Whoever said that Ice Thitiwat Isinthon, couldn't achieve the impossible probably never took thirty shots. There was no real reason he was at Game's bar other than to have a few drinks and listen to Game go on about some vampire who'd completely blown him off. Ice didn't have many friends. Apart from his brother, Game pretty much was it. He blamed the fact that he was a workaholic and he didn't have much time for a social life.
He waved for Game to get him another drink as the depression slowly started to sink.
"Planning on getting drunk tonight?" He wished it was that easy.
He liked the burn the alcohol gave him when it trailed down his throat, but as far as getting drunk, Game knew that was nearly impossible. Except for the few seconds after the thirtieth shot when he felt light headed, but disappeared the minute his body caught up to the liquor.
"We have some new talent if you want to take the time and forget whatever it is that's bothering you. I'm sure you'll find one that's to your liking." Game was human. Sometimes Ice forgot that little fact, because Game tended to act more supernatural than normal.
The bar, Game classified it as a classy strip joint. Vampires danced their asses away, stripping at the next human who'd supply their next warm bed.
Ice laughed into his next shot.
He never thought he'd see a world where the Vampires needed to rely on humans. Whatever happened to being the ultimate predators?
Ice finished off his shot and decided against another and turned in his seat. He usually wasn't the kind to make eyes at the stage. When it came to stopping by at Game's, it was simply sitting at the bar, having a few drinks and leaving without once looking at the stage.
This is interesting. He thought taking in the man swaying his hips and thrusting the air. He wasn't sure if his hair had been naturally white or dyed to keep up pretenses. Maybe it was a wig, as Ice took a deeper look and saw a piece of black hair sticking out. He had muscles galore that shined under the light, but they weren't as nearly defined as Ice's. As he moved, Ice could see the seductive looks he'd been giving.
He wondered if Game knew the kid was human. His friend had made it known he had a no human policy when it came to his employees. Sometimes he was too pro vampire that Ice wondered if he even cared for the human population at all.
There was a moment between spinning and bringing his attention back to the crowd that Ice saw the man give a slight hand signal to a table. It wasn't a normal seductive move that should have came with trying to earn a buck. It reminded Ice of when he trained the men to speak without using words.
Sometimes a mission involved dangerous creatures that even the slightest noise would trigger an attack. If you couldn't communicate in such a manner it could result in injury or even death. Even if they sustained immortality, they could not heal if they wore torn to pieces. So in turn, Ice taught them what his parents had to him and his brother.
Another signal went across. 'I'm going in'.
Ice surveyed the place. He hadn't realized when he first walked in that it was more crowded than usual. Something was definitely about to go down.
Saengtai looked over his shoulder to see his partner Boss enjoy his third beer in the last hour. Being inconspicuous did not add up to letting loose.
"We're hear to work not to get wasted." Tai spoke into his glass filled with water.
"We're supposed to be patrons at a bar, yet you haven't touched your glass once and only look at the stage when Win turns to you." Boss answered back through their earpiece.
"If we don't get him tonight, we won't get another chance."
Tai couldn't count how many hours he put in trying to stop the bastard. He'd lost plenty of sleep and his latest girlfriend packed her shit and walked out on him. Some people would say there was something wrong with him. Despite being together for five years, he didn't shed a tear and didn't beg her to stay. Boss joked that Tai looked like he was ready to help her pack. Sometimes he thought his heart was just as cold as Minute Samuels' was.
Thai-Canadian, he made his debut in Thailand ten years ago. First it was small petty crimes, shoplifting and breaking and entering of some high class families. Slowly it started to increase. When the file hit Tai's desk, Minute had gone from Mafia boss to big time sindicate. He never got his hands dirty and had several men to do away with anyone who crossed him.
But being one of Thailands most dangerous people, wasn;t the reason why he made it from Homicide to Tai's division.
