by Alves, Carl
“You picked the wrong city and the wrong group of people to fuck with,” Salerno said. “I don’t back down from a fight. I got resources which I can use to eradicate you, no matter how long it takes.”
Magnus put his hands on the table and gazed into Enzo’s eyes. “That would not be wise. Even if you kill my brood, there are more of my kind from around the world who would seek retribution. This is a path to disaster. I do not want to fight you. I propose a truce. My brood will move from this area. In the meantime, we will stay invisible. You won’t see or hear us.”
Andrews’ face tightened. “You still have to feed.”
Gabriella gave a heart-warming smile. “I can assure you we will do that in the most discreet way possible. We older vampires can control our feeding habits. Unfortunately that is not often the case with our younglings. All the same, they can feed on less visible members of society.”
“What?” Andrews asked. “They don’t count? People are still people.”
“Look, neither party will get exactly what they want,” Magnus said. “I'm sure you are no stranger to negotiation. We would like to stay, but we are willing to leave to end this blood feud. In return, we still need nourishment to survive.”
Salerno shook his head. “This is too much to forget about.”
The mobster’s tone and stance were not as rigid as they had been earlier, and Andrews’ eyes suggested he wanted this to be over.
Magnus folded his hands. “Perhaps I can sweeten the pot. This is a negotiation after all. Mr. Andrews, I am offering to deliver to you dead or alive one of your most wanted criminals. Perhaps this person can be blamed for the deaths of your agents who died. Maybe a major arms or drug dealer. Someone that you can’t get to, but I could. As for you, Mr. Salerno, perhaps I can eliminate a business rival of yours. Of course, this would have to be someone dealing in highly illegal activities so that Mr. Andrews does not object too strenuously.”
“Think about it,” Gabriella said. “This solution could work for everyone. We will leave and you will get something of value in return.”
“All right,” Salerno said. “We’ll think about it. Let’s meet back at midnight. The restaurant will be closed, but the owner will let you in.”
Enzo opened another pack of cigarettes. He wanted to quit, but with all the tension, he needed a release. He lit his cigarette and took a deep drag. “You know, the more I think about it, maybe I can live with them just going away. If they leave, we won’t have to deal with those sons of bitches anymore. And it’s not like we didn’t take down some of their own. I can get back to business and still save face because we got rid of the vampires. Still, I have to do something to make it right for my guys that got killed.”
Andrews sat back in his chair. He just polished off a rich dinner and dessert. “The offer is tempting. There are a couple of people we’ve been after. If Magnus could really deliver that, then it might make things better.”
Enzo frowned. “I’m not so sure, considering I’m one of the people you’ve been after.”
“Still, I don’t know if I can live with it. For one thing, I’ll have agents down with nothing to show for it. If they leave, they might not kill anyone in this area, but they’re still going to kill people wherever they go.”
Enzo waved his hand. “It won’t be your problem. You can’t police the whole world. Worry about what’s in front of you. And you’re right, they’ll continue feeding, but they’ve been doing that for thousands of years. You just never knew about it. Unless you want to go public and declare a war against vampires, it'll continue. I’m assuming you don’t want to go public.”
Andrews shook his head. “People won’t believe this story. We don’t even have the bodies of those vampires that we killed. They friggin’ disintegrated within minutes. With the vampires hiding in shadows, it will be hard to prove.”
“So where does that leave you?”
Andrews gritted his teeth. “I have a duty to do something.”
“Fuck your duty. We can’t fix this vampire problem. We fought a good fight, but it’s time to let go.”
“I don’t know.”
Enzo waved his index finger. “I have an idea in addition to what Magnus offered that might give us payback.”
On the way to La Spangnola’s, Gabriella had a playful smile. “Will they bite?”
Magnus smiled. “I don’t know. We’re dealing with hard-headed individuals. The gangster has an unbending thirst for revenge, and the FBI man has a moral conscience that gets in the way of good decision making.”
“We may be walking into a trap. You should have suggested a neutral place.”
Magnus shrugged. “We might be dealing with thieves, but I sense honor among them. Plus, Sophie assured me they wouldn’t try any such thing.”
“Ah yes, your precious Sophie. I think she has a greater loyalty to her boss than to you.”
Magnus stopped walking. “Not a chance.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“I just am. Would you like to wager that she has more loyalty to me than to Salerno?”
Gabriella tilted her head. “A friendly wager?”
“Of course.”
“Why not? She has to do something to prove she places you ahead of Enzo.”
They walked hand in hand to the restaurant.
The owner of the restaurant waited at the entrance. With a smile on his face, he unlocked the front door and let them inside. “Downstairs, please.” He led them to their meeting spot with Salerno and Andrews.
Magnus pulled out a chair for Gabriella. “I take it you have had enough time to contemplate our proposal.”
Andrews cleared his throat. “We’ll accept it if a few conditions are met.”
Magnus nodded. He figured they would want to negotiate terms.
“Yeah, you see, what you guys did requires payback,” Salerno said. “You can’t get off the hook that easy. Both of us realize that not all of your brood were responsible for this.”
