They Call Her Psycho

26. A Vampire at Dawn

"Listen very carefully, these are the rules," Tequila said to Naomi, Harley and Kamryn in the dingey alley at the back of the Golden Skulls' secret club, "We have four hours. Don't tell anyone any personal details. Don't make it obvious you're listening in on conservations, use your wolf hearing. We're all wearing hidden cameras so remember anything you see, hear or say, everyone back at the palace will know. Please don't draw attention to yourselves, our job is to blend in."

"Aye aye Captain," Kamryn joked. Tequila shot her an appreciative look, but Naomi and Harley sighed nervously.

"Well, I think that's everything, so the only thing left to say is good luck!"

She led the girls in through the backdoor and into the locker room where other waitresses were faffing around getting ready for the evening shift.

No one really paid any attention to them as they grabbed some trays and wandered into the main room of the building. It was designed like some sort of old tavern with wood panelling everywhere. There was a large bar with several men in suits crowded around, whilst others lounged in red leather booths around the room. For the most part the room looked like a regular bar, with men drinking and conversing animatedly, if it wasn't for the very obvious presence of weapons. Some of the men had various guns strapped to their thighs or in holsters around their chest whilst others had them lying on the table with their hand lazily resting on them, ready to pounce.

"Well don't just stand there," one of the waitresses shouted at them from across the bar and shoved a full tray of drinks in their direction.

"Don't react, low profile remember?" Harley hissed at Tequila and wandered off into the crowd with the tray.

The others followed suite and put themselves to work. The first hour was pretty uneventful. Men arrived and left, some causing more of a disturbance than others. None of them said anything that was of interest or use to the Seven Serpents. Tequila was not losing hope, if there was one thing that would loosen a man's tongue, no matter how dangerous he was, it was alcohol and pretty girls, and this bar had plenty of both.

It was close to midnight when the more significant figures of the Golden Skulls started turning up. At first it was just a few of the day-to-day team leaders, several of which Tequila had personally come face to face with in some of their gang confrontations, but then, a man she'd never seen before walked in and the room ever so slightly quietened. He received various nods and acknowledgments of respect as he and his entourage of bodyguards walked straight to a table, the occupants of which quickly scurried off to find seats elsewhere. He was a very tall, muscular man with long hair the exact colour of gold that matched his strangely golden eyes, but perhaps that was just a trick of the light. He wore a dark red suit and around his neck he had an obnoxious gold chain with a gold skull embellished with red jewels that hung just on top of his heart. He carried himself with an ethereal aura, as though he'd fallen from the heavens themselves and was a being beyond this earth, not meant for regular human life. She'd never experienced a human that carried such power. He gave the impression that he knew more than he or any other normal person ought to know.

"I know what you're thinking and believe me there's no use trying, he has a husband. At least I think they're married. Hmm now I say that I'm not sure they're married."

Tequila ripped her eyes away from the strange man and turned to the woman rambling in her ear.

"Who is he?" Tequila asked.

The woman looked her up and down curiously, and then waved her away.

"Ah you must be a new one. That my dear is Abaddon Adler, the leader of the Golden Skulls."

The girl spoke about Abaddon like he was a god. She told Tequila about many horrible things that he had done and how he had no value for human life. But while acknowledging the heinous crimes he had committed, she couldn't help but describe his magnetic personality and his rugged handsomeness. Nothing about Abaddon Adler added up.