by Alves, Carl
“That’s fine with me.”
Magnus raised his brow, expecting an argument. “If anyone gets in, wake me immediately.”
“I can fight them off,” Alexei said.
“Regardless, get me first. We’ll be more effective as a unit. I, in turn, will wake you at the first sign of someone breaking in.”
“As you wish.”
Magnus lingered, still not knowing what to make of Alexei’s cooperation.
“Will that be all?” Alexei asked.
Magnus nodded. He slowly backed out of the room, not sure if he should feel reassurance or dread at Alexei’s sudden willingness to cooperate.
Chapter Thirty-One
Enzo looked out the window of Sophie’s living room. A government van followed two unmarked government cars. Mark Andrews and Rick Carroll filed out of the lead car. Four additional FBI agents emerged from the other vehicles. Good. The fewer Feds, the less chance of this becoming a snafu.
“How do you think I should hold this, Enzo?” Tony Scrambolgni asked.
He took the ash stake from Tony and gripped it with both hands at the top of the stake. “Lift it head high and plunge. That should do the trick.”
Although it was only a couple feet in length, The Goat hoisted Vasilly’s stake like a spear. “I’m going to throw this right into their black hearts.”
The Wop smacked him in the back of the head. “What the fuck are you thinking? You ever use a spear before?”
The Goat scowled. “No.”
“Then why would you throw it like a spear? You’ll miss the fucking vampire and lose your stake. Wait ‘til you get close and then use it.”
“What if I’m far away?”
“That’s why we got guns. Hey, Enzo, you sure these wooden bullets’ll work?”
Enzo nodded. “They’ll work. I tried them the other day at a shooting range. I just hope Andrews was able to get some ash bullets.”
“About that whole ash thing. I don’t believe the old Russian bastard.”
“He had an encounter with a vampire,” Enzo said. “You and I haven’t. Besides, it feels right. Sometimes you have to go with your gut.”
“Well, I trust your judgment, Boss.”
When the doorbell rang, Sophie answered.
For this job, Enzo wanted men who were tough, experienced and loyal. He made an exception for The Goat and Mike Tarracone. They earned their spots because they had survived against Alexei. He chose Fat Paulie despite his portly physique because he knew how to handle himself in dangerous situations. Mad Sal Demonte was psychotic, and it was always helpful to have someone like that.
Sophie led the contingent of FBI agents inside her house. Enzo looked at his watch. It was 2PM. As always, Andrews was punctual.
“Any luck with those bullets?” Enzo asked.
Andrews nodded. “I got a case.”
Enzo shrugged. “It ain’t much, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Let’s split them up.” Andrews handed him a packet of bullets. “We got enough non-ash wooden bullets to go around.”
Tony Scrambolgni and Fat Paulie opened two briefcases.
“We got these last night,” Enzo said. “Genuine ash stakes.”
Special Agent Carroll picked up a stake. “I can only hope these things work.”
Sophie folded her arms, her face a mask of worry. “Aren’t you guys nervous? We’re talking vampires, something a couple of weeks ago I would have dismissed as the stuff of legend.”
Enzo said, “For better or worse, they crossed our paths. We can’t ignore them.”
Sophie lit a cigarette. “I wish we could.”
“Don’t worry,” Andrews said. “They should be sleeping during the day, plus, we have the element of surprise.”
“It didn’t work for Charlie and Mike,” Sophie said.
“No use fretting over it,” Enzo said. “Let’s roll.”
As they loaded their guns and distributed stakes, Sophie paced the room, chain-smoking.
“Well, that’s it,” Andrews said.
“Good luck,” Sophie said as the men filed out of her house. She grabbed Enzo’s arm before he left. “You better make it back, Enzo Salerno.”
“I fully intend to,” Enzo said.
As she closed the door behind him, a tear ran down her cheek.
Alexei put down his book and turned the television on to CNBC. He was not a big investor, but a high society friend had recommended a cloud computing company that was ready to explode. After three weeks, it was up twenty percent.
