by J. J. Bonds
Chapter Eighteen
Talk about a crap day. It’s raining sideways, Alex is on guard duty, Shaye refuses to leave her room, and Lissette sits at the table across from me looking like death warmed over. While I’ve fed heavily, she’s barely touched the blood in her glass, which grows cooler by the minute. Can this day get any worse?
My tablet pings, signaling a new message. I quickly swipe the screen and confirm it’s the daily update from Commander Smith. My mood takes a left into Shit Town as I read the e-mail. Elder Li Wei Yao is dead. I need to find Viktor.
I excuse myself and ask one of the maids to take Anya back to her quarters. Viktor is waiting outside Aldo’s office when I arrive.
“Yao was murdered last night,” I tell him by way of greeting.
Shock registers on his face, followed by a string of curses that put my own foul mouth to shame. “What happened?”
“Ambush. Last night on his way to a business meeting.” I flop into Aldo’s chair, crossing my legs, and drop the tablet on the desk. “Commander Smith says it looks like they hit the car with a bomb, probably an RPG, and then killed everyone inside. There were no survivors.”
“Not surprising.” Viktor shakes his head in disgust. “Yao was a fool. He refused the additional protection and continued to gallivant around. Perhaps if he’d adjusted his lifestyle as the rest of you have done, he’d still be alive.”
I shoot Viktor a dark look. Yao may have been a fool, but at least he stood up for what he believed in, refusing to be cowed by terrorists. It could have just as easily been me.
“They were better prepared this time,” I note, thankful the Order didn’t have explosives when we encountered them in Cluj-Napoca. “Perhaps they knew Yao’s routine?”
“Possibly.” Viktor pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. “Probably. We are creatures of habit. I doubt Yao was an exception.”
My tablet pings again, alerting me that the Council is calling for a video conference this afternoon. To discuss the Order’s latest demands. Only I haven’t seen them.
“Viktor, have we had any couriers today?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“I have a feeling we’ll be receiving another package today. Notify the front gate and see that it’s brought to me immediately.”
Several hours pass before the letter arrives. Fortunately, it shows up just before the Council meeting and doesn’t contain any of the Order’s special gifts. I reread the letter as Viktor sets up the video chat on Aldo’s computer. This is not going to be a good call. Not that any of them are ever without tension, but with a dead Elder hanging over our heads and the threat of more to follow, tempers will be at an all-time high.
“Good Morning,” DeVanie greets us, taking the lead once all of the Elders have joined the call. I see a lot of angst and outrage in the faces that stare back at me from the monitor.
“There’s nothing good about this!” Tarik yells, brandishing the Order’s latest demands. “Yao is dead, and now this? What are we going to do about it?”
DeVanie, to his credit, remains calm. “First and foremost, we need to swear in Yao’s replacement. I’m told he’s named his eldest son, Zhang Jun.”
“Are you suggesting we convene to conduct the ceremony?” Garrott asks. She looks ill at the thought. “Is that not exactly what they expect us to do? We’d be playing right into their hands.”
“That is for the group to decide,” DeVanie replies diplomatically. He’s the consummate politician and doesn’t tip his hand. He offers neither support nor dissidence for the idea. I suspect he’s waiting to see which way the Council leans before choosing his position.
“The Order is escalating. First the club in Romania and now a dead Elder in China,” Rinaldi reminds us, as if we need it. “This is a trap to get us all together in one place. If they were to take out the entire Council, it would be devastating to our society!”
“The latest list of demands clearly states that we have one week to render a decision,” Vlahos points out. “One week during which they will stand down.”
“If they keep their word,” I say. “That’s a big if, considering they’ve been ambushing us for months.”
“It is a lie!” scoffs Smirnov with a wave of the hand.
“I have to agree with him,” chimes in Witte. “We certainly don’t have to make it easy for them to pick us off.”
