“I … wow. I hadn’t thought about that.” Selah looked around. Everybody stared at her, expressions serious.
“Yeah. And South Beach is the film set for all this. It’s all moving in that direction.” Cloud stood, began to pace, head bent. “It’s brilliant in a really sick, disgusting way. Do you know when they started allowing the Red Cross and all those other guys inside? Last year. Remember the press conferences? Vampires like Karl telling the world that they couldn’t, in good conscience, keep those sources of aid out of the city when so many people were in need?” Cloud stopped pacing and stared at Selah in an almost accusatory manner. “You think they care? But did it make them look good or what? Now everybody knows we’ve got Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, church groups, the works, all of them here with the vampires’ blessings.”
Selah lowered her head into her hands, pressed on her temples. It was too much. Everything was changing. “I thought they just didn’t care to do all the work themselves. To keep us alive.”
“Sure,” said Joey eagerly, “they don’t want to do that, either. Let the humans keep the humans alive. But they don’t need forty thousand of us to feed off of. Just a couple thousand would do. They could let us all starve and not be affected. But what would that do to their image?”
“Exactly,” said Cloud. “Their fucking image. That’s where the real battle is taking place. Why do you think they need money? Why do you think they’re letting billionaires buy their way into immortality? Why do you think they let people buy their freedom at a hundred grand or with their credits? Why are they chasing every drug cartel in the Mexican Free States and allowing them to use Miami as a port of entry? They need cash. But why? What the hell does a vampire need money for when they own the whole city?”
“I …” Selah shook her head. Why the hell did vampires need cash?
“Lobbyists,” said Cassie darkly from where she’d turned to watch them. Selah laughed. Stopped abruptly when she saw how intently Cassie was staring at her. “Seriously. Lobbyists. They’re pouring money into Washington. Like you wouldn’t believe. Trying to change regulations, trying to change everything.”
Cloud sat down but remained on the edge of his seat. “Think about it. For thousands of years, they spent all their energy and effort hiding from us. But then along came technology, and eventually surveillance and stuff became so pervasive, they were flushed into view. And now they’re doing the opposite. They’re trying to become mainstream, trying to become cool. I’ve heard that they’re already filming a new movie with a vampire as the love interest. Some sort of romantic thing. Would you believe me if I told you they’re trying to position themselves so that when martial law gets lifted and Congress gets back together, they’re in line to get nonvoting membership like Puerto Rico’s got?”
“OK, OK, enough!” said Selah. She stood, walked to the stairs, turned back around. Felt suddenly claustrophobic. “Enough, just give me a moment.” She closed her eyes. Tried to allow her thoughts to settle. Did this make sense? She thought about the inside of Magnum, people standing around drinking nervously, watching each other. Thought about the embassy and all the aid delivered each day into the city. Thought about all the stuff she’d seen online.
Selah massaged her forehead and then opened her eyes again. “OK. So, fine. Say the vampires are on this huge marketing campaign to change their image. Still, it’ll never work. I mean, I can see them becoming a little more mainstream, whatever, but we still know they’re vampires. It’s one thing to see one in a movie, another to think about letting them go.”
Cloud shook his head. “You’re thinking short term. These guys live forever. All they need to do right now is get enough public support, give enough money to the government so that nobody wants to actually drop a bomb on them. Say in twenty years they get representation. Become cool. Continue pouring money into all the right pockets. Then in forty years they’re given diplomatic immunity while visiting the US. In sixty years, maybe. Finally, one day, all the people who were actually alive during the War will be dead. Nobody will remember it firsthand. They’ll only know the image the vampires have been putting forth, and before you know it, the Treaty gets torn up.”
Selah looked at Cloud. “You really believe that’s what’s going on? That’s what’s going to happen?”
Cloud held her gaze with all seriousness. “I do. I’ve bet my life on it. That’s why we’re set up the way we are. What would killing one or two vampires do? Nothing, other than make them hunt us down. What we have to do is kill this new image they’re putting out there. And the only way to do that is to keep showing the world what kind of monsters the vampires are, and how they all need to be destroyed.”
His words hung in the air, and they all watched Selah. She sat back down, sank into the couch, and leaned back. Tried to sort through it all. The permutations and implications of Cloud’s words. The information had been coming so fast that she hadn’t even had a chance to ask the most important question, the one that had carried her all the way from Brooklyn to this underground room. “What about the Blood Dust trade?”
“Blood Dust?” Cloud frowned. “I’ve heard it’s out there on the streets, but not much. The vampires here in Miami have come out against it.”
“I know, but why? What is it? My father was investigating all this when he disappeared. He’d dug up some connections with a government program called The Hybrid Project, and the name of a military officer called Colonel Caldwell. Does any of that sound familiar?”
Cloud looked around at the others, who shook their heads. He looked back to Selah. “That shit’s coming out of LA. There’s virtually no communication between the vampires here and in California. It’s like they want nothing to do with each other. It’s big in on the West Coast, even in some of the cities on the Eastern Seaboard, but here in Miami? It’s a one way ticket to getting your ass put on ice. Sorry. You came to the wrong city if that’s what you’re looking to learn about.”
