The M-1014 shotgun had a surprisingly low recoil, and the girls got the hang of them without a lot of trouble. They were both impressed with the field of fire, knowing just pulling the trigger would do a ton of damage to those in the vicinity.
The M-9 handguns were a different story. Amp couldn’t hit a target to save her ass, and Nikka was not much better. Neither was sold on taking the M-9, Amp having much more confidence in her sword, Nikka in her feet. The handguns in holsters felt too bulky on their bodies, and both decided against them.
The hand-to-hand training didn’t go as well as Robert had hoped. He was a brawler, an expert at getting in close, and punching someone’s lights out as fast as he could. The art of fighting in the girl’s manner was like learning a foreign language, and after a week the three deiced to go with their expertise, with the exception that the girls both would take shotguns in with them.
“That’s probably all the practice we need with the weapons,” Robert was saying as they sat in the back corner of a 24 hour coffee house in downtown Everett. Steaming cups of coffee sat untouched in front of the three, the coffee house empty at this hour except for the pimply faced barista studying behind the counter. “You guys are damn good with shotguns. What about the M-9’s?”
“Not me,” Nikka answered. “I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot. The holster and gun would throw my balance off if it comes down to hand-to-hand.”
“Fair enough,” Robert agreed. “Anne Marie?”
“Nope. I’m a shotgun type of gal.” She smiled at him over the table, her childlike face making the statement sound almost ludicrous. If he hadn’t seen her in action, he might have laughed, but he knew behind that smile and huge dark eyes was the heart of a stone-cold killer.
“Okay then, shotguns it will be,” Robert sighed. “Questions?”
Amp raised her hand, imitating a child in class, waiting to be called on.
“Yes, Anne Marie,” Robert smiled.
“How come there’s a coffee house on every street corner around here? Seattle is the same way.”
“I think it’s something to do with Starbucks being from around here originally or something,” Nikka answered. “Seems to be big business.”
“Starbucks blows,” Amp replied. “Just sayin’.“
“I know, kinda like burnt coffee for the preteen set.”
“Now that we got that important subject out of the way, we can talk about the fun news. I’ve set up a meet with the sniper. Here’s how I think we should handle it…”
------
The night was beautiful, a full moon peeking in and out of the clouds, one moment illuminating the rooftop where the girls were dangling their feet over the side, and then sudden darkness.
Robert had picked the top of this rundown hotel because of the accessibility of the roof via a hallway on the top floor. It was perfectly located in a sparsely populated section of Seattle; frequented by drunks and street people. Robert had found the place, and it had been no problem unlocking the door so that he and his guest could meet the girls.
The girls were both dressed in dark clothing, Amp wearing her normal black duster over a formfitting dark green crop top, leaving her midsection bare, Nikka with a Navy blue windbreaker, both girls in their normal black jeans and boots. Nikka preferred cowboy boots, while Amp was a Dingo biker boot chick; her Molly’s well worn and traveled. Try as they might, the two looked anything but dangerous, more like a couple of Goth girls trying to hook up with high school boys.
“How do you think he’ll react?” Amp asked, her short black hair blowing in the breeze.
Nikka thought for a second before answering. “He’s going to go bat shit crazy, start screaming and shaking, and Roberts going to have to shut him up, hustle him out of here, and erase him. How else would he act? This is a waste of time, we would have been better off dealing with him long distance, hire him, and let him take his chances.”
“I think so too, but it’s going to be fun watching his reaction. He’s gonna freak,” she laughed, Nikka wondering not for the first time about the perverse humor of her friend. “Maybe after we erase him, then wait a week, and approach him again about the job, only this time over the phone and then…”
They were interrupted by the opening of the door, Robert appearing, followed closely by another man.
“Hey guys,” Robert called, as the girls stood up from the ledge.
The stranger was not as tall as Robert, maybe 6 foot 1, solidly built, a military haircut buzzed on the sides with a bit more on top. He was dressed in tan khakis with an Army pullover windbreaker. His eyes, Nikka noticed, were sky blue, and he had the whitest teeth she had ever seen. Not movie star handsome, but certainly good looking in a rough and tough way, she thought.
