chapter TWO
Harrow
"He’s here, Daddy!" Mihael called out, through the thick tinted glass that protected us from the sunlight. I knew that he would return eventually, as I had a debt to pay and it was not one that would be easily forgotten. It reminded me of the saying an eye for an eye, but my debt was a lot steeper. What is the debt for a soul? For lost love and all those little sweet moments that people collect over a lifetime? That's the price he was owed and the price he had come to collect from me. Of course, I had already paid the price for betrayal with my isolation. I watched the world from the sidelines, living my life as an outsider rather than a participant. I couldn’t imagine the price that he had paid for his sacrifice, but I could only imagine that mine was nothing compared to his.
“I can’t wait to meet him again! The first time was so brutal,” Mihaela sang out. The savage power and violence of their meeting excited her every time she thought of him. As an immortal, she had lived in the shadows for long enough to have forgotten about the blood bond that existed between brothers. She was blind to the danger that was slowly trudging along the river headed straight toward us. “When can I meet him? The last we met he so savage in his intent and actions.”
“I am sure he will make a point to find us,” I responded as I watched the sunset try to burn its way through the stained glass. I didn’t miss the feeling on sunshine on my face, only the freedom that being alive provided. My kind ruled the night and hid in the shadows, preying on the weak and the people society wouldn’t miss, but it was not freedom. I thought at the time that I was saving my life, but I just traded one curse for another.
Mihaela moved in a little closer and kissed my neck. There was a time when a beautiful woman kissing my neck made my whole body tingle, but those days are long gone. Another thing I missed and longed for. The touch of warm breath dancing along my neck and every fantasy that I had ever imagined failed when compared to this feeling. When I was child, I dreamed of being immortal. I craved the power that being almost godlike would offer and now that I had it I find myself craving being human again. It’s like when that fat chick from high school loses weight. No matter how she tries to hide it she always craves a chocolate bar. Everybody sees the result of all the work she put in, but they always miss the internal battle that she fights. I was better than a human, but I still missed being one.
“Daddy, I’m so hungry!” Mihaela whimpered, like she always did. She thought that it was sweet and seductive, but truly it was annoying as hell. Another part of my immortality. She was my creator and I owed her my loyalty, no matter what she did or how many times I thought of ramming a stake through her heart. She demanded my love, but no matter how hard I tried, loyalty was all I could give her.
I watched the way her hips swayed beneath her thin, almost-translucent red dress as she walked towards the table. She was as graceful as a swan and so alluring that countless men went from being predator to prey without ever realizing what was occurring. That was the irony of a woman like Mihaela. She was once a victim in the darkest of times and now she took pleasure in being the beast that she once feared. Even now, the two young thugs sitting at the little folding table before us were staring at her with lust in their eyes.
“No Mihaela, we need them alive,” I warned, trying to force my will on her but never really knowing if she was going to obey or defy my commands.
I watched the bigger of the two almost tremble in delight as she ran her fingers along his neck. He was too far under her influence for the pain to register as her nails scraped his skin, causing four trails of blood to begin flowing. Like me and all the other fools that ever found themselves caught in her web, he could only smile in delight as she bent down and licked his neck.
“Oh Daddy, I’m still being a good girl…I just wanted a little taste. So pure and young- I miss the taste of it. Don’t you miss it too?” Mihaela asked, pouting. Slowly she walked around him, letting her cold hands run along his neck, still leaving scratches. Like a fool, he shivered as his eyes followed her. “I’m not going to kill them, I just want a little nibble.”
“No,” I said as I kicked an old faded chair, sending it rolling across the floor, causing a plumes of dust to rise into the air. “We need them too much for them to become toys!”
The chair whipped past her, breaking into kindling as it connected with the wall. The room wasn’t much to look at, with cinder blocks on display through holes in the drywall. It wouldn’t have taken much to cause the remaining drywall to collapse onto the floor. The university dorm had been abandoned long ago when they decided to build a new bridge, leading to us moving in like rats hiding in walls. Our exile in poverty would soon be over. One way or another, it would be over.
"But Daddy, our takeout isn't here yet and your kitten is so very hungry…" Both men were too blinded by her allure to even understand that in her eyes, they were on her preferred menu. She was carding her hands through the shorter of the two’s hair and I could tell that she was just playing with her food now.
"I just want a little taste Daddy… I am so hungry," she whispered as she slowly began kneading his hair. The damn fool was almost purring as she got rougher and rougher. "Can’t I play for just a little while?" Her hand slipped down his neck and she screamed, her hand having grazed the chain of the man’s silver crucifix. She leapt back, wringing her hand in pain. If it connected, it would rip off the poor fool’s head like an axe slicing its way through wood.
I snapped.
