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I change into the last remaining suit I packed and wait until the first signs of twilight.
Jane’s alarm clock goes off, but I have a feeling she’s only snoozed it, because her apartment goes radio silent right after.
Good.
I tuck in my white polo, shove on my gloves, and exit my room before she has a chance to conveniently bump into me again. It isn’t right for me to establish a friendly relationship with her, no matter how neighborly it’d seem.
I can’t risk knowing Jane, not ever.
Marcus Lee Godwin.
That’s my target’s name. At least it was when he was human. Now he could go by Red Eyes, or Cold One. Who fucking knows?
I have his address, too, which has been inactive for the last six weeks, lining up with the time-line of bodies found by the NYPD. Our dearest Marcus has been busy since discovering his long-lasting immortality. Twenty-three corpses, and those are the onesfound.Others will surely crop up given enough time.
I dodge my way through the crowded streets and carefully step around mounds of trash. It’s Friday night, and the city is packed with humans leaving bars and stores, their breath thick with the smell of alcohol. This part of the city is dirtier, darker, and less overseen by officials. It’s the perfect hunting grounds for a newly changed vampire.
At first glance, the intel I received appeared useless. The Night Order’s men searched Marcus’ last known residence, along with his previous place of employment. They even interrogated his best friends, to no avail. The man was an average joe. He paid his bills, frequented the pub near his apartment, and sent his estranged ex-wife child support every month.
The typed report clarified that his ex hadn’t heard from him in weeks, either.
But… There’s one lead the others hadn’t explored.
Marcus’s friends said he owned a dog named Rocket. The pup has been missing since his disappearance, but his friends were adamant helovedthis animal. It’s easy to assume he’d eaten the pup and tossed him aside, but a corpse wasn’t discovered in his apartment.
On a hunch, I scoured his credit card expenses for the last six months.
Rascal Puppers of NYC, INC.
A quick Google search and a ten-minute walk later, I stand in front of the dog boarding company’s building. The three story structure shows its age with discolored, chipped bricks and mismatched windows. The door is white, but dirty paw prints are sprinkled on the bottom half, adding to the company’s brand.
Concrete steps rise to the front door, and as I approach, canines howl from deep inside the belly of the establishment. Their high-pitched cries echo through the air, blocking out everything else. I strain to listen through the chaos, and soon I pinpoint one distinct heartbeat inside, pumping slower than the animals.
Sosomeoneis home.
Attached to the door handle is a sign reading ‘Temporarily closed for a family emergency’. This is a family run organization, then. My jaw clenches as I ring the doorbell, expecting to repeat the action a few more times before anyone answers.
But, to my surprise, the door swings open before my finger has even left the buzzer.
A middle-aged woman, her graying hair pulled into a lopsided ponytail, stands behind the screen door. She smiles at me, and the moment she does, a sickeningly heavy feeling settles in my gut. Her eyes are glazed over, her enlarged pupils sparkling. The grin plastered on her face is one of euphoric torture.
She tilts her head, supporting her weight by the doorframe with one arm. Tiny twin bruises peek from below her collared shirt. “Are you the man’s friend?” she asks, voice dreamy.
I give her my most dazzling smile, hiding the hatred building in my chest. “Of course, my dear.”
She nods her head, giggling as she shoves the screened door open wide. She wobbles, unsteady on her feet. “The man is very nice. He took my pain away.”
I swallow the useless emotion threatening to surface. “Is your family here?”
She nods, her eyes wide. “My husband! Oh, Luis is such a doll. The man put him in the basement!” She steps aside, holding the wall for support as she trails down the hallway, beckoning me further inside. I shut the door behind me, locking it just in case.
“And when was the last time you saw Luis, Ma’am?”
She glances at me, the wrinkles between her eyes bunching. Her mouth twists in astonishment, a sly smile escaping her parted lips. “I can’t quite remember, actually.”
I nod my head in understanding, taking her by the upper arm. I listen deep below the floor, but no matter how hard I strain, I hear no other heartbeats.
Instead, my heightened senses catch another noise.
