Author's Note: Just a quick shout out to my reviewers and all their lovely reviews, my followers, and people who just read the story and suffer in silence.
Hi.
Okay, so my life has settled down a bit, and I'm back to writing more often, and I wrote this chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it, and lays to rest that Eliza is an all powerful character.
Remember, we have a few sayings in the D&D world.
1) That moment when you anger the DM.
2) Critical Failure happens to us all
3) If you fail, make it entertaining.
4) Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil because it is fucking terrified of me.
Just a thought...
Love it, hate it, want me to burn and die? I won't know if you don't review!
Chapter 43 – The Hit
October 5, 2004 = Tuesday
~Eliza Flores~
The drive to Four-Play was relaxing, and finally having all my ducks in a row for the night promised to be an experience. The clock on my Ninja read just past one when I got there, and I snagged a spot for my bike across the street. It was quiet, with no cars moving and just a man in a hoodie waiting by the door.
I might have dismissed him as I went in as a patron who was waiting for a ride if it weren't for the look he gave me as I passed him, eyes widening a bit in surprise. It made me stop, looking at the man who immediately turned and walked away. I got one good look at his hand before he stuffed it in a pocket, seeing the tanned skin. It pegged him as human, and a bolt of fear hit me.
Hunter.
I quickly stepped inside, then leaned against the door as I pushed my senses into the shadows outside and followed him. I quickly found him, half a block away as he tried to hide behind a van, phone in hand as he talked to someone.
"Yeah, I got one," he said as I watched him. "I'll make sure she doesn't leave. Just get here quick," he said, then hung up the phone as he headed back up the street to my bike, this time pulling a knife from a pocket.
With a slow exhale, I watched as he slashed the tires on my Ninja, dropping it flat to the pavement before I pulled my senses from the shadows and back to my body. I didn't want to have hunters hit the place and harm the innocent here, plus it would be bad for business. I didn't see much of a way around what was coming, so I decided to cut my losses and face them here, where the walls would hopefully keep kindred secrets bottled up in case I had to cut loose with the shadows.
Pushing through the doors to the room beyond, I headed straight for Duke's office only to stop when I found the man at the bar talking with a young out-of-a-bottle blond with an oversized boob job. Seriously, how did she not hurt her back with those?
"Duke, we need to talk," I said, standing at his elbow.
"Sure," he said, then turned back to the lady. "Tomorrow, bring your gear and be ready to start dancing at about seven."
"Thanks!" she said, leaning forward to hug Duke before turning to the barman and ordering a Scotch and soda.
Duke led the way to his office, where I told him about the guy outside recognizing me.
"I hate to hear that," he said, disgusted. "My first thought is let them come in so we can throw them out. My second is, what if they come in with guns?"
"Fill me full of lead so people can see me standing there full of bullet holes with no blood pouring out," I said, agreeing with him. "That would be a breach of the masquerade, meaning my own kind would kill me if I didn't play dead. Doing that also means I can't stay in town, unless I get rid of all the proof and witnesses."
"What if we put everyone out the back door as they come in the front?" he said, giving me a middle option. "They won't be long in getting here, so we play it loose, get everyone clear as they start the ball then me and you can lay 'em out."
"Where you and your bouncers claim they caused a disturbance and you handled it," I said, liking his idea. "Almost everyone should be safe, and we can use Angel and Amber to escort them out, as they are more likely to survive getting hit and they can keep going with the group as they likely don't have fighting experience, least not this type of fighting experience."
"Now we just need to know when they come in," Duke said, making me smile. "I can hit the fire alarm in here, using the cameras to watch for them. We route everyone down the alley and away from the street and the fighting, and let the cops drag them away later. No witnesses here will be able to say anyone died, as hopefully only me and you will be in the building when those hunters are here."
"That's good," I told him. "I'll man the front, keeping them out until we're ready for them."
"Alright," he said, then smiled at a thought. "You do know that the lady at the front is an advertisement for the goods in here. Almost all the girls take turns at the register, in the clothes they dance in."
"You mean?" I asked, then looked down at my outfit. God this was embarrassing.
"So, thong or G-string?" he said with a lascivious smile.
