Cara Mia

by Denise Verrico

  “Mia, he’s called out dogs already. I was followed to Zurich. I’m hiding outside Munich, with a band of rats. You can’t help. Go on without me. I’ll find you somehow. I love you—be careful!”

  I wasn’t about to leave the best thing that ever happened to me behind to be killed, so I did the only thing I could. I called in a favor. I decided to test Ethan’s cherished honor.

  As I reached the parking garage and unlocked the car, three huge dogs came out of nowhere. Cash, of the scarred face and long hair approached, holding a gun pointed at me. “All right girly-girl, come along quiet like.”

  I reached for my pistol and fired, the bullet grazing the top of his head. He fell. The others ran for cover behind a car. Another gun went off and searing pain ripped through my shoulder.

  “Shit!”

  I wobbled on my feet for a moment. Another bullet whizzed by my ear. I ducked behind the car, as a siren wailed in the distance, and six armed security guards raced toward us.

  Cash called to the others. “Let’s go!”

  They took off with the guards pursuing them. I crawled under the rental car to hide. My shoulder hurt like hell, and I was bleeding copiously. After the coast was clear, I crawled out. I stuffed a pair of panties from my knapsack under my jacket to stanch the wound, and then eased myself into the car. Reeling with pain, I drove toward the interstate.

  Faint with blood loss, I pulled up to the gate at Caithness a few hours before sunrise, and buzzed Ethan. “It’s Mia, I’m hurt.”

  The gate opened and I drove through. I was very weak. Ethan ran out of the house toward me. I collapsed against him.

  “Who in hell’s name did this to you?”

  “Brovik’s dogs,”

  “What have you done? Never mind that. You need blood. I’ll take the bullet out and dress the wound. You can explain later.”

  Ethan gave me warmed blood to revive me, and then fetched forceps, some soap and water and a worn white cotton sheet. “Haven’t done this in over a century.” I winced as he washed the blood away and probed the wound. He located the bullet and yanked it out with a sharp movement, applying pressure until the bleeding stopped. He tore strips from the sheet to bandage the wound. “No worries about infection, but this won’t heal overnight. It will hurt like hellfire, and you’ll need more blood. Another couple of inches and it would have hit your heart. What happened?”

  I told him the whole story about killing Dirk as he dressed the wound. I ended with the decision Kurt and I had made to join Leisha.

  Ethan was horrified. “Sweet bleeding Christ!”

  “Gaius’s people mapped our genome. Brovik’s have isolated the mutating agent. We had no choice but to strike out on our own.”

  “The three of you can’t pull Brovik down on your own! You’ll have Brovik and Gaius after you, and when word gets out the Grand Council will scream for your blood as well. Why come to me now? You should have consulted me before you totally took leave of your senses!”

  “Kurt is hiding outside Munich with a band of rats. We have to help him.”

  Ethan darkened. “Let him make his own way.”

  “I can’t let him die!” I appealed to his sense of chivalry. “You said if I ever needed anything you’d help me.”

  “Brovik will kill us all!”

  “He won’t kill you.”

  “Don’t bet on it. Can you get in touch with Kurt?”

  “His cell is disconnected.”

  “Smart. He could be tracked by it.” Ethan thought for a minute. “Incredibly risky, even if we could locate the rats.”

  I broke into tears. “Please. I’m begging! I can’t live without him.”

  Ethan heaved a complicated sigh, as he finished the bandage. “Very well, cara mia, I’ll do whatever I can.”

  We departed for Germany on a commercial flight the next evening, landing in Munich before dawn. From there, we drove to a pensione outside the city, where Ethan booked a room, saying Brovik’s dogs might be watching the big hotels. He didn’t sleep, but ordered me to, while he got on the phone. After sunset, he went out, telling me to stay put, returning shortly with a pistol concealed in his coat.

  “Where’d you get that?”

  “Always ways of finding anything if you’re resourceful, let’s hope we have the same luck with Kurt. Now about this pack, they tend to frequent abandoned buildings. I’ve made some inquiries, and there are several likely places.” He laid out a map on the table. “This one however is intriguing, an abandoned tubercular sanatorium in the mountains, lots of room to house them, and convenient to the city, but secluded enough to avoid scrutiny. We’ll look there first.”

