by Helen Harper
‘It’s not relinquishing power! If anything, better relations with the humans will strengthen the Families.’
‘We know that. He doesn’t.’
‘No. I still can’t believe he would deliberately act against us like this. It would violate every Family law there is. If he was discovered, he’d be slaughtered. The four remaining Families would see to it.’
‘If he’s got Dahlia and he’s turned her, then he’s already got leverage against you, Arzo. That means leverage against this entire firm. Would you avoid revealing the truth about Medici to the other Families, even to Montserrat, if her life was in danger? The photo of you was left there deliberately in case you went to check on her. It would make you think she still cared for you…’
Arzo flinches.
‘They made it look like a break-in. They wanted Stephen Templeton to call the police because sooner or later they’d come round asking questions and you’d be forced to get involved.’ I continue. ‘They would have subdued her in a heartbeat, especially if she’d made friends with them and invited them into the house already. She didn’t tell her husband she suddenly had bloodguzzling besties so I’ll bet they don’t want us to know they have her just yet. Medici will wait until you’re desperate then dangle her fledgling arse in front of you as a lure. Sabotage this firm or watch her die.’
Arzo shakes his head. ‘I still don’t think he’d go that far. Medici wouldn’t grab someone like that, not with the way things are right now.’
‘Right now is the perfect time to do it,’ I argue. ‘We can’t accuse him because it’ll put all the vampires in the country in jeopardy. If the humans have proof that someone’s been recruited against their will, they have a reason to declare outright war.’
‘She may have volunteered. Or she may have just left and be nowhere near the Medici Family. She might be sunning herself on a beach somewhere.’
I glance at Michael. ‘There is one way to find out. We let Matt off the leash and see if they approach him. Two birds are better than one. I bet Medici jumps at the chance to create a double agent as well as pull Arzo’s strings at the same time. It’ll mean that this agency will never get off the ground and he’ll win.’
‘How do we keep Matt safe though?’ Michael says grimly.
I grin. ‘Matt was in the army.’
‘But he’s…’
‘No.’ I interrupt. Michael looks annoyed but falls quiet. ‘Don’t say it. He’s not an idiot. He just needs some encouragement. In fact, he’ll tell us what to do.’
‘I wasn’t going to call him that,’ he tells me quietly. He sighs. ‘You know Medici might not fall for it.’
‘Let’s try and see.’ I look at Arzo and he gives me a brief, albeit reluctant, nod.
Michael sighs and rubs a hand over his scalp. ‘Okay. I’ll go and talk to Matt.’
* * *
We begin immediately. With no way of knowing if my theory is correct or if the Medici vampires are keeping an eye on our movements, we approach the set-up with care. If Medici takes the opportunity that’s being handed to him on a plate, it’s imperative that our actions remain covert. There’s no point going to all this trouble and then tipping our hand – but we can’t let them do anything damaging to Matt either.
‘Whatever you do, Matt,’ Michael says, ‘don’t move the chair.’
‘I won’t move the chair,’ Matt repeats dutifully. He stands back and eyes it, folding his arms as if to prove his actions will mirror his words.
‘Matt.’ My voice is soft.
‘Yes, Bo?’
‘Can you pass me the chair please?’
His face screws up like a crumpled ball of paper. There’s tension in his bulging biceps and it’s clear he’s undergoing an internal struggle, but within twenty seconds he follows my request. We exchange looks.
Matt is anxious. ‘Did I do something wrong?’
‘No, you did everything perfectly.’ I smile at him reassuringly and focus on Michael. ‘How many vampires like this does Medici have?’
He frowns. ‘There were several.’
‘Were?’
‘A couple survived after Nicky’s incarceration, like Matt, but Medici…’ He glances at Matt and doesn’t finish his sentence.
‘The man’s a monster,’ I breathe.
‘He’s keeping his Family strong.’
‘You agree with that?’
‘Of course not,’ he snaps. ‘But I understand it.’
I curse under my breath. Michael frowns at me but doesn’t pursue it further.