"Umm," I said, slipping out of my leather duster. "Bikini?"
"Oh, honey," he said with a chuckle as he headed for his door. "I'll be right back. Go ahead and get stripped. We don't have long."
After he left, I went ahead and stripped out of my clothes, leaving me in nothing but bare skin. Feeling self conscious, I slipped my duster over my shoulders, huddling under it without actually putting it on. Duke wasn't long in returning, a pair of high heeled shoes under one arm and some clothing in his hand. He then came over and handed me a black silk g-string.
"Put this on," he told me, and I fingered the barely their panties.
"Who'd you get them from?" I asked, not wanting to put any one's used laundry.
"Dancer named Gina," he said, setting the heels on his desk. "She keeps extras here in case some drunk spills his drink all over her. I borrowed a set and her heels. Don't worry, they're clean."
Taking a casual whiff of the g-string, I could smell the lavender and soap Gina used to wash them, but nothing other than that. Taking that as a good sign, I slipped the panties on, then Duke handed me a netted band that wouldn't hide anything.
"That's the skirt," he said, and I stepped into it and slipped it up over my hips. I still didn't let Duke see me as I dressed, hiding myself under my duster as he held up a pair of skin hued hearts. "Since you can't see yourself, I need to put these on your nipples. I do still have laws to uphold, you know."
"What are they?" I asked him, wondering what the hearts were for.
"They're called pasties, and the laws in the county make all the girls in the place wear them, though most of the girls take them in the VIP area or use a set that looks real," Duke told me as if he were teaching a newbie. I guess, in reality, I was when it came to this stuff. "They have to cover the areola, but since most girls put them on with a mirror and you can't..." he said and I got the hint, nodding my acquiescence as I opened the duster to reveal my bare breasts.
"So, what was the deal with the girl you were talking to?" I asked him while he applied the pasties to my breasts.
"That was Tessa, just moved into the area last week with her two girls and boy," he told me. "Unlike most of the girls I hire, she's a professional dancer like Angel and also a member of the triple 'H' club. Unlike Angel, she already knows what she needs to do to make money so there's nothing for me to do but let her do it."
"And the boob job?"
"Guys love a rack they can boat in," he said with a chuckle as he stepped back after applying the last pastie. "The bigger the better. I got a guy if you're interested in an upgrade to the double letter category."
"No, thanks," I said, when he handed me the top. It was a netted thing, resembling a crop top with sleeves that hid nothing. I had stockings that hid more. "Aren't I supposed to wear something under it?"
"Just the pasties," he said with a grin I could have slapped off his face.
Pressed for time though, I decided to roll with it if it helped save lives and slipped it on over my head. Then Duke handed me the heels, which were twelve inches with only a four inch actual rise thanks to the eight inch block under the toes., and I sat on a chair to strap them on. Duke had to help me stand, and I wondered how the girls put these things on and danced in them. It was hard just to stand as I wobbled so much.
"Tell the girl out front you're relieving her," Duke told me as I looked down at myself with a little disgust. "She won't give you any problems and will probably be glad to get back to work. Oh, and take these," he said, handing me a pair of small round blue tinted glasses from his pocket. "They'll look better than that pair you're wearing.
"And if any guys try to buy me on my way there?" I asked, giving Duke a frown as I changed the glasses.
"Tell them you're busy and will be back later," he said with a chuckle as he took in my look. "Great, can't tell your irises aren't there."
I nodded my approval and thanks, and not wanting to be the butt of any jokes, I started to walk slowly for the door, being careful not to fall or wobble too much. I got better the further I went, but as I came around the stage and was almost to the door to the front area, my ankle gave out and I fell across a guys lap, his arms catching me and keeping me from falling into the floor. The guy found it humorous, laughing a bit to shake me and I was mortified as the thought that the only thing I was wearing that could be considered real clothing was a g-string, otherwise I was completely nude.
"It's a nice thought, ma'am, but I'll tell you now I'm just here for the scenery," he said with a slightly southern drawl.
"Hardly," I told him, forcing a smile to show I wasn't upset. "Not used to wearing heels this high."
"It's all about practice," he said, as I straightened up. "It'll be interesting to see you dance later."
