Heart of the Warrior

by Donya Lynne

  "Is my painting done, yet?" Ari nodded toward the abandoned canvas.

  Sev chuckled and kissed him again then pushed back and returned to the canvas then picked it up and turned it around to show him. His image stared back at him. He sat up and moved closer to look at it.

  "Wow. When you told me you painted, I didn’t know you meant like this?"

  "Like how?" Sev turned the easel around and placed the canvas back on it then joined Ari on the bed and took hold of his hand.

  "Like…I don’t know, like an artist." He laughed, unable to get over how perfect the painting was. "How long have you been up?"

  "A couple of hours."

  "You did all that in a couple of hours?"

  Sev nodded. "Yep. Not my best work, and it's not quite finished, yet, but that’s pretty much how I see you."

  Ari could feel the love in the portrait and it filled him with happiness. This was what he had been missing all his life. Love, joy, warmth, compassion, understanding.

  "I love you, Sev." He didn’t think he could say those words enough. It felt good to finally find someone he could say them to.

  "I love you, too, babe."

  And to find someone who would say them back.

  They sat hand-in-hand for several minutes, listening to the music and gazing at Sev’s work then finally Sev leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Come on. We’re going to be late."

  Ari didn’t want to go to work tonight, and he didn’t want to go tomorrow, or the next night, or the one after that. He wanted to write and play music, maybe even teach it. He didn’t want to patrol the streets, anymore, or arrest drecks and break up fights or stop drug deals.

  "Ari?" Sev squeezed his hand. "You okay, babe?"

  "I am when I'm with you." He turned and looked into those pale blue eyes of Sev’s. "Come on. Let’s go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave and come home."

  "Come home?" Sev’s eyes twinkled and the corners of his mouth perked up.

  "Yeah, come home. I like it here, Sev. This feels like home to me." For the first time in his life, he felt like he was right where he was supposed to be. Now if he could just face his father, he could make it official and actually move in.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The following night, Lakota awoke determined to make amends with Severin. He had already made the decision to move to Chicago to be near his daughter, and it was time he returned to work – real work. During his forty-two-year marriage to Mary, he had worked as a night security guard at various places, a job he quit when she died six years ago. Since then he hadn’t worked at all, and it was time to get back to what he did best: Enforcing.

  He sat down in front of his laptop and typed in the necessary information to get him to the local AKM site, which fronted as a security detail. But that was just for show for the humans. Vampires knew the real purpose of AKM.

  The website was set up like any other, with menu options for About Us, Our Clients, Contact Us, and the one Lakota was looking for, Career Opportunities. He clicked the link and a screen opened with available positions. Of course, everything was coded to appear human-friendly, and like most AKM facilities, they probably did have humans who worked in a separate part of the facility from the vampires. Administrators, daytime security guards, drivers, and the like.

  He browsed the open positions. There wasn’t much, but there was a listing for security guards. That could mean any number of positions, but most likely it meant enforcers, especially because the job reference number contained the string of characters Lakota knew meant this was a vampire opportunity.

  He called the phone number referenced for the position and sat back, waiting for an answer, but got voicemail. Of course. They had to weed out the riff-raff somehow.

  Thank you for calling AKM Security. At the tone, please leave your name, contact information, and the reference number for the job you are inquiring about and someone will contact you as soon as possible. No doubt humans thought this was an odd method for gaining information from candidates, but to vampires, especially those who had worked at AKM before, this was perfectly normal.

  Beep.

  "Lakota Bannon, job reference number V922460166." The V had not been part of the original code, but this was the way a vampire told them he was, in fact, a vampire. He rattled off his phone number then paused before adding, "I have previous experience."

  He hung up. All he could do now was wait for them to call him back.

  After ordering room service, he was about to hop in the shower when his phone rang. He glanced at the I.D. AKM Security. Shit, that was fast. Not even five minutes had passed.

  "Hello?"

  "Yes, Mr. Bannon?" The voice on the other end was deep and gruff, a true soldier.

