Nox

Negotiating with Lives

With the vampire gone I looked at the girl strung up on the door and smiled. “I’ll be with you in a moment.” I looked at Walker and he grinned. “You okay?”

“It’s just a little bite.” Walker said softly. His voice strained from the blood loss. “Come on. I’ll help you walk.” I wrapped my arm around his waist and he put his arm around my shoulders. I released the girl but her arms were tied and running was not a possibility. “Try to run and I’ll make this worse.” I said and pulled a sharp barb of air around the girl.

“Wicked. Send the authorities this way to collect the computers, see what else she’s been up to.”

Sage chuckled. “You have ten to get out of there before they are busting down the walls to the hacker who was hacking the Stock Exchange. What are you going to do about the clean up on this one?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I’ll leave that to legal.”

“Her name is Trix, she’s a good hacker. Don’t let them kill her Nox. Having a pet hacker like me would be wonderful for you.” He laughed, “Not that I mind helping you or anything, but one so totally indebted to you for saving their lives would do anything for you, like Ant, and Dom. Not to mention she’s a dragon.”

I nodded. “We’ll see. Thanks man. I appreciate your help. Send me the bill and I’ll make sure it’s wired to the right account.”

“Anytime Nox. How’s the new place?” He asked concerned.

I sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’ve got other things on my mind so I’m good.”

“Did you find Alex?”

“No. He’s not returning my messages or my calls.” I said flatly. “I’m getting a little worried, his fake friend was looking for him too.”

Sage sighed. “You want me to look for him?”

I shook my head. “Yes.” I said in a quiet whisper knowing my words didn’t match my actions. But Sage didn’t know that.

“I’m on it. Take care Nox. I got this.” The air went dead and music started playing in my ear from the headset.

“That was fun. Nox, why am I not dead?” Walker asked.

“You aren’t going to die.” I said.

“I heard you could do that, but no one ever believes the rumors about you.”

“Most do, just not the good ones.” I grinned at him.

“That’s true.” He said.

“Let’s get you to the infirmary though to make sure nothing else is wrong.”

Walker nodded. And I turned my attention to the girl behind us as we stepped out into the busy streets of New York City. She started to scream. Walker laughed. “I assume you have an extra sound veil around us.”

I nodded. “Yeah.” I looked back at the girl who was screaming but no one saw or heard her. “You can scream all you like, or you can tell me where your boss is.”

“My boss.”

“Yeah who’s leading you in the fight against the humans.”

She snickered. “Why The Dragon of course. Are you stupid?”

I sighed. “It’s your whole faction?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes. “We do what The Dragon says, or we die.”

“He threatened you?”

“No there was a chained vampire that kept me locked in my basement for the good will of my heart and The Dragon’s.”

“Help me, and I can help you.”

She looked at me, “Like how, help me? I don’t care if I die, I’m dead anyway now, if the Dragon catches me I’m dead.”

“So talk to me, and I’ll take The Dragon down. And then you’d be free of him.”

“And then I’d have to deal with the Venatori as my handlers.”

I shook my head, “No, I’ll set you up with The Night Life building. I can have Chevalier look after you and you’ll be safe.”

“Why?”

“Why, what?” I asked.

“Why would you help me?”

I shrugged. “Everyone deserves a second chance. You fail me though and I’ll kill you myself next time.”

We walked and Trix looked like she was considering it. Maybe a pet hacker wasn’t so bad an idea after all.

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