"It might not be tonight," I said, enjoying his gentlemanly charm, and I knew he was a gentleman as he didn't look at my bare breasts hidden only by a set of plastic stickers and netting but at my eyes.
"That's a shame," he said, giving me a smirk. "Might be worth the money to get a dance from you."
"If you don't have much money," I asked him after I took a whiff of his breath and was surprised to not smell alcohol, "why do you come here then?" I looked quickly to his drink, finding it a glass of dark colored soda whose fizz was still fixed to the side.
"To unwind," he said, lowering his arm now that I had myself sitting on his lap and not just draped across it. "Sometimes the day gets rough and I stop by here to calm down before I head home for the day."
"What do you do?" I asked him, wondering what would work the man up that he had to find ways of calming down at night to sleep.
"I work for a company back east who has bought all the junk rail," he told me, though I had no idea what that meant. "It's my job to put it on trucks and send it back to our yard so they can process and recycle it. The problem is, I think the drivers enjoy running my blood pressure up for the hell of it."
"So I'll see you in here again soon, won't I?" I asked and he nodded his head.
"Just as soon as I go back to work again," he groused, then lifted his arm to look at his watch. "Time flies when you're having fun."
"We'll have to see what fun we have next time you're in," I told him, then stood out of his lap.
"Just remember to practice walking and dancing in those heels," he said as he stood beside me. "Otherwise, you're liable to hurt yourself dancing onstage."
I smiled, though inwardly I grimaced as I turned to loop my arm in his for support, getting a view of the girl on stage. She was dressed only in a g-string, and I mean string, and had her breasts around a guys face as she leaned over the side of the stage. I had to admit I didn't understand it, why girls would do something like this when more honest careers were out there. Weren't we supposed to be empowered, or something?
"Walk me to the door?" I asked, giving him a smile.
"Sure," he said, taking my proffered arm. "So, what's your name so I can find you again?"
I thought fast, thinking of how the girls named themselves and then responded with, "Vixen."
"Well, Vixen, I'm William," the guy said as we went through the doors into the lobby area. "And I'll look forward to seeing you again."
"You too, William," I said, giving him a hug before he slipped out the doors.
"You better get your ass back inside," the girl said from the register. "You won't like the consequences if you can't make Duke's stage fee."
"I take it you have had the pleasure of Duke's couch?" I asked her, and she dropped her head as I got closer.
"Pleasure, yeah," she said, finally raising her head. "You got kids?"
"No," I said, and she shook her head.
"Then you won't understand," she said turning back to the register, avoiding making eye contact.
"Understand what?" I asked as I moved to stand beside her.
"Making a choice," she said as if I understood.
"What choice?" I asked her, and she squirmed a bit under my stare.
"I only work here a few nights a week," she told me, her voice low as if she were trying to hide something. "When my ex has the kids. In those two nights, I have to make all the money to support my baby girls, and sometimes, the money doesn't come in well enough to do that and pay Duke off."
"So the choice?" I asked, my face slack as I began to understand. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your problem," she breathed.
"How would you deal with it?" I asked her, wanting to know more about an industry I really knew nothing about.
"Maybe if the stage price wasn't so high," she said finally. "I know he has to make money, but sometimes I think he tries to make it so we can't pay him."
"Anything else?" I asked her.
"No, other than that he's been pretty fair," she told me.
"Well, go back inside and make some money while you can," I told her, taking a step and nearly falling again.
"Thanks," she said with a smile, getting up to wrap her arms around me. The act was both warm and helpful, as it helped steady me, and she gave me a peck on the cheek. "New, huh?"
"First night," I said with a wan smile.
"Want a tip?" she asked and I nodded my head. "Don't take off the heels. Your feet will swell and you might not get them on again. Also, practice walking with one hand on the wall while your out here. Maybe try walking in your kitchen or something at home, too. Heels, especially heels this high. You can really hurt yourself if you're not careful."
"Thanks hon," I said, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "Now, go make some money and buy your girls something nice for Christmas."
