Chapter 12: Homewrecker 2
Marcus stood behind the now-headless vampire, his expensive jacket splattered with blood and chunks of brain matter. Those pale eyes fixed on Kaine with the kind of mechanical attention that suggested he was waiting for his next set of instructions.
Richard screamed and stumbled backward, his fancy shoes slipping on the wet asphalt. He went down hard, landing on his ass next to a dumpster. "What the fuck? What the actual fuck is happening?"
Kaine sighed and sheathed his scythe. The weight of it settling against his back was oddly comforting after the brief violence. "Time for some Q&A, Richard. And I’d suggest sticking to the truth, because my friend here doesn’t like liars."
Marcus tilted his head at Richard with the kind of empty curiosity a cat might show a wounded mouse. Blood was still dripping from his claws onto the alley floor.
Richard scrambled backward until his shoulders hit the SUV’s bumper, eyes wide enough to show white all around the pupils. "I don’t know what you want from me! I was just trying to get away from Victoria! She’s been acting completely insane ever since I brought up divorce!"
"Define insane," Kaine said, pulling out a cigarette. He didn’t need it anymore, but the ritual was psychologically comforting—something normal in a world that had stopped making sense eighteen months ago and even worse, the last few days.
"Paranoid as hell, suspicious of everything I do. Keeps asking weird questions about my schedule, my friends, where I go during the day." Richard gestured helplessly at the headless corpse. "She accuses me of having affairs, but then gets pissed off when I try to prove I’m not cheating. I met Sarah at a bar three nights ago. She said she could help me figure out what Victoria was really up to."
’Classic honeytrap setup, but for what purpose?’ Kaine reasoned.
Kaine studied Richard with senses that picked up more than human eyes could see. The man’s body temperature was elevated, but that could be fear and adrenaline. Pupils dilated, but again—terror was a reasonable explanation. No obvious signs of vampire influence or supernatural corruption.
"Richard, has your wife been hanging around with anyone unusual lately? New friends, business associates, people who only show up after dark?"
"How the hell should I know? She won’t tell me anything!" Richard wiped his face with hands that wouldn’t stop shaking. "Every time I ask questions, she starts screaming about how I’m spying on her. Look, I just want out of this marriage, okay? Victoria can have half of everything. I don’t care anymore. I just want to be somewhere safe."