You will not pull the trigger.

He used the only weapon available to him, his mind control.

You will not shoot.

“Delilah, please do as I say. Get behind me.”

He pushed her behind his broad back. He could feel her shaking.

“Oh, God, no,” she whimpered. “He’ll kill you.”

Not likely. It wasn’t exactly easy to kill a vampire, especially not with a gun. Even if the thug shot at him and hit him, his body would expel the bullet, and the wound would close up quickly.

Only a few things could kill a vampire: a wooden stake through the chest, exposure to sunlight, and some major injuries to his body resulting in severe blood loss. If a vampire got caught in an explosion, it would most likely kill him, as would a fire. But the man only had a gun which represented no danger to Samson.

Nevertheless, he had to be careful. Delilah was with him, and he couldn’t risk her getting hurt.

“Hey, idiot. I want the girl. Give her to me, and I’ll let you live. No need to play the hero.”

Samson reached one arm behind him to calm her. “Close your eyes, sweetness, and everything will be fine.” He kept his voice calm and soothing. No need to worry her any more than she already was.

You will not shoot. You will not attack us.

He knew he could defeat him in an instant, but how would he explain this to her? How could he explain his superhuman abilities without causing any suspicion? He was in a bind. He could control the thug not to shoot for quite a while, but even that would cause suspicion eventually.

The man watched him intently and suddenly took a couple of steps forward. Samson could see his face clearly now, including the scar on his cheek and the small tattoo on his neck. Very unusual, very distinctive. Knowing that he would recognize him if he saw him again, Samson formed his plan. There was no need to kill him now. It was sufficient to chase him away and have his men deal with him later.

“What do you want?” Samson asked him calmly.

“Are you deaf? The girl.” The man’s voice was a snarl.

“Not an option.”

“Then I’ll kill you.” He looked as if he wanted to pull the trigger, but didn’t. Samson used his confused state to lunge at him. With a high kick of his right leg he hit the weapon out of the thug’s hand. The man looked at him, stunned and shocked.

Run! Run now and don’t come back!

And like a frightened rabbit he ran out of the alley. It was over.

Samson turned and crossed the distance to Delilah with three large strides.

“Everything is fine,” he assured her as he pulled her into his arms. “He’s gone.”

She shook like a leaf. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No. He didn’t get a chance.”

“How did you learn to kick like that?”

He held her at arm’s length from him and looked at her face. “Didn’t I ask you to close your eyes?”

“I peeked.” She buried her head in his chest. “You shouldn’t have taken such a risk. He had a gun.”

“The alternative wasn’t an option. Nothing happened. He was just some no good thug.”

Delilah shook her head.

“What?”

“I recognized him. He was the same guy who attacked me last night.”

The realization hit him like a freight train. “Are you sure?” Samson put his hand under her chin and urged her to look at him.

“Absolutely sure.”

Damn it, he shouldn’t have let him get away. It couldn’t be a coincidence that it was the same guy. Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

Effortlessly, he lifted Delilah into his arms to carry her out of the alley.

“I can walk.”

“Indulge me.” Feeling her body so close to his calmed him.

He saw the limousine immediately as they exited the alley. Carl was leaning against the car, waiting for them. When Carl saw them approach, his look became concerned, and he immediately opened the car door.

“Something the matter, sir?”

Samson lifted her into the car. “We were attacked. Get us home, Carl, quickly, please.”

He slipped into the seat next to her and took her hand into his, before he pulled out his cell phone with the other. The car was already in motion when the call connected.

“Ricky, we were attacked.” He made his voice sound as calm as possible in order not to worry Delilah even more.

“Who was attacked?”

“Delilah and I, outside the theater.”

Ricky interrupted him. “You were on a date with the human woman?”