Selah lowered her face into her hands and massaged her eyes. “I know. That’s what I’ve been hearing since I got here.” She fought back the exhaustion, the despair. Took a deep breath. “Still, I’m here now.” It took all her strength to raise her head. To look at Cloud. “So I might as well do what I can. All this stuff you’ve been telling me about. How come nobody knows about all this?”
Cassie snorted. “Who says they don’t? We think a whole bunch of people do, but guess who the vampires are giving all their cash to? All the best people got taken during the war. There’s nobody up top any longer with backbone. Just the same cowards who signed the treaty to begin with.”
Another pause. Selah shook her head. “Wait a second. Why—why are you all telling me this? Joey—you said you couldn’t bring me in last time. My identity was compromised. What’s changed?”
“Everything,” said Cloud. “I didn’t want to bring you in before because—damn.” He stood again. His brow creased with anger. “It’s a huge responsibility, bringing somebody in. It’s my call, and if something goes wrong, if something happens to you? I have to live with it. Like I live with what happened to Freddy, and Susannah, and—anyway.” He looked away, stared at the ground, and then nodded. “Anyway. Doesn’t matter now. You’re already openly connected with us at this point. So it’s not like taking you in is going to change anything.” He looked up at her again, stepped forward and lowered himself smoothly into a crouch, balancing easily on the balls of his feet. “And second, you can give us a real chance to take things to the next level. You’re in. Karl wants you. Which will give you access to all kinds of stuff we could never get to. So. That’s why we’ve brought you here. We want to hear what’s happened to you, what Karl wants you for, and what you’re planning to do. And if you can, we want you to join us. Help us get the truth out there.”
How could one person hold so much intensity in their body? His voice was low, quiet, but each word resonated with emotion. There were no layers to him. Nothing but what he felt,
nothing but his raw, almost wounded directness. She had trouble meeting his eyes. “How did you know it was a trap?”
Joey fielded that one. “I mean, the guy records a huge feed of the two of you and places it in your Garden where he knows we’ll see it, and then leaves you with an Omni that’s broadcasting your GPS. It was a clear invitation to come get you.”
“Which Cloud should not have done,” said Cassie. “Sorry, Selah, but Cloud, that was a bullshit move. Too dangerous.”
“Whatever. I wasn’t going to leave her out there like that.” Cloud hadn’t taken his eyes off her. “So, what’s the deal? What’s got Karl on your case?”
Selah took a deep breath. She didn’t want to think about it. That pain. That misery that had pushed her right to the edge. But she had too. So she told him. Focused on Cloud, and spoke directly to him, allowing his eyes to lead her through the events. Draw her past the worst of it, the compassion and pain and anger giving her strength. She gave him the outline in a quiet voice, spoke of Charles, her blood, Karl’s blackmail, his desire, and when she was done, looked down at the ground. The silence that followed was painful.
“Jesus,” said Barbara.
“Selah, I’m so sorry,” said Joey.
Cloud didn’t say anything. Fury simmered just under his skin, and then he rose to his feet, seized a chair and smashed it against the wall. Cast down the fragments and pushed back his hair with both hands, to stand with his back to them, staring at the floor, body thrumming as if a live power cord was mainlining electricity right into him. Everybody sat staring, frozen. Finally he turned, rubbed his face and then laced his hands behind his neck to stare at Selah.
“Those miserable fucks.”
“It is what it is,” she said, trying for matter-of-fact, shaken by his vehemence and given heart both. “I was—I was thinking of ending it all before Cloud showed up. It seemed like—it seemed like the only way out.” Selah tried to smile, to not let those dark feelings swamp her once more. Cloud’s eyes were devouring her. She looked down. “But that’s not the only option now. I’d like to help. I’m not sure how I could, but, well … after a vampire feeds on me, I get all kinds of crazy fast and strong. Maybe I could do things then to help out that you can’t pull off by yourselves.”
Cloud shook his head and stared at the ground, thinking. Looked up at her. “I don’t know what to say. Selah, I’m sorry. For what you’re going through. For what’s happened to you. It shouldn’t happen to anybody. This fucking city. Those damn politicians.” He shook his head again, and then released a deep breath. “I’m up for taking risks myself, but I can’t expect you to. Not after what you’ve told us. I thought—hell, I don’t know what I thought. Maybe Karl was planning to use you in a series of sting operations to get us, or that one vampire in particular had it in for you. But this?” His voice was searching, almost a whisper. “This is beyond—anything. We can’t ask you to do anything you don’t want to do. If you want to escape, we’ll try to help.”
He began to pace, and Selah watched him; they all did. It was like watching a caged lion, a panther, his movements imbued with a feline grace and power that verged on the magnetic. Finally, he stopped and looked down at her. “You’re braver than I am. I don’t think I could go through with this. So it’s up to you. If you want to help, we can figure some things out. If you don’t, we can try to get you out of town.”
Selah felt that old exhaustion. “I can’t leave. They would hurt my grandmother, my friend.”
“Maybe we can work on getting them out first,” said Cloud stubbornly.
