“Mr. Riordan wanted me to send you a message,” Lin said, mockingly, as she walked up to Kuster, who sagged to his knees in intense pain. “Oh, come now, Mr. Kuster. I didn’t hit anything vital. Suck it up. No more roaming, okay? We have safehouses that supply all the blood and life force you’ll need until the awakening. Next time, I won’t be so merciful.”
“Y-you bitch,” Kuster spat, trying vainly to pull the knife out of his chest. “What d-do I look like? Some l-loyal lap dog like your dearly d-departed Duke?”
Lin burned with anger. She knew Kuster would never get the message but, on her boss’ orders, she had to give it anyway. Now, however, the man had crossed a line that made those orders very easy to ignore.
Hear that? This bastard probably knew about Duke before you did. Maybe he’s the one responsible. You can’t let him get away with something like that, you know.
For one of the very few times, Lin actually agreed with the voice in her head.
Her hand shot forward, gripped the blade and wrenched it free so quick that it made Kuster cry out in agony and fall to his hands. Through eyes, blurred by more pain than he’d ever felt in his life, he looked up just in time to see Tang bring the blade of one of her samurai swords over his head.
“Forget what I said earlier,” she remarked.
Deep down, she knew she should have asked him how he knew about Duke. But, she was too angry. Instead, she decapitated him in one stroke.
She smiled at her handiwork, sheathed her blade and turned. The incredible energy of the life force rushing out of the vampires caused the bodies to self-combust, immolating flesh, bone and clothing and turning them to ash within seconds. Lin felt no remorse as she melted back into the shadows.
Despite the recent bad news, Louis Riordan did a good job of hiding his apprehensions. Instead, he was all smiles at the reception for his fellow clan leaders. He looked around the magnificent ballroom he had rented out in downtown Fort Worth for the occasion. The diamond chandelier might have seemed over the top, but he was sparing nothing for his occasion. Everything depended on him overwhelming his guests into following his moves.
He took stock of those who had arrived, escorted by a plethora of vampire lieutenants and sexily-clad male and female familiars. He also noted that his main security man, Travis Pratt, at the main door. Pratt was the only security inside the room, all others being kept outside to avoid any of the guests thinking that something might be amiss.
As Tesino Giancarlo entered the ballroom, Riordan eyed the deliciously tall blue-eyed brunette on his arm. He wondered how long it would take the woman’s ample breasts to “accidentally” spill out of her v-neck black ballroom gown. He raised his glass of champagne toward Giancarlo, who gently moved himself and his date over to the host.
“Tesino, my friend,” Riordan greeted. “So glad you could make it. And just who is this delicious creature?”
“This is my companion, Eva,” Giancarlo replied, looking at the woman as she blushed coyly. “Eva, this is our host, Louis Riordan.”
Eva merely nodded, telling Riordan that Giancarlo liked his women totally submissive.
“She is a familiar,” Giancarlo expounded. “Though most of the world would rather not think that we exist, a small, but sizeable, portion of humanity welcomes us. The number of night clubs in the New York-New Jersey area alone, that cater to familiar-vampire bondings, would make Texas look miniscule. It is incredible, to say the least. But, I digress. I really brought Eva to show that familiars aren’t just the power-hungry sycophants the movies would have us all believe.”
“Ah, I would have to agree,” Riordan said. “My Allison still turns heads and is completely loyal. Hmm, I see that Edge still prefers to go solo.”
A tall gaunt-looking man, with a graying grizzled beard, stepped into the room, clad in a sharp Italian suit. He took a glass of champagne off a passing tray and looked around. Upon seeing Giancarlo and Riordan, he slowly made his way over to them.
“Run along and play with the other familiars,” Giancarlo said to his date. “Maybe you can convince some of them to come play with us later.”
Eva made her way to the other side of the room just before Edge Ringgold, who represented Canadian vampires, arrived.
“It’s always the former porn stars with you, eh, Tesino?” Ringgold commented, dryly.
