by Justin Sloan
“It’s smart,” Platea said, commenting on the strategy. “And thanks to him, we’ve found this place.”
Sandra glanced around nervously, surprised this type of place even existed in New York. Where normally they would go to a restaurant for their tea— one older lady had even started a traditional tea house with shoji screen doors and all—this place just happened to have tea, but it mostly served drinks. The kicker was the shirtless men delivering the drinks.
“I’m not complaining,” Sandra countered, “but I think Diego would.”
Platea laughed. “Girl, this is for me, not you. He’d understand.”
Sandra just nodded, not so sure. She’d never, not that she could remember anyway, really put Diego in a spot where she would find out if he got jealous or not.
The waiter came by to bring Platea another drink, and he smiled when he caught Sandra’s eyes darting across his perfect abs. She turned away with a blush.
“Fuck this.” Sandra started to stand.
“No, come on!” Platea grabbed her arm. “Okay, just sit facing this way, away from them.”
“Let the pregnant woman sit in the corner while you get lap dances?” Sandra shook her head. “Why am I here?”
“Honestly?” Platea bit her lip, then laughed. She motioned to the man, who apparently was still standing there, to Sandra’s surprise. “Gill, right?”
The man nodded.
“Felix sent us. He wanted me to tell you he’s feeling much better.”
“Oh, thank God,” Gill exclaimed.
“Wait.” Sandra glanced around, only then realizing that most of the clientele were men. “Oh…”
“And Gill here is Felix’ boyfriend,” Platea informed her with a wink, trying to hold back laughter. “What kinda woman do you take me for?”
“I don’t know what former pirates are into, honestly.”
“I gotta get back to work,” Gill told Platea. “But will you give Felix something for me?”
She nodded. He hesitated, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You can tell him to put that wherever he wants.”
“I’m sure he’ll say the lips,” Platea replied with a laugh.
He nodded with a smile and moved on to the next table. The two guys there clearly looked uncomfortable, like they didn’t belong, but couldn’t hide that they were assessing the merchandise.
“This is the New York of the old days,” Platea told her, motioning to their surroundings. “At least, that’s how I hear it. Dance clubs, shows, and…this.” Her eyes trailed a dark-skinned man as he walked by, and she made a soft growling sound.
Sandra laughed. “You’re too much. Maybe we don’t need to go back to exactly how New York used to be.”
“Pick and choose what works for you, but don’t stifle the other people’s needs, as long as they don’t impinge on society’s safety.”
“Yeah, I can buy that.” Sandra glanced around once more, then nodded to the door. “Can we go now?”
Platea pursed her lips, then smiled wide.
“What?”
“Busted.”
Sandra turned around, confused, and saw Diego and Garcia enter, both looking very uncomfortable.
“I vote we don’t let Platea choose meet-up locations anymore,” Diego commented as he joined them at the small table.
Garcia frowned, apparently confused about what was going on. After a moment his frown cleared, and he added, “Agreed.”
“Ugh, you all are such prudes.” Platea threw down some coins, enough for the tea and for a tip as well. “You going to get my back and tell them why we’re here, Sandra?”
“Even if Felix asked you to pass on a message or whatever,” Sandra replied, “I’m pretty sure you’re really here for the man-candy.”
She couldn’t help but notice a disapproving glance from Garcia, and made a note to see what that was about later.
However, when the next waiter walked past, Garcia couldn’t keep his eyes off Platea as she was checking out the shirtless guy and Sandra formed a good idea of what was going on there.
“Come on,” Platea finally said, motioning them to a corner table where they could all sit and talk more privately. It was fairly dark in the bar, but that was likely part of the plan—to avoid being seen, to be cautious.
There hadn’t been as much need for caution lately, but it was in times of calm that they all felt that caution was most needed. If it was quiet, then someone was probably planning something. Maybe someday that would change, but they weren’t delusional enough to believe that time was now.
“What do we know about this network of indies?” Garcia began. “That’s our biggest issue. We make sure that’s put down, and I’d say we’re in the clear.”
“Your army,” Sandra asked. “Any more intel since…the incident?” She didn’t want to mention what had happened to Felix around these two, as they were so close. And the boyfriend probably didn’t need to overhear the details.
“It’s like Clara said.” Garcia nodded at Platea. “We put feelers out, grabbed a few of the nomads. Seems those wanderers aren’t all as independent as we would’ve thought. Also, turns out there are a few communities that have been staying low on the radar. We still have to ensure they aren’t going to cause trouble.”
“So we’re not talking about a quick kill?” Diego asked.
Garcia shook his head. “If it comes to it, yes. If we find out any of those bastards were associated with…the incident, then hell yes. But at first, I’d advise we think about this like a diplomatic mission.”
He glanced at Diego, looked away, then looked back.
“I have dirt on my face?” Diego asked. “What?”
“You sure you’re ready to get back out there?” Garcia looked genuinely concerned. “I mean, after… I don’t want you getting trigger happy.”
“You know me, and you know that isn’t how I operate.”
Garcia nodded. “Good enough for me. Sandra?”
