The raids over the summer had yielded some good resellables in the form of looted antiques and silver, but realizing those funds was proving complicated, because it involved a lot of human contact. And there had been some financial accounts that had been seized, but again, siphoning off money from human banks was a complicated mess. As hed learned the hard way.
Yall want some more coffee?
Lash looked up at his number two and thought it was a miracle Mr. D was still around. When Lash had first entered this world, reborn by his true father, the Omega, he had been lost, the enemy now his family. Mr. D had been his guide, although like all tourist maps, Lash had assumed the bastard would wear out his usefulness as the new locale was internalized by the driver.
Not so. The little Texan who had been Lashs entrée was now his disciple.
Yeah, Lash said, and how about food?
Ysir. Got you some good ol fatback bacon, right chere, and that cheese you like.
The coffee was poured nice and slow into Lashs mug. Sugar was next, and the spoon used to stir made a soft clinking sound. Mr. D would have cheerfully wiped Lashs ass if asked, but he wasnt a pussy. The little fucker could kill like no ones business, the Chucky doll of slayers. Great short-order cook, too. Made pancakes that were a mile high and fluffy as a pillow.
Lash checked his watch. The Jacob amp; Co. had diamonds all over it, and in the dim light from the computer screen they were a thousand points of light. But the thing was a replacement faker hed gotten off eBay. He wanted another real one exceptholy Christhe couldnt afford it. Sure, hed kept all the accounts of his parents after hed killed the pair of vampires whod raised him as their own, but though there was a good load of green in those baskets, he was leery of spending any of it on frivolous shit.
He had bills to pay. Like for mortgages and weapons and ammo and clothes and rent and car leases. Lessers didnt eat, but they consumed a lot of resources, and the Omega didnt care about cash. But then, he lived in hell and had the ability to conjure out of thin air anything from a hot meal to the Liberace cloaks he liked to jack his black shadow body into.
Lash hated to admit it, but he had the feeling his true father was a little light in the loafers. No real man would be caught dead in that sparkly shit.
As he lifted his coffee cup, his watch glimmered and he frowned.
Whatever, that was a status symbol.
Your boys are late, he bitched.
They be comin. Mr. D went over and opened the seventies-era refrigerator. Which not only had a squeaking door and was the color of a rotten olive, but drooled like a dog.
This was ri-fucking-diculous. They needed to upgrade their cribs. Or if not all, at least one for his HQ.
At least the coffee was perfect, although he kept that to himself. I dont like waiting.
They be comin, dontchu worry. Three eggs in your omelet?
Four.
As a series of crack and splits radiated through the cabin, Lash tapped the tip of his Waterman on the Evergreen statement. Expenses for the Society, including cell phone bills, Internet hookups, rent/mortgages, weapons, clothes, and cars ran easily fifty grand a month.
When hed first been getting a feel for his new role, hed been damn sure someone in the ranks was peeling skin off the apple. But hed been watching things carefully for months, and there was no Kenneth Lay going on that he could find. It was a simple matter of accounting, not fudging the books or embezzlement: Costs were higher than revenues. Period.
He was doing his best to arm his troops, even stooping so low as to buy four crates of guns from bikers hed met in jail over the summer. But it wasnt enough. His men needed better than rehabbed Red Ryders to take out the Brotherhood.
And while he was at the wish list, he had to have more men. Hed thought the bikers would be a good pool to recruit from, but they were proving too cohesive. Based on his dealings with them, his intuition told him he had to bring them all on or none-because sure as shit if he cherry-picked, the ones chosen would return to their clubhouse and tell their buddies about their fun new job killing vampires. And if he took them all, then he was running the risk of their splitting off from his authority.
One-by-one recruiting was going to be the best strategy, but it wasnt like hed had time to do any of it. Between the training sessions with his father-which, in spite of his issues with Daddy-os wardrobe, were proving monstrously helpful-and his monitoring the persuasion camps and looting repositories, and trying to get his men to focus on the job at hand, he had not even an hour left in the day.
So shit was getting critical: To be a successful military leader required three things, and resources and recruits were two of them. And although being the son of the Omega gave him loads of benes, time was time, stopping for no man, no vampire, and no scion of evil.