She gave me another peck on the cheek before she hurried back inside, leaving me alone in the lobby. I sat on the stool provided, wondering how I had fallen so far. I hated being the monster, and now I was right back to where I started, sanctioning the ruining of lives.
God, how I hated myself.
As I sat there, pondering my future, I could only be reminded of what Jean had told me. My beast was running loose, and I had to start gaining control of it. It was pushing me down lines of thinking that could make me worse than the fictional Dracula, taking blood from any source until they died and killing any who stood in my way. My only benefit was that I knew of it and had time to seek help before it became terminal. I just had to do it.
I was interrupted from my line of thinking when Yukie walked in, fumbling with a pink pearl clasped purse. "One entry, please," she said, before looking up and her jaw dropping. I took in her traditional Chinese dress, a short sleeved cheongsam with a floral print that reached to her knees, and the red leather purse slung over her shoulder.
"Demon," she said, reaching into her purse for something I figured was a stake.
"Yukie," I said, forcing a smile at seeing the hunter. "Here to kill me?" I asked, wondering if she were the hunter that had been called to kill the kindred here.
"Kill you?" she said, looking confused. "I follow you here. I wonder if you were being monster, if I should kill you, yet you work here? I am confused."
"I own a part of the place as a partner," I explained to her. "I'm out here at the entrance because I'm expecting hunters to come kill me, and I want to do it away from the innocent."
"Why not run?" she asked, her head nodding as she began to understand.
"Because they might harm the innocent looking for me," I told her, and a smile quirked her lips. "At least if I'm here, I can protect them or die trying."
"You are good demon," she said, removing her empty hand from her purse. "I cannot help you with hunters, but I will not help them either. They are wrong."
"Do you want a better job?" I asked and she looked at me with a funny look. "I own part of a club called Confessions in downtown LA that is looking for bouncers and such. Since I know you can handle yourself, I thought you might like a job where you can quit dressing like a hooker."
"You want me to be your servant?" she asked, and I shook my head.
"Employee, not servant," I said, then decided I better explain it better. Yukie's English wasn't the best. "I'll pay you with money, not blood, just like if I weren't a demon. Interested?"
"Very," she said with a giggle. "Maybe then I can afford apartment where much crime doesn't happen."
"Still interested in going in, or do you want to walk away?" I asked and she looked thoughtful.
"I will wait," she said, giving me a smile. "I think you will survive hunters and we can talk about new job for me."
"Just go on in then," I told her, and she started for the door. "Once I'm done, I'll come looking for you."
"Thank you, demon," she said, then disappeared through the door into the club. I didn't know if she would help or damn my ass in a fight with hunters, but at least I had the chance to improve one person's life.
I returned to waiting, pushing my sight into a shadow outside to check for hunters when they would come. Time passed, maybe twenty minutes or so, when a blue van with no rear windows stopped outside. Men poured out just as the fire alarm came on, but what I saw next brought my head up. A large man with thick matted hair stepped out of the back of the van and onto the ground. One look, and I knew he was kindred.
"Oh shit," I swore, realizing that I had made a very bad mistake.
It wasn't hunters, I was about to get hit by the Sabbat.
Panicked, I went to the main door and locked it before going the lobby to open that door to see Duke ushering everyone out the back, the last few already lined up to go. I went inside, seeing Yukie arguing with a bouncer who had just grabbed her by the arm. Yukie slapped the man hard, making the guy release her and I hustled over to interefere before Yukie really laid into him.
"Get out of here," I growled at the man who seemed to realize messing with me was a box he didn't want to open. The man backed off, moving for the exit at Duke's insistence and was the last one out the door, leaving me, Yukie and Duke.
"Get ready for a fight, Yukie," I told her, bending over to get my feet out of these ankle popping high heels, even though it meant I was going to fight barefoot and mostly nude. "It's demons, not hunters that are coming."
"Demons?" she said, sounding skeptical. "These are more of those that do not get along with you?"
"They're the worst," I told her, just as a burst of automatic gunfire rang through the club, the speakers silent now that the song was over. "They'd kill you for being human, and probably torture you to death if they find out you're a hunter. They might also turn you, and you'd rather be turned by me than them."
"I will stand with you demon," she said, pulling a stake from her purse. "These are demons who make little girl a hunter."
