Rising Danger sample

Chapter One
Today was supposed to be special but instead Chyna Lorne was in her one bedroom apartment in Butte, Montana, throwing clothes in a suitcase that had belonged to her mother and before that her grandmother. If it wasn't for a boss that she admired too much, she would be at a restaurant right now eating the fattest steak with the most expensive wine and the richest deserts you could imagine. After all, it was the fifth month anniversary of her being single. That deserved a reward right?
Yes, she was approaching twenty six and her biological clock was definitely clicking away, but could she help that 96% of the guys in Montana were jerks?


Of course not.
FRAGMENT!!!!



Chyna knew that she was attractive but it mattered little to her to find a man to occupy her time with, especially after Nicoli; the definition of a lowlife bastard. Chyna inwardly groaned at her lack of man picking skills as her brothers liked to call it. It was bad enough Nicoli thought he was the epiphany of an Italian god, but then add to the fact that he was simply shocked that Chyna had threw his lame ass out after catching him screwing a “cousin” he had introduced to her weeks before. The audacity the man had. More to the point, Chyna had a job to do: pack for Missoula to try and arrest a guy who once again decided that paying his bail was out of the question.
Her small frame made many laugh at her choice of career, but Chyna loved knowing that she was helping put those who really needed to be arrested away. The world would be a better place without them anyhow. She had seen too much violence growing up in the projects because her family was on the struggling end of society to want to make a difference when she was older. Being a bail bondsman gave her the motivation in life to keep moving no matter what, and it taught her how to have a sense of


humor (Humour


because the world was a sick place.
Chyna rolled her eyes with a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth remembering the trouble she got in with her brothers as a young girl. Boy, did their mother grow enough grey hairs raising them. Her dad was always working trying to keep their mouths fed; with three growing boys and a girl who was attempting to fit in with the boys, a


paycheck (PAY CHECK)


disappeared just as fast as it was received.
Her older brother Clyde and his three amazing kids; who she spoiled as often as she could, became a very successful lawyer with a high price tag that came with his services. Chyna didn't too much care for the exact rules of the law, but her brother did help provide criminals for her to track down. His wife Maria was a very understanding woman with soft hazel eyes and a smile always ready to help soothe someone’s troubles. Chyna had to admit that she was happy that her oldest brother who was very known for his play boyish ways thanks to his light eyes, charming smile, and a built that men stride for, had finally settled down and started a beautiful family.
Christopher, the middle brother was a successful business man with a cute eleven year old boy Alex, and he did one hell of a job of raising him. Chyna throw her toiletry bag into the suitcase a little too hard at the thought of Alex’s biological mother. She had bailed once he was born, stating that she wasn't ready for a kid and if Chris didn't want to raise him then she was going to put Alex up for adoption. The nerve she had! It took a few flicks of the wrist and Chris had full custody of his son and it was the best decision he could have ever made. Alex and he had an inseparable bond.
Now her brother that was only two years older enjoyed being a bachelor and got hell for it from the family. He was a damned good attorney with a charm that made the ladies want to throw their panties at him. Absurd if you asked Chyna. According to their mother, Channing saw children as "beings that only complicated and made things messy." And besides, he had plenty of nieces and nephews to spoil, why did he need his own? Chyna laughed at the memory of her mother’s face when she told her.
The heat was now heightened for Chyna to find her Prince Charming and make her mother some more grandkids.

Chyna rolled her eyes as she threw more pants into the suitcase.(SPACE)The job Chyna had was not one where you wanted to bring children into.


