It had been three days since Zachary’s visit and I was no closer to understanding everything he had told me.  As much as I did not want to believe him it was hard not to.  His story was so elaborate and farfetched, how could it not be true?  Normally I would simply ignore everything Zachary had to say and go on with life as I always had, but Raina seemed to believe him and the thought of someone using her to try and kill me frightened her.  She had been trying to stay away from me for the last few days, keeping herself busy with training and picking up extra shifts as work.  I really wished she would just quit that pointless job of hers.

            I had visited her the night before but only got to be with her for a short while before that purple-haired slayer was banging on her door telling her that they were going to have a late night training session.  Raina told me that she had confided in this girl, confessing that she was aware she was a hybrid.  I still believe that she chose the wrong person to trust with this information but she seemed confident enough.  Even the boy was not aware that Raina knew.

            I suppose it was for the best that Raina and I were taking these few days apart while we figured things out.  She planned on using the purple-haired slayer to find out information about Edgar while I worked on my own project.  I was determined to discover the truth about what had happened to Milo.  If what Zachary said was true then there should be some proof - as small as it may be - that Felix was responsible for his death.

            After Zachary had left the other night Raina had asked me about Milo.  She wanted to know who he was and why Zachary had looked at her as if she should know his name.  I did not tell her.  Instead I convinced her that she must have been imagining this look and that Milo had no significance in her life whatsoever.  I wanted to tell her the truth but not yet, not until I had discovered it for myself.  There was something big at work here.  I did not mind if Felix wanted to put me in danger, but not Raina.  I would make sure that he stayed away from her no matter the consequences.

            Milo and Gigi were perhaps two of the only vampires I have ever gotten along with.  Timothy met Gigi in the late eighteen-hundred’s when Zachary was still following me everywhere I fled to.  My last stop before returning to London was Paris.

            Timothy went against Zachary’s wishes one night and went out in the city alone.  While visiting the then new Moulin Rouge he met a lovely young courtesan by the name of Gigi.  Timothy was immediately smitten and threw enough money around to get into her bed for the night.  But, unfortunately for Gigi, Timothy’s lust was just too strong and he was unable to control himself while feeding from her.  Once he realized his new belle was on the verge of death Timothy panicked and fed her some blood hoping it would heal her, changing her in the process.

            Timothy had always sworn that he would never take a minion so he only kept Gigi under his control for ten years before releasing her to the world.  Completely lost, the young vampire sought out the only vampire she was sure would help her; me.

            I took Gigi under my wing without hesitation.  I had recently decided to stop running and was dreadfully lonely.  Gigi was exactly what I needed and her beauty was unparalleled by any other, human or vampire.  She had long, curly, dark hair and exotic blue eyes.  Her lips were plump and juicy, always colored with a bright rouge and her skin was smooth as silk.

            In the beginning Gigi and I shared a relationship, but it did not last long.  Both of us had a lust that could not be fulfilled by one another.  We needed more and Gigi found that in Milo, a sweet, young boy she found on the streets.  His past was similar to hers and she wanted more for him.

            Gigi brought Milo into her life as a son.  Being a mother was all she ever truly wanted.  She had never wanted to change him, even after he discovered what we were, but Milo never cared.  He was too grateful to Gigi to ever think of her as a monster.

Milo lived with Gigi for ten years before he got sick.  She sent for the best doctors in the world but none were able to save him.  Gigi came to me in shambles.  It was Milo’s last request that she change him but she could not bring herself to do it alone.  She needed my help.

I went with her to the dying boy’s bed and helped her change Milo into a vampire.  She tried to stop and leave several times but I would not let her.  Before long the deed was done and Milo was one of us.  The two of them moved in with me in the beginning since Gigi was not confident enough in herself to control a new vampire.  After all, she was still fairly new herself.  Most vampires do not change their first minion until they are at least fifty.  It is the safest way.

Five years after Milo was changed Timothy returned from wherever he had been and demanded that Gigi leave with him.  She had a choice since he had freed her from his control but the girl still felt a sense of loyalty to her former master and she left, leaving Milo in my care.

I knew even then that Timothy only took Gigi back to prove that he could.  He had felt betrayed when she had come to me after he sent her off, and once she was back in my home he wanted to take her away from me for good.  However, Timothy did not realize that he wanted to take something away from me that had never belonged to me to begin with.  Even after all we had been through I had never loved Gigi and she had never loved me.  Her devotion was always to him.

Milo had been a different kind of vampire from the very beginning.  He stayed with me for twenty years, refusing to kill any of his victims.  It was because of him that I finally saw the error in my ways and realized that vampire’s had choices.  Zachary had always taught me the necessity of killing your prey; it never even occurred to me that there was another way.

