Marty Phillips (Book 2): The Taste of Blood

by Kieran Double

  “Don’t you dare try and give me a moral lesson,” said Tasaria angrily “I’ve had enough of that from my parents.”

  “Calm down, Tasaria. Now, what was it you wanted to tell me? You’ve been here five minutes, and all we’ve gathered is that you like getting drunk and that you’re bisexual. What’s this lead you were talking about?”

  “The Hellhouse, bar and strip-club.”

  I sighed deeply.

  “What? Marty, what is it?”

  “Do you know who owns that place, don’t you?”

  “Who?” said Tasaria. “I haven’t been back in Seattle a week yet. How do you expect me to know that?”

  “Here,” said Karen, showing Tasaria the latest copy of ‘The Seattle Times’. We had ignored her and her parents for some time. I was there, across from Lewis, who was being portrayed as my arch-nemesis.

  “Adam Lewis.”

  7

  The Hellhouse

  Better to reign in hell, than serve in heaven.

  (John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book I, Lines 258-263)

  It was dark by the time we reached ‘The Hellhouse’. By the décor inside and outside, it was well deserving of its name. The red neon sign shone brightly, music pounding out of the building. Muller, an involved man and a bibliophile, was visibly uncomfortable in the club. Tasaria, on the other hand, was in her element. It was a pretty sleazy place, the kind you expected to be the cover for a criminal organization.

  Muller and I hung back, while Tasaria went up to the bar. She struck up a conversation with the barman, then returned with a gin and tonic, a vodka and a Jack Daniels. Muller said, “What did you find out, Tasaria?”

  “Kathy Waters used to work shifts behind the bar,” answered Tasaria briskly. “Apparently, now this is just hearsay, she spent a few nights with Adam Lewis and the boys. Got very drunk and started throwing her clothes off.”

  “Doesn’t bode well,” I muttered darkly. I didn’t like the way Tasaria was speaking, not all. She was blaming Waters for whatever had happened.

  “No. Not at all,” agreed Muller.

  “We’ll nail them tonight, boys. No need to worry,” Tasaria reassured us. “We don’t need proof. We know what Lewis is. The rest of the gang are too.”

  “We don’t know that,” I said.

  “Trust me, Marty. I know these things,” said Tasaria sagely. “If anyone in a criminal organization is a vampire, so are the rest. And even if they aren’t, they’re criminal scumbags. Killing them would probably be doing the world a favor anyway.”

  “That is no excuse for murder,” I argued.

  “And yet you can kill Michael Merkel without a second thought?”

  “It was that or die. Let him follow me around forever, let him follow his daughter around,” I said. “Never having a moment to rest. That’s not a life, Tasy. There wasn’t a choice. Him or me.”

  “Suit yourself” Tasaria muttered back, clearly disagreeing. Then louder, she continued, “We’ll need to talk to this Adam Lewis.”

  “I’m not sure that’s I good idea,” I said softly.

  “You’re… scared of him. Come on, Marty. The Marty Phillips I knew in High School wasn’t scared of shit.”

  “No. Tasaria, I’m not. I just don’t think there’s any point,” I said indignantly “What’s he going to say? That he did it? Confess? We know it’s him. If we warn him, he’ll be prepared for us tonight. Besides, I’m not welcome here – whatever about you and Wil.”

  “You’re not?”

  “He threatened to charge me with harassment and unlawful trespassing if he saw me again.”

  “Well, that’s settled. Wil and I are going to find Lewis. You stay here.”

  “Actually…” put in Muller softly. “I think Marty’s right, Tasaria. There isn’t much need to talk Lewis.”

  “No, there isn’t, Detective,” said an unknown voice from behind us.

  I turned around. Adam Lewis’ pale complexion greeted me. He was six foot one, all muscle and bone. A few of his men hung around him, bulkier than their boss. The club-goers had cleared a space for him. He spoke to me first. “Phillips, I thought I told you that you weren’t welcome in my establishment.”

  “Must have slipped my mind,” I said coolly. “I was just having a drink with some of my friends.”

