by K. M. Liss
“I'm so sorry baby. I know you loved this place. I loved it too.”
He laid his head on her shoulder and kissed her neck.
“It's not important. I'll get it cleared up while we're away. They're just things. I can get more, even better things maybe. And one positive thing has come of it, at least she's moved out now.” He managed to force a small smile.
He stood up and wandered back to the living room and she followed. “Well, it seems I'll be travelling light. All I have is the clothes I am wearing plus my passport. Thankfully that is locked away, here, in my safe.” He opened the wall safe and removed it.
“We'll get you lots more lovely clothes and things at the airport, shall we? But now you need to make some calls, get the locks changed, and get the new keys delivered to a cleaning company, here. Do it quickly and let's go.” She thrust a paint splattered local business phone directory at him that she recovered from the floor by the front door.
He set about the task and in twenty minutes he had arranged it all and a few more things besides. They sat outside in his car while he wrote Mercedes a very long and very restrained letter, explaining his feelings for her, his relationship with Sevi, and finally his need to leave Paris for a short while due to a very serious family problem in Rome. Then finally satisfied he had done all he could to redeem the situation, they set off.
* * *
“What's the plan?” Rico asked Jax as they stood outside the base in the cool evening air, having a cigarette. They were all alone as the rest of the men had gone out for a few hours to mingle with the feral ladies of the night in Tivoli, before their final day of training tomorrow.
“Your plan is to stick by my side.”
“Don't worry, I will.”
“The men will move individually, they'll take two rooms of the villa each. It has four parts, from what I can see. I counted about 30 rooms on two levels all together. There may be some underground, I don't know. Let's assume there aren't. The first room will be the fast kill. The second will be alerted so that needs to be addressed as soon as possible afterwards. We all have to be in position and strike at the same time, and we have earpieces for communication to ensure we do. We have hand guns fitted with silencers to deal with any individuals we discover before the main assault. Afterwards, Calista and Nico will be brought to you for your personal dispatch. The men have orders not to kill those two specifically.”
“You seem to be extremely well organised.”
“This is my line of work. Going in fast and hard. Although I have done a lot of longer term infiltrations as well in my time. I like this type of thing better. It's neat and tidy.”
“Let's hope it goes off that way.”
“It will. Now, here's your gun. Let me show you how to use it. Hopefully you won't need to, but it always pays to be properly prepared.”
Rico fired a few rounds off, under instruction by Jax. He was impressed by the kickback from the gun. It was a very powerful weapon indeed. He smiled to himself. The Giannis didn't stand a fucking chance. He really didn't know what Anna was so damn worried about.
* * *
Sevi looked out of the plane window as the sprawling lights of the city of Rome came into view below. They had promised Rocco a quick visit before they drove on to Tivoli, to the safehouse. Miche was gazing out of the window absentmindedly, thinking. In truth he was very concerned indeed about the dangers facing them. He would be a fool not to be. Not only that, there was the animosity that would certainly be present between Saba, if he was there, and himself. They might have to spend days together. How they could put that aside, he wasn't sure. The plane landed with a heavy thump and a slight swerve on the runway, which jolted him out of his daydream for a moment. He smiled at Sevi's look of alarm. “Hello Rome!” he announced with a small laugh, picking up her hand and kissing it.
“Hopefully that landing wasn't a bad omen,” she replied.
“Surely you don't believe in all that stuff?”
“I don't normally. I'm just very nervous and jumpy right now.”
“Looking forward to visiting the Refugio?” He asked, changing the subject.
“Seeing Rocco, yes. Entering the caverns, no.”
“We don't have to go down there. Fro's not there anymore. Who do you want to see?”
“One old friend perhaps.”
“Who's that?”
“Ava. She and I were close at one time. I never got to see her before, what with all the drama that went on, each time I visited.”
“Ava, who paints her nails black, dies her hair odd colours, and wears it in pigtails?”
“That's the one.”
They left the aircraft and after the usual airport chaotic palava, hired a car for their use in Rome and Tivoli for a week. They drove to the Refugio and Miche let them inside the gate. They smiled at each other in the semi-darkness by the door, both of them looking forward to seeing the new young doorkeeper. Miche knocked three times and then three times more. Surprisingly fast and smoothly, the door window slid open, and a camera lens peered at them through the opening.
“Errr Rocco, are you in there?” Miche asked in confusion, staring into it.
“I sure am,” Rocco replied. Oddly his voice seemed to be coming from somewhere outside the door.
“Are you going to let us in?”
“The door will auto-open in ten seconds. Hold on.”
Sure enough, a few seconds later there was a click and a hiss, and the door opened wide to admit them. They walked inside and it shut behind them with a soft clunk. Rocco was standing waiting for them and hugged his Pop and Sevi enthusiastically.
“Rocco...!” Miche ruffled his hair with affection.
“Pops, Sevi...! Like my improvements?” Rocco asked while gesturing around his new vastly improved keeper's corner.
“Rocco! This is amazing. How did you do all this?” Sevi asked.