“It would not be in their best interest, tactically speaking, to renege on the ceasefire.” Wolff rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Proving they are true to their word would be an important test if they ever hope to have a seat on the Consiliul de Batrani.”
“I agree,” says Nakamura. “They are traitorous scum, but if they expect us to meet any of their demands, they’ll need to prove they can behave honorably.”
“If we believe they will hold true to their word,” says Cardoso, tapping the letter that lies on the desk in front of him, “then I’d say our bigger concern is how we are going to handle this latest list of demands. If we do not answer favorably within a week, they’ve promise to slaughter another Elder. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not ready to give up my seat just yet.”
DeVanie, having gotten a sense for the other Elders’ positions, rejoins the discussion. “Elder Cardoso is right. We must swear in the new Chinese Elder and also strategize on how we will respond to their demands. If we cannot reach consensus on their terms, then we need a plan of attack. The Order has given us one week of safety. I suggest we do not squander it. Shall we put it to a vote?”
Ultimately the Council votes in favor of meeting to swear in Elder Yao and hash out a new strategy for dealing with the Order. We plan to meet in three days’ time at a small farm in Virginia owned by one of DeVanie’s shell companies. That gives Commander Smith three days to make the preparations and ramp up security.
Viktor, it seems, is not so happy that I voted in favor of this little trip to Virginia.
“It is an unnecessary risk,” he argues, pacing the length of the office. “The thirteen of you can argue just as well over the Internet as you can in person!”
“Two birds, one stone,” I say, drumming my fingers on the desk as I weave a plan of attack. “We get a new member and a new strategy. Besides, this is the opportunity I need to secure the sixth ally we desperately need. We cannot move to vote on additional Council seats for the mixed-bloods until we are certain we can win.”
Viktor stops pacing. He’s all ears now.
“I’ve spoken with the five Elders you and Alex identified, and they’ve all agreed they are ready to put an end to the violence. They will vote with DeVanie and me. I’m sure of it.”
“Who else did you have in mind?”
“I want to take a run at Cardoso. He as much as said his people were getting restless and fed up with him. And that was before news of Aldo’s disappearance spread. Once the word gets out that we now have a dead Elder, he may be ready to reconsider his position.”
“It won’t be easy,” Viktor warns. “He’s a traditionalist.”
“Yeah, well, you heard him. He’s not ready to give up his seat just yet, which I’m pretty sure means he doesn’t want to be next on the Order’s hit list.”
**********
After the call with the other Elders, I decide to pay Keegan a visit. I hope like hell he’s ready to talk because I’m more than ready to listen. I’m hopeful I can get the seventh vote, but I can’t rely solely on my powers of persuasion. I need a backup plan.
The cellar is cold and damp. The moisture seeps into my clothes and permeates my bones as I descend into the musty darkness. The smell is pretty rank, and I can’t help but scrunch up my nose. I wonder who got the unenviable task of guarding Keegan today. The wooden stairs creek with each step I take, announcing my arrival to the keen ears of the vamps that stand guard below.
I weave my way across the cellar, passing mountains of old junk that’s been accumulated by the Lescinka family over the years. There’s no sho
rtage of broken, outdated furniture and other household goods that have seen better days. Why the staff hasn’t cleaned this out is beyond me. It’s also none of my concern.
When I reach the back of the cellar, I find two guards standing perfectly erect on either side of a small, impenetrable-looking metal door. Behind that door lies a stone room which holds my best friend’s boyfriend. He’s my friend too. And now he’s also my prisoner. Talk about an effed-up situation.
“I’d like to see the…” I can’t bring myself to use the word prisoner in reference to Keegan. It just doesn’t feel right. I try a different order instead. “Open the door.”
The door swings open, and I discover it’s even darker in this windowless chamber than it is in the rest of the cellar. Not that it should matter much to Keegan. He can see perfectly fine in the darkest of quarters. Still, I’m glad to see they’ve given him a candle which burns bright in the corner of the room. He sits on a small cot which has been pushed up against the wall. His head is tipped back, resting against the stones. His eyes are closed, but I know he’s awake.