Another burst of gunfire rang through the club, then I could hear them pouring into the lobby and the inner door broke into two big pieces as the big bruiser of a kindred rammed his way through. Men poured into the large room, and the three of us faced off against the Sabbat.
"Looky, looky," big boy growled, as the others formed behind him, some carrying shotguns and one had an oversized pistol with what looked dual forward grips, but as I looked closer, realized it was a clip and a grip. Two more stood in the back, red gas cans in their hands. "Burn it down boys!"
I raised my hands, bringing up shadow tentacles to ensnare as many as I could. I got two of the shotgun wielding guys, and the funky pistol holding one, but that was it. Funky pistol let loose with his gun, and I found out the thing was an automatic when he emptied his clip in under a second, but it didn't stop my tentacle from breaking his neck. The shotgun holders were more successful, but big boy let out a howl and charged me, tackling me to the floor.
I lost track of the fight after that, as I was concerned only with the big boy attacking me. I realized fast he was a Gangrel like Jean when his hands turned into bear-like claws and swiped at me. I wedged my leg between us, easy as he wasn't skin to skin but just kneeling over me and used potence to throw him into the second floor VIP area.
Free from any immediate fight, I saw Yukie in a wrestling match with a former shotgun wielder, the little Asian seemed to be using my potence to beat the man senseless with her fists. Duke was going toe to toe with two others, and the men with the gas were pouring it out over the stage and furniture. I knew if they lit it, the fire could kill me or at least send me into frenzy, and I wasn't looking forward to that.
I formed a katana from the shadows, hoping that it wouldn't spark if it hit metal since it was made of shadow, and pounced the arsonists. I hit one in the back, knocking him over the gas covered stage, when the other turned and sloshed some of the gas he was pouring on me. I worked my katana in a circle, slashing the man from jewels to sternum. The other man came around with a lighter, the flame flickering into life with a flip of his thumb.
The flame poured onto the stage as I activated my celerity, seeing the flames spread in an ever expanding pool as they enveloped the man with the lighter who was now lying in the flames, his face twisting into shock as he realized his mistake. I turned and jumped for it, seeing a huge hairy form rush past me as I struggled to get clear.
A loud whoosh accompanied a bright flash I only saw for the briefest of moments as I hit the floor, turning back to see big boy emerge from the flames, though now he looked like an oversized grizzly with yellow eyes. He didn't even slow down as he came out, and I rolled away under a table. With one swipe of his paw, he knocked the table clear across the room, and I scrambled to my feet and ran away from the flames, already feeling my beast fighting for control as it crawled and snaked through me.
I ran into the hallway past the bar, into an area I supposed the girls danced for paying customers in. It was tight, but tight was what I wanted with the big brute. He hit the entrance full on with his shoulders, the wood creaking but holding as he tried to get in. I stood, forcing myself to be calm as I made a katana and got ready to fight.
The big brute of a bear snarled and growled, until his eyes suddenly lost their yellow and returned to normal. I thought he might be changing back to normal, but he only stepped back and shake his head once, before settling on his haunches. I got it then, he had frenzied, the fire pushing him into losing his mind.
Back in his own mind, he studied the small door, then wriggled through it after rotating his shoulders with no problem. He advanced slowly, and I readied myself for the fight. He didn't charge though, his more human mind knowing I could hurt him with the sword. I was somewhat content to let him take his time, seeing the fire spread behind him. I could jump out through the shadows, but I figured this guy had potence too and could make his own doorway out.
When he was within easy reach of my katana, I took a swipe at him, trying to slash him across his face, but my sword dissipated the moment it touched his fur. He seemed to chuckle then, as he took another step and I conjured one of those big long swords from medieval times. I brought it down again, the brute stopping to allow me to the chance to swing.
Again, once my sword connected, it dissipated. I froze in panic, the knowledge that none of my shadow swords would work shocking me. Brute reared up, then swiped me with a paw, the claws slashing me across my chest and ripping the crop top netting from me and the force putting me the floor. I scrambled away, going into a roundabout type area with a circle sofa.