  "Yes."

  "My name is Stryker. Your message was just forwarded to me. You have previous experience as an enforcer?"

  "Yes, sir. I do."

  "When and where?"

  "Europe and England in the late 1700s and 1800s, just all over. I was part of the King’s Guard for about twenty years. Came to the States in 1887 when he relocated, then branched out on my own in 1909 for a few years before helping found the New York division of AKM in 1913. I worked there until 1964."

  "Impressive. Why did you quit in 1964?"

  "I got married, sir."

  "Oh? Was she human?"

  "Yes, sir. How did you know?"

  "I’ve seen this before. An enforcer leaves when he gets involved with a human, then returns after she dies."

  Lakota winced at Stryker’s bluntness, but he understood it. He had been like Stryker once. Worse, actually. He caressed the cross around his neck, remembering Mary. He would never return to the bastard he had been thanks to her, but he had a feeling some of his old ways would return once he got back to work. Not the bad old ways, but the ones that made him a strong enforcer and gave him the edge a soldier needed to make it in the streets.

  "Yes, sir, my wife was human."

  "Any kids?"

  Vampire interviews didn’t work like human ones. Questions about family weren’t allowed in human interviews, but they weren’t as off-limits in those for vampires.

  "Yes, sir. One daughter and two sons." He didn’t include Sev in this total.

  There was a pause. "Okay, how about you come by tonight? Can you be here in two hours?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Call me Stryker."

  "Okay, Stryker. And you can call me Lakota or just Kota"

  "Do you know how to get here, Kota?"

  "I’ve got the address."

  "Okay, then I’ll see you in two."

  "Thank you, Stryker. I’ll be there." Lakota hung up and hit the shower. He had hoped to see Gina again tonight, but that would have to wait until later.

  After showering and getting cleaned up, his dinner arrived and he quickly ate before heading down to his Suburban in the hotel parking garage. An hour-and-a-half after Stryker’s phone call, Lakota was on his way.

  AKM’s offices were centrally-located in the heart of the Loop, and he entered the main lobby to be greeted by a dark-haired, dark-eyed female. "Hello, can I help you?" Her eyes razed him up and down appraisingly.

  "I have an appointment with Stryker," he said.

  "You must be Lakota?"

  "Yes."

  She picked up her phone and punched a number. "Yes, Lakota’s here to see you." She paused briefly then hung up. "He’ll be right up."

  Lakota glanced around the windowless lobby at the awards and pictures.

  "Kota. Hi, I’m Stryker."

  Lakota spun around and clutched the large, outstretched hand coming at him. "That was fast." Not even a minute had passed since the receptionist had called back to him.

  "I don’t believe in wasting time, Kota."

  Stryker was almost as tall as he was, with shoulders just as wide. A black buzz-cut topped his head and he looked and acted more like a Marine than a vampire in his fatigues and skin-tight navy blue T-shirt that showed off
what looked like a magnificent pair of pecs.

  "Follow me." Stryker spun on his heel and nodded curtly to the receptionist, who grinned slyly and glanced away.

  It was clear she had the hots for Stryker, but while she had been easy enough to read, it was hard to tell whether the male returned the attraction.

  "Thank you," Lakota said to the female as he rapped his knuckles on the counter.

  "Certainly. Good luck." She smiled warmly then dropped her gaze back to a stack of mail she was opening.

  "This is the main hall," Stryker said, leading him through a set of double doors. "Dispatch is over there, break room, lockers, prep rooms, conference room, data center, war room." He pointed toward each as his giant strides ate up the hallway. "Over there's the training center – state of the art, by the way." Stryker quickly flexed an arm without looking back at him, and his biceps popped up like a softball for a split second before he lowered his arm. "Down that hall is the medical wing, and back that way are the elevators that lead to the dorms. You’ll get a room of your own once you come on board. My team takes up the sixth floor. But don't get comfortable. The new facility is almost finished. We'll be moving in a month or two."

  "Wait? I’m in just like that? No interview?" Lakota was shocked it was that simple.