“There’s been another attack.”
He doesn’t respond, but his muscles grow tight, his body riddled with tension.
“They killed Elder Yao of China. Wiped out his entire entourage,” I tell him, fighting to keep my voice even. Did he know that Yao was a target? Does he have any idea what the Order has planned for us next? Would he tell me even if he did? “I guess it goes without saying, but there were no survivors.”
Finally, he turns to face me, opening those deep onyx eyes of his, the ones that remind me of the abyss. “What would you have me say?”
“I don’t want you to say anything. I want you to help us find the Order.”
“So you can destroy them?” he accuses me.
“So we can put an end to the violence. Vampires are dying. Purebloods and mixed-bloods. The Order doesn’t exactly discriminate when it comes to murder.”
“What difference will it make?” I sense defeat in his voice, see it in his glassy eyes. “You’ve already made up your mind about my guilt.”
Now I’m starting to lose my temper. He chose this path, not me. He does not get to sit there feeling sorry for himself now. “Do you think I enjoy seeing you like this? Doing this? If the Council finds out I’m harboring a member of the Order, it’ll be my ass because they’d just as soon torture the information out of you. But I’m risking it anyway. Not for Shaye, not because you are my friend, but because it is the right thing to do. I’m trying to do the right thing here, but I need your help. Trust me to do the right thing.”
Keegan remains silent.
“You know what the worst part of this is?” I ask, not bothering to wait for a reply I won’t get. “Hurting Shaye. You do realize your lies have hurt her as well? She may never forgive you for that. And she may never forgive me for opening her eyes to the truth.”
“I was trying to protect her!” he bellows. “To keep her safe!”
I’ve struck a nerve. Should’ve known Shaye would be his weakness. He cares nothing for himself.
“I had no choice.”
I raise a skeptical brow. He knows I’m not buying it. I truly believe what I said yesterday. There’s always a choice. He just made the wrong one.
He sighs, his shoulders slumping as though the weight of his mistakes press down on him. At least, that’s how I see it.
“Do you remember the story I told you about my sire?” he asks wearily. “About Gabriel?”
I nod. How could I possibly forget? The vamp sounded like a sadistic monster. The world is a better place without him. It’s also the reason I haven’t turned Keegan over for questioning by the Linkuri. He’s been abused enough in his long life, and I don’t want his torture on my conscious if I can help it. I’d rather appeal to his humanity to get what I need from him.
“Then you will remember I had help escaping him. I never could have broken free on my own.”
Keegan didn’t elaborate on the details when he told me his story, but having severed the Vampiric Nexus with my own sire, I am fully aware it’s not an easy feat. Hell, I couldn’t have done it without Aldo’s blood pumping through my veins.
“When I was at my very worst, wishing for death and lacking the courage to see it through, Ana found me. She promised freedom in exchange for my fidelity. She was so strong and I… I was so weak. In that moment, I would have promised anything to escape Gabriel.”
“And so you did.”
“And so I was free. As free as any mixed-blood can be,” he says, pushing a braid back behind his ear. “Many long years passed before Ana returned to me. She told me that she was taking her liberation of mixed-bloods to the next level, starting a revolution. She and the other founders of the Order would bring about a new day where purebloods would bleed for their sins. I told her I didn’t want any part of it, but she reminded me of the debt I owed, of my oath. She would have killed me if I had not honored it.”
He looks at me, imploring me to understand. I remain silent, waiting for him to continue, hoping I can glean more insight into the Order’s leadership and maybe their plans. He’s already given me something I didn’t have before: a name. Ana. Probably the same A. who signed the Order’s letter to Aldo.
“At first she didn’t ask for much. It was just little things. Information. Simple errands. Things like that. I figured a stable hand like me couldn’t do much damage, so I complied.”
“But then the demands grew bigger, didn’t they?”