“Girls, this is Anrio Peron. Rio, this is Nikka and Anne Marie, my partners.”
There was a quizzical look on Peron’s face as he shook the girls hands, but after 11 years in the Army, being surprised daily with strange tasks and orders, he kept his mouth shut rather than asking Robert what the hell he was doing with a couple of teenagers. His next thought was this was going to be a very short meeting, not looking forward to his trip back to California.
“I told you, Rio; you’re going to need an open mind for tonight, and I wish I could have prepared you a little better. I know you think this is a little bit of bull shit, but I promise, this is a dead serious deal, one that’s going to interest you.”
Taking his eyes off the girls and looking at his friend, Rio raised his eyebrows in doubt. “Bob, you’ve got my undivided attention. To say that my curiosity is piqued would be a gross understatement.”
“Mr. Peron,” Nikka interrupted, wanting to draw the attention back to her and Amp. “We know this is bizarre, but believe me, it’s about to get a whole lot stranger. Remember, we need your help…we need your expertise in the worst way, and what we’re going to be doing is life and death stuff. Please, let us finish our explanation before you make a decision.”
“Deal,” Peron answered. “I’ll listen.”
The girls had talked about the best way to start the meeting, and Amp had convinced Nikka that action should come before words. The girls moved back to the ledge of the ten story building, looking down at the alley 100 feet below them. Amp looked deeply into the blue eyed stare of the sniper, winked, then stepped off into space, Nikka following a few seconds later.
A look of shock came over the face of Peron as he dashed to the side of the rooftop.
“What the shit?” was the only thing Robert heard as the sniper stared down into the darkness, the clouds suddenly parting, and illuminating the alley far below. He saw the girls staring up at him; watched as they quickly began climbing the side of the opposite building. He followed their ascent until they were directly across from him, watched, holding his breath as they both took running leaps, and landed feet first in the gravel of the old hotel’s roof.
Robert waited for the outburst that he was convinced was coming, the disbelief and skepticism a sure thing. Instead, he heard only two words.
“I’m in.”
“Excuse me?” Robert asked, not sure he had heard correctly.
“I’m in. Whatever the job, I don’t care, I’m your man.”
“Uh, Rio, don’t you want an explanation. That wasn’t exactly normal, what the girls just did.”
Turning to look at Robert, Peron’s face was filled with…maybe amazement…Robert wasn’t sure, but it was almost like a little kid at the first Christmas that he understood, realizing all those gifts were for him. He couldn’t seem to get the giant smile off of his face.
Robert glanced at the girls, standing silent. They had expected something, but not this.
“Sure, that’d be good. It doesn’t matter much, whatever, let’s get started. Oh…and the thing those girls have, I want a little bit of it. That was…magical. I want it.”
------
Two hours later, sitting around the breakfast table in the rental house, N
ikka had done a nice job explaining about vampires, along with a short bio of her and Amp, and the circumstances that had brought Robert into their fold. She went as far as cutting her arm, letting the man watch with amazement as she healed in front of him. It was a smart move, one that sealed the legitimacy of her story. After outlining their purpose for the Alaska mission, and what they needed Peron to do, she finally ran out of steam.
“We know this is a shock, Mr. Peron. People only see vampires in movies and read about them in books. Nobody believes we exist. We do, and we need your help. Thanks for listening, and I know you must have a ton of questions.”
“I do have a few questions, but there’s one that is burning my brain up,” he said, the others holding their breaths for the man’s anticipated denial of truth.
Glaring at Robert for an uncomfortable 30 seconds, he asked his most important question. “You let 3 street people take you down…how in the hell did that happen, Sergeant?”
Trying desperately to smother the giggle, Amp jumped in to rescue Robert. “He fought hard, Mr. Peron…really hard. We were impressed. The other guys just got lucky.”
