Chapter 20
Thursday night arrived. Ji-Su met Raul in the foyer to attend the ballet. Raul waited for him by the front door, looking ruggedly handsome in a black suit and shirt with a tiger’s eye bolo tie.
“Thanks again for the suit,” Ji-Su softly said. “You didn’t have to do that.” He had more than enough money now to buy his own suit, which made him appreciate Raul’s gift even more.
Raul gave him a slow perusal before he responded.
“You look good in it.”
The praise set off a flurry of butterflies in Ji-Su’s stomach. “Thank you. You look nice too.”
Raul nodded once in acknowledgement of the compliment before placing a hand in the middle of Ji-Su’s back to guide him outside to the waiting limo.
The driver held the door of the two-tone Mercedes open for them and Ji-Su slid in to settle on the luxurious leather seat.
After Raul was seated next to him the driver closed the door and went around to take his place behind the wheel.
They headed down the mile-long drive to the main road, briefly stopping to allow the gate to open.
Once they left the ranch and were on their way to the city, Raul raised the partition, closing them off from the driver.
The two of them were now in a small, dark space.
Alone. Ju-Su was suddenly nervous. In an effort to avoid the entire trip passing in the same awkward silence as their meals, he started a conversation.
“I’ve never been to the ballet.”
“I hope you enjoy it. It’s not my usual genre of entertainment, but it’s a beautiful art form.”
“How often do you go?”
“About once a year. We’ll be joining the other heads of the organization tonight.”
“So, this is a business event.” Which meant tonight wasn’t a date.
“Partially. The heads of our organization have a monthly dinner or outing. It’s more social than business—a way to keep our group bond tight.
Usually, we have a private dinner at John’s home.
But it’s important for us to be out in public on occasion.
We want people see us as part of Dear Lake society because it’s good for business. ”
“And your organization is called the Sanguis Syndicate?” Ji-Su asked. With that name, he guessed it was some kind of vampire run conglomerate of various businesses.
“Yes.” Raul was quiet for a moment. “We are not a one hundred percent legal operation.”
That announcement was calm and quietly voiced, but it still had Ji-su twisting in his seat to look at Raul in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Raul met his gaze directly when he answered.
“The Sanguis Syndicate is a criminal organization. We have our endeavors that operate within the bounds of official laws—like the casino that I run—but we have many that operate outside of it as well. Work related topics probably won’t come up tonight since we normally keep the conversation light during family gatherings.
Especially the public ones. But I wanted you to be prepared in case they do. ”
“Thank you,” Ji-Su said, still stunned. “I appreciate that. Does that mean you’re like the mob?”
“Yes. We are run in a similar fashion. When we relocated here about ten years ago, Dear Lake was already heavy with crime. But it was mostly human led. We were the first large scale vampire organization. At first, we only established services for other vampires. But soon enough it spread to humans as well.”
“Why criminal activities?” Ji-Su asked.
“There’s money in it,” Raul answered simply.
“We’re strong and respected. Our cash flow throughout the community keeps local government happy, a vampire population with its needs met means less danger for humans, and as long as we run a tight ship—which we do—law enforcement has no need to get involved. ”
One thing stood out to Ji-Su. “Less danger for humans? You mean the blood pet system.”
“Yes,” Raul confirmed.
“Does that mean if it didn’t exist that vampires would kill us?”
“No. If vampires were to kill every time they fed, there’d be war between the two species.
And as strong as we are, we’re not as plentiful worldwide as humans.
We could be overwhelmed and wiped out if there was a war.
The average vampire is no more inclined to want to commit murder than the average human.
But we do have to feed. Before the veil that hid us from the world fell, the way vampires obtained blood from humans wasn’t always...
consensual. But here in Dear Lake, blood services are in the open.
Rules are established for the safety of both vampires and humans, and humans who give their blood get paid. ”
“Like me.”
“Yes.”
“Everett and our former member Charles are responsible for a lot of the way blood services function in Dear Lake. You’ll meet Everett tonight.”
Ji-Su settled back in his seat even as thoughts raced through his head.
Raul was part of a criminal organization?
But how? Nothing about the vampire who treated him so gently fit with his idea of criminal bosses—cruel people who sat in smoke-filled back rooms issuing orders to kill their enemies.