“He wouldn’t try to hold me back if the roles were reversed,” she replied.
Diego leaned over and gave her a kiss, though she couldn’t help but notice that he had done so right as one of the shirtless men walked by. Laughing, she asked, “Did you do that to show I was taken, or that you were?”
His smile gave nothing away as he asked, “Can’t a man just kiss his gal?”
“Right…” She turned to Platea. “Theater. That was one of the things old New York was known for, and it looks like we have a professional actor right here in our midst.”
“Laughing so hard right now,” Diego declared sarcastically.
“I could honestly make it happen,” Platea offered. “Up north I worked on outfits a bit. We got costumes, we got an actor.”
“Not funny, ladies,” Diego warned, but Garcia was staring off in thought.
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind that,” he stated. “What’s the best way to get people’s minds relaxed? Entertainment. We get a theater going, I’m willing.”
“You’d get up there on stage and make a fool out of yourself?” Diego scoffed. “No way.”
“I don’t imagine I could play many roles other than myself, but I’d give it a try.”
Sandra nodded, impressed. “Well, honey, now you have to. Can’t let this outsider outdo you.”
“Dammit.” Diego leaned back and ordered a beer. He folded his arms on the table, looking at them. “What the hell! Could be fun. You get it set up, and when we get back, after a bit of R&R, we’ll see what we can do.”
“And if we need a big cat on set, we’re golden!” Sandra couldn’t help but laugh at her own joke, and the others chuckled to humor her.
“We’d better get to it then.” Diego cut them off. “We could sit around laughing at my expense all day, but I think I’d rather be out there making a difference.”
“Roger that,” Garcia agreed. “Tomorrow morning, we get back out there and make it happen. I’ll send someone ahead to tell ‘em we’re coming. Get an audience.”
>
Good plan.” Sandra nudged Diego. “And maybe we should be going soon. You know, give these two a moment to themselves.”
Garcia blushed, but he wasn’t the type to deny it, Sandra knew. He shrugged. “Hell, I can flirt just as well with the two of you here. Problem is, I’m not much good at flirting in general.”
Platea looked totally caught off-guard, but very flattered. “Well, since I’m the last to know about his… I can step up and do my part where flirting is concerned. But that’s it, considering you have to be up bright and early.”
“I find you interesting,” Garcia replied. “Doesn’t mean I’m ready to put out yet.”
“You two, we’re still right here.”
Platea gave him a look, one he failed to interpret. Luckily Sandra was adept at understanding looks, so she pulled Diego up by the arm and said, “Dear, I’m feeling totally wiped. Help me home, will you?”
He glanced around. “But my beer!”
“Garcia here’ll be more than happy to take that off your hands, isn’t that right?”
Garcia was all smiles as he nodded.
“Oh, good God.” Diego chuckled. “Gotcha. Right. Feeling wiped. Me too, actually.”
Sandra rolled her eyes, but kissed him on the cheek as they left the two lovebirds behind. They exited into the hallway and made it into the elevator before Sandra pulled him in, loving that he hadn’t gotten to the beer, since his breath was still minty clean and didn’t make her nauseous. It seemed like almost every smell made her nauseous lately.
“What’s this?” Diego asked, pulling back from the kiss for a moment. “Not that I’m complaining.”
She held his hand as the elevator dinged. They had reached the bottom floor, so they stepped out.
“I get like this sometimes,” she answered. “With Valerie, it was the same. It’s like, sometimes I’m totally trusting, not worried and just knowing you’ll come back. Other times, it’s like I’m about to lose my mind.”
“Well, don’t go doing that. I need you right here when I return.”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “I’ll try not to.”
“Good. Then I’ll always try and return in one piece.”
He kissed her hand and she nodded, then led him out of the building into the sunlit day.
CHAPTER SIX
Norwegian Fjords
The sailors guarded key spots around the tiny valley they had set the ship down in. Reems had argued for higher ground, but William had made the good point that they wanted to be out of sight but still have the balloon ready to take to the skies on a moment’s notice, if needed.
Cammie and Royland each led a fire-watch team, with the understanding that the three-person teams would set up a sleep schedule so that two were always awake and alert, one sleeping or resting.
Valerie, for her part, strapped on the largest sword she could find on the ship and then grabbed herself a rifle, which she slung across her back. She knew it would make an annoying clanking noise when she ran with it like that, but right now she was more concerned with having the proper weapons for a showdown.
She headed to the spot where Cammie and her team were on watch, then took a good look over the land. No other villages in sight, though the hills blocked the view in various locations.
Their pursuers didn’t seem to care about giving away their location. They had lit fires, and seemed to be having a party of sorts.
“Try to be safe,” Cammie said, grabbing Valerie’s hand and squeezing it.
Valerie went in for the real deal, wrapping her arms around Cammie and squeezing just a tad too hard.
“They won’t know what hit them.”
“Unless nothing hits them,” Cammie noted, glancing back at her team. “Remember, you don’t know who’s on the other side.”
