Deadly Gorgeous

(Just a little something I wrote long ago in a galaxy far, far away. Oh and PS: it sucks.)

I am not normal. At least not in the traditional sense of the word. I am fully aware of that. Sometimes when I lay awake in bed at night, I wish I were. Normal, that is. I am however, human. I have needs, wants. I get hungry, tired, and depressed. I need people around me for companionship sometimes and I need love. I never realized just how much love I needed until I met Alexander.

Chapter 1

The water was warm and I hadn’t felt this relaxed in months. I stared at the tub surround, counting the very intricate tile pattern. It was a beautiful bathroom and a beautiful end to my somewhat stressful week. Sometimes a girl just needs to relax in the tub and pamper herself. I had never been one for that before, but I was beginning to see it’s attraction. I shaved my legs and sloughed my heals. In my line of work these are not things you remember to do on a daily basis. I pulled the drain and slid out of the tub to wrap myself in one of those fluffy white towels that the hotel provided me. This was bliss, pure and simple. I noticed one of the purplish bruises on my upper thigh. Not a big deal, I had had worse. It will heal in time.

The funny thing about me is that I had never really stopped to enjoy the luxuries in life. My life to this point had always consisted of hard work, violence, and a little greed. Truth be told, the money I have made over the last 3 years was quite a chunk of change. The things I have been able to do because of it, amazing. I just never stopped to treat myself to a week of not doing anything. I figured after this job, it was time. $50k in bounty for my last kill. Not exactly a small sum for a week’s worth of work. I grabbed my filthy clothes off of the floor and threw them into a laundry bag. I’m sure I had looked like a homeless person when I walked into the lobby an hour before. Ripped UNLV sweatshirt and stained jeans, toting in a large wheeled piece of zebra print luggage. It’s a wonder the desk clerk didn’t throw me out. I had flashed my pearly white smile and paid cash so she probably thought I was one of those eccentric millionaires.

I looked at myself in the mirror. When I had checked in to the suite, all I wanted to do was get cleaned up, order some room service, and watch a movie. Now that I had relaxed a bit I knew that would bore me. I’ve never been one for the quiet lifestyle. I would be lying to myself if I pretended I was. My auburn hair was lying limp atop my head. I toweled it off and threw some of that gunky stuff into it. I wear it pretty short and a little on the spiky side. It fits the personality and the career. I certainly don’t need to give anyone cause to yank on it. I did one of those 5 minute make-up jobs that all the stylists talk about on TV and I was out in my room ransacking my luggage looking for something to wear. I yanked on a sexy little black dress and some black heels. I topped that off with large blood red hoop earrings and a ruby bracelet and ring my father had given me last Christmas. I was pretty sure it had cost him a fortune, but he was convinced I needed it like a cake needed frosting.

The Vegas Strip was all lit up by the time I strode to the window and looked out. The sun was just setting. I took a final look at my appearance and walked toward the door. I grabbed a little red purse on my way out. Are you seeing a pattern here with the red? My mother used to tell me it was like hanging a sign on myself for all of my prospective victims to see. Thanks for the vote of confidence Mom. She was never much of a supporter of what I do. God rest her.

Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas, Nevada here I come! I had the presence of mind to keep a little cash out for gambling before I had made my sizable deposit this morning. The personal banker I spoke to was no stranger to me bringing in large deposits. He had to wonder how I made all that scratch. I don’t look like I could really. I am only 25 years old and I didn’t ever go to college. I didn’t have time actually. I’m not inarticulate by any means, but I don’t exactly come across like I have the kind of education to make a lot of money. I’m sure he thinks I’m a drug dealer or a hooker or something that isn’t exactly above board.

The hallway was deserted as I walked toward the elevator bank. It was already 8:30 pm so people were probably out eating and making plans for the night already. To me, the night was very young. I was on the 23rd floor so it took a bit to travel down to the casino floor. The elevator only stopped once on the 16th floor. The couple that got on appeared to be on their honeymoon since they never stopped touching each other. They were giggling quite a bit and I’m not sure they even noticed I was there. People amaze me actually, but I can’t say that I have never done that before. Of course, it was all business for me. I sometimes had to use different tactics to lure my prey home for the kill. The hunter has to be creative on occasion.

