Damon (The Protectors #1)(12)
Chapter 4
Damon pulled into an empty spot in the emergency room parking lot at Children's Hospital. Grabbing her bag, Nicole headed toward the door noticing all the police cruisers. Glancing at Damon, she saw his expression was as confused and concerned as hers. The doors slid open and they were hit with a blast of cold air as they entered the emergency room. It was packed with anxious parents with crying kids, all waiting to be seen. Seeing Mitch, she headed his way.
“Excuse me.” A blonde woman behind the sign-in desk spoke loudly trying to stop her and Damon.
“I'm with them.” Nicole kept walking and pointed over her shoulder. “And he's with me.”
The woman threw up her hands. “I need to see some ID.” The woman shouted after them.
Ignoring the woman, Nicole walked up to Mitch, nodding at a few of the police officers she knew. “What's going on Mitch?”
“We have a hell of a mess is what's going on.” Mitch ran his hand down his face, the shadows under his puffy eyes making him look older and more tired than she'd ever seen him. “We have a 16 year old vampire in there who killed both of his foster parents, human parents.”
“Oh God.” Nicole tried to peek around him to see if she could see the kid.
“It took ten officers to bring him down and he got a little roughed up so they brought him here. Now he has a nurse and is threatening to kill her if they don't let him go. They're going to take him out.” Mitch stepped back getting out of way of the hospital staff pulling Nicole with him.
“Who is it Mitch?” God, if it was one of her cases she was going to freak out right here and now.
“It's Stevie Richardson.” Mitch glared at the floor. “It's Chad's case and I can't get a hold of him so I called you. I want you to try to talk him down Nicole.”
“No!” Damon had kept quiet up to this point. No way was he going to let Nicole get anywhere near this kid. He knew how unstable a cornered vampire could be and he had no doubt that this kid would kill. Hell, he already had. “I'll take care of this.”
Nicole grabbed his arm. “How Damon, by going in there and turning all bad warrior vamp on the kid? Stevie was one of my cases until Chad threw a fit because he wanted to work with him and place him. I gave up the case. Now I wish I wouldn't have. Stevie is a good kid. Something isn't right about this whole situation and if you go in there we may never find out what it is.”
“Do you have a death wish?” Damon glared at her, jaw clinched. “You are human. What don't you understand about that Nicole? You have no power over our kind.”
“You're right.” Nicole nodded. “Not with violence I don't, but I can get through to these kids and I am not going to let him get hurt. Something triggered this and we need to find out what it is before it's too late.”
Damon understood, he really did, but he didn't want Nicole going anywhere near this kid who had already killed. He already had a taste of blood lust and he'll be damned if he tasted any of Nicole's.
Nicole stopped listening as her mind began to work. She could do this without violence. She knew she could. She had done it before. Seeing a teenager walking down the hall toward them drinking a Dew she headed toward him. “Hey.” She approached with a smile and cash she dug out of her pocket in her hand. “I'll buy that t-shirt off you for twenty-five bucks.”
“Seriously?” The kid eyed the money she flashed in her hand.
“About as serious as that Dew rotting out every tooth in your head.” Glancing down at her feet, then his, she took more money out. “I will give you sixty for the shirt and shoes.”
“Hell yeah!” He started stripping out of his shirt and shoes stumbling around in his haste to get the money in her hand.
“Thanks.” She pushed the money into his hand and grabbed her purchase. Toeing off her boots she starting stripping out of her long sleeved dress shirt she had worn to the club.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” Damon rushed over, grabbing the shirt, pulling it back down; not that he would mind seeing what she was hiding under her clothes. A quick glance around said that there were others with that same thought. Yeah not f*ckin' likely.
“I've got a sports bra underneath this. Now let go.” She shrugged from his hold and continued changing.
Damon growled baring his fangs at the kid and police officers who stood watching her undress. “Dammit Nicole.” He pushed her behind him to give her some privacy. “Couldn't you have done that in the bathroom?”
After putting on the rumpled AC/DC t-shirt that smelled awful, she grabbed the shoes and put them on without untying them. “No time and it's not like I'm going to ignite a lust fest in my sports bra. Geez vamp, chill.”
Damon glared down at the top of her head as she rummaged in her bag. “What the hell is changing your shirt and shoes going to do to help with this situation?”
Gathering her hair into a ponytail she wrapped the rubber band around it then stood. “I don't want to look like a social worker. I want him comfortable around me. I want to be on his level.”
Damon snorted shaking his head. “Human, you are crazy.”
“As a loon.” She smiled, shoved her bag into his stomach hard and walked toward Mitch. “Okay, ready.”