My security director just keeled over.

It started in the banquet hall. I had asked him to come meet me and discuss plans to beef up our protection

after a recent mishap that had me worried about the integrity of the entire system.

Sean is a nice guy. I've only had him on the crew for about three cycles now, but he is a bit too

optimistic. Doesn't realize just how nasty this job is.

We pride ourselves with keeping our guests safe,

no matter how long they have to stay, Sean.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

I asked as we went down the cafeteria aisle.

At the time of the incident, our capacity was nearly 300 and rising.

Apparently there had been a recent uprising in a neighboring country and a large nest of vampires came seeking

shelter. To say they were hostile upon arriving was an understatement.

Everywhere we looked, Covens were fighting each other, either for some former sense of status or just a sense of control.

Sean insisted he could handle matters, but it's always been difficult to keep the guests tamed.

Comes with the territory. That's what Margarita would say if she was still alive. She died a few cycles back. Best damn director I ever had. Sean is just a poor reflection of her work ethic, but he does try his best.

By the end of the dinner, thanks to a drop of supplies from the chef,

the vamps had settled down and were feasting on fresh meat

while I got a warning on my cell.

Jerome,

the IP guest arriving at front counter.

It was enough to make me feel like I needed to vomit.

We used the term VIP a bit differently than most places because rather than meaning we consider them a valuable

...