A Tempest In The Night Part 29

"Blue-violet? Exotic. Hey, he sounds like..."

Like Daedalus? "Do you know how many people on earth have blue-violet eyes, Beverly?"

"He may be a grump but he's a hot grump."

"Yes, I know, and stop salivating-you have Kwame."

"See you Monday," she said, as she took off her scarf.

I sat in the war room at the Tyrian Guard headquarters, surrounded by my vampires. This was a new venture for all of us. I knew most of my men and had only met a few of the new men recently, like Barry Chen.

I picked him as my Strategist/Expeditor. Alec and I developed an intelligence test much like the Armed Forces uses to weed out undesirables. Barry Chen pa.s.sed the test.

Gauge I hired as the Weapons Master. He built customized weapons for a select clientele from all over the world. My communications expert is Jared. He only goes by the name Jared. He's a whiz on computers. Vampires need computers, as humans do. It's a way to stay modern.

The rest I hired from the former Vrykolakas Clan.

I'd liberated them centuries ago so they and I could live the life of our own choosing. They almost died under Ma.n.u.s's rule. The only way they could leave the clan was to be beat out. Eighty out of a hundred vampires survived the beat out. Forty of those eighty vampires are with me here now. They were loyal to me. I can't let them risk their lives on this personal mission. Other problems needed tending to.

"All of you want to know what's going on?"

One of the men spoke up from the back. "Why are you going out alone?"

"This is my personal fight tonight with the Jacquerie. If you help me, it's of your own choosing."

"What did they do to you?"

"They broke into my home and found a picture of my daughter, Juliana. They hunted her down and killed her soon after."

I looked each of them in the eye. Neither of them gave me any indication of backing down. They were determined to help me. "They made this crusade of theirs my personal business. I have to protect someone I care about. There are other issues going on around the country and the world. Barry Chen, your Strategist, will inform you of them."

"I want to help."

"So do I."

"Me too."

"This I do alone."

"Daedalus?" Ms. Sulken, the Treasurer walked in. "It's your brother."

I felt the urgency in his voice. I sensed something wasn't right earlier. Alec is a heavy. Everything doom and gloom. I took out a pack of cigs, tapped it against my open palm, dislodged one, and shoved it in my mouth. So, I got there a little before our specified meeting time to relax. Admittedly, my mood plummeted as soon as I saw him.

"You've changed your outfit."

I hated it when he got past my radar. "I wanted the change. We're not here to talk about my taste in clothing. What's going on? Is Tania all right?"

"Tania is well. You however need to talk with someone."

I pivoted on my heel as I looked up to the gray night sky. "I'm dealing with Juliana's death in my own way. Why can't you all mind your own d.a.m.n business?" I commanded a flame to spark on the end of my cig. Blue flame, then white, alighted it.

"Your little friend, Ilida Davis."

"She's not up for discussion."

"Yes she is, especially when her very presence threatens the Kingdom."

"You mean threatens you. What has she ever done to you?"

"It's what she might do-what she has done to you already that I'm concerned about. I slipped out to North America two days ago. You had no clue I'd left."

"I know you left, and I let your a.s.s fly away."

"Your job is to keep abreast of my and Tania's whereabouts. As Enforcer it's your job to know where we are."

"I know you went to Ontario, Alec. Anything else?"

"Is there anything else?"

"Daedalus, what's wrong with you? This woman-she has a beautiful a.s.s and your head is so far up in her that you can't see. She's clouding your judgment."

"Still don't trust her, huh?"

"I have reasons not to."

"I don't want to know your imaginary reasons."

"You don't care?"

"d.a.m.n straight!"

"After you read this you'll change your mind."

Alec held a manila envelope out to me. I stared at it, trying to stamp down my anger. "What the h.e.l.l is this?"

"Ilida Davis. Take it. What's wrong? Afraid you might find out something unfavorable about her?"

"I showed her my unfavorable side and she still trusts me. Do you know how that feels, Alec?" I took the envelope from him. "And try to stop yourself from going behind my back and b.u.t.ting your imperious nose where it doesn't belong."

With a mental command, the envelope sparked with blue flame then burned in my hand.

"You a.s.s. She will destroy you."