  “I doubt that,” answered Lewis, smiling for some reason. For a man who was on trial for numerous racketeering charges, he seemed to be having a good time. Maybe it was some secret knowledge that he was more powerful than everyone else in the building... “But as I’m in a good mood, I won’t press charges this time. For your own good, don’t come back again. I might not be in such a good mood the next time.”

  “You enjoying your time on bail, Lewis?” I said.

  “I have to say that I am.” Lewis’ smile was kind of unnerving me. He seemed too confident, too arrogant. Most gangsters did, though. So I suppose it wasn’t much, but he seemed far too confident even by normal standards.

  “I wouldn’t be so smug if I were you, with your lawyer running off,” I said.

  “Really?” said Lewis, stepping closer to me “Would you know something about that, Phillips?”

  “I don’t know what you’re insinuating, but I don’t like the sound of it,” I said, standing up. I squared up to Lewis. “If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

  Lewis looked as if he was about to punch me. A look to Muller quenched that idea. After all the precautions he took to stay out of jail, a conviction for assault would be an awful shame.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” said Lewis, spitting on the floor. “Now, unless you have something interesting to say, Phillips, goodbye. I do hope to see you in court the next day.”

  “I’ll be there, Lewis,” I answered coolly. “Don’t you worry.”

  “I never worry about you,” said Lewis, turning around. “Never.”

  “Dude, that guy is creepy. He has to be a vampire,” said Tasaria childishly. “How did you not notice it, Wilhelm?”

  “Because a lot of gangsters are creepy,” said Muller. “You’d realize that if you ever did some actual crime-solving once and a while, Tasaria.”

  “Are you suggesting that what my family does is not as honorably as being police officers?” retorted Tasaria angrily.

  There was a pause. Then I said, “It’s more honorable, Tasaria Brasoveanu.”

  She nudged me playfully. “Really? A Huntsman that actually likes Hunters?”

  “Yes. And you’re a witch too. Don’t forget that.”

  “I’m not a witch, however much I like Joanne’s books,” Tasaria corrected “I’m a magician. In our circles, the difference matters.”

  “You know, you’re going to have to show me some of this magic someday,” I said, smiling “Nicolae only did a bit of healing in front of me.”

  “Who’s Joanne?” said Muller quizzically.

  “J.K. Rowling,” Tasaria and I chanted simultaneously.

  Muller sighed resignedly. He was in for a long night.

  8

  Vampire-hunting

  But of all these also, none came home again, none were seen again. From that time forth, no one would venture in the forest, and it lay in stillness and solitude.

  (Iron Hans)

  We had all gathered for the Vampire-hunt, all eight of us. Ashley had called Uncle Teddy and John. She said we’d need all the help we could get. We had no idea how many vampires there would be. Nicolae, Tasaria, Muller, Ashley, Teddy, John, Susie and I were equipped with our weapons; stakes and machetes. Muller carried a container of petrol and a lighter. We also all wore Kevlar vests, just in case.

  “We ready?” asked Ashley. She looked strange to me, dressed up in SWAT-like gear.

  “Sure thing, Ashes,” said Nicolae coolly.

  “Marty?” said Ashley.

  “What?”

  “Are you…?”

  “What?” I exclaimed indignantly, “Christ Ashley, I’m not a child anymore.”

 
“Maybe not. But both our parents are dead. You’re my responsibility now, and someday, not too far away, you’re going to have to realize it.”

  “I already have. I just don’t like it. And anyway, working by your logic, I’m Teddy’s responsibility.”

  “No,” said Ashley, “we don’t live in a patriarchal society anymore.”

  “I’ve heard it both ways,” muttered Tasaria softly smiling.

  “Ashes might be right,” I said, then broke into a soul rendition of, “So suck it.”

  “C’mon son.”

  “C’mon son,” I agreed, hi-fiving Tasaria triumphantly.

  Nicolae looked at us in pure confusion. “What the hell are you two so delighted about?”

  “‘Psych’? One of the greatest TV series ever, minus perhaps ‘Grimm’ or ‘Supernatural’,” I said indignantly. “And certainly the funniest that isn’t a sit-com.”

  “Christ, Phillips. Do you even have a life?” exclaimed Nicolae incredulously “And you too, Tasaria?”

  “You got that right,” said Tasaria, smiling.

