Morvicti Execution: A Morvicti Tale (A Morvicti Novel)

by Lee Swift

  “That’s good.”

  He was Morvicti. Was giving blood a type of last rites for his kind? My kind?

  “Listen closely, Cassandra. You are in danger. You are not safe staying in San Angelo.”

  “I know.” My mother told me the truth.

  “Go to Lubbock. I have a trusted family member that lives just outside the city limits who will protect you.”

  “Is he Morvicti?”

  “He is. I’m sending a picture of Lucretius and myself to your mother’s phone.”

  Another strange name.

  The cell beeped and she took a look at the men in the photo. They both had dark hair, green eyes, and sported warm smiles. The resemblance was undeniable, not just to each other, but to Cassie and her mom, too. There was no doubt she was related to them.

  “Lucretius is the one on the left, Cassandra.”

  They were quite handsome and appeared to be in their early thirties. But they were Morvicti. Age was difficult to determine for their kind. Mom wasn’t lying about being hundreds of years old.

  “His real name is Lucretius, but he goes by Charles Olive in this era. I will rendezvous with you and him at the medical examiner’s offices in Lubbock.”

  “Why there?”

  “We must retrieve your mother’s body as well as the body of the intruder. We cannot allow humans much time with them. It’s far too dangerous.”

  When Rom repeated her mother’s words “too dangerous,” she trembled. Her mom trusted him, and now she must as well. He was her only hope, her only connection. With Rom, she didn’t feel so alone. He was family.

  “Lucretius’s house is on County Road 1640. Please do whatever he says until I get there, Cassandra. The Brotherhood knows you exist. They have operatives everywhere and will be searching for you. Trust no one.”

  “I understand.”

  “Don’t talk to anyone. Use cash. Leave your cell. Use your mother’s phone only. It has software that keeps it from being traced. I’ll be in flight shortly, so I may be hard to reach. If you can’t get me, call Lucretius.” He gave her the man’s number.

  “Got it, Rom.”

  “Do you have a gun?”

  She patted her pistol. “I do.”

  “Be careful and keep your weapon with you at all times. We will get this all sorted. Trust me.”

  Hurriedly, she packed a bag and started for the door. Remembering Helen’s phone call, she decided to record a new message on her phone.

  “Hi, this is Cassie. I’m not taking any calls for a few days due to a death in the family. I appreciate your call and will get back with you.”

  She doubted that would keep anyone away for long, but it had to suffice for now. The farther she could get away before it was discovered she was gone, the better.

  I’m about to become a fugitive. Is this what I really should do?

  The answer came in images. O’Malley’s severed head. Her mother with the axe in her chest. The black mask askew on their murderer’s face. I have no choice. I must go.

  She tossed her phone on the sofa. Grabbing the bag she packed, she ran out her door to her car. The rain was coming down hard. She slammed her car door shut and entered Lucretius’s address into her GPS. Just three hours to get to safety.

  Before she could turn the key in the ignition, she saw headlights. Paranoia swept through her and she immediately sunk down low in her seat, grabbed her gun, and locked the doors. No wonder her mother had been so frightened. Now she was in the same boat.

  As the black SUV passed her, Cassie peered between the top of her steering wheel and the dashboard, seeing Allen Wade in the driver’s seat.

  Why was he coming here at this late hour? Did he have new information that he wanted to share? Or was he just following through on his promise to wrap up the investigation quickly?

  For a split second, she considered approaching him, but remembered what Rom had told her. “Trust no one.”

  She was torn. Allen had been the perfect gentleman on their coffee date. He seemed trustworthy. But was he? It actually didn’t matter, because once she left town there would be no turning back. Her career in law enforcement, something she had worked so hard for, would be over.

  What am I doing? Should I trust this Rom guy, a person I don’t know?

  Allen parked in the middle of the drive and got out of the SUV.

  Her hand landed on the latch of her car door, but she hesitated.

