It didn’t take long for Edge to mesmerize the clerk at the front desk into giving us the room I needed. The real challenge was brining Jolene into the hotel. In the end I had to hold in my tears and place her parts into my duffle bag. Thankfully she fit into my bag inconspicuously, but if they decided to check it I was screwed. However, I had forgotten that all it would take is a few words from Edge and his light up eyes and they would just let us through.

We walked into the room and I was relieved that I was right and there was no one in here. On the way I was thinking I had probably picked the only room with weird tourists who put everything away in the cupboards.

“I don’t know why you insisted on brining your gun, but don’t try to be a showoff.” Edge warns.

“Do you really think that I would fire in broad daylight in a crowded area just to show off?”

“I don’t know, would you?” He fires back.

“Don’t be an asshole. Do you think I would risk the tourists below us hearing the gun shot without their being an actual reason?” I shake my head. This man must think I am two sticks short of a lolly. “Taking a life isn’t something I take lightly.” Edge clenches his fist and doesn’t answer, instead he gives me a cool guy head nod.

I move around the room and drag a chair by the window. I draw the curtains leaving a small slit so in case one of vampires or even the residence from the Bellagio looked over and saw me with a pair of binoculars spying on them. The last thing I need is the police knocking on my door.

I point the binoculars at the top floor and curse when I can’t see very well. Second plan it is then, I am going to have to use Jolene’s long range scope.

I take her out and assemble her with ease and Edge just watches me silently. “What?” My tone was sharper than I expected it to be, but I had switched into work mode.

“Nothing. Text me when you see something.” I laugh at him. “What?” He asks.

“I don’t have your phone number. Unless vampires are telepathic?” I point out. He pauses for a minute and I think his cheeks turn slightly pink. “Right.” He takes the hotel note pad and jots it down quick. “Call me.” I smile at his awkwardness.

“Yes sir.” I taunt and he grumbles and exits the room.

I pull a chair close to the window and point my scope at the room where I sit for hours.

I was so focused on the room that I hadn’t even taken a bathroom break. Normally we did this in teams and we would relieve each other of duty so the other member could take a break, but I was doing this solo. If I had to sit here without a bathroom breaks for 24 hours to give Edge his window of opportunity I would do it. Forget bathroom breaks my ass and shoulders were killing me from sitting in this position for all these hours.

A click on my door grabbed my attention. Shit! Edge wasn’t with me so I couldn’t mesmerize anyone and that was probably part of the hotel staff. What do I do? Attacking a human civilian wasn’t on my list of things I needed to do today.

I get up slowly and walk next to the door. Whoever they were I am counting that once they see the gun they’re going to freeze in fear long enough for me to knock them out.

The door slides open and first all I see is the door coming closer to my face and that was giving me the cover I needed. I hear light footsteps and they stop I assume they’re taking in the room.

“Why are standing behind the door?” A familiar voice asks. I exhale slowly walking around the door.

Edge stood at the entrance looking confused and my eyes zoom to the bag of food he has in his hand. He must have brought me something to eat. “You haven’t checked in I assumed you feel asleep.” I chuckle.

“Not a chance, but while you’re here keep watch. I need to use the bathroom.” I was bouncing while talking and I rushed to the bathroom. I did my business and very happily walked out prepared to demolish whatever Edge had brought to eat whether it belonged to me or not.

He was standing at the window not even using a pair of binoculars watching the top floor still as a statue. He lifts the bag in his hand to me without moving and I walk over to him taking gratefully.

“Cheers, I’m starving.”

“How long have you been sitting here?” He asks still completely focused on his target.

“I don’t know. A few hours maybe it’s not that bad.” I pick up my phone and look at the time and whistle. I was sitting there for eight hours to be specific. I hope all those hours of denying my bladder relief didn’t give me an infection. I don’t want to go down that road again. I shiver.

“It’s been eight hours.” He looks at me from the corner of his eyes.

I open the bag and pull out its contents glad that it was still hot. It was a bugger and a box of chips accompanied by a bottle of water instead of a soft drink. I would have preferred a milkshake right now, but this was just as good.

