“Why did I let you drive again?” Ruby sighed as she stepped out of Harlan’s car, parked in front of a rundown apartment building.

“Because it’s my car?” he countered.

“Whoever gave you a license should be fired,” she shook her head.

“Is this a good time to mention I don’t actually have a license?” Harlan said, following her inside the building and away from the scorching sun.

Walking around in daylight all day was starting to take its toll, and he hadn’t eaten in two days. He wasn’t veering into dangerous territory just yet, but he did make a mental note to make sure he got to a donor sooner rather than later.

“You don’t even have a license?” Ruby whirled around, eyes wide. “I should have you arrested, you know.”

“I’ve been driving for decades, and I’ve never been in an accident. I’m probably the best driver you’ve ever met. No need to throw me in jail just yet,” he chuckled.

“Exactly how old are you anyway?” Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Now that’s just rude,” Harlan clucked his tongue, brushing past her.

He could swear he saw her smile at that from the corner of his eye, and it made him happier than he would have liked to admit. Getting attached to humans was a mistake he was past making. He had been around long enough to know better.

Yet with Ruby, none of the rules he’d set up for himself seemed to matter. There was something about her he found irresistible, and he knew that could only spell trouble for him. Even if Ruby didn’t find his kind distasteful at best, there was no way they could ever have a relationship past this forced partnership they were involved in.

I shouldn’t want anything more. I can’t give her what she deserves.

“You coming or what?” was what he said out loud, climbing up the stairs.

Many of the apartments in the building seemed to be empty. His senses told him there weren’t many humans around, and the whole place reeked of desperation and bad decisions.

“You don’t even know which floor to go to,” Ruby remarked, catching up to him. “And you don’t know this guy. I do. So step aside, Mr. Vampire,” she said edging past him.

“You don’t even know if he’s here,” Harlan replied.

“It’s a Wednesday afternoon. Trust me, he’ll be here. I’ve never known the man to get out of bed before five,” she said, confidently striding up to the third floor.

Ruby was definitely rolling with everything life had thrown her way recently, and was proving to be more useful than he’d thought. Harlan had connections in the vampire world, sure, but as far as humans went, he had a couple of regular donors back in LA and that was the extent of his relationships with the warm-blooded.

Grant used to be the same, he mused, wondering what the hell his one-time friend had gotten himself involved in.

“This is it,” Ruby announced, approaching a flimsy-looking door at the end of the hallway.

“Maybe I should go in first,” Harlan suggested.

“I can handle myself,” Ruby said, squaring her shoulders. “I might have trouble with my shoelaces but I can still throw a punch.”

“I don’t doubt that, but you can still get hurt. I can’t,” Harlan argued.

Ruby just rolled her eyes at him before busting the door open with one well-placed kick. Dust wafted around her as the door knocked into the apartment wall, and she stepped inside, not even bothering to say a word to him.

Stubborn and impulsive. Now why do I find that so attractive? Harlan wondered, before catching up with her within the blink of an eye.

“Whoa,” Ruby muttered when he appeared at her side. “Remind me to never challenge you to a race.”

Looking around the room, Harlan noticed a man rousing from his bed, rubbing his eyes as he blinked at him and Ruby.

“Aw, man. Not this crazy chick again,” Harlan heard the man mumble to himself.

“Hey, Mickey,” Ruby said, giving the man a wide smile. “How’s my favorite little rat? It’s been awhile since I last arrested you. Miss me?”

“Like a hole in the head,” Mickey replied, throwing his blanket aside and slowly getting to his feet.

He was an average-looking man, fit, but not exactly muscular, with an olive complexion and dark hair. Clad in a wife-beater and a pair of basketball shorts, he yawned, before glancing over at his door and frowning.

“I heard you were no longer on the force. So what are you doing breaking down my door, huh? Maybe I should call the real cops to haul your ass to jail for breaking and entering,” Mickey said, sparing a quick look at Harlan. “Who’s the suit?” he asked.