"No! They are only valuable if they are alive." As the words left my lips, I saw terror fill both men’s eyes. They may have been trapped by lust when Mihaela looked at them, but my eyes filled their hearts with fear with just a single word. They couldn’t scream, yet their mouths kept moving as they gasped for air. They were frozen as they realized that they were surrounded by monsters. The man with the crucifix reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a revolver. Until now, my only real education with guns came from watching war movies with my twin brother and my best friend Mike. Growing up, I had never seen a reason to learn how to shoot as I possessed other skills. Darker, inherited skills that were once so feared my kind were hunted and burned at the stake. Time turned my family into legends and bedtime stories, yet they were still more deadly and more destructive than any manmade weapon. Of course, even those talents became less impressive when I met Mihaela and embraced a different darkness. Now I was the ultimate predator.
Usually, I would have reacted to the pistol before the punk had a change to put a finger on the trigger, but I wasn’t worried. I knew he wouldn’t get a shot off with Mihaela standing near him and even if he did, simple lead bullets wouldn’t kill me. It would just hurt like hell. He had fast reflexes by any standards. There was a silver streak and a click as he aimed at me. In any other situation, I would have tasted lead from the bullet as it dug into my flesh, but Mihaela was there distracting them.
A loud cracking sound rung out as she grabbed hold of his arm. Her hands like a vice, she shattered the bone as she applied unholy force upon his arm.
"Jesus Christ!" He screamed as she twisted his arm. Sweat flowed from his brow as the pain filled his face. "You are dead, bitch! I will kill you."
"Don't call me a bitch," she warned as she twisted his arm, forcing from it a loud snap. The bone broke through the skin, causing blood to squirt from the wound. Wide-eyed, he learned his error too late. Letting him drop to the floor, she giggled with amusement.
I watched her walk towards the lumpy couch that stood against the wall. She sat down, lifting her legs up over the arm of the couch as she watched him roll around on the floor wailing as blood continued to flow.
"I am getting bored, Daddy. Finish with them and send them home." As always, Mihaela looked irresistibly sexy, with her legs crossed ladylike over the side of the couch and a mischievous grin on her face.
“You must stop playing with them, dear. They are messengers, not food,” I replied.
Gi
ggling, she covered her mouth like she was embarrassed and retorted.
“But Daddy, takeout never tastes as good as fresh Italian.” Looking at the larger man still staring in shock at his friend on the floor she added, “Don’t you miss the taste of Italian food?”
I had to admit, it was so very tempting to give in to my craving. To break the rules we lived by and do more than just settle for contaminated drug addicts and disease-ridden whores, to feed on healthy youth instead. But I had to be strong. I had to fight the temptation for the greater good. When I say the greater good I mean stopping those I once loved and admired from becoming just names in a long list of victims. I didn’t bring the Mob into my home just to waste an opportunity by having a snack.
“Yeah baby, but I have a more important task for our friends here.” I answered, eyeing up our current situation.
Fear filled their eyes as I walked slowly towards them, stepping past the scattered rubble and the rest of the filth that we were forced to live in. The shorter of the two was still holding his arm, trying to keep the broken chunk from falling off. It was only held on by a few strands of muscle and skin. Just looking at made my stomach quiver with pain, but the metallic smell of fresh blood made it growl in hunger. I watched his whole body tremble from the shock, and his expression was one of pure terror.
I knelt down and slapped his cheek to shake him from the haze of shock.
“We need to have a little talk, Mr. Carminati. What is it they call you? Handsome Johnny?” He nodded, never letting his eyes leave me. Trying to seem less intimidating, I lowered my tone.
“Now Johnny is it true that you are related to Danny “the King” Carminati?”
He stuttered, “Yes sir. He’s my brother.”
I could hear his heart drumming like a car engine, racing inside his chest. The smell of him and his fear were calling out to me and I struggled to push it from my mind.
“Is it safe to assume then, that you have some influence over your big brother?” Smiling, I grabbed his ear and twisted it, “That you have his ear, so to speak?”
"Yes sir. I have plenty of influence with him," he wailed. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he whimpered. "Please… please, dear God, don't kill me!" It always amazed me how quickly a thick-necked powerhouse-type like Handsome Johnny could go from being a cruel thug to a whimpering little bitch. Renaud would have loved such a scene. He was always defending the helpless sorts. The fat kids like Mike, the awkward, skinny kids and the geeky ones. The irony was that I was the high school thug now, not the sobbing man before me.
Pointing at the larger one, I continued.
“I asked you and your colleague Mr. Angelo here to bring a very important message to your brother.” I squeezed his damaged limb just enough to send shooting pain through his body and a little more of his blood leaked out. It was more for theatrics then anything, but the look on his face promised that he would obey.
“Yes, whatever message you want me bring to him, I will make him do it. If you don’t kill me, I will do whatever you want me to do.”
“That’s good, Johnny. Now, I’ve heard that your brother and Mr. Bailey are planning a rather hostile takeover of my late brother’s company.” I waited, trying to read his expression, but the pain flowing through his body masked what he was thinking. “Rumors, like good legends, always seem to be based on the truth, even if only loosely.”
“I don’t know anything about any business transactions he might have with Wilson Bailey,” said Johnny.
He wasn’t as broken as I thought he was, it seemed. The lying little bastard knew a lot more than he was willing to discuss, even if he was sitting in the midst of monsters.
