"I noticed there aren't any tapes of this floor." Moss said settling into the chair. "You don't monitor this floor?"
"No, It's just Mr Drake and I on this floor and of course Delores. We have the cameras mainly to watch new employees make sure they are trust worthy. It also keeps the insurance premiums down." Scud answered.
"That's too bad, I found something interesting when I fully reviewed the surveillance tapes. Mrs Viero was killed up here. Ayers took her body down on the elevator." Moss said.
"He killed her here?" Scud said feigning shock. "But why?"
"I was hoping you could answer that." Moss took a sip of the coffee Delores have given him while he was waiting. "What exactly does Talos Industries do?"
"Well we're a highly diversified company. Some construction and architecture, a little medical research and development, but mostly R &D on environmental conservation. We also fund a few private research projects through grants." Scud answered leaning back in his chair.
"Medical research? Like Pharmaceuticals?" Moss prompted.
"We avoid the drug business, too many lawsuits. Medical diagnostic equipment." Scud said.
Moss' cell phone began ringing. He took it out and looked at the caller ID. "Excuse me, I need to take this call."
"I'll step out for a moment." Scud said. He stood up and went through a connecting door to Drake's office. He pretended to be busy looking through the filing cabinet. In a minute or so Moss came to the door.
"Mr Frohmeyer, could we continue this later. Mr Ayers was located this morning." Moss told him.
"Really? I hope you can find out why he did such a horrible thing." Scud said.
"I'm afraid we won't, Mr Ayers is dead. I'll be in touch." Moss said as he left.
Scud went back into his office and sat down. Delores immediately walked in and sat a huge flower arrangement on his desk. "It looks like somebody has an admirer!" She said brightly. "These were delivered for you a little while ago."
"Thanks Delores." Scud said and took the card out of the holder. Drake was not the flower type and neither was Scud. He opened the sealed envelope and read the message that had been handwritten on the inside:
The humans say you should give someone flowers before they die,
Hassan
Drake walked into the nest of vampires like he owned it. He was in the mood to take out some aggression and vampires were very good for that. He didn't sense Hassan nearby, but no matter. These lesser creatures would do and what the hell he thought as he shifted into his demon form. A little snack of pure terror wouldn't hurt either.
He grabbed the first vamp and wrapped his fingers around the female's through and ripped it out like tissue paper. That got them up and moving.
"Hassan has been looking for me. Here I am." Drake said as he waded into the group of vampires simply ripping them apart with his bare hands.
"Fuck me!" Hannibal said when the UV grenade went off. Not only was it bright, it actually carried a bit of heat, like a sunny day laying on the beach.
"Nice." Abby said looking around at the piles of ash that used to be vampires. "WMDs for suckheads, you've gotta love that."
"I think I owe Scud an apology. He is good for something other than fucking vamps. That is one fucking big bang!" Hannibal said. "Now lets go get the stragglers who managed to run."
Blade looked down at the final vamp pinned to the floor by the stakes. "You know what I want you to to tell me. Where's Hassan?"
"I don't know. He took his closest people and left a little before sun-up. Told us to stay here until he had the new nest ready tonight and then he would contact us." The vamp said.
" Looks to me like he left you to get killed." Blade observed. "I want Hassan. So you'd better give me something if you don't want me to open those drapes and fry your ass."
"He said something about the Talos building! Something there he needed to pick up!" The vamp said. "That's all I know. I swear."
"Thank you." Blade said taking out one of the older UV Granades left over from the Damaskinos days.
"Wait! What is that? You said you wouldn't kill me!" The vamp yelled.
"Actually I said I wouldn't open the drapes and let you fry." Blade answered him. "I never said anything about not killing you." Blade pulled the pin and tossed the grenade to land next to the pinned vamp and walked away.
"Delores could you call down to reception and find out who delivered these?" Scud asked trying to stay calm.
"Oh I don't need to call down, he told me his name. Quite a flirt that one, Kahlid Hassan." She said. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh no nothing like that. It's just that the card wasn't signed, and I'd like to know who sent the flowers." Scud told her. "I have to run an errand, I'll just ask at reception if they noticed which florist he works for."
When the elevator arrived Scud stepped on and waited for the door to close. He got off on the second floor and went to the stairs. Opening the door and seeing the stairwell empty he started down. When the door opened on on the lobby it was a dark haired woman that emerged. Scud's mother had been dead for years. No one would recognize her.
Hassan was flirting with the receptionist at the information desk but keeping an eye out for his prey. Drake wasn't in the building and he was sure that this Josh would make a run for it. His familiars were in the parking garage too keeping an eye on the BMW registered to Frohmeyer and Hassan had made sure they knew what this bastard looked like.
When then stairwell door opened Hassan glanced at the woman who came out and then ignored her as she exited the building. He turned back to the flustered girl sitting behind the information desk and turned on the charm.
