Chapter 2
Kimmy didn’t want to be bothered with what had happened to her family. She’d not even known she had any until today. Apparently, she had not just a sister but a brother too. And they had died in a car accident several weeks ago.
She’d been adopted when she’d been about four.
She remembered that the people who had taken her in were nice, but they really hadn’t wanted a kid, more like a general slave that would do as they wanted and not ask any questions.
She’d done that and more for the next twelve years until the mister died of pneumonia after a week of being sick, and the missus decided that she didn’t want her anymore.
That she could do better in a nursing home all by herself.
So at seventeen, Kimmy found herself homeless and without any kind of job.
It took her another two months of living on the streets before she was able to find herself both. Now this.
“The insurance isn’t all that much, nearly half a million dollars.
The only reason that it’s that high is that they’d been in an accident that took their life, and they got double the amount.
” She told him that half a million was better than she’d had in her life.
“Yes, but if you don’t spend it well, you’ll be out of it in no time.
Both your brother and sister had paid into it so that they could benefit from it when something happened to the other.
I don’t think they could have guessed that they’d both die together. ”
She had a feeling that he was thinking that she was going to spend the money like a fool.
When all she could think about was paying her rent and buying food at the same time.
It would be nice too to be able to buy meat once in a while, but she wasn’t going to get ahead of herself.
She knew better than most what it was to not have anything at all but a couple of dollars in her purse.
She still didn’t know how they’d figured out that she was their sister.
She had filled out one of those DNA things to find her parents, but that had been a bust. That’s the only thing that she could think of in order for them to find her.
She was just lucky; she supposed that they even bothered.
The man who was working with her seemed to have a stick up his ass about giving the money to her.
She’d show him, she’d have double the amount in a few years, and he’d be eating crow. Whatever that meant.
He told her several times that she was going to have to get herself a bank account.
Little did he know she already had one, and it was overdrawn as of this morning.
This money would go a long way in helping her out of the hole she was in.
Just as she was leaving the office, she bumped into a man who was coming in the door.
“I’m so sorry.” He just stared at her for several moments before he started cursing. “I only bumped into you. I didn’t hurt you enough for you to be all pissy with me.”
“You’re human.” She said that she thought that everyone was. “No, you’d be wrong about that, too. I’m not. I’m a vampire of considerable age, and you’ve messed up my entire life.”
“By bumping into you? You’re nuts. I didn’t even hit you that hard.
I should have been watching where I was going, sure, but you have no reason to be rude to me.
I said I was sorry.” He glared at her, and she’d had enough.
Walking around him, giving him a wide berth, she went out into the sunshine and looked up at the sun.
It had been a beautiful day until dumbass showed up.
She would admit that it was her fault, but there was no reason for him to treat her the way that he had.
Going to the bank, she was nearly there when she realized that he was following her.
Turning around, he bumped into her this time. She asked him what he was doing.
“I have to protect you. Even if it’s from yourself.” She told him that the only one she needed protecting from at the moment was him. “People will kill you for that check that you have on you. One of them has been following you since you left the office.”
She looked around him and didn’t see anything. Looking at the man, she asked him what his beef was with her. When he called her a human again, she decided that she’d had enough. Ignoring him for the moment, she went to the bank and stood in line so that she could deposit the check.
“You’ll have to talk to the bank manager.” She told him she just wanted to put it into her account. “They will only refer you to the bank manager, so you might as well go there first. It will save me a lot of time if you were to just listen to me.”
“I don’t even know who you are.” He said his name was Rance Smith. “Smith, huh? That’s not very special, is it? I guess you’re going to tell me you’ve never had a last name before and picked one that you thought was cool or sexy or something.”
“It’s what all vampires use. It’s easier to remember.
” She was next in line, and when she was at the counter, they told her that she’d have to talk to the bank manager.
Glaring at Rance, she decided that she didn’t want him in her business and was just about to tell him that when she was bumped into by a stranger.
“Give it back to her before I have to drain you.”
If she’d not been looking at Rance, she would have missed the change from man to…
well, she had no idea what to call what he changed into.
He looked monstrous, and she was suddenly afraid for the man.
He handed back her check that she’d not even known was gone and left them by backing out of the bank until he was out the door.
“You’re not a human, are you?” He told her that he’d told her that and she’d not listened. “I listened, but I didn’t want to know that there are people like you in the world.” She told him that it came out wrong.
“Aren’t you afraid of me?” She thought about it and told him that she wasn’t. She didn’t know why; he was something that she’d never encountered before, but she wasn’t afraid. “You should be. I’m nothing like anything you’ve encountered before.”
“No, you’re not. But I’m not afraid of you for some reason.
” She waited in the chairs for the bank manager, and when she went back to see him, Rance went with her.
She decided that she couldn’t have a better protector than him and didn’t say anything when he went into the office with her.
Sitting down, she told him that she’d just inherited a great deal of money and needed to put it into her account.
“I know there are rules about that much money. I’ve read up on them.
Just put some of the money in this account, and I’ll open a savings account too for the rest.”
“She’s going to be on my accounts too.” She just stared at Rance and then asked him what he was talking about. “You’re my mate. I’ll have you know that I’m not going to be giving you money for just anything that you want. You’ll have money of your own for that.”
“Well, goody for you. I didn’t want your money anyway.
” The bank manager looked confused, and she didn’t blame him.
She was as well. “I’m going to open a savings account for the rest of my money.
If you put my name on his accounts, I’m going to be really pissed off.
I didn’t ask to be put on his accounts, and I don’t want to be. ”
“Yes, ma’am.” He helped her with her accounts, and she had enough money in hers to pay her rent that was due next week and go to the grocery store.
After getting everything finished with the bank manager, she smiled and shook his hand.
He told her it was great doing business with her and hoped she had a good day.
“If you decide later to have your name on his accounts, we can certainly do that. Have a good day.”
After leaving the bank, she headed home. She didn’t care what Rance did, but she was still ignoring him for now. Walking home, she decided to treat herself to lunch and went into the dairy bar and ordered a chef salad.
“You’ll need to eat more meat to keep up with me.
” She had no idea what that meant and picked the meat out of her salad and put it to the side for now.
“Now you’re just being childish. When I meant for you to eat more, that wasn’t an invitation for you to not eat any.
You’ll only be unhealthy if you continue to ignore what I tell you. ”
“You don’t seem to want me around, so why are you following me everywhere?
Or, for that matter, why do you care what I do?
I have a life that I’m living verily well, and I don’t need you in my life.
” She thought of something. “Thank you for getting my check back from that man. I’d not known that he’d taken it from me. ”
“There are a lot of people out there that would pick you dry if you don’t pay attention to what’s going on around you.
” She asked him if he was going to be one of those who picked her dry.
“No. I’m going to have to protect you from yourself, I guess.
It sounds like a full-time job, but I think I’m up for it.
I have a house that I love. If you don’t, then I can get you something else.
I love my new home and plan on living there until I decide I want to die. ”
“If you’re a vampire, how are you out in the sun?” She smiled at him, but she knew that it wasn’t a friendly smile. “Or is this your way of getting yourself rid of me? I wouldn’t put anything past you right now.”