I was hoping the small area would help keep him away, but he kept advancing, wriggling his way into the tight area. When I figured he would take a moment to get out, I quickly hopped over the divider, flames already spreading to the doorway as the dry carpet burned quickly.
I backpedaled away from the door, seeing yellow cloud my vision. Brute landed in the doorway, turning on rear legs to face me. I smiled as a thought hit me. I couldn't take him on, but I could delay him long enough to hopefully let this place be his funeral pyre. Summoning the shadows as I did when I first started to use them, I sent him to the void, leaving nothing behind but a shadowy pillar where he stood.
Turning, I began using my potence to rip seats up and toss them at the shadowy pillar, letting the fire spread over them. I had most of the seats piled around the pillar, the fire spreading so far around the area that I climbed the walls as a shadow. I could see the fire as it burned all over now, even the firemen as they tried to come in the front. At least as a shadow my vision no longer had the yellow tint around the edges.
Brute came back, and with a roar, charged forward through the fire-covered seats. He swatted at the fire as it crawled over him, and I had to figure he was frenzied again. With a roar, he fell back as his body crumbled into ash. Knowing that I would be joining him soon unless I did something, I jumped into Duke's office.
I looked around, finding my clothes where I left them, when the door burst open. Two firemen came in, flanking me as I grabbed my clothes and boots. I didn't even get time to slip the coat on to hide my bare breasts before they grabbed me by the arms.
"Miss, is there anyone else in here?" one of the firemen shouted through his mask.
"No, I was supposed to wait on Duke," I told the men.
"Come with us," he told me, and they began dragging me out of the office. I went with them, knowing they would take me outside the best way possible which would be the door just outside. I ended up being right, and they took me out front where two ambulances were setup. Paramedics were checking everyone, and I saw Yukie on a stretcher being put in an ambulance with a bloody bandage wrapped around a shoulder and a sheet draped over her. The poor girl looked pale, and I wondered how she fared in her fight.
"Miss," one of the technicians said, a tall man of Native American descent said. "Were you burned anywhere?"
"Um, no," I said, as Yukie gave me a thumbs up, but her hand was shaking. "I was in an office away from the fire."
"Any smoke?" he asked me and I shook my head.
"No, I didn't even know the fire was there until the firemen came and got me," I told him.
"Well, you don't seem to need medical attention," he told me, as his partner climbed in the back with Yukie, "But if you have problems, get to an ER immediately."
"Thank you," I said, as he and his partner began to look at Yukie more closely.
"She's lost a lot of blood with at least two GSW's," said the man whose name tag read Gage in the light of the ambulance. "We better get her to the hospital quick."
"You mind if I ride along," I asked them, as the man named De Soto climbed down from the ambulance. "She's a friend of mine."
"Sure," Gage said, and I climbed in. "You can sit there. It won't take long."
"Thanks," I told him as I sat opposite him. Yukie looked so pale, and her eyes weren't able to focus but she was conscious. The ambulance began to move, and I looked at the paramedic. I didn't need him back here, but I could only hope this worked. "Sleep."
The man's eyes rolled back up into his head, and I looked down at Yukie. "Yukie, look at me," I asked her. She finally got her eyes to look at me, but there was a hunger in them.
"So...empty," she breathed, and I stroked her hair.
"It's time for your next dose of blood," I told her, and she closed her eyes slowly, then slowly opened them, the fear evident in her eyes. "If I give it to you, you'll survive this wound. If I don't, you'll likely die."
"Will," she started to say, coughing a bit. I wiped the spittle from her lip, finding it pink. I lifted the sheet covering her, finding the second bullet wound in her chest that the blood was just now soaking through. "Will...you...care...for...me?" she finally said, having to force each word out.
"Until your dying day," I told her. Yukie closed her eyes again, and this time nodded slowly.
Biting my wrist, I poured a little blood into her mouth which she managed to swallow. After that, she seemed to pass out as she never reopened her eyes. Looking at the paramedic, I decided on a way to snap him out of his enthrallment that would cover up any time passing. Grabbing him by the shirt, I pushed him against the wall with a thud.
"Ow," he said, as he got back up and began to check on Yukie again.
"You okay back there?" the driver asked after opening the small window between us.