  "With your credentials? Shit, you’ll be running your own team before you know it." Stryker shoved open a door and held it for Lakota to enter. "This is my office."

  Lakota stepped in and looked around. The space was small but adequate for a guy as big as Stryker, but the sparse walls and desk gave Lakota the impression that Stryker liked to keep things clean and simple. No clutter or personal distractions. He probably lived in a small, one-story house that contained nothing more than a bed, a chair, and a home gym.

  "So," Stryker sat down and steepled his fingers in front of him as he plopped his elbows on the desk and leaned forward. "When can you start?"

  "As soon as possible."

  "Great. How does Monday sound?" Stryker sat back and slid the only file on the desk in front of him and opened it, and then grabbed the simple, black ballpoint from the pocket of his shirt. The metal clasp snapped and Stryker’s thumb click-clicked, and then he made a quick notation on the paperwork.

  "Monday sounds good."

  "We’ve got a Bannon on Tristan’s team. Is that going to be a problem? I assume there’s a reason you didn’t volunteer your relationship to Severin?"

  This guy was good. "No, sir, that won’t be a problem. Not from my end."

  "Good. I don’t know what you two are to each other, and I don’t give a shit, but it’s clear you’re related. Shit, you could almost pass for twins. But as long as there’s no trouble, I don’t care. Keep your secrets to yourself and your personal life out of your work, and we’ll get along fine."

  "Yes, sir."

  "I told you on the phone to call me Stryker, goddamn it. I hate being called sir."

  Lakota smiled. He could already tell he would like working with Stryker. He had the kind of edge and no-shit attitude that was just what he needed to get back in the game.

  "What are you smiling at?" Stryker said.

  "Nothing, sir." He emphasized sir. "Just that I think I’m going to like working with you."

  Stryker started to grin, but bit it back. "Yeah, well, I have a feeling I’m going to like working with you, too, shithead. But that won’t stop me from busting your fangs if you call me sir again."

  Lakota barked out a laugh. He already felt like he had known Stryker for years, what with all the ball-busting going on between them. "Okay, okay. Got it, Stryker."

  "That’s more like it." Stryker yanked open the top drawer of his desk.

  Lakota imagined the inside was just as clean and orderly as the rest of his office.

  "Here’s your access card and key fob." Stryker wrote down the number on the back of each. "They’ll be activated by Sunday night if you feel like coming in and meeting the team, but don’t worry. We can do that Monday, too." He pulled out a set of keys. "These are keys to our vehicles. The prep lockers use combinations, but you can bring your own lock for the ones in the training center locker rooms. But I can tell you right now, no one steals shit around here because they know they’ll answer to me if they do."

  Lakota imagined that would be enough to scare anyone away from even stealing a Post-it Note. Stryker didn't seem like one to cross. "Gotcha."

  Stryker stood abruptly and Lakota got the feeling the guy was about to salute, but he simply held his hand out over his desk. Lakota stood then clasped and shook it.

  "Welcome to the team, Kota."

  "Thank you, Stryker. You have no idea how excited I am about this." Finally, he would get back to work. He was itching to get his hands dirty again.

  His new boss released his hand and strode to the door. "I’ll remind you that you said that when you’re ass-deep in cobalt dealers."

  "Cobalt? Really?"

  Stryker opened the door and led him out. "Yeah, we’ve got a real cobalt problem growing out of control here. It’s why all the teams are being asked to add more manpower. It's also why we're outgrowing this place." Stryker swept his gaze around as if encompassing the entire building.

  "Outgrowing it, huh?"

  "Yep. That's why we're getting the new facility. It's bigger. State of the art, too. High-tech. Efficient. Underground. At least our part of it is. It'll sure be nice to dump this 70s motif and get into a space that will help us do our jobs better."

  Yeah, it was clear that the building they were in had seen a few build-outs to make room for additional staff. It looked old, with generic tile floors, partitioned ceilings, and fluorescent lighting.

  A few feet ahead, two males stepped out of one of the offices they had passed earlier.

