Mixed Worlds

Chapter Eighteen - Katie And Matt

            We sit in silence for about fifteen minutes, long past the forest with the speed I’m going. Lucas looks over at me, and then down at the case. 

            “Open it.” I say through gritted teeth. He opens the case. “Did you know about this?” I ask as he stares blankly at the vials of dark fluid before him.

            “No.” His knuckles turn white as his hands grip the now closed case.

            “You swear? On your parents?” He looks over at me.

            “Yes. Where are we going?” He scoffs at the case and sets it on the backseat.

            “I don’t know yet.” I say honestly. “All I know is that I was to get away from the bunker. Away from Jack.”

            “Okay.” Lucas replies. “Why don’t we stop and get a drink somewhere? Take the next left and down the road on the right there’s a run-down bar.” Lucas leans forward and points the directions, knowing I’m not really paying attention to what he’s saying.

            “Yeah, I could use a drink.” I stare blankly at the road until we reach our destination, and pull into a parking spot. I take out my braid, shake my hair and grab a black hat from the backseat.  “Who knows, maybe I’ll get to punch someone today.” We get out of the truck, and walk up to the bar. “Here,” I toss my keys to Lucas. “I’m telling you now I wont be driving home. Three drinks max for you.” Lucas agrees, and shoves the keys into his pocket.  

            We walk into the bar, and Lucas was right when he said it was run down. Old wooden walls, a classic western swinging door that leads to the kitchen, a huge wrap around bar and a vast amount of different types of posters and pictures. The bar is decently full for a Thursday evening, with about fifty or sixty people sitting around. There’s a stage off to the side, but no one is playing. Classic rock is presently playing over the speakers, and everyone is lost in their conversations.

            We sit down at the counter, and Lucas orders two beers, and two shots of whiskey. I take a shot, chug the beer, and take the second shot right after. I notice a few heads turn in my direction, and see that I’m already bringing attention to myself with my hefty appetite for alcohol. “I’d tell you to slow down, but I know that it won’t help anything.” Lucas says.

            “Nope.” I say as I order two more shots, and a rye and coke. The bartender looks at me, and he gives me a confused look. 

            “Rough day?” He asks as he sets down another round of drinks for me.

            “Honey, you have no idea.” I take a shot. “Keep it coming please. One and one.” I point to a shot glass and my mixed drink, and he nods in response. I see him give Lucas a concerned look, and Lucas nods his head in reassurance. I look over my shoulder and notice an open pool table. I take the next shot, and finish my drink. I make eye contact with the bartender, and point at my drinks. “And another beer for him please!” I stand up and grab Lucas by the arm. “Come on, I want to play pool.” I lose my balance a bit, and feel the alcohol slowly starting to kick in. 

            I steady myself against Lucas, and waltz right over to the pool table. As we reach it, another pair reach it at the same time.  Two men, one is roughly six feet tall, with sandy blonde hair, tanned skin and his arm muscles are tight against the sleeves of his shirt. The other is around six-foot-four, and has jet black hair. He has a fit, muscular build, and wavy hair that hangs just above his ears. His entrapping crystal blue eyes lock with mine, and he gives a slight smile. 

            “Wanna play for it?” The dark-haired man asks. My spine shivers. One or both of these men isn’t human. I look over at Lucas, and raise an eyebrow. 

            “Uh, yeah sure. No problem. Winner takes the table.” He says.

            “And loser buys a round of drinks.” I say with a smirk. 

            “Whatever the lady wants. My name is Alex, and this is Noah.” The dark-haired man says. He points to his friend, and Noah waves shyly.

            “I’m Katie, and this is my brother Matt.” I look to Lucas, and shrug. “I’ve got some change in the truck. Matt, could you come with me? I don’t know where it is and I don’t want to touch the keys.” I give him a stare, and thank the Gods he got my signal. “We’ll be right back, boys. Don’t run off now.” I give a wink.

            “What the hell is going on with you?” Lucas asks when we reach the truck. I pull him around to the passenger side farthest from the door, and lower my voice.

            “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but one of them isn’t human. I got a chill up my spine as soon as I looked at Alex. I hope I’m wrong, but unfortunately I never am. I want to take a vial of blood in with us and slip it into their drinks when we get the chance. If they react, then it’s vampire. If they don’t, it’s something else entirely. I don’t even think I have vervain in here. I just cleaned the truck out… fuck.” I sway a bit and lean against the truck.