"Slipped," he said, and then began to listen for Yukie's heart with a stethoscope. "Patient has passed out, but her heartbeat is strong."
"Five minutes," he said, and closed the window.
I began to get dressed, no longer having to worry about Yukie surviving. I slipped the netting off my hips, and pulled my leather pants on along with my red spandex shirt. Modesty protected, I put my socks and boots on, though didn't tie them, then began to thread my belt around my waist as we pulled into the hospital.
After the paramedics left with Yukie, I put the gun behind my back and threaded the belt through it before fastening the belt. Slipping my coat on, I pocketed the netted skirt and my panties and followed Yukie on her rolling stretcher. A doctor stopped the paramedics and looked at Yukie's wounds, then he grabbed a bed from the wall and placed it beside the stretcher.
"Swap her over," he said, as he and a nurse took one side and the paramedics took the other. When Yukie was on the hospital bed, the doctor turned to the nurse. "OR, immediately. That bullet hit one lung and if it didn't hit the heart, it'll be a miracle. And get the kit ready to reinflate the lung. It'll likely collapse when we open her up."
"Yes, Doctor Brackett," the nurse said, wheeling Yukie away.
"Um, ma'am," the doctor said, turning to me. "Do you know the patient?"
"A bit," I told him. "Her name is Yukie and she's from Japan."
"Do you happen to know if she's allergic to anything?" he asked me, as he wrote her name on a notepad.
"No, but we've only known each other for a short time," I told him. "She works at the Ramen Shop in Chinatown. It's where we met."
"Thank you, miss," he said as he wrote it all down. "And your name?"
"Elisa Flores," I told him, stressing the 's' in my false name. "I live in Malibu, if anyone needs me."
"The police may want to follow up," he said as he tucked his notepad away. "I'll do my best to save your friend, but I have to warn you, the bullet may have nicked her heart. The chances of her surviving are slim."
"I have faith Yukie will pull through just fine, doctor," I told him, giving him a smile. "She's a fighter. Can you call me when she's out of surgery?"
"Sure," he said, pulling out his notepad. I gave him my number and he wrote it down. "You've been very helpful, Miss Flores."
"As have you doctor," I told him as he turned and headed to scrub up for surgery.
With nothing else to do, I jumped back to the Four-Play, finding most of the girls there giving their statements to police. Several cars that had been parked next to the building had been damaged due to falling debris, but otherwise driveable as the fire department had hosed them down to keep them cool as the fire burned. Other than that, the building was a complete loss, probably owing to age and a large amount of dried wood inside.
"Hey," Sharron said as she moved up beside me. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, but it was obvious from the amount of skin showing that she was mostly in lingerie. "Did you hear?"
"About the fire, yeah," I said, looking at the ruin of a building.
"No, about Duke," she said, bowing her head. "They pulled his body from the building a few minutes ago. It's over there," she said, pointing to where five body bags were lined up on the sidewalk.
"Are you sure?" I asked her, and she nodded.
"He had his ID on him," she told me, and I silently cursed the Sabbat for this. "But we all knew it was him. What happened? Why did they do this?"
"They're called the Sabbat," I said, leading her away from the crowd for a private chat. "They hate the group I'm with and are apparently hitting any place connected with us. Was anyone hurt?"
"Just Duke and some girl that was trying to crawl out of the lobby," she told me. "I'd never seen her before, but she'd been shot in the chest and shoulder."
"That was Yukie," I told her, and she looked at me with sad eyes. "She's a ghoul like you'll, and she'll be fine. The doctor will the bullet out in a bit and she'll be back on her feet this time next week."
"Oh, great," she said, smiling a bit. "Other than that, just a few of the guys that burned the place down."
"And Duke?" I asked and she shook her head.
"Bullet holes all over his chest," she told me, then hiccuped as she began to cry, leaning on my shoulder for comfort. I wrapped my arm around her and comforted her, but knew this was just traumatizing. It took a few minutes, but she finally regained her composure. "What are we going to do now?" she asked me.
"I guess since this will be a crime scene and be held up for months as they try to figure things out, I'll get us more land and we'll build another club," I told her, and her face brightened a bit.