When we stopped on the ground floor, out into the casino I went. I’m not sure the newlywed couple followed me or that they had even noticed that they had reached their destination. Young love. Blech! I had never been big on relationships. They get in the way. The enemy realizes you have an attachment to someone and they’re dead. Although my enemies are usually dead too. How ironic. Anyway, it makes dating complicated. That’s not to say I haven’t ever dated, I just don’t get involved. Sex on the other hand was a big part of my life. That I happened to be a part of frequently. Sometimes it was for business, and other times for pleasure. I’m not sure any of the men I have been with lived much longer than that night, but it’s the price they had to pay, unfortunately for them.

The casino was alive and moving as I glided through. All the table games were full and I was listening to the sounds of cheering and laughter hitting me from all angles. I glanced around the area looking for a good place to stop. I didn’t really have a game I preferred to play since I really am a horrible gambler. I stopped at the window to grab some chips to play with. My strategy has always been to find a table with a lot of activity and just blend in. Usually that happened to be Craps. Craps is always the game people are playing in lively casino scenes in movies. Lots of people huddled around the table placing their bets and cheering after the shooter finishes his roll. It’s easy for someone to go unnoticed standing there if they really want to.

I wiggled my way through the crowd and placed the minimum on the pass line. I wasn’t really paying attention since I was already scanning the room for anyone I knew would cause me trouble. That’s the problem with being a creature of habit. The usual suspects come around to shake up your life now and again. I guess I should stop hanging around the same stomping grounds. Everyone has an Achilles’ Heel, this would be mine.

Apparently the shooter rolled 11 and I was winning already. That was rare. It didn’t take long for things to get rolling and I was being offered drinks and getting pats on the back. My luck was turning for the better this week for sure. Not to mention the fact that I looked fabulous. Several gentlemen had sidled themselves up next to me hoping I would pay them some attention. All humans of course. I always check that as a matter of security before I talk to them. They smelled human anyway.

“You here alone tonight miss?” a short curly blond asked me. He was short enough that I had to look down at him. Not gonna happen pal. I smiled at him and proceeded to take my next roll. Natural, and another win for me. This was getting to be too easy and I was already suspicious. I decided to cash out of the game despite the groans I received from my fellow players. They gave me a round of applause as I left the table. “Happy to have been of service.” I replied quietly. I walked away and the gap that I had once been standing in filled with another warm body. I have always known when to walk away before the tide turns in the wrong direction.

I found a comfy barstool at a bar near the lounge and sat down to order another drink. I have an unusually high tolerance for alcohol. This trait has come in handy more than a few times. No one expects me to be able to drink that much. I’m not a very big girl, but I’m not tiny either. I stand at 5’7” and I weigh about 150 lbs. I’m muscular, but not muscle bound and I am VERY flexible. A trait that has always been well liked by the men in my life. It is also essential to my job description. A job that was designated for me instead of me choosing it which would have been the norm.

The stool next to me had been quickly filled as was the usual situation when I sit down at a bar. I’m not bothered by it any more. Not like I used to be. I take it as a compliment, that is as long as the person sitting next to me is not there to kill me. That has been the case a couple of times. I have a tendency to take a quick glance and sniff when I find myself with company. This guy seemed OK, as far as I could tell anyway. My senses are sharp and I can usually tell the smell of a bloodsucker from a fair distance. Some of them can mask it pretty well. I looked over at my new drinking companion. He was tall and thin, but strong looking. His hair was the color of wheat toast, a soft and subtle light brown. It fell in gentle strands across his forehead and over his ears a bit. He glanced sideways at me and his steel blue eyes were striking. He was beautiful. There was no other way to describe him accurately.

“Good evening.” His voice was soft and velvety. He had a slight accent and though I speak several languages, I couldn’t place it right away. Russian or eastern European perhaps. I smiled and held my glass up in a polite gesture towards him.”You are alone here this evening?” It sounded more like a statement than a question really. I nodded.
“Uh-huh.” That sounded smooth. What the hell was wrong with me? This happens all the time and I’ve never been at a loss for words. Then again, the guys that usually try their hand at picking me up are easier to read and not so attractive. That’s not to say that I attract trolls mind you. I sat rather quietly scanning the bar and drinking my Cabernet. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything else or just let it go when he spoke again.