Constantly on the road, always having to be prepared for the worse, and if you did get at least five hours of sleep, you were considered lucky. Even with all the mucky details that came with the job, Chyna loved it. And slightly enjoyed the hell she got from her brothers for being so worried about her. She knew it was because they wanted the best for her. Deep down, she also knew that her brothers were proud of her and carried a newfound respect for her, which only

fueled (fuelled)

Chyna to make sure she did a kick ass job.
Folding the last shirt of the day, Chyna heard a faint buzzing sound. Turning around she looked at her cell phone moving due to the vibration on the bedside table and saw Justin glowing at her. Knowing he was just going to bitch at her for not moving fast enough so Roy would stop breathing down his neck, she slowly zipped up the suitcase.
Justin had been her partner for the last two years and she still hadn't got used to having him around after four years of riding solo. Don't get her wrong, Justin was a very good bondsman but damn could his flirting and comments about his latest conquest get annoying. His blonde hair always curling at the nape of his neck and green eyes sparkling with mischief was sometimes too much to handle when you had a 300 pound man who stands 6 feet in the air gunning you down because you locked up his younger brother Luggie. Not to mention he had a mouth of a sailor when he was pissed off.
Once the buzzing stopped, Chyna waited twenty minutes before calling him back. With a glass of sweet tea and her shades that added three years to her baby face, she smiled when Justin barked, "Where the fuck are you?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk Justin. You kiss your mother with that mouth.” She could practically see him running his fingers through his thick hair cursing the air as she opened her front door and headed to her Opaque Sedan.
"Roy has been riding my ass for the past hour about this damn Missoula shit! And where the hell are you to be found? Probably sipping some damn Iced Tea and laughing."
The accuracy of his description had Chyna smiling; her partner did know her pretty well.
"You over exaggerate Justin. It's Sweet Tea and I wasn't laughing, just smiling."


"Real cute Chyna. (FRAGMENT) Now where the hell are you?"


"Just now getting into my car. (FRAGMENT)


I should be at the airport in an hour or more depending on how traffic is at--" she checked her watch--"3:30 in the afternoon on a nice Wednesday afternoon. "
"Well you better put the metal to the petal hon', cause Roy is shitting bricks about this damn case."
Chyna plugged her

IPhone (iPhone.)

into the car charger and put Justin on through the speakers so she could drive with both hands. No need for an accident.
"I had plans for this afternoon. And if I didn't care for Roy as much as I do, his ass would be S.O.L." Chyna stated, her previous irritation coming back.
"What did you have planned for the weekend?" At the shock in Justin's voice, Chyna wanted to hang up. Despite what her co workers thought she did have a life to maintain, and besides Justin was not her mother, even if she wouldn't tell her mother the entire truth either. That was beside the point.
"I had a date." She said smoothly.
Justin's laughed filled the small compact car and Chyna rolled her eyes.


"Oh really? (FRAGMENT)


Who's the sorry guy?"
"It’s none of your business." Chyna exhaled a long sigh; "If we're done here..." she trailed off indicating the conversation was over.
"Just call me when you’re at the airport. I'll be at the dining area."


"Ten-four." (FRAGMENT)


And the phone clicked off.
As Chyna predicted, traffic was heavy. One thing she did not enjoy about beautiful Montana was that the streets could be dead silent at one point then filled with tractors and trailers the next. You just never knew if a dead deer would fly off into your windshield.
Turning on the radio to a modern Pop station, Chyna rolled down her window and let the warm air lift up her soon to be vile mood. The sky was awfully blue and the heat had stayed to a minimum allowing her to wear her favorite holy jeans and light purple cami with her sporty black steel toe boots that came in handy when she had to drop kick a man. And when most of your attackers outweighed you by 200 pounds you had to be ready and agile, something Chyna made sure she was by going to Yoga whenever possible and having a professional trainer. She could even hang out with her brothers when they decided to head to the gym, and sometimes even out last them. Her family had come a long way since she was a little girl. From being poor to all her siblings being successful in the career path they chose. The day her oldest brother brought their mom an actual running house will always be Chyna’s fondest memory.
An hour and 45 minutes later Chyna pulled into the packed airport and sent Justin a quick text. Letting the valet guy know who she was, he took care of her car so it would be at Missoula's airport when she arrived; ready and waiting. Seconds later, her phone chirped letting her know she had a text. Looking at her phone, she lifted her shades and blinked a few times so her eyes could adjust to the lighting and looked for a sign that read 'LUGGAGE'. Seeing it a few feet to her left, Chyna put her cell in her pocket and headed in that direction with her luggage in tow. She noticed Justin's 6'4 frame soon enough and called out his name. He looked up and saw her and not to her surprise his face did not light up in delight.


