"Yeah," Thompson said. "Ol' Don here picked me up in his car."
I was staring at the finger. I couldn't seem to not look at it. I raised my eyes to Donald the vampire. "So, you both know where they are," I said.
Donald's eyes went wide. He whispered, "I didn't know."
Asher moved forward and laid hands on Thompson's shoulders.
Thompson wasn't worried. "If anything happens to us, they'll do worse to both of them. Richard's mom is a real attractive woman. Be a shame to change that."
Donald said, "I am sorry about what they did, but my orders are the same. You must leave our territory tonight."
"Use the kitchen phone. Tell them we give. Tell them don't hurt them, and we're out of here."
Thompson smirked. "No, no phone calls. They're giving us two hours. Then, if we're not back, they'll start cutting things off that will affect a lot more than her typing."
I nodded and pulled the Browning. I pointed it and shot it in one motion. I didn't even remember aiming. The vampire's head exploded in a cloud of blood and brains. The body rocked back and fell, taking the chair with it.
Asher held Thompson in his seat. Some of the blood had splattered Thompson's face. A glob of something thicker than blood was trailing down his forehead. He was trying to bat at the piece of flesh, but Asher held him.
I took the gun out from under his arm and pointed the Browning at his forehead.
Thompson stopped fighting and glared up at me. I had to give him credit. Covered in blood and brains, held down by a vampire, staring at the barrel of a gun, and he was putting on a brave show. "Kill me, it won't get you anything but them cut to pieces."
"Tell me where they are, Thompson, and I'll go get them."
"Fuck you! You're going to kill me, anyway."
"I give you my word that if you tell us where they are, and we get them out alive, you get to live."
"I don't believe you, bitch."
"Problem with being a traitorous, untrustworthy, wretch, Thompson, is you begin to believe everyone else is the same way." I put the safety on the Browning and reholstered it. He watched me do it, puzzled. "I keep my word, Thompson. Do you want to live or not?"
"Niley and Linus Beck are a hell of a lot scarier than you will ever be, chickie."
He'd called me bitch and chickie. He was either stupid, or ... "You're trying to get me to kill you."
"If I talk, my life is over. And Niley won't just shoot me." Thompson stared up at me, and there was a knowledge in his eyes that he was already dead. It was only a matter of how and who. And he preferred me, now, to Niley, later.
"He doesn't fear death," Asher said softly.
I shook my head. "No, he doesn't."
"We could call the cops," Jason offered.
"If he's not scared of you guys, he won't be scared of the state cops." I stood staring down at Thompson. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Thompson, but I'll tell you what I won't do. I won't sit here for two hours and watch the time tick away. I won't let Daniel and Charlotte die."
"Then leave town," Thompson said.
"I've met Niley, Thompson. Do you really expect me to believe that he's going to let them go?"
"He said he would."
"You believe him?" I asked.
Thompson just looked at me.
"I didn't think so."