Vengeance in Blood (Book 2): Tribulations (3 page)

“How can I get a guest list of your club?”

“You can’t,” Ted told him. “Each person only knows who they brought in and of course who they’ve met.”

“Why did your boys recruit Harry?”

“Harry Bentley, right?” the agent asked, and Kenneth nodded. “To control you, and he was going to be moved up the ladder. When you accept entry, you are rewarded.”

“When were you going to kill me?”

Ted looked away. “It was discussed we would keep you till we had captured fifty, but when it was reported you were out sick, we marked you for termination.”

“Who did?”

“The council asked for mine and Victor Lowell’s recommendation, and we agreed you were an asset we couldn’t let the vampires or the public know about. You seem to have the ability to interrupt mountains of data very quickly and have unequaled interrogation techniques like knowing when someone is lying,” he answered, speaking very quietly.

Not liking that they knew that much about him, Kenneth changed questions. “So the council is still meeting?”

“By video only,” Ted told him, looking up. “They are very worried about the attacks. The vampires seem to be persuasive with interrogation.”

“On that, you would be very correct,” Kenneth nodded. “Now let’s discuss your safe houses, retreats, and meeting places.”

That afternoon, Kenneth was fixing the agent another sandwich. True to her word about not making food for the prisoner, Besseta sat on the barstool, watching him. “He’s an evil prick,” she concluded.

“I’m not arguing that,” Kenneth said, looking up. “We need information, and he gave us much more than we asked him. I’m not saying your abilities aren’t great, but unless you can crawl inside their mind and pull  everything out, we need him to talk.”

“You’re not planning on letting him go, are you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Haven’t decided?” Kenneth said and started digging for a plastic cup.

“Seriously?!” she shouted.

He nodded. “We could track him and see where they take him. Hell, if I could infect him with something to get them, I would,” Kenneth admitted and could see Besseta was shocked. “Baby, they would kill him, but he may be of use to us alive. I’m not saying we will, but we need to think about it.”

As Kenneth filled a plastic cup with water, she thought about it. “It’s easier to just kill him,” she concluded.

“Yes it is, but we need to think about it,” he said, grabbing the sandwich. He carried it and water to the agent as Besseta jumped off the stool and started cooking for Kenneth.

When Kenneth came back, he was reading Besseta’s notes and comparing them to his. Sitting at the bar, Besseta set his plate down. “Thank you,” he said, looking up at her. “They really don’t know much about vampires,” he pointed out.

“Why do you think the League enforces the law?” she asked. “Baby, human weapons have increased in lethality beyond anything I ever imagined.”

“So he was right about the numbers?” Kenneth asked.

She contorted her face. “Well, I know at the last tribute, six hundred and twenty-two vampires were before me, and I was one of the last. I really think worldwide, we are around ten thousand.”

“Yes, I can understand the League’s point of view. Ten thousand against eight billion are hopeless odds,” Kenneth admitted. “So how do you want to move on our newfound information?”

“I want to contact Maliki tonight and see what he has to say,” Besseta told him.

“I don’t like marching to the League’s drumbeat,” Kenneth said, giving her a disapproving look.

She waved her hand, brushing him off. “Please, the only reason I have is—” she stopped suddenly. “So they would leave you alone,” she mumbled, not meaning to say it aloud.

Kenneth leaned back in his chair. “They are using me to control you?” he asked with his face getting red.

“No,” she snapped. “I told them you were my initiate, remember?” she asked, and he nodded. “I don’t want them to rush it. We’ll just live our life, and I’ll tell them you didn’t make the change.”

“Do all initiates have to be approved?” he asked.

“No, the only reason they knew about you is you were tracking known vampires. Then when I moved in with you, I had to tell them because the League knew you would know the secret.”

“So you’ll love me old and gray?” Kenneth asked with a smile.

Walking around the bar, Besseta hugged him. “I’ll love you always. Old and gray doesn’t matter to me. When you do leave me, I will carry you in my heart forever,” she told him, trying not to cry at just the thought of him not with her.