“Nice to see you, too, Edge,” Ginacarlo retorted. “Alone as usual. Don’t tell me. You had to dispose of yet another one for being too stubborn? Or is it too submissive? I can never tell with you.”
“Now, now, my friends,” Riordan interrupted. “We are here to mingle, not argue. There will be time for that during negotiations. This night is for us all to meet each other on a less formal basis.”
“Still, there are some things that can’t be ignored,” Ringgold said, with a snort. “Like the assassination of Duke, which is still all over the news, even if most people have no clue who Duke was. As for Kane, I could care less. Even on his best days, his master, Kuster, is a dick. I’m surprised you even allowed his worthless ass to stay in town. However, Duke is a more serious issue. And Kane’s ashing has me more than a bit concerned. Have you found out who did either one?”
Riordan kept smiling, but, inwardly, fumed. Who were these men to question how he ran his town? Then again, he thought, maybe they were testing his leadership abilities.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Lin is taking care of those responsible as we speak.”
“A-ha, your enforcer,” Giancarlo noted. “And the main source of your strength.”
“I’d like to be the main source of her strength,” Ringgold said, with a crude laugh. “If I wasn’t afraid of being castrated and decapitated.”
Riordan looked toward the door again.
“Well, well, well,” he said, happily. “Tsukiko Matsutaka looks as good in a gown as she does in a business suit.”
“And there must be a God,” Ringgold joked. “Is that Jewel Waterston in a dress? Will miracles never cease?”
Both women soon joined the group. Jewel wore a simple cream-colored gown that reached the floor. Matsutaka looked stunning, her well-toned body filling out her dress in all the right places. The diamond necklace around her throat made her look that much more exquisite.
The group made small talk while other clan leaders entered or left the room.
Suddenly, the room went quiet and Riordan looked toward the door.
Lin Tang had arrived.
Clad head to toe in black leather; she wore a ruffled jacket, midriff-baring bustier, knee-length skirt and stiletto boots that accentuated her sleek, muscular calves. In fact, her outfit made every muscle and sinew stand out like a statue to be admired. Even Matsutaka, who always considered herself among the world’s most beautiful women, reddened slightly with jealousy.
Lin bowed gracefully and nodded slightly at her boss while Ringgold leered. Riordan knew she had taken care of the situation with Kuster. By the gleam in her eye, he also knew she’d taken care of Kuster. No doubt the man had said or done something completely stupid. He didn’t care. He’d given the man ample opportunity to shape up, and, he could truthfully tell the clan leaders that he had done so.
“Ah, Lin, I see that you have concluded your business quite quickly,” Riordan said. “As you all must know by now, this is Lin Tang. Lin, these are Tsukiko Matsutaka, Jewel Waterston, Edge Ringgold and Tesino Giancarlo.”
“I am most honored to meet you all,” Lin said, bowing gracefully again – like a courtesan.
Now, now, no need to lie. It is unbecoming a lady.
“Well, well, graciously mannered and stunningly beautiful,” Giancarlo commented. “Where ever did you find such perfection, Louis?”
“From Lo Chang, where else,” Ringgold replied, snidely.
Lin’s smile disappeared briefly before returning in an awkward manner.
“Please forgive Edge,” Waterston apologized. “He sometimes thinks before he speaks. The rest of the time, like now, he stick
s his foot in his mouth.”
“Not to worry,” Giancarlo interjected. “That situation is in the past. Moonrise stuck its neck where it didn’t belong and now it is gone. On to more pleasant things.”
“Like the new wonderful age of vampires that will begin on Sunday,” Riordan said.
“Why Sunday, Riordan-san?” Matsutaka asked.
“What better way to stick it to Him?”
Riordan laughed and ordered a waiter to bring more champagne.
Aurelia glanced at her watch and fumed. She was supposed to be home looking after the children, not waiting for Ian Hendricks in the parking lot of a roadside restaurant along Interstate 35. Still, she had little choice. Things had hit the fan and, as usual, she would have to clean it up. It wasn’t like she needed another reason to hate having taken that bribe from Riordan.