Gigi and I never spoke again after Timothy took her from me but Milo and I remained close for years.  That was until nineteen-eighty-four when he decided to move to America.  I had not seen or spoken to him since.  I still refused to believe that he had killed that girl Jessie of his own freewill.  There had to be more to this story and I was going to find out what it was.

I had snuck into the slayer’s headquarters and read his file the night before.  It claimed he had come to Los Angeles in nineteen-eighty-eight but he had gone renegade two years ago.  He was on the run for three months before they found him in Raina’s town.  It was all so convenient.  What were the chances that he would end up in the same town as a slayers descendant and even kill her roommate.  What's more, he and Raina’s father had the same maker.  The world was not that small.

I had learned the names of a few of Milo’s acquaintances from his file and planned on searching for them in the vampire club tonight.  Edgar did not rely on me as a spy any longer since he almost always had a slayer stationed at the club to keep an eye on things, mainly the new vampire leader Timothy.  Until he became a little more settled in his position Edgar would always have someone watching him.  My services would not be needed again until that time had past.

I was glad.  It was a mistake to get involved with that man from the start.  I do not know what I was thinking.  Well, actually, I do.  I was thinking about Raina and how I wanted to learn as much about her as I could.  I planned on obtaining the information in her file legally by getting her leader to trust me but that did not go as planned.  I also was hoping that by working with them I would somehow get to spend more time with her, possibly work with her sometime, but all Edgar ever had me do was go to that damn vampire club.  It was almost as if he knew about our relationship as it formed.  Nevertheless, even today all the man really had was a hunch.

I pulled up to the club in my Lamborghini with every intention of making an impact that night.  I wanted Felix to know that I was not a force to be reckoned with.  He was going to keep his promise to me to kill Zachary but without killing me first, and then I was going to kill him.  For Milo.

The moment I walked into the club all eyes were on me.  Timothy was sitting at his usual table with several other vampires while the purple-haired slayer watched him from a dark corner.  She hated being here and I did not blame her.  Vampires had never been the greatest of company.

I had barely taken two steps into the place before Timothy was by my side.  “And to what do I owe this great pleasure.”  His tone was as insincere as ever.

“I came to check on your boss’s story.  Considering our history I would be a fool to believe him without proof.”

Timothy smiled as widely as the Cheshire cat.  “You are right.  You would be a fool.  So get to your search then.  I will not stop you but, of course, I will not help you either.  Just steer clear of my pretty slayer over there.”  He pointed over to the purple-haired girl who was watching us closely from the other side of the room.  “She can be a real pain when trying to do anything fun, let me tell you.  If I knew being a leader came with a babysitter I never would have agreed to it.”

Timothy returned to his table without any sort of goodbye.  Now that he had approached me the slayer would not be taking her eye off of me all night.  I would have to be sly about this.

I went over to the bar and ordered a whiskey before scanning the bar for any of the faces I had memorized as Milo’s friends.  There were two that were the most consistent in his file since he had come here.  Their names were Kenneth and Sawyer, two American changed vampires who had just entered my vision.

These two were nothing special for vampires.  Kenneth was the shorter one with dark hair and a heavier build.  Sawyer was almost a head taller than his friend and as skinny as a pole.  His hair was shaped into a Mohawk and his body was covered in tattoos.  Once you became a vampire it was impossible to get a tattoo but if you had them before you were changed then they would stay.

The two of them were talking with a couple of human girls who they were influencing to stick around.  The girls liked vampires, just not these vampires.

I finished the last of my drink and put the glass down on the bar before approaching them.  I was still feeling strong from Raina’s blood so I grabbed both girls into my own trance and told them to leave.

Kenneth lusted after the girls while Sawyer turned to me.  “What the hell’d ya do that for?”  Oh, how eloquently he spoke.

Timothy had the slayer girl distracted in her corner so now was as good a time as any to make my move.  “I need both of you gentlemen to follow me outside please.”

“Who the fuck are you . . .”

I grabbed both men by their ears and dragged them outside myself.  “I do not take nicely to such crude language.”  I may have used it myself, but only on those deserving and at this moment I did not deserve it.

Once I had the two fairly weak vampires outside I released their ears and grabbed onto their arms, pulling the three of us onto the roof for some privacy.  The moment our feet touched the ground I released them and they tried to speed off, but I was faster than them and moved to block their path.

“What the hell do you want man?!  We didn’t do nothin’!”  I winced at the horrible language.  “Who sent ya?  Was it Fish?  Cause we was gonna pay him back, ya know?  But we had a little trouble gettin’ the funds.”