            “Okay, well you’re  getting a bit tipsy, so I’m going to tell the bartender to make your drinks virgin, and only bring out the drink. That way if the guys order a round of shots, it won’t be so bad for you. Grab the change and lets get back in there. And Ally, take it easy, okay?” I nod my head in response as Lucas helps me steady myself. He links our arms and walks us back inside. 

            We walk inside and see that the table is all set up and ready to go. “Hey sorry guys, I usually pay with debit so I forgot what compartment my wallet was in. Thanks for setting up the table.” I walk over past Alex, and grab a cue off the wall. I turn around and see that Lucas is at the bar getting another ‘drink’ for me.  He comes back, hands me my drink, and grabs a cue for himself.

            “Hey, no worries. You can take the break if you’d like.” Alex says and he lightly sets his hand on my back. A shiver runs down my spine and I give him a smile. If I wasn’t under the impression that this guy wasn’t human, I’m pretty sure I’d be drooling all over him. The man is his sexy as hell and his voice? Damn. I feel a tingle in between my legs, and I swear I heard him take a sniff.

            “Thanks.” I say in a high pitched voice. I clear my throat and walk over to the front of the table, and take my shot. A hard break lands me two stripes in the corner, and a solid in the side. All three men and a few bystanders stare at me in shock. “I guess we’re stripes?” I look at Lucas and wave my arm in front of the table. “Your shot, brother.”

            A few rounds back and forth and Lucas and I win the game. Alex holds a sheepish smile, and reaches for a handshake. I give him a light one, as I don’t want to show much strength. Again, my body reacts so strangely to him and my whole body betrays me and shivers at his touch.

            “Well, I guess that means we buy a round. What are you drinkin’ sweets?” Alex says. 

            “Actually, I think I’ll buy this round.” Lucas says. “My sister has had a hard day, and you guys were nice enough to offer her some fun. I’ll grab a couple of beers.” Lucas gives us all a thumbs up, and turns towards the bar. Alex gives him a wave, and Noah walks over to us as we sit down at the table. I make sure I sit facing the bar, so the boys are facing me and not paying too much attention to Lucas. 

            “So, your brother says you had a rough day. Did you want to talk about it?” Alex asks. He leans forward and sets a hand on mine. I swear if he keeps touching me, I’m going to throw everything out of the window and take him right here in front of everyone. “I know I’m a stranger, but sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone you don’t know very well.” He gives me a kind smile, but his eyes are filled with lust. I usually don’t tolerate this kind of thing, but if I’m going to find out why I’m feeling a supernatural presence, I need to play along.

            I take a deep breath, and it doesn’t take much to force a sad look. “I actually lost my job today. I worked in an office, and the company was doing cutbacks so I got let go. I’m staying with my brother after I sell the house until I find something new.” I look up into Alex’s eyes. I see out of the corner of my eye that Noah is playing on his phone, and that Lucas is on his way back to the table. I pull my hand back and reach for my drink. “Hey Matt. Thanks for the drink. I was just telling Alex and Noah about how I lost my job today.” He nods. 

            “Yeah, really nice of you to let her stay with you until she gets back on her feet.” Alex grabs his beer from Lucas. He takes the second one and passes it to Noah. He smiles and takes the beer.

            “So does that mean I’ll see you around more?” Alex asks.

            “Who knows, you’ll have to wait and see.” I laugh. “Enough mopey talk. Cheers! Here’s to new beginnings, and new friends!” I raise my glass and we all clink together, and all take a drink. As I was hoping, Alex chokes a little. He hides it well, but I know the blood isn’t sitting right. I can smell vampire in the air now, and I know I’ve got him caught. Noah seems fine, so I wonder if he’s actually human, and just doesn’t know. “So, what brings you two to Kansas?”

            “We actually just met not too long ago. Noah’s from Indiana, and I came from Brooklynn about two weeks ago. Came here for work.” Bingo. The country’s largest Vampire nest is in Brooklyn.

            We all drink and talk a bit more, but I notice that Alex hasn’t touched his beer.  “Hey, do either of you smoke? I kinda want a smoke right now.” Alex raises an eyebrow, and grabs a pack out from his jacket.