"You're two hours late!" (FRAGMENT!)


"Late? I wasn't appointed a time mother." Chyna barked back.
He rolled his eyes and snatched her luggage from her. "Roy's waiting."
Following Justin she observed the area. Many families were bustling around, racing to find their designated flights. Some squeals as families returned from wherever they've been and babies wailing. Ugh, Chyna couldn't wait to get on the plane and away from the suffocating smell of burned gas and polluted air.
Seeing Roy's balding head and oversized belly, Chyna grinned. She did have a soft spot for the old grump; even if he was her Aunt's ex-husband because he was caught in bed with a much younger redhead. In Chyna’s opinion her Aunt wasn’t the easiest woman to love, but that didn’t grant cheating. Offering her this job Chyna figured was a way for him to try and keep tabs on his ex-wife. Whatever floated his boat.
"Roy!" She greeted him with a hug.
Grumbling something about he doesn’t like hugs, he pushed her off gently, "what took you so long?"
Chyna shrugged, "I had plans already."



"A date." (FRAGMENT!) Justin input.



Roy's eyebrows rose, "With whom?"
Chyna bit her lip to keep from rolling her eyes, "Roy, what was so urgent that it couldn't wait until tomorrow morning when we were all at the office?" she answered instead.
He let out a breath of air and rubbed his balding spot, "Ted Choyce. Bonded out six weeks ago and hasn't been found. Police searched his apartment last week for pay up time and came up empty handed. We're pretty sure he's skipped town and doesn't plan on returning."
"What makes us say that?" Justin asked, his arms crossing over his chest.
"The only thing left in his mother's house was an old rocker, a busted TV and a prepaid phone that was erased."
"He could be out visiting. Or he moved." Chyna added easily.
Both men looked at her with a 'yeah right, and I believe aliens rule the world' look. She shrugged her shoulders and gestured for Roy to continue.
"He's wanted for beating up his long term girlfriend just two weeks ago, which is originally why the cops went to his place. It just happened to be a coincidence that he needed to pay a grand for bail. The last update we have is that his truck was spotted in Missoula, Montana just two days ago."
"Once again, why couldn't this wait until tomorrow?" Chyna asks.
"He’s supposedly shot two people."
Chyna and Justin exchange a look before Justin asks, "So our job is to catch him, and then let the police take care of it?"
Roy shrugged his shoulders, “I say find his whereabouts and contact the police. We're only involved because his bond needs to be paid. All this other murdering bull-crap is just a part of the deal."
Chyna nodded slowly not too sure why they needed to be involved now instead of waiting until after the police caught him. But she kept her comments to herself. "So he's armed?"
Roy nods, "That's what I'm told."
"Ok. Well I say let’s get this party started." Chyna states, looking around the airport for their plane.



"Agreed. (FRAGMENT)



You guys will be at a hotel that is close to where the police think he's been hiding out. The cops in Missoula can't do much about this until they have proof Ted has been killing people. There's been no proof but there were no murders 'til someone spotted him in Missoula, and the murders were back to back so the cops are just trying to connect some dots."
"Wait, we have to share a room?" Justin asks, his eyebrows rising with the thought.
Roy glanced at Chyna who just shrugged her shoulders and grinned.
Leading the way Roy said, "Yes. That is, unless you want to pay for a separate room out of your own pocket?"
Justin grumbled something under his breath and followed suit.