She watched a large pickup truck pull into the lot and park near an SUV in the back. The door open and a rather stocky man wearing a brown leather Australian-type duster stepped out. The man also wore a cowboy hat, jeans, western shirt and brown cowboy boots.
Aurelia paid little mind to the clothes. It was Ian Hendricks’ face that got her attention. His rugged good looks could melt even her foulest mood. She wanted nothing more than for that scruffy face to be looking at her, as they rode each other in rhythm to climax. Alas, she could never get it to happen, what with the kids and the demands of her job.
“Any reason why we’re doing this in public and not over the phone?” asked a perturbed Hendricks.
“You know why,” Aurelia shot back. “Face-to-face meetings carry more weight in my reports than a phone bill.”
Aurelia studied Hendricks’ face. He was one of the best private investigators in not just Texas, but the entire American southwest, not to mention Mexico. He had many contacts within the criminal world, as well as the legal one. His good looks, rugged demeanor and street smarts often got him information that many people would never dare give to the police. It was just that she really could not be sure of the man behind that pleasing face.
“What’s up then?” he asked. “Now that we are facing each other.”
“I need you to go down to Springtown for me,” Aurelia said.
“That’s a bit out of your jurisdiction.”
“You heard about Duke? Lin Tang’s number one lackey?” Aurelia eyed Ian coolly.
“Not really,” Hendricks replied. “Per your instructions, I am not to keep an eye on anyone directly connected to Riordan or Lin Tang, unless specifically requested. That said – are you implying that Duke was one who got taken out in that ambush?”
“According to Riordan’s people, yes,” Aurelia answered. “They say someone found his wallet at the scene. They haven’t been able to get a hold of him. So, put two and two together. Besides, you know that they can feel the death of their own kind, within a certain distance. And, the only body positively identified, both by witnesses and by fingerprints, is a man named Avery.”
“Duke’s cousin,” Hendricks noted. “I’ve run into him before. The man boasts that his cousin is – or maybe was – a vampire. Most people thought he smoked his own product, since we all know vampires don’t exist. Quote unquote.”
“Here’s what I need from you, Ian,” Aurelia stated. “I’m pretty sure Duke was the other victim, but that’s actually not the important thing. What I need to know, is how it was done and by whom. I don’t need to see the streets of Fort Worth run red because Lin Tang starts her own brand of investigation.”
“No, we just let the streets run red from the nightly partying of Fort Worth’s vampire elite,” Hendricks remarked, acidly.
“Just do what I’m fucking paying you for, okay?” Aurelia snapped. “I have to get back to the kids.”
Hendricks watched Aurelia get into her car and drive away. He shook his head with some disdain, still smarting from the complete break from her usual professional demeanor. She was smart, gorgeous and had a body he wanted badly.
But, she was the enemy. It was one thing to take her money, but another to get involved emotionally. Those things rarely worked out in his line of work. Still, the more he met with her, the more his willpower decreased. Something had to give and Ian wasn’t sure how much hell he’d catch when it did.
He took out his phone and speed-dialed a number.
“Yeah, this is Ian,” he said when the other party answered. “Write this down.”
Marcus Van Niekerk had relied so much on gut instinct to survive the brutal world of mercenary work, he knew something was up long before he got to the front gate of Manuel’s Auto Repair on Jacksboro Highway. Even when Jessie Kellums tried to sound nonchalant about his entry request, he sensed that she was very upset. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why.
Angelica Morales felt the same thing, though her instincts weren’t quite as refined as Marcus’. She had been a bodyguard for several years, but handling a few crazy fans and stalkers was nothing like going up against rebels in war-torn Africa. That didn’t mean she was out of her element, though, and she eyed Marcus warily as she climbed out of the passenger side of his SUV after he had parked it inside one of the garage bays.
“A little too quiet tonight,” Marcus remarked. “Normally, we’d be hearing Jessie’s yammering as soon as got near the garage doors.”
“I can imagine they might have a few questions for us,” Angelica noted.
“No. Just one.”
