“I can always tell. There’s a hostility in human voices when they’ve lost someone to vamps. Otherwise, it’s usually just fear.”
Olivia glanced toward the dining room to make sure Mindy was still out of hearing range. “Her mother and sister were drained and left on the front steps of their house the night before the announcement was made about vampires being real and to stay indoors at night.”
Campbell cursed.
“It was a horrible time for her. You won’t find anyone who hates vampires more.”
“I don’t blame her.”
Olivia watched as Mindy delivered the food to the guys and nothing out of the ordinary happened.
“Everything okay?” Campbell asked.
“Yeah, they’re just eating.”
“I’ll stay on here as long as you want me to,” he said.
“I appreciate it. I feel sort of silly.”
“Don’t.”
Needing to talk about something else until there was a reason to return to the topic of their unsettling customers, Olivia asked, “So, what were you doing before I called? Sleeping?”
“I don’t require sleep anymore.”
“Really?”
“We rest, but no sleep.”
“Wow, I could get so much done if I didn’t have to sleep,” she said, trying to relieve some of the tension knotting her muscles and making her nerves spark.
“Trust me, I wish I could sleep. I miss it.”
“You miss a lot of things, don’t you?”
“What makes you say that?”
Why had she? “Just a feeling. But I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Yes.” He didn’t elaborate.
She tried just letting his presence on the other end of the line be enough, but the silence started grating on her nerves. So she filled it with whatever questions came to mind. “Do you still have family?”
“Some distant cousins. No one close.”
“Oh.”
“They didn’t die in the pandemic. I was an only child, and my parents died in a car crash when I was a kid. I grew up in foster care.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago. What about you?”
Was he really interested, or was Mindy right and he had some well-concealed ulterior motive? For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what it might be. He’d had his chance to kill her several times and hadn’t.
“Just my mom. She lives upstate with my uncle. He never married, and he’s glad to have someone cook for him.”
“Your dad?”
“Never knew him. He skipped out when I was still in diapers.”
“Sorry.”
She didn’t know why she laughed, but she did. “Aren’t we the tragic pair?”
He made a sort of snuffing noise, the meaning of which she couldn’t identify. “I guess everyone has a tragic story now.”
Wasn’t that the truth? She couldn’t think of a single pandemic survivor who hadn’t lost someone, either to the ravages of the disease or to the vampires who’d emerged in its wake. That last part sobered her.
“Do any other humans know about the differences in vampires? For example, does our president talk to whoever is in charge of the Imperium?”
“Maybe. That’s above my pay grade.”
“I know what you said about if everyone fears vampires, it helps keep humans safe, but maybe the Imperium and world leaders could work together somehow for our mutual benefit.”
“They did, on the blood banks.”
“That’s one thing. There’s got to be something else.”
“Let it go, Olivia. The world is what it is, no matter how much we wish we could change it.”
Campbell fell silent again for several seconds, and she watched as the two guys ate their sandwiches slowly while Mindy took a to-go order from a bike messenger at the front counter.
“What made you become a cop?” she asked, taking them down a different path.
“In the blood, I guess. My dad and my grandfather were both with NYPD. Even though I lost them both when I was young, I never forgot that. What makes you run a diner?”
“I like to cook. Take care of people, I guess.”
“I can see that.”
“How? You barely know me.”
“I didn’t see anyone else out delivering meals to the homeless,” he said. “Most people are so wrapped up in their own lives that they don’t even see them.”
“That unfortunately is nothing new. And it’s why I need to get my car back, so I can start delivering meals again. The idea that people are out there hungry makes me sick.”
“It’s too dangerous now,” Campbell said.
“You’ll eventually catch whoever is working with the Soulless vampires.”
“I’m glad you have so much faith in us, but I’m afraid that even when we shut down this particular operation, there’s just going to be another. That door’s been opened, and there’s always going to be someone to exploit it.”
“That sounds so hopeless. How do you keep going out and fighting it every night?”
“Because if we don’t, no one will. And because...” His words trailed off as if he’d forgotten what he was about to say. But when he started to speak again, Olivia thought maybe he’d just gotten lost in a memory. “We can all remember what it was like to be human, and we fight to allow as many people to keep that type of life as possible.”
“So the vampires don’t run out of food.”
“No. So at least someone can feel what it’s like to breathe, to feel their heart beat, to be warm.”
Olivia didn’t have time to really soak in Campbell’s words, because one of the big guys suddenly scooted his chair back and stood as Mindy slid the bike messenger’s order slip through the window. Olivia’s eyes met Mindy’s and she saw her friend’s hand slide toward the knife in her pocket.
Olivia must have made a sound of distress, because Campbell asked, “What’s happening?”
“They’re standing.”
“Do you have your gun?”
“No, but I have a really big knife.”
“I don’t want you that close to them,” he said. “They’ll be able to overpower you.”
Olivia’s pulse skyrocketed as she considered she might have to fight these two brutes off with only a knife and her wits to save her. They looked at her again as they stepped up to the counter and paid. And then they simply left.
“Olivia?” Campbell said on the other end of the line.
“They just left.” She relaxed and Mindy visibly did the same. “I feel really dumb now for calling you.”
“The danger might not be over. They could be checking out the lay of the land before coming back later.”
“Or they could just be two hungry guys who contributed to my bank account. I don’t want to live in a constant state of fear, suspicious of everyone who walks through the front door.”
She braced herself for an argument because she could feel the disagreement cross the miles between her and Campbell.
“I think you might be right,” he finally said. “Maybe it is time for the Souled vampires to reach out to human officials about working together. It’s time I contact my former brethren at the NYPD. You need protection. Keep your eyes open until I can arrange it.” And then he hung up.
Olivia pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Evidently, the male sex’s tendency to take charge without asking didn’t go away when they turned into vampires.
“Who was that?” Mindy asked.
“A really pushy salesman.” She didn’t like lying to Mindy, but it was better than losing her.
“I guess some things never change.”
Olivia looked toward the table where the two guys had sat. Despite what she’d told Campbell, she still had the heebies.
Mindy noticed where she was looking. “You ready for some more self-defense lessons?”
“More than ready.” She needed to rely on herself for protection, not her friend, not the overworked cops and definitely not a vampire.