“I don’t remember mentioning his first name, Mr. Handsome.” I snarled as I grabbed his arm again, gripping it just below the break. “Now, let me ask you in a more direct manner. Were you or your slimy brother involved in my late brother’s death?”
The little bastard began to squeal. “No, we had nothing to do with his death! It wasn’t until after that we got involved when Wilson contacted us about it!”
“Oh? And what exactly did he have in mind?”
“A hostile takeover. Win-win for all involved. He gets the company and we get to use the racks to transport drugs to and from the US. We didn’t kill him, we just used the opportunity.”
“I love rumors, Mr. Handsome. I’ve also heard that your brother doesn’t take failure well. That he holds business partners as well as their families responsible…”
“It’s business, nothing else. How long would we stay in business if we didn’t rule with an iron fist and hold those who failed us responsible?”
“Now here is the real problem,” I said as I walked over to the scratched and dented table, grabbing a small briefcase. “It’s not that I care about Wilson Bailey or the company.” It wasn’t a lie because Wilson was another power-hungry, snobby bastard who thought that he was born to rule the world rather than merely exist in it. I had often dreamed of sneaking into his house and ripping his throat out. There was bad blood between my family and his. He was everything my brother hated and if it weren’t for Jenny and her daughter, I would have gone through with it. Even my younger brother Nathanial hated the bastard, but kept him close and in the business to keep an eye on him, and make sure that they were protected. I opened the briefcase, revealing the cash inside.
“I don’t care what happens to Wilson, but I have a personal attachment to his family. Promises were made and here we are.” Keeping him under my gaze, I continued. “Rumor has it that when employees fail your brother, he uses torture to make an example out of them and whores out their women until their debts have been repaid.” That was the reason for our little meeting.
Staring at the quarter-million cash in the briefcase he muttered, “That’s not nearly enough to clean the slate if things don’t work out.” There was a spark of hope in his eyes as he said, “But things are going well. We have quite a bit of stock bought already.”
“I don’t care about the slate. I am demanding that you leave his family alone. Kill him, torture him, do whatever you want to do, but if you or your brother harm one hair on his family’s heads, you will find scratching your ass a little more challenging without hands.” I could see the fear in his eyes, but I truly wished that I said something just a little more cool and intimidating, like you see in the movies. I wasn’t a wise guy or all that cool, however. As my fangs pushed their way out he began to shriek. That was my true power. Not only that I would live to see the end of days, but that even the strongest men that saw my fangs would be paralyzed with fear.
Without even waiting for an answer, I grabbed hold of him and dragged him to his feet.
“Now Johnny, what’s in the case will be enough. Can I count on you to make this happen? To make sure when this little endeavor fails that my ladies are kept out of it?” He was shivering from the shock of his injury and it reminded me of high school. Those days of wearing a jean jacket on a cold winter day and freezing my ass off so I could look cool. Yep, that was the price I paid for being the bad boy.
“I can make it happen. Just don’t kill me ok? I’ll make my brother understand that the women are to be protected. Please, just don’t kill me.”
As I guided him towards the door I added, “And make sure your brother realizes one important fact.”
“What’s that?”
“If he doesn’t do as I ask in this particular situation, I will have to respond with extreme measures.”
“Extreme?”
“Help your friend.” I said, gesturing for the larger man to aid his friend. Slowly, the giant got up and grabbed onto him and they began walking away. “Remind your brother of this, Johnny. I know everything about him. His wife and three young daughters, Laura, Aurora, and Valentina. As well as his mistress across the river here, what’s the little darling’s name again? Giovanna, if I recall correctly?” There was shock in his eyes as he realized that I knew all their dirty laundry.
“Make him understand that if he hurts my girls I will taste his girls’ blood.”
Mihaela snickered, “Oh yes, Daddy. Young baby’s blood has such a sweet taste, like aged wine.” Running her tongue over her fangs, a smile spread on her face. “Let’s just hope your brother is a stubborn man. I do so want a taste!”
That was all it took to seal the deal. Of course, I was bluffing. I might kill his mistress and I would certainly take his wife’s blood, but I would never touch his children. I may have been a monster, but I wasn’t that evil. Mihaela, on the other hand, wouldn’t even hesitate to wipe the man’s entire family off of the face of the earth. If I wasn’t here to stop her she’d systematically wipe the whole family off the face of the earth and never have a second thought about it.
I hoped that our little display was enough to scare them into submission. We had survived all these years so far by keeping out of public view. However, thanks to the internet and modern technology we could easily find a constant supply of food. As long as we stayed in the shadows, we were safe. Keeping my promise to Renaud had forced me out into the open.
“We should have kept the big, dumb one. He would have made a great snack,” Mihaela snarled.
“We need them both to deliver our message. To tell them what they witnessed here and help spread fear.”
I looked down at my phone and saw the flashing stream of text. “Hey babyy. How are you??!.. Duo …. Its200hh 400hr... its full service.. We play safe.. Lap dance/body massage included!! BBY.. Anal is 50 more”
“It looks like we will be having Italian after all.”