You Should Have Known Better Than That

"Did you bring it?"

As I spoke a flash of lightning filled the study with a brilliant white light and deep black shadows through the tall window. She gulped the air so loudly I thought her lungs would burst.

"You startled me," she said releasing her breath after the thunderclap.

"This place has that effect on people. We vampires like to hang out here for the atmosphere."

"Vampires," she chuckled slightly under her breath. "My husband bought your "Vampire Detective" schtick. He told me all about vampires but I stopped believing in fairy tales years ago. "

"Have you really? We'll have to see. Did you bring the money?"

"Yes it's all here. The cash, the bonds everything you asked for, one hundred thousand dollars," She said sliding the briefcase towards me.

"Excellent."

I pulled the small wooden box from my pocket. The top was carved with symbols and the side was hinged with leather strips. I set it on the table next to the briefcase.

"Aren't you going to open it?" I asked as I checked her payment.

"My husband trusts you which is too bad for him. He's about to lose his money and his precious artifact. I'll tell him you double crossed him."

Unsurprisingly when I looked across the table she had a gun pointed at me.

Another flash of lightning and clap of thunder obscured the shot. When her eyes adjusted she gulped again. I just stood there with a hole in my chest where my heart was.

She dropped the gun and ran for the door but she might as well have been moving in slow motion. I streaked ahead and she ran into my grasp.

"Your husband must have told you bullets are useless against vampires. You should know better than that."