  Allen opened the hatch of the SUV and pulled out two items that were mentioned in so many of her mother’s stories—an axe and a black mask.

  She gasped, not believing her own eyes as Allen put on the mask. “Trust no one,” she whispered to herself.

  Allen had on gloves when he’d walked into her mother’s home this evening, but it had less to do with protocol for a murder scene and more to do with hiding the color of his palms from her. Cassie now knew that his palms had to be a pale violet, an unmistakable sign of his lineage. Like mine and Mom’s. And the killer’s.

  Why hadn’t she noticed his hands on their coffee date? Was she just too mesmerized by his charm and good looks? She closed her eyes and brought up the memory. He’d kept his hands under the table for most of the date. And whenever he did grab his cup, his palms still never came into her view. Now she knew that was intentional on Allen’s part. He’d made absolutely sure she never saw them.

  Trembling, she watched the Ranger walk to the side of her apartment building. He came to kill me.

  When Wade was out of sight, she started her car’s engine and raced away.

  Ten miles out of San Angelo’s city limits, she continued checking her rearview mirror for the black SUV but never saw it again. She kept her speed just below the limit, not wanting to alert any highway patrol that might be working US 87 tonight. It took another two hours for her to finally breathe easier. She’d seen several semis and a few cars along the way, but no black SUVs.

  The rain never let up the entire drive; it was as if the heavens were crying for her terrible loss.

  Turning on the radio, she hoped to distract her mind the rest of the trip. It didn’t work. She’d lost her mother and O’Malley to The Brotherhood of Purity. She wasn’t sure what kind of life she was moving toward, but she vowed to get justice and avenge the deaths of the people she loved so very much—no matter what monsters were waiting in her future.

  Eleven miles from Lamesa, she realized the headlights in her rearview mirror had been behind her for over twenty minutes. Probably just paranoia, but she had to be sure.

  Seeing a farm road up ahead on her left, she cut her lights. Thanks to her special memory, she was able to turn onto the lane at just the right time, despite being blind from the pitch blackness of the thunderstorm.

  She drove a little farther down the farm road to get a comfortable distance from the highway but remained close enough to see what kind of vehicle had been behind her. She turned her car around and cut the engine.

  Holding her breath, she stared at the headlights racing north on US 87. When the white sedan passed, she sighed. “You’re losing it, rookie.” She smiled weakly, thinking about O’Malley.

  A bolt of lightning hit a tree in the field next to her followed by a loud clap of thunder that shook her entire car. I need to get back on the road.

  Before she could start her engine, a black SUV passed by a few seconds later, heading north. All the blood seemed to drain out of her. Could the driver be Wade?

  Now what do I do?

  She brought out her mother’s phone and called Rom. It went straight to voicemail. Damn!

  Needing to reach out for help, she dialed the number for the man named Lucretius.

  “Cassandra, are you okay?” a man who sounded very much like Rom asked.

  She thought it odd that hearing a stranger’s voice could be so comforting. But it was. “I’m okay, Mr. Olive.”

  “Please call me Luke. My alias, Charles Olive, is for humans, not family.”

  “Cassandra is my legal nam
e, but my mom always called me ‘Cassie,’ and I hope you will, too.”

  “Sure, Cassie. Where are you?” He seemed just as concerned about her as Rom had been.

  “I’m about ten miles from Lamesa, but I’m worried I might have been followed.” She told him about seeing Wade at her apartment. “I’m probably just being paranoid, but an SUV that looked like his just passed by.”

  “Did they spot you?”

  “No.” She told Luke about how she’d evaded detection.

  “Good job, because you’re not being paranoid. I just received intel from some operatives that The Brotherhood is sending agents to reclaim their fallen member and take your mother. I’ll text you a route to my house that will keep you off the main highway. Unfortunately, it will add another thirty minutes to your trip, but it will be safer. I’m going to retrieve your mom and the killer from the morgue. You’ll be here before I am able to get back. I have a lockbox that has a key to my house.” He told her where it was and gave her the code. “I’ll leave the garage door open for you. Close it as soon as you get inside.”

