Leaning against the bar, he almost enjoyed watching the two men go at each other, beating the shit out of each other. The other clubbers seemed to equally enjoy the exchange, forming a circle around the fighters, even cheering them on as if they were prize fighters.
Rose stared at the fight with an open mouth, then glared back at him.
“Aren’t you gonna do something?”
“Do what?”
“Stop them, damn it. He could get hurt.”
Quinn made a face. “He can take care of himself from what I can see.”
In fact, it appeared that Blake’s fighting skills, while unsophisticated, weren’t bad. He was strong, and his instincts were good. Light on his feet, he had the agility of a dancer and was able to evade many of the blows his opponent dealt.
Maybe he had underestimated the boy earlier. Clearly, he had more brawn than brains, as well as the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but he seemed to be made to fight. As if he were born for it. With a little bit of the right training, he could be good, excellent even.
Rose jumped off her stool, looking impatient, and ready herself to interfere.
“If you’re not going to stop them, I will,” she threatened.
Quinn expelled an annoyed breath. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist.”
He grabbed her arm and brushed past her. “Stay here.” Then he made a path through the crowd, effortlessly pushing people out of his way until he reached the two fighters.
With a lightning fast move he grabbed both men by their upper arms and pulled them apart, holding them to either side of himself. They struggled to get out of his hold, but their human strength was no match for his vampire power.
Stop fighting, you idiots. He planted the simple thought into their minds, making them stop almost immediately.
“Enough!” he called out. “Nothing more to see here.” Slowly, the crowd turned away and went back to what they’d been doing before, dancing, talking, and drinking.
Quinn released the two.
“Get lost,” he ordered the girl’s protector while his mind sent the same command into the guy’s head. Mind control was a handy vampire tool. He didn’t like to overuse it, but he wanted to talk to Blake alone and wasn’t in the mood to do more in terms of damage control than he’d already done.
“Who are you?” Blake spat.
Quinn looked him up and down. Besides the fact that his clothes were a little disheveled, there wasn’t a scratch on him. “I might be just what you need.”
Outrage glittered in Blake’s eyes. “Hey, I don’t swing that way.”
“Neither do I, so don’t get your feathers ruffled. I have a proposition for you.”
Blake raised a questioning eyebrow. “What kind of proposition?”
Quinn motioned his head in the direction of the guy whom he’d fought with only moments earlier. “Looks like you’re a good fighter. I wonder whether you’d like to apply your skills professionally.”
“You mean like a boxer? Not interested. I don’t want my brain cells bashed out of me.”
“No, of course not. You haven’t got a single one to spare on such an endeavor,” Quinn hastened to say.
Blake nodded. “That’s right.”
Clearly, the jab had gone over his head. He added slow-witted to his grandson’s attributes, as well as a note to ask Rose whether she was sure he was indeed their descendent. Maybe there had been some mix-up in the hospital.
“I was thinking if you wanted to make a career move . . . we always need young men like you: strong, smart.” Quinn backed away a little. “But then again, you’ve probably got a great job already. I mean, look at you . . . ” He made a gesture toward his clothes. “So, this probably won’t interest you. Even though we pay well, but then . . . ”
“Then what?” Blake prompted, his curiosity awakened.
“It’s a dangerous job. Actually, I can’t really call it a job. It’s more like an adventure. Every day, you know. Only a select few are made for that line of work . . . ”
Quinn turned half away. “Forget I asked.”
Before he could walk away, he felt Blake’s hand on his shoulder, holding him back. Bingo.
He caught Rose’s confused stare, watching them from afar, before he faced his grandson again.
“What’s it about? I might be just what you’re looking for,” Blake said eagerly.
Quinn gave him an assessing look. “Well, we won’t know immediately. There are tests, you know.” On a whim, he added, “Like Men in Black, just without the aliens.”