Normally, Alexei had to wait until the stock market closed before finding out how his company performed. Since he was guarding the mansion during the day, he could track it in real time. Unfortunately, his lack of rest did not help his surly disposition.
Yesterday’s shift was uneventful. He listened for strange sounds, but the only thing he heard was the mailman.
He frowned as the CNBC ticker scrawled across the screen. It was down eight percent.
He spread himself across the couch. Unlike yesterday, he was having a hard time staying awake. He closed his eyes.
When he heard the faint rumble of a car, followed by three more vehicles, Alexei jumped to his feet. What were the chances of four cars driving in succession on this street at ten in the morning? Slim. Very slim.
He ran upstairs and pulled back the Venetian blinds that covered the large bay window and winced. Down the street, a group of men were exiting four parked cars. Among them were the two men who survived their encounter outside the club.
“Damn.” He gritted his teeth. Magnus was right. They were coming back for revenge.
He cracked his knuckles. He should get Magnus. Not that he needed his help, but he could only imagine Magnus’ reaction if he found out that these thugs invaded the mansion and Alexei hadn’t notified him.
Alexei ran up the steps. He walked into Magnus’ darkened room and found him lying on a king-sized bed. Unlike most of their kind, he did not sleep in a coffin.
He gripped his shoulder. “Magnus. Wake.”
Magnus opened his eyes. He blinked twice. “It’s early, so they must be here.”
“Yes,” Alexei said.
“Let’s defend our home against those who wish us harm.” Magnus leaped to his feet and bared his fangs. “It’s time to feed.”
Alexei rolled his eyes. The brood leader was so melodramatic.
He exited the room, ready for a fight.
Mark stood at the side of the mansion with Enzo Salerno, Tony Scrambolgni and Rick Carroll. They had blocked both entrances to the street with their vehicles.
“All right,” Mark said. “I’ll lead my men inside. We’ll secure the house and signal you to follow. If they ambush us, we leave. Got it?”
“We’ve been over this a dozen times,” Enzo said.
Mark nodded. The butterflies in his stomach had finally subsided after being jittery all morning. If this operation turned into a disaster, it would sink his career, but he felt confident in his decision to trust Salerno. Even Carroll had eased on his opinion of the mobster.
Mark and five handpicked FBI agents approached the house. They were among the few at the Agency who knew about the vampires.
Agent Winfield, an expert at breaking and entering, led the way. Within a minute, he opened the door.
Silence greeted Mark as he stepped inside the house. He scanned the foyer and living room. The rooms were spacious. Expensive leather furniture, a stereo system and a large plasma television decorated the room. Paintings lined the walls, and sculptures adorned the living room. Whoever furnished this house had expensive taste.
Mark pulled out his two-way radio. “We’re inside. No sign yet.”
On the other end, Enzo said, “We’re right behind you.”
Just before he entered the kitchen, Mark caught movement out of the corner of his eye. It was so quick he could hardly react. “Watch out!”
A vampire flew from the overhanging balcony and landed on top of A
gent Staples.
Mark immediately recognized the face of Alexei the Vampire. He pulled out his .357 and aimed at the vampire, when an enormous force landed on top of him. He crashed to the floor, face first. Blood gushed from his nose.
The vampire grabbed him by the throat and lifted him to his feet. Gasping for breath, he reached for the stake he had strapped to his belt like a sword. His face turned deep red, and the room darkened. He was quickly losing consciousness. Have to get it.
A bullet whizzed past the side of his head, and the vampire released him. He landed on the floor with a thud. He tried to stand, but didn’t have the strength. Instead he crawled on all fours. He looked up and found Enzo Salerno leading his mobsters inside like the cavalry.
Magnus saw the bullet coming. It was unlike any he had ever seen. He took a fraction of a second to examine it as it flew through the air. His eyes widened. It was made of wood. He dropped the FBI agent and jumped back, narrowly avoiding the bullet. Another bullet shot at him. He rolled to his side and then lunged at the shooter, ramming the FBI agent with his shoulder and knocking him to the ground.
