Read Online Six Times Deadly: A Lawson Vampire Story Collection (The Lawson Vampire Series) by Jon F. Merz - Free Book Online
Authors: Jon F. Merz
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blood was overpowering, and in spite of the fact that I don't like drinking it, my mouth watered.
The Silencer's voice was close to my ear. "If we stay here much longer, I'm liable to get hungry."
We walked outside against the surging tide of people trying to get into the emergency ward. The sky overhead was gray and damp. The initial quake had stopped, but I could feel deeper rumblings in the earth.
"Aftershocks," I said quietly.
The Silencer nodded. "Probably a lot of them."
I glanced at her. "That thing you did back there."
"Saving the girl?"
I shook my head. "With your voice."
She turned away. "What about it, Fixer?"
"That's kiaijutsu."
She smiled. "So, you're not as ignorant as you appear."
"I appear ignorant?"
"Maybe not." She looked back at me. "You asked me what I was doing here in Japan. Would you believe that I'm not here to kill anyone?"
"Maybe." I paused. "It's been a pretty strange day so far, after all."
"It's going to get worse," said the Silencer. "An earthquake like this will trigger a tsunami."
"How do you know?"
She frowned. "I just know."
I looked back toward the JR Sendai Station. "I'm told we have a lot of our kind living in Sendai."
"Do we?"
I nodded. "Chances are a lot of them are going to need help."
She eyed me. "Are you suggesting something?"
"I might be. Let's call it an extension of the truce. We stay here and help out as best we can. Once we make sure our people are safe, then we can give each other twelve hours to disappear. I'm sure you have pressing business elsewhere."
"As do you."
"As do I." I smirked. "We can continue our game another time."
"And what makes you think I'd give a damn about our people? Why would I help them?"
"Because you just helped save the life of a child you don't even know. That tells me you're not as evil as you might like everyone to think."
She laughed. "I'd be careful about that theory, Lawson. You don't know me nearly well enough to go around making those types of assumptions."
"Fair enough. But I still think you care more about your people than you're letting on."
"If I do, you can bet that I won't let you know about it." She sighed. "But I like your idea. And I'll grant that this might not be the best time to conclude our inevitable battle."
"There's enough destruction around here already," I said. "And if you're right about that tsunami-"
"I am."
"Then things are only going to get worse. Our fight isn't theirs. So let's do what we can to help them."
"Where do you suggest we start?"
"I was told there's an apartment building that houses a large community. We might as well head there and see how they're doing."
"And just what are we supposed to be? The local vampire aid team? A Fixer and the world's preeminent assassin?"
"I see modesty isn't one of your strengths."
She leaned closer to me. "I could reduce you to a quivering blob of jelly just using my voice. You wonder why I'm not carrying a gun? It's because I don't need a gun any longer, Lawson. I've evolved beyond that."
I frowned. How the hell did she know that I'd wondered that? Could she read minds, too?
"All right, we'll go with preeminent assassin if that makes you feel better." More sirens started going off around us. "We'd better get going."
And even as we started down the street, the ground beneath us shook again. I had no idea if we'd be able to do any good for the people of Sendai. But I knew that we had to try. No matter how small our efforts might seem, together the Silencer and I could do more.
I just hoped that when people outside Japan saw the incredible devastation, they'd help out, too. After all, if a Fixer and his enemy could put aside their differences long enough to save even one little girl, then working together the world could do so much more.
As for the Silencer, for the moment, we were good. I didn't
The Silencer's voice was close to my ear. "If we stay here much longer, I'm liable to get hungry."
We walked outside against the surging tide of people trying to get into the emergency ward. The sky overhead was gray and damp. The initial quake had stopped, but I could feel deeper rumblings in the earth.
"Aftershocks," I said quietly.
The Silencer nodded. "Probably a lot of them."
I glanced at her. "That thing you did back there."
"Saving the girl?"
I shook my head. "With your voice."
She turned away. "What about it, Fixer?"
"That's kiaijutsu."
She smiled. "So, you're not as ignorant as you appear."
"I appear ignorant?"
"Maybe not." She looked back at me. "You asked me what I was doing here in Japan. Would you believe that I'm not here to kill anyone?"
"Maybe." I paused. "It's been a pretty strange day so far, after all."
"It's going to get worse," said the Silencer. "An earthquake like this will trigger a tsunami."
"How do you know?"
She frowned. "I just know."
I looked back toward the JR Sendai Station. "I'm told we have a lot of our kind living in Sendai."
"Do we?"
I nodded. "Chances are a lot of them are going to need help."
She eyed me. "Are you suggesting something?"
"I might be. Let's call it an extension of the truce. We stay here and help out as best we can. Once we make sure our people are safe, then we can give each other twelve hours to disappear. I'm sure you have pressing business elsewhere."
"As do you."
"As do I." I smirked. "We can continue our game another time."
"And what makes you think I'd give a damn about our people? Why would I help them?"
"Because you just helped save the life of a child you don't even know. That tells me you're not as evil as you might like everyone to think."
She laughed. "I'd be careful about that theory, Lawson. You don't know me nearly well enough to go around making those types of assumptions."
"Fair enough. But I still think you care more about your people than you're letting on."
"If I do, you can bet that I won't let you know about it." She sighed. "But I like your idea. And I'll grant that this might not be the best time to conclude our inevitable battle."
"There's enough destruction around here already," I said. "And if you're right about that tsunami-"
"I am."
"Then things are only going to get worse. Our fight isn't theirs. So let's do what we can to help them."
"Where do you suggest we start?"
"I was told there's an apartment building that houses a large community. We might as well head there and see how they're doing."
"And just what are we supposed to be? The local vampire aid team? A Fixer and the world's preeminent assassin?"
"I see modesty isn't one of your strengths."
She leaned closer to me. "I could reduce you to a quivering blob of jelly just using my voice. You wonder why I'm not carrying a gun? It's because I don't need a gun any longer, Lawson. I've evolved beyond that."
I frowned. How the hell did she know that I'd wondered that? Could she read minds, too?
"All right, we'll go with preeminent assassin if that makes you feel better." More sirens started going off around us. "We'd better get going."
And even as we started down the street, the ground beneath us shook again. I had no idea if we'd be able to do any good for the people of Sendai. But I knew that we had to try. No matter how small our efforts might seem, together the Silencer and I could do more.
I just hoped that when people outside Japan saw the incredible devastation, they'd help out, too. After all, if a Fixer and his enemy could put aside their differences long enough to save even one little girl, then working together the world could do so much more.
As for the Silencer, for the moment, we were good. I didn't
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