“So, about your house. I’m sorry about your loss. Do you have any idea what happened? Or who?”
Harlow sighed. “Not yet. I’m going to have to check my security cams. There is likely to be an investigation. I’m guessing it's someone I pissed off…” He frowned. “Though, none of the motion detectors went off, or the traps… No alarms sounded. I didn’t receive a single alert on my phone. So, they found a way to bypass my security.”
He just barely managed to stop himself from asking if Harlow could even get alerts on his ancient phone, and instead suggested, “It’s possible they hacked it. Do you think it was someone human or paranormal?”
“Not all my security is hackable… There are physical traps on my property that they’d have to get through if they tried to sneak in. But if they did hack, and came down the path I take, then it wouldn’t be surprising that nothing was tripped. I don’t know who, but as for what I think did it, I’m thinking it was someone human. Most paranormals would feel too proud to just blow me up. I think they’d take a more head-on approach.”
“Possibly. Older ones definitely would be more likely to attack you in person. Younger, who knows. Paranormals are still people. We can be just as cowardly, and unwilling to risk our necks. A lot of vampires used to be human, so it’s not like we aren’t similar.”
“Yes, but most younger paranormals are too reliant on their strength. In the case of made vampires, their newfound strength. It usually makes them stupid and think that they can take out any human no matter what.”
Oh, he did have a point there. “Okay, so the bomber was probably human…but why?”
“There are rumors of a group of off-the-grid hunters who aren’t happy about you all being legal. Basically, any hunter now working with the government is on their hit list. Especially hunters who were active before your reveal.”
“Like you,” Foxx hummed. “They probably see it as a betrayal.”
Harlow shrugged. “So we are assuming.”
“Hopefully, it gets sorted out and the perpetrator tracked down. Well, I imagine you have quite a bit to replace.” He eyed the man. He had black smudges and dirt on him, and he smelled like fire. He didn’t smell injured, at least. “How about you freshen up, and we head out to do a bit of shopping? My treat!”
The sun was up…but even if it hadn’t been, most stores were starting to stay open twenty-four hours now, due to his kind's existence. While there were plenty of other paranormals, the fact was that vampires had the largest population out of them.
“As much as I have to replace, I'd rather just go to sleep and head out tonight.”
Foxx blinked. “Right! It’s been a long day and a half for you. Just returning from a trip, and then…the bomb. Makes sense. I suppose I’m a bit knackered myself after our first case. I’ll probably head to bed in a bit too. Especially if we are going shopping tonight!”
It was true. Foxx was pretty tired. It was about 9am, and usually he’d go to bed about now or earlier. But he’d stayed up to greet Harlow and chat with Alastair. Honestly, he was pretty tired after the case.
Harlow stared at him blankly for a few moments before sighing. “Yes, bed. And then…‘we’ will go shopping.”
“Well, I’ll be down here for about another thirty minutes… Otherwise, if you wake up and need me, you know which bedroom to knock on.”
Harlow turned to go but then suddenly paused. “Can you do me a favor? I need to get my Jeep scheduled for window coating. Would you happen to know of a place to go?”
He didn’t really know of one in this city, but he did know who to ask to find out. “Oh, sure! Why don’t you let me get that set up for you? I can get it all scheduled and done by the time we wake up!”
Harlow narrowed his eyes at him, probably gauging if he was telling the truth…or if he could trust him with his car. It was either one or the other. Eventually, the man pulled a key fob out of his pocket and set it on the table. Foxx smiled at the human, but he wasn’t sure he had seen as Harlow had turned and headed for the stairs.
Foxx was bundled up nice and warm, dreaming of frolicking in a fountain of blood, when a sound pulled him from sleep.
“Foxx…wake up.”
He pretended to not hear and buried further into his thick baby blue comforter.
“Foxx, wake up now, or I’ll go shopping without you.”
Foxx began to hiss, but quickly cut the sound off as who the low gravelly voice belonged to finally made its way through his sleep-clogged brain. He blinked, peering at the man over the top of his covers. “Harlow?”
“Who the fuck else would it be?” The human grunted, standing there in a black T-shirt and jeans, arms crossed, looking unimpressed.
“Shopping?”
“Yes. Now move.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s 7pm.”