"Ilida is no threat to you, the Kingdom, or to me." I let the smoldering file drop to the floor of the roof. "While you and Horatio were playing Spencer for Hire in Canada."

"I followed Ilida from her self defense cla.s.s in Manhattan."

"Was she really in self-defense cla.s.s?"

"Not only was she in self defense cla.s.s, but she also has admirers besides me."

"She's seeing someone else "Hermes and some of his thugs followed her to the Thirty-second Street subway station. Hermes tried to push her off the tracks as the train rolled into the station."

"I'm listening."

"We had a shoot out."

"For the other humans to see."

"It couldn't be helped. Ilida s.h.i.+elded a little girl from getting shot. So you see, she isn't a part of Terra's plan. Terra knows about her and is trying to kill her."

"You should have read the file anyway."

"Whatever is in her background I'm sure she will tell me herself, in due time. I have a date."

"With Ilida?"

"With Terra."

"You're going to confront her alone. The Tyrian Guard should be with you."

"This is personal."

"I should override you."

"But you won't. And just my luck it's beginning to snow."

Chapter Twenty-one

This was becoming tiresome. My second time going after the Jacquerie. This is how Terra became fixated on me before. I still didn't understand why? Everyone had a motive for doing something. What was her reason for killing Juliana?

After this Ilida might become a target. I have to stay away from her if it's possible. Every instant I thought of her like a lovesick puppy.

As silent as a jaguar, I swung making a full circle then leaped to the next water pipe.

I was surprised. No heat sensors. No laser trip wires up here in the ceiling. I couldn't call Terra an idiot. She's a crafty one, so there had to be b.o.o.by traps somewhere. She's probably waiting for me.

I waited against the wall, then walked calmly down the hallway of Solarium Pharmaceuticals. According to the building plans, a lab was coming up to my left. Loud, frightened, voices floated out from the open door.

It was time to introduce myself. I walked in nonchalantly. The lab workers hovered over something in the far corner near the window. One of them froze then jumped.

"Who are you?"

Three men and four women in white lab coats stared at me like they were about to collapse from heart attacks. "Your friendly neighborhood Ninja. Get your friends out of here as quietly as you can."

They froze. The humans here were certainly forced to make Red Queen for Terra. I was sure of it. I could smell their captor, Terra. She was here. Terra had them in deep fear. "Now!"

They scattered like rabbits. I inspected what they'd hovered over minutes before and hit pay dirt. Some kind of substance wrapped in brown glossy paper and secured with butchers string. It smelled like Red Queen. Thanks to Mike breaking into my home and having to purge it out of his system, I know now how it smells. An unforgettable smell it is. Makes opium smell like roses.

I opened my black bag of detonators, slipped one in the middle of the stacks of wrapped drugs, then placed the rest in inconspicuous places on the floor. I made my way to the third floor and got the workers out of there. This was too easy, of course. I smelled a trap. She's been waiting for me to...

"I'm so honored."

"Did you think I would ignore you forever, Terra?"

Her cold blue eyes, almost like mine, softened for an instant. She wants me in some way for some reason. What does she want? She already killed my daughter and tried to kill Ilida. She knows I won't let her get away with it.

"You still don't see me do you?"

I unsheathed my sword. "What's there to see?"

"You might make a mistake by killing me."

I swiveled the sword around. "I'll be doing everyone a favor."

"They might disagree."

The tingling in my brain spread down the back of my neck to my a.s.s to my legs. Her zombies surrounded me and one of them was Mike.

"What's wrong? Afraid of chipping a nail?"

"Your girlfriend is vulnerable in that little drug rehab home. Anything could happen tonight."

She's right. If I hadn't insisted on doing this alone, she might have protection now.

Nine zombies followed Mike out of the lab. I know where they're headed. I held the tip of the sword against Terra's neck. "What do you want with me?"

"You haven't learned your lesson, yet."

"What lesson, b.i.t.c.h?"

She sneered at me then blinked her eyes and those foul smelling zombies charged me. I pivoted kicking zombies out of my way. I parried with my sword- chopped. Limbs fell, followed by heads. I dodged splatters of blood; some fell on my face burning holes into my skin and bone.

Talons sc.r.a.ped my shoulder. Blood oozed down my chest. I turned stabbing it in the chest, pulled my sword out then cut its head off.