            “Yeah I do actually. I only smoke once in a while when I drink.” He stands up, and crooks an arm for me to hold on our way out. I look back at Lucas, and give him a wink.  Alex and I walk outside to my truck, and I pull the tailgate down for us to sit on. He offers his hand to help me up, but I giggle in protest and jump up. I notice that the parking lot is next to empty. A couple staff, and a few customers inside. I’m parked at the far side, so hopefully no one notices if things get too loud. Alex hands me a smoke, and I hold it up to my mouth. He lights it for me, and I take a big puff. I cough a bit, as I’m not a smoker. I actually hate it.

            “My bad. I also only smoke when I drink, and that’s not very often.” We both laugh. He lights a smoke of his own, and we look up at the sky. “It’s beautiful out tonight.”I say.

            “Yes you are.” Alex whispers into my ear. I look at him in the eyes, and although I wish I was pretending, his words caused me to blush. 

            “Oh, uh… thank you…” I say quietly. I see Lucas walk out the front doors, and he gives me a nod. I toss my smoke, and pull myself up on top of Alex. I hate that I have to act like this, but it’s the only way to get him distracted. I place my hands on either side of his face, and kiss him hard. His cool skin shocks me a bit. I feel his hands caress my hips, and he grabs my ass. My heart begins to race as sparks fly across my skin, and the next thing I know I’m grinding against him. Reality jumps in and right as I pull away, Lucas plunges his blade into Alex’s shoulder. With a hiss and a flash of his claws, I jump right off. I grab a steel pipe from the bed of my truck, and smash his head with it. He’s stunned, but not totally knocked out. “I knew there was a reason I left this in here.” I look at Lucas. “Did you pay the bill?”

            “Yep, I paid and Noah slipped into the bathroom. I went to check on him and he was throwing up in the toilet. Came out right after that.” He says and he quickly grabs rope from the tool box on the side of my truck. He binds Alex’s hands and legs, and we climb in the truck.

            “Good. Start the truck.” I look at a struggling Alex, and I almost feel sorry for him. I punch him hard in the temple, causing him to pass out. I fold the tonneau cover down with him inside, and I hop in the front seat. “Hurry.” I say with a worried tone. Something doesn’t feel right, and I hope that for the first time, I’m wrong. I unlock my phone, and text Anna. 

            ‘Hey, something came up and I don’t know if I’ll be able to pick you up when you land. Check in somewhere, and call me when you’re there. I’ll send someone to get you if I can’t get you myself. I’m okay, just handling a situation. I’ll talk to you soon. -Al’

            “We should call Jack.” Lucas says. I nod. He uses the OnStar in my truck to call Jack. No answer. He pulls out his phone, and tries again. On the third ring, he answers. 

            “Did you just call me from Ally’s truck?”

            “Yeah. Hey listen, I’m on my way back and I need you to get some vervain and meet me in the garage in ten minutes. Can you handle that?” Lucas asks, annoyed.

            “Yeah I can do that. What’s going on? Is she with you? Is she okay?” He sounds concerned, and I almost feel bad. Almost.

            I grab Lucas’ phone out of his hand and answer him angrily. “Yes Jackass, I’m here. Just meet us in the damn garage.” Click.

            “That was kinda harsh?” He looks over at me, and then checks the rear view mirror to make sure the cover is still closed.

            “Yes, Lucas, yes it was. You try losing your virginity to the only person you’ve ever had a thought of loving, and hours after you wake up from losing your virginity, find out that he’s been injecting demon blood!” I yell in frustration. “I have every right to be harsh. Yes, I know he was worried but that does NOT excuse what he did. He lied to me, Luke. That f*****g hurts when it comes from someone you care about.” I bawl up my fists in anger.

            “I know. I know you do. Just remember who he is, okay? He was trying to help out the best ways he could.” I spin my head and furrow my brow. “Trust me, I’m still pissed that the dumbass thought that that was the only option. I’ll be talking to him about it too, don’t you worry. But right now that can’t be our focus. Right now, you need to tell me why we didn’t kill the son of a b***h that’s in the back of your truck.” He nods to the back referring to Alex.

            “I thinks he’s tied to Christian.”