“You are here on holiday or business perhaps?” Why were all of this guys questions coming across like facts? He was very self assured. I guess I would be too if I looked like him.
“Um, yes and no.” That hadn’t come out too gracefully. “I live here, but I am staying in the hotel at the moment. I had a rough week and needed to treat myself, so I decided to get a room here and blow off some steam.” That may have been too much information. I waited for a moment and he nodded. I guess he was still interested since he continued with his small talk.

“You have a stressful job then?” Oh buddy you don’t know the half of it. I nodded yet again and sipped my drink. “Did you grow up here in Las Vegas then?” Here I go again with the nodding. Boy I was coming across like a bimbo. I guessed he was into bimbo’s since his eyes were still locked on mine. He held up a hand to the bartender who came over almost immediately to pour more wine into my glass. He hadn’t even asked if he could buy me a drink, but I wasn’t complaining. I did need another drink. This had quite possibly been the worst week of my life. I could tell I was starting to relax not only because of the wine, but he was giving off this totally calming vibe. Then all hell broke loose.

Chapter 2

Bud Lafferty is my boss’s son. I hate him. There is no nice way of putting my feelings into words. I have worked for his father since I was 16 years old. Bud had made many passes at me when we were in high school, but I was never interested. He had always looked at me with a sick sort of desire in his deep green eyes and it made me a little nauseous. William Lafferty definitely liked me better than his son and Bud knew it.

The Lafferty family is a family like mine. Our craft passed down from generation to generation fighting the evil that lives forever. Like his father before him he was a slayer. They own a small salvage company as a front and my father has worked for them since I don’t know when. My whole life I guess. Unfortunately for old Bill, Bud was not at all good at his craft. He still worked for the family in the capacity of hired thug. He would rough up the humans who we knew had information about our target and served as a body guard some of the time. When he wasn’t working on a project, he worked as a bouncer in a bar off the strip. I could see him at the end of the bar as he noticed I was looking over at him.

Shit! This was going to get ugly, I was sure. Why had I chosen to stay in town knowing he was gunning for me? He knew Bill had put me on a huge bounty being that I was his self proclaimed “favorite girl”. Sadly I owed Bud a favor and he had chosen now to call it in. He had saved my ass for the one and only time I had ever needed backup. I regretted needing him terribly, but it happened. I was alive and he was responsible. I owed him one and I had promised him in on this job. I kind of lied.

“You BITCH!” He screamed at me from across the bar. He walked closer to me with a rage in his eyes that almost made him look worth a damn. Now only if he could back that up, but I knew he couldn’t. “Where the hell do you get off going and doing that job without me? You got some nerve!” I was sure he had wanted in on the job so he could get back into Bill’s good graces. I just didn’t need him running in and screwing it up as he had done to me so many times before. His antics had set some of my projects back by weeks and he had cost me thousands. I stood up off of my barstool noticing my companion was still watching me.

“Easy Bud. I really don’t think this is the time or the place to be talking about work. Do you?” I was trying to talk him down and make us look a lot less obvious in the process. I didn’t need a bar full of people being privy to my business. Especially being that I’m in the business that I am.
“Who the fuck do you think you are going behind my back? That’s a lot of scratch you made and I don’t get to see any of it? I oughta kick the shit out of you for that.” His eyes were starting to glow faintly by this time.

“Are you aware that you are addressing a lady?” said a soft voice from my left.

“Who the hell are you buddy? Stay the fuck outta my business or I’m gonna have to kick your ass too!” Bud was getting pretty worked up by now and I was beginning to get concerned we would have casino security on us soon. Strangely enough, none of the bar patrons were really paying attention. Were they so desensitized to drunk guys going off half-cocked that this seemed normal to them?

“Now you’re gonna owe me twice what you owed me before. Unless of course you’d be interested in working off your debt in another way? Maybe we could have a little fun with this Aly girl. Whatta ya say baby?” He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. I could smell his rancid breath. What the hell had he been drinking, sewage?

“Christ Bud, let go of me will ya? Let’s go talk about this with Bill and we can come to some sort of agreement.” He reached out to grab my other wrist, but was stopped by a quick hand that grabbed him instead.