He had questions. But on their way to the ballet didn’t seem like the right time to raise them so he decided to save them for a later time.
The conversation turned to casual topics.
As they talked, Ji-Su flicked glances at Raul from the corner of his eye, admiring his handsomeness.
The strength of his jaw, the rich black of his hair.
As always, he wished things were different between them.
he thought how nice it would be if they were a couple on a real date.
If they were, he would be free to reach out and hold Raul’s hand, entwine their fingers together.
Instead, he kept his hands clasped together in his lap until they arrived at the theater.
They ended up holding hands anyway as, ever the gentleman, Raul took his hand to help him out of the limo.
Then, he held on to it so that Ji-Su walked into the Dear Lake Bell Theater at Raul’s side, with his hand tucked securely in the crook of his patron’s elbow.
Ji-Su loved the way Raul treated him with such old-fashioned care.
No wonder he couldn’t stop pining over him.
The Bell’s interior was beautiful in an opulent, almost gaudy way. It was designed in a mix of ancient Egyptian and art deco. There were lots of gold accents, decorative cut glass fans mounted high on the walls, and black marble columns.
The moment they stepped into the lobby, multiple people, humans and vampires alike, came up to Raul. All were friendly. A few fawned. And some clearly wanted something from him. A vampire in an expensive but slightly disheveled suit approached. When he greeted Raul, his voice was a shade too loud.
“Mr. Raul, it’s good to see you!”
“You as well, Franklin.”
“I’m glad I’m running in to you tonight. I have an idea that would be perfect for your casino.”
Franklin’s face was florid and his eyes glassy from drink. As he attempted to move in close to share his idea with Raul, he stumbled and stepped on Ji-Su’s foot with all of his weight.
Ji-Su muttered a soft ouch and took a step back. Raul looked down at him in concern.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s crowded in here,” he said in a polite attempt to deflect blame from Franklin.
“Franklin should be more careful. And he needs to apologize for his clumsiness,” Raul said in a voice that demanded obedience despite its calmness.
Franklin’s face turned such a dark red that Ji-Su was concerned for his health bar.
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Mr. Raul.”
“To him,” Raul said in that same quietly commanding voice.
The drunk, nervous vampire turned to Ji-Su.
“I apologize. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
Ji-Su smiled, hoping to put the nervous man at ease. “Not at all.”
Franklin nodded in relief and excused himself. He rushed off, bumping into a few people along the way.
A frown creased Ji-Su’s brow as he watched him go. “He didn’t tell you his idea.”
“I’m not interested in hearing it,” Raul said with a dismissive shrug. “We don’t work with people who get drunk in public. It shows he’s prone to sloppiness.”
“And your business keeps it tight,” Ji-Su said, parroting what Raul had told him in the car.
“Exactly, carino.”
The soft smile Raul gave him made Ji-Su feel as if he’d pleased him in some way. And he wondered what carino meant.
An older Caucasian woman dressed in a slim, ankle length black satin gown, with her salt and pepper hair secured in a smooth ballerina bun at the back of her head approached, the crowd parting to let her through.
She held both hands out to Raul, a welcoming smile on her beautiful, gracefully aged face.
“Mr. Raul, it’s good to see you.”
“And you as well, Madame Agnes. I’d like you to meet Ji-Su. Ji-Su, this is Madame Agnes, the director of the Michigan Ballet Company.
“It’s nice to meet you, Madame Agnes,” he said with a polite nod.
“A pleasure to meet you too. You have such lovely cheekbones. My wife would love to paint you.”
Ji-Su blinked at the unexpected compliment. It didn’t sound like a request so he simply said thank you. Madame Agnes turned back to Raul.
“We received your donation. Thank you for supporting the company.”
“You’re welcome. I was happy to do so.”
“With an amount that generous, I’m inclined to let you select our next program.”
Raul laughed and turned down the offer. “I trust in your expertise to bring Dear Lake the best performances.”
“Well, the offer stands if you ever have any suggestions. Now, I must go and greet others.”
She leaned in to give them each air kisses before regally moving off through the crowd.
“Ready to go up to our box?” Raul asked.
Ji-Su nervously smoothed a hand down the front of his suit before answering. He was about to meet a group of gangster vampires. But he trusted that Raul wouldn’t have brought him here if there was anything to be afraid of.