"You won't abandon us?" she asked, and I shook my head.
"Gather everyone at the motel tomorrow night," I told her, thinking of the girl who had just lost her livelihood and her little girls. "I'll pay everyone enough to get by, but we'll try to get a club going elsewhere as soon as we can. When we meet up tomorrow at dusk, I want ideas for places to move to, new club names, and maybe the name of a contractor or two so we can do some renovating plus a list of all the equipment we'll need to replace."
"Oh, thank you," she said, giving me another hug. "I was afraid you'd just leave us or make us do porn or something."
"No, no porn for you," I said, feeling guilty at the thought that I'd ever forced her into doing something that low against her will. "And I'm sorry about the other day. I was wrong to force you to do that."
"Guess I deserved it, in a way," she told me, her voice cracking a bit. "I don't hit the eight ball anymore."
"You don't need that junk in your system, anyway," I told her, giving her a smile.
"Just you," she said, running a hand through my hair.
"I, uh, I need to make a few phone calls," I told her, thinking I needed to call Walsh and report this. "Do me a favor?"
"Sure," she said, her smile brightening her face.
"Can you get new tires put on my Ninja?" I asked her, fishing the key out of my pocket. "One of the Sabbat thugs slashed my tires before all this started."
"Oh yeah," she said, taking the key, then looked down at her lack of credible clothing before shoving it in her bra. "You should customize it. I know a guy who can put some wicked rims on it."
"Really?" I said, thinking maybe I should.
"Tell you what, I'll get it to his shop today and tonight I'll bring a brochure full of rim and tire types and you can pick out what you want," she told me, being helpful in her thinking. "Once he gets it done, I can bring it to your apartment."
"I have a mansion in Malibu, now," I told and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "You can ride?"
"Malibu? Oh you gotta let me stay there!" she squealed excitedly. "And I used to ride all the time. Had this Honda Shadow that I got from my aunt and it had the smoothest engine. I used to enjoy riding it."
"What happened to it?" I asked her, and she shook her head.
"Guy stole it while I was at work one day," she told me, shaking her head. "Cops found it three days later, wrapped around a tree."
"Why didn't you buy another bike?" I asked and she gave me a mirthful smile.
"I used the money to come out here," she said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "Wanted to make it big, but I bombed big time."
"I wouldn't say that," I told her, give her shoulders a squeeze. "You did find immortality."
"That I did," she said, as she moved off as another girl called for her. I let her go, pulling out my phone and called Walsh.
"Walsh here," he said when he picked up the line.
"It's Eliza," I told him. "Just got hit by the Sabbat at my club, Four-Play."
"Damn," he grumbled. "How bad?"
"Place is a complete loss, one ghoul dead, another in the hospital," I told him and I swear I heard him sigh. "I took down one kindred, a gangrel, male, transformed fully into a big bear. Also got four humans dead here, all with Sabbat connections."
"You're lucky," he told me and I scoffed at him.
"Lucky?" I said a little more shrilly than I meant to be. "My swords broke when they hit him!" I hissed into the phone. "I didn't even know that was possible!"
"It's the power of fortitude," he told me, his calm voice and demeanor somehow calming me. "The more experienced with it you are, the more resistant to damage you become. I've seen it before, in a duel in Washington DC back in '69. A Toreador called out a Ventrue over some slight in a land deal, and they were to duel to the death over it. The Ventrue just stood there and let the Toreador hit him, his mastery of fortitude breaking the sword and my fellow Ventrue just ran him through after that."
"1869?" I asked, and he chuckled.
"Yes, it was a more direct time," he said with a chuckle.
"Anything that needs to be done?" I asked him.
"Not from my end," he told me. "Good luck rebuilding your club and be at my office at five for your meeting with Herr Mueller."
"Thanks, Walsh," I said and the line went dead.
Looking around at the devastation, I decided that there was nothing more to do here, but I could only wonder what to do until my meeting. Only one thing came to mind that made a lot of sense, and that was to start working on the list of people who owed me boons. Pulling out the list, my eyes went to the first name on the list, Elizabeth Swan of clan Toreador.
Maybe Michele knew her.