“I tapped into the electric cables for the apartments down the street. Well, it wasn't me exactly. I suggested it, and a pal of mine helped. One of that lot, down there.” He pointed at the tunnels. “Quite clever some of them are. You wait till you see what we've done.” Sevi and Miche looked at each other with obvious admiration for him.
“So, let me see, you have a new bed, lights, a computer, automatic door-keeping... And what's that... a coffee machine and a microwave?” Sevi asked, wandering over to his new equipment.
“No it's a mini oven, so I can make toasties and pizza. Oh yeah, all mod cons now. When I sit at my desk I can view everything from the cameras, there's another one out there as well that's hidden by the entrance gate. It's a video surveillance system running on my laptop. When someone turns up, I open the window with one button, and once I've had a good look at them and spoken to them, I admit them with another.”
“Well I never. And there's lights in the tunnels too?” Miche asked while looking down the bright passage beyond where they stood.
“Lights and water. We set up a water supply, tapped into next door again, ha ha!! Those neighbours are so accommodating. Then we put a special drainage system in to pump the waste water out. Some of the guys here stole a load of kit for us from Bathroom World one night. There's showers and stuff down there now. It's a bit basic but good enough. We've even got air filtration and cooling fans. It smells okay these days. Well, I don't feel like puking if I go down there to see Pia anyway, that's something.”
“And how is Pia, your new 'girlfriend'?” Miche asked him curiously.
“She's cool, actually no, she's totally hot! You'll see her soon. She just went out to feed before you arrived.”
“It's nice you have a little love in your life anyway, Rocco,” Sevi said with a wry smile.
“Yeah, you can say that again! I don't think I'll be dating human girlfriends anytime soon,” he sniggered to himself filthily, which they both did their best to ignore.
“Sevi, do you want to visit Ava now, while we carry on having a manly chat?”
“I was just thinkin
g that myself. And how wonderful it is that I won't have to tone down my sense of smell for once. This is such a refreshing change. Rocco, you are a miracle worker. See you in a minute then.” She left and descended the brightly lit tunnel. Miche turned his attention back to his great grandson.
“Be careful boy. Don't suck her blood.”
“Oh no... I'm not turning. Not for a long time. Now that I know all about that white glowing business, after what happened to you, I don't wanna go there. I'll wait till I'm old and useless like you were.”
“Well thank you very much Rocco! And another thing, not all vampires are pleasant like Sevi and I. Please bear that in mind. They use humans to get things from them, money, and creature comforts. They can twist anyone 'round their little finger with a certain look.”
“I know that too. I'm wised up. Well into the game.”
“It sounds like you know all about everything these days, probably more than me in fact.”
“That I do Pop, that I do.”
“Did you find out any more about the army?”
“The English guy's name, that's all. He's Jaxon Carter, and ex SAS. Poor old Pia had to get some creep in here drunk, bang him, and God knows what else for days, to get that tiny fact out of him. It's all 'hush hush', you know... top secret.”
“Right... This just keeps getting better and better,” Miche said with sarcasm, fear building wildly inside him. His eternal optimism was fading rather rapidly. This was no hastily put together vampire army with a few guns they were facing. This was a highly trained tactical assault team. He suddenly didn't rate their chances of survival too highly.
Sevi returned up the tunnel with Ava, who was sporting four bright green pigtails which reminded Sevi of a drooping plant. They rejoined Rocco and Miche, who was being introduced to Pia. She was fairly new to the Refugio and had never met him before.
“Mmmm, so pleased to meet you.” Pia purred sweetly, batting her long dark curving eyelashes and treating him to a flash of her fangs.
“Pia, cut it out, you're not allowed to flirt with my Pop.”
“Flirt? Moi? Don't be silly Rocco darling. You should know I never flirt, I'm far more direct than that.” Then she gave Miche a very direct look and moistened her lips suggestively with the tip of her tongue.
“Pleased to meet you too and thanks so much for your help,” Miche said, cutting that line of conversation short. “If you hear anything else, let Rocco know, won't you?”
“I think it's very unlikely. They're tighter than clamshells about it. The disgusting people I had to hang around, to get that last smidgen of info, you wouldn't believe...” She licked her lips again and flashed him a yellow blast with her eyes.
“Yes, I appreciate it. It must have been quite unsavoury for you dealing with the Refugio's worst...” he added with a subtle look at Rocco who had his finger on his lips.
“Miche, Ava has something to say,” Sevi interrupted. He turned to greet her in surprise.
“Oh my word Ava, such unique hair you have! And how are you?”
“Very well Michello, and oh wow, I can see you are! Who'd have thought someone like you was hiding inside that ugly old bastard. You can open my door any day!” she giggled.
“Ha ha ha, now now... I wasn't that bad, just old and sick, and in truth I've never felt better in my life of late! So what do you have for us, my sweet?”
“I heard some of them talking one evening, ages ago. They were meeting just outside Rome for their training. Their target is in Tivoli, but I don't know where and they're all being paid a lot of money to do it. Thousands of Euro each, and lots of perks, whatever they are.”
