Born in Fire (Demon Days, Vampire Nights World Book 1)(15)

I blew out a breath, thinking that possibility over.

It would be pretty hard to get all my details, though. Captain Lox would know some, the agents at the office would know a little, my neighbors would know a few things, and the shifters a bit more, but out of all of those people, only the agents might actually talk to a vampire. I didn’t have any birth records, and something that annoyed the captain to no end, no paperwork, so…

No, he didn’t know about me. He couldn’t.

What about if I was in his lair? Could he sort it out then?

I scratched my chin, thinking through the options.

He could bite me and taste my blood, but would that tell him anything?

I bit my lip, not sure. They were wily, elders, so there was definitely a chance he could figure it out and run straight to the bank, i.e. my father, but a good chance? I wasn’t so sure. The shifters hadn’t been able to, and they’d been sniffing around for a while.

Literally.

“Your eyebrows’ve gone missing again.” Mince, a thick guy who had taken too many punches to the face in his boxing career, and had the nose to show for it, stalled by the steps to my porch.

I fingered the smooth skin where my eyebrows were supposed to be, and then the singed remnants of my bangs. “Yeah. Got too close to an open flame.”

“Looks like you stuck your face in an open flame. How come you never get a burn on your skin?”

“Sunblock. You wouldn’t know, since you have a natural deterrent.”

He frowned at me. “That has got to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

Because I’m black, I can’t get burnt? Are you dumb?”

“No, Mr. Sensitive, I’m kidding.”

He huffed and looked away, probably waiting for his flash of annoyance to wear away. I could irritate the most patient of people. Misdirection was my superpower.

“You taking tonight off?” he asked, turning back.

“Don’t know. Just pondering that now.”

“Your boss doesn’t mind your random hours, huh? I got let go for all that.”

“You know that I work for myself. I make my own hours.”

“Ah yeah, that’s right. I get you confused with that white girl down the way.”

I didn’t know how. She was ancient and wrinkly, using a walker for her every outing, while I was twenty-four and scrappy. We were pretty different.

He nodded at the bag by my feet containing my new book. I’d brought it out here to have a look through it, but the issue with the vampires had sidelined my focus. I’d have to come back to it later.

“What’s in that?” he asked

I rose. “Something I stole today. I have to get it checked out.”

“Need any of my contacts?”

“Nope.” I took the paper bag by the flimsy handles. A nicer bag might’ve drawn attention. “The only electrical device I got was a computer, and it didn’t have a password. Unless you know someone who’s knowledgeable about three-hundred-year-old books…” I turned toward the screen door.

“Stealing smart person stuff, huh?” Mince leaned against the weathered railing. “Yeah, I got someone. He ain’t cheap. Charges a consulting fee. He can help you find a buyer, though.”

I froze with the screen door half open and turned back. “You know someone who specializes in really old books?”

He shrugged. “When you ransack a rich man’s house, sometimes you get rare books. Or so I’ve heard.”

I shook my head. “You need to get a real job. You’re going to get pinched someday.”

“Says the girl with a bag full of stolen goods.”

“That’s different. I killed the guy first.”

“Whoa.” He raised his hands and backed away. “I didn’t hear that. I did not hear that. Just let me know if you need my guy, okay? Keep the rest of your business to yourself.” He walked away shaking his head.

Sometimes I forgot how crazy I sounded.

I dropped the bag in my room so I’d remember to put it in my version of a safe, and then headed to the fridge. Mostly bare. I needed to go shopping.

Sighing, I closed it up again and looked around my tiny residence. Rent was cheap, so that eight hundred dollars would cover it, but the money wouldn’t stretch over all my bills. I’d have the same problem next month. If I’d taken Baldy in, the money would’ve kept me out of sight for a while, not to mention kept me cool in the hot summer months.

I scrubbed my fingers through my hair and got myself a glass of water.

Sinking into the couch, I pondered the bounty notice. Fifty grand. What I wouldn’t give for that kind of money…

That vamp probably knew it, too. As far as the magical community went, I was the only full-time, independent bounty hunter in the area. I got all the high-risk and high-paying jobs because no one else would take them. Without that payout, I was broke. If the vamp knew anything at all, he would know I was poor. That stealing that mark had put me in the hole.

Suddenly, anger boiled through my body.

That vamp had stolen my livelihood, and now he was suckering me into working for him. Probably just for his personal entertainment, too. I wouldn’t put it past him. Everything was a game to the elders, and people were just strategy. I should say no, thereby giving him the bird. I should. And maybe I would…right after I punched him in the face.