silver tipped to cause pain and distraction in case you miss with the first.” He raised his left hand. “According to my uncle, some vampires have two hearts, but he might have made that up.”
“You learn something new every day,” Harvey said, staring at the stakes with a mix of fascination and revulsion.
Gabe quickly dropped them back into his pockets, but Harvey wasn’t paying attention to him anymore.
“We need to find Dill. He’s around here somewhere. I can feel him now,” he said, rushing out the door. Gabe dug a penlight out of one of his many pockets and turned it on before following. Not everyone could see in the dark.
They found Dill in one of the rooms upstairs, trussed up like a Christmas ham. He was young, blond and cute in a boyish sort of way. He blinked at them furiously till they undid his gag.
“He’s in here—” he started.
Harvey cut him off. “Not anymore. Gabe took care of him.”
“Really?” Dill looked at Gabe appreciatively while they undid his bindings.
“Yeah, he went Rambo on the guy.”
“You mean killed him?” Dill asked, sitting on the floor and rubbing the rope marks on his wrists.
“It was self-defense,” Gabe explained. It was a touchy subject.
“Hey, no complaints from me. The guy was an asshole.”
Harvey nodded. “Not all vampires are created equal. Speaking of which… WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?”
The volume of Harvey’s ire made Gabe take a step back. Dill burst into tears.
“Ray and Stan wouldn’t turn me,” he sobbed.
“Well, of course they wouldn’t, you little nincompoop. They care about you,” Harvey snapped back at him.
“It’s easy for you to talk!”
“Do you think I wanted this?”
“You didn’t?” Tears streaked the dirt on Dill’s face.
“No. Nobody asked me, and if they had, I would’ve said no.”
“But don’t you like it better?”
“It is what it is; I can’t change it. You lose a lot of things you used to take for granted. And there are people who want you dead just because of what you are.”
His words stung Gabe. “Those people might assume they’re acting out self-defense,” he interjected.
“Only an ass would take a life on an assumption.” Harvey’s nostrils flared, and Gabe caught a glimpse of his fangs.
“I had good reasons. I can assure you, I’ve never met a vamp before you who didn’t try to kill me on sight. And times like this, I wonder about you.”
Harvey’s fangs retracted, and the fight went out of him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean you, but I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
“Not undeserved,” Gabe admitted.
Dill stared at them, eyes wide.
Gabe hoisted him up. “Can you walk, Dill? We should get out of here.”
They made their way back to the car and deposited Dill in the backseat. He sat facing out the open door while Harvey rummaged through the trunk for water—he swore there had been a bottle there. Gabe looked under the front passenger seat where he’d earlier spotted a package of tissues.
“Sorry it’s warm,” Harvey said, handing the bottle to Dill.
“That’s okay.” Dill used the water to wash his face.
“The asshole fed on you, didn’t he?” Harvey asked.
Dill nodded.
“You’re such an idiot,” Harvey said, but most of his fury was gone, replaced with concern.
Dill hung his head. “Are the guys very angry with me?”
“They’re worried sick. I’m telling you, Dill, if you ever do something this stupid again, I’ll personally transform you into a zombie.”
“You can do that?” Gabe asked, only half joking.
“Not yet, but I’ll figure it out.”
Stepping between them, Gabe handed Dill the tissues. “Mind if I ask a few questions?”
“Sure,” Dill replied, sniffing.
Harvey stepped aside and pulled Ray’s phone out of his pocket.
“Where did you meet this guy?” Gabe asked, drowning out the clickety-clack of the phone keyboard.
“At Ceri’s Lounge.”
That was one of the nightclubs Gabe and Harvey had
“You learn something new every day,” Harvey said, staring at the stakes with a mix of fascination and revulsion.
Gabe quickly dropped them back into his pockets, but Harvey wasn’t paying attention to him anymore.
“We need to find Dill. He’s around here somewhere. I can feel him now,” he said, rushing out the door. Gabe dug a penlight out of one of his many pockets and turned it on before following. Not everyone could see in the dark.
They found Dill in one of the rooms upstairs, trussed up like a Christmas ham. He was young, blond and cute in a boyish sort of way. He blinked at them furiously till they undid his gag.
“He’s in here—” he started.
Harvey cut him off. “Not anymore. Gabe took care of him.”
“Really?” Dill looked at Gabe appreciatively while they undid his bindings.
“Yeah, he went Rambo on the guy.”
“You mean killed him?” Dill asked, sitting on the floor and rubbing the rope marks on his wrists.
“It was self-defense,” Gabe explained. It was a touchy subject.
“Hey, no complaints from me. The guy was an asshole.”
Harvey nodded. “Not all vampires are created equal. Speaking of which… WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?”
The volume of Harvey’s ire made Gabe take a step back. Dill burst into tears.
“Ray and Stan wouldn’t turn me,” he sobbed.
“Well, of course they wouldn’t, you little nincompoop. They care about you,” Harvey snapped back at him.
“It’s easy for you to talk!”
“Do you think I wanted this?”
“You didn’t?” Tears streaked the dirt on Dill’s face.
“No. Nobody asked me, and if they had, I would’ve said no.”
“But don’t you like it better?”
“It is what it is; I can’t change it. You lose a lot of things you used to take for granted. And there are people who want you dead just because of what you are.”
His words stung Gabe. “Those people might assume they’re acting out self-defense,” he interjected.
“Only an ass would take a life on an assumption.” Harvey’s nostrils flared, and Gabe caught a glimpse of his fangs.
“I had good reasons. I can assure you, I’ve never met a vamp before you who didn’t try to kill me on sight. And times like this, I wonder about you.”
Harvey’s fangs retracted, and the fight went out of him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean you, but I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
“Not undeserved,” Gabe admitted.
Dill stared at them, eyes wide.
Gabe hoisted him up. “Can you walk, Dill? We should get out of here.”
They made their way back to the car and deposited Dill in the backseat. He sat facing out the open door while Harvey rummaged through the trunk for water—he swore there had been a bottle there. Gabe looked under the front passenger seat where he’d earlier spotted a package of tissues.
“Sorry it’s warm,” Harvey said, handing the bottle to Dill.
“That’s okay.” Dill used the water to wash his face.
“The asshole fed on you, didn’t he?” Harvey asked.
Dill nodded.
“You’re such an idiot,” Harvey said, but most of his fury was gone, replaced with concern.
Dill hung his head. “Are the guys very angry with me?”
“They’re worried sick. I’m telling you, Dill, if you ever do something this stupid again, I’ll personally transform you into a zombie.”
“You can do that?” Gabe asked, only half joking.
“Not yet, but I’ll figure it out.”
Stepping between them, Gabe handed Dill the tissues. “Mind if I ask a few questions?”
“Sure,” Dill replied, sniffing.
Harvey stepped aside and pulled Ray’s phone out of his pocket.
“Where did you meet this guy?” Gabe asked, drowning out the clickety-clack of the phone keyboard.
“At Ceri’s Lounge.”
That was one of the nightclubs Gabe and Harvey had
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