Considering the state of the accounts, he knew he had to start with resources first. Then he could go about getting the other two.
The sound of a car pulling up to the cabin had him palming a forty and Mr. D going for his.357 Magnum. Lash kept his heat under the table, but Mr. D was all Times Square about his, holding the piece straight out, his arm extended in a line directly from his shoulder.
When there was a knock, Lash said sharply: Youd better be who I think you are.
The lessers answer was the right one. Its me n Mr. A n your pickup.
Come on in, Mr. D said, ever the good host, even though his.357 was still up and ready for action.
The two slayers who walked through the door were the last of the pale ones, the final pair of old-timers who had been in the Society long enough to have lost their individual hair and eye coloring.
The human who was dragged in with them was a six-foot stretch of nothing particularly interesting, a twenty-something white boy with an average face and a hairline that would be giving up the ghost in another couple years. The guys Wonder-bread, who-cares looks no doubt explained why he dressed the way he did: He had a leather jacket with an eagle embossed on the back, a Fender Rock amp; Roll Religion shirt, chains hanging from his jeans, and kicks by Ed Hardy.
Sad. Truly sad. Like putting twenty-fours on a Toyota Camry. And if the boy was armed? No doubt it was with a Swiss Army knife that got used mostly for the toothpick.
But he didnt have to be a fighter to be useful. Lash had those. From this POS he needed something else.
The guy looked at Mr. Ds welcome Magnum and glanced back at the door as if he were wondering if he could outrun a bullet. Mr. A solved the issue by closing them all in together and staying right in front of the exit.
The human looked at Lash and frowned. HeyI know you. From jail.
Yeah, you do. Lash stayed seated and smiled a little. So you want to know what the good and bad thing is about this meeting?
The human swallowed and went back to focusing on Mr. Ds muzzle. Yeah. Sure.
You were easy to find. All my men had to do was go to Screamers and stand around andthere you were. Lash eased back in his chair, the cane seat creaking. As the humans stare flicked over, there was a temptation to tell the guy to forget about the sound and worry about the forty under the table that was aimed at his family jewels. You been staying out of trouble since I saw you in jail?
The human shook his head and said, Yes.
Lash laughed. You want to try that again? Youre not in sync.
I mean, Im still keeping up my business, but I havent been cuffed.
Well, good. As the guys eyes flipped back to Mr. D, Lash laughed. If I were you, Id want to know why I was brought here.
Ahyeah. That would be cool.
My troops have been watching you.
Troops?
You do steady business downtown.
I make paper okay.
Howd you like to make more?
Now the human stared at Lash, a smarmy, greedy look narrowing his eyes. How much more.
Money really was the great motivator, wasnt it.
You do okay for a retailer, but youre small-time right now. Fortunately for you, Im in the mood to make an investment in someone like yourself, someone who needs backing to take him to the next level. I want to make you not just a retailer, but a middleman with the big boys.
The human brought a hand up to his chin and ran it down his neck as if he had to jump-start his brain by massaging his throat. In the quiet, Lash frowned. The guys knuckles were skinned and his cheapo Caldwell High School ring was missing the stone.
That sounds interesting, the human murmured. ButI need to chill a little.
How so. Man, if this was a negotiating tactic, Lash was more than ready to point out that there were a hundred other dime-bagger dealers whod jump at this kind of deal.
Then he was going to nod at Mr. D and the slayer was going to cap Eagle Jacket right under that receding hairline.
I, ah, I need to lie low in Caldie. For a little bit.
Why.
Its not related to the drug dealing.
Have anything to do with your roughed-up knuckles? The human quickly tucked his arm behind his back. Thought so. Question. If you need to keep on the DL, what the hell were you doing in Screamers tonight?
Lets just say I wanted to make a purchase of my own.
Youre an idiot if you do what you sell. And not a good candidate for what Lash had in mind. He didnt want to try to do business with a junkie.
Wasnt drugs.
Was it a new ID?
Maybe.
Did you get what you were looking for? At the club?
No.
