Helsinki, 4.

Thursday.

Kielo didn’t have to work that same evening, so my working for her started the following day. She told me that she’d get off her day job at five, and have a meeting with a client at seven, in one of Helsinki’s hippest restaurants. Her client had made the reservation for them and his colleagues a few weeks in advance, and there was no way I would be able to get in on such short notice. So we agreed that I’d keep an eye on the place from a café across the street. It was still light outside when I met her at her apartment building to escort her to the restaurant, so I doubted there would be any trouble. The restaurant would be full, no one in their sane mind would attempt anything stupid there. Shouldn’t complain, though, I’d get to spent an evening reading a book at a café and get paid for it!

I did do my job, and kept an eye on everyone entering the restaurant for the next four hours. Not one single vampire. The doorman was even stricter in his scrutiny than I was. And when Kielo and her client finally exited, my bladder was full of coffee and my blood full of sugar from the two pieces of cake I’d bought from the café. Thanking the salesgirl I left as soon as I spotted the two, and crossed the street to follow them from a short distance. Since it was Thursday the streets weren’t as packed as they would be for the next two evenings, so I had no trouble keeping up with Kielo and the man as they walked a few hundred yards to where his car was parked. I watched as they exchanged a few more words before he got into his car and drove off. I saw Kielo relax noticeably when he was out of sight. Then she turned in my direction. I gave her a grin and walked up to her.

“How did it go?” she asked, rubbing at her temples with the tips of her fingers.

“All right. No sight of anyone suspicious entering the restaurant or hanging around it.” I reported and asked her the same question.

“It was so boring! He was one of those who just wanted a pretty girl to show off to his friends. All I did was sit there and smile while they talked. If the pay wasn’t so good I’d quit this job.” She was almost huffing with annoyance. I coughed to hide my smile and got ready to escort her home, thinking that the day was done.

It wasn’t.

“I need a drink. Come on!” Kielo grabbed me by the arm and before I knew what was going on she was dragging me to the closest bar. By the time I had wrapped my mind around this new turn of events we were already standing by the bar and she was asking me to name my poison. I settled for a beer, not wanting to get too drunk on the job. I don’t know what Kielo got for herself, but it came with one of those brightly coloured umbrellas.

“Here’s to a peaceful week!” She said and lifted her drink in a toast. I nodded and happily drank to that. I had barely managed to swallow when she was pulling me in a new direction, towards a table outside the bar, in an area reserved for smokers. Having spent the last several hours on my bottom I didn’t relish the idea of sitting down again, but the chair was surprisingly comfortable, and a nice change from the wooden one at the café.

It was still quite warm outside, and even though the sun had set it was not dark yet. The scent of lilacs was strong in the air, and quite a lot of people were still walking the streets or sitting outside, like we were.

I watched with some amusement as Kielo proceeded to strip off her jewellery, a matching bracelet, necklace and earrings. She then kicked off her high-heeled shoes and took off all the hairpins which were keeping her blond hair –now slightly curly- in check.

“It feels so good to get all that off. I much more prefer to dress casually, but for this job I usually have to look the part, you know?”

I just nodded as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, and lit up. She offered me one but I haven’t smoked since the seventies so I refused the offer.

“I don’t usually smoke, but it’s a good way to relax after days like this. Just a cigarette or two. I will hate the smell in my hair tomorrow morning, though.” Kielo explained, sipping at her drink. I nodded again as I watched her. I think my head must have been tilted to the side a little since she tilted hers so that we were looking each other in the eye.

“You would look really good with short hair.”

I blinked owlishly and tugged at my long, black locks. “My hair starts to curl if it’s too short. I don’t like it.” I told her, and she started to smile.

“Thought I’d never get you to talk. I love curly hair. If you ask me, I’d definitely cut my hair short if I were you. You’d look even cuter.”

Luckily I didn’t have any beer in my mouth at that moment; either I would have been choking or Kielo would have gotten a shower. “Are you flirting with me?”

“I might be.” She said with a shrug and a coy smile.