“No matter Heaven or Hell, I’ll wait on you, and in this world, I’ll be with you. I have and always will love you,” he told her with a tear rolling down his face.

Chapter 3

Coming to a stop, Besseta took off her backpack and pulled out a cellphone. The fight with Kenneth to just let her run to make the call had been long and hard. In the end, he relented, not able to argue that she could get further than he could drive her. She was just outside of Detroit as she dialed the number and started the phone tag.

“You do fast work,” Maliki answered.

“Let me tell you if you say their name again, I will find you and rip your head off!” Besseta shouted. “They are scanning the cell waves, looking for certain words!”

Silence met her on the phone, and she looked at the screen to make sure Maliki hadn’t hung up on her. “I’m sorry; I truly didn’t think they had that capability,” he finally told her.

“Well, they do,” she huffed. “There are only nine associates left here. Across the pond, they have a few more.”

Laughing, Maliki said, “Not more than that. They tried to hit the League there, and they keep much more security than we ever have. I’m told the human casualties were over fifty, and they took some of the attackers to see what they knew.”

“Don’t gloat. This war is long from over. We have found new information that they know about our physical limitations. There are also a whole lot more of them than us.”

“Believe me, I won’t underestimate them again,” Maliki assured her. “When will you attempt the change to your initiate?”

“When he’s ready and not before,” she snapped.

“I was just asking.”

“Our deal still stands, correct?” she asked.

“Of course,” Maliki chuckled. “I am a man of my word, and the League agreed with me.”

“I’m taking this war on a different front, so I’ll try to make contact when I can.”

“Oh, how so?” he asked. “Just to make sure we don’t waste resources after the same target,” he clarified.

“I’m going after those in the trenches. You need to concentrate on those at the top. You got one of their top guys.”

“You ARE very good,” Maliki smirked. “Yes I do, and he’s still with us.”

“I hope you’re not bobbing anymore?”

“No, we stopped that after our last talk,” Maliki told her. “What else have you found out?”

“Nothing that I can tell you over a phone and not have helicopters here in minutes.”

“Ooh, sounds interesting,” Maliki told her. “When we can, I’ll ask you to visit.”

“I’m sure you know already,” Besseta told him. “I need a break, but I will be busy.”

“Very well. Take care,” he told her. “You have always been one of my favorites even with your foolish quest.”

Not even responding, Besseta hung up and destroyed the phone. Putting her pack on, Besseta vanished into the night. She replayed the conversation in her mind, not liking any part of it. Maliki didn’t tell her anything and seemed cheerful. Devious didn’t even come close to describing him as far as she was concerned.

Within two hours, she was back and found Kenneth down in the basement marking the map with pins. “Hey baby,” he said without turning around. “What did creepy guy have to say?”

“That would describe him,” she said, giggling. “Not really much, and I don’t like it.”

Stopping, Kenneth turned around. “What don’t you like?”

“It’s what he didn’t say,” she told him, trying to figure it out. “He gave me no information except the European League killed most of the drone vampires.”

“Drone vampire, that’s good.” Kenneth smiled. “Well, you will figure it out.”

“I want to go and see Tiffany,” Besseta told him, walking over.

“Will she rip my head off?” Kenneth asked.

Besseta smiled. “Hardly. She rarely kills—unless you burn books of course. If you look back in history when people burned books, the natural death rate and murders went up. That was Tiffany.”

“I’ll make sure she knows I love books and have a nice collection,” Kenneth told her and started putting up pins.

She walked up beside him and said with a smile, “She would like that.”

“I can go with you, right?” he asked with just a touch of remorse.

“Kenneth, not again, please. I was in Detroit and back in less than two hours. You can’t drive that fast,” she said, closing her eyes for a moment and hoping another dispute wasn’t getting underway. “But yes, I wouldn’t dream of going to see Tiffany without you.”

