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.
The red eye passenger count was light so our flight to Las Vegas was fairly comfortable. I took advantage of the extra space and stretched my long legs into the seat next to me. Taking advantage of some downtime in a safe environment, I slept through most of the five hours that we were in flight.Shen sat in the row behind me and took light catnaps throughout the journey. He was too focused on finding Dao-Ming to relax enough to reach the level of deep sleep I’d settled into. Even so, the ability to relax his body and not have to look over his shoulder was a welcomed thing. His thoughts wandered back to his childhood when he and Dao-Ming would talk about their life plans and how they’d intertwine them together. He jerked back to the present when the lights of Las Vegas twinkled in the distance, sitting up straight as I watched them grow larger and larger. When the pilot asked that everyone fasten our seat belts he gently shook my shoulder and urged me awake.
The air was thick with excitement. We managed to secure seats that provided not only a great view of the UFC match, but a clear, panoramic view of the crowd.The star of the evening passed close by me on his way to the ring. I was thrilled when his eyes met mine and he gave me a curt smile and a nod.I reveled in the excitement of the roaring crowd when the fighter entered ringside. I was a huge fan of the UFC and although I held our true mission firmly in my mind I saw no harm in enjoying the match while we were there.Guilt swept over me as I stole a glance at Shen’s tortured face searching the crowd. I would have joined in the search, but he’d provided only a vague description of what Stevenson looked like. So, I settled on enjoying the match while staying alert in case he suddenly needed me.Shen couldn’t take his mind off Dao-Ming long enough to appreciate the match. He was only vaguely aware of the roars from the fans as he searche
Stevenson was immediately aware of us when we entered the casino. He locked eyes with Mia from across the room as he hinted at a nod of recognition. She was one of his best workers and, although she’ d been given instructions to collect no cash from us, he hoped she’d return with information that would prove useful to him.As Shen pushed his way through the crowd, Stevenson stepped away from his companions to make sure there was a clear path for him to approach.“Mr. Stevenson?” he said.Stevenson stood about four inches taller than Shen. They sized each other up while he accepted Shen’s offer of a handshake.“How can I help you?” Stevenson asked.He drawled the words lazily with a dulled Jamaican accent. He was fully aware of Shen’s reason for approaching him but decided not to let on that he did. He enjoyed the game of deception and his eyes showed it.“You work for Wadim, correct?&rdqu
The thick crowd cooed with wonder and awe at the light show on Fremont Street. Brilliant colors flashed overhead and the music seemed to vibrate the sidewalk as we struggled to inch through the never-ending blanket of live bodies toward the novelty shop Stevenson’s note directed us to.“It is a novelty shop on the next block,” Shen called over his shoulder while pushing through the unyielding crowd. He took a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure he didn’t lose me.“I’m right behind ya,” I called back.I groaned when a woman turned swiftly to address her companion and the enormous tote bag she carried slammed into my ribs. I wondered how she could bear the weight of it. Its impact gave the impression it was filled with lumps of iron.Although it was evening, the desert air was still too warm for my northeastern standards. Beads of sweat coated my forehead and neck as I persistently nudged my way to keep up w
Shen stretched out on the overstuffed eighteenth century styled bed and slowly took in his surroundings. His brain was still foggy and his head felt like someone was running a jackhammer inside of it. He raised his hand to his temple and discovered a blood crusted bandage wrapped around his head.Little by little his senses came into focus and he slowly surveyed the room. His eyes rested on the petite young Asian girl perched meekly on the chaise lounge across the room. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t focus enough to recall who she was. Her dark eyes were large with sadness.He wanted to reach out to her and comfort her but was too weak.“I should know you,” he said in his native tongue. “I am sorry. I cannot think right now.”“I am Dao-Ming,” she said softly in heavily accented English. “You must only speak English, please.” Shen sat up with a start and the room swirled around him. Dao-Ming
I lay sleeping in the fetal position on the damp earthen floor of my cell as a hazy light filtered through the small windows. The clanking of heavy metal as a pair of large hairy hands unlocked the cage door brought me quickly to the alert.My eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness and I was able to see a fair bit of my surroundings. I rose up slowly, staring in disbelief as an enormous man-wolf-like creature reached down and put both of his hairy hands under my arms. He picked me up off my feet as if I was nothing more than a rag doll and held me dangling in the air. Without warning, the creature slammed me down so hard I was sure my feet were going to be repositioned above my head. I was given only a brief moment of reprieve to catch my balance before I was pushed out of the cage.Puffs of dank dust swirled around my head as I stumbled and landed on the dungeon floor. I was grateful for my martial arts training and my understanding of going with the motion i
Shen and Dao-Ming were the center of attention as they sat silently in an ornately decorated dining hall, at the long mahogany table amongst several of Wadim’s sons and their women. Some of the women were in the process of being turned into vampires, while other were there for breeding and pleasure only. A few of the women’s bellies were swollen with child.The Meissen China, gold flatware, and gold trimmed stemware were neatly laid out, awaiting the feast. Male slaves, dressed in serving attire, filled goblets with blood for the vampires and a mild wine for the breeders.“You are Wu. We heard you were coming,” said someone from the opposite side of the table.Shen looked at the owner of the booming voice quizzically. How could he know he was coming? Who were all of these creatures? Was everyone there an offspring of Wadim? These questions, and more, reeled through his head as Wadim entered the room like a regal king. The crowded table le
Stripped of my shirt and shoes, I paced the eighteenth century styled bedroom. After struggling with the locked door in hopes of escaping, I was evaluating the possibilities of what was on the other side of the tightly sealed and darkened glass windows.They’d tossed me into the room and locked the door about an hour earlier. My muscles and joints were still stiff from the time spent in a cell with nothing to separate me from the harshness of the dank earthen floor. Without having contact with the outer world, and my worldly possessions stripped from me, time became an illusion. I could only guess how long it was since Shen and I were captured and separated. By the rumbling of my empty stomach, I surmised I’d missed more than one meal.I wondered what had happened to Shen.From Dumitru’s sneering remarks, I was fairly positive he was still alive, but where was he being held? Was he somewhere in this hell hole? He had to be.The gua