Minding my own business has kept me alive while working with vampires, and I kind of want to continue that trend.
I flip on the “ugly lights,” the bright overhead fluorescents that starkly illuminate the space. The various pieces of equipment, the curtained private alcoves—I check everything. Behind the bar down there, I see whoever closed last night was on the ball, and I find nothing needing my attention.
I don’t work downstairs every night. In fact, I prefer not to. Not that it bothers me what goes on—the sexy BDSM play that can include full-on sex, and vampires feeding off their willing partners and submissives.
It bothers meIcan’t partake of it.
Stupid, I know.
I won’t let any of the vampires play with me or feed off me. Nothing personal, but I have trust issues.
Once I’m happy everything’s taken care of downstairs, I turn off the work lights, which leaves the red mood lighting and the spotlights focused on some of the play equipment to illuminate the space, and I return to the office. I retrieve one of the tills from the safe, count it, and take it back down to the main bar in the nightclub area. In the quiet of the club, I hear the telltalebeepfrom the back-door chime as someone lets themselves in.
My instincts tell me who it is. “Hey, Benny,” I call out.
He laughs and walks into the main room. “That’s fucking spooky when you do that…Blue.” That last word he delivers once he gets a look at tonight’s wig.
I smile. “Can’t help it.” I really can’t. It’s a blessing and a curse.
But even if it wasn’t for my special little gifts, it was logic. Craig, the other human with a key, has tonight off, and it’s still daylight out, meaning it was none of the vampires.
I look up and see Benny’s dressed as handsomely as ever. Dark brown hair neatly coiffed, and he’s wearing a suit and tie, the way Lucius prefers his men to dress. I’ve only ever seen Benny in jeans twice, and that was when the club was closed, and he was accepting a delivery from one of the beverage wholesalers.
If he wasn’t so close to Lucius, I’d be damned tempted to pursue a relationship with him.
Problem is, he’s too close to Lucius, and his allegiance is to the vampire king. Meaning if I’m ever forced to pack and leave in a hurry, I’d have to leave him behind.
No, thank you. I’ve said enough good-byes in my lifetime already. No reason to make it especially difficult on myself.
“Want me to leave the back door unlocked?” he asks.
“Please. House is ready.”
“Cool.” He returns to the back entrance and sets the door lock. Every employee has their own code to open the back door once we’ve “unlocked” it. Anyone else, if they don’t have a key, needs to ring the bell. That way, we can tell who’s coming and going from that entrance. It will open from the inside, of course, because it’s also an emergency exit.
We just installed a new, enhanced security system, which includes IR night vision and FLIR thermal camera modes that now pick up the vamps, too. Expensive as fuck, and military-grade equipment, but Lucius wanted the extra security.
He survived an attempt to overthrow him not too long ago. Of course, the big showdown happened on my night off, because ofcourseit did. Fortunately, he has Selene to protect him now. Then there was that recent business with a rogue vampire, Arthur, and his merry little band of miscreant thugs who blew into town, murdered the grandmother of a local coyote pack’s Alpha—and a bunch of others—and nearly started a massive war between the shifters and vampires.
Benny and I are only two of a handful of humans allowed access to Lucius’ home. I don’t take that trust lightly. The reason I’ve been able to move between shifter and vampire communities is that they trust me and take me in. I’ve learned the politics between the packs and nests and always avoid entangling myself in anything that could make me an enemy of either side. Although it is unique for vampires and shifters to form such a close alliance the way they have here in Tucson.
I hope it’s a sign of improving relations between the two factions.
Hey, a girl can dream.
Like I dream that, one day, maybe I’ll meet someone who can give me some solid answers about who and what I really am.
3
Dexter
I awakenabout four hours before safe twilight and spend the time handling work issues that arose before I did. Because of my age, it’s rare I sleep from dawn to dusk anymore, unless I’m exceptionally tired. It’s not unusual for me to stay up long past dawn, if I’m home.
The people working for me in New Jersey think I have a “sun allergy.”
No, seriously, it’s a thing. Look it up. Only six of my people know I’m a vampire, including John, my head of security, and Mark, my valet, both of who are with me on this trip and staying in adjacent suites.
Neither will accompany me to Club Toxic tonight. They’re humans, and while quite capable of defending themselves—and me—under normal circumstances, I’d prefer they have little contact with Lucius’ vampires, for now. They are too valuable to me to lose them in a misunderstanding, and I refuse to take unnecessary risks with their lives and safety. There will be plenty of time for them to become acquainted with the principals in the Tucson vampire nest once Lucius publicly announces our deal to his people. I prefer human employees to vampires simply because my experience is they’re more loyal and less likely to want to “empire build.” They’re also more easily controlled, if need be.
