Blood Brothers: Bloodsucker Blues 2: Vamps in Vegas, #2

By Michael Spring

Continuing the hit series that’s been called “Interview With the Vampire Meets The Office”!

Alex the vampire is back! After stealing $25 million from a ruthless Las Vegas mobster, Alex’s life is upended as those closest to him are targeted for revenge. Can Alex save the ones he loves and defeat a sadistic new villain, all while keeping his signature sense of humor intact?

Blood Brothers features twice the pages, twice the action, and twice the humor of its predecessor, Bloodsucker Blues!

• Language: English
• Publisher: No Limits, Ltd.
• Release date: Jun 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533723857

Michael Spring

Mike Spring has been writing entertainment reviews, news, and opinions since 1997. He has Bachelor’s Degree in English and Journalism from The University at Albany and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from The College of St. Rose. Mike lives in upstate New York with his wife Melissa and his twin children, Ava and Jackson. Mike Spring's first book, Bloodsucker Blues: A Vamps in Vegas Story, was an Amazon.com Top 10 Bestseller. Book 2 of the Vamps in Vegas Story is due out in June 2016! In addition to being an author, he is also a three-time award-winning voice actor, podcast host, and audiobook narrator, having narrated and produced over a dozen audiobooks. Mike Spring is also the creator and co-host of After the Ending, a popular film podcast.   You can follow Mike's works, get FREE books, and read his blog at www.wordsoutloud.com.  Follow Mike Spring on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/mikespringofficial and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/themikespring.

Book preview

Prologue

In retrospect, I suppose stealing millions of dollars from the most unflinchingly twisted mobster in Vegas—right after turning him into a vampire—probably wasn’t the smartest idea.

To be fair, it wasn’t like I wanted to turn him into a vampire. It’s just hard to prevent it when someone holds you captive, drains your blood, and then drinks it. But vamp out he did, and in retaliation, my vampire friends and I conveniently helped ourselves to some $25 million or so from the casinos he owns in Vegas. My plan was to get him to leave town and not look back. Well, like pretty much most of the plans I’ve made in my life, it didn’t exactly work out that way.

Which is how I ended up here, tied to the top of the Stratosphere, with the sun just moments from coming up. Now luckily, exposure to sunlight wasn’t going to flash fry me like you see in the movies. In reality, vampires can handle sunlight, even though it hurts like a bitch. Then again, I’d never spent an entire day chained up in direct sunlight either. I kind of doubt any vampire has. I’m not entirely sure I can survive an entire day exposed to that old yellow bastard.

Huh. This seems kind of familiar. Apparently I end up in situations like this a lot, don’t I?

Chapter 1

Three Days Earlier

After the events of Black Sunday, a bunch of us ended up back at my place. My best friend Charlie was there, my on-again/off-again girlfriend Sax was there, and about a dozen other vamps who’d helped us pull off the big winnings at Wallace Brigham’s casinos were all hanging out, celebrating what we saw as a pretty major victory. While a lot of the vamps that had helped us out were ones I hadn’t met before, this was the crowd I ran with the most often in Vegas.

The biggest character in the room was Matt Detroit Michigan. I have no idea if Matt Michigan was his real name or not, but everybody in town just called him Detroit. He was a throwback to the beginnings of Sin City. He was here when Bugsy Siegel built the town and he’s never left. Not that I could see him anywhere else; it’s like Vegas was built just for him. He never met a drink or a woman he didn’t like, his penchant for loud-print Hawaiian shirts fit right in with the tourists, and he would gamble on anything that could be bet on, and even some things that couldn’t. You’d think a guy who’s been around that long would be running the place by now, but all Detroit wants to do is play the ponies, chase the ladies, and wake up with a hangover. I have no idea how he manages to keep enough money in his pockets to pay his bills, but he pulls it off somehow.

I chatted with Detroit for a little bit and then I made my way over to one of the smartest vamps in town, Sam Puleo, esquire. Sam was my lawyer, and he was one of the best. It’s not easy to keep all your p’s and q’s straight when you gamble for a living; when you take on vamp-related odd jobs like I do, things get even trickier. Sam kept all my books straight so that Uncle Sam and his friends in the IRS would have no reason to look into my various shenanigans.

Most of us were pretty high from the events of the evening. When you gamble for a living—especially when you have an edge like vampires do—the thrill wears off pretty quickly. Most nights I’m apt just to walk into a casino, pick up a cool thousand bucks or so at a poker game, and walk out. 15 minutes tops. It’s just like working a nine-to-five job for me; I simply show up, punch my time card, and get out as fast as I can.

But there’s a different feeling when you’re stealing $25 million from a guy who’s just become public enemy numero uno to the entire vampire society in Las Vegas. Sure, he was one of us now... technically. But no vamp in Vegas would give him the time of day or have anything to do with him. You don’t get to choose to become a vampire by force; that goes against every natural law vampires abide by. Not that I think it’ll matter much; Brigham wouldn’t really need vamps to do his bidding when he already had an army of humans working for him; he’d simply be around a lot longer now.

Just thinking about it got my blood boiling again. I walked over to Sam and said, So, do we need to be worried about any kind of repercussions here?

Sam looked at me over his horn-rimmed glasses. I don’t know why he hung onto them; vampires have perfect eyesight. I think he feels like they make him look smarter. Truth be told, he’s not wrong; they do make him look smarter. Well, legally, you didn’t do anything wrong. He’d have to prove that you cheated and since none of you did—at least not within the letter of mortal law—you really don’t have anything to worry about. I felt myself relax a little.

Sam pulled me aside from the crowd and spoke to me in hushed tones. Now, listen, Alex, legally, you have nothing to worry about. But I’ve had dealings with Brigham before. He’s a nasty sonofabitch. You ask me if you’re safe from any retaliation at all? I’d have to say a very emphatic no. This asshole is going to come at you with everything he’s got. If I were you, I’d think about getting out of town for a while.

It was sound advice. I already knew Brigham wouldn’t hesitate to kill me when he wanted me to turn him into a vampire. Now that I’d drained him of something more valuable than blood I had no doubt he’d come after me. "I hear ya, Sam, I do. But I gotta be honest, I hope he does come after me. This bastard is a real piece of work, and the idea of him running around with vampire powers...? Honestly, it terrifies me. It will not be good for anyone in this town: