I hated waiting for someone to meet me somewhere. I hated waiting period. I was told exactly where to meet him and that it was for something important and serious. If It was that important he'd be here already. And honestly I already had enough things on my mind that I didn't need to worry about some ridiculous case he was working on. I understood I agreed to help him with these kinds of things if he needed it, but now with everything else going on, I really wanted to make my problems a priority. That wasn't going to happen.
I had already been sitting in this dark, small fairly busy café for almost 20 minutes before I knew he was here. I could smell him even before he came in through the door. I glanced over my shoulder slowly and smiled small showing no teeth seeing him take off his hood and shake the rain off his coat. I looked back in front of me and grabbed my half full cup of coffee raising it slowly to my lips. He sat himself down across from me sliding into the booth and without saying one word he tossed a yellow folder onto the table and slid it across to me. I took a sip of my hot coffee before setting it back on the little plate and picked up the folder. I looked up at his face before opening it and frowned. "You look like hell." His eyes looked tired, with bags underneath them, and it looked like they were a little darker than usual. Maybe he was hungry. "How are you?" He sat back a little, relaxing and turned to the waitress how just walked up to our table. He didn't say one word, just pointed to my cup of coffee. She nodded also not saying a word and walked away. "I got to say…this is weird. Usually your chatty, and bouncing off the walls. What's going on dude?" He rubbed a hand over his hair and yawned.
"one of my good friends was attacked last night leaving work." I tensed up and realized suddenly what he wanted to talk to me about. He was here to ask em if I had done it. "His throat was almost cut open and he was thrown around like a rag doll."
"And you think I did it?" He looked up at me with hooded eyes before chuckling and leaning forward resting on the edge of the table. "I thought we were better friends then that Carlos."
"I wasn't accusing you of hurting him Kendall. I know you brought him home and cleaned him up. I also know you came by and checked on him when he woke up. You scared the fuck out of him."
"I had to make sure he was okay and I honestly wanted to explain things to him, so he could be more careful." He only nodded once and watched a cup of coffee get placed in front of him. He gave the waitress a nice smile before reaching for the little cup of creamer and a few packages of sugar. "Is he going to be okay? His head was bleeding pretty bad." While I took a sip of my own coffee Carlos stirred the creamer and sugar together before sighing out and looking back up at me holding the cup lazily.
"He has a tag on him now Kendall." I glanced out the window next to me and watched the rain race down the glass nodding. I already knew that. I knew that for a long time because I had been watching the guy since the tag first happened. "Michael was sent to kill him. Michael was a right hand man for Emilio. And what happened to Michael last night?" I swallowed hard closing my eyes hoping my cop friend wasn't going to figure out I killed someone. "Look in the folder Kendall." I opened my eyes quick and set my cup back down opening the folder in front of me. The first thing I saw was a body on the shoreline of the lake. There was one small bullet hole between the eyes. Other than that the body didn't even look dead. I stole a glance up at Carlos who had his head cocked to the side eyes squinting at me. He knew.
"I had to do it Carlos…" He raised a hand fast and glanced around the café before leaning even more forward on the table towards me.
"I need you to do me a favor." I frowned and closed the folder sitting back in my seat putting my hand sin my lap. "I know you've probably had a watch on the kid…which leads me to believe you know something big is going to happen, right?" I smirked and shrugged watching a father and his little son walk by us to the bathroom.
"It's a revolution Los. They don't want to hide anymore. They don't want to ashamed and hide underground anymore." He gritted his teeth and looked down at the table between us. "I haven't made the connection yet between you friend and what they plan on doing but I think he's a big part of it. Michael was telling him because he's a doctor…he had to pay for the consequences. You and I both know they like dead people. I guess Logan would just stand in their way."
"It's one doctor. This town has hundreds of them. Why just him?" I could only shrug, honestly not knowing the answer. "Well that's where my favor comes in." He smiled small and played with the empty packet of sugar in front of him. "Logan doesn't remember what happened at all. He has no idea who you are, what you are or what Michael was going to do to him or why. I need you to one, watch over him. 24/7." I nodded once knowing that would not be an issue, but he sighed and I frowned. "Two…Logan is a genius alright. He knows when something is going on, like someone watching him from a distance."
"Obviously not if he almost got killed last night." Carlos gave me a dirty look so I shut up and grabbed my cup again.
"My point is…if Logan finds out your following after him, he'll think you're the person who attacked him and go right to James?"
"James? You're partner?" He nodded.
"James is…Logan and James have an odd relationship but the bottom line is if James thinks someone, anyone is after Logan he goes fucking postal and turns into the Hulk. Which is why James can't ever know, but Logan has to know." I continued to stare up at his eyes, not following a single word he was saying. "I need you to come with me right now, so we can explain everything to Logan."
"Everything?" He only nodded before sitting back and reaching in his back pocket for his wallet. He pulled out a 20 and threw it on the table taking one final gulp of his coffee and standing up. "Right now?" He didn't say another word just walked past me and headed right to the door. I groaned also finishing off my coffee and hurried after him fast.