Rick Carroll stared with his mouth open as the vampire dodged his bullet. Impossible. He shot again with the same result before making a futile attempt at dodging the lunging vampire.
The vampire tackled him. He couldn’t breathe. All he felt was pain. Lying on the floor, he wondered what the hell they were thinking trying to fight vampires.
The vampire straddled him. He tried to fight, but was helpless as the vampire came down with his fangs.
Magnus plunged his fangs into the FBI agent’s throat. He took four swallows of blood. They were badly outnumbered, so he did not have time to feed, but he needed extra strength.
“Magnus, there’s more coming,” Alexei shouted from across the room.
Six more stormed through the doors. These weren’t law enforcement agents. They had a rougher look. Magnus licked his lips and bared his fangs.
Enzo entered the vampire house, not expecting this kind of carnage. Agent Staples was dead on the floor with a gaping hole in his chest. The vampire Alexei identified as Magnus was on top of Agent Carroll, who was also dead. Andrews stood in the middle of the room, a dazed look on his face.
“You son of a bitch.” Enzo took his stake with both hands and charged at Magnus, who was looking the other way. The vampire moved, but not in time. The stake tore his shirt and pierced his tricep.
Magnus screamed.
Damn, these things actually work.
Magnus glared at him and bared his fangs. He gave Enzo a backhanded slap that made him see stars. Enzo fell and dropped the stake.
Blackness surrounded him. A loud whooshing sound came from above, like he was being sucked into a vacuum. He had to get to his feet. When the room came back into view, Magnus had his back to him, occupied by new attackers.
Enzo crawled to his stake. He reached arm over arm until he gripped it. Using the wall for leverage, he lifted himself.
Fighting the haze, he wondered why only two vampires were fighting. Perhaps, the others in the house weren’t capable of fighting, which meant they were vulnerable.
He contemplated taking another shot at Magnus, but the vampire had incredible quickness and instincts. Instead, he snuck down a staircase.
He entered the closest room and smiled at the sight of two mahogany coffins. Clutching the stake, he propped open a coffin.
Alexei hadn’t had this much fun in years. Standing at the top of the balcony, he targeted the FBI agent from his encounter outside of the club. Somehow the agent survived their first encounter. History would not repeat itself.
He swooped down and viciously yanked at Staples’ head, tearing it off. He held it so the other invaders could see. Over the years, he found that showing people their mortality was an effective tactic.
He didn’t have time to savor this kill. An agent came after him with a stake. He sidestepped and tripped the man. Another pulled out a gun and pointed it at him. He bolted to that agent and grabbed his wrist. The agent squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet into the ceiling. Alexei elbowed him to the neck twice, causing him to drop his gun. Before he finished the agent off, more armed men entered the house.
He shouted to alert Magnus.
Suddenly a hint of desperation entered Alexei. He and Magnus had to fend off these humans, armed with guns and stakes, in the daylight. The odds were no longer in his favor, but he had not lived for over a thousand years to die so easily.
A bullet from a new intruder shot past him. If he was going to survive, he had to go on the offensive.
The Wop came in behind Enzo, his jaw dropping at the sight of the bloodbath. Instead of panicking, he gritted his teeth.
In front of him, Enzo stabbed Magnus with a stake, causing the vampire to howl. Magnus swatted Enzo like a fly.
He wasn’t about to let Magnus kill his boss. “Try me on for size, asshole.”
He stabbed at Magnus with the stake, but the vampire deftly avoided the blow. He had been in knife fights in the past, and that was how he wielded the stake, taking swings and trying to clip him, but Magnus was too quick.
Fat Paulie stood next to him. Tony expected Paulie to attack with his stake. Instead, he pulled out a wooden cross and held it up to the vampire. “Go back to hell where you came from.”
Magnus threw his head back and laughed. He grabbed the cross and tossed it. “You shouldn’t believe everything you read.”
Tony took the opportunity to attack with his stake. Magnus avoided the blow, then threw a right hook that connected with Tony’s jaw. His legs felt like jelly and he crumpled to the floor.