The plan is to make a midnight coffee run. Thanks to our busy central location, there are a number of twenty-four hour cafés dotted around. Each night, Matt will venture out on his own to fetch everyone a drink. We’ll establish a routine, although we’ll take care not to be too punctual, giving ourselves twenty minutes either side of the witching hour so his errand doesn’t appear too forced. We can’t bring in any Montserrat reinforcements so we need to manage on our own. Matt sets up the route himself, mapping it out carefully to create a splinter ambush. I estimate that if Medici is really going to make a move, he’ll do it by the fourth night or not at all.
When I take up position on the first night, however, I immediately spot two shadows detach themselves from a darkened alleyway. I realise that with the impending announcement about the firm, Medici is more desperate than we anticipated.
‘There are two vampires following him,’ I whisper into my cuff, where a tiny radio is secreted.
‘Colours?’
‘Black.’
‘So it could be Stuart.’
‘The Stuart Family colour might be black, but anyone can put on black clothes.’
I skirt along the edge of the roof, keeping my distance. At the second crossroads, just as I’m judging the distance to the next set of roofs, the vampires speed up and overtake Matt’s loping figure. Another vampire emerges from the corner. My heart drops. Medici doesn’t have one or two bloodguzzlers out on the streets; he’s got an entire team. Anxiously, I scan ahead. The last thing I need is to bang into a watcher up here but the higher ground seems clear.
‘Matt,’ I say softly, ‘stop and tie your shoelace.’
He halts, obediently bending down and fumbling with his shoe. I focus on the figure behind him who’ll have no choice other than to give themselves away by stopping too, or lose their advantage and overtake him. I arch my neck and register the figure’s lips moving. I guess we’re not the only ones with radios to hand. It makes sense. If Medici has set up a perimeter team, they’ll be spread around the surrounding streets. I need to work out how many there are.
The tail behind Matt walks past him. I wait until he’s some distance away before instructing Matt to move. As soon as he does, I spot a vampire on the roof on the opposite side of the street. I smile. There’s a construction site ahead with a large gap where a building was recently demolished. In about three minutes, the vampire won’t find staying up on the roofs particularly helpful.
‘How many are there now?’ Michael’s voice interrupts.
‘Four so far. Three in front of him. One’s on the right, on the roof across from me.’
I wait until my opposite number has leapt over the gap where the intersection meets then I do the same thing. I land badly, my ankle turning and causing me to gasp in surprised pain.
‘What’s wrong?’ Michael sounds alarmed.
‘Nothing.’
There’s a crackle in my earpiece. ‘This is too dangerous. I’m coming after you. Stay where you are.’
‘No. If any of those bloodguzzlers sees you, the game is up. We’ll lose any advantage we could have.’
‘That’s better than you dead.’
‘They don’t know I’m here.’
‘Yet.’
‘Don’t, Michael,’ I say. ‘Please.’
There’s no answer. I scowl. He needs to stop sodding micro-managing. There’s no way I’m going to hang around, waiting for him to show up and ruin everything.
I move forward quickly, forgetting about the pain in my ankle for just long enough to lose my footing and feel my knees buckle. I put out my uninjured leg to the right to avoid falling completely and use my left hand to stop myself collapsing. Unfortunately I loosen a tile at the same time and it slides away before I can stop it. I watch, horror struck, as it disappears off the edge of the roof and smashes on the pavement below. Panicking, I swing to my left and drop down until I’m clinging onto the roof with my fingertips in an attempt to conceal myself from the vampire opposite. The only thing that saves me is that, in a bid to keep close to Matt, the vampire is twenty metres ahead; it takes him longer to turn and squint at the road and the destroyed tile, then up in my direction.
I know he’s coming this way. I have to prevent him from alerting anyone else. Letting myself drop, I fall three storeys onto the pavement of the parallel street. I ignore the shooting pain in my ankle, run to the corner, press my back against the wall and shuffle silently until I can peer round. The other vampire has also dropped to the street. He’s barely five metres away, standing over the splintered remnants of the roof tile.
‘It might be nothing,’ he mutters into his radio. ‘Maybe a cat.’ He looks up at the roof I just vacated. ‘I can’t see anything. I’ll check it out to be sure.’
