Page 3 of Mitchell
"He sold his blood to have a few extra bucks in his pocket."
The server blinked, his eyebrows drawing together. "What?"
Seryn forgot he was the only one who could see the vision. It happened to him a lot.
Seryn smiled and turned back to his fries as if he hadn't spoken. He certainly didn't want to repeat himself, even though the question implied the server wanted clarity.
The server shook his head. "Alright then. Enjoy your fries."
He scurried behind the counter and into the back room.
Seryn was about four bites in when the server nodded his head to the kitchen's swinging door.
Seryn nodded, dabbed his mouth with a napkin, and took one last drink of his soda before laying a twenty-dollar bill on thetable. He made his way toward the bathroom. There was a back exit at the end of the hall.
The kitchen had access points. One inside and one right outside the back door to Seryn's right. The outside access was mostly used for ventilation. A restaurant kitchen could get hot, so leaving the outer door open allowed for fresh air if the wind blew just right.
The air was hot and thick inside the kitchen despite the screen door being the only one closed. Seryn scanned his surroundings upon entering. It gave him time to think of the best way to approach Todd.
It smelled like greasy meat.
An apron hung on a peg just inside the door.
Todd stood at a sink in the far corner of the room, washing his hands. A hair net covered his hair. He was rather attractive, although he appeared stressed, or maybe he was just tired.
Seryn made his way around the prep counter until he stood behind Todd. "I can help you."
Todd jumped and whirled around to face Seryn. His eyes were wide, and his mouth open as if he were five seconds away from screaming. "What the fuck? You can't be back here. Employees only."
Seryn smiled. "Hello, Todd."
Todd's eyebrows drew together, which seemed to be the standard expression whenever Seryn spoke. "How do you know my name?"
The answer mattered and Todd, being human, wouldn't believe Seryn anyway, so he didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Is being a blood whore worth it?"
Seryn genuinely wanted to know. He often wondered if blood whores understood what they were giving up just for a little money or euphoria, whatever their motivation was.
Todd sucked in his breath and put his hand over his neck. "How did you know?"
Seryn raised his eyebrows and waited.
It took Todd a full two minutes to answer. He hung his head. "I just wanted extra cash to pay my rent."
"Davorion is a dangerous man, Todd."
Todd met his gaze. "Are you?"
Seryn smiled. "I can be."
"You're a vampire like Niall, aren't you?"
"Among other things." Seryn meant to say he was deadlier than Niall Davorion could ever think to be, but he didn't want to scare Todd any more than he already had. Seryn didn't need to hurt him to get what he wanted. That much was clear. "I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"I'm looking for a man. His name is Mitchell Burke."
Todd sucked in a breath. "The fighter? I know of him. He's sort of famous in the underground. Everyone talks about him."
