Chapter Two

"Jamie?" I breathed out unsteadily. The man gazed up at me from his place on my doorstep, a pathetic look on his face. "My God…"

I practically ran to where he was and knelt beside him. I reached out and cupped the side of his face. James winced.

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked, sounding angrier than I had meant to. But who wouldn't be angry in a situation like this? Not at James, of course, but at whoever had done this to him. His cheek was red and swollen, the skin around his eyes undeniably black and blue. His hair was not just tangled and greasy as I had previously thought, but was in fact caked with what I suspected was blood. All in all, he looked a mess.

"Not here." He whispered in a pitiable moan. I held back my furious curiosity and slowly nodded. Maybe the hallway outside my apartment was not the most ideal place for this conversation after all. I helped James to his feet; something that soon became obvious was needed. I dug into the front pocket of my grey handbag and pulled out my keys. James collapsed onto the couch as soon as we had stepped into the small living room come kitchen.

"Do you need anything? Any bandages or pain meds?" I asked while shutting the door behind me. I put my hands on my hips and looked at him sternly as he shook his head. "An ambulance perhaps?"

"No!"

I was taken aback by the force of that answer. He clearly didn't want anyone to know about this, which was all the more bizarre. If I had been beaten up or fallen down the stairs or anything like that I'd want a medical professional to know immediately. Hopefully that wouldn't happen though. I doubt I'd have done anything that would make me get beaten on in the first place. I wasn't that kind of girl. I walked over to the armchair opposite the couch but on second thoughts decided to stand.

"What the fuck happened to you, Jamie? I haven't seen or heard from you in nearly four weeks. No idea where you were or what you were doing. And then all of a sudden you pop up battered and bruised like someone's taken a cricket bat to you!" James looked decisively at the carpet and not at me. "And no way am I just going to leave this alone, buddy! If you don't tell me what's going on then I have every right to throw you back out into that corridor!"

"Get me a cuppa, would you?" was all he croaked out.

I could have screamed. I almost did. "James Burrow, you tell me who did this to you right this minute!"

"I hate having a girlfriend who knows her own mind…" he mumbled at the floor in a joking tone. It did not help my temper.

"Oh, you think I'm still your girlfriend, do you?"

He finally looked up at me, a hint of worry in those eyes. "Are you?"

I sighed and flopped down onto the comfy armchair in defeat. I was just too tired after my family gathering to remain angry at James. "I suppose that depends on your explanation, doesn't it?"

"I…" he seemed to be considering his response way too carefully for my liking. Hopefully he knew me well enough to know that I'd know if he was lying. And I wouldn't accept lies right now. He finally came to a conclusion in his head. "I've been selling drugs."

Well, that I was not expecting.

"You what?" My anger was back again. He winced at the level of my voice, anticipating my wrath. And rightly so, I might add. Of all the stupid, reckless things he had done- "What kind of drugs? A little weed now and then or a big ass load of crap?"

He didn't answer.

"Oh my God, James, what kind of drugs?"

He looked back to the floor again. My heart sank with every inch his eyelevel took. "V."

Shitting Nora.

I was quiet for a good ten seconds as I gathered my thoughts. Then I let them out. In one big loud rush. "You dumb, arrogant, thoughtless retard! What in God's name do you think you're playing at? V? V! You have got to be joking me! No way on the planet would I be dating a dealer of vampire blood! Only the criminally insane even dare to touch the stuff! I knew your mother dropped you as a baby, but I didn't know you were that fucked up! Someone's got to knock some sense in you! I bloody hope those bruises hurt! V! Where did you even get the stuff?"

"I… I had an arrangement."

I threw the cushion violently at his head. It struck and plopped down to the floor. I wished I'd thrown something harder. An arrangement could only mean one thing – sex was involved. "So you're a fangbanger now?"

"No!" he defended, staring me in the eye. "Not that kind of arrangement, I swear."

For all my fury, I could tell he wasn't lying. Well, at least that meant he was just a V dealing boyfriend and not a cheating V dealing boyfriend. I crossed my arms and glared. The thumping bass guitar ground to a halt and I knew the Jenkins had finally got fed up of listening to Paul's racket. I made sure my voice was slightly lower when I next spoke, so as not to draw any unwanted attention from prying neighbours.

"Did the vampires do that to your face then?"

I watched his Adam's apple bob nervously. "No."

My eyes narrowed further. "Then who?"

"My… buyers…"

"Christ." I threw my hands into the air in a show of my disbelief. "Who the hell have you been selling to?"

He gave my look that told me he wasn't willing to tell me that in case I did anything stupid. That let me know that these people were definitely not the casual druggies. I rubbed my forehead in frustration. "And why did they beat you up?"

He looked like he was debating how much to tell me again. To be honest had no idea how much I really wanted to know. If this involved gangs and vampire blood then it would be better to stay right out and not know anything. Ignorance is bliss they say. Especially when knowledge could mean someone murdering you in your sleep. I sighed mentally. Technically I already knew too much. I knew someone was selling vampire blood and I knew who. When it came to vampires, that was all that mattered.

"My buyers…" he began explaining, pausing while trying to come up with a suitable phrase, "…wanted some information. I don't know why, but they did. And I didn't have that kind of information and they're not the kind of people who appreciate being told anything in the negative. They… they still want the information. They only let me go 'cause I promised I'd get it for them. And right about now I have no idea where to start."

"What information?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"Vampire information." I gave him a look to tell him that answer was not sufficient. "Something about a rogue vampire who killed one of their acquaintances. It sounds like they're looking for revenge."

"Against a vamp? How crazy are they exactly?"

He chuckled morosely. "Pretty crazy."

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Yep."

I actually smiled for the first time since coming home. Despite the knowledge that I should still be yelling and throwing things at his face, I just couldn't stay angry at James. A cliché yes, but a true one. There was just something so unbelievably pathetic in his manner. He knew this was all his fault, but at the time he just hadn't thought about it. Probably just thinking of making a little money on the side. Christ, that nice bracelet he bought me last month was probably from V money. I shook my head. There was no denying it; he was a class A fool. But he was my fool. And I couldn't chuck him for being something I'd known he was when I first met him eighteen months ago.

"Do you have anything that even resembles a sort of plan?" I asked, not getting my hopes up for a good answer. Sure enough, he just grimaced and looked at me guiltily. "Ok then, well, what information do you have about this vamp?"

"All I know is that two months ago my buyers' acquaintance turned up dead in a ditch with fang marks in his neck and no blood in his body."

"That's it?" I asked in surprise. Even if James was an idiot, I'd expected him to know a little more than that. What else could we base this whole thing on?

"Hey!" James started, a suddenly hopeful gleam to his eyes. "Do you think your family co-"

"No." I interrupted defiantly. No way was I getting more people involved with this, especially if it meant speaking to my family for the second time that night. James buried his battered face in his hands.

"You're going to help me, aren't you?" he let out timidly.

I shrugged. "Looks like it, buster. But my family are a no go zone, ok?"

"Then what can we do?" he moaned.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose in annoyance. I could only see one way to get anywhere in finding out anything about the mystery vampire, but I did not like the idea one tiny bit. As if I didn't have enough on my plate already. I glanced at James. As long as this went unsolved he was in danger, and I'm pretty sure his little friends would have no trouble in finding out about me and putting me in the same danger. Something had to be done.

"There's only one thing we can do."

***

Review please? They make smiles.