Fish?  What an awful name.  “I do not know or care who that is.”  Sawyer seemed to be a bit incompetent, so I silenced him and turned to Kenneth who had yet to say a word.  “I have come to inquire about an old friend of mine.  His name was Milo.  I believe you knew him.”

“Milo.”  Kenneth repeated the name.  “Yes, of course we know him.  The three of us used to be thick as thieves.”  I could not understand why.  “But we haven’t heard from him in close to three years now.  Why do you ask?  Did he do something?”

It had not even occurred to me that Milo’s friends would be unaware of his death.  It pained me to have to say this, but they needed to know.  “I am afraid Milo is incapable of doing anything from here on out.  He experienced the final dead almost two years ago.”

“You’ve got to be shittin’ me!”  Sawyer broke his silent oath.  I glared at him but did not force him to silence again.

“I am not.  That is why I am here.  Milo was killed shortly after taking a humans life.  It has been many years since I have seen him, but I cannot imagine his moral standings have changed that much.”

“They didn’t.  He was still as moral as ever.  Victim count zero.”  Kenneth held up his hand in the form of an O.  How had Milo tolerated these two imbeciles?

“Shit man!  I told you this would happen!  That bitch did this!  I’d bet some good damn money it was her!”

He did not need to say it twice.  I immediately grabbed Sawyer by the cheap cotton shirt he wore and pushed him against the closest wall.  “Who the hell is her?”

Kenneth came up beside me.  “What happened to language?”  I gave him a look that immediately made him shut his mouth.

“Shit man!  Take it easy!  I meant Milo’s damn mate Jane!  She changed him man.  And not for the better.”

“Jane . . .” The name sounded vaguely familiar but no face came to mind.  “Where can I find this Jane?”

“Not at a place like this,” said Kenneth.  “She thinks she’s better than this.  She normally hangs out at some high class bar in Beverly Hills.  It’s owned by a vampire so a lot of us go there.  It’s called Hellsing.”

“Like Van Helsing?”

“Yes, but with two L’s, like Hell.”

So a vampire named a bar after a slayer with a demonic twist.  How original.  “Well gentlemen, I suppose I should be on my way if I am going to find this place before dawn.  Oh, before I forget, how much do you owe that ‘Fish’ person?”

Sawyer looked over at Kenneth who nodded before looking back at me.  “Thirteen-hundred.”

That was a lot of money to be giving strangers but I felt as if I owed it to Milo to help his friends.  I pulled out my wallet and started counting the money I had in there.  It was just over two-thousand dollars.  The boys were lucky tonight.  I pulled out fifteen-hundred and handed it to Sawyer.  “Tell Fish you are sorry for the delay and thank you both for your help.  Now do me a favor and stay out of trouble.  I do not want to hear stories about the two stupid vampires who were taken out by a man named Fish.  Can I presume he is a vampire?”

Sawyer reached out and took the money from my hands.  “A werewolf actually.  Thanks man.”

A werewolf named Fish.  I would have to ask Regina about him.  “Well gentlemen, I bid you adieu.  Have a good rest of your night.  And do not influence women please.  It is very disrespectful.”

I moved to the edge of the roof and leaped back down to the ground.  I could hear the two of them talking about me as I waited for the valet to bring my car around.  They were not sure what to make of me.  Was I friend or foe?  I guess we would just have to wait and see.

I arrived at Hellsing a little after one a.m.  The bar would be closing to outsiders soon but for vampires it would be open until sunrise.  I did not know how I was going to find this ‘Jane’ but I was relying heavily on luck tonight.  I knew Milo well and his taste in women was always the same.  He fell for girls who looked like Gigi.

Hellsing was at least interesting to look at if nothing else.  The place was designed to look like a medieval castle with low lighting and iron chandeliers.  All of the furniture looked like something straight out of a history book, and it probably was.  If the vampire owner was old enough to have accumulated it, anyway.

I went over to one of the small, dark tables – all accompanied by curved booths barely big enough for two - and ordered a drink from a waitress.  The moment she was gone I began scanning the room for anyone that might be Jane.  A few girls seemed pretty enough to intrigue Milo but only one truly caught my eye.

Alone at the bar sat a stunning young vampire with short, dark hair that was waved in an old Hollywood glamour style and plump lips painted rouge to match her sexy, yet classy, dress.  Her eyes were brown, several shades lighter than her hair, and covered in smoky shadow.  This girl had Gigi written all over her.

Jane noticed me immediately and smiled over at me roguishly.  I took this opening to call her over.  She grabbed her martini glass off of the bar and glided to my table.  I moved over and let her slide in next to me.

“I have never seen you here before.  Are you new to the area?”  Her voice was as gentle as her eyes.