  “Indeed. Great and all as ’Psych’ is, or was, Marty, you are really driving me crazy,” said Ashley, exasperated. “Especially with Tasy egging you on.”

  I paused. “Wait a second. You watch TV?”

  “Yes,” answered Ashley, through gritted teeth. “I do. We’ve gotten severely off point. And no, Tasaria, you haven’t heard it both ways, we don’t live in a patriarchal society anymore.”

  “Well, you didn’t have my father for a father,” Tasaria muttered.

  “And I’m not taking responsibility for a thirty-two-year-old man,” said Teddy, wincing. “Ashley, I honestly think you just taking your maternal instincts out on Marty.”

  “What are the hell are you suggesting?”

  “Nothing, nothing,” muttered Teddy, backing himself away.

  “Maybe we should talk about this later,” said Muller demurely. “I’m not sure now’s the right time.”

  “Never is the right time,” finished Ashley. No one argued with her this time.

  “Enough chit-chat,” said John, with military precision. I will probably always hate the way Huntsmen go about their jobs, as if they were part of an army. “We have to go in now or never.”

  In front of us was Adam Lewis’ house. It, like Sharkey’s, was a sprawling expanse of rooms and luxury. The neighborhood that surrounded it was wealthy and affluent. The alarm system was hi-tech apparently, but Ashley had the gear to bypass it. Were it not for the security guards out front, you probably wouldn’t have known it was the house of a gangster.

  We had hidden around the corner along a lane. The Jag, the Gran Torino and the Harley-Davidson had been joined by two BMWs. “Wait… What if the security guards aren’t vampires? How do we know that they aren’t?”

  “We’ll find out soon enough. Even if they’re not…” said Ashley, sliding a magazine into a Glock 26 and cocking it. “…it make no difference to me. They guard vampires and gangsters. They should be prepared to die for their boss.”

  “Jesus,” I exclaimed incredulously. “You know, sometimes you really scare me, Ashley. Seeing you like this.”

  “I thought you were always scared of her, Marlowe,” commented Tasaria thoughtfully.

  “Really?” said Ashley, letting a bark of laughter out. “Then you’ve never seen us have an argument.”

  “I’ve seen you two have at least a dozen arguments already, Ashes.”

  “Enough with the Ashes, Brasoveanu! It’s driving me mad! And if you think those were Phillips sibling arguments, you’ve got another thing coming for you,” answered Ashley firmly. “Now let’s go in. Kill as many evil sons of bitches as we can, and raise a little hell.”

  I smiled. I loved ‘Supernatural’ references. Annie might have had ‘Glee Club’ and ‘Twilight’, but Supernatural had always been my show. Mine. Dean’s words were suitable for all occasions. The Winchester boys would have been proud of Ashley. I certainly was anyway. Maybe my fandom was finally infecting her.

  We marched forward, hiding our weapons behind us. Ashley lunged at one of the security guards, while Nicolae took the other. It became clear soon enough that they were vampires. Fangs appeared in their mouths. They moved faster than any human could. Nicolae and Ashley, skilled fighters both, were soon on the ground. The rest of us closed in.

  Susie changed into a Wolffrau, then chomped down on one of the vampires’ neck. She moved away quickly, and I swung down hard with my machete. His head rolled off, bouncing on the ground. John and Teddy managed the other with ease.

  The Bergman contingent separated from the rest and circled around the house, covering the exits. Everyone else went through the front door. Dozens of vampires, known members of the Lewis gang, were littered around the house. We killed everyone we came across.

  But when we were finished, and when all of the vampires inside were dead, Adam Lewis was nowhere to be seen. He’d disappeared.

  “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck…” I exclaimed. “Where the hell could he have gone? Can’t you smell him, Susie?”

  “A bit, it’s weak. The human blood in his body, doesn’t smell right, though. Too metallic, too messy,” said Susie, clearly as frustrated as I was. She flashed into Wolffrau form, a vision of primeval fury.

  “Where did he go?” asked Nicolae rapidly.

  “I told you, Nicolae, it’s weak!” Susie said indignantly “You the bloody magician here. Can’t you just follow him with some DNA or something?”

