Blue Flames

Chapter 1

I hated bars.

Cigarette smoke, alcohol and a crowd of rowdy men wasn't an ideal way to spend my Saturday nights. But I had to suck it up this time because Kenji asked me to cover up for him. And since Kenji was one of my friends- well, my only friend, actually,- I had to accept. That's what friends are for. I guess.

I also needed the money. And when you're a headhunter, you better take whatever crumb comes your way if you want to pay the bills.

I took another sip of my coke, which had long since gone warm, and leaned back in my seat to get a better look at my target. The wiry blonde male in his early twenties was sitting alone at the bar. He glanced around him nervously, holding the bag across his chest like a mother holding her newborn baby.

The item in that bag was worth more than his life. Quite literally. In the mission's details Kenji had sent me, it was specified that the stolen item took priority over the thief's life.

I had tracked him to this small town, thinking that maybe he was just here to take a break from traveling across the country, but apparently, he was waiting for someone. And if that someone was here to purchase the item, it was bad. Really bad. I didn't want to take him into custody right in the middle of the bar. Drunk men had a penchant for getting involved in other people's business. Especially if one of the parties involved looked like easy prey. Considering I was a young woman on the small side, I definitely fit into that category. It wouldn't matter that I was dressed in black cargo pants and a dark jacket that concealed more weapons than what was normal for a bar patron.

I abandoned my drink and walked over to the bar, pulling my hood further down my face. I was halfway there when a drunk woman stumbled from a chair and landed in my way. The man she was sitting with hurried to help her up. Not breaking my stride, I sidestepped the woman and her partner, and continued my path toward the target.

Vampire.

I paused, turning to where my senses caught a vampiric presence. Right there. Standing at the door of the bar, a man who looked to be in his early thirties, with a tumble of black curls that grazed his shoulders and a neat black beard.

Normally, I wouldn't have blinked twice at seeing a vampire. But I haven't met any immortals since coming to this small town in the middle of nowhere. It was expected, since vampires liked living in heavily populated cities where they could find plenty of willing blood to feed from.

This led me to believe that the presence of this vampire was not a coincidence. So when the vampire zeroed in on my target and stalked towards him, I wasn't particularly surprised.

Of course.

I had thought this mission was too easy. So naturally, the universe obliged my sense of adventure by throwing a vampire in the mix. And not just a young, harmless vampire. Oh, no. Judging by the way he held his body and his combat leather attire, he was most likely a fighter.

He was also pretty old. And with immortals, age generally equaled power.

Blending with the mass of people, I watched as the vampire approached my target. The blood sucker whispered something in the man's ear, closing his hand over his nape.

The two males were soon heading casually out of the bar, my target's body as tense as a board. I waited for a beat, then followed after them.

The fresh air outside was heavenly after being enclosed in that bar for two long hours. I blinked to get used to the darkness. The night was still young, but the streets were deserted as expected in such a small town, and only a handful of lampposts were working.