“Not really.  I have just never heard of this place until recently.  I thought that the vampire club in Hollywood was the only place to meet anyone around here.”

Jane smiled pleasantly.  “Well, welcome to the better part of town.  Tobias had a vision for an improved Los Angeles, so he came up with this place.”  I nearly spit out my drink.  “Do not choke dearest.”  Jane patted my back until I had swallowed my drink properly.  “It is nice to get away from all of those Neanderthals for a change.  There are two types of vampires in this world; the old and the new.  I could tell by just one glance at you that you are the old.  How refreshing.”

I needed to backtrack.  “Did you say Tobias owned this place?  I was not even aware that he lived here.”  Had the old vampire been close this entire time?

“He does not live here, but the vampire loves to make investments.  I run this place for him.”

“You run it?”  I was impressed.  It never even crossed my mind that Milo would find a mate in an older vampire.  Jane was so cultured.  Now I understood why she, Kenneth, and Sawyer had not gotten along so well.  “I know this is a rude question to ask a lady but how old are you?”

“I will be six-hundred next year actually.  How old are you, Alexander?”

I do not know why it surprised me that she knew my name, but it did.  I had to chuckle.  This woman worked for my father and was one of my only friends’ lover.  Of course she knew who I was.  “What gave me away, Jane?”

Her smile was so charming.  Even I was intrigued.  “It will be hard to ever hide who you are with those eyes.  They are exactly the same as your father’s, only switched.  His blue is on his right and his green is on his left.  Milo often spoke of your eyes.  He said they were vacant, void of any emotion unless you were speaking of Rachel, but beautiful nonetheless.  They were still the kindest eyes he had ever seen.”

“I suppose you know why I am here.”

Jane took her olives from her martini glass and pulled one off of the toothpick with her teeth.  It was incredibly sexy.  “You are here to ask me about Milo but, unfortunately, I know nothing of what happened to him.  He told me he had to leave for some job he would tell me nothing about.  I was unable to accompany him since I have other obligations here.  I learned about his death last year when one of those barbaric slayers brought me his ashes.  Such heartless vultures.  They think that just because we are vampires and are incapable of tears that we do not have feelings.  But they are wrong.  I have had six-hundred years to develop very powerful feelings, ones that are not to be discarded when the first mate I have taken in centuries is murdered by a pathetic human.”

The charm Jane once had was slowly beginning to fizzle away.  She was unknowingly speaking of my girlfriend.  It would be best never to mention Raina to her.  “So you have absolutely no idea who Milo was working for?”

Jane looked at me coldly.  “Of course not.  Why would that matter?”

I did not know whether or not I could trust this woman, but something in her eyes told me that I should.  Her love for Milo was too genuine for her to be any part of Felix’s plan, so I decided to tell her what I knew.  “I have reason to believe that Felix might have had something to do with Milo’s death.”

“Felix?”  I nodded, but Jane was apprehensive.  “ But why would he do that?  Felix and I have been friends for years.  He would never hurt me.”

“And I am sure that in Felix’s mind he did not hurt you.  I have not yet discovered if it is true, but I plan to find out.”

“And who exactly was it that told you this information about Felix?” she asked.

“I am afraid that information is classified.”

Jane was no longer looking at me.  Her mind was now consumed with all of the conspiracy theories that were constantly flowing through my own mind.  It saddened me to have troubled her so much.  That was not my intention.  Jane seemed like a lovely vampire, two words that I do not put together very often.

“I am sorry to have bothered you.  Perhaps I should go.”  I began to shuffle out the other end of my small booth but Jane’s delicate hand pulled me back.

“Will you not stay a bit longer?  I would love to exchange stories of Milo with you.  That is, if you don’t mind?”

I smiled at the pretty vampire.  “Of course not.  I will stay as long as you like.”

I ended up staying at Hellsing with Jane until nearly dawn.  We laughed over drinks as we shared stories of the vampire we had both loved.  The two of them had met in the early nineteen-nineties and Jane was immediately smitten.  Surprisingly, it was not reciprocated.  Milo thought Jane was too high maintenance for him - he was probably right - but eventually she won him over.

The two of them were inseparable during their short time together.  She still blamed herself for not going with him on that job.  She was convinced that if she had been there things would have played out differently and Milo would still be alive.  She was probably right, but I was sure that her absence on that job was all part of Felix’s plan.

When the night ended I said my goodbyes to Jane by giving her a kiss on the hand.  She had a driver who arrived exactly thirty minutes before sunrise.  I saw her off before returning to my own car and driving home.  It had been a busy night but in the end it was not at all productive.  I was no closer to solving Milo’s mysterious death than I had been at the beginning of the night.  This might be harder then I had originally anticipated.