“But there was one vampire who started the chain of events resulting in the deaths of four FBI agents and a number of Mr. Salerno’s associates,” Andrews said.
“And we want him dead,” Salerno said.
Magnus felt Gabriella tense next to him.
Gabriella leaned forward. “How can you expect us to give him up?”
Magnus put his hand on hers. “That’s a lot to ask.”
“Hey, we didn’t start this clusterfuck,” Salerno said.
Magnus stared into Gabriella’s eyes, trying to calm her. “Is that all?”
Salerno leaned in so he was face to face with Magnus. “No. Stay the fuck away from Sophie. Whatever fucking spell you put her under, I want that shit to end.”
Magnus didn’t back away. “She’s not under any spell. She’s a rational, intelligent woman. She is more than capable of making decisions for herself.”
“Back the fuck away from her.”
“She can do whatever she chooses. You don’t own her.”
For a moment, Magnus thought Salerno was going to lunge at him. That would not have made for a productive negotiation session. Magnus stood. “We will consider your requests. Any future communications will take place through Ms. Koch. It was good meeting you.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Magnus and Gabriella walked hand in hand in the warm night air.
“This decision will have significant ramifications,” Magnus said.
“I know,” Gabriella said.
“They’re asking for a lot.”
Gabriella bit her lip. “Too much. How can we give them one of our own?”
“We’re in a difficult spot. If they don’t agree to a truce, more will die. Before long they will find us and attack with greater numbers and firepower. They know how to kill us. Those wooden bullets are ingenious. A full out attack may decimate us.”
Gabriella faced Magnus. “Don’t let your feelings about Alexei influence you.”
“I may not like him, but he
's one of us. Regardless, we must consider this offer.”
Gabriella sighed. “We should consult the others.”
Magnus shook his head. “As the leader of this brood, it’s my responsibility to make these decisions. We must decide our collective fate.”
Gabriella looked forlorn in the moonlight. “It’s not a decision I want to make.”
Alexei was in the process of downloading songs onto the iPhone Charlie Senerchia gave him when a knock on the door interrupted him. Magnus and Gabriella stood at the entranceway. This was no social call.
Nora Brooks continued to massage his back. She was like a faithful pet, always at his side. The situation had become tedious. He encouraged her to interact with the others just so he didn’t have to be near her.
Alexei smiled. “How did your meeting with the society of thugs go?”
Magnus sighed. “They won’t agree to a truce unless we meet their demands.”
“And if we don’t meet their demands, then we will be at war with them,” Gabriella said. “We have no choice but to stand and fight.”
Alexei tilted his head back. “Nora, please give us a moment.”
She left the room.
“I could have left a while ago, but I chose to stick around because we are family. We must never forget that we are superior. In order to remain at the top of the food chain, we must work together.” Alexei figured those words would sit well with Magnus. Eventually, he would either find a new home or kill the elder vampire, but for now, he had to play along with Magnus.
“We need to launch a singular decisive strike,” Magnus said.
Alexei shook his head. “Impractical. There are too many of them. We must attack with surgical strikes like the other night at the poker games.”
Gabriella sat in the empty chair next to Alexei. “Not necessarily. We have come across some information that may help our cause.”
“I've befriended one of Enzo Salerno’s closest associates, and I have learned from her that our enemies are having a strategy session. I believe they're calling it a war council. This will be our opportunity.”
Alexei smiled. “Magnus, you sly devil, sleeping with the enemy. I didn’t think you were that deceitful. Well, this changes things.”
“There’s one problem,” Magnus said.
“What’s that?”
“This war council is tomorrow afternoon.”
Alexei put his hand on Magnus’ shoulder. “So, it will be just the two of us.”
“The odds will be long. We will be weaker during the day, and their numbers will be greater. However, we’ll have the element of surprise.”
Alexei nodded. “As I recall, the last time we routed them. The only problem was that one of their members escaped like a thief in the night and killed some of our brood. That won’t happen since we will be on their turf. I’m fully capable of carrying out this mission. The only question is, are you?”
They stood face to face, Magnus’ drilling holes into him with his eyes. “I will do my part. So, we’re in agreement?”
Alexei nodded.
“Good. Here’s the plan…”
Alexei sat in the back of the truck. He had to admit, Magnus devised a well thought out plan. Last night, Charlie Senerchia informed Enzo Salerno that the vampires had captured him, but he had managed to escape. Charlie was to meet him and tell them where the vampires were located.
Alexei listened in on the conversation. The mob boss appeared to have bought Senerchia’s story, even telling him the location of the war council.
Just past noon, when all of the other vampires were sound asleep, he and Magnus got in the back of the truck, and Charlie drove. Charlie would be driving the truck inside of a large warehouse, so he and Magnus would never see the sunlight. He felt a surge of excitement. This mission would be dangerous. He might not make it out alive.
He only wished he had a better companion. Magnus had a dour look on his face. The elder vampire didn’t understand what it meant to live. Sure, he survived all these years, but did he truly live?
Today, he would prove his superiority to Magnus. By the end of the day, nobody would doubt that he should lead the brood.