When Vampires died, usually no one batted an eyelash, it had to do with the fact that Vampires weren't easily killed. If they did die, people mainly assumed it was some war within the species and humans stayed out of it. Even before the creation of the Subspecies Division Tai would almost lose his badge going after anyone who committed a crime against Vampires.
His coworkes often said he looked like a dead man. Nothing behind his eyes when he went after his target. Often he felt that way, the rage becoming so strong he felt he left his body and something else took over.
"Hey Tai. Tai!" He heard Boss calling him. "I think we've been made."
Minute had been more focused on Win sitting on his lap then what his man was whispering into his ear. If only Tai could dance, he wouldn't have subjected the kid to the groping. Win struggled to get up, looked at Tai when his waist was grabbed and a gun was jammed to his back.
"Officer Atcharaporn, can you hear me?" Tai went to stand up. "I have several armed men with guns pointed at you."
"What do you want?" Tai answered back, removing the hand he had automatically placed on his pistol.
"Why don't you leave your gun on the table and come officially introduce yourself. And if any of your men even think of making a move your friend here will get a bullet."
Tai knew what a stupid decision it was, but for the sake of not wanting to lose another friend and colleague, Tai unhooked his gun and set it on the seat beside him. There were rare moments where Tai lost his nerve. This normally wouldn't be one of them, but something in his gut told him that Minute wasn't the big hand at play. It wasn't something he could easily shake off when he walked up to Minute and stared at dead brown eyes.
"It's good to finally meet you, Tai. I heard you've been looking for me. Tell your men to leave. I'd like for our conversation to be more private." Tai's clenched fist hung at his side. He tried everything in him to keep from punching the smirk off of Minutes face.
Tai hadn't always had muscles. Back at his academy days he was a little runt who could barely pull off ten pushups. When it came to sparing, he was the first one to find his ass on the mat. It hadn't been until he actually got out on the field that he started to take his stature seriously. He'd always needed back up to arrest someone and could barely hold down a perp to cuff him. He learned from then to focus on his strengths which were martial arts and less on brute force. Over time he gained the bit of muscle he had.
Tai kept one eye on the gun at Win's back and another counted how many guys he needed to take out. One was behind Minute, crossing his arms in front of him. There were two sitting at one of the tables waiting for commands. Tai checked his sides and wondered how long it would take to disarm the ones there and knock them out. At the bar he could see Boss, clenching his jaw and waiting for an order from him.
"Tell them or this little cutie gets a bullet to the spine. It'll be hard to dance if he's paralyzed." He squeezed Win's cheeks and planted a wet kiss that had both of them grimacing.
"You heard him guys, clear out. That's an order!" He added the last part mainly for Boss because he knew he'd be the one to argue. When they were all out of the bar, Tai returned his gaze to Minute, his thick eyebrows came together and gave his cold black eyes a more menacing demeanor.
"Aren't you going to greet me properly? You're parents must have taught you some manners. Oops." Minute covered his mouth with his free hand as though he had overstepped and said something he shouldn't have.
"Greet me." He repeated.
Greeting him would be a sign of respect and Tai had little for this man. With his palms together and a gun aimed at his temple, Tai bowed his head slightly and apologized to whoever would get hurt in the crossfires for what he was about to do next.
He spinned, making sure his elbow colided with the mans head, grabbed a hold of his arm and snatched his gun. The first bullet went into his shoulder. Clean through, lodging itself into the wall behind him. Tai brought his knee to the mans gut. His colleagues had often complained about having to babysit someone at the hospital waiting for them to recover from one of his kicks.
His ears perked up hearing the man behind him attempting to squeeze his guns trigger. He stared at the man through his loose black hair and swore. The dye was starting to run out and he could see part of the white of his natural color. He laughed at himself because only he would come up with a thought like this during the worse possible time.
Another spin to land down on one knee, gun outstretched in front of him. The second bullet went into the second mans knee. Tai was being calculative. He'd had to remind himself that these were humans and a fatal shot would be just that. And he believed they shouldn't get off so easily, so he aimed for spots where there'd be damage, but not permanent.
