Thief: X (8 page)

“Are you religious?” This was where it got sticky,

“I suppose so, but after everything I’ve done...” She let out a sob, “Look at me.” She wafted her arms at herself and sighed,

“You don’t have to stay you know. Madam Cassandra would understand…”

“I’ve got nowhere to go, and I make more money doing this than a normal job. No one else would employ me because…because of what I did.”

“Why don’t you sit and we’ll talk about it over tea?” I pointed to the chairs and she nodded. We sat and I poured us both tea. I hated the stuff but it made people feel at ease. Personally, it made me want to gag.

“I don’t want to be rude but I’m not sure what you do.” She was clutching at the cup and saucer like it could shield her from the freak in front of her,

“Do you know what Madam Cassandra is?”

“She’s a…a vampire. I didn’t believe her at first but then…”

“I guess she vamped out?”

“She saved me.”

“And that’s what she wants me to do. I can save your soul if you want me to.”

“I…I don’t understand?” She sipped at her tea but I could see the fear in her eyes,

“If you believe in vampires then you understand there is more out there than what we can see. That it is possible that heaven and hell exist…”

“I suppose.”

“That each one has rules and laws. If you break the laws of Heaven you go to Hell.”

“You mean if I sin I go to Hell?”

“Yes.” At times like these, I wished Madam Cassandra would leave me a bottle of vodka rather than tea.

“Then I’m going to Hell.” It was a statement rather than a question,

“That’s what I’m here for, but you have to give me your sins willingly.” I never told someone I could take them regardless. In order to live with myself I needed to know that they at least repented and what they’d done was wrong. After all, I was opening the gates of Heaven to them when they died,

“I didn’t mean to do it but I didn’t have a choice! You have to believe me.”

“Tell me about it.”

I could see how much she was struggling with herself. Struggling with the idea of what I was offering,

“Like some sort of confession?” She lifted her eyebrow and sipped her tea,

“I suppose. They say confession is good for the soul.” I really, really wished I was sipping vodka and not tea because if I had to drink anymore I’d end up dry heaving on the floor, “It’s ok really. I’ve done some pretty nasty things too.”

“It was an accident or rather that’s what I tell myself. I knew it wasn’t a good idea to marry my pimp but I had no one. I’d been abandoned all my life by the people I loved the most and Eric was just there for me. I’d convinced myself that I was in love with him and when he gave me what I wanted I was so thankful. I looked after him and our son while he pimped me out but he was so angry. I never understood why he was so angry, and he would never hit me because he didn’t want to hit his merchandise. I started finding bruises on my son and he explained them away as normal accidents toddlers got into. I knew he was causing them. Knew he was hitting an innocent child.” She was clutching her teacup so hard I thought it would shatter under her vice grip.

“Go on.” I had a feeling what was coming,

“I’d arranged everything, even had a bag packed. All I had to do was act normal, look after my client and then grab my son while Eric slept off his drink. It didn’t work out that way. Someone must have told him. I thought I’d been so careful but Eric had so many people loyal to him. I should have known better. When I got home he was in a drunken stupor and raging. Our apartment was a wreck. He said…he said if he couldn’t have us no one would. Georgie was only five years old. What sort of monster does that to a five year old?” She was wailing and I felt her sin bubbling to the surface,

“It’s ok…”

“No it’s not! He stabbed me fourteen times until I managed to wrestle the knife free. I thought I was already dead. I stabbed him over and over again. I didn’t care. He deserved to die for what he’d done. I don’t feel remorse for killing him; I feel remorse for not dying with my son. He was so perfect and innocent.” The tears were free flowing now and if she hadn’t killed that bastard he would have been my next trip,

“Madam Cassandra?”

“She was helping me. She was going to help us vanish and when I didn’t turn up she found me. She found me close to death…”

“And she gave you her blood. Not enough to turn you, but just enough to let you live.” Madam Cassandra didn’t offer her blood lightly,

“She couldn’t save Georgie, it was too late for him and she should have left me bleeding out on the kitchen floor. Instead, she called an ambulance and the rest is history. I wanted to die that night and be with my child but she explained afterwards that would never be possible if I’d died. I’d killed a man so my fate was sealed.”