“Shut up, Mickey,” Ruby sighed. “We both know you’re not going to call the cops, so let’s cut the bull. I’m here for some information.”

“And why on earth should I tell you anything? You can’t threaten me anymore. You’re just a civilian,” Mickey snickered, crossing his arms in front of him.

News sure traveled fast.

“I still have friends on the force. You answer a couple of questions, and I’ll owe you one,” Ruby shrugged.

“Like I need a favor from a washed-up cop,” Mickey scoffed. “But maybe you can repay me in some other way…” he trailed off, openly leering at her.

Harlan knew he shouldn’t intervene, but Mickey’s comments were getting under his skin. He wasn’t going to let some lowlife dirtbag talk to Ruby like that. There was still a standard of basic manners in the world, even if Mickey didn’t seem to be aware of it.

“You should watch your mouth when you’re talking to a lady,” Harlan commented, adjusting his cufflinks. “Besides, you wouldn’t be man enough for her anyway.”

That got Mickey’s attention as he uncrossed his arms and took a step closer to them, clearly unhappy.

“What the fuck are you trying to say?” he demanded, before turning to Ruby. “Who is this clown?”

“He’s my new partner,” Ruby replied lightly. “And I wouldn’t piss him off if I were you. I’ve heard he likes ripping people’s heads off,” she said, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips when she looked over at Harlan.

Surprised at Ruby calling him her partner, Harlan had to stop himself from grinning. It meant a lot to him that Ruby was showing him some trust, but he didn’t want to get ahead of himself.

“I really do,” he nodded, playing along.

“Naw, you look like you wouldn’t want to ruin that fancy suit of yours with blood,” Mickey scoffed, but some of the bravado went out of his voice was he took the time to study Harlan more closely.

Not only was Harlan taller and broader than the man standing in front of him, he also had his vampiric speed and strength to help him out. A fight between Harlan and Mickey would hardly be fair, but that didn’t mean Harlan was above kicking Mickey’s disrespectful ass.

“Look, whatever you think I might know, I don’t, okay?” Mickey said, backing away and leaning against an old desk shoved up against the wall.

Ruby didn’t seem to be buying a word of it.

“Why don’t you let me ask the questions?” she said, looking annoyed and impatient.

Keeping a close eye on Mickey, Harlan couldn’t help but notice the man slip his hands behind his back, looking like he was fumbling with something behind him. Ruby caught that too, it seemed.

“Hey,” she warned. “Keep those hands where I can see them.”

Not wanting to take any chances, Harlan pushed himself into motion, the edges of his vision blurring slightly as he ran to Mickey and back with preternatural speed. As he stood back at Ruby’s side, dangling a silver Colt .45 in his hand, he felt a pang of hunger deep in his gut, but ignored it.

“Looking for this?” he asked, smiling to himself as he watched Mickey’s wide-eyed reaction.

“What the…” he muttered, glancing behind him at an empty drawer.

Ruby looked from the gun to Mickey, clearly pissed off.

“Now, Mickey,” she said, stepping closer to the man. “You weren’t thinking of pointing that at us, were you?” she asked, and the threat in her voice was clear.

“I don’t know what’s going on here but…” Mickey said, trying to push past her.

In one swift move, Ruby had Mickey’s arm behind his back and was wrestling him to the ground. Harlan hesitated for a moment before deciding not to intervene. He could see Ruby’s right shoulder was trembling slightly, but he wasn’t about to rush in like she was some damsel in distress.

Ruby could definitely handle herself, and Harlan didn’t want her to think he doubted that. So he watched, slightly amused, as the side of Mickey’s face was pressed into the dirty floor. Tears sprung to the man’s eyes as Ruby put more pressure on his arm, until she was all but sitting on him.

“You keep making one bad choice after the other,” Ruby said, grunting slightly. “Now why don’t you make a good one for a change and tell us what we want to know.”