Chapter Nineteen

Everyone in the apartment building knew Bram and Tyler, so as they walked out of the elevator, those at the front counter were visibly shocked. The girls all clapped and hooted at them, “Mr. Stoker, Mr. Briggs! The two of you look fabulous! Enjoy your night on the town!” The oldest of them smiled and waved. The two men smirked at each other. “You sure you don’t want to check on them?” Tyler asked again.

“Please stop, Tyler.” Bram sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. He kept telling himself that he should, but he wasn’t sure which part of him was really looking to do so. His peace of mind, or that stupid piece that just wanted to quench his thirst. Either way, he wouldn’t chance it. He really did want to see Devon though. Maybe a few days off would do him some good. “You know what, I think I’m going to take some vacation time.”

“You’re kidding right?” Tyler’s head whipped over to stare at Bram. “You’re going to try to get some, aren’t you?”

Bram rolled his eyes. “No. I just want to see more of my son. I mean, his birthday is in four days, and I have no idea what the last nanny planned for him.” As they stepped out into the city, Bram felt alive. “You know… it’s been so long, I’m not even entirely sure I know where to look for the seedy parts of the city.”

Tyler laughed, “Anywhere. Come on, old man, let me remind you how to live.” People paid attention as they walked by, and he noticed Tyler was leading him toward central park. “The only guarantee I can give you is that they won’t be your type.” They both had a good laugh. It was a decent night, not to hot and not too cold. “We’ll enter here, then start toward the questionable side of the park. They’ll think we’re tourists or something. Maybe. We’re pretty good-sized guys, so they may not even bother us.” He shrugged.

It only took about 15 minutes for people to start following them. Even though they were dressed like punks, it was clear they weren’t poor. Bram had even started taking about his investments. He hadn’t done it on purpose, it was just something to help fill the void. Few people were good with that stuff, and it was a mutual interest for both him and Tyler. When two scantly clad women showed up on their path, they knew this would be it. Someone thought they were hunting them. Bram couldn’t help but chuckle aloud. There were maybe six people surrounding them now.

“Hey, baby. You two are lookin’ rather lonely. We’d love ta keep ya company.” Bram cringed a little, both women were skin and bones. Make up was caked on their face, and their hair didn’t budge despite the breeze. Their sunken eyes told a tale of drugs and abuse.

“What sweety, you thinking you too good for sluts like us?” One said, popping her hand on her hip. She tossed her thick black hair over her shoulder. At least the second woman had a rack, and her ebony skin was clear and looked smooth.

Bram smiled, “I could take you for a tumble in the bushes.” His eyes grazed over her.

Tyler swore, “Of course you take the good one.” He mumbled.

“You can have first pick next time. Maybe.”

“I’ll take you for the ride of yer life, baby. But it’s a hundred dollars.” This was the moment of truth. Bram brandished his wallet. It was thick, and new. He was sure the thugs around them were licking their lips at the patina of the streetlamps glistening on the leather. The entire park had the lamps running along the walkways, and the city was never really dark, but people had broken many of the ones in this area. He pulled out a hundred-dollar bill from the wad that lived in his back pocket. “For both of you, sure. I can’t leave my friend here lonely.”

The women both smiled, sauntering up to the boys. “Sure baby, what would you like?” Bram leaned down, whispering in her ear. Both these women were already high on crack. He would have to avoid drinking too much so that he didn’t have a headache in the morning. This was the problem with hunting, it was like comparing fast food with a five-star restaurant. You never got quality from scum. Putting his arm around the shoulders of his girl, he smiled back at his friend.

“Fifteen minutes?” Bram, ever the gentleman, was being nice of course.

“Nah, I’ll close my eyes and be good in five.” Tyler pouted, looking at the sickly little thing he was about to feed on.

She glared at him, grabbing his arm. “At least I’ll have sex with ya. What more do you want?” She pulled him away, and Bram could imagine all the ‘more’ he could want. An image of Izabella popped up in his mind, and he had to push it back. These women were only the beginning. As they both disappeared into the shadows, each going oposite ways, the real game moved in. Not that it was something another human would have known or heard. He was excited that there were more than he expected.

Bram and Tyler were both feeding, not so happily, as the real prey moved in. Tyler’s woman picked up on what was going on far more quickly than Bram’s did, but once she started to scream, pandemonium took over their little corner of the park. Bram finished off his first course, just before a man slammed a knife in his back. As Bram smiled up at him, his fangs showing and blood all over his mouth, the man tried to jump back but by the time he reacted, Bram already had his teeth buried in his prey. He had focused on women for so long, he’d forgotten how fucking good it felt to feed on others. The vitality in this man felt great as it leaked into Bram. He fought, not well enough, but tried his best. He also didn’t do hard drugs. Which surprised Bram. So, he stopped halfway, thinking that he would save some of that for Tyler, since, he felt bad about the women.

The next few men went down without an issue, but when a gun shot broke their silence, Bram searched for Tyler.

If he was hit in the heart at the right angle, it could be an issue.