21. Charlie, your daughter concerns me.
TWENTY-ONE
Charlie, your daughter concerns me.
With a single phone call, my father summoned a set of five military helicopters. That the Mexican government came at my father’s call horrified me. Worse, their quick deployment, touching down within five minutes of our arrival at the port, indicated they’d been waiting for his summons.
He received salutes. Upon identifying me as his daughter, the soldiers bowed to me before straightening and snapping off a brisk salute.
“Our first stop will be the casa in Oaxaca; the Columbians require an extra hour to prepare their helicopters for the venture into the Amazon. They are picking up some supplies at my behest.”
The commander of the deployment, who piloted the largest of the helicopters, nodded at my father’s words. “What do you need of us in Oaxaca?”
“There are unwilling turns in residence, coerced by Breckenan and his men. They require reassurance as well as an opportunity to resettle. If they wish to remain part of the operations at the casa, I will need to expand my holdings in the area, acquire lodgings for them, and get them fully legalized.”
“Easily done. Do you wish for us to test their military aptitude?”
“If they want. Notify me if any accept the offer, that way I can hire replacements. Make it clear they will have guaranteed hiring in my security force following training if they do not wish to remain in the military.” My father checked his phone and swiped the screen a few times before tapping once.
“I have just sent you the known dossiers for the vampires. There may be more in the casa I am not aware of. I will initiate contact due to my presence.”
Alheen, who had been a quiet shadow most of the venture, cleared his throat. “Nephew, I shall accompany you. If your presence isn’t sufficient to scare the piss out of them, mine is.”
That I believed.
When I compared them, my father was a fluffy kitten next to Alheen’s man-eating crocodile.
My father scowled, but he conceded with a shrug. “If that’s what you wish.”
“They will rapidly learn why they should not test me. I am not in the mood today.”
I raised a brow. “Are you ever in the mood?”
After flashing some fang and bowing my way, he replied, “On the rare occasion when I am overwhelmed with unbecoming generosity.”
A chortle escaped before I could control myself. “Just try not to terrorize the local wildlife more than necessary and limit how badly you frighten them. If they’re pissing their pants, you’ve gone too far.”
“If they look at you or your father wrong, I’m eradicating them,” he warned.
“They can look all they want, but they can’t touch. Treat the victims nicely. If you have reason to believe the individual is not a victim, we can fight over the body.”
“Charlie, your daughter concerns me,” Alheen announced.
My father laughed. “She’s simply upset her kittens are in New York while she is about to deal with humid jungles infested with mosquitos and many other predatory beings.
Relax, Pepper. We’ll handle the matter appropriately.
And if they’re foolish, well, they’ll receive a merciful end.
It won’t take us long to get there. It’ll be no more than thirty minutes, introductions won’t take long, and I expect everyone will play nice.
Diego, if I recall correctly, you grew up near Oaxaca, right? ”
The commander of the force nodded. “I speak Ixcateco, which is likely the language the workers grew up using; Breckenan targeted our heritage community, and the Ixcatec people made the variant of mezcal we believe he was attempting to cultivate commercially. I also speak Náhuatl, so if that suspicion does not prove to be correct, I have a fallback. And if neither Ixacteco nor Náhuatl prove correct, I can fall back to Spanish. I have already reached out to some old friends of mine to help buffer us and locate a suitable place to land the helicopters without disturbing the agriculture.”
“Perfect. Pepper, Emerick, come with me,” my father ordered. “The rest of you go in whichever helicopter you please. I’ll check in with my Columbian contacts when we are in Oaxaca.”
“As you wish,” Diego replied, bowed, and gestured for us to follow him to his helicopter.
Within five minutes, after making certain our harnesses were secure, we were in the air. On the way, Diego gave us a tour of the region and explained the local history from before the invasion of the Conquistadors and how his people had endured and maintained their traditions.
In many ways, Oaxaca remained the heart of the local people, where numerous dialects of ancient languages still thrived and the old ways battled for survival.