“Really?” he asked with some excitement, and she nodded, thankful the dispute seemed to go away. “I can’t protect you if I’m not with you,” he said pointedly, putting up another pin.

Well, so much for that thought,
she thought, closing her eyes. “You said you understood,” she said.

“Oh I do, but I don’t like you out there without me. I worry,” he admitted.

Watching Kenneth as he checked notes and put up pins, she smiled. “That’s why I was so fast; I was worried about you,” she told him.

Putting the pins in his hand down, he grabbed his pistol and said, “Well, let me go take care of Ted.”

“I thought we were going to wait?” she asked, confused.

“We did,” he said and headed for the door.

“Hold on,” she said, stomping her little foot. He stopped and looked at her. “Do you think we can find out more from him?”

“Oh yes,” Kenneth nodded. “Wait till you read what they plan to do with the masses.”

“You questioned him without me here?” she asked in a low voice.

“Hey, Bonnie and Clyde were asleep, so I was productive,” Kenneth told her, putting his gun up. “That reminds me; we need to build a garage at the dock. We don’t need someone to notice a collection of vehicles.”

“Collection?” she asked.

“Ah yes, we need to keep a collection here and spread some out around at your safe houses,” Kenneth told her and moved over to put up pins. “You, ah…um… trust Tiffany around a human?”

“Yes, I trust Tiffany around you,” Besseta grinned, “as a vampire and as a girl.”

“I was just curious,” Kenneth said.

Seeing Kenneth drop his shoulders in relief, Besseta jumped up and sat on the desk. “I’m more worried about her being a girl than a vampire,” Besseta told him.

He looked at her. “I’m more worried about her being a vampire with telekinesis.”

“You will understand when you meet her,” she assured him.

“Since she’s your friend, I’ll be more at ease,” he told her. “I know you don’t have any other vampire friends, but does she? Will we…um… find her with a few ‘hungry’ friends?” he hinted. When he saw Besseta thinking, Kenneth started getting worried again.

Finally, Besseta spoke. “You know, I’ve never seen her with or around another vampire for any length of time other than me. That doesn’t count the few times I saw her at tributes.”

Dropping the pins on the counter, he turned to her. “Just why in the hell do a group of vampires appoint themselves to a League and want others to pay tribute?”

“We may be vampires but still have human tendencies. Power, Kenneth. That’s what they want is power.”

“Okay,” he said, “why the sudden change in Ted? Don’t think I can do it?”

With a long face, she shook her head. “No, I realized you were right, and I know you could.”

“Damn right I can,” Kenneth mumbled.

“Can I ask you something?”

“I’ve told you, baby, you don’t ask permission from me,” Kenneth said.

“How many have you killed?”

His hand paused above the map as he was about to place a pin. “Eight,” he told her then placed the pin.

“They bother you, don’t they?” she asked, watching him carefully since she couldn’t hear his thoughts.

“No,” he admitted. “It bothers me I couldn’t get them the legal way.”

Reaching over, she grabbed his hand. “Baby, if you play by rules and your opponent doesn’t, you are destined to lose some of the game.”

“Yeah, I’ve told myself that a time or two.”

“Will you be ready to leave in the morning?” she asked.

“We can leave now,” he offered, turning to look at her.

“No,” she smiled. “I want you to go over what you asked Ted, then you and I have to make up for our dispute today,” she said with her smile turning wicked.

“Whoa,” he said, stepping back from the desk. “You mean we have to head to the bedroom whenever we have an argument?”

“I remember Momma always telling Papa that they couldn’t go to bed mad,” Besseta told him.

“Will you be mad if we have an argument every day so we can run to the bedroom?”

She laughed. “We don’t have to argue, and it doesn’t always have to be the bedroom,” she told him then looked over in the corner to see Bonnie and Clyde asleep. “I would like a room with a door though,” she added.

“Can you carry me down to Ted’s cell? I think that would freak him out,” Kenneth grinned. Never seeing Besseta move, Kenneth found himself horizontal over the floor in her arms. “I need help; this is very arousing,” he said as they blew out the door.