Soon as Chyna opened the hotel room she threw off her shoes and rolled her suitcase to the side. Now all she had to do was find something to eat and then call her parents and brother to check in. She made a deal to always check in with her family ever since the ordeal that almost ended Chyna’s life six years ago. Sometimes Chyna was ready to leave the comfort of her family but then again, she had nobody else. Some things were better off not left to chance.
"Do you wanna order room service?" she heard Justin yell from the bathroom.
"Is it going on your tab?"
She was answered with silence and took the time to look at the room. Two King size beds made to a hotel’s perfection, the drapes were floral printed and the carpet a deep blue. There was a nightstand on each side of the bed accompanied with a lamp. The walls were a pale blue with a border a shade darker. Overall, it was a comfortable setting; hopefully Justin wouldn't ruin that with his constant bitching about nonsense. Chyna took the opportunity to call her brother Channing.
He picked up on the third ring, "Hey Chyna. What's up girl?"
"I just thought I'd check in and let you all know that I'm going to be in Missoula for a while. I got another case." She added the last part with regret.
"Missoula. Great place that is. What's the case?"
"That's confidential and you know it. Have you talked to mama at all recently?"



"Yeah, just last night. (FRAGMENT)



She and dad want to throw a party just for the hell of it sometime."
Chyna opened the blinds and admired the lights from all the signs advertising nude women and endless alcohol. What trouble someone could get into. "Hm, I hope I’ll be able to attend.” She said on a sigh. “Well I was just checking in. I don't wanna stay on the phone long. Stay safe and let the family know the news."
"Alright, love ya and you too."
"Love you too." And the line went dead.
"Checking in?" Justin questioned, walking out the bathroom and picking up the hotel phone. Chyna nodded and told Justin what she wanted to eat before she settled herself in a chair by the window; her feet curled up underneath her and hands folded over her chest, contemplating on whether or not to try and start doing research now or tomorrow.
"Are you going to bed early or what?" Justin asked, sitting on the bed closest to the bathroom.
Chyna shrugged, “I haven't decided yet. I'm debating on whether or not to start on Choyce's case now."
"Start it later. You'll be tired after you eat and your brain won't retain much."
"How would you know what my brain retains?" she joked back.
He grinned, "After I eat, I'm gonna head out to the gambling table and try to get lucky." he winked and Chyna couldn't help but laugh.
"I'll probably stay here and watch some television then go to bed. I feel sleepy all of the sudden now."
"Amateur."
Chyna rolled her eyes and stared out the window, waiting for her steak and potatoes.
Chapter Two
Early that next morning Chyna and Justin were knee deep in research, trying to figure out the best way to go about the case. They had already asked the desk clerk and hotel manager if they had seen Mister Ted and luck was not on their side.
“I’m getting nothing here Chyna.” Justin commented, tossing the papers he was looking over to the side and let out a puff of air.
Without sparing a glance his way, she made some inaudible comment and kept her eyes glued to the laptop. So far she discovered that his last family member that was in Missoula was his Grandmother who passed just two weeks ago, and if her hunch was correct; which it was more times than not, that was the reason Choyce decided not to pay his bail. With the funeral costs and the memorial service dues, there was no way he would be able to afford his bond at the same time, especially seeing as he had no kind of income. Chyna shivered remembering the set back her uncle’s funeral had put them in and at the exact time of her senior year, where things were the most expensive. She tried not to dwell too much on the childhood memories she had to sacrifice.
“Chyna are you ignoring me?” Justin asked.
Barely hearing Justin she continued to let her eyes absorb the information. The guy already had two warrants out for him and his last jail visit for busting up his girl was a repeated offense. Oddly enough, his girlfriend is the one that bailed him out.
Huh. The world never ceases to amaze me. Chyna thought to herself smugly. Too bad they couldn’t get in contact with her because right about now, any information was better than nothing and one thing Chyna hated was having no information. It sucked the life out of the case and made her want to pull her hair out.



