.

  “Things could be worse,” Gabrielle chirped happily.

  “Oh my God,” Dee sighed. “You are.”

  There was a brief moment of silence as each gauged the other’s reaction. Dee tossed her cross and hugged her sister forcefully. “I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am you’re alive, even if you are a vampire,” she said, as she pulled back to look her sister in the eyes.

  “Everything is going to be fine, Dee, different, but fine.”

  “You have to tell me everything,” Dee insisted eagerly.

  “Whoa Nellie, not so fast,” Phillip interceded. “Dee baby, you have to get some sleep. Sam can give you all of the details later.”

  Samantha looked at her sister’s distraught face. “Phillip is right, Dee. Get some sleep. We can talk tomorrow.”

  Phillip took Dee by the hand and helped her to her feet. Samantha grabbed Phillip’s hand before he could lead Dee away. “Phillip, where is Nick?”

  “Things got pretty ugly last night. It seems that the police had several videos of Brian, running at speeds well beyond human capacity and climbing a brick wall like Spiderman. The man who was suspected of the shooting was savagely murdered. Needless to say, your boyfriend is the number one suspect, even though numerous witnesses testified to the injuries the shooter inflicted, which they claimed no man could have survived. Then, to ice the cake, your body went AWOL. That is just enough special circumstances to warrant a full-blown media circus. Brian said he knew a man in Washington who could fix things. He flew down there last night. I have not heard from him, or my pilot, since.”

  “No phones?”

  “Nada,” Phillip answered. “I have a guy watching your home and by the way, so do the police, but he has not shown his face yet. And I do not know where in the hell my pilot or my helicopter got off to.”

  “I have to find him,” Samantha said with an air of desperation. “If he knew they were watching our home, where do you think he would he go?”

  Phillip thought but a second. He shook his head. He knew he would get a major ass-kicking from Brian if he let the secret out of the bag, but to hell with it. After the events of the last two days, Brian would just have to get over it. “About five blocks from here, there is a vacant building on the river. He bought it about six months ago.”

  “Are you sure? Nick never mentioned buying any building to me.”

  “Quite sure. It was supposed to be a surprise wedding gift for you.” Phillip had a sinking ship sensation. He knew how much Brian had looked forward to the day when Samantha would finally get to see the finished project.

  “What’s the address? I need to see if he is there.” Sam asked eagerly.

  “You know, to be honest, I do not know. But I can take you there, as soon as I get Dee to bed.”

  “Don’t think for a minute you’re going without me, Mister Wilder. I might be exhausted, but there’s no way I’m going to miss my sister’s coming out confession.”

  “I will go as well,” Gabrielle chimed in. “The streets are not safe tonight, even for a vampire.”

  Nick stared out the picture glass window at the reflections of the city, shimmering on the waters of the East River. “You are late,” he announced, without turning to greet the man approaching from behind.

  “Sorry man, I waited for the blue light special at Kmart for vampire stakes and mallets, but you might know, those were the two items they never put on sale.” The familiar voice was laced with sarcasm. “I didn’t want to overpay, you know how thrifty I am. I hate paying too much for stuff I don’t plan on using but once.”

  I could not help but smile, just a little at the idiot. “So?”

  “I had to buy them here. It’s nothing I want to be seen traveling with. Just imagine the scene at TSA,” Chuck waved a black leather bag containing the necessary tools. “So, I see, Mr. Smith, you are a vampire hunter. Do you prefer oak or ash stakes for the kill?”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” I interrupted what was sure to become a drawn out over dramatized recounting of the entire experience. “Can we just get this done?”

  “Whatever boss,” Chuck snapped back, with a hint of seriousness as he surveyed the open loft. “Nice building, is it yours?”

  “Sam always enjoyed the river. I bought this and was fixing it up, kind of a wedding present.” I looked out over the river to Brooklyn. How much I desired to see Sam’s face light up the very first time she saw her new home. In the window’s reflection, I saw Chuck moving nearer.

  “Well since you are not going to be needing it anymore, wanna give me a good deal on it?”

  “Sure.” I knew Chuck would not appreciate the passionate hours spent over every painstaking detail created thus far, but what else was I to do with the place?

  “How many days will it take to do the real estate transfer?”

  I knew what big man was doing. I walked over to the architectural designer’s table. I grabbed a pen and scribbled instructions on a piece of paper. Chuck looked on as I wrote.

  “Done.” I handed him instructions to give to Phillip. I basically had willed Phillip all of my possessions, relying on him to disburse them to the designated people on the list I had prepared. “There’s a briefcase over there,” I pointed to the weathered brown leather case sitting by the window. “Take it with you. Tomorrow, if you follow all the instructions explicitly, this place will be yours.”

  Chuck glanced around the half completed loft again. “Brian, I don’t think …”

  “Chuck, do not try to change my mind, it is made up.” I had already prepared for this debate in my head. Chuck was like a brother, and although I knew he would follow through, I knew he would not do so without exhausting all other options.