“And here I was thinking you date men for a living.”

“Exactly. One should never mix work with pleasure, though.”

I laughed at her choice of words, and she must have realized herself what she had just said.

“I just meant that even if I do go out with men, it’s just because I get paid for it. And it doesn’t mean I have to do it for pleasure as well. I find that women are much better company.”

“Can’t argue with that.” I muttered, considering my own recent tastes.

“Since you are following me like a shadow for the next week I think it would be nice if we can, you know. Get friendlier. Not just strictly business. Or is that how you usually work? Strictly business?” she was twirling the umbrella from her drink between her fingers as she watched me from under her dark eyelashes. I swallowed with some difficulty before I managed to say anything.

“Not really. It depends very much on the job.” It was the truth, although the last time I had actually worked as a vampire slayer, things had been very different indeed. Like I said, they have infiltrated the society today, and created sort of laws to keep each other in check so that people like me don’t get a reason to go after them. And, back when I was working more, I was usually employed by more than one person. A family or even a small village harassed by a vampire had been my usual clients, since they tend to prey on more people at once if possible. More dinner options.

“And no two are the same?” Kielo’s question startled me from my thoughts, so all I managed was a nod. She didn’t seem to mind my silence as she continued talking. “I thought that this job would be the same, but the truth is that there are only so many types of men who hire escort girls that it gets dull after a while. Of course there are differences, but the basic types are there clearly to be seen, you know?”

I nodded again, twirling the beer in my pint.

“But in your work you must have seen all kinds?”

“Couldn’t say. I usually don’t get too close with the people I work for. Basically they hire me, I go and kill the vampire, return to get paid and leave. Not much room for interaction there.”

“So this bodyguard thing is new to you?” she looked at me over the brim of her glass, asking her question just before sipping the drink. I nodded, once again.

“Truth be told, I haven’t really worked in a while. I’ve been living off my savings, and what money I make from renting my apartments around Europe.”

“Oh, I see…” Kielo said and sighed. “I wish I could do the same. I’m working two jobs right now and I really don’t like either of them. Oh, to be rich and live a life of leisure.”

I laughed a little into my pint before taking a long sip of the cool liquid. “Take into consideration that I worked long and hard to make enough money to be able to live like this now.”

“Yeah. I probably won’t have that long…” Kielo rolled her lower lip out, giving her pink umbrella a mournful look.

“You can always marry a rich old man and kill him with sex or something.” I suggested with a shrug. It made her laugh.

“The trouble with that idea is that I would actually have to have sex with that old man.”

“Once or twice, but think of the results!” Her laughter made me chuckle, and I agreed to have another pint when she got up to get herself a fresh drink.

Two drinks ended up being five while Kielo chattered on about her work and asked me questions about mine. I told her what I could and dared; I’ve learned it’s not wise to go babbling on about everything I’ve seen to everyone I meet, no matter how pretty they are or how much they will pay. Or how many drinks they’re buying. The more we had, the more openly she was flirting with me. Which was nice; she was pretty, and I really didn’t have any objections to mixing business with pleasure. Not in this case anyway.

It was well over midnight when I finally managed to remind Kielo that she had to go to work in the morning, and we left the bar. It was still nice and warm outside, the air fresh from a shower of rain. The sky was dark blue above us as we walked through the quiet streets towards Kielo’s apartment, on the outskirts of the central like mine but in a different direction. As far as I could tell there was no one following us, and no vampires about. Just as well, I hadn’t drunk alcohol in a while, so the few beers affected me more than they should. Kielo was in a similar state, giggling as she walked barefoot on the chill asphalt and cobblestones, carrying her high heeled shoes in one hand and her handbag in the other.

I made sure she got safely into the apartment building before heading home. She gave me a quick peck on the cheek as a good night kiss before closing the door behind her. It made me grin like a bit of an idiot for the whole time it took me to walk home. The sky was already lighting up in the east when I finally reached my apartment, still slightly tipsy, and crawled into bed with my cat.