I’m fucked any way I care to look at it.If I ask her to stay, then I’m the guy who tried to cramp her style.If I allow her to leave, she’s going to butt heads with the Riders.Or she will cross over to the other side and disappear into the craziness of the Continental U.S.forever.
For a control freak like me, I hate all three options.
“I wish I didn’t have to see you first thing in the morning, brother.”Rundas is at least trying to cheer me up.“Because your face looks like you’re getting ready for Halloween.”
Without my bothering to put on my glamourous outer façade, my inner monster always makes an appearance.
Artim grunts.“Hunter would look right at home falling out of one of those fake coffins the myops put on their doorsteps every October.”
“Fuck all of you.”I’m deadbeat, slurring and stumbling as I flop and crawl to the sliding door panel.
“Jaecar, help Hunter find his helmet and bandana.”As veep, Rundas is in charge of keeping a lid on things when us vampires get to drinking.“And maybe bring a belt, too, in case we need to strap him into his seat at the table.”
I’m going to have to let the booze fade out of my system with no coffee or perky line of cocaine to help me sober up.Not only is Landslide a drug-free zone, but no willing victims are around to ingest the drugs first so that I can suck the stimulants out of them afterwards.Sucking secondhand drugs in someone’s blood is like spinning the roulette wheel—you never know what you’re gonna get.
I hook my arm around Jaecar’s neck as he guides me to the underground tunnel linking the clubhouse to the basement.“Go on.I know you can crawl, brother.If you pass out, I’ll pull you out or push you forward, depending on what’s easiest.”
“Fuck you.”
Jaecar chuckles.“Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for that patented Hunter Rabane brand of charismatic charm!”
I manage to crawl to the clubhouse with Jaecar carrying my helmet behind me.It is one of our rules that are written in stone: No Rider is allowed to daywalk without taking a blacked-out helmet and a bandana with him.And this being summertime, the sun still lingers in the sky.
Rundas has a bottle of fluids open for me at the bar.I pound a few as I attempt to clear the fog from my brain by diluting the alcohol in my blood.Jaecar and Shadow shoot some pool as we wait for Luna.She walks in the door wearing her beekeepers’ suit.
“Houston, we have a problem.”Shadow loves teasing Luna about the outrageous costumes she wears to skate around her daywalking.
Lifting off the netting hat, Luna smirks.“Oh, funny ha-ha.Like I haven’t heard that one before.C’mon, let’s get this meeting started.”
She’s choosing not to notice my fucked-up state.Leaving the bottle of fluids on the clubhouse bar counter, I’m the last to stumble into the room and close the door behind me.
Shadow and Luna sit opposite each other at the head of the table.There are two seats empty for Ifan and Konner.
“Things have been changing so fast around here, it’s hard for everyone to keep up.”Shadow gets straight to the point.“Hunter’s pretty li’l obsession has decided to kick him to the curb, and he’s not going to fight it.That leaves us with the problem of Aila’s departure.”
“Let the cooze fuck off.”Jaecar is as callous as he is lethal.“Easy come, easy go.There’ll be another one right around the corner, am I right?”
Luna butts in.“Maybe Hunter didn’t share this little tidbit of information with you, but Aila guessed what he is.What we all are.”
That’s another one of our stone-written rules: No one outside of the Riders is allowed to know what we are.
Silence.
“That changes things a bit, wouldn’t you say?”Artim is already fantasizing about chasing Aila into the woods so he can suck her dry, I can tell.
Shadow deliberates.“I’m inclined to let her go.No one is going to believe her anyway.And the young woman has no friends.”
Luna adds her opinion.“Yes.Not once has Aila complained about being denied constant access to social media here.A sure sign that she has no one to Whatsapp or message.That mother of hers kept her quite isolated.All Aila wants to do is land in Minnesota and find a job and accommodation.She’ll be so busy doing that, she will not be inclined to stir up shit about Landslide.”
Something stirs in my foggy brain.
“Hey…” It’s a struggle to string the words together, but I must.“Shouldn’t she… isn’t Aila going back to Winnipeg?That’s where her stuff is in storage, right?”
“Ferry isn’t heading that way.It’s a tight schedule because of the tides.Monty’s landing back at Long Point instead of Buffalo Point.She’s got her passport, which is American, by the way.She’ll be fine.”
Thanks for that, Shadow.Some damn help you are.
Lurching to stand up, I concentrate on getting the words out.