I can help you with that. The Society had its own laminating machine, for fucks sake. And heres what I propose. My men, the ones to your left and behind you, will work with you. If you cant be the front man on the street, you can get the merchandise and they can move it after you show them the ropes. Lash glanced over at Mr. D. My breakfast?
Mr. D put his gun down next to the cowboy hat he took off only when indoors and then he popped up a flame under a pan on the little stove.
What kind of money are we talking about? the human asked.
Hundred grand for the first investment.
The guys eyes made like slot machines, all ding-ding-ding excited. Wellshit, thats enough to play ball. But whats in it for me?
Profit sharing. Seventy for me. Thirty for you. Of all sales.
How do I know I can trust you?
You dont.
As Mr. D laid some bacon out on the heat, the sizzle and hiss filled the room and Lash smiled at the sound.
The human looked around, and you could practically read his thoughts: cabin out in the middle of nowhere, four guys facing off at him, at least one of whom had a gun capable of blowing a cow into hamburger patties.
Okay. Yeah. All right.
Which was, of course, the only answer.
Lash put the safety back on his weapon, and when he put his autoloader on the table, the humans eyes bugged. Come on, like you didnt think I had you covered? Please.
Yeah. Okay. Right.
Lash stood up and came around to the guy. As he stuck his hand out, he said, Whats your name, Eagle Jacket?
Nick Carter.
Lash laughed hard. Try again, dickhead. I want your real one.
Bob Grady. They call me Bobby G.
They shook and Lash squeezed hard, crunching those bruised knuckles together. Glad to do business with you, Bobby. Im Lash. But you can call me God.
John Matthew scanned the people in ZeroSums VIP section not because he was looking for tail, as Qhuinn was, and not because he was wondering who Qhuinn was going to want to get with, as Blay was.
No, John had his own fixations.
Xhex usually came around every half hour, but after her bouncer had approached her and shed left in a hurry a while ago, shed been missing.
As a redhead eased on by, Qhuinn shifted in the banquette, his combat boot tapping it out under the table. The human woman was about five-ten and had the legs of a gazelle, long and fragile and lovely. And she wasnt a professional-she was on the arm of a business-type guy.
Didnt mean she wasnt giving it up for money, but it was in a more legal fashion called a relationship.
Shit, Qhuinn muttered, his mismatched eyes predatory.
John tapped his buddy on the leg and in American Sign Language said, Look, why dont you just go back with someone. Youre driving me crazy with the twitching.
Qhuinn pointed to the tear that was tattooed under his eye. Im not supposed to leave you. Ever. Thats the point of having an ahstrux nohstrum.
And if you dont have some sex soon, youre going to be useless.
Qhuinn watched as the redhead arranged her short skirt so she could sit down without flashing what was no doubt nothing but a Brazilian wax.
The woman looked around without interestuntil she got to Qhuinn. The moment she saw him, her eyes lit up like shed found a good deal at Neiman Marcus. This was not a surprise. Most women and females did the same, and it was understandable. Qhuinn dressed simply, but with plenty of the hard-core: black button-down tucked into dark blue Z-Brands. Those black combat boots. Black metal studs running all the way up one ear. Hair set in black spikes. And hed recently pierced his lower lip in the center with a black hoop.
Qhuinn looked like the kind of guy who kept his leather jacket in his lap because he carried his guns in it.
Which he did.
Nah, Im cool, Qhuinn muttered before finishing off his Corona. Im not into redheads.
Blay looked away sharply, taking an abrupt, feigned interest in a brunette woman. Truth was, he was into only one person, and that person had shut him down as kindly and solidly as a best friend could.
Qhuinn evidently really, truly didnt do redheads.
When was the last time you were with anyone? John signed.
I dunno. Qhuinn signaled for another round of beers. A while.
John tried to think back and realized it hadnt been sinceChrist, back in the summer, with that chick at Abercrombie amp; Fitch. Considering Qhuinn was usually good for at least three people a night, it was a hell of a dry spell, and it was hard to imagine that a steady diet of one-handed get-offs was going to hold the guy. Shit, even when he fed from the Chosen, hed been keeping his hands to himself, in spite of the fact that his erections strained until he cold-sweated it. Then again, the three of them fed from the same female at the same time, and as much as Qhuinn had no problem whatsoever with an audience, his pants stayed on in deference to Blay and John.