Scud turned left and walked to the public parking garage at the end of the block. He walked over to a silver 69 Camaro with black racing stripes and opened the door sliding behind the wheel. Starting it up he took out his cell phone and dialed Drake's number.
"Drake, he's here. He just brought me a bunch of flowers. I had to shift to get out of the building. I'll meet you at Babylon." Scud hung up the phone after confirming the message and put the car in gear.
"Hassan is at Talos." Drake said walking up to Blade and the two nightstalkers.
"Scud?" Blade asked.
"He's at Babylon. He got out the hell out of there." Drake said.
"What's Babylon?" Abby asked.
"Neutral ground." Blade answered. "Vamps go there to meet without any hostilities flaring."
"So I guess this means we're doing lunch." Hannibal said.
Hassan looked at his watch. Where was this little catamite? Must still be hiding up in that office of his. And Hassan couldn't hang around here any longer. He noticed a couple of the security guards eyeing him. Although he would have loved to get his hands on the bastard today it wasn't going to happen. He said his goodbye's to the idiotic woman in front of him and walked to the service elevator.
He dialed a number. "When he shows up you call me and don't let him leave. I want this bastard today!"
Drake walked in the door followed by Blade and the nightstalkers. He looked around the restaurant trying to find Scud. He knew Scud had shifted to escape the office and obviously he was maintaining the shift.
"Over there." Blade pointed at a woman sitting in a corner by herself. "She looks a lot like Scud for some reason."
Drake stalked over leaving the others to follow. The woman stood up and smiled with relief. "Thank god." she reached up to give Drake a kiss. She looked at Blade and the two humans.
"Your mother Scud?" Blade questioned.
"I didn't think anyone would recognize her." Scud answered. "And it worked no one followed me. I'm driving the Camaro."
Drake gave the woman a hug before holding her chair out for her to sit. "Beauty and brains, love? Next time I bitch at you for spending too much money on your toys, remind me about this."
"How did he get in? I thought you had all this uber security?" Hannibal asked.
"He got in like any other deliveryman." Scud said reaching into his pocket and pulling out the card that came with the flowers. "He delivered them himself while I was meeting with Detective Moss." Scud handed the card to Drake. "He made it a point to tell Delores his name."
"He probably figured you would do exactly what you did." Blade said "He wanted you to run, he was probably watching for you."
Drake gave Scud's leg a reassuring squeeze under the table. "He won't give up. He's going to be looking for an opportunity."
"I know." Scud said. "He's going to keep trying. I can't do this Drake. I can't spend the next week or month or year looking over my shoulder. I can't live this way. I can't be a prisoner in my own home. Because that is where this is headed.
We both know that I'm the pawn stuck in the middle between you and Hassan. He won't stop until he can get his hands on me, so let him. I just want to get this over with."
"Wait a minute." Abby said. "Have you lost your mind? I thought the whole point here was to keep you alive so Drake doesn't lose it?"
"Drake, Babe, what if we let him catch me. You said he's not going to want to kill me right away right? That means that he would have to take me somewhere and if you were watching you could follow him." Scud said. "Once you find him you can end this."
"No" Drake said. "I'm not letting him get his hands on you!"
"What are you going to do to keep it from happening? Lock me in the subbasement like some fairy tale princess in a tower? I'll go crazy within a week." Scud said.
"Actually it's not a bad idea." Blade said. "Abby, King wait for us outside."
"It's been hours" Hassan yelled into the phone. "What do you mean you haven't seen him? Have you been watching?"
Hassan angrily disconnected the call. He had been positive the little catamite would have run directly to Drake for protection. This was not working out according to plan.
Milos had fucking disappeared, too. Although Ayers had been dealt with. That at least wouldn't come back to him. At this point Hassan had to write him off as a loss, just like all of his people except the small handful he had taken with him before the sun came up. They were among his oldest just like Milos. Not counting himself, there was a grand total of 4 people he could trust but none of them were daywalkers. Hassan had to depend on fucking human familiars until the sun went down in a couple of hours.
Maybe this was for the best. Blade and his nightstalkers had severely weakened him today. Perhaps he should take this night to create more cannon fodder. Cannon Fodder, Hassan had to give the humans credit for their way with words. But even that was risky. Blade would be expecting him to replenish the ranks. But a handful of his familiars turned tonight might work.
Scud sneaked back into the Talos building the same way he had managed to sneak out only this time with Abby Whistler at his side. Once in the stairwell he had shifted back to his own form.
"That's a nice trick." She said.
"More like a life saving trick." Scud told her as they climbed to the second floor and then waited for the elevator.
"Why didn't you just shift in the elevator she asked him as they stepped in.
"Hidden camera. I don't think that would go over too well with security." Scud told her.