“I would strongly suggest you not touch the young lady.” I was so glad whoever this stranger was that he had decided to sit down next to me. Thank God for small miracles. “She asked you to let her go. You will do just that or we can take this outside.”

“Who’s you’re friend Aly? You already planning on shacking up with him for the night? Get your damn hands off me buddy. SECURITY!” Bud had since let go of my arm and I whipped around to knee him in the balls and hit him with an elbow to the solar plexus. Suddenly I was swept up off the floor and into my new friends arms. We ran quickly to the casino exit and out the door into the night.

We must have run for a block and a half before he stopped and set me down on the pavement. His hair had flown back off of his face as if he had just gotten out of a convertible. We must have been running really fast. He looked even more beautiful now that I could see his face better. The lights blinked around us and I could hear the sounds of the slots across the street even through the traffic. Slot machine sound is one you never really get used to, but it is unmistakable and somehow comforting for me. It’s the sound of home. The whole strip seemed to stop moving while we stood there looking at each other for what seemed like forever. I finally broke my gaze and looked down to smooth my dress. I realized I had left the bar so fast that I had forgotten my purse. As if he was reading my mind, he produced it from under his jacket.

He was wearing a black suit with a beautiful black silk shirt. I couldn’t have imagined him this perfect looking if I tried. He had a rather ornate belt buckle that appeared to be a dragon biting it’s own tail. His shoes were obviously Italian leather since they were quite narrow. He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair fixing it back the way it had been when I first saw him. I noticed he had a slight beard, nothing more than a day or two of growth on his chin. I simply could not take my eyes off of him.

“Thank you.” I said finally. “I was not expecting that to happen let alone to have someone come to my rescue. I’m not used to that.” He smiled a subtle smile and tilted his head a little.
“Certainly. I am glad I was there to be of assistance. I am appalled at the way some men act as if they believe they can treat a woman in any way they see fit.” Yep, he was definitely Russian. I had to hear him speak more before I could know for sure, but I was 90% sure I was right. I reached my hand out to him.

“Where are my manners? I’m Alynna. Thank you again.” He reached for my hand and turned it toward him to gently kiss the top of my knuckles.

“Alexander and it was truly my pleasure Alynna.” My whole body felt like we were suddenly having a heat wave. The way he had said my name was…magic. “May I escort you someplace?” He spoke in a very antiquated dialogue or maybe I was mistaking that for the fact that English was not his first language.

“I think I should probably turn in for the night. Like I said before, it’s been quite a week. I think I just want to lay down.” I was truly exhausted and now I was dreading Monday morning and having to explain myself to Bill. I figured I needed all the rest I could get and time to get my story straight. I was pretty sure he would take my side in the matter as he usually did, but I had racked his son and knocked the wind out of him. Being prepared for the worst was in my best interest.

“Please, allow me to see you home safely. I would be disappointed if you were to be accosted again on your way to retire.” So maybe he did sound like he just fell out of a 19th century novel, but it was musical to listen to him speak. “We will have to go back to the hotel, but I believe it will be a much safer journey this time.” I nodded and stepped toward him. He offered me his arm and I took it.

We walked the block or so back to Caesar’s Palace in silence. I was just enjoying the smell of him, it was sweet and somehow soothing. When we arrived at the elevator bank I hesitated for a moment unsure if I should say goodbye there or let him take me to the door. I stepped in and he followed. I supposed there was no harm in him walking me to the door. I was not afraid of him and I didn’t think he would have gone through the trouble to save me if he was going to kill me. Although I had done that a few times to a few unsuspecting people in my day, I wasn’t worried.
When we arrived at my door, I turned to thank him again. I tried to memorize the way he looked standing there. His serenity was soothing and I wished I could appear that calm. He lifted my hand up and gently brushed his lips across it. I was still swooning, I hoped it wasn’t too obvious.

“May I call on you again in the future?” I nodded and let out a soft sigh.

“Please do. I will be here until Monday. After that I can be reached here.” I took a business card from my purse and handed it to him. I shuddered a bit as his fingers touched mine.

“Hmmm. That man was troubling you over a salvage project? That hardly seems appropriate. Goodnight Alynna. Until I see you again.”

“Goodnight Alexander. Thank you again.” I put my key in the lock and turned the handle. As soon as I shut my door I leaned up against it and slid down it’s length and onto the floor. I was in so much trouble.

