him, which puts me at a real disadvantage."
Dr. O shook his head. "So Marcello's here. I thought he might show up when he caught scent of you, but he put a lot of pieces together faster than I thought he was capable."
My patience was running thin. "So you both know him? Mind telling me who he is?"
Frankie hesitated. "He's a hit man."
"A vampire hit man?" I crossed my arms. Had the mafia taken over the vampire population or something?
Dr. O hesitated. "We think Marcello killed your parents."
I actually felt the blood drain from my face.
Dr. O continued. "Marcello didn't order the kill. That much we are sure of. He is simply a hired gun."
"So why is he after me?" I felt my fangs start to burst through my gums. Wrapping my arms around myself, I pressed my nails into my arms to force myself to stay seated. What I really wanted to do was run out of the bar, track Marcello down, and drive a stake through him.
"Because you came back. Apparently he has been waiting for you." Dr. O said, looking chagrined.
That response was infuriatingly cryptic.
Babe looked alarmed. "Nina, maybe you should go back to the Nevada..." She met Dr. O's eyes.
I sighed and reached for Babe's hand, pressing it against my cheek. "Auntie Babe, I love you. But I am so staying here to stake this bastard." I had been waiting for 30 years for this kill. It was all I thought about during the hours of the Blood Ops physical training. He was so mine.
"Nina, you have no idea what vampires like Marcello are capable of." Babe was edging towards hysteria. "And your dad was supposed to be unstoppable!"
I dug in my heels. "Dr. O, you agreed I could come home because some weird supernatural something is apparently setting up shop, remember? You said that the time had finally come for me to be here, to help out Babe, and keep an eye on the activity."
For two years, I wanted to leave the desert and come home. Home. I wanted to have a life outside of Blood Ops. I wanted to try to run my mom’s bar. Babe was growing old, and I barely spent any time with her. My history was here, what was left of my family was here. And this is where I chose to be. Hell, I earned it.
"But that was before we knew that Marcello was still hanging around," Babe said, her voice rising. She wasn't giving in without a fight. "Now we know he’s here, so I need you to go back to Nevada. Let them send another team out to deal with this other stuff."
It was all I could do to keep from stomping my feet. "You can't be serious!"
"You are your father's daughter," Dr. O said with a chuckle. "He wouldn't have passed up this fight either."
"Yeah, and look where that got him," Babe said. Her dark eyes were blazing with anger.
A far-off look on his face, Frankie spoke up at last. "But you need to know what to do after you catch him. At least I can help with that." He was filled with bitterness. I sometimes forget that Dad was Frankie's mentor and they spent centuries on the run together.
"I guess it's settled," Dr. O said, but Babe yanked him back to the table.
"Not so fast, Lochlan," she hissed. I had never seen Babe look so angry.
"Auntie Babette," I began, choking back tears. "I know what you did for me..."
"Do you?" Babe asked. "Really, did Lochlan tell you the whole story?"
"Babette..." Dr. O tried to stop her.
Babe refused to stop. "How we were on the run, how this thing and his so-called family kept finding us? How so many more were killed while we were running?"
I knew Babe had tried to take care of me, but I always assumed taking care of a half-breed had been too much for a young, single woman. I had no idea she was running from a vampire.
Babe was shooting daggers at Dr. O with her eyes. "So you never told her how she ended up with you?"
Before Dr. O could answer, Babe stood up and stalked away.
Dr. O began to rise, but I stopped him. "Let her go," I stood. "I'll deal with her when she has a chance to think it all through. Let me get you guys something to drink.
Dr. O shook his head. "So Marcello's here. I thought he might show up when he caught scent of you, but he put a lot of pieces together faster than I thought he was capable."
My patience was running thin. "So you both know him? Mind telling me who he is?"
Frankie hesitated. "He's a hit man."
"A vampire hit man?" I crossed my arms. Had the mafia taken over the vampire population or something?
Dr. O hesitated. "We think Marcello killed your parents."
I actually felt the blood drain from my face.
Dr. O continued. "Marcello didn't order the kill. That much we are sure of. He is simply a hired gun."
"So why is he after me?" I felt my fangs start to burst through my gums. Wrapping my arms around myself, I pressed my nails into my arms to force myself to stay seated. What I really wanted to do was run out of the bar, track Marcello down, and drive a stake through him.
"Because you came back. Apparently he has been waiting for you." Dr. O said, looking chagrined.
That response was infuriatingly cryptic.
Babe looked alarmed. "Nina, maybe you should go back to the Nevada..." She met Dr. O's eyes.
I sighed and reached for Babe's hand, pressing it against my cheek. "Auntie Babe, I love you. But I am so staying here to stake this bastard." I had been waiting for 30 years for this kill. It was all I thought about during the hours of the Blood Ops physical training. He was so mine.
"Nina, you have no idea what vampires like Marcello are capable of." Babe was edging towards hysteria. "And your dad was supposed to be unstoppable!"
I dug in my heels. "Dr. O, you agreed I could come home because some weird supernatural something is apparently setting up shop, remember? You said that the time had finally come for me to be here, to help out Babe, and keep an eye on the activity."
For two years, I wanted to leave the desert and come home. Home. I wanted to have a life outside of Blood Ops. I wanted to try to run my mom’s bar. Babe was growing old, and I barely spent any time with her. My history was here, what was left of my family was here. And this is where I chose to be. Hell, I earned it.
"But that was before we knew that Marcello was still hanging around," Babe said, her voice rising. She wasn't giving in without a fight. "Now we know he’s here, so I need you to go back to Nevada. Let them send another team out to deal with this other stuff."
It was all I could do to keep from stomping my feet. "You can't be serious!"
"You are your father's daughter," Dr. O said with a chuckle. "He wouldn't have passed up this fight either."
"Yeah, and look where that got him," Babe said. Her dark eyes were blazing with anger.
A far-off look on his face, Frankie spoke up at last. "But you need to know what to do after you catch him. At least I can help with that." He was filled with bitterness. I sometimes forget that Dad was Frankie's mentor and they spent centuries on the run together.
"I guess it's settled," Dr. O said, but Babe yanked him back to the table.
"Not so fast, Lochlan," she hissed. I had never seen Babe look so angry.
"Auntie Babette," I began, choking back tears. "I know what you did for me..."
"Do you?" Babe asked. "Really, did Lochlan tell you the whole story?"
"Babette..." Dr. O tried to stop her.
Babe refused to stop. "How we were on the run, how this thing and his so-called family kept finding us? How so many more were killed while we were running?"
I knew Babe had tried to take care of me, but I always assumed taking care of a half-breed had been too much for a young, single woman. I had no idea she was running from a vampire.
Babe was shooting daggers at Dr. O with her eyes. "So you never told her how she ended up with you?"
Before Dr. O could answer, Babe stood up and stalked away.
Dr. O began to rise, but I stopped him. "Let her go," I stood. "I'll deal with her when she has a chance to think it all through. Let me get you guys something to drink.
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