Arse. Michael’s heading in this direction, no doubt following the same route I took. I need to stop the Medici guzzler from climbing up and recognising him. Looking around, I see a discarded soda can and pick it up. I fling it into the road and the vampire turns towards it. The second I hear his footsteps approaching, I launch myself at him. He’s already on the defensive but I slam the base of my hand into his throat, forcing him to stagger backwards. If nothing else, that’ll put his voice out of commission for a couple of minutes. If he can’t speak, he can’t use his radio to sound the alarm.
His eyes narrow and he spins round, leaping in the air and kicking at me. I dodge his foot – but only just – and roll on the ground to get away. Then I’m back on my feet, fists ready. The vampire comes forward again, this time more cautiously. I throw up my hands to block his blow and return the favour, punching him in the stomach. Unfortunately his abs are rock hard and I do more damage to my hand than to his body. He takes advantage of the break in my momentum and lunges forward, grabbing my jacket’s right pocket. I slam the base of my hand into his nose. His head rocks back, his eyes spitting venom and pain in equal measures.
A low rumble emits from his chest and he springs high up in the air, then somersaults and lands behind me. Before I can move away, his elbow locks round my throat and he drags me down in a headlock. My fingers scrabble at his arm, trying to loosen his grip. He makes an odd choking sound; a corner of my brain registers that it’s a laugh. His free hand smashes into the side of my head, over and over again. Blinding light flashes behind my eyelids and I yell out loud.
Forcing myself to relax, I let him continue punching me. I won’t stay fully conscious unless I escape his grip soon. I manoeuvre closer to him then simultaneously knee the back of his leg and thrust my left hand into his forehead. The opposing forces of my attack force him to release me. My success unleashes another flood of adrenaline and I kick him in the chest, then slam my fists into his back. He collapses on the ground.
I back away, breathing hard, feeling like I’ve just been run over by a ten-ton truck. His radio crackles.
‘What’s your status?’
From high above us, Michael swoops down. Without taking his eyes off me, he grabs the bloodguzzler’s radio. ‘Nothing. False alarm,’ he grunts, distorting his voice. Then he bends down, snatching a tuft of the vampire’s hair and pulling upwards. Barely blinking, he slams the vampire’s head onto the pavement and the last light in the bloodguzzler’s eyes goes out. His eyelids close and his chest rises, but only just.
‘You had him,’ he says.
I feel a flicker of pride. ‘I got lucky,’ I mutter.
Michael raises his eyebrows. ‘Take a compliment when it’s given.’
‘I have to go,’ I whisper. ‘Matt…’
He nods. ‘Go. I’ll sort this one out.’
I sigh in frustration. ‘Because of my fucking clumsiness, Medici will know we’re on to him.
‘He won’t.’
‘Yes, he will. If this one dies, the only possible explanation is that he was killed by another vampire. He’ll put two and two together.’
‘I’ll deal with it. Go.’
I stand there for another heartbeat then I turn and run, crossing the road and shimmying back up the roofs. I don’t do anything silly like look back.
By the time I catch up with Matt, he’s almost at the end of our planned route. The coffee shop is at the back of a small square. There’s one road leading to it and a tiny alleyway leading away from it. The three vampires who were in front of him are already there, together with another one. They’ve taken up positions in each corner.
‘Don’t speak, Matt. If the answer’s yes, scratch your ear. If it’s no, lick your lips,’ I whisper, keeping my voice as quiet as possible. ‘Are you okay?’
He scratches.
‘Can you see more than four of them?’
His tongue flicks out and I relax a little.
‘Okay, go into the shop. Buy four coffees. You know what to do next.’
He scratches his ear again.
‘Connor?’
‘I’m here.’ There’s a faint tremor in his voice.
‘It’s fine. You won’t get hurt, I promise. It’s time to leave.’
‘Okay.’
Arzo fills the airwaves. ‘Radio silence from now on unless you’re compromised.’