Chapter 3

The sun streaming through the windows in my suite was how I started my Monday morning. I had spent the remainder of my weekend shopping and getting spa treatments, but now it was time to check-out of my vacation and check-in to my reality.

Pulling the sheets down off of me, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and pressed my feet onto the floor. I love my job. Pretty much every aspect of it, almost all of the time. This morning was a little different. I wasn’t looking forward to going back to the office and I was still concerned about Bud, though I hadn’t heard from him since the other night. He wasn’t the only one I hadn’t heard from. I hadn’t seen or heard anything from Alexander either.

I turned on the light in the bathroom and rummaged through my toiletries grabbing for my toothbrush. I turned on the water and started the process of getting ready for work. It wasn’t like I was expecting him to call me the very next morning, but maybe I would have at least heard something in the 2 days since we met.

“I don’t know why I care that much, he’s just a guy and he’ll just get in the way.” I tried to justify my situation, but it really wasn’t working. I don’t lie well to myself, which is funny since I lie convincingly to other people all the time. I thought about the color of his hair and eyes and the smell of him…..ooooh, he smelled so wonderful. I had never smelled such a sweet, intoxicating smell in all my life.

At this point, I was toweling myself off and sifting through my suitcase looking for an outfit. “When did I shower?” I asked myself. Not that I was very concerned since this sort of thing happened to me all the time. Kind of an auto-pilot mechanism in me. I was so deep in thought, I lost track of everything I was doing and just did it. Let me tell you, works wonders in a fight. It makes it a lot easier to get my job done if I don’t concentrate on the actual killing part of it. It’s not like vamps really give a crap about killing me, why was I so concerned about me doing it to them? It’s nice to know I haven’t lost any humanity and little things like murder and me committing it still bothered me a bit. I smiled.

About an hour later, I pulled through the gates of the yard and into my parking space. Bud’s truck wasn’t in its spot and I breathed a little sigh of relief.

“Good morning Ally!”

“Morning Sue Anne” I gave a little wave to Sue Anne Lafferty as she sat sipping coffee at her desk. She’s my boss’s wife and probably the closest thing I have to a mother now that mine is gone. She answers our phones, acts as the receptionist and administrative assistant for Bill, Bud, and myself. She’s in her early fifties, but she looks really young for her age. She dyes her long, wavy hair a really pretty chocolate brown. It suits her.

“How was your vacation sweetie? Did you have a relaxing time? Where did you go anyway?” Yes, very mom like. I liked Sue Anne, she was good to me. She had been with my father and me the night my mother passed away. Frankly I’m not sure my dad would have been able to handle all the arrangements without her. Mom really did everything for him and he was so lost without her. Watching her die like that really sucked the life out of him too. Cancer’s a bitch.

“It was a little slice of heaven actually. I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy the slow lane, but I got along just fine. I actually stayed on the strip. I guess I’m a homebody.” OK, so Bud hasn’t talked to his mom in the last 48 hours. A very good sign that he probably hasn’t talked to his father either. Good, I got here first to sweet talk the old guy before Bud can screw me over.

“You should have gotten outta Dodge girl, but I’m glad you had some peace and quiet just the same. Bill and I worry about you working yourself to the bone.”

“Oh you know me Sue Anne. If I’m away from work, I miss all the thrills.” I grabbed a cup of coffee and opened my office door. My office was small and simple, but it was mine. I could close the door and pretend I was doing market research and client development for salvage contracts and no one bothered me. I did actually do some of those things, but most of the time, I was researching marks and preparing for my next job.

In order to keep up appearances, Bill’s father had started Lafferty Salvage in 1946 when Bill was just a boy. Salvage yards ran a good market in Vegas since things were constantly changing and stuff got scrapped all the time. Since he didn’t really need the money and few people cared enough about salvage to ask questions, it was a great cover. He did do the odd job here and there so he would at least have some record of legitimate income, but most of his revenue came from slaying vampires.