“Chyna!” (FRAGMENT)



Chyna’s head jerked up, her eyes tiny slits of annoyance, “What?!”
Justin’s lip lifted at the corners, “Someone’s engulfed in their research.”
Her eyebrow raised, “You’re not?”
His shoulder rolled, “The guy is a class A asshole, what more do we need to know?”
Her mouth dropped slightly. His indifference always irritated her. She always wanted to know as much as she could about her case and the people it involved. It made it that much more real, and if anything were to happen where negotiating was needed, the more connection one held, the greater the odds decreased.
“Not every asshole is the same. You do know this right?” She asked.
“Not the ones that beat up women.”
“Oh really now? And how do you know this?”
“I’ve witnessed plenty of domestic cases and in every case, the guy was abused as a child and grows up hating women because they’ve never been showed the loving side of women, not the proper kind anyhow. The dominance they show to their woman shows that they have control over their lives now and the people in it.”
“Did you Google that?” she asks, her mouth tilted up in the corner.
He glared at her and took a swig of his water, “My point is that there’s no need to do more than scratch the surface of this case. Ted Choyce is a slum bag. Let’s catch him, put him away for a while and move on to the next one.”
Finally noticing the heavy weight dragging at her eyes from looking through hours of research, Chyna saved what she collected and closed the laptop.
“I’m taking a momentary break to call Roy and update him.” Chyna said, reaching for her cell.



Speed dialing (DIALLING)


Roy, she walked over to the small fridge and got a yogurt.
Roy picked up on the fifth ring, “What ‘cha got for me?”
“Not too much. No one at the hotel recognizes him. His only relative that was alive was his grandmother but she passed two weeks ago, which is why I think he skipped out on his bail. Did you know his girlfriend bailed him out?”



“Yeah, pathetic huh? (FRAGMENT)


They have two kids together and she’s called the police at least five times but never presses charges.”
Chyna put Roy on speakerphone so that she wouldn’t have to repeat everything that was said. “Has anyone got in contact with her?”
Roy let out a sigh, “A police officer seen her two days after they went to go collect the bail but she feigned as if she didn’t speak any English.”
“Why would she do that unless she had something to hide?” Justin put in.
“Good question. That’s something we’re still looking into. I’ll fax what we have on her but it’s not much anyhow.”
Chyna ate the last bit of her yogurt and threw the cup away. “Well I guess we can go walking around, get familiar with the ground and then start asking around.”
“Remember, don’t let on that you’re trying to take him in. People clam up like it’s some kind of disease when they know the police are out on a search.”
Chyna laughed, “Ten- four boss.” And hung up.
“What’s our plan again?” Justin questioned, stretching his legs.
“Get a feel for the ground. Maybe go to the stores around here and see if anyone recognizes him.”
“Ok and then get something to do that’s fun. I don’t know about you but I refuse to live my life in this dingy hotel.”
Chyna groaned. “Which is why you have so many girls saying they want your dead body on their doorstep huh?” Chyna asked as she slipped on her steel toe boots and walked out at the sound of Chase’s laugh.
His smug smile made Chyna’s eyes roll to the top of her head and she walked out the door. The first thing that hit Chyna was the humidity of the air. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sun and slipped her sunglasses into place. She was thankful that she chose her cotton shorts with a thin shirt otherwise she’d burn up before the interrogating even started. Nothing like badgering people when the weather is this icky Chyna thought.
Deciding that the hole in the wall restaurant next to the hotel was a good a place to start as any, she walked in and was greeted with the smells of frying chicken, collard greens, and was that apple pie? Her stomach growled, and decided killing two birds with one stone was a good way to start, she sauntered to the barstools.
An older woman with salt and pepper hair and the name tag that read Maggie, greeted her with a smile, “What can I get for ya darlin’?” she asked, her country drawl adding a sense of comfort in the unfamiliar atmosphere.
Chyna smiled, “I’ll get whatever the house special is today with a slice of apple pie.”
“Good choice, what can I get ya to drink? Our tea is pretty damn good.” She added, with a wink.
“Then I guess I’ll have your tea.” Chyna answered with a grin.
Maggie smiled and sauntered to the back to the kitchen. Chyna looked around, noticing that the restaurant was pretty small. The booths were occupied with children and their parents, a few older men were sharing what looked like a beer a couple stools away from her, and in the back was a man with his head down looking intensely at a piece of paper.
At her stare, the man looked up from his paper and Chyna got the impression of being measured up and strangely…comforted? She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention while her palms became sweaty. What the hell?