I was glad I had walked to the café because Carlos made me drive with him back to the house I stayed all night at. Carlos didn't know but last night wasn't the first time I watched this guy sleep. I'm not like a creep or anything, but there is something special and unique about watching an innocent, naive person sleep. I liked to watch him toss and turn before he actually went to sleep. I like to assume he was thinking about his long hard day at work and all the people he helped and maybe even about the people he couldn't help. It sounds sick I know because those thoughts don't sound very pleasant, but for me, if he is thinking about people and their problems it means he has a soul and actually cares about other people. And maybe he values other people's lives over his. If I got a chance I would defiantly beg him not to think like that. "Just stay behind me and down make sudden movements. I don't see James car here, but you never know." I looked over at him after being silent the whole car ride and nodded taking off my seatbelt. He wasn't saying the real reason he thought James would be here but I knew just as well as h did. He said they had an odd relationship and after everything I had seen, I knew the odd part was that they were banging while still being friends. I honestly didn't know how someone could not have Logan for themselves all the time, but I wasn't going to be around forever to care so I let the thought slip through my mind.
I stood behind Carlos as he knocked on the door softly and quietly. I kept my hood on even under the shield of the porch hoping he didn't recognize me right away and start screaming. Although, if Carlos claimed him down fast and started to explain, maybe Logan would actually sit down and listen. The porch light came on first before I heard a few locks get clicked out of place. I shoved my hand sin my jean pockets and braced myself for the door opening. When it did I cautiously looked over Carlos to see Logan looking tired and a little worried. "Carlos…is everything alright?" His eyes moved to me but looked away quick. "It's freezing out here…come in." He pushed open the screen on his door and moved out of our way. Carlos stepped in looking back at me and nodding. I hurried in after wiping my wet feet on the little rug in front of his door. "Who is this?" I heard the screen door shut and then the front door shut before the locks were locked again. I stayed looking ahead and kept my hood on standing behind Carlos.
"I've been hiding something's from you Logan and I need you to hear me out with an open mind and not freak out alright?" Logan walked in front of Carlos and smiled shaking his head. He wouldn't look at me, probably because he had no idea who I was, but I couldn't help but stare at him. He was only in a pair of black sweats that almost looked too big for him. I could see the top of his boxers but I was more interested in his stomach and face. I hadn't really noticed it until now, but he was fit. He had a nice six back that wasn't too pronounced but pronounced enough to make me stare. His pecks were firm and his arms were buff. Obviously he was a doctor and was probably really healthy, but I thought he was more of a nerd kind of guy who didn't work out. Apparently I was wrong. "I know about everything that happened to you last night Loges. I know exactly who did it to you, and I'm still trying to figure out why." I glance dup at his face fast seeing his smile fading and his eyes turning to fear. Just like if it clicked in his head he turned to me and took a step back crossing his arms over his bare chest. "No see this is what I mean…I need you to stay open minded and hear me out."
"He broke into my house Carlos! This is the guy I told you and James about!" Carlos sighed and stepped to Logan who ran into his couch and fell back sitting hard. He looked up at Carlos but then turned to me. "If you really did help me last night you should have gone to the cops and taken me to the hospital!" I frowned and took off my hood stepping towards him.
"Because I killed the guy who attacked you and if I had gone to the cops they would have never believed that story with you bleeding and unconscious. You're welcome for saving your life by the way." Logan rolled his eyes to look up at Carlos who breathed out hard and gently set next to him on the couch.
"He is telling you the truth alright. Trust me. Okay…it's me. You're best friend since forever. I would never bring a guy into your house if I thought he could hurt you." Logan continued staring at Carlos before he looked down at the ground and set his elbows on his knees shaking his head.
"Fine…what do you have to tell me then?" Carlos looked up at me and nodded to the same chair I had sat in earlier today. I walked back to it sitting down softly and unzipping my sweater. "And why does he have to be here?" Logan and I locked eyes and I smiled small knowing how angry my presence was making him. If he only he knew about all the other times I snuck in his house to make sure he was safe. He'd probably try to kill me.
"Because he's going to help explain all the parts that I can't." Logan turned back to his friend who nudged him gently before breathing out hard and swallowing. "When I first went into the academy with James ot become a cop I was always the slow one, the one with the worst shot…I almost quite to be honest." Logan frowned but Carlos shook him off and smiled. "It really got to my head ya know? I was so upset with myself because I just couldn't get better. SO one night I went out, to a bar, and got shit faced drunk. I vaguely remember James coming by and trying to get me to go home, but I yelled at him and almost started a fist fight. SO everyone left me alone. Well almost everyone. A guy approached me by the name of Michael and he told me instead of wallowing in my own self-pity and trying to be a cop he could change me to be someone a little more stronger and faster. Someone everyone would fear and no one would be able to boss me around. At the time it sounded really good. But then when we left the bar, me agreeing to what he was saying, my senses kicked in. He took me to an alley and pulled out a knife." I watched Logan tense up and look worried for Carlos who laughed and shook him off. "No don't worry. He didn't do anything. I put up a good fight, knocked the knife out of his hand but because I was so fucked up he pushed me into a wall and started to turn my head to look at my neck. That's when Kendall came." He pointed over to me making Logan look to me. He looked confused but also interested. "I actually don't remember the rest of that nigh but when I woke up, I was in some dudes house lying face down on a couch. I woke up in defense mode ready to kick some ass but he explained everything to me and then we just became good friends." I laughed seeing Carlos look at me before turning to Logan and patting his shoulder. "And that's when he comes in to explain everything else." Logan looked between both of us quick before stopping on me and giving me…a cute confused look.
