by Alves, Carl
Magnus watched her walking out of the office building. She had long, muscular legs. By her firm physique and the way she carried herself, it was obvious she exercised regularly.
He had been gathering information about his foes, learning about the history of organized crime in Philadelphia including its dreadful recent history prior to Enzo Salerno’s reign as mob boss. He also enlisted his contacts in law enforcement to find out about Mark Andrews and Rick Carroll of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
After moving to the warehouse, he began working on a permanent relocation, contacting broods in San Diego and Argentina. Due to the logistics, it would be weeks before they could leave, and Magnus didn’t want to roam like vagabonds. Meanwhile, his brood had to survive in Philadelphia, and he would not sit back like prey.
On the night of the attack, they loaded two large trucks with essentials, leaving behind many valuables. He could buy those things again. It was the older, irreplaceable items that he brought with him.
He had to admit that Senerchia was helpful. Of course, that was only because of his infatuation with Magdalena. He wagged his tail like a good puppy in her presence.
Seeing the effect Magdalena had on Senerchia made him think there was another way to attack this problem, so he spent the last day tailing Sophie Koch.
She went to her car. The wind blew her curly, brown hair as he darted past her.
He stood in front of her Audi TT convertible with his arms folded. Her face tightened. She hesitated and reached for her pocketbook, before moving toward her car.
A daring one. He was glad he chose Sophie as his target.
He inhaled deeply as she neared him. She was not wearing perfume, and he enjoyed her natural scent. Would she run? No, she would confront him. Perfect.
“Who are you and what are you doing near my car?”
Magnus leaned back. “You know who I am.”
She pursed her lips. “I’ve never met you.”
“Sophie, let’s not play games. You know what I am. How do I know? Your pulse is racing; you’re breathing heavy. Your blood is flowing with adrenaline.”
Sophie stepped forward and put her hands on her hips. “You’re Magnus.”
He smiled and bared his fangs. “The one and only.”
“You’re the leader of your…brood.”
Magnus clapped his hands. “Give that girl a gold star. How do you know this?”
Sophie took another step forward. “It just turned dark. Your kind can’t be out until night falls. To get here, you must have left before dusk. That means you’re an elder vampire. The only two involved in the fight were you and Alexei, which means you two are the only ones capable of fighting. You’re not Alexei. And you seem like the leader of the gang to me.”
“You are something, Sophie. I see why Enzo Salerno values you so highly.”
“Are you here to kill me?”
Magnus smirked. “If I wanted to do that, you’d already be dead. We’re not evil. We’re just trying to survive. You would do the same if you were in our shoes.”
“Is that supposed to make it all better?” Sophie asked.
“Most of my kind did not choose to become creatures of the night. However, our choices are to find sustenance or die. Who would die instead of feeding?”
Sophie folded her arms. “Did you choose to become a vampire?”
“Yes. My sister, Rakel, who I cherished dearly, gave me the opportunity, and I chose to become what I am. Regardless, most of my kind try not to kill our prey. It does happen, but we do not kill for greed or malice or revenge.”
“It amounts to the same thing.”
Magnus circled Sophie. “I find it interesting that you would take such a moralistic tact. After all, your boss recently ordered a hit on Victor Paz.
Sophie bit her lip. She opened her mouth, then closed it.
Magnus struck a cord. “Nor do we kill for business. You may be surprised to know I have human friends. I enjoy interacting with people. If there was another way, I would choose it.”
“So what are we supposed to do? Ignore the fact that you killed our people?”
Magnus felt her guard wavering. Her responses were no longer sharp and heated. “I would like to come to an understanding.” He leaned toward her. “You’re a beautiful woman whose looks are surpassed by your intelligence. If you care to join me, I have made reservations for two at Le Bec Fin.”
Sophie’s brow furrowed. “You want to take me out to dinner?”
“I would enjoy nothing more.”
Sophie folded her arms and walked away from her car. “I’m not dressed for it.”