Her gaze traveled (TRAVELLED)


to his face trying to get a better look, was he smiling at her?
“Here ya go darlin.’” Maggie said. Chyna glanced one more time at the gentlemen in the back only to notice he was gone.
Chyna moved her attention back to Maggie after the conclusion she was sleep deprived and delusional. “Maggie?”
Maggie looked up from her pad, “Yes?”
Taking a sip of her tea Chyna smiled again, “Do you know anyone by the name of Ted Choyce?”
Maggie drew her eyebrows down and seemed to really put thought into answering, “No. Can’t say I have. Why?”
Chyna shrugged, “He’s an old friend that I’m trying to get into contact with. Has shaggy brown hair, dark brown eyes, and he comes off as a bum, really skinny too.” Chyna tried again.
Maggie shook her head slowly, “Uh-uh. There aren’t too many new comers that come in here so it would be hard for me to miss ‘em.”
“Are there anymore restaurants nearby?”
“Yeah, Joe’s Burgers is a few blocks down, and then next to that is Arnaldo’s Mexican place. And if I’m not mistaken, there’s an ice-cream


parlor (Parlour)


across the street.”
Chyna grinned, “Thanks Maggie. Now, what’s the house special so that I’m not surprised by anything?” she joked.
“Fried chicken, greens, mac and cheese with the best cornbread around town, and if I do say so myself, our greens are seasoned to perfection.”
Chyna’s stomach growled at just the image Maggie conjured up. “Ah, that sounds amazing Maggie. Thanks for everything.” Maggie left to greet the new customers that walked in.
Looking back at back corner, Chyna tried to figure out where the hell he went. Who disappears that fast? Unless he was never there Chyna thought amusingly. Letting it go for more pressing matters, Chyna began to muffle through the information she found out about Ted. Who comes all the way to Missoula and starts ruckus? Especially after that said person already has a record?


World’s dumbest criminals. (FRAGMENT)



He didn’t have any relatives, not even an old girlfriend unless you considered his current girlfriend who seemed to want him despite all the crap he’s put her through. From the records she looked over, this would be his first time even coming to Missoula. So the real question now is why. Why would someone like Choyce choose a random city to hide in? Trick the cops?


Convenience? (FRAGMENT)


No Reason at all?
“What’re you thinking about so thoughtfully?” Justin asks, settling into a seat beside Chyna.
Looking sideways Chyna relays her thoughts in hope that maybe he’ll add some light to the situation.
“Here ya go honey. Be careful because the pie is fresh. Don’t want you burning your tongue.” Maggie says, placing the plate in front of Chyna with a warm smile.
Justin places an order before speaking, “I don’t think it’s out of convenience because Montana is not that close to Missoula. I say he was just scared shitless and wanted to be far away from Montana that it’ll buy him time to settle somewhere, but not so far that he couldn’t get back in a matter of hours.”
Chyna nodded, “But why go to Missoula? Why not somewhere that he already has a connection to? It’d be a lot easier to get around.”
Justin sipped his Bud Light, “Yeah well remember Choyce isn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the toolbox. Hell, he’s like the handle of the toolbox.”
Chyna laughed and took a bite of her pie, “Did you happen to dig up anything?” she asked after swallowing.
“What’s your definition of anything?”
She slanted her eyes at him, “I swear I wonder what the department saw in you.”
He smiled, showing his pearly whites. “Well, besides my good looks, I believe it to be my amazing skills at ‘digging up stuff.’” He mocked.
Chyna rolled her eyes, “Okay I’m taking the bait. What’d you find?”
Maggie chose that exact time to place Justin’s order in front of him and stalling the conversation for a few more minutes to give Justin enough time to test taste everything.
“Well for one, Ted is a part of a cult.”
Chyna raised an eyebrow but gestured for Justin to continue.
“And not just any cult, a vampire cult, the ones that prey on innocent human beings for blood, and kill for the hell of it.”
Chyna stared for a full five seconds before she burst into laughter.



