Dom checked the time on his watch once the two guys got back to the house: 2:15. He made a note of it and then compared it to the two other times he’d already noted down under the heading ‘ARRIVE’: 2:17 pm, 2:19 pm. He flipped back a page on his notepad and compared them against the three other times he’d already jotted down under the heading ‘LEAVE’: 1:30 pm, 1:29 pm, 1:29 pm.
He rubbed his stubbled chin and looked back at the two fangheads. He watched them take their usual seats in the two deckchairs they’d set up on the overgrown grass of the front yard. The guy on the right placed a pair of shades on his nose and then crossed his arms over his chest. Soon after, he joined his buddy in staring cagily out onto the empty, rundown street.
So, according to the info Dom had gathered on these two, they usually left their posts at some time around 1:30 pm for approximately twenty-five minutes. Most probably to go get a Big Mac or something. All that watching the street must make you hungry. And Dom knew all about that. He’d been scoping this place for three days now and their hunger pains were his. The info from Vincent’s contact, Max, led him here: a derelict house on a rundown street over on the West Side. Levin Street. Number 1428. A far cry from Beauchamp’s plush mansion on the outskirts of town. There was an abandoned garage across and a little to the left from 1428 where Dom had parked while he scoped the place out. From there, he could comfortably see them, and was pretty sure they couldn’t see him. He was taking his time, getting their routine down. He didn’t want to rush in and get his head blown off, he wanted to know exactly who was gonna be in there and at what times.
All the while that weird tingling sensation was firing up and down his spine. That nag for the venom. Somehow, his senses knew a vamp was nearby, and he was getting the tingles. It was annoying, like a nagging kid brother. There was only so long he could stand it, and as a result, he couldn’t scope things for long periods. That didn’t matter; he’d have to strike during the day when the bastard slept, so there was no need to scope the place after sunset. He sighed, watching the two bodyguards in their deckchairs. What he’d realized over the last few days was that they didn’t move. At all. They sat there and watched until their break time came along. Dom never saw anyone else come during daylight hours and never saw anyone else leave. He was around ninety percent sure that the house contained only a sleeping vamp and nothing more in the daytime. It meant that he had to strike during that 25-minute window they’d give him once they left.
Get in, kill the vamp, and get out before those two fangheads came back for their afternoon shift.
Think you can handle that, buddy?
He puffed his cheeks. He was pretty satisfied that he had the routine of the two goons locked down. Three days scoping should be plenty enough. And he couldn’t waste more time in case Beauchamp got cagey and hired some other desperado to get the hit done for him. After all, that eviction notice was looming like the Grim Reaper.
Dom nodded his head. He’d staked this joint out long enough; he was confident he had a good handle on their routine. So, now it just came down to doing the deed... He huffed, the thought causing nerves to swell in his stomach. But, the counter thought of being thrown out of his apartment was enough to get him geed up for the job. Tomorrow’s job. Yeah, it had to be done tomorrow. To delay it any longer would just cause more doubt in his mind.
He tapped his steering wheel in a frantic rhythm and checked the roads. The plan was to park up where he currently was wait for them to go away, then make his move. Most of the houses were boarded-up anyway, only a few here and there were still habituated, and the street was clear most of the time apart from the odd straggler. He was pretty sure he could get in and out unheard and unseen. It just came down to how good he was at vampire slaying...
The fanghead on the left yawned and stretched his arms out high above his head. Dom got the distinct impression that these two weren’t a hundred percent switched on with what they were supposed to be doing. He guessed the last thing they’d be expecting was a crazy ass guy on a revenge mission to come and murder their venom dealer. But, that’s exactly what’s gonna go down, boys, so get ready...
Dom started up the car and pulled out onto the road. He shot past the boarded-up house he was targeting, taking a final look at the two bodyguards on the way. They still sat there like a couple of lazy dogs, watching the world go by. Soon they were out of his sight, but he promised them he’d be back.
And they wouldn’t know what hit them.