Chapter 26: The Mirage, Part 3

After he ran the card and I signed the paperwork, the car was mine. When he ran the card, it went through with no problem.

"Here you are, Miss," Cheap Suit said, handing me the keys to my new car. "And if there is anything else we can do for you ..."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, taking the keys and slipping them into my pocket. "Just don't be so quick to judge a book by its cover next time, bud." The man nodded sheepishly, realizing again the sale his assumption almost cost him. "Also, we're going out for a bit. I'm leaving the car here and we'll pick it up later. Okay?"

"No problem, Miss." He was very accommodating now. "It will be here for you when you're ready."

I nodded, and then Rick, Annie, and I climbed back into Rick's SUV.

"Can you believe that guy?" I asked rhetorically, out of Cheap Suit's earshot, as we headed back to New York City.

"Hey," Annie said from the back seat. "Take it as a compliment! You look like a teenager! Enjoy it!"

"Yeah, a two-hundred-and-thirty-year-old teenager," I said under my breath.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Rick said, as we neared Broadway. "Let's get some work done. Keep a look out."

So we all started looking for The Mirage, the new vamp club where the rogue vamp I killed in the bathroom at school said to bring Zac. Shivers ran down my spine just thinking of it.

"So, who am I going in as?" I asked Rick, looking for the club.

"Who do you want to go in as?" Rick countered.

I smiled broadly. "Arnold!"

Rick laughed. He could just imagine us going into a vamp club with me looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not a way to keep a low profile. Too bad I didn't have his body print. I got close once, but not close enough to touch him. But that's another story.

He shook his head. "You can go in as yourself, if you want."

"Go in as someone sexy!" Annie chimed in excitedly.

"Okay, Annie,' I said, exasperated. "Now you're officially weird."

"I'm just saying ..." Annie replied, feigning innocence.

The Mirage was on the right side of the street. We had to drive slowly as we passed, as there were many humans waiting to go in, all being turned away. They only let the vamps in, saying it was an "exclusive" club. Well, in New York the only thing you had to do to ensure a long line out the door is to call it exclusive, then the humans were clamoring to get in. Believe me, this is one club the humans shouldn't want any part of.

"Pull around the back," I told Rick. All of us were on alert. Whoever it was that wanted Zac was dangerous, even for us. Rick turned down a dark alley, leading to the back of the club. Usually, a human would never want to be alone in the shadows anywhere in New York at night. But we weren't human.

Rick slowly pulled into the dark and dingy parking lot in the back of the club, only lit by the reflection of the bright green neon lights reflecting off the sign that simply stated The Mirage. A digital image of blood dripping down the sign over the lettering was an indicator to other vamps that it was a vamp club. In New York, if a sign had blood on it, even a drop, it was a signal to other vamps that they were welcome. Occasionally, a human would show up in a dumpster near a vamp club, but that was very rare, and true of all clubs. But, for the most part, vamps today were smart, staying away from the humans, not inviting them in. No killing was allowed in these clubs, but that wasn't saying anything for outside. But vamps today-the smart ones, anyway-were careful not to attract the attention of the humans.

Annie and I got out of the SUV, followed by Rick. There were a few vamp punks near the back of the club smoking a joint, when Rick approached them, offering a hundred bucks to each to watch his Mercedes. There were four of them. Obviously, Rick didn't want to have his Mercedes stripped or defiled in any way before we came out.

"Sure, man," the head vamp replied, his mouth watering. "Whatever you say!"

"Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once," Rick said, his eyes flaring. He was another vamp you didn't want to anger. "I can trust you, right? Because if I come out here and find one scratch on it or if I find out you've been out joy riding, I'll burn you myself ... alive. Got it?"

The vamp's eyes grew wide as Rick's flared. "Yeah, man," the punk vamp said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Whatever you say, man."

Rick nodded as we walked away, leaving the punk leader reeling from the experience, but two of his buddies weren't as smart. "Hey, ladies," one of them leered. "Wanna party?"

Annie and I stopped dead in our tracks and glared at the punks, but before we could say or do, anything, Rick stepped in. "The ladies are with me. Back off, bud, if you know what's good for you." Then Rick's eyes flared again.

"No problem, man." They immediately held their hands up in surrender, backing up. "We don't want any trouble, guy," one of them replied.

"Then watch the car and there'll be no trouble," Rick grinned. "Okay, pumpkin?"

Annie and I suppressed a grin. With that, we walked around the corner, past the crowd of humans waiting outside, to a burly doorman with short cropped blonde hair, cut into a High and Tight military cut. He wore a muscle shirt that showed every ripple over every muscle in his arms. In fact, his muscles had muscles. He also wore tight black leather pants and boots. Perfect.

"Wait just a second, Miss," Burly said in a rich baritone voice. I was impressed. He could do voiceovers if he wasn't wasting his time in New York working as a bouncer. He should be an action hero. But, then again, this might be his day job, so to speak. "You can't go in without an ID," he said, clearly a vamp.