***

With bright light hitting his eyelids, Kenneth rolled over, cracked his eyes, and spotted the canopy of the bed lying on the floor. “Man, when she gets wild, she gets wild,” he croaked, grinning. Turning over, he saw the curtains were pulled back to reveal the rising sun. “Guess she wants me up,” he said, jumping out of bed, then groaned, feeling several new sore spots.

Not seeing his slippers, Kenneth just ran to the bathroom. As he walked by the massive mirror, he stopped and looked at his naked body. It was still toned but now had quite a few bruises in various stages. A circular bruise was at the bottom of his ribs, then there were bruises on his arms, chest, back, and legs. Tilting his head, he spotted new bruises on both sides of his neck.

“Yeah, she was excited,” he said and jumped in the shower. He hurried so he could put on some clothes so Besseta wouldn’t notice the bruises and considered finding a scarf as he dried off. Walking out, he found Besseta lying on the bed with a tray full of food and a big smile. Seeing his body, the smile fell off.

“Hey!” he snapped with fire in his eyes, making her jump a foot in the air. Then the fire slowly faded. “Don’t you dare feel bad or guilty; that was incredible,” he said with a goofy grin.

“Can I at least say I’m sorry?” she asked, seeing the goofy grin and not wanting that fire back in his eyes.

“Hell no,” he snapped at her again but not in anger. “I have to tell you I’m sorry because you were right that you would break the bed,” he said shyly, looking at the broken canopy. “I’ll find another one,” he offered.

“Forget the bed.” She jumped up. “I didn’t know a person could feel that way.”

Drawing a sharp breath in surprise, Kenneth looked at her with a grin. “We had an argument,” he pointed out, “and we’re already in the bedroom,” he said, waving his arms around.

“We are supposed to be leaving soon,” she reminded him but gave him a coy look. Running over, he jumped on the bed and saw the covers move, and Bonnie and Clyde popped out from under them.

“Damn, they’re already in here,” he said. Dejected, he moved over to the tray and started eating.

“Speaking of the babies,” Besseta said as the dogs came over, demanding some love, “do we really have to leave them?” she asked with pleading eyes.

“Besseta, they have to get used to staying here without us. Sometimes when we go out, we’re going to have to move fast, and I really would hate to have to leave them,” he explained.

“Ahhh!” she groaned with wide eyes, grabbing the pugs and pulling them in a close hug. “I would sooner burn in Hell!” she shouted as Kenneth was about to eat a piece of bacon.

The bacon was inches from Kenneth’s mouth as Besseta’s declaration rang in his mind. “Don’t know if I would go that far,” he admitted.

“Well I would. We just couldn’t leave the babies,” she gasped, covering them in kisses.

Watching the dogs returning the kisses, he offered, “That’s why I want to start leaving them here.” He could see it in Besseta’s eyes; she would lay waste, bringing fire and brimstone to any that would keep her from the babies.

She looked up at him with sad eyes as the dogs kept kissing. “Every time?” she asked.

“No, not every time,” he settled.

“Don’t worry, babies, Momma and Daddy will only be gone a few days,” she said, giving kisses. The thought of putting them in a kennel never entered her mind, and Kenneth wasn’t about to suggest it after the last time.

They gathered a few things and headed to the dock. “Did you put the food and water in the cell for the pet agent?” Kenneth asked.

“Yes, I threw it on the floor and told him we would be back in two weeks, so make it last.”

“That’s cold,” Kenneth mumbled. “Surprised you didn’t put it in a bowl,” he said, climbing in the boat.

“Why would I do that?” she asked, jumping over. “The babies eat out of bowls.”

Seeing she wasn’t making the connection and not wanting the dogs to start eating at the table, Kenneth just smiled as he started the engine. “You own any other property on this lake?” he asked before she wanted clarification.

“Oh yes,” she said and pointed north. “I own seven hundred acres on the Canadian side as well. I was planning on building a house when I had this one built but didn’t.”