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 searched the crowd for Stevenson. He remembered his uncle’s description of the man he sought.
He is a tall man with skin as black as the night. He carries a scar on his right cheek and a droopy right eye. We believe he is closely tied in with the vampire ring. He is a very powerful man and can tell you what you need to know.
He will be able to connect you with the leader of the trafficking business but move cautiously nephew. This Stevenson is a snake and is not to be trusted. I am sad to say that he is the only connection we have been able to uncover. So go, my nephew, and use caution. There are many hidden things about these men. I hope you discover none of them. Get in and out as quickly as possible.
Two Caucasian women dressed in clothing that shouted their profession approached. As we’d done earlier in the day with the two young women we’d met on the street, I invited them to sit with us in the hopes they may be useful in finding Dao-Ming. It was a common tale that the underground trafficking rings of the country controlled this type of woman. Perhaps the ring we sought operated these girls. Mia, the taller and more voluptuous of the two, planted herself next to me with aggressive confidence. Shen sensed my motive and did his best to play along as the smaller of the two females nudged as close to him as she could without sitting in his lap.
A young Chinese girl standing amongst a small cluster of men across the crowded arena caught my attention. She wore a sad look on her face as one of the men slipped a hand beneath her blouse and another fondled her from behind. I wondered if I was the only one in the crowd who noticed, or even cared. As I watched her intently, a man stepped away from the group, allowing me a view of the man who stood behind him. I nudged Shen and nodded my head in the man’s direction. I wasn’t sure, but I got the sense he might be the man we sought. Shen’s body tenses as he recognized him immediately. It was Stevenson. He fit his uncle’s description perfectly.
Shen was only mildly aware of the flirtatious woman at his side or the fighter’s victory, as he kept his focus on Stevenson. This man was his only link to Dao-Ming and he didn’t want to lose it. The match ended and the crowd pushed its way onto the street. We stepped into the flow of moving bodies along with the two girls and were swept effortlessly outside.
We had trouble keeping track of Stevenson as the crowd from the match blended with the sea of tourists. When he disappeared around a corner Shen tried his best to push his way ahead through the blanket of chaos. The results of his efforts were minimal. He heaved a disappointed sigh.
“We lost him,” he said.
“Which way was he heading when he disappeared?” I asked.
Shen crooked his head toward the direction Stevenson disappeared.
Since my height allowed me to look above most of the heads in the crowd, I did my best to look for signs of Stevenson in the direction he indicated while my body shuddered in sheer delight as the heat of Mia’s breath grazed my ear.
“Do you have a room where we could go?” she asked seductively.
Thoughts of my promise to myself to conquer the way my bodily urges controlled me fleeted through my mind. I knew I should resist; not just for Shen’s sake, but because of Jessica. Prior to meeting Jess, I took advantage of most offers that came my way with minimal thought of the consequences. It was two years since I’d made the effort to commit to a monogamous relationship and I’d managed to be faithful while pouring my wandering energy into my training. Lately, her incessant urging for marriage caused a strain between us. I cared for her in my own way, but did I love her in a way that one should love another to bond with us for a lifetime? I didn’t feel ready for marriage. It was so final. Everyone I knew who was madly in love prior to marriage was now fighting profusely and heading for divorce court. This was another reason I hesitated. Why ruin a good thing? It was a good thing, wasn’t it?
My resistance started to break down as Mia’s body rubbed against my engorged manhood. This was too much for any man to resist. I shot a look in Shen’s direction, but he seemed not to notice. All his attention was focused on the spot where Stevenson had faded into the crowd. I finally suggested we all stop for a drink. Perhaps that would give my fickle body time to cool down and focus on something other than the soft, sweet, flesh that so brazenly offered itself to me.
As luck would have it, we spotted Stevenson standing alone by a slot machine in the casino we’d chosen to stop in. Sensing the tension rising in him, I looked to Shen for direction.
He was clearly suspicious of Mia.
“I hope you will forgive me, my friend, but I just remembered I have something to do for my uncle and it is getting late,” he said. “I will meet you back at our room. I should not be more than a few hours. Okay?”
Mia and her companion looked at me expectantly. She seemed a little too interested in what we were doing. I knew what he was asking of me and only hoped I could ignore my conscience and play along. It was obvious what I was expected to do. I groaned in frustration at my own weakness and all too easy willingness to oblige.
“No problem” I said. “We’ll find something to do to occupy our time.”
The girls giggled and nuzzled closer to me while we watched Shen agley dart through the crowded mass of people in the direction of Stevenson. I put an arm around each girl and headed off toward our hotel while forcing Jessica’s image out of my mind. I couldn’t think of her now. Something was up. I could feel it in my bones. I needed to do what I could to help find Dao-Ming. If that meant entertaining these all too eager females, then so be it. Perhaps something useful would slip from their luscious lips to help us in our quest.
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
Wadim eased his way amongst the crowded casino with Jasmine snuggled familiarly at his side. Stevenson had just finished giving him the list of new captives and made arrangements to bring them to the den the next day.Stevenson always bought back the captives that Wadim rejected. It was a rather unfair deal since he did all the work to capture them in the first place, but he wasn’t about to bring that point up to the temperamental vampire. He valued his life too much. Occasionally, Wadim would have a moment of kindness and toss in a captive or two free of charge.Stevenson handed Wadim a thick pile of money. The vampire slid it casually into the inside breast pocket of his sport coat. Wadim loathed the attire he was forced to wear when he left his den, but he was wise enough to know it was in his best interest to do so. Although modern technology and ignorant scientists managed to take fact and turn it into fiction, there were still a few die hard vampire h
Shen and Dao-Ming lay together in satiated silence. He’d just finished making love to her once again. His frustration over their situation swelled within him, but his frustration at his inability to subdue his own carnal needs overshadowed all else. He’d always been able to control his wants and desires. His whole life’s training was focused on control. Now he was no more than an animal rutting repeatedly throughout the day. What made it worse was that it was a function that he was ordered to perform for the ‘Master’. He and Dao-Ming were little more than the pigs they kept out in the yard.Shen rolled off the bed and walked to the basin. There were no mirrors in the room, so he did his best to wash up and groom myself without the visual assistance he’d taken for granted all of his life. He’d noticed that the hollows in Dao-Ming’s eyes were worsening and he wondered if the same was happening to him. He didn’t feel ri