“You look splendid, but I understand. Go home and freshen up. Meet me at nine. If you accept my offer, I promise you an evening to remember.”
Using her keyfob, Sophie unlocked her car. She walked past Magnus and slid into the driver’s side. “I’ll think about it.” She drove off.
Normally it was next to impossible to get a last minute reservation at Le Bec Fin, but Magnus knew the manager. He had not lied when he said he had human friends.
In the restaurant’s bathroom, Magnus fixed his tie. He looked in the mirror at his black tuxedo, then combed his long, dirty blond hair back into a ponytail.
Sophie would be waiting. He would not be here if he believed otherwise.
He emerged from the bathroom and entered the dining area. He smiled broadly when he spotted her standing near the entrance. He waved her over to his table. When she neared, he pulled a seat out for her, then signaled the waiter.
“A bottle of Dom Perignon,” Magnus said.
“Yes, sir,” the waiter said.
“I want to let you know this is strictly business,” Sophie said.
“As you wish,” Magnus said.
“I didn’t think you would dress so formally.”
Magnus waved his hand. “It’s not every evening I have dinner with such a beautiful woman.”
“What, normally you club them over the head, take them back to your place and suck their blood?”
“Touché. I don’t go out often, since I’ve seen and done everything.”
“Hmm. Exactly how old are you, Magnus?”
“Once you get into your second millennium, you stop counting the years.”
Sophie raised her brows.
“Oh, yes. We aren’t affected by illness and disease. We usually die at the hands of your kind.”
The waiter poured champagne into their glasses and took their orders.
“Why are you here, in this city?” Sophie was trying to maintain a tough façade, but he could feel her resistance weaken. She was more than just interested in gathering information to share with her cohorts.
“Why not Philadelphia? I’ve lived all over the globe. As you can imagine, I can’t stay in a place for too long. It looks suspicious when you don’t age.”
Sophie sipped her champagne. “Why are you still here? After the fight the other day, I figured you would have fled.”
Magnus leaned across the table. “Why should I? I have as much right to be here as you.”
“Not in the eyes of the law.”
“Your laws don’t govern me. We have our own laws.”
“Not in the eyes of my boss.”
Magnus leaned back. “Ah yes. I’ve learned quite a bit about Mr. Salerno and have developed a healthy respect for him. This conflict doesn’t have to exist. I understand why he seeks retribution. It’s unfortunate. Not all of us are discriminating in choosing those we feed upon. I don’t wish to continue this blood feud, but I will if I have to. I don’t wish this to be a personal matter. We know who you are. We know where you live, but we haven’t attacked you because we don’t wish to bring unnecessary blood and violence to the streets. Do you believe me?”
Sophie pursed her lips. “I would like to refrain from judging you right now.”
“Good. I can only ask for an open mind. You know, Sophie, I like your style. I like your compassion and sense of justice. You would m
ake an ideal creature of the night.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
The Goat fixed the mirror contraption. At first he thought he would look like a tool, but its black straps blended in with his shoes. He had to tip his cap to the Wiz. The kid was a disrespectful know-it-all, but he had come up big.
They searched the city for the past few days with no sign of the bloodsuckers. How could they expect to find vampires if they didn’t know what they looked like? At least this mirror thing gave them a fighting chance.
He turned to Tony Scrambolgni, lifting the tips of his shoes. “How do I look?”
“Like a piece of shit,” Tony replied.
“You’re all compliments,” The Goat said. “Don’t you have anything nice to say?”
“Yeah. Whack a vampire tonight and you’ll be nicely rewarded.”
“Killing one of those bastards is all the reward I need, believe me.”
“You showed some mettle the other day in the vampire house. You got a set of brass balls. That’s why I put you in charge of your team.”
The Goat smiled. “Thanks, Tony. That means a lot coming from you.”
Karen walked into the living room and wrapped her arms around The Goat. “Be careful, Patrick. You better come back tonight.”