  We set off in a leased car. It began to snow, the deserted roads becoming very slippery. Several miles into the mountains, we came to a long drive leading to a large building, covered in crumbling stucco and overgrown ivy. Ethan pulled the car off the road into a thicket of shrubs.

  “Stay close, Mia. They don’t know who we are, or what we want. If Kurt is here, they might think we mean harm.”

  We set off on foot toward the building. One by one they melted out of the shadows, small, deadly wraiths. The leader, who appeared to be ten or so when made, stepped forward on legs that looked too thin to support his starveling body. Wispy blond hair fell into hollowed brown eyes.

  “We’re looking for someone.” Ethan held up a hundred marks. “Perhaps you’ve seen him?”

  Glittering eyes watched us warily, as they fanned out into a circle around us. The leader swaggered up to Ethan, snatching the money away, slipping easily into English, “We are fifteen here,” the boy said, in a pure soprano. “Who are you looking for?”

  “He’s not part of your pack. His name is Kurt.”

  “Brovik’s minion? Lots looking for him. Who’s she?”

  “Mia.” It was difficult for him to say the next part. “They’re bound to one another.”

  “It’s all right, Max,” Kurt said, as he moved into the light. “She’s the one I told you about.”

  “I’m not worried about her.”

  Ethan cleared his throat. “I give my word I won’t harm anyone. We’ve come to help.”

  “You lie! You’re the Northman’s alpha. You’ve come to take him!”

  “This woman is of my making. I’m sworn to aid her.”

  “Max, it’s fine,” Kurt assured him, as he approached. “It’s cold. Tell the boys to go inside.”

  Max looked up with puppy dog eyes at Kurt, taking his hand. “Kurt?”

  “I’m leaving with them.”

  “Stay, we’ll protect you.”

  “No, I’ve endangered you enough already.” Kurt turned to Ethan. “I have no money. They’ve given me shelter. I’ll repay you when I can.”

  Ethan pulled out his billfold, peeling off another hundred marks. Kurt looked at it in disgust. “They’ve risked their lives.”

  Ethan cursed under his breath, handing Kurt four more. Kurt gave them to Max.

  “Get more blankets and kerosene. It’s too cold in there. I hope someday to do more.”

  “You’re our brother, Kurt. You’ve always been good to us.”

  Kurt smiled and ruffled Max’s hair. “You’ve been a good friend. Be careful.”

  The little vampire flashed a grubby grin, embracing Kurt, and then whistled to his pack. They scurried back into the shadows like the rodents they were named for.

  I threw my arms around Kurt, kissing him all over his dirty face. He turned to Ethan. “Why did you let her do this?”

  “I’ve never been able to make her do a damn thing she didn’t want to. How ’bout you?”

  “Max says dogs are watching the airports and train stations surrounding Munich. You have a car?”

  “Yes, we could try for Austria.”

  Kurt shook his head. “They’re watching the borders. Better head north to Frankfurt. If we can avoid them, we can get a plane to the states there.”

  Ethan looked at his watch. “It’s after seven. The weath
er is getting worse.”

  Snow fell heavily in big sticky white flakes.

  “Then we’ll have to wait it out here.”

  “I won’t stay in this filthy hole, and I won’t allow Mia.”

  Kurt’s eyes narrowed. “You put her out on a night like this with nothing but the clothes on her back. Come on, if we wait any longer, you’ll have no choice.

  We went only a mile, before the roads became impassable. We had to turn back, but when Ethan turned the car it spun, crashing into a snow bank. Ethan and Kurt got out, pushing it, but it wouldn’t budge. We were stranded.

  Kurt called to Ethan through the snow. “It’s no use! We must go back on foot. When the weather clears we’ll come back.”

  Ethan cursed, opening the door for me. “Come on, we’re walking.”

  I grumbled as my boots filled with slush. “Sure wish we had the power to control the elements like Dracula.”

  “Even Immortyls bow to mother nature,” Ethan replied.

  The three of us trudged through the snow until we reached the building. Kurt ran up to the door and beat on it.