“Seriously, did something happen to you while I was gone?” Valerie was about to walk off, when she froze and turned back. “Holy shit, it’s the kid, huh?”
“What?”
“The kid, Kristof.” Valerie shook her head, amazed. “He got to you, started making you see life in a whole new light, right?”
“Maybe I grew up a little,” Cammie replied with a shrug, glancing at the other guards, who were watching them. “You all mind your own business.”
“All right.” Valerie adjusted the strap of the rifle across her chest, as it was digging into her boobs. “Just don’t grow up too much. I miss the old Cammie.”
Cammie’s grin was the last thing Valerie saw before taking off into the night.
This terrain was different than any she had encountered before. It was more hilly and had much more vegetation, so running through it was harder. Being able to see in the dark was a definite bonus, especially when she came into an area of ground that nearly sank under her. She dove left, kicking off a rock wall and landing on the other side. She paused when she saw a wide and deep river before her, but identified a spot upstream where she could probably ford it.
More ruins jutted out of a swampy area farther north, so she avoided it, instead cutting due west, to the best of her ability, before she scaled a tall hill.
The terrain went on like this, but she picked up the pace, enhancing her run a bit with her vampire speed and adding extra boosts of power to jump over obstacles. Hopefully no one was watching; if they had been, they would likely have run screaming about a demon.
Finally she crested a hill and saw the fires below, so she slowed her pace and stuck to the shadows. She made for a clump of trees, where she knelt and listened.
Heavy breathing. Close.
She moved forward carefully, then saw the woman. She was standing guard, glancing about, but was apparently unable to see Valerie in the dark.
Valerie had just started sneaking by when another sound came. At first she was confused, then rolled her eyes—someone was tinkling. A glance confirmed that the woman had squatted.
Well, what did she expect, really? That these people could stand out here on guard all night and not relieve themselves? It wasn’t like the woman was being rude. She didn’t know Valerie was there, after all.
She kept going, trying to stifle the laugh that was threatening to burst out.
When she reached the edge of the tree line, she heard voices, and she stiffened at the first words uttered.
“Kill ‘em all,” a deep, heavily accented voice said. “We let anyone come onto our lands without our permission, next thing you know we’re the immigration capital of Europe. Everyone will be up here.”
“It’s not about the land, you stupid fuck,” a woman said. “It’s about Flit and our promise. We live by his grace, like he told us. We bring him offerings, he leaves us to our worship.”
“The hell with you and your worship—” Smack! Someone yelped, and a moment later the man’s voice picked back up again. “What the fuck did you have to hit me for?”
“Pick up your guts and stuff ‘em back in,” she told him. “Don’t get all soft on me because you’re scared we didn’t catch that damn ship. First light, we’ll spot the bastards, and then they’re ours.”
Valerie frowned, inching closer. Something wasn’t right here. It definitely sounded like someone was controlling them, or like they were beholden to someone who wanted sacrifices. That was rarely a good thing.
“Keep as many alive as you can, for now,” the woman said. “The gods will go all teeth-gnashing crazy on us if they find out otherwise.”
Another man spoke, this time in the language Valerie recognized from when she had heard Kristof and the sailor speaking. She figured it must be Norwegian.
“Don’t speak to me in that pig-shit talk,” the man said, and there was another smack, only this one sounded like metal on bone and was followed by a groan.
“What’d you go and do that for?” The woman shouted. “Fuck! You got blood on my new dress, you prick.”
“Told them to keep it in the modern tongue,” the man said. “Their language hurts my ears.”
Valerie was done here.
She had heard enough to know that these idiots got violent for no reason, and had bad intentions.
She was not going to let them reach her friends. However, asking a few questions in the meantime could only help. Turning back the way she had come, she made sure the woman had her clothes where they were supposed to be, then darted over, covered the woman’s mouth as she picked her up and carried her out of hearing range. She slammed her down on the side of a grassy hill, hand still on her mouth, then leaned in close and pushed fear. Why show her the vampire eyes until it was necessary? This way the woman would be scared enough to talk without passing out in terror. At least she wasn’t likely to piss herself, since she had just gone.
The woman’s eyes went wide, pupils dilating.
“Here’s the deal,” Valerie hissed. “I want to know who the hell you are and what you plan on doing with us. Now, when I let go, you will do as I say or so help me, I will end you right now. Got it?”
The woman nodded as best she could with Valerie’s hand over her mouth.
“Good. Talk.”
Valerie slowly moved her hand away, pushing an extra tad of fear just in case.
“The gods of old, they’re not far, half a day’s journey north,” the woman started, her voice shaky. “Kill me or not, you’re dead either way.”
“Gods?” Valerie laughed, this time letting the red glow show in her eyes. “I’m waiting to be scared… Huh, not happening. Weird.”
The woman tried to scramble back, but being against a hill made it a futile effort.
“You… You’re one of them?
Valerie shook her head. “There are no gods, at least not in the way you’re thinking. I’m willing to bet my life on it.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed for a moment, then filled with tears. “Please…”
“Oh, fuck, come on.” Valerie slammed her fist into the ground beside the woman’s head. “No crying!”
