Quinn kept an eye on the three rogues as he went about taking care of his customers and making sure they had everything they needed. He was really glad the three fugitive vampires weren't in his section, but he felt bad for the waiter serving them, who was human and had no idea vampires existed outside of Hollywood movies.
By the time the restaurant cleared out and all the customers left, including the three rogue vampires, Quinn's nerves were strung tight. It wasn't often rogues came into the city, mostly because they were outlawed by the vampire council, hence being rogues.
But, from what Quinn had been able to piece together, there had been a lot of upheaval in the council as of late. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but rumor was one of the elders had flipped his lid, killing the others. New council members had been appointed, but Quinn wasn't sure they were any better.
Quinn didn't much care as long as they kept their problems to themselves. He had bigger things to worry about than vampire politics and intrigue.
He had mouths to feed.
After cleaning his tables and his station, Quinn double-checked the orders he'd had for the day, making sure the computer system matched his order records, then counted out his tips. He was required to split his tips with everyone else who worked in the restaurant.
He didn't have too much of a problem doing that except that there were a couple of people who really didn't pull their own weight. They skimmed along doing the very least they could get away with without getting fired. Quinn was pretty sure one or two of them actually kept their tips and didn't share with the rest of the staff.
Whatever.
Quinn wrote his tips down on his timesheet then dropped them into the kitty jar. At the end of the week, the tips were all counted out then split between everyone according to what they did and how much they earned in tips.
It wasn't a perfect system, but Quinn really counted on that tip bonus at the end of the week to buy extra groceries. Between his tips and the little extra overtime he could find here and there, he was just able to break even at the end of the month.
Quinn made one last sweep of his area then headed toward the employee lounge, which was basically just a small room with a table, some chairs, and a couple of lockers. He took off his apron and tossed it into the hamper then grabbed his jacket and headed out.
He smiled when he saw the white bag sitting on the counter next to the back door. "Thanks, Jack."
The older chef nodded to him, but didn't say anything. He never really did unless it was to bark out orders while he cooked. That was okay. He was a great cook, and he always made sure Quinn was able to take home whatever leftovers there were.
Quinn pulled on his jacket, grabbed the take-out bag and put it into his backpack, then headed out. He had a bus ride and then a six-block walk before he was home. Considering he'd been on his feet all day, he wasn't looking forward to any of it.
He just didn't have a choice. There weren't a ton of places he could afford to rent considering what he made. The restaurant where he worked was in one of the classier neighborhoods. Quinn lived in a neighborhood most people wouldn't walk through during the daytime, let alone at night, but it was what he could afford.
When Quinn reached the end of the alleyway beside the restaurant, he zipped up his coat then hurried down the street toward the bus stop. If he missed his bus, he was screwed. It was the last one from this neighborhood until morning. He'd have to walk over a mile to reach another bus stop that was active this time of night.
Quinn reached the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up. He breathed a sigh of relief as the doors opened and he was able to climb on. As he settled in his seat, he glanced out the window.
For just a moment, he thought he saw the blond vampire from the restaurant standing beside one of the buildings, but he knew that couldn't be right. The bus lurched as it started to move, making Quinn glance toward the front where the driver was. When he looked back, the shadowy form was gone.
It was probably his imagination. He'd been thinking of the sexy vampire on and off all evening. There was no reason for the man to be following him. Quinn doubted he'd ever see him again.
Too bad, the guy really was easy on the eyes.
Still, Quinn knew he didn't need that kind of entanglement. His life was chaotic enough as it was. Lusting after a vampire would send it into the stratosphere.
When the bus stopped at the downtown transit station, Quinn climbed off and then began walking the two blocks to his next destination. This was the part of his evening he really didn't like, but not making this stop wasn't possible.
When he reached the faded red brick building, he nodded to the guy sitting on the steps and then made his way inside. It wasn't the cleanest place he'd ever been to, but it wasn't the dirtiest, either.
Quinn walked over to the check-in counter and smiled at the tired-looking woman behind it. "I'm here to see Dr. Webster."
The woman glanced up. "What are your symptoms?"
"I'm just here for a withdrawal."
"Go sit down. Someone will call you."
Quinn walked over and sat down in one of the chairs against the wall. He hoped the doctor wouldn't be too long. He wanted to go home and get off his feet. Unfortunately, when he did get home, he had a few things to do before that could happen. He doubted he'd see his bed until midnight.
Quinn leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
"The doctor is ready for you."
Quinn kept his groan locked behind his lips as he opened his eyes and pushed himself to his feet. He followed the nurse back to one of the rooms that had been set up as an exam room. The doctor was waiting for him.
"Hey, Doc."
"Hello, Quinn." He patted the exam bed. "Hop on the bed and roll up your sleeve."
Quinn knew the routine. He set his bag down next to the door and took off his jacket before doing as the doctor had ordered. He no longer got queasy when the doctor stuck a needle in his arm or when his blood began to go up the clear little tube into the bag hanging on the IV stand.
"This shouldn't take too long, Quinn."
Quinn smiled. "I know." This was not the first time he'd done this. It wouldn't be the last. "Any word on the synthetic blood?"
Dr. Webster shook his head. "Vaile Industries still refuses to sell to anyone not on their approved list."
Quinn's heart sank just a little bit. "Don't they understand that there are people out there starving to death?"
"I'm not sure they care, Quinn. The vampires I serve live on the fringes of society, vampire society and human society. Most people don't want to admit there's a problem let alone deal with it."
Quinn knew that was why Dr. Webster worked in his free clinic. It was the only way some people—human and vampire—could get medical care.
"It's wrong," Quinn said. "My brothers and sister never asked for this. It's not their fault their fathers had the bad luck of falling for our mother."
His own father had been killed, murdered right in front of Quinn's eyes, by rogue vampires, which was how he knew about them. It was a horrible way to learn about vampires, an even worse way to discover his mother actually was one of those fanged freaks.
"We both know it's not right, Quinn, but it is what it is." Dr. Webster removed the needle from Quinn's arm and then placed a cotton ball over the needle opening and put a piece of medical tape over it. "If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd be able to fix things, but I can't."