Free Raw Deal (Bite Back) by Mark Henwick Page A

don’t know what she’s really like.”
    “Hmm. You mean she put on a front for me? Well, people who put on a convincing front usually have a couple more in reserve. Are you sure you’ve seen her as she really is?”
    “Yeah. When she takes you on, she helps you out finding places to stay and getting bank accounts set up, small loans, that sort of thing. And she makes sure we all feel safe. She has those big guys keeping control in case things get out of hand. Kinda have to, I suppose, in a club like ours.”
    I leaned forward. “Okay, she’s probably not as bad as she tries to make out. But she’s not good either. And she’s miscalculated this time. It’s dangerous at the moment. The scars on your neck say it’s dangerous. Being scared to walk to your apartment from the parking lot says it’s dangerous.”
    She was scared all right. It barely needed me to push and she was ready to head back to North Platte.
    “I’ll have to explain to her first,” she said.
    “Fine. Call in. Explain. Don’t tell her where you’re going. And don’t let her swing some guilt trip on you.” I sipped my coffee and went on casually. “Want to tell me about it?”
    “I don’t…” she stuttered to a halt.
    “Valerie, I went through that club tonight and I saw a bunch of people play acting who don’t begin to suspect the truth, even in their worst nightmares. I saw a boss who’s scared and does suspect the truth. But there were two people there who know the truth and they’re both sitting on this sofa.”
    She nodded jerkily. I could feel the caution that was holding her back dissolve. I leaned forward. If the vampires were that good at staying below the radar, this might be the only chance that came my way. I needed her to give me a good lead.
    “They met you at the club?” I prompted.
    She took a sip of her coffee and settled back on the sofa, still hugging the cushion to her.
    “They came in a couple of times as guests. They aren’t members.”
    “Describe them for me.”
    “Three of them. All in their twenties or thirties. Rodrigo and Antonio, I reckon come from Mexico. They’re built like boxers, not heavyweight, more kinda middleweight, but no scars or busted noses or anything. Rodrigo has a mustache. They both have black hair and dark eyes. The other guy is tall, over six feet. Don’t know where he comes from. He’s blond, gray eyes, skinny but strong. They call him Raul, but he’s not from the same place as them. They’re all fit, like they work out.”
    “They speak English to each other?”
    “Sometimes. Other times, a language I never heard before.”
    “The club let them in, so I guess they were behaving reasonably?”
    She nodded.
    That made them very different than the ones I’d met.
    “Surnames? Addresses?”
    She shook her head. Her hand was rubbing her throat and she was staring blankly at the floor.
    “So what happened?”
    She thought about it. “The first time is kinda blurry, like I was drunk or something.” Her lips thinned and she looked over at me. “I don’t drink.”
    “Little recreational smoking?”
    She nodded. “Some. Not that night, and it’s the wrong sort of feel.” She shifted her weight. “Not, y’know, like I was flying. I can’t really describe it in words. I think of it like painting. Look, dope is watercolors on soft paper, okay?” I nodded encouragement. “Sex is poster paint. Now imagine you smear that sideways, and you can only just make out what it was before. That’s what it feels like in my head.”
    The cat moved, as if he sensed my disquiet. I stroked him gently.
    “Sex?” I asked. There had been people screwing in the club. I tried to keep my question casual. “Did you have sex with any of them?”
    “No. It kinda felt like it though.” She huffed. “I’m not into guys, but if sex with them was as good as that, I sure as hell would be.”
    “This was where in the club?”
    “They were upstairs in the sofa section. It was early, so the