"This isn't going to be easy for me to explain to you because I doubt you'll believe me but I'm doing this as a favor for him." I only pointed to Carlos lazily before sitting back in the chair and cleared my throat. "Like I told you earlier today there is a world that you know nothing about that works very hard to destroy this world around you. It's a dirty, vile fucked up place with disgusting horrible people who would love to see innocent people die at their hands. And really…they are not people at all. They used to be but once they died, someone changed them." I was being vague because I wanted to ease the guy in and not freak him out form the get go. He gave me a weird look but kept quiet. "When someone dies, they get put in the ground or they put in fire to be cremated. But some people don't get cared for enough. Some people don't have a family or loved ones to look after them after death. The hobos, the killers, and the rapists who die form a cold, or a gunshot wound and tossed to the side without a second thought. That's when their picked up and fixed. Someone already changed drinks their blood and then drips their own blood into their mouth. A dead person who drinks the blood of another…dead person can be risen back to life and live forever. DO get what I'm saying?" He closed his eyes and lowered his head shaking it softly. I sighed and turned to Carlos who shrugged and patted his friends back. I was growing impatient and didn't have time to stop my mouth from opening. "Vampires are real, they live all over the place and one tried to kill you last night." Carlos gave me a dirty look when Logan looked up at me a horrified look on his face. "You have a target on your back for whatever reason, and it is not safe for you to just be walking around by yourself. If I had not stepped in last night you would have been killed."
"Kendall take it easy."
"No Carlos…he doesn't believe me anyways so he's going to know the truth and I'm not going to be nice about it. You can't trust anyone Logan." Logan looked up at me, a little confused still but more so worried. He remained quiet looking at me still. I sat back raising my left foot and setting it on my right knee. I also stayed quiet waiting for either him or Carlos to say something.
"Look…why don't we just go and you can get some rest. I'll come back and check on you…"
"I had a patient come in last week. It was a kid, 14 and his mom and the kid was complaining about weird body aches and two bug bites on his neck." Logan looked up, directly at me and swallowed hard. "I checked the bug bites on his neck and honestly could not make out what the bites were. They didn't look like spider bites, or any other kind of bug, but gave him some antibiotics and kept him over night. He was pale, ice cold to the touch and was vomiting profusely. During the night I went to check on him and saw that the antibiotics were actually working and that the two little bites on his neck were leaving. Like…they were just disappearing. And by morning the bites were gone."
"How did you know what kind of antibiotic to give him if you didn't know what it was?" Logan smiled small at me and shook his head.
"I didn't really at first but then I remembered hearing about a kid in Oregon who had almost all the same problems plus the urge to drink blood." This made me sit up fast and he nodded. "I remembered hearing that the doctors working with the kid gave him a drip with a placebo. But it wasn't a sugar placebo, it was a garlic one." I frowned quick and he laughed blushing. "I know it sounds ridiculous but what they did actually work. I don't know how, and I don't even know where to begin to understand it. So I did the same thing. I put a garlic placebo in the IV bag and put it in his arm. 20 minutes later he was already looking and feeling better." He suddenly frowned and slumped looking directly in my eyes. "But it doesn't make sense. I thought somehow it could be connected with what you were saying but the kid never died. He couldn't have been…changed." He said it quiet like it was fire coming out of his mouth and I smiled. I opened my mouth to explain but Carlos beat me to the punch.
"Someone can be bit and be changed without dying. It's what happened to Kendall." I locked eyes with Logan again and the confusion on his face and in his eyes were replaced by sadness. "Which is why I asked him to look after you for a little while." Logan turned to Carlos quick who was standing up and putting on his scarf and coat. "Don't argue with em Logan. He knows how to deal with everything and is great at protecting people. You know that just as well as I do. I need to get home and sleep before work tomorrow and I need you to promise me you won't say a word to James about any of this. He doesn't know how to be open minded and stay opened minded. Also…I want him actually staying here with you." Now both Logan and I stood up and Logan immodestly started protesting.
"That's ridiculous Carlos! I'm a grown ass man! I can take care of myself!" Carlos looked at him and pointed to both the cut on his forehead and neck.
"It looks it." Logan huffed and crossed his arms over his chest glaring at his best friend. I stepped up quick.
"I don't have to stay in the house. I can just stay in my car. It's no big deal." Carlos shook his head and Logan looked up at me. "I can do just as good a job watching form the street as I could in the house." Carlos rolled his eyes but turned and headed for the door.
"Fine just please…" He pulled the door open quick and turned back, looking at both of us. "Call me if anything comes up. Don't' breath a word of this to James and…" He looked directly at Carlos who set his hand son his hips glaring at him. "Play nice. The guy saved your life."