“Well. I think we have everything we need to know now, except one very important thing. When the hell is this going to happen?” Miche announced.
They left soon afterwards, and Miche drove to the Tivoli safehouse. Sevi sent Cali a text updating them with the information they had just learned. The SAS connection, the fact they were paid mercenaries, and the target was definitely Villa Gianni. Cali called back five minutes later.
“Strangely, Nico is not worried about any of it.”
“Really?”
“He keeps saying he has it all under control.”
“I see. How?”
“He won't say.”
“I suppose that's a positive, in any case.”
“Mmmm.”
“Saba is there by the way. Nico said he arrived about two hours ago.”
“Well I'm pleased he decided to show, even if he couldn't be bothered to tell me. We'll be with you shortly.”
She ended the call and sat thinking. Nico wasn't going to like it, but she was going to sneak back to the villa. She wanted to see Saba, hopefully before the start of it all, and set things straight between them. They owed each other that.
They approached the safehouse location, which was in the depths of the countryside, on the opposite side of Tivoli to Villa Gianni. Sevi was quite sure that without a GPS guiding them, they would never have found it. It was very safe in that respect. After winding their way down one small lane after another, they finally pulled up in front of it. It was a large old farmhouse, complete with barns and rusty old farming equipment, surrounded by wild orchards and vineyards. It was mid-morning by this time, and the whole scene was quite beautiful. It had a rustic, ancient charm.
“This is lovely!” Sevi exclaimed. If only she and Miche were spending time alone somewhere like this, far from the mad world, a sprawling love nest of their own. She made a mental note to insist they took a holiday together after this dreadful business was finished with. She also made a mental note to imagine everyone would still be alive after it. If Nico could be calm and positive, so could she.
“It is at that. It reminds me of a farm I worked on once, many moons ago.”
“Look, there's Cali!” Sevi bolted out the door and rushed up to her and they threw themselves in each other's arms. Her heart fluttered all over the place. She really did love her like a sister. How she could ever have harboured murderous thoughts about this wonderful person, she'll never know.
“Sevi! Thank God you're here. I'm climbing up the fucking walls with boredom!”
“Cali, How I've missed you,” she giggled as they hugged some more. Miche appeared at their side and they broke apart for the introduction. “Miche meet Cali...” she said smiling at Cali's open eyes gawking at her man.
“Pleased to meet you at last,” Miche said, placing a small kiss on her offered cheek.
“Well you certainly know how to pick 'em Sevi! What a handsome hunk you are Miche my man. Come inside and meet the girls. I'm sure they'll be more than pleased to see you, in fact we might not let you leave!” She said, dragging him off by the arm and leaving Sevi to follow in her wake. After arriving inside, she watched Miche with a wicked little smile as he was set upon by a group of her family, more specifically a group of sex-starved vampire women who fondled his hair and stroked his arm and just about every other part of his body. He seemed to be enjoying it rather a lot.
“Ladies, please! Where is your decorum?” he chuckled, removing straying hands from places they shouldn't be.
“We left our decorum at the villa, didn't we?” One sultry little voice piped up, and they all giggled wildly as they dragged him off to the sofa covering him in kisses and feverish hands.
“Come, tell us all about yourself,” another voice pleaded as they all settled around him, draping themselves across his legs and shoulders and everywhere else they could find a space to drape.
Sevi turned to Cali in amusement. She was pouring out a dozen glasses of wine in honour of their arrival.
“How do you feed? This is very remote here Cali.”
“We go out in twos, and it's not as remote as you think. It's just three miles, across the field. It only takes ten minutes.”
“Where's Sofia?”
“She's somewhere in Peru, I think, with Gabriel. I haven't heard from her for over a week. She normally checks in, but she hasn'
t answered my texts or anything. But South America can be quite remote, can't it?”
“It can. Especially high in the mountains. There's no phone signal there, I'm sure. Anyway, she's safe.”
“Yeah, you're right. Come on, help me pass the wine around and I think you should rescue Miche before they undress him entirely, look....!”
Sevi turned, with two glasses of wine in her hand, and started in surprise. His shirt was in the process of being removed, despite his protests.
“Excuse me!” he gasped with a grin, trying to get up, holding on tight to his pants. His shoes and socks were already off and scattered on the floor.
“That's enough girls. I mean it. Really... Angelica, Coralie, behave yourselves... Come on!” she growled at them, with flashing heat in her eyes, and they reluctantly slunk away from him a little. She passed around the wine and sat down next to him possessively, pushing the others off the sofa roughly and glaring at them. She turned and kissed him pointedly, straightening up his very messy hair as he re-buttoned his shirt.
“Leave us please girls,” Cali said firmly, and they all drifted off with heavy sighs and grumbles back to their rooms. “Sorry about that,” she added with an embarrassed smile on her lips.
“No problem at all,” Miche replied with a totally unconcerned look at her. “What a warm welcome it was, I'm glowing all over with love for my newly met family! Now then Cali, tell us all about Nico. What has he been up to?”
“Oh, no. Not yet. I'm far more interested in you two. What's going on?” she asked firmly.