“Actually, I thank Sarah for saving my life that night. Don’t you see, Thierry? She made a mistake when she picked you, she just won’t admit it yet. If you are really all that concerned with her well-being, then I suggest you step aside and let a real man take care of her.”
“Excuse me,” I said, feeling that I had to nip this in the bud before things got out of hand. “I appreciate your concern, really, but I choose what’s best for me. And frankly, right now I’m thinking it might be
Lenny. He has that big knife, you know.”
Quinn looked at me and shook his head. “You never answered me before. Just what do you see in him?
I don’t get it.”
“In Lenny?” My eyes flicked to Thierry for a moment.
He didn’t smile. “No, in ‘suicide watch’ over there.”
“I told you, we’re both heavily into reality TV.” I tried to smile, but found that my lips shook too much to pull it off believably.
Quinn scowled. “You need to stop being so stupid, Sarah, and open your eyes. Why can’t you just admit that you made an idiotic mistake?”
He turned away only to realize that Thierry was now standing directly next to him.
“You can say what you like about me,” Thierry said, his voice still steady and cool, but his expression betraying his anger. “But don’t insult Sarah. Not in front of me. I won’t allow it.”
“I didn’t insult her. I’m trying to make her see facts.”
“You cannot make someone see facts by shoving them in her face.”
Quinn grinned. “She didn’t mind a minute ago when I was in her face, did she? Oh, and by the way,not the first time we’ve kissed.”
Thierry glanced at me.
I bit my lip. “It was a long time ago.”
“Look, asshole,” Quinn grabbed Thierry’s attention again. “Much as I’m enjoying this heart to heart,
I’ve got places I need to be.”
“Really? I was under the impression you were staying at a seedy motel, wasting your time as you figured out how to spend the rest of your worthless life.”
Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “I think you should give Sarah a little time to think things through. She’s got a lot on her plate right now. You know, being a target? Which, in case you’re not aware of it, is all your fault,
you selfish bastard.”
“You are trying my patience, hunter.”
He laughed. “Am I? Am I carving into that oh-so-cool exterior of yours? Don’t you see, Thierry? It’s only a matter of time until she takes off her rose-colored glasses and realizes what a bloodthirsty monster you really are underneath the surface.” He took a step closer to Thierry so they were chest to chest.
“Now get the hell out of my way.”
Thierry didn’t budge. “Or what?”
Quinn smiled. “Get out of my way or I’llmake you get out of my way.”
I moved closer to them. “Come on, guys. Break it up. There’s really no need for this.”
“Sarah, stay back,” Thierry advised.
Quinn shoved Thierry back a few feet. “Get out of my way.”
Thierry cocked his head to one side. “No.”
Quinn cracked his knuckles. “Oh, I haveso been waiting for this.”
“As have I.”
Quinn’s fist connected with Thierry’s jaw, snapping his head back. Thierry reached up and touched the corner of his mouth, then looked at the blood on his fingertips, before his gaze locked with Quinn’s again.
“Do that again.”
“With pleasure.”
Quinn hit the other side of his jaw.
“Quinn, stop it!” I shouted.
I had to put a stop to this. Quinn was looking for any excuse to wipe the floor with Thierry. I didn’t want anybody to get hurt.
“You know,” Quinn said. “I find that since becoming a vampire, my strength has definitely increased. So you better watch yourself if you don’t want to get seriously injured.”
“I have been a vampire for much, much longer than you, hunter.” Thierry licked his lips. “My injuries heal remarkably fast now.”
“Fascinating.” Quinn’s fist came in for a third strike. Thierry caught it in midair, just before it made contact again.
“And after so many years—” Thierry grabbed Quinn’s T-shirt “—can you imagine how strong I am?”
With a flick, he launched Quinn across the club to crash into a table, breaking it on contact.
My eyes widened. This was all happening too fast. Too fast. What was I supposed to do?
Frozen in place, I glanced at Thierry, but he didn’t look at me. His attention was focused on the ex-hunter, who slowly got to his feet with a furious expression on his face and rushed the older vamp.
Thierry let Quinn punch him in the stomach, but he didn’t make any sound, his face didn’t reflect any pain. But when Thierry’s fist connected with Quinn’s left cheekbone, the blow was enough to knock him back and across the bar top and into the lined-up bottles of liquor, which shattered and flew in all directions. When Quinn emerged from behind the bar, he looked mad enough to spit.
Or kill.
He grabbed a chair from off the top of a nearby table and broke it over his knee, producing a crude, but sharp wooden stake.
“I think the world would be better off without you in it.” Quinn’s words were slightly slurred.