“Hey, I made it out alive twice against those sons of bitches. I’m fucking bulletproof.” That was all false bravado. He did his best to keep the dread he felt inside.
Karen wiped away tears. “You better not die on me before we get married. If you do, then you can’t hold me to the five year rule.”
“Five year rule?” Tony asked.
“Yeah, if I die, she can’t even look at another guy for five years, minimum.”
“Yeah, but that don’t apply if we ain’t married,” Karen said. “So if you don’t come back, I’m going to sleep with every guy in town.”
The Goat’s face tightened. “Like hell you are.”
“The only way you can make sure that won’t happen is by staying alive.”
The Goat frowned. “The five year rule applies whether we’re married or not.”
“Uh-huh,” Karen said. “You keep thinking that.”
“Enough,” Tony said. “Go pick up your crew.”
“Right.” Those words sounded sweet to his ears. He couldn’t help being excited about having his own crew for the first time. Enzo Salerno had given him Fat Paulie’s old territory.
They got into The Goat’s BMW and drove down Lombard Street.
“You know the drill,” Scrambolgni said. “You see one, call me. Then you follow them, and don’t let ‘em out of your fucking sight. Got it?”
“Believe me, after the other day, I ain’t stupid enough to try to take ‘em on alone.”
Tony was in charge of the different teams searching for the vampires, including the federal agents. The Goat was surprised Andrews had gone for this, but Andrews proved he was willing to do whatever it took to kill the vampires.
The Goat dropped Tony off at his house.
“Even if you don’t see anything, check in every hour,” Tony said.
“I will.”
The Goat pulled out from where he double parked. Five minutes later, he was at Frankie’s Steaks. He ordered a cheesesteak for the road. It was going to be a long night.
“We look like a traveling freak show,” Moreno said. “Here we are dressed in nice threads with these fucking mirrors on our shoes.”
“I think they look pretty cool.” Eddie glanced at his shoes.
The Goat led them to the front of the line at the Rock Lobster. He knew the bouncers, so they didn’t have to wait like the other losers. “Just keep looking down. You find someone without a reflection, then that’s them.”
Inside the club, his heartbeat quickened. He planned to stay until ten. If they didn’t see anything, they would go to Club Flow. Eddie suggested they go to Shampoo, but The Goat didn’t think these vampires were a bunch of fags.
He shook hands with a bouncer.
“Hey, Goat, put me down for fifty on the Cards.”
“No problem,” The Goat said. “For you, I’ll only give you five percent juice.”
“My man.. Step right inside and enjoy yourselves. The bouncer glanced down at his shoes. “Hey, what’s the deal with the mirrors.”
The Goat waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it.” The last thing he wanted was to be interrogated. Fortunately, the bouncer didn’t pursue the matter any further.
Inside, booming music and strobe lights greeted them. This was the perfect place for vampires. Just being here gave him the creeps.
“Hey, you want something from the bar?” Eddie asked.
At first The Goat was tempted to ask for a Seven and Seven, but he needed to keep his head straight. “Get me a Coke.”
“You got it.” Eddie left for the bar.
The Goat walked around, looking at his mirrors. He didn’t realize it would be so difficult to look for vampires in a crowded area. Twice he bumped into people. One guy told him to watch where he was going. He quietly walked away when The Goat glared at him.
He ran into Moreno.
“Any luck yet?” Moreno asked.
“You think I’d be walking around looking at my fucking shoes if I found any vamps?”
“I guess not,” Moreno said.
“Keep searching.”
Eddie returned. “This place is packed. We ain’t going to find anything here. Maybe we should go to Club Flow.”
“Let me worry about that,” The Goat said. “Just do your fucking job. What’s wrong with you two? They stuck me with the B Team tonight.”
Moreno walked away, looking at his mirrors.
After forty-five minutes with no results and a number of bruises to show for it, The Goat thought his two thick-headed cohorts might be right. It was too packed to see any vamps.