“Thanks for the food.” I take a bite and I stare at him.

“You’re not here because you need dinner too are you?” My words sound concerned and he snorts shaking his head.

“Your neck is safe, chill.” I let out a relived sigh and continue eating.

“The last stake out I was on I barely lasted two hours in one place. I’m impressed by your patience.” He doesn’t look at me and it’s a shame because the look on my face was priceless. My mouth was agape and I threw a chip in it since it was open. Did he just complement me?

“It’s nothing.” I dismiss him and drink almost half my water just realizing now that I was thirsty.

“Take the complements while I am giving them out. They’re rare.” He jokes and I smile.

“Careful now, one might thing you actually have a personality.” He laughs still looking out of the window.

“Bitch.” He says through a chuckle. “Have you seen anything unusual?” I shake my head then realize he can’t see me.

“Not a thing that I can say looked suspicious. It’s been eight hours and they’re hasn’t even been one human in there. I assumed they would be hanging them from the ceiling and drinking from them or something.”

Edge’s head turns to me slowly with a turned up lip and I choke on my food. “Gross.” He says squinting his eyes. I burst out laughing and it was so loud I started to heave for my next breath.

“You need to watch better vampire movie girl.” He says turning back to the window. “But if they’re haven’t been any humans in there so far it won’t be long before they get hungry. I haven’t caught a whiff of any fresh blood either.” A random thought occurred to me.

“Can’t they smell you out?”

“If they really tried then maybe, but the walls are thick and they’re probably too drunk to even think to do that. They might have turned the music on that loud to make sure no one could hear them. It might just be a coincidence that they drowned my hearing out.”

“I didn’t think vampires could get drunk.” That information stuck out to me for some reason.

“We can, it just takes a hell of a lot more than it would a human. It just hurts coming out.”

“How does that wor-?” I begin and then instinctively cross my legs grimacing. “Ouch.” He smiles.

“Yup, no functioning liver to process it. So you’re basically pissing out pure alcohol.” I like this atmosphere that we have going on. He’s actually likeable.

“Take me out drinking some time. I have to see this live.”

“Anytime.” He agreed so fast that I was taken aback. I take a deep breath and my face split into a delicate genuine smile.

I pack all my trash back into the bag and get up to clean my hands. I didn’t want to touch Jolene with dirty hands.

“Can you guys eat?” I ask while washing my hands.

“Yeah and we can taste it just fine too which is weird, but it’s the same with alcohol I can’t process it.”

“So I guess that has to come out manually too.” I wonder.

“Yup.”

“It’s interesting that you guys eat for pleasure rather than sustenance.”

I walk out wipe the remaining moisture on my hands on my uniform. Eight hours in this thing and it was still so comfy.

I walk back to my chair and sit down align Jolene with my shoulder again pointing her back to the room. I stayed like that for a few seconds and I turned my eyes back to Edge. He was still standing there and if I wasn’t mistaken he actually took a step closer to me.

I expected him to leave imminently after I had finished eating, but he stayed there. I wanted to tease him, but I kept my mouth shut. Who knew I was capable of doing that?

Since, he had extended the verbal olive branch I decided that it was ok to talk to him. “What’s happening on your end did you ever manage to hear anything from upstairs?”

“Not really, they still have the music blasting.”

“Is it possible they’re smarter then we’re giving them credit for? They might know there is an enemy vampire in the building.”

“I did think of that. I went up to their room and stood outside waiting for any shift in the footsteps any change in the air, but they kept on drinking and what I am going to assume was snorting cocaine from the scent of it in the air, probably weed too.”

“Well, that answered my “can vampires get high” question.” I mumble.

I watch the two vampires dance around the room and I see something odd from my scope. “Edge can you hand me the binoculars?” I extend my hand, but instead of handing them to me, he brings them to his eyes.

“Look for thermal readings. I see a third head.” He groans ahead and shivers.

“You’re right about one thing there is head involved.” I want to laugh, but if he could see it then that person was human.

“Someone’s getting lucky then.” I say.

“His eyes are glowing she’s being compelled.” Wait, what?

