Dead Perfect

“Come on.” Taking her by the hand, he led her to the entrance of the Diamondback Casino.

It, too, was crowded with people. Ronan spoke to someone at the desk, who gave him a room key and asked how long they would be staying.

“I’m not sure,” Ronan replied with a shrug. “A day or two, perhaps a week or two.”

“Very well, sir,” the clerk said. “Enjoy your stay.”

With a nod, Ronan tucked the key into his pocket. “So,” he said, “what’s your pleasure?”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever been to Vegas before?”

“No.”

He grunted softly. “Well, there are all kinds of games of chance. Poker, blackjack, dice, Keno, the slots, video poker, the wheel of fortune, you name it, they’ve got it. Come on.”

Taking her by the hand, he led her down a short flight of stairs onto the casino floor. More lights. More people. More noise. Bells and whistles rang out, mingling with the sound of laughter and excited voices.

“It’s just like the movieOcean’s Eleven ,” she murmured.

Ronan laughed. “Come on, love, let’s try our hand at the slots to begin with.”

He exchanged a fifty dollar bill for fifty dollars’ worth of quarters and led her to a row of slot machines located along the back wall. They found two unoccupied machines that were side by side and sat down.

Shannah dropped four quarters into the slot and pulled the handle, squealed in delight when she hit a jackpot.

That fast, she was hooked.

Ronan fed quarters into his own machine, but it was Shannah who held his attention. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glowed with the same excitement whether she won two dollars or twenty.

An hour later, she had won over three hundred dollars and she was ready to try her hand at something else.

Ronan glanced at his watch. “Let’s hit the blackjack table,” he suggested. “My friend deals at one of them.”

Shannah cashed her winnings in, then followed Ronan toward the blackjack table where Ronan’s friend worked. Three men and an elderly woman were seated at the table.

Ronan sat down and Shannah stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Ronan,” the dealer said. “Long time no see.”

“Pete. How’s it going?”

The man’s teeth flashed in a bright smile. “Same as always.”

Ronan placed a five dollar bill on the table in front of him.

Pete dealt a round of cards to the players, face down, and then dealt a card to himself, also face down.

Ronan lifted a corner of his card and Shannah saw that he had a ten of hearts.

She watched as the dealer dealt another round of cards. Ronan’s second card was the ace of spades. Two of the other men at the table won, the other man and the elderly woman lost.

It was a fast game. Ronan played several hands and won most of them.

“I’ve got a break coming up in a few minutes,” Pete said, shuffling the deck. “You gonna be around?”

Ronan nodded. Collecting his winnings, he put the chips in his pants’ pocket. “We’ll wait for you in the coffee shop.”

“Right.”

Shannah ordered a cup of coffee and a slice of lemon meringue pie. Ronan also ordered a cup of coffee.

“For appearance’s sake,” he explained when she looked at him curiously.

Pete arrived a few minutes later. He slid into the booth beside Ronan. “So,” he said, “who’s this pretty lady?”

“Pete, this is Shannah Davis. Shannah, this is Pete Sandoval.”

“Pleased to meet you,” she murmured automatically. She tried not to stare at him. Though she knew he was a vampire, he looked perfectly normal. But then, so did Ronan.

Grinning, Pete leaned forward and whispered, “Wanna see my fangs?”

Shannah’s cheeks grew hot. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.”

“I wanted Shannah to meet a few of us,” Ronan said.

Pete sat back, one arm stretched across the top of the booth. “Any particular reason?”

“I’m trying to convince her to become one of us.”

“No sh…I mean, is that right?”

Ronan nodded.

“So,” Sandoval said, looking at Shannah, “what’s holding you back?”

“Several things,” she replied.

“Well, it is a big decision,” Sandoval remarked. “Most of the vampires I know were brought across against their will.”

“Were you?”

“Oh, yeah.” He shrugged. “I’m not sorry now, but it was a big adjustment in the beginning.” He laughed softly. “My folks had given me to the church. I was supposed to become a priest. One night and one bite put an end to all that.”

“I’m so sorry,” Shannah murmured.

“Hey, it was a long time ago. So, Ronan, my man, how long will you be here?”

“We haven’t decided yet.”

“Well, I’ll probably see you again before you leave. I’ve got to get back.” Sandoval smiled at Shannah. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you.”

Shannah watched Sandoval leave the coffee shop before asking, “How long has he been a vampire?”

“About six hundred years, I think.”

“And I thought you were old,” Shannah muttered dryly.

Ronan laughed. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Where are we going now?”

“To get a cab. There’s a club a few miles from here.”

“What kind of club?”

“A vampire club.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “You have your own club?”

“Come and see.”

The Sarcophagus—she thought it was a horrid name—was located on a dimly lit street in an older part of the city. Graffiti adorned the walls of the building. There were iron bars on the windows and the door. Were the bars to keep mortals out, she wondered morbidly, or to keep them from leaving if they accidentally strayed inside?

A man wearing black slacks, a black T-shirt and a long black cape lined in red satin answered Ronan’s knock. “Is she expecting you?” the man asked.

“No,” Ronan said, “but she’ll be glad to see me.”

“Wait here.”

The door closed in their faces. Moments later, it opened again.

“Come in,” the man said. “She’s waiting for you in her private booth.”