  “Max, kommt hier!”

  Max opened the door, admitting us as Kurt explained our predicament. Max nodded in ascent and we followed him down a set of stairs into what appeared to be a large ward filled with old iron beds. A couple of kerosene heaters and filthy blankets provided some warmth. The floor was littered with trash and piles of moldering books they burned in a fireplace. The place reeked of rotting flesh and kerosene fumes. I gagged. As we entered the room the rats protested Ethan’s presence. Max shut them up, gathering them together to explain the situation.

  “Feral animals,” Ethan muttered.

  “They’re our only hope. Don’t be so fastidious, Ethan. You perpetuate a system that creates and casts them aside.”

  “Until very recently you were part of this system.”

  Kurt had no love for Ethan and had no trouble telling him just what he thought. “Officially, I was no better off. You’ve certainly treated me as badly as you treat them.”

  “How long have you known Max?” I asked.

  “After the war I came back to see if anyone I knew was alive. Max had lost his family in the war and fell victim to one bloodsucker or another who used him for a few years then cast him aside. I’ve given the pack money for years. In return they fed me information about Brovik’s enemies.”

  Kurt led me to a bed near one of the heaters. He stripped off my gloves and kissed my fingertips, rubbing them in his hands. “You’re hands are cold.” He placed the least filthy blanket he could find around my shoulders and held me. The stench of the place made me gag.

  Ethan sat across from us on another bed, watching Kurt caress my hair as we tried to get warm. “Are you in pain?”

  “I’m fine. It’s the smell.”

  Kurt looked around. “They lure victims here—pedophiles, drug dealers—whatever scum they can. The ground is frozen. They can’t bury them. They put them into the cellar until they get enough petrol to burn them.”

  “You don’t smell so good yourself, darling.”

  “I’d give anything for a bath.” His smile melted me as always. “You shouldn’t have come but I’m glad. Lie down and rest.” He slipped off my jacket, discovering the bandage on my arm. “What’s this?”

  “I was shot. Ethan fixed me up.”

  Ethan was clearly uncomfortable. “It’s a clean wound. It will heal.”

  “The dogs did this?”

  I nodded.

  “He didn’t waste time,” Kurt said, grimly.

  Max hurried over to us with news. “The pack agrees to let the alpha stay.”

  “Thanks for nothing,” Ethan muttered.

  “You must leave as soon as the weather clears. The radio says the storm will end by morning. By evening the roads should be better.”

  We huddled around the heater not talking much. Before dawn Kurt and I curled close on the mattress. Ethan didn’t try to sleep, obviously not trusting our hosts. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, lulled by the deep, shushing rhythm of Kurt’s heartbeat.

  Kurt was already in deep conversation with Max while I was just rising. Max scratched his bushy little head, looking perplexed.

  Ethan got to his feet. “What’s wrong?”

  Kurt turned to us, his face set and tense. “Someone’s missing.”

  “Karl took the Vespa,” said Max. “We never travel alone.”

  “Little bastard sold us out,” Ethan said.

  “We don’t know that, but we should get to the car and see if we can start it.” Kurt took my hand. As I reached for my jacket, the building suddenly shook and swayed. Plaster hailed down onto our heads, as a huge orange swath of fire roared through the room engulfing poor Max. Kurt dragged me to the steps with Ethan on our heels. We ran up into the demolished lobby, where fires were burning all around and above us, a piece of burning debris nearly knocking Kurt to the ground.

  “Look out!” I screamed.

  “The door is blocked by the fire!” Ethan yelled. “Find another way out!”

  “Here!” Kurt called, pulling me down the hall and out through a ruined sunroom littered with long broken shards of glass. The three of us made it outside just as the roof collapsed. Inside we heard screams of the unfortunates who didn’t escape. Those who did were running in all directions, taking cover in the bushes.

  A helicopter stood before us with blades whirling. Through the firelight strode Brovik toward us. We found ourselves surrounded by four large dogs bearing assault weapons.

  “Restrain them.”

  Guns pressed up against our heads, as we were bound in chains, and pushed into the helicopter. Brovik climbed in, motioning to the pilot to take off.

