Chapter 44
“You look stressed.”
“I am. I fucked up.”
John gave Raul a sympathetic clap on the shoulder.
“Sit down and I’ll make us something to drink.”
Raul went to the sitting area of John’s office and took a seat in one of sorrel leather wingback chairs while John went to the polished wood dry bar in the corner.
John knew his preferred drink and fixed them both a whiskey Highball.
His shoulders tense and his mind on Ji-Su, Raul listened to the clink of ice cubes and liquid pouring into glasses.
He was here for a meeting with the head of the LaMonte family.
The Syndicate was the more powerful of the two so they didn’t have to extend this courtesy.
But any enemy, no matter the size, could be dangerous.
Raul wasn’t sorry that he’d killed Cedric, but he understood that as their head, John had to think of diplomacy.
Besides, if they could put this to bed he wouldn’t have to worry about the LaMontes attempting to harm Ji-Su in order to get payback.
John joined him, passing him his drink before taking the other wingback chair. They left the settee in the center for LaMonte.
“What went wrong?”
“In all the months we were together, Ji-Su was never afraid of me. That changed the moment he learned I killed Cedric. He’s been exposed to violence and murder because of me.”
“That must have been hard for him.”
“He ran from me.” Raul grip on the glass tightened as he remembered watching Ji-Su flee from him in fear. He forced himself to relax so he didn’t shatter the glass. His next words were pushed out past a throat tight with regret.
“I never should have brought him into this world. Never should have touched him. I should have freed him from Cedric, gave him a nice payout, and then immediately sent him away. Instead, I kept him with me because I was selfish and I wanted him.”
“Where is Ji-Su now?”
“I put him up at the Sapphire Suites Hotel with a couple of guards on duty. I wanted to be sure he was safe until we cleared things up with the LaMontes.”
“Smart,” John said with a nod. “What will you do once the situation has been resolved?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Do you want Ji-Su to stay with you?”
“Absolutely. I think...” He put a hand on his chest, rubbing it as if it ached. “I think I won’t be able to breathe if he leaves.”
“Sounds like you’ve got some convincing to do.”
“I asked him if he wanted me to leave the Syndicate.”
“Would you?”
“For him?” He paused to look John directly in the eye before he gave his honest answer. “Yes.”
“Then he’s the one.”
“Yes.” Ji-Su was the one. The one he wanted to bond with. Because he wouldn’t even consider leaving his family for anyone that didn’t have his whole heart.
John sighed. “I would hate to lose you. But I would understand. And no matter whether you’re a part of this organization or not, you’ll always be family.”
“Thank you.”
They leaned forward and tapped their glasses in a toast.
“Talk to him. Work out what he needs to be able to stay with you. That’s what is most important.”
The speaker on John’s desk buzzed and his receptionist’s voice sounded.
“Mr. John, Mr. Guy LaMonte has arrived.”
John rose and pressed the button to reply. “Bring him in, please Sharon.” He looked at Raul. “Here we go.”
Raul set his drink aside and stood just as the door opened.
John’s receptionist escorted Guy LaMonte in.
He was a tall Caucasian man, with dark eyes and thick, light brown hair that fell neatly to his shoulders.
LaMonte was sharply dressed in a finely tailored dark blue suit and wing tip shoes.
A heavy signet ring flashed on his right middle finger when he reached out to shake John’s hand.
“Mr. LaMonte, good evening.”
“Good evening to you as well, Mr. John.”
John escorted LaMonte over to the sitting area where Raul waited. LaMonte smiled as they exchanged greetings, easy and relaxed, without baring his fangs. That was a positive sign. He wasn’t coming in angry or aggressive.
John gestured for LaMonte to take the sofa, then he and Raul politely waited for him to sit before they sat as well.
“May I offer you a drink?” John asked.
“I’d love a vodka tonic if you have it.”
“Of course.”
John nodded at his receptionist who was waiting by the door.
She went over to the bar and prepared the requested drink.
The three of them lightly chatted about the weather and inquired after health and loved ones while they waited.
After she handed LaMonte the glass she left, quietly closing the door behind her.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us,” John said.
“I was happy to come.”
The niceties out of the way, John settled back in his chair, subtly signaling for Raul to lead the conversation.
“You’ve heard about Cedric,” Raul began.
“Yes. That one...” LaMonte sadly shook his head.
“Either myself or my wife usually decides who to bring into the family. However, we let a favored nephew choose Cedric after he begged and pleaded for weeks. Of course, there were promises made that they would share a life together once Cedric was turned.”
“And Cedric broke them I assume,” Raul said.
A humorless smile twisted LaMonte’s lips.
“Within days of his turning. My nephew was devastated. It took him a long time to recover from the betrayal. So, I can’t say I’m sorry that Cedric is gone. But I would like to know what brought about his end.”
Raul calmly explained the entire story of Cedric harassing Ji-Su and his concerns that Cedric might try a deep drain on a human.
“That means he was an even worse choice than I’d originally thought,” LaMonte said, his voice heavy with disappointment.
Raul appreciated that LaMonte didn’t make excuses for Cedric’s actions.
He’d made a bad decision, but it was made out of love for his nephew.
And now he was handling the consequences of that decision with grace.
Raul closed the story by taking full responsibility for Cedric’s death.
“I made the decision to go after him for that final harassment and I was the one who ended his life. My people have cleaned and repaired the damage to the townhome, which I understand is one of your properties.”
“It is. And I thank you for that courtesy. I’d also like to apologize to you, Mr. Raul. A member of my family harassed your blood pet and that is unacceptable. Leaving Cedric to his own devices was a mistake.”
John leaned forward, rejoining the conversation.
“Up until now we’ve had no issue with the LaMontes. And now that Cedric has been disposed of there is no reason for any further conflict. If there is anything else that we can do to ensure our relationship remains a positive one, please let me know.”
John was polite but the message was clear. He didn’t want this to escalate, so if LaMonte had any concerns regarding Cedric’s death, he needed to air them now.
LaMonte waved a dismissive hand. “Cedric was already written off so it’s not like we lost a valuable and contributing member of the family.
And I have no desire to hurt an innocent human like your Ji-Su in revenge.
However, I don’t want other families or organizations to get the idea that the LaMontes are weak for allowing one of our members to be killed without retaliation.
Perhaps at an upcoming social event, we could go together, to show that there is respect and friendship between us. ”
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” John said. “I’ll have my second contact your staff to set something up.”
Raul silently admitted to himself that LaMonte’s request was smart.
If anyone did think he was weak for not avenging Cedric, an appearance with the Syndicate all but shouted that he was aligned with them.
Other groups would think twice about attempting a takeover of his business assets knowing that he was friendly with the leader of the Syndicate.
As for their side, it was always better to have more people standing with them than against them.
A few minutes later, the meeting ended with everyone satisfied. After LaMonte left, John turned to Raul with a pleased smile.
“That problem is taken care of. LaMonte is a smart vampire. I knew he wouldn’t be stupid enough to try and start shit with us over a vampire as worthless as Cedric.”
Raul nodded. “And Ji-Su is safe. Now I can focus on winning him back.”
John’s smile turned sympathetic. “Unfortunately, I can’t help you there. Best of luck, my friend.”