  Talking with Luke, she didn’t feel so alone.

  “You should be safe there, but if anything happens before Rom or I arrive, get inside my safe room.”

  “Safe room?”

  “It’s down the hall next to my bedroom. You will see a framed mirror, which is actually the entrance into the room. The mirror is attached to a heavy steel door that can be locked from the inside.”

  As he described more detail regarding his safe room, Cassie thought about all the spy movies she and her mother had watched and enjoyed together.

  He told her how to open the mirrored door. “The room has walls made of Kevlar that can withstand machine gun fire and a category five hurricane.”

  “Will I be able to use my phone?”

  “There’s wiring inside the walls that boosts cellular signals. You can still reach me or Rom. You’ll be safe there.”

  “I’ll use it only if I need to.”

  “My home is your home. When you get here, try to relax, though I’m sure that will be difficult given all you’ve been through.”

  “Thank you, Luke.”

  “Don’t worry, Cassie. Everything is going to work out.”

  The rest of the trip was uneventful, though she never stopped checking her rearview mirror for black SUVs.

  She turned onto the road that led to Luke’s house. His was the only one for miles around. The distance between his home and his neighbor’s was even greater than her mother’s was to the citizens of Mertzon. Was that what it meant to be Morvicti? Always alone and isolated?

  Pulling into the driveway, she drove straight into Luke’s garage. She jumped out and ran to the lockbox, retrieving the key. Back inside the garage, she found the button that closed the door. Once it was shut, she let out a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t feel completely safe until Luke and Rom arrived, but she did feel a little better being off the road and inside.

  The storm grew in strength and the thunder got louder.

  Cassie opened the door from the garage to the inside of the house and deactivated the security alarm. Shutting the door, she reset the alarm as Luke had instructed her to do.

  Safe for the moment.

  She placed her bag on the floor but kept her hand on her gun. Luke had left the lights on for her. She was standing in his kitchen, which was immaculate. A bottle of wine, a glass, a corkscrew, and a note were on the counter.

  Cassie,

  I thought this would help you to relax. If you’re hungry, there’s plenty of food in the fridge. Help yourself.

  I should be back before Rom arrives, but if I’m not, I won’t be far behind.

  Do not answer the door. Rom has a key.

  Luke

  Cassie lifted the bottle and looked at the label. It was red and French: Faiveley 1966.

  My mother loves wine. Loved wine? A wave of dizziness rolled through her and she leaned on the counter. How in the world had she forgotten so quickly? Her mind clearly hadn’t fully accepted the horror of losing her mother. Mom’s not here anymore. She’s gone. O’Malley’s gone.

  Cassie placed the bottle back on the counter as tears flowed down her cheeks. “I don’t have time for this.” She composed herself. Mourning would have to come later. Right now, she needed to make sure the place was secure. She was a trained police officer, and Wade was still at large.

  Gripping her gun, she walked into the dining room straight to a wall of glass windows. They were all secure and locked. She peered at the fenced backyard, which was illuminated by security lights. Except for a few small bushes and one tree, it was empty. No one was outside.

  She moved into the living room, scanning every shadowed corner.

  There were two seating areas. One had a round glass coffee table surrounded by four chairs; the other was decorated with two loveseats. She could see how that arrangement would be conducive to discussions of all kinds of topics—both business and social. But did Luke have friends over? Did he even have friends? Or was he like her mother, keeping others away out of fear? Was Luke full blood or halfblood? Or less…human? What kind of person was he? And once again, she wondered if it was foolish to trust him and Rom, two people she’d never met before. She had so many questions and so few answers, but all of that would have to wait. Cassie still had to make sure this place was secure.

  The living room windows were locked, as well as the front door. As she continued scanning the space, her eyes landed on the painting of a woman above the fireplace.

