Page 16 of Nexus

“It would save me from having to chase after them,” I said with a smirk. People were certain to ridicule me for wearing such a revealing ensemble, but they could go to hell. Women didn’t need to be stick thin to be sexy. We just needed the confidence to pull off the look we were going for.

True darkness was still half an hour or so away, so we made a meal together and ate it in the dining room. We could see the TV from here and watched the news. Mom always wanted to know what was going on both at home and internationally. I suffered through it without pretending to pay attention to the boring bits.

Cleaning up after our meal, I had enough time to drink another mug of coffee, then a car pulled up outside. “Ruen’s here,” I figured, excited that I would get to see my new home.

“Have fun checking out your new apartment, Lil Bish,” mom said, pulling me in for a quick hug.

“I hope it isn’t going to be a complete hovel,” I joked, then grabbed my kill-bag. I never went anywhere without at least a few weapons. Now that I was officially a bounty hunter, I needed to be ready for a mission at any moment.

Chapter Thirteen

RUEN DIDN’T BOTHER to come to the door. He waited for me in a drab, nondescript black sedan that seemed to suit his personality perfectly. Waving goodbye to my mother, I shut the door and hurried down the path. My new sidekick didn’t seem like the patient type. He might drive off if I took too long.

“Howdy, partner,” I said brightly when I climbed into the passenger seat. He flicked a look at me, then heaved a silent sigh. Instead of taking off like a rocket as I’d expected, he drove away at a sedate speed. “Our ninety-year-old next-door-neighbor drives faster than this,” I complained when he maintained a slow and steady pace.

“Need I remind you that our goal is to remain under the radar?” he said with a sneer and without taking his eyes off the road.

“What sort of name is Ruen, anyway?” I queried. “Did your parents hate you?”

“It’s Ruen, not Ruin,” he said, emphasizing the subtle difference in pronunciation. “My master gave me this name after he turned me.”

He didn’t offer any further details and he didn’t seem in the mood for chitchat. I turned the radio on, switched it to a pop station, then began singing along with the song that was playing. Ruen hunched his shoulders and did his best to pretend I wasn’t sitting beside him.

It took half an hour to reach my new apartment building driving at his glacial pace. He pulled into a parking lot of a four-story brick building with two identical ones on either side. They were old, the fire escapes were decrepit and the bricks looked cheap and nasty. My excitement at having my own place waned now that I was facing reality.

“It looks better on the inside than it does on the outside,” Ruen said, picking up on my unhappiness. “All of the apartments are in good condition. The exterior hasn’t been updated or repaired to make it less appealing for humans who are seeking accommodation.”

We climbed out of his car, then he led the way in through the back door. A short hallway led us past stairs leading up to the apartments and down to the basement. I could hear a washing machine spinning downstairs and figured we had in-house laundry facilities.

The elevator was in the tiny foyer at the front of the building. We rode it up to the fourth floor before getting out. My senses had picked up on several beings during the journey upwards. Most of my neighbors were out. None of the people who were home felt particularly dangerous. The distinct smell of old pee told me werecats had once lived on this floor. Cats had a habit of marking their territory.

“Your apartment is at the end of the hall,” Ruen informed me and handed over a couple of keys. I picked up my pace, eager to see the place. The vampire leaned against the wall while I unlocked the door. “I’ll wait for you here,” he said. “I doubt your tour will take very long.”

I saw what he meant when I pushed the door open. My apartment was just one big room, with a combined toilet and bathroom over to the right. The closet was pathetically small and wouldn’t contain all of my clothing. I’d have to get a chest of drawers to store my excess gear in. The kitchenette next to the bathroom was adequate for my needs, since I was far from a gourmet cook. Knowing me, I’d mostly live on microwave meals. As for the bathroom, it was dated, but serviceable. Too small to have a tub, the shower was just big enough for me to turn around in without bumping my elbows on the walls.

All of the furniture had been removed and the place was empty. Only the appliances remained. “I’m going to have to furnish the place,” I mused, turning in a circle and imagining what would go where. The floor was bare wood and I would need to get a couple of rugs.

“Are you done?” Ruen asked.

“I’m done,” I confirmed, stepping back into the hall and locking the heavy metal door. I was impressed with how sturdy it was. It even had a metal bar that could be drawn across it for added security, just in case the enemies I was bound to make ever came after me. “Where are we going now?” I queried as we headed for the elevator. “Do we have a job lined up?”

“I’m taking you to see the fence your colleagues sell their coins and other valuable items to,” he said.

“And after that? Will we be hunting someone down and bringing them to justice?”

He cut a look at me before returning his attention to the road. “Lord Gilden wants you to settle into your new home first. We’ll be given tasks that are appropriate for your level of skills as they come up.”

I scowled that the human hunters would no doubt be getting more missions than me, at least until I’d proven myself. I could outhunt them both with my hands tied behind my back. Subsiding into sullen silence, I crossed my arms and slouched down in my seat.

Glad to have peace and quiet for a change, my partner slowly made his way to a seedier area of Nexus. He found a parking spot on the street across from the store we’d come to visit. I climbed out and smirked at the title. “Pierre’s Paraphernalia? That’s a fancy name for a pawn shop.”

“Pierre thinks very highly of himself,” Ruen said as he opened his door. “Most shifters do,” he added dourly. Obviously, there was no love lost between the pair.

The lights were on and a sign proclaimed the store was open twenty-four-seven. Ruen entered and I followed on his heels. The smell of dust, stale food and rodent hit me when I stepped inside. Everywhere I turned, I saw shelves and racks full of junk. There was everything from furniture, lamps, vintage clothing, toys, jewelry and hundreds of other items.

A wereweasel was lying on the counter at the back of the room. His body was long and slinky and his fur was slightly matted. He grinned at us, then the shifter transformed into his human guise. “Long time no see, Ruen,” he said in greeting, unbothered that his junk was on display. And I wasn’t talking about his wares.

“Ugh, put some pants on, will you, Pierre?” the vamp said in disgust.