A vampire cult? (FRAGMENT)


He didn’t seriously believe that she believed that? Maybe when she was a teen there was a small hope for a sexy vampire to bite her and bless her with the gift of immortality to help her escape the hard times of life and throw in a few gorgeous werewolves and it was the ideal place. But it was the 21st century and there was no way in hell she was going to start believing that that was even possible. She was far from the naive 15 year old girl that gave her virginity away to Tommy Lee because he was the only boy who told her she was beautiful.
It took her a full three minutes to catch her breath while Justin ate, ignoring her moment of laughter. Chyna looked at Justin for a few seconds and noticed there wasn’t a smile on his face. No humor showed. Did he seriously believe this?
“It’s been suspected that he’s been sent out to gather the Mayor’s daughter who is only 18 and bring her to the leader of this cult. I’m guessing to ya know, ‘change’ her and gain access to the Mayor’s influential power.”
Chyna continued to stare. He couldn’t be serious could he? This sounded like something out of the books she read as a teen; an evil group of vampires trying to take over the world while there was another group of vampires who decided to become a part of civilization and be ignored by human society. God Almighty what was she getting herself into.
Justin continued as if he was talking about a baseball game, “Now at first, I was like you got to be shitting me.


Vampires? (FRAGMENT)


No way in hell. But then I did some research. It turns out there has been a spike in killings in upper Nevada where the victims are found drained of blood with twin holes in their necks. What else could do that?” he asks her, finally looking her way.
Chyna shakes her head, “Have you been listening to yourself Justin? You’re talking about vampires, vampires in the 21st century; the ones that are in romance books to create some sexy sex scenes. Vampires like Dracula who abduct dumb blondes and fall in love only to be killed. And you’re seriously asking me my opinion on this?”
He finished off his eggs before responding, “Yeah, I do. Because I have proof, and I’m not saying I completely believe this shit, but maybe there’s some truth to it. Like some wackos who think they are vampires and are going around doing some strange shit to people. This world is fucked up, and our job should have taught you that by now.”



“Wackos trying to be vampires?” (FRAGMENT)


Chyna asked with a roll of her eyes. She finished off her tea before putting a few bills on her half empty plate, “show me the ‘proof’ before I report you to the office and ask for a new partner.”
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Chyna was hunched over a dozen pictures of various dead bodies; all with twin holes in their necks and the blood drained from their body making them appear ghostly. She held one in her hand, pressed close to her face with her eyes squinted, concentrating on the twin holes in the neck. Surely an animal could do this, Chyna repeated over and over in her head trying to ignore the small feeling of belief trying to spread.
She knew better than to believe vampires existed today. Even though she did vaguely remember in an old history class talk of vampires once walking alongside humans in the 1600s until the hunger became greater than them and the bloodshed began. But that was centuries, ages, and eons ago. Pulling the picture away, Chyna studied the young boy. He couldn’t be more than 23, his body pale and his blue eyes glassed over. His blonde hair


disheveled (DISHEVELLED)