"No it wouldn't." Abby paused for a minute and then spoke. "So you created the UV Grenades? Good work. We based the arc bow we use off those grenades. My dad showed us how."
"Yeah W, and I worked on it when B was hunting the reapers." Scud said.
"He told me how you turned on them when Damskinos caught them, but you're here, so it couldn't have been you in the lab." Abby said.
"No I was never even in the building. Damaskinos made sure B wouldn't kill me. He still considered me too valuable to die." Scud sighed.
The elevator doors opened. Blade and Hannibal were lounging by the door to Drake's office. Delores was standing there holding the vase of flowers, while Drake was urging her to get on the elevator. "But shouldn't we ask Mr Frohmeyer first? They are his flowers." She protested.
"I already spoke to Josh, he said just take them down to the secretarial pool. The ladies down there will appreciate them.
And once you've done that you may as well go home. It's close enough to quitting time. Oh neither one of us may be in tomorrow so make sure that the calendars are cleared when you come in." He handed her purse to her.
Scud and Abby stepped off the elevator. "Oh good," Scud said "You got my message. Tell the girls I hope they enjoy them. Goodbye Delores." He said as she stepped on the elevator.
Once the doors closed Drake collapsed into one of the easy chairs in the reception area. Abby turned her head to find herself staring at Drake. She glanced back over and was surprised to find Scud in the chair.
"What the fuck?" Hannibal asked.
"Just proving a point." Blade said. "If Hassan wants Scud so bad, let him have Scud."
"If we really want to get Hassan and his people it has to be during the day." Drake said. "His familiars won't be able to tell any difference between the two of us. His older followers may be able to though."
"So we rest tonight. We wiped out all three of those nests this morning." Blade said. "He may be able to turn a few tonight but nowhere near as many as we killed today. Tomorrow we put out the bait."
Scud laid the sword on the dresser. He had just finished a hard workout with Blade. Now he just wanted a shower and Drake. He made his way into the bathroom for a moment he watched the the form behind the frosted glass. He shed his clothes and slipped into the shower.
Scud had never been the one to start things between them, he didn't know why. Maybe because he thought it would remind Drake of what he had been before, a whore. But somehow that didn't matter right now. In the morning Drake was going to turn himself over to Hassan in Scud's place.
"Drake?" Scud said running his fingers down Drake's back. When Drake turned Scud didn't give himself time to think. He reached up threading his finger's through his lover's hair and pulled Drake's mouth down to his. He slipped his tongue into Drake's mouth, kissing him deeply.
Drake resisted the urge to wrap his arms around his lover. Instead he deepened the kiss feeling Scud's hands stroking, touching...exploring. Drifting lower across his stomach.
"I want you." Scud murmured against Drake's lips. Scud let his hand close around Drake's erection stroking it slowly. "Right here, in the shower."
Drake grabbed Scud's wrist stilling his hand, "Then you are then one that will need the foreplay love." Drake said turning them around so Scud was under the warm spray. "I've been waiting for this, for you to come to me." Drake lowered his head to Scud's neck letting his fangs graze the spot where neck met shoulder. "Never be afraid, love. I belong to you just as much as you belong to me."
Drake turned Scud in his arms, trailing his fingers down along Scud's spine, following it to the tight entrance. Drake teased the tight opening before pressing a finger inside.
Scud's head fell back as he felt Drake slip in a second finger, and then a third. It seemed like an eternity passed while Drake's fingers plunged in and out stretching him but Scud wanted so much more. "Yessss." Scud hissed feeling Drake's cock replace his fingers. Slowly, gently Drake worked his way deeper.
Drake pulled his lover's back tightly against his chest before pushing in that final little bit, raising Scud to his toes and making him groan. Drake wrapped his arms more securely around Scud. Drake carefully began moving, short slow strokes deep inside his lover's body. He smiled hearing Scud's soft cries of pleasure.
It only took a couple of thrusts for Scud to realize that this position not only gave Drake complete control over his body, his prostate was toast. Drake was rubbing against it constantly. Scud's hand went to his cock, he was already feeling the pressure building.
Drake adjusted his grip, pinning Scud's arms against his sides. "No love, I want this to last. I want to hear you scream with pleasure. I want you to remember this moment years from now." Drake said. "If anything goes wrong tomorrow, I want you to have this."
Scud moaned as Drake slowly teasingly moved inside him. With his arms pinned he couldn't do anything except feel that constant slow rubbing against his prostate. "Oh god Drake harder please."
Drake smiled as he bit lightly on Scud's shoulder, "Not yet love. I've only just started and you're already begging." Drake increased the length of his thrusts. Loving Scud's response as the begging turning into a keening whimper.
Scud trembled in Drake's arms. He knew what his lover wanted, pride be damned he thought. He stopped worrying about who might hear and Gave Drake screams, whimpers groans and everything else his lover wanted.