When he passed, Bill took over the business and we grew. Bud and I came on board the same year, the year we turned 18. Although we had both been doing odd jobs for Bill a few years before that, it wasn’t until we were 18 that we found out the real business plan. There was also Pete Lafferty, Bill’s younger brother. He and his son Brian are our technogeeks. Brian’s only 17 and he actually thinks he’s programming the computers for the yard. He is actually, but not for long. Once he turns 18, we’ll let him into the loop. It’s up to him to decide if he wants in or not. My dad runs the day to day in the yard and is actually the only one truly doing any salvage. At least somebody around here can look legit in front of the clients. The rest of us are just fantastic actors.

“Hey beautiful. We missed you around here last week. How’d you do?” Pete was leaning against the door frame and gave me a wink.

“Can’t beat $50k for the week. I sure earned it though. Old, ornery, and hard to find that one was. Kicked the shit out of me too! Although I seem to have won.” That came out a little cocky, but Pete just smiled. “Bud’s not here yet is he?” Pete shook his head. “ Good. I need to get in to see Bill before he does. We had a little run in over the weekend. He’s pretty pissed I didn’t cut him in. Made a huge scene at Caesar’s and I had to kick him in the nuts.” At that Pete laughed and I gave him a wry smile. I followed him out of my office and walked down the hall to Bill’s.

“Knock knock. Can I bug you for a minute?” Bill was sitting at his computer reading his e-mails and swiveled in his chair to face me.

“You, my dear, couldn’t bug me if you tried. You feeling OK? I heard you got roughed up a bit last week?”

“Oh it was nothing a couple of days off didn’t fix. Bumps and bruises.” I flashed him a toothy grin. “See, I still have all my teeth. I was careful since I just got them fixed.” About a month ago I was on a job and this vamp knocked out 4 out my teeth with her elbow. Hurt like a son of a bitch. I cut her head off, so I figure we’re square.

Bill found that very funny and let out a loud belly laugh. “Good girl. We want to keep you looking gorgeous or we won’t even be half as busy. So what can I do for you Aly?”

I proceeded to explain to Bill about how gentlemanly his son had been to me over the weekend and how much I appreciated his affection. Yeah, right. Bill leaned back in his chair and put his boots up on his desk. I could tell he was thinking abut having words with Bud. That was something Bill had done an awful lot lately and it was almost always because of me.

Bud just hated that I was better at my job than he was at his. I was pretty sure the fact that I would never go to bed with him bugged him too. He thought he was such a great catch and had no idea why I didn’t agree with him. And of course the fact that Bill liked me better was always a thorn in his side.

“I was hoping he was going to snap out of this bullshit phase he’s in, but apparently he hasn’t. I’m sorry he interrupted your vacation and I’ll take care of it.” I nodded at Bill and stood up to leave. When I turned around to face the door I saw Bud standing in the hall staring back at me. I will say that the guy has superior timing. He walks into conversations at all the right times almost as if on cue. Bugs the crap out of me.

“Well look what the cat dragged in. I should have known you’d be in here buttering him up. How’s it feel to be such a huge kiss ass Aly?”

“That’s enough Bud. You will speak to her with respect. She is your family.” Bill said sternly rising from his chair. I didn’t expect him to say anymore than that while I was still in the room. Bill had a way of not demeaning any of us in front of another even if some of us were huge fuck-up pains in the ass.

“Hey Dad, did Aly tell you some guy picked her up and ran out of the casino with her? Looked like he had some interesting plans for the evening. How was he Al? Did he screw ya from here to Sunday?”

“You are foul!” I spat back at him. “If you ever used your brain to think instead of your dick, maybe you’d me more useful around here.” I stomped out the door and back down the hall to my office. I heard Bill’s door slam and some choice words being sent Bud’s way. Ha! He deserved getting his ass chewed out. He’d treated me like crap for years. It made for a very tense work environment and I was really glad to leave the office on my little assignments.

The morning went by at its usual snail’s pace as I checked e-mails and played on my Facebook page. I actually get paid to sit here all day and screw around. That still amazes me and I’ve been doing this for 7 years. It can get a little dull, especially when we get a lull in business, but come evening we more than make up for it. I worked on a couple of research leads I had for later in the month, but that took all of 20 minutes. After lunch, I picked up my phone to text my dad. He should know I’m back and in one piece. Although I was sure he’d heard by now. I typed a few letters and slapped the phone shut. “He’s 5 minutes away Al, just walk over there.” Technology was making me lazy.

