Chapter 6

 Shen strolled out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and another draped over his freshly washed hair. His body had relaxed enough to allow him to eat a little before he’ d hopped into the shower and, although still very worried about Dao-Ming, his good humor had returned and he was starting to behave a little more like himself. I watched him scrub the moisture from his wet head as he stood next to the television trying to decipher what I was stretched out on the bed watching. Just as he asked the name of the show, my cell phone rang.

I winced when Jessica’s telephone number came up on the caller ID. She was extremely argumentative when I told her I was going on this rescue mission with Shen. Our parting was strained; especially since I didn’t feel I could tell her the entire story, such as the fact that Shen thought the captors could be vampires. She’ d have called us both crazy and demanded that I stay home.

Jessica was an aspiring artist who’ d finally managed to land an opportunity to show her work. Since I was her live-in boyfriend, she wanted me at her side during the show. When I couldn’t tell her how long I’d be gone, she flew into a childish tantrum and declared repeatedly that she’ d never forgive me if I missed her show.

I was too tired to deal with her right now but knew better than to let the call go into voice mail. Stealing myself for what was to come, I pushed the talk button and held the phone to my ear.

The conversation was better than I’d expected. It was primarily her telling me how much she missed me and me saying the same. She reminded me about her show and I asked her to get the jacket I wanted to wear to the show from the cleaners and assured her I’d be home as soon as I could. She told me she loved me. Since I was uncomfortable with lies and wasn’t sure how I truly felt about her, I responded with my usual ‘ditto’ and then said good-bye.

I cursed under my breath as I put the phone back into my pocket. I’d forgotten about her show. Things weren’t progressing as I’d originally assumed they would and I questioned if I’d be back in time to attend the show with her. She’d made it clear how important this show was to her. All the top art dealers in the country would be there. She was nervous and, understandably, wanted me by her side. She needed me… but, so did Shen…and, right now, Shen’s need trumped Jessica’s need. Unfortunately, I couldn’t explain that to her.

How could I? Who would believe that my friend needed me to help rescue his bride to be from a gang of human trafficking vampires? It sounded ludicrous.

I still wasn’t sure if I believed we were hunting vampires, but I was certain that if they weren’t vampires, they were members of some sort of demonic occult. That hippie woman and her shop were creepy enough to be connected to the undead. I only knew that if I wanted to keep everyone happy we needed to find and rescue Dao-Ming soon.

Shen studied my worried frown.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Her art show,” I said as I shook my head. “She’s afraid I’ll miss it. Hell,” I chuckled, “I’m afraid to miss it. Women can be lethal!

“Are you two ever going to make it legal?” he asked.

“I said lethal, not legal,” I said, “and why fix what isn’t broken?”

“She has asked?” he said with surprise.

I shrugged and stretched my legs.

“All the time,” I replied. “I’m a man who needs

his freedom, so she accepts it as it is. Anyway, I pretty much stick to home. My wandering days are all but a distant memory.”

Shen laughed as he pulled on a pair of black linen pants.

“Well, almost over. I’ve cut back,” I said with a mock shrug. “Can I help it if women love me?”

Our light bantering was interrupted by a faint tapping on the door. Shen gave me a curious look before padding over to open it. He’ d barely eased the door a few inches when three men pushed their way in and circled him. I leapt off the bed and got into position, drawing the attention of one of them away from Shen.

Shen’s barely subdued frustration surfaced and he seized the opportunity to expel some of his excess energy. His opponent hardly moved his body to assault before my friend and fighting master took action. I followed suit and the battle began. Our powerful and agile moves were equally matched by our attackers, so the fight was long and hard. After what seemed like hours of fighting I finally found myself standing next to Shen as we stared at the three unconscious men and looked with disbelief and remorse at the remnants of our hotel room.

We’d made a considerable commotion. It was only a matter of time before the manager and the authorities would arrive. Shen tapped my arm and raised his finger to his lips while he motioned his head toward the door. He quickly donned a shirt and shoes before peeking out into the hall. Determining it was clear, he quickly led the way into the elevator.

I dabbed at the blood oozing from the corner of my mouth with my fingertip as the elevator took us to the lobby. We walked cautiously off the elevator while scoping all crannies of the lobby for more assailants until we reached the sidewalk.

The crisp night air assaulted Shen’s damp head

and he shuddered. We’d left in such a hurry that we forgot our jackets. I questioned whether I should attempt to go back and retrieve them or just head to the nearest mall for a new one. The latter sounded like the better solution.

I was just about to hail a cab when a man stepped out of the shadows behind us and whispered in a harsh tone just loud enough for us to hear, “Don’t turn around.” We stood motionless as his husky voice continued. “Wadim’s man took his herd to Vegas for distribution. She’s in Vegas.”

“Herd?” I said as I twisted my head in the man’s direction.

“I said don’t turn around!” the stranger’s voice said aggressively.

Shen spoke softly, “Who is Wadim? Where in Vegas? Do you mean Las Vegas?”

There was a long moment of silence while we waited for a response. Shen finally ventured to turn around, but the man was gone.

He scowled.

“We should go back to Queens. I need to speak with my uncle and then catch the red eye for Las Vegas. I am sure that is what he meant,” he said thoughtfully. “Your lady has her show and I do not expect you to miss it because of me.”

I silently watched as Shen hailed a cab. I was torn. The thought of disappointing Jessica by missing her art show ripped through me, but I knew my buddy needed me now more than ever. I damned this Wadim person with every fiber of my being and vowed to personally kick my ass when we finally caught up with him.

“Well, at least on the red eye we can catch a little more sleep,” I said.

Shen let out a sigh of relief as the cab pulled up. Smiling a broad smile of gratitude, he held the door and, with a sweeping arm, bowed and motioned me into the back seat.