Page 75 of Thicker than Blood
“Geordi alluded to me that I have been somewhat of a fantasy of his for many years. It seems he had an inkling of our existence before it was proven. He read about me.”
“Ah. Your reputation precedes you.”
Nodding, I laugh. “A constant benefit.” I pause on the sidewalk for a moment, sniffing the air. The sweet scent of burning opioids tickles my nose. “A drug den. Come on.”
We head down the sidewalk and slip into a darkened warehouse. In my experience, drug users are open with information as long as you’re not the police.
I spot a group of people, about five or so, sitting around a burning pile of wood and trash for warmth. One of them, a manwith long, dirty blond braids, looks up with startled eyes and the energy of a scared antelope about to run.
I raise my hand to calm him. “I come in peace. Just a question.”
A woman with hazy eyes and an intricate tattoo scrawled across the right side of her face looks up. “You’re vampires.”
I pull my head back slightly. “How do you know that?”
“She knows lots of things,” the antelope says with a mixture of pride and defiance.
“A useful skill.” I approach, kneeling on the dirty concrete to meet her eyes. “I’m looking for someone. Perhaps you noticed him earlier before the melee broke out. He was likely the source of it.”
She studies my eyes for a second, her blank expression giving nothing away. I can’t detect what she is as the drugs cloud her true nature.
After a moment, she nods. “The man who ran through town stabbing people with needles?”
“Sounds right, yes. Any idea where I can find him?”
She grips my wrist with spindly fingers. “He’s not well. Sick with poison.”
“Poison?” Jagger asks. “How did that happen?”
Her dull eyes flicker to my friend. “A vampire. Unlike you. His aura is dark, his intentions evil.”
I glance over at Jagger. His jaw ticks.
“What does the vampire look like? A name? Anything?”
The woman shifts her gaze beyond me, the irises clouding over until she looks dead. Her head moves back and forth as her fingers dig into my skin.
“Blond. Petite. Blue eyes. Like a doll. A haunted one.” She opens her eyes and blinks, bringing the dark brown color back to them. “You know him.”
“I know all the vampires in this town.”
She shakes her head. “No. He isn’t merely an acquaintance. You have spent time with him. He wants…” She pauses, moving her lips but not speaking words, until she utters, “More of your time.”
“Tristan,” I whisper.
She smiles, revealing nearly rotten teeth. “Tristan. He wants power, and he knows he can have it through you. He wants your attention.”
“He’s going to get it, but not in the way he thinks,” Jagger muses.
“Okay. Is Tristan with Ronald?”
The woman shakes her head. “Ronald… The man with the needles?”
“Yes.”
“He’s not far from here.” She stands, twisting around rapidly like a compass, her baggy clothes flowing around her. Her companions watch her with their hazy eyes until she jerks sharply to the northeast. “There’s a house two blocks from here. You’ll find him there.”
“And Tristan?” Jagger asks.