and body twisted in an unnatural position.
“Where did you get these pictures again Justin?”
Glancing up from his own set of pictures he said, “The Nevada police. I called last night while you were in Sleepy land and inquired about Choyce. I asked for the pictures and they arrived this morning.”
“And you didn’t tell me about all this morning why?” she asked, her eyebrow arched.
Justin rolled his neck and looked at her with a ‘really?’ look, “Well for one I wasn’t sure I even believed it at first like I said. So before I put myself out on the line to sound like a nutcase I had to do more research. When the pictures arrived, that was my clue that maybe there’s something to it.”
Chyna massaged her temple with her free hand, “we aren’t even supposed to get involved with the murder part of this case Justin, and it’s not our area.”
“Well what do you wanna do Chyna? Ignore it?”
Chyna glanced back down at the picture, her mind going a mile a minute. This couldn’t be real right? How were they to even kill vampires?


With stakes and holy water? (FRAGMENT)



Vampires didn’t exist except in romance books and scary movies. There was no way in hell there were dead beings roaming the world with humans without them knowing. She shook her head again; she was starting to sound like a loony!
“I can’t believe this Justin. I mean how am I supposed to? Vampires walking the Earth, which goes against every damn


thing(,)


I believe in. Does this mean fairies exist? Or the short orange faced people in Willy Wonka?”
He shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know. All I know is that we have to start somewhere, and maybe I’m just thinking too much into this. But what else do we have to go on about Choyce? Not a damn thing. This is a lead, our only lead.”
Chyna shakes her head again; if she kept this shaking her head up she’d give herself a migraine. “Dammit! What are we suppose to tell Boss man?” She asks referring to Roy.
“What we know, minus the vampire speculation. For now, we just go with the cult and a possible abduction. Roy will think we’ve gone loony and pull us off the case if we mentioned dead creatures roaming the Earth.”
Chyna rolled her eyes, “He made need to.” She admits, finally letting the idea of fighting already dead creatures settle in her mind.
Fuck, she was screwed.
* * *
The day was gone when Chyna began to fill the acute feeling of worry blossom inside her. Rarely had she worried about solving a case before and when she had it usually meant bad news.



And vampires? (FRAGMENT)


This was an entirely new area for her, and in the past few hours she began to actually believe that they were up against the supernatural. She and Justin were up to their necks with research about vampire cults, sightings of vampires, vampire hunters, vampires themselves, anything dealing with vampires, they had uncovered it. Even then Chyna was still a little skeptical, because after all there were people that believed in this stuff and were fully capable of making up stories.
It wasn’t until they were on their way to meet a man who claimed to be a vampire that Chyna began to feel the first tremor of worry. Add to that, said vampire also happened to be hunting down their Ted Choyce, irony or coincidence Chyna wondered. It was a wonder they even came in contact with the guy.
The mystery vampire had instructed for them to meet him at a local alley next to a bar a few miles away from the hotel where they were staying at.
“Think he’s the real deal?” Chyna asked Justin, risking a quick glance his way then back to the road.
In the passenger seat Justin rolled his head to turn and face Chyna, “Who knows, I’m not a vampire expert. But it’s better than nothing I say. I just hope it’s not some trap and he’ll send us to the vampires.”
Chyna bit at her lower lip furiously, trying to focus on her driving and not how to stake her first vampire. “Yeah well, I feel like a sitting duck. If he is the real deal he could kill us both in seconds and we wouldn’t even know until we were on the other side.”
Justin laughed around a yawn, “It’d be something to brag about to the ladies in heaven. Getting killed by a vampire? I’m pretty sure that’s sexy.”
Chyna gagged, “We could be going on a death trip and all you can think about is getting laid. In heaven! I may still ask for a new partner.” She mumbled.
“This is it.” Justin said pointing to the neon lights advertising beer under five dollars for all women. Chyna observed her surroundings before parking the car and turning off the engine. They were engulfed in darkness besides the light coming off the neon sign. Taking in a deep breath Chyna reached for her Glock, checked and rechecked the chamber. Stuffing it in her holster under her leather jacket she stepped out the car