Now or Forever Read Online Free Page B

electric lights in the temple walls back in ‘09. It woke me. I think he had twenty of them done before he stopped. It was an International incident, reported everywhere.”
    “Let’s just say I might have read that. Go on.”
    “He disappeared. Nobody ever claimed responsibility.”
    “Let me guess some more. You let him live long enough to wire your place?”
    “Longer.”
    “He’s still alive?”
    “I didn’t say that. Hong-Ye left... a bit ago. I didn’t care. He gave me what I needed.”
    “What?” His voice was a grunt.
    “He became my teacher. In English... and modern affairs. We bartered.”
    “With what?”
    “His life and my protection. For his knowledge. And the use of his cellular telephone.”
    “His cell?”
    “I’d check my language skills with it. Nobody ever checked if the system got linked up. Or how much power gets used. And nobody shut down my connection. They just keep paying the bill. I don’t think anybody’s ever going to claim responsibility. They’re still hiding it.”
    He started chuckling. And shaking his head. “Dang. You are sharp. Impressive. And really cute. It’s almost a shame—no. I’ll just stop there. So. You ran across an electrician in Cambodia in 2009, and he just happened to be drilling holes in a world protected site – and nobody copped to the deed. Bet you were a surprise.”
    “Well. He did wake me.”
    “And this Hong-Ye just happened to have an English-speaking laptop that was registered to Electronic Zone One?”
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “Rewind. You had him wire the place and you’re using his connection and IP address...and it wasn’t Zone One?”
    “He had a smart phone. One of the first models, I think. It spoke several languages. I learned them all while I made calls and listened in.”
    “You pranked people with random calls? This is classic. And I’m really starting to like you. And that’s a really bad thing.”
    “But why? You’re my mate.”
    “That’s a timeout violation, Tassanee. We’re talking smart phones, illegal wire tapping, theft, and...I might as well toss in murder. None of which sounds like eternal damnation to me. You want to keep on task, please?”
    “Eternal damnation?”
    “You call it your way. I’ll call it mine. The phone?”
    “Oh. That. It was fun at first. And then it got slower and slower. I didn’t know how slow it was until recently.”
    “Recently?”
    “I got the laptop a few months ago. From a scientist fellow. Or one of his men.”
    “Ah. The doomed archeological team rides into the mix. And look. You stole their equipment after killing them. Damn. I do like vampires. They’re so compassionate and gentle.”
    “It was their fault. They shot at me. I got angry. Besides...they didn’t need it.”
    “Wow. Okay. You about finished, Stan?” He turned his head and said the last toward his partner. But he didn’t take his eyes from her. “You know, the more I hear, the more I think I like you. It’s almost a shame I’m such a confirmed bachelor.”
    “But, you’re my mate.”
    “That is another timeout violation.”
    “You brought it up.”
    “Woman argument. Unfair advantage.”
    “What?”
    “When women argue, it’s unfair. They keep changing the rules and taking advantage.”
    “What rules?”
    “And just when you figure out what debate method they’re using, they snap in another direction entirely.”
    “What debate?”
    “You know, we need to get moving. Hunters may be at Krol Ko, and they could be right behind that wall. We’ve got bikes parked near the gates. It’s quite a hike. Oh. I might as well tell you. We opted for the pedal kind, for covert purposes. Not that you’ll have trouble.”
    “We can fly.”
    “Let just say, I don’t want to do any more vampire shit at the moment, okay?”
    “Leonard. I am a vampire.”
    “No kidding? You got anything new you want to tell me?”
    “I’m immortal. I suck blood to survive. I sometimes kill. And I have