Seriously, Qhuinn, what the hell is going to happen to me? Blays here.
Wrath said always with you. So I need to be. Always. With. You.
I think youre taking that too seriously. Like, way too seriously.
Across the VIP section, the redheaded gazelle moved around in her seat so that her below-the-waist assets were on full display, her smooth legs out from under the table and in full view of Qhuinn.
This time when the guy shifted, it was pretty obvious he was rearranging something hard in his lap. And it wasnt one of his weapons.
For fucks sake, Qhuinn, Im not saying it should be her. But we have to get you taken care of-
He said hes tight, Blay interjected. Just leave him be.
There is one way. Qhuinns mismatched eyes shifted over to John. You could come with me. Not that we would do anything, cuz I know you dont fly like that. But you could have someone, too. If you wanted. We could do it in one of the private bathrooms, and you could have the stall so I wouldnt be able to see you. You just say the word, kay? I wont bring it up again.
As Qhuinn looked away all casual and shit, it was hard not to like the guy. Consideration, like rudeness, came in a lot of different variations, and the gentle offer of a cozy double sex session was a sort of kindness: Qhuinn and Blay both knew why, even eight months past Johns transition, he hadnt been with a female. Knew why and still wanted to hang with him.
Dropping the bomb John had been hiding had been Lashs final fuck-you before he died.
Had been the reason Qhuinn had killed the guy.
When the waitress brought freshies, John glanced over at the redhead and, to his surprise, she smiled at him when she caught him looking.
Qhuinn laughed quietly. Maybe Im not the only one she likes.
John brought his Corona up to his mouth and took a drink to hide his blush. Thing was, he wanted sex and, like Blay, wanted it with someone in particular. But having already lost an erection in front of a naked, willing female, he was in no hurry to do that again, especially not with the person he was interested in.
Hell. No. Xhex wasnt the kind of female you wanted to choke on a hot wing around. Going limp because you were chicken to do the deed? His ego would never be the same-
Unrest in the crowd had him ditching the poor-mes and straightening in the banquette.
A wild-eyed guy was being escorted through the VIP section by two enormous Moors, each with a hand on his upper arm. He was tap-dancing with his expensive shoes, his feet barely touching the ground, and his mouth was likewise pulling some kind of Fred Astaire, although John couldnt hear what he was saying over the music.
The trio went into the private office in the back.
John tipped his Corona and stared at the door as it closed. Bad things happened to people who were taken in there. Especially if they were being hover-crafted by that pair of private guards.
Abruptly, a hush dimmed all the talk in the VIP section, making the music seem very loud.
John knew who it was before he turned his head.
Rehvenge walked in through a side door, his entrance quiet but as obvious as a grenade going off: In the midst of all the sharp-dressed patrons with their arm candy and the working girls with their assets out for hire and the waitresses hustling trays, the guy shrank the size of the space, not just because he was a huge male dressed in a sable duster, but because of the way he looked around.
His glowing amethyst eyes saw everyone and cared about no one.
Rehv-or the Reverend, as the human clientele called him-was a drug lord and a pimp who didnt give a shit about the vast majority of people. Which meant he was capable of, and frequently did, anything the fuck he wanted to.
Especially to types like that tap dancer.
Man, the night was going to end badly for that guy.
As Rehv passed by, he nodded to John and the boys, and they all nodded back, raising their Coronas in deference. Thing was, Rehv was an ally of sorts with the Brotherhood, having been made leahdyre of the glymeras council after the raids-because he was the only one of those aristocrats with the balls to stand his ground in Caldwell.
So the guy who cared about very little was in charge of a hell of a lot.
John turned toward the velvet rope, not even bothering to be smooth about it. Surely this meant Xhex had to be
She appeared at the head of the VIP section, looking like a billion bucks, as far as he was concerned: As she leaned into one of her bouncers so the guy could whisper in her ear, her body was so tight her stomach muscles showed through the second skin of her muscle shirt.