I see the vampire at the window pull on long black hair and a face comes into view. I want to throw up when I see the glazed look on the woman’s face. It never crossed my mind that vampire hypnosis could be used like this. Why had I never considered that? Because I am naïve.

He pushes her face on the window and my finger closes on the trigger. I could pull the trigger right now, but I would blow our entire cover and the other two vampires would make a run for it. Was I willing to just sit here and let them take advantage of that woman?

Edge wasn’t moving either and I realized in this moment that I am going to have to sit here with a clear shot that I could take in two seconds and watch that poor woman get violated.

Please, please show up. Please.

The vampire that I now see has bright blond hair and very bright purple eyes moves closer to the woman who wasn’t even moved an inch. He moves into her neck and sniffs licking his way up her cheek. He lifts her and presses her limp body against the window putting them both fully in my view.

Don’t let this happen. No job is worth watching this.

“In three seconds I will have my shot lined up. Make sure you’re there.” Edge turns to me slowly and before he can speak my shot is lined. The vampire reaches down to open his pants and I smile knowing that I was going to enjoy this shot.

“Ainz!” Edge shouts to stop me, but I wasn’t listening and I fired finding my mark right between the vampire’s eyes. He curses and runs out of the room.

Into my earpiece I hear Edge speak to me. “When he gets back up fire at his chest.”

“Acknowledged.” The girl drops to the ground and I look at the window with bewilderment as another vampire comes to inspect the window.

“What idiot looks out of the window when there’s a sniper?” His movements were as sluggish as his partner and this time like intrusted I aimed for the vampire’s heart. When he repelled back from the kick back of my shot I fired twice in the same spot for safety.

I could see Edge reaching the room and the other blond vampire got up and Edge was behind him in a second and stabbed the vampire in the chest with one of the knifes I had seen on him. The other one must have been dead because Edge flashed me a thumb’s up from their room.

I knew I had blown the mission and Gerry was going to kill me for this, but I didn’t care. Edge helped the girl up and moved her to a chair. I sit back shacking my head disgusted with myself.

“Fuck.” I say to myself and rub my head.

“Ainz, I smell other vamps.” I hear from Edge. “Check the ground.” I move Jolene to the entrance. Thanks to Cam’s file I knew exactly who I was looking for.

I was looking for a fuller guy with black hair and a really tall guy with closely shaved brown hair. I was a bit annoyed that they looked so normal and not more like homicidal rapists.

I spied them at the entrance and once again I was impressed by how much their guard was down, because they never even checked the perimeter. They just casually walked in.

Behind them I saw five people walking with them like zombies. “Edge, they’re coming up and they have five civilians with them.”

“Shit they’re going to smell the blood and gun powder.”

“Open a can of air freshener then!” I snap.

“Don’t give me attitude you got us into this situation.” I bite my lip, but he was right.

“I am not fucking apologizing.” I say honestly.

“Good.” He snaps and my shoulders froze in surprise.

“I hear the elevator.” He says and I hear a creaking and a clink which I am assuming was the door closing.

“Incoming in…3…2…” He stayed really quiet and I was annoyed that I didn’t have a clear view of the door, but Edge had left his mic on so I could hear it to.

“What the fuck happened?”

“Fuck Mike’s dead.” I hear the scrambling and then they start screaming. I see things flying around from the window. I am assuming that they started throwing things at Edge.

I hear animalistic growling and shuffling. One of the vampires, the heftier one hits the window and it cracks obscuring my vision.

“Screw you.” One of them shouts. Edge’s hood appears by the window and the tall one stands over him with a gun pointed down towards him.

“Nope.” I say and I aim for this chest through the cracks. The glass completely shatters and some of it falls to the ground, thankfully missing some pedestrians. Edge turns my way and I give him a thumbs up and I can see beneath his hood there was a little smile and I earned another swift little head nod.

“All four are dead. Call it in.” Edge’s relieved voice announces.

“Yes sir!” I say out of habit and he chuckles.

“Not bad, Ainz.” He was abbreviating my name now on top of the compliments. I kind of liked it.

As for our first mission, I got to say this wasn’t half bad after all.