Page 44 of The Neighborhood Vampire

“And if he doesn’t?” Alice’s reflection asked.

“Then we control the sweater,” Hugo’s reflection stated.

“What does that even mean?” Alice’s reflection asked.

“With my left hand, I grab his shirt, pull on it, and force him closer to me. Just like in a hockey fight,” Hugo replied.

“He’ll be off balance,” his reflection added. “Then we strike.”

Hugo made the motion with the mini wooden hockey stick. “Poof, cloud of dust.”

“Well, that’s one,” Alice’s reflection said. “What about his wife, who you mostly likely sent into a frenzied rage?”

“I’m not going to lie, it’s a fifty-fifty shot,” Hugo said.

“You expect me to agree to those odds?” she asked.

“No. No, I don’t,” Hugo said. “I need him.” He pointed to his reflection, who was lost in deep thought.

Hugo’s reflection rubbed his chin and scratched his beard. He focused on the tile floor below him, working out the situation in his head.

“The only advantage we have is the table will be between us and her. It will give us time to react. She’ll probably leap across it in the heat of the moment,” Hugo’s reflection stated.

“If she leaps across it, I could grab her and force her down. Then stab from behind,” Hugo said.

“What if she doesn’t?” Alice’s reflection asked.

“Then it’s a hockey fight. I can grab her clothing and yank and pull her in a direction where I can get in a good strike at her heart,” Hugo replied.

“And if she gets you first? There’s no skating away to stick taps after it’s over,” Alice’s reflection said.

“So . . . you do know hockey lingo,” Hugo’s reflection said.

She smacked him across the chest. “I’ve been to hockey games with you, you doofus. Of course, I’ve picked up a few things.”

“You know, this could be my last night,” his reflectionstated.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his torso. They pressed against each other, holding each other tightly.

Alice’s reflection met her gaze to his. She batted her eyes a few times. Her eyes hid a sense of sadness masquerading as lust.

“I know,” she said. She lowered her head.

He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head to stare into her emerald green eyes once more. “I was thinking?—”

“What?” Alice’s reflection asked as her puppy dog eyes met his icy blues.

He let go of her chin and slipped his hand around her back. His finger tips grazed the curves of her body before they settled onto her spine. Alice’s reflection closed her eyes and bit her lip. Her body shivered slightly as his finger tips traced an invisible line down to the small of her back. She let out a small, audible moan. He continued further, his fingers now tracing the curve of her ass.

“What were you thinking?” Alice’s reflection whispered into his ear. “Could it be what I’m thinking?”

“Are you two seriously flirting right now?” Hugo asked.

Alice’s reflection glared at him. “Shut up. Don’t ruin this for me.” She turned her attention back to Hugo’s reflection.

Hugo’s reflection grabbed a handful of her ass and pulled her closer. “I might not be coming back. Maybe, one last time, we could play hockey player and figure skater. You know, as a last request.”

She buried her head into his chest. “I hate how much I love you right now,” Alice’s reflection said in muffled tones.

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