  When we landed later on Brovik’s island, we were dragged inside to the main room, the dogs training weapons on us, as Brovik drew a gleaming knife from an elaborate sheath.

  “Ethan, I’m surprised,” he said. “You always hated the boy.”

  “I’m sworn to protect, Mia.”

  “My cavalier, once again you back the losing cause.” Brovik motioned to the guards. “Release them, but watch them closely.”

  One dog with long blond hair like Brovik’s, unlocked the manacles, taking a handful of ass as he did mine.

  “There’s unfinished business before I execute the three of you. Where is my money—and what did Mia do with the Wolf’s property? Only one thing would make him so frantic. Just tell me, my dear, where to find the money and data, and it’ll be quick and painless.”

  “If I don’t?”

  “These gentlemen will do as they like to you, while these two miserable fools look on.”

  “Ethan knows nothing. Aside from helping me find Kurt, he did nothing.”

  “Aiding you, he becomes my enemy.” Brovik took Kurt’s face into his hands, speaking softly, “You made this transaction. Tell me where you wired the money, and you can die holding her in your arms.”

  As hard as it was to agree, he didn’t give Brovik what he wanted. He looked at his master, face in anguish. “I have nothing to tell.”

  Brovik released Kurt as if his skin was made of burning acid. “Gentlemen, the lady is yours.”

  “Brovik, this is very bad form!” protested Ethan. “I have the right to a proper execution. Since she’s mine they can’t touch her. I demand her essence before you take mine.”

  “The time for formalities has passed, Ethan.” Brovik turned his attention to me. “As for her, you cast her off. She’s my property now.”

  “Let us die in the old way.”

  “Not enough sun here to finish the job. You’d rot for hours. It’s a mercy to do this quickly.”

  “We have a right to die under the sky and see the sun. I have no great desire to live on this Earth, but I should like to feel the sun on my face once more before I die. Besides, do you really want her blood on your hands?”

  Ethan was crafty. If there were any chance Brovik would die, it would ha
ve to be this night. We’d never have another chance, because we’d be dead. If Brovik would agree to kill us in the ceremonial way, there might be a chance. I had to prod him in the right direction. He’d know if I were telling the truth about the discs, so I decided to do just that.

  I spoke up. “I stole computer discs with DNA sequences on them.”

  Brovik walked up to me. “Is this the truth?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where are they?”

  “In a locker at the Port Authority, the key is around my neck.”

  He hesitated then unzipped my jacket, drawing out the key on its silver chain with his knife. Brovik’s one flaw was his ancient tendency toward superstition. He didn’t want to touch me for fear I’d somehow rise up and murder him where he stood. He really would prefer Ethan do the actual deed.

  “It’s true,” I said. “Ask Kurt.”

  Kurt met his master’s gaze head on. “I helped her hide them.”

  “I knew she’d turn you.” Brovik motioned to his dogs. “Take them outside. Prepare the pyres.”

  We were dragged into the bitterly cold night. The aurora wavered ghostly over our heads, as they forced us to our knees. I kneeled between Kurt and Ethan, shivering as Kurt took my hand.

  “Don’t be afraid, Mia.”

  “I’m sorry I’ve dragged you down with me. It’s time, Kurt. This is the night. It ends tonight.”

  Kurt turned to Ethan and said, “The knife. He’ll give you it to cut her throat. Do it cleanly.”

  “I know how it’s done,” Ethan replied.

  Brovik came out to us, carrying the large knife by its beautifully carved whalebone handle. His unbound hair whipped about his face in the wind. “The woman first,” he said, handing the knife to Ethan.

  At that moment, Kurt launched himself at Brovik and knocked him down, as Ethan whirled and beheaded the two guards. Brovik threw Kurt off like a rag doll and faced Ethan. Kurt snatched up one of the rifles, and shot the other two guards who ran toward us from the piles of wood they were preparing, and then whirled toward where Brovik grappled with Ethan. He raised the gun and took aim, but Brovik rushed him and broke it in two, crushing the other weapon to bits beneath his feet. Ethan threw himself on Brovik, shouting, “Kurt, take her into the house and lock it down! Do you hear me? Run!”