Vampires by John Steakley Page B

just stared at him like he was from another planet.
    It was getting hotter in a hurry.
    “However you wanna put it, Felix. Fine. That's what we're going to do,” said Cliff, trying to stay calm. “Now the best thing for you to do is just leave and.. . just leave us alone.”
    Felix's voice was ice-crystal clear. “You know I can't do that, Cliff.”
    And then he did a spooky thing. The whole time we'd been drinking that night I'd never noticed his shoulder holster and I'm used to looking for them. But he turned in his chair a certain way and suddenly it was exposed to the room.
    “Let me put this so you can understand it,” he said in a gentle, dead voice. “I'm not going to let this happen. I love you all. Even when I don't like you. But I won't let you kill him. Look, I disagree with those bullshit drug laws as much as anyone alive but I will not let you murder an American cop just for doing his fucking job. Do you understand that? Am I being very clear?”
    He sat back in his chair and looked right at Cliff. “Let him go,” said Felix.
    Cliff exchanged half-glances with the others. Then decided to sit tough. “No,” he said simply.
    Felix sighed. “Then we fight.”
    Long pause. Cliff spoke: “Felix, you can't really mean this. You're not gonna do it-track us down to avenge some pig narc? C'mon!”
    “I'm not going to do that. I'm going to stop you from killing him.”
    Randy, wired up and all but hopping in his chair, said, “How?”
    Felix eyed him. “I'm going to shoot you if you don't let him go.”
    Randy tried a sneer. “When?”
    And Felix said, “Now,” and I thought he was the craziest sonuvabitch I'd ever seen in my life. There were five of them and he just sat there for a second and so did everyone else except Cliff, who stared hard at him and saw he meant it, saw he was serious, saw be was going to start it right there and then against all of them, all of them and more-it didn't mean a shit to Felix. It was really going to happen. Felix was really gonna- And Cliff reached for Randy's automatic on the table in
    front of him.
    Felix shot him through the cheek, rose, shot Randy through his open gaping mouth already covered in his friend's blood, shot the fat one square in the chest and blew him back, shot the one with the beard, who had managed to get his gun out and cock it, through the throat. And the Hispanic, the Cuban, who had risen frozen at the far side of the room, he shot right between the eyes.
    It took three seconds.
    Felix's face was beet red. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He took his nine-millimeter in his left hand and turned to me, roaring, “I told you to leave, you dirty stupid motherfucker!”
    Then with his free right hand he slapped me so hard my chair flew over backward and shattered beneath me. I lay there stunned and gasping for breath. When I looked over, Felix was vomiting onto the floor, still bawling like a baby, sobbing so hard it looked like it hurt.
    After a while he stopped. He stood up, gun still in his hand. He gave me this kinda vacant look, then walked out the door and out of sight. He didn't even bother to untie me.
    I didn't see him again for years. Until...

Vampires
    PART TWO
    Gunman

Vampires
    CHAPTER 9
    “Until when?” Annabelle asked. Cat saw her face. It looked pale.
    “Until. ..” began Jack, suddenly looking past them
    across the room to the bar, “a few minutes ago.”
    Everyone turned to follow his gaze. Davette recognized the young man standing up from his stool at the corner of the bar, had noticed that old WWII leather flying jacket when they had come in.
    But I never would have guessed just by looking at him.
    And then she thought, still watching the man approach
    them; But now that I've been told...
    Yes. Yes, it's him. He's the one who did that.
    Felix stopped beside their booth and stared down at Jack
    Crow. His voice was a harsh bitter crackle.
    “Come to bust me at last, Crow?”
    Jack's smile was grim. “It's worse than that.”