Talk about shifting in the seat. Now he was the one with the rearrangement issues.
As she marched through to Rehvs private office, though, his libido went on ice. She was never the type who smiled much, but as she went by, she was grim. Just as Rehv had been.
Clearly, something was doing, and John couldnt help the knight-in-shining-armor impulse that lit up in his chest. But come on, Xhex didnt need a savior. If anything, she was the type who would be on the horse, fighting the dragon.
You look a little tight there, Qhuinn said quietly as Xhex went into the office. Keep my offer in mind, John. Im not the only one hurting, am I.
Will you excuse me, Blay said, getting to his feet and taking out his red Dunhills and his gold lighter. I need some fresh air.
The male had started smoking recently, a habit Qhuinn despised in spite of the fact that vampires didnt get cancer. John understood it, though. Frustration had to be worked out, and there was only so much you could do alone in your bedroom or with your boys in the weight room.
Hell, theyd all gained muscle weight over the last three months, their shoulders and arms and thighs outpacing their clothes. Made a guy think fighters had a point about no sex before matches. They kept adding hard pounds like this, they were going to look like a pack of pro wrestlers.
Qhuinn stared down into his Corona. You want to get out of here? Please tell me you want to get out of here.
John glanced at the door to Rehvs office.
Stay it is, Qhuinn muttered as he signaled to a waitress, who came right over. Im going to need another of these. Or maybe a case.
TEN
Rehvenge shut the door to his office and smiled tightly, to keep his fangs from making an appearance. Even without the show of canines, though, the bookie hanging between Trez and iAm was smart enough to know he was in deep shit.
Reverend, whats this all about? Why you calling me in like this? the guy said in a staccato rush. I was just working my business for you and suddenly these two-
I heard something interesting about you, Rehv said, going around behind his desk.
As he sat down, Xhex came into the office, her gray eyes sharp. After she closed the door, she leaned back against it, better than any Master Lock when it came to keeping cheating sports bookies inside and prying eyes outside.
It was a lie, a total lie-
You dont like to sing? Rehv leaned back in his chair, his numbed-out body finding a familiar position behind his black desk. That wasnt you popping a little Tony B for the crowd at Sals the other night?
The bookie frowned. Well, yeahI got me some pipes.
Rehv nodded at iAm, who was, as always, stone-faced. Guy never showed emotion, except when it came to a perfect cappuccino. Then you got a little bit of the bliss out of him. My partner over herehe said you sang real well. Real crowd-pleaser. What did he sing, iAm. iAms voice was all James Earl Jones, low and gorgeous. Three Coins in the Fountain.
The bookie did a well-you-know jack-up of his slacks. I got range. I got rhythm.
So youre a tenor like good ol Mr. Bennett, huh? Rehv shrugged out of his sable. Tenors are my favorite.
Yeah. The bookie glanced at the Moors. Look, you mind telling me what this is about?
I want you to sing for me.
You mean, like, for a party? Cuz Id do anything for you, you know that, boss. All you had to do was askI mean, this werent necessary.
Not for a party, although all four of us will enjoy hearing the performance. Its to repay me for what you skinned off last month.
The bookies face drooped. I didnt skin-
Yeah, you did. See, iAm is a fantastic accountant. Every week, you give him your reports. How much in on what teams and which spreads. Do you think no one does the math? Based on the games last month, you should have paid in-what was the figure, iAm?
One hundred seventy-eight thousand four hundred eighty-two.
What he said. Rehv nodded a quick thanks to iAm. But instead you came in atWhat was it?
One hundred thirty thousand nine eighty-two, iAm shot back.
The bookie started in immediately. Hes wrong. Hes added-
Rehv shook his head. Guess what the difference is-not that you dont already know. iAm?
Forty-seven thousand five hundred.
Which happens to be twenty-five grand on a ninety percent vig. Isnt that right, iAm? As the Moor nodded once, Rehv punched his cane into the floor and got to his feet. Which in turn is the courtesy rate charged by the Caldie mob. Trez then went and did a little digging, and what did you find?
My boy Mike says he loaned twenty-five large to this guy right before the Rose Bowl.