“You could do that?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I sure as hell could try. I know a few people. We might be able to figure something out.”
Selah’s heart leaped. She moved to the edge of the couch. “Please. Get my grandmother and Maria Elena out. I’ll do everything I can to help if you can just do that.”
Cloud held Selah’s gaze, and nodded. She saw his intent, his sincerity. Sank back. The very possibility of their escape seemed to lift a vast weight from around her neck.
“All right. Let’s start planning. You’ve got to be at the Wind Tower tonight. Let’s figure out how to pay these bastards back and make their lives as miserable as possible.”
Chapter Fifteen
Selah felt all the conflicting emotions that had ached within her breast still and grow quiet as she pulled up before the Wind Tower, killing the motorbike’s engine. It was Cloud’s bike, the very same on which she’d been rescued early that day, and she’d ridden it with care and a thrill of excitement, ridden it slowly, having left the house in Coral Gables with time to spare so as to arrive at the Wind Tower at the appointed hour.
The Tower was a modern, almost futuristic affair, all fluted sea-green glass and white framework, rising into the night sky like a glittering underwater gem, burning with an extravagance of light that made it visible from miles away. The white sides swept up past its final floor into artistic spires, and it looked to have been the most exclusive property on the Beach back when money alone was all that mattered. A line of cars were arrayed before the valet, and she decided to skip them all by simply parking Cloud’s bike on the curb a half block away.
She smoothed down her dress. It’d been a busy day. After sleeping all night in one of the bunks, Selah had eaten a late lunch with Cassie and Barbara and then gone with them to the remnants of Miracle Mile, the commercial street in the Gables, and there they scavenged a series of dresses for her to wear, everything from black cocktail dresses to extravagant gowns. They had attempted a certain level of levity, and for perhaps half an hour, Selah had managed to simply enjoy the flow of the finely cut dresses, to play with the endless shoes, to tease and be teased by the other two girls.
But with each dress that had flattered her, with each mirror she gazed into, she felt the invisible gaze of vampires looking back. She was preparing herself, wrapping herself up in a bow so that cold, dead hands could peel back the ribbons and expose her. It had been Selah who decided to find a dress for tonight; if she was to attend a party, if she was to mingle with monsters, then she would do so with what pride and elegance she could muster. No showing up covered in blood and sweat and tears.
After, she had debated visiting the Palisades. Knew that her grandmother would be tormented with fear and grief. But she couldn’t do it. Couldn’t take looking Mama B in the eyes and telling her what lay in store for her that night. She just didn’t have the strength, not to shoulder that burden as well. Instead, Cassie had agreed to swing by and tell Mama B for her, give her the message that her granddaughter was alive and working for the Resistance and would contact her when she could. Not the whole truth, but perhaps there was no call for such pain to be spread around evenly.
Selah smoothed down the black material of her dress about her thighs. She had opted for flat shoes, eschewing the elegance of high heels for the ability to sprint in an emergency. Had a little clutch in hand, which held a can of pepper spray, compact, and an old-school cell phone with one speed-dial-saved number that would summon help.
Deep breath. Music spiraled out from different floors of the Wind Tower, and it was a gorgeous night, the sound of the ocean a distant whisper, the air redolent with the smell of the ocean. People laughed, climbed out of cars and handed keys to the valet, drinks already in hand. Another night on the Beach, another night in the vampire city.
She walked up and past the valet stand, ignoring the covert looks. Her legs felt long and exposed, the air intimate on her shaved skin, but she knew people were staring at her battered face and split lip. She hadn’t bothered trying to cover the bruises with makeup. Let them all see what had been done. She stepped into the lobby, where people stood in small groups, looking trapped between arrival and progressing to the next level. She approached the front desk and waited a few moments until she could step forward and speak to the incredibly well-dressed young man who turned expectantly to her.
“Hi,” she said, s
uddenly feeling very young. “I’m here at Karl Plessy’s invitation? Selah Brown.”
The young man gave her a reflexive welcoming smile that did nothing to hide the cold evaluation of his eyes, and quickly scrolled through his tablet until he located her name. “Welcome, Miss Brown. Take the elevator to the top floor. You’re expected.”
“Thanks,” she said, as the knot of anxiety twisted itself in her stomach. Great. A small group of socialites close by had overheard, and eyed her curiously as she walked away, clearly wondering who she was. She ignored them, lifted her chin, and tried to look cool and calm and collected.
She shared the elevator ride up with six other people, and was thus able to sink into the back corner and avoid eye contact or attention. The others spoke animatedly about how each had scored an invitation to the event, giving Selah the impression that each felt it to be a social coup of some kind. She kept her eyes on her shoes and said nothing. After what felt like ages, the elevator slowed and the doors parted.
The entire top floor was composed of a single penthouse. The partygoers passed from the elevator through a small landing and on to the wide-open double doors that led into the apartment. Music spilled into the air like outflung gold coins, along with laughter, perfume, and the smell of cigarette smoke. Selah trailed in after the other six. A doorman who was clearly also a guard stared at her impassively, and she quickly glanced away, as if scalded by his flat eyes.
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