By the time we landed, I acknowledged I knew nothing about Mexican culture and would be attempting to resolve my ignorance when opportunity allowed.
A barren strip of land along the road leading into the casa provided sufficient space for the helicopters to land, and we were greeted by a pair of men wearing colorful woven ponchos and holding umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun.
In some ways, the symmetrical patterns on the fabric reminded me of the symbol on my father’s SUVs.
My father wasted no time ducking and leaving the helicopter the instant one of the soldiers opened it for him, and refusing to get left behind, I freed myself from the harness and followed, careful to dodge the spinning blades overhead.
My father approached without bothering to wait for his uncles, offered a shallow bow, and said something in a language I didn’t recognize. Both men stared with wide eyes before relief washed over their features.
Diego followed, stopped at my side, and began to laugh.
“Your father is a man of many surprises. He is speaking Náhuatl, and he is profusely apologizing for his inability to speak Ixacteco, but that he would be honored if they would have the teaching of him in future days. Generally, I do not leave my helicopters like this, but my co-pilot is handling my job for me. Your father is not someone to leave unattended for long. Ah, he has confirmed they have a recently turned American who had been separated from his wife, who was also turned. She is not here, however.”
I breathed a relieved sigh. There was only one married couple missing with their fates unknown: the twins’ parents.
Tragedy had struck the family, but the family would be reunited and life would go on. The girls would have their mother and father back, and while times would be hard moving forward, the challenges could be overcome with enough time, care, and love.
Breckenan had ruined a great deal, but he hadn’t ruined everything.
“He is now insisting we enter the casa so they are not discomforted by the sun, and he promises that he will make certain they are all taught how best to handle their new lives as vampires. He is also identifying you as the new senora de la casa—the lady of the house. You may also hear yourself referred to as la patrona, the authority figure. Senora will be your most common form of address, I’m sure.
Your father requested we be particularly informal and use English around you as he hasn’t had a chance to teach you new languages yet. ”
I nodded. “Thank you for translating, Diego. I really appreciate.”
“The honor is mine.”
Diego tilted his head while listening to my father and the two vampires converse, and after a few minutes, he sighed. “They are apologizing profusely because they are short on blood and do not know how to be hospitable.”
“I want to see a pretty bottle of the mezcal, Father,” I called. “Make the conversation about the alcohol and agave. If you do not have a blood supplier here, I will make Emerick take care of it.”
My husband strolled up, and he raised a brow my way. “Do you think I can just mystically make blood appear here?”
“With Diego’s help, I’m sure you can figure something out.”
My father chuckled, turned to face us, and grinned. “Can an arrangement be made, Diego? They are quite anxious over their blood supply.”
Diego snickered. “Blood will not be a problem, Charlie.” After snagging his radio, which hung from his waist, Diego issued an order.
Within a minute, one of the smaller helicopters took off.
“Blood will be here shortly. We will use your regular account for the payments. Do you want me to arrange reliable shipments to the casa?”
“Please do, at least until I can come for a longer period of time, evaluate their needs, and adjust their diet appropriately. It depends on how they were mistreated—and if they have been eating regular food.”
“I’ll make the arrangements.”
My father spoke to the two men, and both lit up. They bobbed their heads and headed towards the building, gesturing for us to follow.
“That got them excited,” I commented, hurrying to catch up.
“I said you would like a pretty bottle of their prized mezcal to admire and appreciate. They have been filling their time making bottles, which they have been painting in honor of their ancestral traditions. I recommend that you arrange for selling these bottles at a ridiculously high price, giving them a percentage of every sale. This will let them build their futures doing work they know and enjoy.”
I understood. The casa and its agave were all they had left of their old lives, and I had no doubt Breckenan had left them without any hope for a future at all.
Change would begin with us, and it would continue through decades and centuries should all go well.
I accepted I would have many problems on my hands upon returning home, but I would accept the work with a smile and without regret. “And your military friends will stay friends?”