  “Listen, if I’m going to do this, then you have to hear me out. You are the closest thing I have to family, and I ain’t gonna do it, unless you convince me otherwise.” Chuck dropped his bag on the table heavily. “I know you’re hurt’n man, Sam’s gone and there ain’t nothing that’s gonna bring her back. But you’re not the first to lose a loved one. People move on, they do get over it. And you, I mean come on, Brian, you’re like the man that’s got it all. You’ve got money, looks, you’re smart,” Chuck paused to inventory his memorized list of possible attributes. “You’ve got more power than any man that walks the planet. You can have any woman you desire. And, as a bonus, let’s not forget, you’re fucking immortal.”

  “You are right, my friend, except the one woman I loved most is gone.”

  “Gone,” Chuck quipped. “Don’t take this wrong, Brian, I don’t mean to belittle Sam’s death. Sam was awesome, but there are others to fill her shoes. Hell, somewhere out there, in time, you’ll find one or maybe even two that will rock your world. Trust me, I know. And to top it all off, you have all eternity to find them.”

  I sighed. He was right, from a purely logical point of view. But Sam’s blood was on my hands. There was no getting over that, and I had all eternity to remember it.

  “Chuck, I know you will not understand this and until I met Sam, I didn’t either. Until it happens, you can’t.” I collected my thoughts. “You and I have known many women, no doubt. But what
happens between two people, takes place on different levels, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. But typically, at least it never did for me, it never encompassed every aspect all in one. If you take every sappy love song you have ever heard and wrap it into a feeling, it is only a fraction of how I felt about Sam.” Tears formed, but an underlying bitterness cut the flow, and suppressed the watery results. “I can’t breathe without her. There is no rest, no peace, no color in my life. I see no potential for joy in anything, ever again. I am terrified of what I will surely become without her.

  “And do you think this is what Sam would want you to do? If the shoe were on the other foot, is this what you would want her to do?”

  “Of course not. But it was my love for Sam that made this fucked-up life of mine tolerable. I have to fight my instincts every day. I do not drink blood merely because I need the nourishment, I crave living blood like a heroine addict yearns a fix. Every waking hour, I battle the urge to feed on humans for the mere pleasure of it.”

  “So if you are ready to end your life, then end it like a rock star. Go out and do what it is you were born to do. There are a lot of bad people out there. Take as many as you can, before they figure out how to kill you.” Chuck pulled the stake and mallet from the bag. “This ain’t no way to do it. You’re a soldier, man. Go out like a soldier.”

  “I am tired of killing, Chuck. How many have we killed? I don’t want to kill anyone anymore. I don’t want to be anything. I am just worn thin by death.”

  “All those tyrants we dusted, look at all the lives we saved, all the good that was accomplished. We killed to keep our country safe.”

  “We killed to serve a political agenda generally unknown to us. They told us to kill, and we did … not because of the agenda, but because we liked to.”

  “You think it was all bogus?” Chuck asked, his temper starting to show.

  “Enough was.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Chuck bled red, white and blue, a Marine to the core, and any mission, legit or not, as long as it was sanctioned by Uncle Sam it was righteous by his book.

  “Come on Chuck, you had to know the difference between night and day ops, and back in the day we could care less. But remember, I told you how I terminated American operatives, simply because I was told to. Guys like you, Rob, and Jimmy because they had allegedly gone bad. I know better now, we weren’t meant to survive and now there’s guys like you and me, looking to take us out. This whole game we played, the one that cost Sam her life, in the end is all about corporate American bullshit.

  “Come on, Brian, that’s fucked-up nonsense … and you know it.” Chuck objected forcefully.

  “Colombia, 1994, remember that trip?” I knew I had to push Chuck’s anger if I was going to ever get him to comply with the purpose of this visit.

  “I remember them all,” Chuck replied sharply. “We lost a few good soldiers that day,” he said somberly.

  “We were set up. None of us were supposed to return from that mission.”

  “Bullshit,” Chuck said defiantly.

  “Think about it Chuck. We got hit with sniper fire long before we reached the coke lab. And not by randomly hired guns, those guys were good. When did we ever run up against shooters like that day?” I pointed out.

  Chuck thought long and hard.

  “How many guys do you know older than you? There aren’t any. Last night we got ambushed by a CIA assassin. And the psycho plane chick, she was a spook hitter. I got proof last night. It’s not a random thing, it’s fucking company policy. All the shit in your head is information Uncle Sam can ill afford you ever sharing, with anyone. You’ll have a target on your back one day, just like me, my friend.”

  Chuck stood in brief silence. “Motherfuckers!” he proclaimed grimacing at the thought. “Our own people wasted you and Sam last night?”

  “Yeah, I got it straight from Paul Watson’s mouth last night. I called you from DC after I left his home.”

  “I hope you wasted that piece of shit.”

  “That is exactly what I had intended to do when I flew down there. But you know, it would not change a thing. And to be honest, Chuck, I have already killed enough people for ten lifetimes. I am over it. It’s my turn.” I held my hands out. “You can’t see it, but there’s too much blood here to turn back.”