“You of all people should understand.” His words are without malice, but they still hit the mark. “My, how the humble have risen. Have you forgotten where you come from?”
“Did you tell them about me?” I promise myself that no matter the answer, I will remain calm. I dig my fingernails into my palms, doing my best to keep my hands steady as I wait for his answer.
I get none. Just a bitter laugh. So help me if he had anything to do with tipping this Ana off about my bloodline.
“I need more, Keegan. I told you I don’t want to do this, but I can’t just think about what I want anymore. I have to think about all the lives that have been lost, all that will be lost if we do not put an end to this revolution. And I have to get Aldo back.”
We stare at each other in silence. Finally, he breaks.
“I just want out. I want to live in peace, even if that means shoveling horseshit for the rest of my life.”
“That life will not be possible if we don’t put an end to this! We have to stop the Order. With your help, we may be able to do that. Before more lives are lost.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” He rests his elbows on his bent knees and drops his face, locking his hands behind his head. “I’ve let Shaye down. She will never forgive me for what I’ve done.”
“You can still make this right,” I argue, refusing to give up and not unselfishly hoping my stubbornness will pay off. “Not only for Shaye, but for yourself. And maybe someday she will understand. For both our sakes, I hope she can.”
Chapter Nineteen
“How confident are you in this plan?” Viktor asks Alex as we make our way to the airport in a heavily armored Mercedes G-63. We are flanked front and rear by identical vehicles filled with Linkuri. Despite all the extra security and meticulous planning, Viktor remains skeptical about the Council convening in Virginia. And he hasn’t bothered to hide it from me or any of the other Linkuri. He’s stopped just short of questioning Commander Smith directly, which I’m pretty sure would get his head ripped off.
“I’m about as confident as I can be,” Alex returns with a grin. She’s humoring him. We’ve been over the plan a hundred times, and he has yet to find a chink in the armor. “Commander Smith has pulled out all of the stops and brought in a large number of our field teams to provide additional security. He’s not taking any chances with the Elders’ safety.”
Viktor snorts in reply. He remains of the opinion that the entire meeting is a risky endeavor. He may b
e right, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take to get to Cardoso. This may be my only opportunity to flip him.
“Everything is going to be fine,” I assure Viktor, placing what I hope is a soothing hand on his shoulder. “Frankly, I think it’s overkill.”
Maybe I should have left that last part off because Viktor shoots me a death glare in the rearview mirror. A lesser vamp would shrivel under that stare, but not me. Call it a character flaw. I never did know what was good for me.
“Katia,” he says through clenched teeth. “We’ve talked about this. You are not to take any chances. I am only allowing this because you agreed to follow my orders one hundred percent when it comes to security. No questions asked. Don’t make me regret it.”
Nik reaches between the seats and gives my hand a quick squeeze, reminding me that this is all for my safety.
“How could you possibly regret it?” I ask Viktor. “We’ll have more security than the president of the United States. The Elders are all using private charters, arriving in five different airports, and we’re staying on a property whose ownership is nearly impossible to trace. To top it off, the place is going to be crawling with Linkuri. The Order would need an army to break through.”
“And you’ll need an army to break out if they find us,” he retorts.
“Well, then it’s a good thing we still have four of our seven violence-free days to hash things out and get our asses back to Romania, isn’t it?”
“Katia, don’t forget the rules,” Nik cautions, once again taking Viktor’s side. I hate it when they gang up on me. Guess that’s what I get for being a smart-ass. I should probably just be grateful Alex hasn’t piled on. “You do not leave the house without one of us by your side. You have to trust us to do our jobs and keep you safe.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Frankly, I’m surprised Viktor didn’t insist on sleeping on the floor in my room. I can’t wait for things to get back to normal. Normal being a world where there’s less focus on security and more focus on matters of actual significance. “I’m only agreeing to this because I have to. Keegan’s not talking, and that means I have to take my best shot at Cardoso. This may be my only chance.”