I nod, even though no one can see me. Then I wait. When I hear the purr of an expensive car engine, I know it’s time. I crawl as close as I can without being seen. I’m still worried about will happen if someone contacts the Medici vampire I downed. I hope that Michael’s plan to deal with him, whatever it is, pans out.
The car pulls into view. It stays where it is, doors closed and windows blackened. It is Lord Medici’s vehicle, so I’m betting he’s not leaving anything to chance and has come himself. My muscles tense. At Matt’s urging we timed this before so, if Connor left on time, he should be here any second now. I can see the cashier ringing up the drinks inside the coffee shop. Connor had better hurry. Fortunately, Matt makes a show of fumbling his change, dropping coins on the floor and taking his time scooping them up. I smile grimly. He’s not always lacking in initiative.
When Matt leaves the shop, balancing the cups in both hands, the car door opens and the formidable figure of Lord Medici steps out. Connor arrives in the nick of time, driving my bike past his lordship and up to Matt. He raises his visor and high-fives him.
‘Hey buddy! What gives? Isn’t my blood enough?’
I wince. I hope Medici doesn’t register that Connor’s delivery is wooden and forced..
Matt grins. ‘Caffeine.’
‘Did you get me one?’
He bobs his head dutifully.
‘Three sugars?’
Matt’s face falls. He’s a much better actor than Connor. ‘No.’
‘You know I can’t take coffee without sugar! It’s not like anyone’s bothered to stock up the office. You bloodguzzlers only think of yourselves.’ Connor flounces into the coffee shop.
Matt shrugs and moves forward, just as Medici hails him. ‘Matthew Montserrat! Come here!’ Even though Medici is doing as I hoped, his imperious tone rankles. The order gives Matt no choice but to amble over. Unlike me, Matt takes no offence at the way Medici speaks; he has a goofy smile plastered over his face.
‘Yes?’
Medici points to the car’s interior. ‘Get in.’
Matt’s smile stretches wider and he moves towards the open door. Thankfully, Connor is on the ball and strides out of the coffee shop with perfect timing. ‘Matt! Wait!’
Matt, inevitably, follows the last order. I watch Medici’s face carefully. This is where the danger
lies, although I’m counting on Medici maintaining at least some sense of responsibility. I can see the flash of cold rage on his face. As long as he stays where he is, though, his inner demons can do whatever they want. The vampires in the four corners of the square step forward, but Medici waves them back.
‘I’ll give you a lift,’ Connor continues blithely to Matt. He glances at Medici and gives a little jump. ‘Lord Medici! Hey! How’s things?’ Then, instead of waiting for an answer, he says quickly, ‘Matt, why don’t you get on the bike?’
Matt starts to turn. ‘Stay where you are, Matthew,’ Medici snaps. The ex-soldier freezes.
‘I’m sorry, my Lord,’ Connor babbles. ‘You’re not pissed off, are you? It was a really generous offer you made. I’ve been thinking about it and maybe I was a bit rash.’
Medici’s cold eyes flick over him. ‘If you want to see the next sunrise, you’ll be wise to get out of here now.’
I grip the edges of the roof, ready to leap if this all goes tits up. It’ll take me less than two seconds to make my presence known. I won’t be a match for Medici, he’s too old and far too powerful, but both Arzo and Michael agree that he won’t attack all three of us together. Medici can get away with coercion but actual bodily harm would be too risky; if the other Families heard about it, they might ensure he feels the full weight of vampiric retribution. This is a popular square that teems with tourists during the day. There are several visible CCTV cameras to protect their pockets from criminal elements in the city. It’s one of the reasons we chose this location.
‘You are angry.’ Connor is warming to his role and sounds more natural. ‘Look, things aren’t what I expected. Being around Bo is like tiptoeing round a freaking sleeping Kakos daemon. She snaps at the slightest thing. She doesn’t like blood much either. It takes a pissing age to get her to drink. Arzo’s not much better. He just mopes around because he thinks some long-lost love is going to show up at any minute.’ He rolls his eyes. ‘It’s pathetic really.’
I think he’s laying it on too thick but Medici licks his lips. I bite my tongue to prevent myself crowing in delight. He’s going to fall for it.