Alexei gazed at Magnus, who had a faraway look. “How many do you expect?”
“At least thirty. As many as fifty. Most importantly, all of the top members of their organization will be there.”
“Things could get dicey if they’re armed.”
Magnus shrugged. “If so, it will be with conventional weapons. They have no reason to think we will appear, so they shouldn’t have any stakes or wooden bullets.”
Alexei nodded. “Good. What about the FBI?”
Magnus shook his head. “We’ll have to take them out separately. After this show of force, he may stop pursuing us. I’ve already made arrangements with friends in Argentina. By the end of the month, we will be gone.”
Alexei smiled. “Argentina? I haven’t been there since the First World War.”
Magnus’ radio chirped. “We’re just about there,” Senerchia said.
Magnus picked up the radio. “Good. Signal us when the time is ready.”
“Will do.”
They had gone over the plan last night. Senerchia would exit the vehicle and talk to the people. After Senerchia banged on the side of the truck, he and Magnus would jump out and wreak havoc. It would be a bloodbath, one he would thoroughly relish.
The truck came to a sudden stop. Muted voices sounded from outside. Even with his acute hearing, Alexei could not decipher the conversation. As many as fifty dangerous humans, according to Magnus’ intel. This would be a fight to remember.
A banging sound came from his side of the truck. Senerchia’s signal.
“Are you ready, Alexei?”
“I couldn’t be more ready.”
“We will be inside of a building, so the sunlight won’t affect us.”
Alexei nodded. “I feel strong. Let’s do this.”
He opened the door with Magnus behind him. He jumped out of the truck ready to tear apart his victims. Enzo Salerno, Mark Andrews, and a number of others stood in front of him armed with guns and stakes. He turned back at Magnus, whose face remained impassive.
Magnus stepped out of the truck. “You nearly caused our ruination, Alexei. I wish there was another way. We must continue to survive, and therefore you must be sacrificed. In truth, I don’t feel bad. You created this mess.”
Alexei snarled. “You bastard.”
“You must pay for your sins, Alexei.”
The Goat sharpened Vasilly’s stake. Today, he would get his payback. He had been looking forward to this since he and Alexei first met. Something about him changed that day. Since then, his focus had sharpened to a razor’s edge. Before, he had been a small-time hood without direction. Too often he was hot-headed or lazy, or his drug habit interfered in his decision making. Even his relationship with Karen had been going nowhere. He took her for granted. When this whole mess was over, they would get married and start a family.
Karen stood in the corner of the living room with tears welling in her eyes as he sharpened the stake. “Patrick, you have to promise me you’ll return in one piece.”
He looked up at her, his face tightening. “Don’t worry. I’m indestructible. I’m fucking bulletproof.”
In a way, what happened that night when he confronted Alexei had changed him for the better. Today Enzo was going to give him an opportunity to thank Alexei by extinguishing his life.
Enzo Salerno sat in quiet contemplation staring at the wooden bullet in his hand when Tony Scrambolgni’s voice brought him out of his daze. “What did you say?”
“I’ll be glad when this shit’s finally over. Who’d a thunk we’d be tangling with vampires. Alexei picked the wrong people to fuck with; I can tell you that much.”
Enzo nodded.
Unless Magnus backed out of their agreement, he was assured victory today. So why did he feel so hollow?
“We need to cover every an
gle. We can’t let this fucker get away. It might be our only shot. You think Magnus will play ball and give up that pale-assed vampire?”
Enzo closed his eyes. “Yeah.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because it’s a suicide mission otherwise. Only he and Alexei can be out during the day, and even so, they will be far from full strength. Magnus wouldn’t stand a chance if he double-crossed us.”
Tony grunted. “Still, we should have the perimeters sealed.”
“Andrews has it covered. A dozen feds will be outside just in case.”
Enzo lit a cigarette. He knew what troubled him. Sophie. She had always been by his side, as faithful and trustworthy as anyone he ever knew. Her making backdoor deals with the vampire was unthinkable. He was sure she had good intentions, but it still felt like she had stabbed him in the back. In his line of work, he knew people close to him would eventually turn on him, but not Sophie. He trusted her like his wife. Even after this vampire business was resolved, things would never be the same between them.
He would worry about that later. Right now, he had a vampire to kill.
The Goat gripped Vasilly’s stake at shoulder height, ready to strike.
Special Agent Mark Andrews pointed his pistol at Alexei’s head. “It’s over.”
The Goat recoiled when Alexei bared his fangs. He couldn’t stop thinking about their first confrontation. What if this time Alexei choked him lifeless? This was no time to be chicken shit. If he had a set of balls, he had to prove it now.
Alexei turned to Magnus. “You were always jealous of me. You know I’m superior to you. This is how you settle it? By betraying me? You’re a coward. You have no place involving these humans in our fight.”
Magnus’ face remained calm. “You still don’t get it. This has nothing to do with me and you. I can live with your arrogance and insolence. What you have done has endangered us. I have to look out for my brood. Even if you left, your actions would continue to endanger our kind. Your time in this world is over, Alexei.”