Magnus grabbed Fat Paulie by the folds in his neck and gave him a twist, causing a horrible cracking sound. Fat Paulie’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell backward, his ample weight knocking over a lamp.
“You fucking bastard,” Tony yelled from the floor. He had known Fat Paulie his whole life. They stole their first car together when he was fourteen. Now the fat man was dead, all because of this vampire.
Tony stabbed the back of Magnus’ calf. The vampire shrieked and limped around the room. He fell to all fours, trying to remove the stake.
Tony tried to pull himself to his feet, but his head felt ready to explode. The room spun, and he closed his eyes. He had to take out Magnus.
With a stake in hand, Enzo removed the lid of the coffin. Inside was a sleeping vampire with dark hair and a pointy nose. His skin was like porcelain. Enzo stabbed him in the chest.
The vampire popped up, his fangs exposed. Enzo removed the stake from his chest and stabbed him again. This time the vampire whimpered and fell back into the coffin. He closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
Enzo smiled. “One down.”
He walked across the room to the silver coffin. This time he lowered his stake, confident the vampire wouldn’t jump out when he opened the lid.
He paused after removing the lid. Inside was a petite brunette, pretty as hell. She’s still a vampire.
“I suppose she is,” Enzo muttered. With two hands, he plunged the stake into her abdomen. She wailed like a baby, and for a moment Enzo felt remorse. He was killing this beautiful creature, but she was a beautiful creature who would turn on him in a second.
He pushed the stake deeper into her abdomen, and she moaned.
“No mercy.”
He waited until he was sure she was dead, then scanned the room for more coffins. Finding none, he opened the door and exited. “Time to go vampire hunting.”
The Goat hit the ground as Mad Sal Demonte fired his gun. As if it wasn’t tough enough to fight vampires, he had to worry about friendly fire.
Unfortunately, the bullet missed Alexei. The Goat couldn’t believe the blond vampire’s quickness. He darted around the room like a blur.
He had shot all of the bullets from his .357 already. He didn't have time to reload, but he still had Vasilly’s stake in hand.
The Goat stepped in front of Alexe
i. “Remember me. It’s time we finish our fight.”
Alexei smiled. “Of course I remember you. You were lucky I didn’t kill you. Are you foolish enough to tempt fate twice?”
The Goat nodded. “Hell yeah.”
“As you wish.”
Alexei stepped forward. The Goat swiped at him with his stake. Alexei leaned back and avoided the blow with ease. Alexei feinted once and then slapped The Goat in the back of the head. He staggered and fell to the floor as a thudding pain reverberated through his head.
“Motherfucker!” He looked up, thinking Alexei had attacked him again, but the vampire’s eyes darted past him. He grabbed his shoulder and felt blood. Lodged inside was a bullet. Some asshole just shot him.
Alexei leapfrogged him and landed in front of Mad Sal Demonte. He lifted him by the throat, then slammed him to the floor, cracking the back of his skull. He knelt down and plunged his fangs into Sal’s neck.
The Goat’s body flooded with pain. With his good hand, he grabbed his stake. He looked up as Alexei stepped on his wrist.
Mark put his hand to his head. The operation had gone horribly wrong. He thought they would catch the vampires sleeping. Of course they would be asleep. It’s the goddamn daytime. He figured the vampires would be easy prey. Now Rick Carroll and Ross Staples were dead. Among Enzo’s men, the vampires had killed Paul Randazzo and Salvatore Demonte. The two vampires still stood fighting. How long had they been inside? Three minutes? Four minutes? Before long, all his people would be dead.
Tony Scrambolgni stood beside him. “Come on. You get him from one side, and I’ll get him from the other.”
Mark nodded. He gained respect for the mobster during this massacre.
They spread out so Magnus stood between them. Tony tried to stab him with the stake, but the vampire easily dodged it. Simultaneously, Mark attempted to pierce him with his stake and just missed. They tried it again. Magnus dodged Scrambolgni’s shot, but Mark grazed his abdomen. If his shirt wasn’t covering him, he would have made contact.