Page 150 of Even Vampires Bleed
It’s been two days since Dad left.
One night away is usual with him. It happens often.
But never two nights in a row.
He always comes back to us.
He might be awful with our money, or the decisions that pertain to spending it, but he loves us. That’s not like him to disappear for so long without telling us beforehand.
The girls are worried. And obviously I’m worried, too.
I’m also mad.
It seems to be a recurring feeling lately.
I’m tired, I’m mad, and I just want to finally do something for myself.
But it’s obviously not happening today.
Because today I have a dad to find, and an ass to kick—namely his.
That’s how I end up in one of those illegal gambling dens that he loves so much.
And another.
And a third.
When I finally visited the fifth—and last that I know of—I still didn’t see him anywhere.
Where the fuck did he decide to go?
I know I’m okay to take care of the girls—I do that often—but it’s not a reason to completely disappear and leave us to our own devices.
I sit next to the bar to take a break.
I shouldn’t be here, but it’s early in the evening and there aren’t a lot of patrons right now, so it’s not like I’m bothering anyone.
“A beer, please,” I ask the bartender.
I really need something stronger, but if I have to keep digging and find what new hellhole my dad discovered, I can’t do that with a fuzzy brain.
A beer will have to do.
The bartender holds a hand out with a money scanner inside, asking for payment in advance.
I have to remember where I am.
Patrons come here to bet or to play money games. I can understand why the guy would want me to pay before delivering anything in front of me.
I turn a setting on my holo. It scans my eye, and then I turn it to the bartender’s still waiting hand.
There’s a “bip” and the man just walks away without saying a single word.
He comes back with a glass and bottle that he opens in front of me.
I take a big gulp directly from the bottle, discarding the glass completely, and drop it on the countertop—probably a bit heavily.
“Are you lost, sweetheart?” he asks as he takes back my glass and starts wiping the already clean counter top with a rag.