  “Do you mind if I go kill the prick? We barely got out of Colombia alive.”

  “It is time to let it go, Chuck. Take your money and disappear. If you need a thrill, take up base jumping or something dangerous.”

  Chuck extracted the mallet and stake from the bag. “Hey Brian, why don’t we spend a couple of days together, have some beers and raise some hell. I’ll bet Jimmy will come out for one last throw-down. Then we can do this crazy shit.” Chuck fingered the tip of the stake, ensuring its point was sharp to his satisfaction.

  “We had our sendoff in New Orleans, Chuck.”

  “I know, but I’ll bet a few days to rethink things will clear your head. You need to grieve, then you need to laugh. We do this now, it’s just over man, no turning back.”

  “I appreciate the love, Chuck, but I knew back in New Orleans this day would come. I did not think the road traveled would have been this painful, but it is what it is.” I sat on the floor and then laid back. “Just do it, Chuck, no regrets.”

  “I don’t guess there’s any chance you might, you know … share that vampire immortality stuff with me, before you go?” He had a sheepish grin, but he was not kidding.

  “Just get this over with Chuck. I am tired.” I knew if I ignored his request it would avoid another lengthy delay in the inevitable end. “Do you want me to roll over?”

  “Nope, only a pussy would stake you in the back.” He knelt down at my side. “I thought about that all of the way out here. If you were terminal, I would do it, and I know you would do it for me. So no, I don’t have a problem looking you in the eye.”

  I took his hand grasping the stake and guided it over my heart. “Right here.”

  “Hey dipshit, I know where it is, I shot enough guys in the heart to know.”

  “Well do me a huge favor, bro, smack it hard. I really prefer if you did not have to whack it three or four times. I am sure it’s gonna hurt like hell.”

  Chuck looked away one last time and took a deep breath. “You know something, Brian? There must have been something to that golden rule thing. I mean think about it. Both times you fucked a girl on a plane you got totally screwed.”

  “Thanks, Chuck, I’ll keep that in mind as you’re killing me. I appreciate that, bro.”

  “Last chance,” Chuck declared, as he raised the mallet, and clenched his grip. The muscles in his biceps flared as he prepared to strike down with a mighty blow. “Brian, I’ll see you in hell one fine day. Tell Rob I said hello.”

  “I almost forgot,” I interrupted. “There’s an Iron Key flash drive on the blueprint table. There is all kinds of interesting information on it. Use it wisely.”

  “What’s the password?” Chuck sighed, annoyed with my interruption.

  “Politicians, drug dealers, and girlfriends.” This was a catchphrase we had used many times over the years, which always prompted the same response.

  “Fuck em all!” Chuck replied with a scoffing laugh.

  “There you go.” I smiled at the last half of the catch phrase we had used so many times over the years, and befitting of tonight. How many times we had both sung it out loudly, even in the bleakest of situations. I knew these would be the last words I ever spoke. “What else are you gonna do on a Friday night?”

  Chuck cocked his arm back, but hesitated. Just as his arm went into motion, my eye caught a glimpse of the elevator call button illuminating. Someone was here. I did not want to leave Chuck with an unpleasant predicament, especially if the police had tracked me down. Chuck’s arm was driving downward, the mallet targeting the head of the stake. With reflexes much faster than his, I threw my hand up, blocking Chuck’s forearm.<
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  Inertia. Two granite forces on a collision course. Something had to give. Bones splintered as the mallet connected with its target.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “SHIT,” CHUCK GRASPED his arm and wailed as the mallet tumbled across the floor.

  “Elevator,” I coughed spitting blood, the pain rocketing through my chest. Still clutching the stake, I looked down to the source of pain. Penetrated and bleeding, I knew from experience, my end would be quick. I looked back to the elevator.

  Whispering profanities, Chuck disappeared from sight as the elevator drew near. With my eyes trained on doors, I could smell the humans.

  The doors parted, and Phillip and Dee were appalled by the sight of me on the floor, stake in my chest, blood on my shirt. Gabrielle appeared from behind. Simultaneously, they gasped.

  “Brian,” Phillip screamed, while Dee cried out, “Oh God, no!”

  Next I saw what I thought was an angelic vision— Sam peering around the door. With an expression of morbid fear etched on her otherwise perfect face, this phantasm was nothing but a cruel reality of hell’s welcoming committee.

  “Nick,” Sam cried out as she pushed her way past my stunned friends and ran to my side.

  “No!” she cried again as she stroked my face.

  Surely in the clutches of death, my last glimpse of life was a bittersweet vision. Sam appeared more youthful, and if it were possible, more perfect than I remembered. My eyes searched every aspect of her face, committing each and every detail to memory.

  As Sam’s tears cascaded down, she caught the slightest movement of my eye. “Nick!” She shouted. “You’re alive?”

  “No, Sam. If you are with me, then we are both dead.” Was this just beginning my eternal damnation, nothing but a sadistic trifling? Better to drive her away now than spend millenniums being tormented.