They stopped when they saw Jesus walk out of the garage office, with Wesley and Manuel Acevedo right behind him.
“Where the fuck is Cantrell?”
“Aha,” Marcus replied, simply. “I see we watched the news.”
“Now is not the time for that famous British humor, Marcus,” Jesus shot back. “This is serious. I warned him what would happen if he didn’t start being a team player. And no amount of explaining from you is going to keep me from kicking his ass out.”
“Are we our brother’s keeper?” Angelica whispered. “This is getting real old, real fast.”
Marcus glanced at her and nodded slightly.
“You’re barking up the wrong tree, Jesus,” Marcus said. “What if I said it was all my idea? And I’m South African, in case you misplaced the accent.”
“I’d say that you don’t need to cover for Ryker anymore,” Wesley answered. “Dude, do you think he’s even worth it?”
“Jesucristo, Wesley,” Angelica interjected, fuming. “¿Realmente escucha usted a usted cuándo usted habla? El hombre sólo le dijo la verdad. Deje de ser un Infante de marina y muestre alguna inteligencia para un cambio. Todavía mejor, déjeme traducir. Cierre el infierno y escuche o arrancaré su cabeza y defecaré abajo su cuello.”
Wesley just stood in place, stunned.
“What the hell did she just say?”
“She said ‘yes,’” Marcus replied, to which Acevedo kept mum, even as his face threatened to break out into laughter.
“That sounded awfully like a shot about Marines,” Wesley remarked.
“She said ‘marina,’ dumb ass,” Marcus remarked. “Didn’t you listen? Anyway, the killing of Duke was not Ryker’s idea. It was mine. You know Ryker’s methods. If you two would stop going ballistic every time you think he’s done something wrong, you might learn a thing or two. Ryker does not have that kind of finesse. And we all know that, don’t we?”
Jesus looked shocked at the confession. He had his hands on his hips and seemed to be beside himself. Wesley and Manuel were even more stunned.
“What in God’s name were you two thinking then?” Jesus demanded. “Do you know the can of worms you just opened?”
“Yes, I do,” Marcus answered, standing his ground. “And if you want to ash-can me for not passing the idea by you first, then you’re welcome to do so. But, Dolores said we needed to step things up. And, I figured a direct attack against Lin Tang was the way to go. Before, nothing we did before worked at drawing her out. Now, she’ll have to get her pretty little hands dirty in the s
treet.”
“Yeah, and she might bring Riordan’s entire organization down on our heads,” Wesley shot back. “Did you think of that?”
Angelica stepped between the two parties.
“Truce time,” she said. “We cannot fight amongst each other. We can’t make it business-as-usual among hunters. The enemy has made it clear that they are organized and so must we.”
“Okay, I am calm,” Jesus said, after taking a deep breath. “Where is Ryker?”
“At one of my safehouses, keeping low for a day or two,” Marcus answered, calmly.
“See how better it is to talk with cool heads?” Angelica noted. “Now, let’s get back to the most important things.”
“And those would be?” Jesus asked.
“What will Lin Tang do and how can we use that against her?” Angelica replied, with a sly grin.
“Wat ze bedoelt is het tijd om eff de werken,” Marcus commented, with a larger grin.
“Eff up the works is right, brother,” Wesley added. “What? I used to date a Dutch girl, okay?”
Jesus rolled his eyes.
“Dios, concédeme la fuerza,” Manuel mumbled.
“God grant us all strength, Manuel,” Jesus clarified. “Come on. Let’s try to explain all of this to the others. In English.”
Chapter 7
“You may not believe it, but I can sympathize a little with what you’re going through,” Kelly White Cloud said, as she sat down next to Heidi with a tray of food.
Heidi lifted her head. She smiled weakly and made room for the new arrival. She’d been all alone in the facility dining hall, while Jesus and the others held some kind of tribunal to discuss something that had gone down with Marcus. This had interrupted her initiation into the Hunters and had led Dolores to put her away from the others, as she was not yet a member.
Dark Tidings: Volumes I & II Page 16
