Stalked By The Game

Chapter 8 - A Spy Revealed

::ARI::

My phone beeped and I jumped for it.

Uugghh. Just the standard, daily check in message. I quickly typed in my own and sent it off. I was beginning to wonder if maybe I'd been wrong. Maybe they weren't going to send spies in and just whatever hitman they chose to do the dirty work.

It had been two weeks and so far, not a peep. The only contact I'd had with anyone was these brief messages between myself and Antonio, as well as a couple of calls. Shit. I couldn't take much more of this. I felt like a caged tiger, stuck in these four walls with the exception of the odd times I wandered around, hoping to draw out the vampire. Either, that little bit of doubt telling me they were just going to swoop in for the kill was right, or they had sent a spy who was more experienced than I expected. If that was the case, I could seriously be in trouble. Possibly, maybe but damn, I hoped not.

I wandered outside, hanging my arms over the railing and gazing out at my surroundings. This place was a dump, even by my standards and sometimes, they were pretty low. There was no hot water and late at night, the pipes rattled as if there were rats running up and down them. The cops had put in an appearance a couple of nights ago after the assholes next door had shot at each other. Guns and domestics didn't mix and with a drunk and his porn star girlfriend on the other side, don't even get me started. Hey, I'm up for a good time as much as the next gal but yes, there is too much of a good thing as far as I was concerned.

Below, I heard someone start up a fight. Great, I thought rolling my eyes because it had only been an hour since there had been one. It was times like these I wished I was a damn smoker. Something to keep my time occupied but wasn't exactly a good thing health wise. How could you run away from a vamp if you were coughing up your lungs the entire time? Answer, you couldn't.

I checked my watch. Four in the morning. Was still another couple of hours of night sky to go. That was the one thing I always found stupid about vampires. The majority of them stuck to the stereotype that they could only move around under darkness. Made my job easier a lot of the time. The smart thing to do would be for them to operate like a human, wander around during the day. Honestly, if we were attacked then, it would have more impact but no. They would rather be idiots. Making sure I had my phone ear piece and locking the door behind me, I wandered off in search of coffee. It hadn't taken me long to realise the twenty four hour diner a few blocks down was my friend. I just about bloody lived there. So much that the head waitress, Shirley and I were on a first name basis.

The wind nipped at my skin as I walked down the street. Fuck. I hated winter. Why couldn't I pick a place to hunt that was warm all year round? I hadn't gone very far when my phone vibrated. Placing my hand inside my pocket, I flicked it on but I didn't speak. If someone was watching, I didn't want them to know I had someone on the line.

'In the shadows, behind you. Take a left, circle back via the alley. Watch your back, babe.'

Antonio.

Finally. Our mystery guest was making their prescence known. As if I had intended to head that way, I hung a left. The alley joined a back lane that ran along behind all the businesses in the street. Damn, it stank to high hell but what could I do? At least there didn't seem to be anybody curled up back here, trying to hide from the weather. The worst part of these things was when innocent people got caught up in the fight.

Keeping my head up and my eyes focused ahead, I waited for whoever it was to make their move.

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::ANTONIO::

'I can't believe you've tapped that,' Paul sighed.

I'd just hung up, warning Ari that she was being followed. I slapped him up the side of the head, reaching into my jacket for my gun. What an ass. I'd had two weeks of comments like that. The boy needed to get himself laid and leave my business alone. That was the only problem with female hunters. Sure, there were more than a few of them but most of them were more like Hannah. Not many were of the breed Ari was and that combination of power, danger and killer instinct was like a drug. I guess it was that typical male instinct thing.