“And then she told you about me?” One day Madam Cassandra would tell me why she cared so much. Most vampires were self-centred and vain but she always seemed to be clutching to humanity. It was no wonder she helped me because in turn she helped so many women like Julie. Madam Cassandra would never see the gates of heaven but she made sure innocents would. Sins were fickle at the best of times.

“Can you help me see my son again?” Her eyes pleaded with me,

“If that’s what you want? You know selling yourself is still a sin?” It was a catch twenty-two and it was a price Madam Cassandra asked all the women to pay. She may be a ‘good’ vampire in some respects but she was still a vampire – no soul.

“Madam Cassandra explained that you help the others here…”

“I do and you understand that suicide is the biggest sin of all? If I take your sins, you can’t just end your life and pop up in heaven to see your son. Life isn’t easy, but you’ll have to live it.” The reason Madam Cassandra was so protective was because she didn’t want her girls to die before I could take their final sin. A sheltered life as a prostitute in return for protection and the gates of Heaven wasn’t that bad of a deal if someone waited for you up there.

“Yes.”

“Then let me help.” I nodded and she put her teacup down.

I took hold of her hands over the table and sort out her sin. It was still fresh and raw. Guilt made sins much worse than they should be, and Julie was feeling a lot of guilt for being alive. Deep inside I could see the spark of hope that touched at her soul. As soon as I saw this, I knew she would be ok. Hope can be a beautiful thing, and she believed that I was helping her see her son again. I felt her sin crawling up my arms, little flashbacks of that night skimming across my brain. There were some things I wished I didn’t have to see and this was definitely in the top ten. I coaxed the sin into me and felt it settle into my skin. Before it hit my soul it started to squirm inside me as my body began to absorb its energy. Piece by piece the sin started to unravel until it was nothing more than a spark that fuelled my soul. I felt complete and utterly satisfied. Madam Cassandra was right; it was a biggy.

I let go of her hands and gasped. It would take a few minutes for my brain to understand that the sin wasn’t mine and what I’d seen hadn’t been done by my hands,

“Are you ok?”

“Vodka.” I gasped. People wondered why I drank; this was one of the reasons. Well, that and the scourge of the earth that was tea.

I heard Julie run outside screeching for vodka, probably because I was deathly pale. It wouldn’t last long and only happened when the sin was too big but it always scared the person I took the sin from. My body was just trying to figure out where this new found energy needed to be put to use and I’d had a bad few days. I felt the warmth of it flow all over me,

Madam Cassandra came in with a glass of vodka and smiled, “Thank you.” There was something about a vampire smiling with their fangs out that always disturbed me,

“That bastard deserved to die.” I took a gulp and sighed,

“Oh I agree and I only hope he’s getting what he deserves in hell. I’ve already promised when I meet my true death I’ll take great pleasure in tormenting his eternal soul.”

“Wouldn’t that be like your personal Heaven though?”

“One has to make the most of hell my dear.” She grinned, “I must say you look positively glowing.” That’s probably because I was and I was starting to feel much more like my old self,

“Thank you Madam Cassandra. Now pardon my bluntness but what else do you want?” She was usually too busy clucking around the women to come and thank me. Something was a foot!

“Ah…” she sat down and started to drum her fingernails on the table, “I hear you have taken a mission…”

“Mmmm I bet you have.”

“You may want to listen to what I have to say.”

“I’m not going to like this, am I?” I took another gulp of vodka and felt the warmth burn to my stomach,

“You may, but I do not. You know the Librarian will be back. Nothing has managed to stop her after all these centuries, I doubt a little hell fire in the gullet will, but that isn’t why I’m sat here.” She gave me a toothy grin and I smiled back,

“Come on Madam Cassandra, you’ve never held your punches, so don’t now.”

“One of my girls is missing.”