“Lucky,” Peron said sarcastically. “I’m Rio, not Mr. anything. If we’re working together, let’s get a bit less stuffy. Okay?”
“Okay,” the girls smiled, Robert still embarrassed at the chastising from his former colleague.
Amp and Robert took turns outlining what they needed from their human accomplice. They traded ideas back and forth, and eventually with dawn approaching, and the human obviously exhausted from the all-nighter, they agreed to continue the session at dusk.
Robert showed Rio to the bedroom the girls had prepared for him, setting the man’s carryall on the bed.
“Rio, this must be hard for you to absorb, but believe me, brother, this is real. Strange for sure; but very real. One other thing the girl’s didn’t mention. The one guy that got killed in Alaska, Riley Toole…he was a Ranger from War Two, a highly decorated survivor of the Philippine jungle.”
He left Rio standing in the doorway, the former sniper shaking his head at the incredible events of the past twelve hours. Silently closing his door, he laid his head against the cool wood, wondering if finally he had found somewhere to belong...and some friends to belong to.
The group spent the next week developing strategy, including the insertion of Peron onto the island without alerting the Wilson clan, and additional training. Robert thought it was important for Rio to see the girl’s talents.
Amp and Nikka sparred against each other, and then Peron took his turn against each of the girls. He came away with an almost idol worship of each of the fighters, as well as more than a few bruises.
Robert brought out the M-4 he had received with the weapon order, and although not a sniper rifle, Peron shocked the girls with his incredible accuracy, and overall weapons knowledge and ability. Finally, when the week was over, the four felt comfortable with each other, and Rio secretly thought they were a hell of a team.
“I’m going to fly to Sacramento tomorrow, pick up the gear I’ll need, and drive back up here. I’ve probably got at least a day’s errands to run, so look for me in three or four days,” he told the group as they were returning home from the training area for the last time. “You guys arrange the trip to Ketchikan while I’m gone, and when I get back, we’ll be as ready as we’ll ever be.”
Nikka said what was on the other two’s minds. “You’re coming back, aren’t you, Rio?”
He smiled kindly at the girl who had become a good friend. “Nothing in the world could keep me from this, Nikka. I’m all in, been in since you jumped off that hotel roof. I wouldn’t miss this show for a million dollars.
------
“I was hoping you might want to go for a walk?” Nikka asked after knocking softly on Peron’s bedroom door. It was still a few hours until dawn, and she had heard the man up and around, knew that he was an early riser.
“Sure, I’ve got plenty of time. I don’t have to be at the airport until noon. What’s up?”
“Just thought it would be a good time to talk about a couple of things,” she said, the two walking across the back lawn, a glorious morning, a light breeze promising a cool Washington day. The tops of the trees of the forest behind the house were blowing in the wind, and the smell of springtime was dominating their senses. They came to the old gazebo the owners had built at the edge of the trees, Nikka taking a seat on the bench, Rio leaning against the wall.
“Amp and I talked, and we think it’d be a good idea for you and me to create a bond.”
His face took on a quizzical look, not sure where this was leading.
“We do have a bond…we’re friends, I think, and we’re going to do a pretty dangerous job together. That classifies as a bond, at least in my mind.”
“It is…I’m sorry, I’m not explaining this very well. I’ve been on my own for so long, sometimes I take it for granted that everyone understands what’s inside my brain. You are my friend, I feel like I’ve known you forever. It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a week. There’s very few times in my life I’ve gotten close to humans, and you’re the first one I’ve ever considered a friend. So yeah, we definitely have a bond.”
“Not the kind of bond you’re talking about?” Rio asked.
“No. This is different. I’m talking about a blood bond, Rio,” she said, holding up a finger to silence his interruption. “Let me explain before you ask your questions.”
Nodding, he settled on the opposite bench, no idea what was coming.
