Chas moved like a shadow with teeth. The older thug stepped forward, waving a pistol, his voice cocky. “You picked the wrong alley, freak.”
The vampire didn’t flinch.
He was already calculating heartbeats—two fast, one slower and weakening. The old woman’s.
“Shoot him, Juan!” the younger one barked, knife in hand, his bravado fading fast.
Juan fired. The shots hit home, slamming into Chas’s chest and shoulder. He staggered but didn’t fall. Instead, he looked down at the w
