money moves

It’s just business — Hector’s favourite saying when it came to throwing people to the lions.

It was shady of him to forge Latimer’s signature, stating that he was handing everything over to Hector, but it was the way things went. The young vampire skipped town, leaving everything behind, so Hector was doing him a favour by picking it all up again, but the place needed changing. First the name, then the decor, then the rules of the bar formerly known as the Blood Den. He didn’t like authorities sniffing around the bar. He’d seen that detective De La Peña snooping around the place, like a dog trying to sniff out food and Hector didn’t need the headache. He liked to keep his name out of cop business.

All that was needed was a few persuasive words to De La Peña, perhaps even a touch of compulsion though Hector was wary of using such tricks. He knew the town was full of supernatural and wouldn’t be surprised if legal enforcement was riddled with them too.

De La Peña wasn’t his only problem, though. There was another investor, Dan, looming in the background. Hector was greedy, he wanted to own 100% of the club, but Dan was digging his heels in. The vampire had offered to pay him off, but Dan refused. He saw the potential the business had and wanted to stick with it. Hector had other ideas, though, looking for ways to eliminate Dan.

Paperwork. Absolutely bane of running a business. He needed to compel himself a cute human to do it for him.

“Mr. Dacre?”

The southern shrill drew him away from his paperwork as he spun his chair to face the entrance. The same chair Latimer sat in as he greeted Hector when he came to his door offering to help run things.

Hannya. The demon who came as part of the furniture when he took over the establishment. Standing in the same spot he once stood in when approaching Latimer. Assuring the young vampire he wouldn’t sell him down the river in due course. It wasn’t Hector’s fault though. He wasn’t the one who ran when things got a bit too heated and the pressure was building from De La Peña.

“Of course you do…” His voice just louder than a whisper. Loud enough for the demon to hear, but a smile on his face indicated he was jesting with her. Setting back into his chair he listened as Hannya went onto explain she could run the bar better than the current management. With her suggestion came that seductive honey dripping voice.

The demon had a point though. The current manager, Lewis, was hopeless, but if Hannya wanted something, he wasn’t about to give it to her. “I hear you, Hannya, but he’s been here since it opened, and he knows how to run things” Absolutely horse shit. Lewis had no idea what was going on downstairs half the time, and the bloke barely kept the bar restocked. Kit was doing a much better job upstairs. “But” He began, folding his arms, brown eyes on Hannya, “I propose a little you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours deal?” He paused, unfolding his arms as he got to his feet, “I have a little job for you to do, if you’re up for it? It involves killing someone” He raised his eyebrows with a playful grin on his face.


HANNYA

For some demons were terrifying beings who held no morals whatsoever. Hector had seen the way some of the baby vampires backed away from Hannya when she made herself known. The fear in their eyes was amusing, to say the least, but at the end of the day, she was residing inside a human body. One susceptible to great, if not fatal, damage.

Plus he’d been working with Hannya long enough now to know she was easy to manage once you get used to her. The woman craved attention and Hector was happy to provide it to her in small doses.

Hannya was right though. The hopeless employee needed to go, Hector just hadn’t got round to putting his manager's hat on and sacking the idiot. Running a business was like riding a bike for him though. Sure, he’d been off the bike for a number of decades, but as soon as he slipped his feet back into those pedals it’s like he never stopped. The excitement and thrill that came with it all as well. The feeling of bills in the palm of his hands. It was what drove him in life.

Of course that ‘but’ peaked Hannya’s demon. Her eyes lit up at the simple word. He wasn’t about to give her everything she wanted without a fair deal. It was a simple one as well and one he knew she wouldn’t fail. Taking the life of another.

Hector smiled slightly as the demon edged towards him. Her arm sliding around his back as she purred his name. Mr Dacre sounded pleasant rolling off her tongue, knowing the woman’s suggestion wasn’t metaphorical. He was careful not to be seen getting too close with employees, but there was a lock on his office door for a reason.

The vampire kept his gaze on Hannya as her thumb glided over the top of his ear. “Another vampire. He invested in the club a while ago… I offered to buy him out but he refused so I want him dead” He retorted, very matter of factly. “It wouldn’t look good for business if I was found with his heart in my hands” Hector was a man who kept his hands clean, as best he could. “I need it to be quick and discreet. Can you manage that Hannya?” There was no doubt in his mind but felt the need to make it clear he needed the execution to be quick. No bullshit torture stuff Demon’s appeared to enjoy. He didn’t need the man’s screams attracting every vampire in town.


HANNYA

Of course, Hannya was capable of running the bar. Anyone was, but he knew the news of her promotion would ruffle a few feathers among the older staff. The staff who hadn’t been working there since the start. He knew it was risky trusting the demon to keep her mouth shut about their deal, but it was his only option at that moment. Kill the vampire himself and run the risk of being caught or let someone else do it for him. Lawrence and Lincoln flickered through his mind for a moment, but they’d barely just got their fangs. Both of them would be ripped apart in an instant by the investor. Hannya however. He knew what demons were capable of. Enough to make a person shake in their shoes.

“Scouts honour… meaning yes I promise” Despite his dodgy dealings he tended to keep his word. It was the only way to secure a person's trust nowadays. It was the same promise he made to the previous owner. Not to sell him down the river at the first opportunity, which technically he didn’t. The other vampire ditched the bar as soon as things were heating up. Hector just pushed a little bit.

The shady part came later when he signed the bar and club over to himself, but it was better than having some random mortal running the place.

“We need to keep this a secret between us, okay?” It went without saying, but he wanted to hear Hannya confirm she understood. The words uttered in the room were not to go beyond the door. “As soon as you deliver his heart to me I’ll let you run the bar downstairs” Although a head or body parts would suffice.

There it was again. Her suggestive tone and flirtatious manner. The behaviour that had most of his customers weak in the knees, which is why he was keen to keep Hannya around. She enticed the male audience, coaxing them into spending money. Money which fed his walled and fed into his lavish lifestyle.

Hannya’s tongue glided over his lips, teasing him but he remained still. He’d certainly heard of these other talents she mentioned, but yet to witness them first hand. There was still the stack of paperwork behind him waiting to be completed, but he doubted Hannya’s talents fell within that realm. “I’m sure you do” He edged forward, closing the space between them by a fraction. Placing his hands firmly on Hannya’s backside he aggressively pulled her closer. He drew the demon’s bottom lip between his teeth with a gentle bite, “I have other talents as well but I tend to save them for those who are worthy… do you fall into that category?”



HANNYA