From: Dianne Therese De Sha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: DTD: Nick's Revenge
[Note: I have never met, nor have I ever even seen pictures of
Susan Garrett...any description used here, therefore is a
compilation obtained second-hand from sources whom I have
*sworn* to keep anonymous (or else be forced to find them a
way into the Federal Witness Relocation Program...)]
****************************************
Dusk to Dawn: Nick's Revenge
by Dianne T. DeSha
(the *original* "DTD" ;-)
"Nick, this time you've gone *too* far!"
The cornered vampire turned, expecting Janette, but
finding himself instead facing a woman, about 5'5", with long
brown hair cascading down her back, and a roundish face
surmounted by large, plastic-framed glasses.
"Susan Garrett," Nick said, rolling his eyes toward
the ceiling. Stolen _nothing_, the Caddy was probably
_toast_. "What are you doing here?"
"Just because Janette takes this..., this...," she
searched for a polite term, "This *treatment* from you
doesn't mean _we_ are going to!"
"We?"
"*We*! The Ravens and Ravenettes. We're sick of
watching you treat Janette like an information booth at the
state fair!"
"I do *not*...," Nick began.
"Oh *yes* you do!" Susan countered. "Except, of
course, for the times when you need to 'relieve a little
stress'?"
Nick actually blushed (which takes serious work for
a vampire) and changed the subject. "Miklos said you
threatened to call _Dorian_," Nick said nervously.
"And what if I did?" Susan responded calmly.
"Dorian is *seriously* 'out of commission',
remember?" Nick insisted with more bravado than he
obviously felt. "What about _Kind Soul_?"
Susan shrugged, "So I exaggerated a bit."
"A _bit_?" Nick asked hopefully.
"A *lot*," Susan reassured him with a distinctly
unpleasant grin.
Nick was getting desperate. It was bad enough that
Janette would no longer take his calls (let alone 'relieve any
of his stress'). He could even handle angry Ravenettes
arriving unannounced on his doorstep. But *Dorian*? That
was just too much.
Returning Susan's furious stare Nick held her gaze
until her eyes glazed over and he could hear her heartbeat
echoing in his ears. He gave the only command he could
think of on short notice, "Sleep."
Susan slumped unconscious at his feet.
Nick tried to think fast. He could hypnotize her out of this
vendetta, but it would be awkward (at best) to try to explain
her presence here.
Besides, Dorian was coming.
And where Dorian went, _Enforcers_ had a nasty
tendency to follow.
They'd be looking for her. If he could just get her
somewhere away--*far* away--then give her some ready
cash, mesmerize her into believing she'd been on some
drunken binge (Reno? Vegas? Atlantic City?)....
There was only one way to do it. Nick stooped over
and picked up Susan's unconscious form.
Susan awoke to find herself being jostled about in the dark.
Reaching out with her ears and her fingertips, she
discovered she was encased in steel. A moving car...or,
more precisely, the *trunk* of a moving car.
As her vision adjusted to the dark, she realized that
enough light shone along the edge of the lid to give her a
view of the paint color.
Blue.
Or was that green?
Just then a street lamp shone just long enough to
decide the matter.
It was *teal*.
Susan's screams of horror were lost in the rushing wind as
the freeway opened up and the Caddy gained speed.
***The End***
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