“There’s my girl! I was wondering when you were going to show yourself out here. How ya holding up?” He grabbed me and pulled me into a hug and planted a little kiss on my cheek. He was already sweaty and worn looking. He and his guys were actually out here working while I was reading blogs and drinking coffee. It made me feel bad, but then he leaves at 5 and goes home to have a normal life which I certainly do not do.

“What’s Sue Anne been telling you? I’m fine dad, nothing I can’t handle. Honest.” He looked at me with that “Don’t-lie-to-your-father” face he used on me so often. I hiked up the side of my skirt to show him the fading bruise on my thigh. He still didn’t seem too convinced. “There’s nothing else I can show you without you getting all TMI on me, so just relax. I’m fine. I slept in and gambled and went to the spa all weekend. Satisfied?” He shook his head at me and turned to sign something on a clipboard that had been shoved in his face.

I noticed Brian calibrating one of the cranes toward the other side of the yard. He had been working a lot of hours lately now that he got out of class at 11:30 every day. I smiled remembering how excited I had been at his age to leave school and come to work. I was running errands for Sue Anne at that age. I thought I was so special taking Bill’s Mercedes to the car wash and picking up his dry cleaning. I had no idea who I really worked for and what my life would be like by the time I was 25.

“He’s doing a good job for me, knows his stuff. Well, not all of your stuff, but he knows mine.” My dad gave me a knowing smile. He does a good job of keeping things under wraps so that his guys actually think they work for a real salvage yard. No one outside of the office knows what we do here after hours, save my father and he doesn’t enjoy knowing what he doesn’t have to.

I talked a bit more with my dad and promised I would come by the house sometime during the week. He seemed satisfied that I was doing fine and went back to work. It was going on 2 pm and I figured I had better get back up to the office and see what we had on our plate for the evening. I was walking upstairs when my cell rang.

“This is Aly.” I answered in a very business like manner.

“Is this Alynna Van Houten? Of Lafferty and Sons Salvage? The voice asked.

“Um yeah, that would be me. Can I help you with something?”

“Miss Van Houten, this is Tricia Campbell. I’m Alexander Kozlov’s personal assistant. He asked me to call you and see if you had free time in your schedule this week to meet with him. Would that be possible?” I had just reached my office door and quickly closed it behind me. I could feel my pulse beginning to quicken and some rather exuberant butterflies moving around in my stomach.

“Huh? Oh yes, yes. I’m sure I can find some time to meet with him.”

This guy must be pretty important if he has his personal assistant making dates for him. It was kind of annoying actually. Couldn’t he just call me himself? Way to tell a girl you like her. Or maybe he was thinking of getting something dismantled and needed to scrap it somewhere? I really hadn’t talked to him long enough to just assume this was a social call.

“I have lunch free tomorrow or Wednesday I could do a dinner.”

Bill watched some TV show on Wednesday nights so he never scheduled anything important. I always found that funny. He didn’t think anyone would ever attack anyone else on a Wednesday just since Bill Lafferty likes his courtroom dramas? I stifled a giggle.

“I will put you in for Wednesday then. Say 8 pm? I can arrange to have a car come pick you up.” Is she for real? A car will come and get me? It was in my nature to be wary of things like that.

“That won’t be necessary I can get myself there. Where would Mr. Kozlov like me to meet him?” Based on the formality of the call I was expecting a business dinner someplace on the strip.

“Blackwood Steakhouse.” That was just about the most romantic restaurant in Las Vegas. It was the kind of place where couples got engaged. It had little U-shaped booths and lots of candlelight. It was a place for the locals and not too many tourists bothered to go there since it was about 15 minutes away from the strip. This was definitely NOT a business dinner. Yay!

“That would be lovely. Please let him know I will be there at 8.” I hung up the phone and collapsed onto the couch. Did I just make a date with a man’s secretary?

Chapter 4

Monday night Bill held a normal dinner meeting for us to plan out our week and talk about the two projects I was working on. I was glad to see Bud was not invited. Good! I certainly wasn’t going to need his help.

We really didn’t have a busy week to talk about and I was able to leave the office about 8 pm and set off for home. I slid into the soft leather seat of my BMW. I loved this car! It was what all my hard work had paid for and I relished the fact that it was mine all mine.