“And how does this relate to me and my ‘mission’?” I did air quotes around mission to illustrate my point,

“She matches the description of the others.”

“I doubt she disappeared from her prom.” I hated to be sceptical but I couldn’t cope with another dead end. Especially because I also had to visit the Elk and he just knew the right things to press to traumatise me,

“No and she’s older, before you say a thing. Let’s call it a favour for a friend because I want her found and if it
is
Clockwork I want him dead.”

“You and me both sista!” Madam Cassandra glared at me as if I’d grew a second…and third head.

“You can be so vulgar sometimes Xan. I’m surprised your family put up with it.” I grabbed the file from the table and smiled,

“Oh, they don’t. They just live with it because I’m rather stubborn you know.”

“Just don’t let that stubbornness get you killed. If you hadn’t gone down this path of self-destruction you would have been an asset to me…in a barn girl role play way.” Madam Cassandra lifted her eyebrow and grinned at me,

“Thanks, I think.”

“I suggest you round up your men before my girls decide to play with them.” She cackled like a witch and then pushed the curtain open and motioned for me to follow.

When I walked into the lounge, Marshall had a petite woman, wearing a see through chemise and another sat hypnotised by him in a corset and knickers. Adram was sipping wine and talking to a woman wearing red latex. At first glance, I had completely missed the tail suggestively rubbing down his leg. He was in his element.

“Boys it’s time to go.” I growled,

“Jealous Xan?” Adram said smiling and it made me want to head-butt the wall,

“Nah, just wouldn’t want her to catch something from you,”

“How very dare you!” He tried to put on an angry face but it didn’t work on me,

“I remember the flea incident!” I laughed,

“How rude!” Adram had caught fleas off my cat one summer and had never let me forget it, but I never let him either.

“Are you ok?” Marshall stood up and headed towards me. The women practically swooned at his feet. They were looking at me like vipers ready to strike me down to get their prize.

“Yeah, thanks to Madam Cassandra but I’d really like to go home and soak in my bath until I look like a prune.” I felt rejuvenated from Julie’s sin, but my body still ached because I’d left it so long. Plus, today had been eventful.

I headed for the door and sighed, “For God’s sake Adram, behave yourself and come on!”

“Demons do what demons do!” Adram shrugged, “And there’s no way I’m setting foot in that car again with him.” With that, he poofed out, which left me rolling my eyes to thin air.

I made my escape with yet another missing woman’s folder under my arm. I felt powerless at times like this. If you rely on someone at some point they will ask for a favour and I had a nasty feeling this was just the beginning.

I stormed towards Betty and realised Marshall still had they keys. I was supposed to be a professional and good at this. All I’d managed to do since Marshall walked into my life was make a mess of things.

“Do you want these?” Marshall was leaning against the passenger side door smiling at me, jangling the keys together.

“I want to go home.” I sighed. He threw the keys at me and I caught them.

When I got in, I threw the folder on the dash and started the engine,

“What’s this?” Marshall grabbed it and scanned through the pages. I threw Betty in reverse and then spun her little yellow arse,

“It’s one of Madam Cassandra’s girls. She’s gone missing.” I knew I was being blunt but I couldn’t help it. You’d be a bit pissy if you’d been blow up and had to suck in a rather nasty sin.

“And you think it’s Clockwork?”

“Madam Cassandra does and that means I have to.” Marshall looked at me as I managed to crunch the gears in temper,

“I take it you don’t?”

“The only thing she has in common is her looks. She’s older and a working girl. I’m being railroaded…”

“And you don’t like it?”

“I like doing things on my own and here I am with you. I’m getting nowhere fast and now Madam Cassandra has lumbered me with this. She knows I’ll always be indebted to her and I hate it. All vampires are selfish to their cores. They don’t mean to be, but they only help you if they have something to gain and they are extremely patient.”

“What happened in there?” I could see the concern in his eyes but I didn’t want his pity,

“Maybe one day I’ll show you.” At some point, he will ask me to take his sin. Everyone did at some point once they knew.