Rehv left his cane on the chair and came around the desk, keeping one hand on the surface to steady himself. The Moors stepped back into position, crowding the bookie, holding his upper arms again.
Rehv stopped right in front of the guy. And so I ask you once more, did you think no one was going to double-check the math?
Reverend, bossplease, I was going to pay you back-
Yeah, you are going to make good on it. And youre paying my vig for fucktards who try to play me. One hundred and fifty percent due at the end of this month or your wifes going to see you mailed back to her in pieces. Oh, and youre fired.
The guy burst into tears, and they werent the crocodile kind. These were real, the sort that made the mans nose run and his eyes puff up. Pleasethey were going to hurt me-
Rehv snapped his hand out and clamped on between the guys legs. The poodle yelp told him that even though he couldnt feel anything, the bookie could, and the pressure was in the right spot.
I dont like being stolen from, Rehv said into the mans ear. Cranks my shit right out. And if you think what the mob was going to do to you was bad, I will guarantee you that I am capable of worse. NowI want you to sing for me, motherfucker.
Rehv twisted hard and the guy screamed for all he was worth, the sound loud and high, echoing in the low-ceilinged room. When the shriek began to trail off because the bookie had exhausted his air supply, Rehv relented and gave him a chance to refresh those pipes with some gasping. And then it was-
The second scream was louder and higher than the first, proving that vocalists did do better after a little warm-up.
The bookie jerked and jangled in the hold of the Moors, and Rehv kept at it, his symphath side watching raptly, like this was the best show on television.
It took about nine minutes until the guy lost consciousness.
After it was lights-out, Rehv let go and returned to his chair. One nod and Trez and iAm took the human through the back way, into the alley, where the cold would revive him eventually.
As they left, Rehv had a sudden image of Ehlena balancing all those boxes of dopamine in her arms as she came into the exam room. What would she think of him if she knew what he did to keep his business running? What would she say if she knew that, when he told a bookie he either paid up or his wife got FedEx packages that leaked blood on her doorstep, it wasnt a threat? What would she do if she knew that he was fully prepared to do the slice-and-dice himself or order Xhex, Trez, or iAm to do it for him?
Well, he already had the answer, didnt he.
Her voice, that clear, lovely voice, replayed in his mind: Youd better keep that. For someone who might ever use it.
Sure, she didnt know the particulars, but she was smart enough to turn down his business card.
Rehv focused on Xhex, who hadnt moved from her position against the front door. As silence stretched out, she stared down at the short-napped black carpet, her boot heel making a circle around herself.
What, he said. When she didnt look up at him, he sensed her struggling to collect herself. What the fuck happened?
Trez and iAm came back into the office and settled against the black wall across from Rehvs desk. As they crossed their arms in front of their huge chests, they kept their mouths shut.
Silence was characteristic of Shadowsbut coupled with Xhexs tight expression and the protractor routine she was pulling with that boot, shit had gone down.
Talk. Now.
Xhexs eyes flipped up to his. Chrissy Andrews is dead.
How. Even though he knew.
Beaten and strangled to death in her apartment. I had to go down to the morgue and ID the body.
Son of a bitch.
Im going to take care of it. Xhex wasnt asking permission, and no matter what he said, she was going to go after that piece-of-shit boyfriend. And Im going to do it fast.
Generally speaking, Rehv was in charge, but he wasnt standing in her way on this. To him, his working girls werent just a revenue center They were employees who he cared about and identified with intimately. So if one got hurt, whether it was by a john or a boyfriend or a husband, he took a personal interest in payback.
Whores deserved respect, and his were going to get it.
Teach him a lesson first, Rehv growled.
Dont you worry about that.
ShitI blame myself, Rehv murmured as he reached forward and picked up his envelope opener. The thing was in the shape of a dagger and as sharp as a weapon, too. We should have killed him sooner.
She seemed as if she was better.
Maybe she was just hiding it better.
The four of them sat in the quiet for a bit. There were a lot of losses in their profession-people turning up dead was hardly a news flash-but for the most part, he and his crew were the minus signs in the equations: They did the taking out. A loss of their own by someone else sat badly.