  Cassie immediately recognized Roxanna. So like her mother’s painting, though Roxanna’s dress and pose were different in Luke’s. Quite different.

  Why did I refuse to listen to Mom whenever she tried to tell me about our heritage?

  Guilt engulfed Cassie.

  How many times had she stormed away from her mother whenever she brought up the topic of their lineage? Hundreds. The only time her mother mentioned the Morvicti was when she was afraid The Brotherhood was closing in on them.

  Now there were so many things to learn about her new life. Cassie knew it might be foolish to take precious time to study the portrait—no matter how brief—but she couldn’t help herself. Were the answers she needed hidden in this painting?

  Sitting on a large golden throne, Roxanna wore a crown, held a scepter, and was adorned in regal purple attire. On a table next to the beautiful woman was a golden chalice that reminded Cassie of the one her mother had.

  Her mom had told her that they were related to Roxanna but had never said how important her great-great-aunt was to the Morvicti. From Luke’s painting, Cassie determined the woman was much more important than she’d ever imagined. Queen of the Morvicti? Probably.

  She tore her eyes away and continued making sure the rest of Luke’s house was secure.

  Every entrance was locked up tight, which made her feel better about her situation, though only just a little.

  She came to the mirror in the hallway that Luke had told her about. Opening it, she walked into the safe room. It was quite impressive—a ten-by-ten space with a chair, a gun rack, a small fridge, and several monitors, which were being fed by security cameras located around the property. In this room she could see everywhere. There was no one else around, inside or outside. She was alone.

  Satisfied that the home was secure, she returned to the kitchen and set her gun down on the counter. The rain had stopped and the sky was clearing.

  Her mother’s phone buzzed. She recognized Luke’s number on the caller ID.

  “Cassie, I’m two minutes from the house. I got your mom out of the morgue, and I spoke with Rom. He just landed, so I’ll be there before he arrives.”

  “What happens next?”

  “Once Rom gets to the house, he will tell us the plan. Don’t worry. He always works everything out. When you hear me in the driveway, go ahead and open the garage door.”

  “I certainly will. And thank you, Luke. For everything.”

/>   “Sweetheart, no need to thank me. That’s just what we do for each other. Stay on the line until I get there.”

  She grabbed her gun. “I just disarmed the alarm and opened the garage door.” She stared at the road and listened for Luke’s vehicle.

  “Damn,” he swore.

  “What’s happening?”

  “Two black SUVs just turned onto my road behind me.”

  A shock went through her body. “That’s probably Allen with more black masked assholes.”

  “Get back in the house, close the garage door and re-arm the security system. I’m sure they’re on to me since I have their brother’s body. I’ll drive past the house and lead them away.”

  “Be careful.” With her heart racing, she hit the button that lowered the garage door. Then she went back into the house and reactivated the security system. Cassie stared at the panic button on the panel. “Luke, why don’t I set the alarm off? Won’t that bring the police?”

  “Not the police, but it will bring help. It’s a good idea, but wait. If the alarm goes off as they drive by it will alert them to your location. Let me lead them far enough away before you hit the button.”

  “Okay.” With the gun in one hand and the other hand hovering close to the security panel, she held her breath and waited.

  “Cassie, one of the vans just pulled into my driveway.”

  “Oh, no.” She tightened her grip on her gun and pressed the panic button. Luke’s security sirens started to wail.

  “They must know where I live.” The strain in his voice could not be missed. “The other SUV is still following me. Get to the safe room.”

  She raced to the mirror, keeping the phone to her ear. She could hear tires squealing and the sound of gunfire. “Luke. Talk to me.”

  “I’m okay. Are you in the safe room yet?”

  She opened the secret door, jumped inside, and locked herself in. “I am now.”

  On one of the monitors, she could see a black SUV pull up to the front of the house. Three men, all in black wearing those horrible masks, jumped out. Two carried assault rifles, with the third holding an axe. Apparently their weapon of choice. They bolted to the front door.