“Hey, Moreno, where’s Eddie?” The Goat yelled over the deafening music.
“What?” Moreno walked toward him.
“Where’s Eddie?”
“He went to the bathroom.”
“Tell him we’re leaving.”
“Sure thing.”
The Goat scanned the crowd, looking for anyone unusual. Magnus and Alexei had an aura about them. He couldn’t put it into words, but he would recognize it if he saw it again.
“Shit.”
A man with short brown hair and a thin mustache was speaking to a hot brunette. His skin nearly glowed in the strobe light. He had that same vampire aura.
The Goat walked toward the stranger, trying to remain cool while glancing at his shoes. Eddie waved at him.
“Hey, Eddie, we’re rolling.” He stared at his shoes. Still out of range, The Goat kept glancing at his shoes as he walked. He spotted the hot brunette. There was a large empty spot where the guy should be. He stifled a gasp. No reflection. He found his vampire.
Without hesitating, The Goat took out Vasilly’s stake from inside his jacket. In one quick motion, he drove the stake upward, full force, and buried it into the vampire’s midsection.
The vampire tilted his head and let out a skull-splitting scream that reverberated over the pounding music. His fangs came out as he hissed. With both hands he grabbed the stake.
The Goat removed the stake, and the vampire howled. He was about to strike again when someone knocked into him. He lost his balance and fell face first onto the floor, still clutching his stake.
Kristoff turned his head when he heard the scream. He scanned the crowd bumping and grinding to the music. He had last seen Markus and Antoinette more than an hour ago.
Kristoff climbed on top of a guardrail to get a better view. “Damn. Where are they?”
Among the throng of people, he spotted a skirmish. He clenched his fists when he caught sight of Antoinette’s jet black hair. She picked up a man and tossed him like a garbage bag.
Kristoff jumped off the rail and pushed through the crowd, clearing a path. When he reached the skirmish, many people still milled a
round, buzzing about what took place, but Antoinette and Markus were gone.
“He stabbed him with a piece of wood,” a man with wavy, black hair said to the woman standing next to him.
“Get the fuck out of here,” the woman said.
“No, I’m serious. It was a piece of wood. Sharp as hell from the looks of it.”
Kristoff scowled. He had to help his friends.
After calling Tony Scrambolgni for backup, The Goat stormed out of the club followed by Eddie and Moreno. They gained ground on the vampire limping ahead of them.
“Don’t let that fucker get away,” The Goat yelled.
They closed the gap. After the vampire turned onto Columbus Boulevard, The Goat tackled him. He stabbed the back of his leg with Vasilly’s stake. The vampire shrieked and shook out of control.
The Goat was about to stab him again when he heard a choking sound, followed by a loud crack. He turned just as a female vampire with long, black hair decapitated Eddie with her bare hands. The Goat’s jaw dropped when Eddie’s head rolled toward him along the cement sidewalk. Blood gushed from Eddie's empty neck where his head had been moments ago. The Goat turned and vomited.
Moreno thrust his stake at the vampire, but she swatted him with a backhand.
This was no time to get sick or feel weak. This was a fight for his life. Before he could tackle the female vampire, he had to dispose of the first one. The Goat buried his stake into the male vampire’s abdomen. His shoulders slumped and his head fell to the side.
When The Goat turned around, the female vampire bit Moreno’s neck.
“Holy shit!” The cement sidewalks were soaked with blood, as was the vampire's face. What was worse, she seemed to be enjoying this.
With blood dripping down her chin, she stepped toward The Goat. He gripped the stake so tightly, his knuckles turned white.
“Please help me, God.” He took a deep breath.
“You killed Markus. Now I will kill you.”
He was more terrified now than when he fought Alexei and Magnus. At night everything seemed creepier.
He gripped the stake tight and thrust it at her. She easily avoided the blow. On his second attempt, she side-stepped him and slapped his head, knocking him to the ground.