Tai wasn't sure which occurred first, the man appearing beside him when he stood or the bullet he was reaching out to catch. Out of all the days, Tai was not sure what was going through his mind. It could take the minute he was staring at this man to get a bullet to the back. He had to focus.. He wasn't the kind to be mesmerized by first encounters, but it was rare for Vampires not to have blue eyes. They were the kind of species that you could spot in a crowd of a thousand. Tall, big in stature and blue eyes that looked like the flame of a stove.
It took the sound of another shot to snap Tai back. Simultaneously, as though both hatched from the same pod, found their targets. The man threw the bullet with a force strong enough to penetrate one of the men in the arm. Tai, always favoring leg shots made it so the man at the table couldn't stand. The Vampire caught the other bullet aiming for Tai's head.
By his left ear, Tai could hear the squeezing of a trigger and turned to clip Minute on the head with his Glock before he could shoot Win at point blank. Minute released him to grab at the cut on his temple. Tai kept his gun fixated on him. Every bone in his body told him to pull the trigger. To indefinitely rid the streets of Minute Samuels. People had told him he was creating big enemies for the police force by targetting Minute. So if he killed him that threat would disapear.
He took a second to ease his breathing and mind before talking.
"Minute Samuels, you're under arrest for the murder of Kim Sirilongkarn."
Minute laughed. He'd reminded Tai of most humans. Vampires used to be a superior species, when no one knew that they were humans before they turned. A little internet search and you can find out someones history and lineage.
Minute stood and Tai's gun mimicked his movements. Minute straightened his suit and wiped off what little blood dripped down the side of his face.
"That animal deserved to die. In fact I think the best option for us would be to eradicate that entire species." He said the last part staring past Tai at the man behind him. "They should be stopped before they turn. It would give us humans a little more chance at suirvival."
Minute took in a heavy breath and sighed.
"But I'm not admitting that I was the one who did it." Tai clenched his gun at the cocky response.
"You may not have killed him yourself, but I'm sure once we run bullistics on this," Tai opened the Vampires hand to reveal the perfect bullet, "it will tell us that gun was used in the shooting. You see Humans so close to turning aquire some traits of their Vampire heritage. Strength and speed being the most common. I doubt one of your men would have been able to subdue Kim on their own and one bullet, whether on a deadly spot would not have done the job as their healing abilities are beginning to take affect. Several bullets on the other hand, in the heart and the brain would have killed him."
Tai had to take a minute. That scene had left an imprint in his mind that he'd see the seventeen year old in his dreams.
"We also have recordings of you extacting orders to kill the kid." The bar was flooded with cops.
Boss came up to Tai. "You okay?"
"Who told you to kill Kim?" Tai ignored Boss and turned all his attentions to Minute. They'd found several recordings at Minutes office. The one Tai was most interested in was the one where he spoke to himself. People say talking to yourself is normal and that you should worry when you start answering your own questions. But Tai learned from personal experiences recently that sometimes you have unwanted voices in your head.
Minute simply gave a smirk and didn't resist while Boss cuffed him.
There was a throat clearing behind Tai and he remembered the man standing there. He showed Tai the bullet in his hands. Tai grabbed a napkin from the table and wrapped the bullet before placing it into the pocket of his jeans.
"Thank you. I may not be standing here if it wasn't for you, but I think it might be smart to not get involved in police matters. Some of them will be quick to pin things on you. Innocent or not."
"I didn't think the police would care what happened to our kind. It's sad to think there's no real justice in this society." Most police turned a blind eye when violence was between humans and Vampires.
"Within time things will improve that's why we're here."
"And you are...?"
Tai laughed out of embarrassment. Introducing himself probably should have been the first thing he did to the man who helped him.
"Saengtai Atcharaporn, I'm Tai to everyone." Tai held out his hand for the man to take.
Two words were all that Tai was left with. "I'm Ice."