  Stryker barked out a greeting. "Tristan, hey, meet Lakota. He just came on." Stryker pulled up and clapped another massive male on the shoulder.

  That must be Tristan.

  "Lakota?" The other man with Tristan glanced at him and lifted his eyebrows.

  "Gregos?" Lakota smiled and took the man’s hand. "What a small world. Do you work here, too?"

  He and Gregos had known each other as members of the king’s personal guard. Shit, that had been a couple centuries ago.

  Stryker and Tristan looked back and forth between them.

  "No, I’m retired. My son, Arion, is on Tristan’s team," Gregos said.

  "Really?" Lakota glanced toward Tristan and shook his hand. "I’m Lakota Bannon."

  Tristan’s eyes narrowed and he glanced at Stryker curiously, but Stryker held up his hands. "I know. He looks like your boy Sev, but I’m not prying and he assured me there’s no problems."

  Tristan didn’t look convinced and Lakota got the feeling he wasn’t as open as Stryker.

  "So," Gregos said, "you’re still enforcing?"

  "I took some time off, but I’m ready to get back to it. What about you?"

  "I still work for the king. I’m a liaison now. No one talks to the king directly, anymore. Everything goes through the liaisons and consultants."

  "Moving up in the world," Lakota said.

  "That could have been you if you hadn’t left, Kota."

  "Eh, I was never the political type. You know that."

  Yeah, Lakota had been far from the political type. They didn't usually allow barbaric animals to serve in office.

  Stryker cut in to the conversation. "Can you find your way out, Kota? I need to get back to the data center. I’m running intel tonight."

  "I can walk him out," Tristan said.

  "Okay, I’ll see you Monday night, Kota." Stryker nodded to Tristan and Gregos then spun on his heel and marched away, his combat boots thunking heavily on the tiled floor.

  "So, what are you doing tomorrow night?" Gregos said as the three turned and began walking toward the exit.

  Tomorrow was Saturday, and as far as he knew, the only plans he had would be with Gina if she agreed to see him. "Nothing, yet. Why?"
<
br />   "It’s St. Patrick’s Day and I’m having a huge party at my home. We do it every year."

  "What? Are you suddenly Irish?" Lakota laughed at him.

  Gregos joined him. "Heavens no. I’m still Greek vampire through and through, but I do love a good excuse for a party."

  Tristan nodded. "And he throws some of the best."

  "I’ll bet." Lakota remembered that Gregos always had excellent taste and flourished in social settings. A career in politics suited him so much better than it ever would have suited Lakota.

  "How would you like to come?" Gregos said. "I’m sure Christa would love to see you, and you can meet my son, Arion. Christa and I have a surprise for him tomorrow night."

  "Who else will be there?" Lakota asked. He didn’t want to be the odd man out in a room full of personal friends, and he hoped Sev might be there. It could give them an opportunity to at least talk.

  "Everyone." Gregos arced his arm through the air with a flourish as if to include the entire world.

  "My whole team will be there," added Tristan. "If you’re worried about not knowing anyone, don’t worry. My guys will make you feel at home because they won’t know anyone else, either."

  Good. That confirmed Sev would be there.

  "Can I bring a date?" Lakota wanted to invite Gina. He was really starting to like that female.

  "Absolutely," Gregos said. "So, I’ll put you down on the guest list then?"

  Lakota thought about it for a second then nodded. "Sure. I’ll go. Sounds like fun."

  This was turning out to be a good night. He had gotten a job, bumped into an old friend, and now had a social engagement on his calendar that he could use to get to know Gina better, as well as his son if all went well, although that kid had a great right hook. He remembered the shot he had taken at Felice's and rubbed his chin.

  "Excellent." Gregos pulled out a card. "This is my address. Arrive any time after ten o'clock. Party attire."

  "What exactly is party attire?" Lakota said.

  "Whatever you want it to be. Christa has provided green masks, hats, and all the typical St. Patrick’s Day fare. It will be the event of the season."