“Vampire blood is different than yours. We have all these super senses, eyesight, smell, speed. We also have incredible strength. You’ve seen the things Amp, and Robert, and I can do. That’s in our DNA, our bodies and blood enable us to do those things. I can pass a bunch of that stuff on to you, only in a much lighter dose if you take some of my blood. You’ll feel better, you won’t get as sick, you’ll heal faster, and your senses will improve. There are a lot of vamps that keep humans around with them, feeding them regularly, for sometimes hundreds of years. They don’t age much. As a protective measure, we thought that might be a good idea.”
“I get this from drinking your blood?”
“Right. My blood’s pretty good, at least I’ve been told,” she laughed, trying to ease the tension. “There’s something else, the bonding part of it. If we do this, I will take some of your blood at the same time, and that way we’ll feel each other, know if there’s a problem, or danger, or a need for the other. It’s hard for me to explain, but it’s a true bond. Weird, huh?”
“If we do this, when would it take place?”
“We need to do it several times, but we could do it right now to start. Then when you get back from California, we could do it again; and then a couple more times before you go undercover.”
“Wilson’s people won’t be able to pick up on that…the blood bond?”
“No. This is just a you-and-me thing. What do you think?”
He was thinking, his mind in overdrive. This cute little skinny thing was proposing something so strange…but after the past week, what really was strange?
“Like a blood brother thing, trading blood from a scratch?”
“Not really,” she was trying not to giggle. “You go first. If you can’t do it, just tell me, but at least give it a try.”
He watched as her fangs dropped; a frightening, erotic sight. She was even more beautiful in this stage, he thought, as he watched her raise her arm to her mouth and rip a section of tissue away, the blood pouring from the wound. Silently she raised it to his face. Rio backed away, then hesitated, resolved to see this through. He bent, licking a tiny bit…then more, and finally, the taste intoxicating, his lips attached, and he sucked her lifeblood down.
Nikka let him feed until he was satisfied, her wound closing as he licked the last of her blood from her wrist.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” she whispered as she watched his face, hoping that he wasn�
��t horrified with what he had done. This was important to her, a great leap for her in relation to humans. She had never done anything like this, but she had never been in this type of situation before.
“Not bad at all,” he replied, wiping his face on her sleeve. “Damn Nikka, that’s not what I imagined blood to taste like. That’s like some kind of nectar or something. It’s weird, I feel it in me, I felt it go down, and I think I can still feel it circulating. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s good. Really good.”
“I need to feed from you, Rio,” she said softly.
“Is this gonna hurt?”
“Uh…just a little, but not for long. You’re a big boy, you can handle it. The thing is, my fangs release a serum into you that’s going to make this a pretty cool thing for you. You’re going to get excited…I mean sexually. It’s pretty orgasmic for humans. If you want to have sex while I’m doing it that might make it even better. I would do that,” she said.
She could tell by his face she had said the wrong thing, had crossed some kind of human line.
“If I want to have sex, you’d do it? What’s that supposed to mean? That’s about the coldest proposition I’ve ever had. Sex so I’d feel better about it? That sounds like something a hooker would say. No thanks, when I want to have sex, I’ll find someone who wants me for something besides a blood swap.”
Nikka was stunned, had no idea she had caused any disrespect. “I’m sorry, Rio, I didn’t mean anything bad. I think you misunderstood. Vampires are very casual about sex; it’s an enjoyable function, one we like very much. We have a different set of emotions, and sex doesn’t have to be all love and stuff. We like sex, and we do it often. I was just offering to add to your experience. Never mind, forget I said it. Just…let me feed, let’s finish this and you can get going.”
She couldn’t believe it, she was feeling embarrassed…for maybe the first time in her life.
“Hold still, it’ll pinch at first, but I’ll be careful. Just stand there, don’t pull back, and try to relax.”
She found the soft skin of his neck, his smell pleasing to her. She dragged her fangs across his smooth skin, Rio stiff as a board, not comfortable, almost afraid. Nikka smiled, thinking he was going to be a bit embarrassed in a few seconds when her serum hit him. Still smiling, she sank her fangs into his neck, piercing his vessels, the blood rushing into her mouth as her serum flowed back into him, released from her sharp canines.
Kill Wilson (Petersburg Vampires) Page 13