Last year I bought a loft condo in Henderson. It was in a renovated warehouse in a defunct industrial park. That had been a popular trend in the area lately. It was time to move out of my father’s house and I didn’t want anything too big that I would have no time to take care of.

I turned the key in the lock and peeked in my door. I took a cursory glance around the large room, checking for anything out of the ordinary. The beauty of living in a loft is that you only have one room to secure. I mean, I have a bathroom, but it isn’t very big and you can practically see all of it from the door. Whomever had designed this floor plan neglected to think of that. For me however, it was perfect.

I toed off my shoes and flopped onto the couch. There was less than nothing on TV. An old re-run of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was on The CW. People probably think that show is far fetched, but it’s kind of accurate. At least on my end it is. The bulgy vampire heads are kind of ridiculous though.

I sat through it despite the fact that I had seen it a few times. I lasted another hour flipping through channels before I changed and went to bed.

I slept like a log and almost missed my alarm the next morning. I had smacked the snooze bar at least twice before I got up to make myself some coffee. I wasn’t looking forward to today. I wouldn’t be going into the office until lunch.

I got showered, dressed and went downstairs just as my father was pulling into my parking lot. I got in the seat next to him and he handed me the bunch of roses that had been on my seat.

“ I got her yellow ones this year. It was always her favorite color.”

“You OK?”

“No, but I don’t have a choice.”

We pulled into the cemetery and parked the car. I took my father’s hand and we stepped out onto the grass to make our way to my mother’s headstone. I brushed the grass and leaves off of the marker and set the flowers on it. We stood there a moment and I let my father compose himself. Tears were already streaming down his face and he was wiping them away with his shirt sleeve. It was really hard to see him like this.

It had been 3 years since we had buried Joanna Van Houten. She had lost a long battle with breast cancer. The whole process was awful to watch. She was amazing though. She handled everything with such dignity and grace. I knew it was scary for her and she felt horrible about what it was doing to my father.

They had met as children and were inseparable. My mother told me once that she was immediately smitten with him when they met. She was only 10 and he 12, but she knew he was the one. I always thought that was sort of funny since there I was in my 20′s with no sign of “the one” any time soon. “John was so handsome and funny. He’s the most amazing person I know.” She once told me.

When my father turned 18 and found out about his legacy, he immediately told mom. Mom accepted it and went on with life as if he had told her his family came from a long line of plumbers or something else equally normal. She wasn’t at all involved in our family affairs and never would be. My father was aware she didn’t agree with what he did and he talked Bill into letting him take over the yard. I was born the next year.

My mother was the librarian at my elementary school. I had a very normal childhood, but I always got the feeling my mother was afraid for me. I think she really was since she never had any more children. When I turned 16 and went to work for Sue Anne, my mother became way too overprotective of me. I lashed out like any normal teenager would, but for the most part I was a good kid. I had a great family network with the Lafferty’s and we were happy.

When my 18th birthday came, we had a party at Bill and Sue Anne’s. Later after the guests had left, The four of them sat me down in the living room and laid it on the line. I was shocked to say the least, but as I listened to them explain, the pieces seemed to fit into place. I had always been very athletic. I was a cheerleader and was on the dance team. I kicked the crap out of Bud one time when we were 5 or 6. As my mother was yelling at me, all my father could say was, “Bill is going to love her.” I never knew what that meant until that night.

Once I knew what I was, I started training. I took martial arts lessons in every discipline imaginable. I now hold black belts in all of them. Bill thought it was necessary for me to be as educated as possible and called me a natural at the craft. He called in favors from other families so their guys would come to teach and train me.

My mother hated it all. She wanted it to bypass me all together, but I took to it like a duck to water. Maybe the fact that I enjoyed it so much was what kept her from telling Bill and my dad that I had to stop. She always wanted me to be happy.

“You want to get something to eat sweetie?”

“Sure Dad, whatever you want is fine with me.”

We didn’t say anything to each other all the way to the restaurant. I had gotten increasingly used to my father’s silence whenever my mother came up in conversation. A large part of him was missing that could never be replaced. It pained me to see it happening to him.

When I finally got into the office, Sue Anne just smiled at me and let me walk on by her. No one spoke to me for the rest of the day. They knew not to.