  “If we can find some hairs from Lewis, then yes. But it will take a day” said Tasaria, as if she was a scientist. “And we won’t know whether it’s him or not, until we find the hair’s owner.”

  “I think we can assume only a few of the other vampires escaped. It can’t be that hard to track them all down, and kill them.”

  “Where did he go?” said John, repeating Nicolae’s words.

  “The Super Smeller can’t do everything,” said Susie.

  “You’re going to have to stop calling it that,” I commented. “It’s weird.”

  “‘Psych’ is weird, and so is Gus. And my sense of smell is super, so cut the crap, Marty,” said Susie. She looked out into the garden. “He went out the back way, I think.”

  We all followed her out. Susie sniffed around the large garden, then led us to the fence. She leaped over the wooden fence and into the alleyway behind the house. There was the sound of few scuffed footsteps. Susie sighed deeply and howled like a wolf.

  “What?”

  "He went out on the road. The scents are confused,” she called over the fence. “Too many people. Too many cars. I’m sorry. The Super Smeller has its limits, and vampires are it.”

  Susie leaped over the fence. Her wolf face flashed in my face, but it stayed longer than usual. Tasaria and Nicolae moved backward. She was showing them her inner self. “Scared?”

  “Well… I wouldn’t be, except a moment ago you were a sweet eleven-year-old girl,” answered Nicolae, as Susie went back to normal.

  “I’m not sweet, Nicolae Brasoveanu,” said Susie angrily, changing into Wolf-form again. This time Nicolae and Tasaria didn’t seem to notice. “I’m a Wolffrau. We might be kind, generous, nice even, but never sweet, ever.”

  “Susie, calm down. I’m sure…” I spared a glance for Nicolae “Nicolae didn’t mean anything by it. Calm down. Getting yourself all angry wouldn’t help.”

  “Sorry, Marty,” Susie said, grabbing my arm. “I lost control. It won’t happen again.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said, pulling her close. “Ashley… do you have a syringe?”

  “No, I don’t.” Ashley had her arms crossed

  “Ashley…”

  “What? You don’t want her getting addicted, do you?”

  “But Ashley…”

  “Don’t ‘but Ashley…’ me, Martin Phillips,” said Susie angrily. “I said no. Don’t be an idiot.”

  “Since when have you cared so much about her?”

 
; “Damn it, Marty,” said Ashley, frustrated. “She’s family. And you love her. Adrian Wolverman said only one syringe a week. No more.”

  “It’s not like she needs that much blood anyway. You’re overreacting…”

  “Leave it,” said Susie firmly. “Leave it, Marty. She’s right.”

  I stopped short. I could never win an argument against both of them together. It was in that moment, that Tasaria decided to slap her brother.

  “Ow. What was that for?” exclaimed Nicolae incredulously.

  “For making Susie angry. Apologise.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Apologise to Susan. Now,” said Tasaria, slapping Nicolae again.

  “Okay. Sorry, Susie.”

  “Say it properly.”

  “I’m sorry if I made you angry, Susie,” muttered Nicolae briskly.

  “Say it again. Slower this time.”

  “What?”

  “Do it.”

  “I’m sorry if I made you angry, Susie,” said Nicolae, slower this time.

  “Good.”

  “Why do you care so much about Susie, anyway?” said Nicolae. A look passed between us. He knew he was treading on thin ice.

  Tasaria shrugged. A pure Tasy shrug. Full of sarcasm and the antipathy of a teenager. I had only known her properly a few days, but I already knew her movements inside and out. “I need someone to watch ‘Vampire Diaries’ with. Marty won’t watch it with me, thinks it’s too girly.”

  “I never said it was too girly.”

  “You never said it was too girly, but you’ve thought it’s too girly,” Tasaria corrected me.

  “We better get out of here quick,” said John. “Before the cops turn up, and they will turn up soon. They check on the house every half hour.”

  “Yeah, we should,” I agreed. “I’ve got a client to get to.”

  “Can I come to Karen’s this time, boss?” said Tasaria, mock pleading.

  “Fine. But you’re not getting paid for it.”

  “Fine by me,” said Tasaria, smirking. “You’re just scared I’ll get Karen in bed before you do.”