98. Johnson
Johnson
My hand clenches around the door handle as the driver hits the brakes to make the turn.
Gravel kicks up behind us.
The screen on the dashboard says two minutes until arrival.
The road turns again, then angles down. Into the abandoned quarry.
I grind my teeth.
We’re gonna be sitting ducks in here. But the reward is worth this risk.
It has to be.
Vameer is out there, raising an army. And if I’m going to avoid going to war against him, I need to defeat him. Quickly. With the public none the wiser.
And if Nault is going to pretend I don’t exist, leaving me out to dry, then I’m doing this my way.
“Thinking you can catch me off guard is a mistake.”
The tires skid to a stop.
How’s this for catching you off guard, asshole.
I cling to my indignation as I push open the door and step out of the car.
The driver stays where he is, but the two men in the vehicle behind mine get out.
They flank me, guns drawn, but there’s no one else here. No vehicles. Nothing to hide behind.
I don’t know how he found my name. Or my connection to Haystack. But when I got the call on my private line, I was too intrigued not to take it.
I look at my watch.
“Where—”
The ground vibrates.
My men shift to cover both sides. But I don’t see…
Slowly, I lift my gaze. To the top of the carved rock wall in front of me.
The vibration comes again. More consistent.
Footsteps.
And then he appears.
Even from this far away, I recognize him from the video call.
He pauses at the edge.
And then more vampires step into view. Guards. Four. Six. Ten. More.
They stare down at us, with those fucking black eyes. Then he, the big one in the middle, steps forward. Off the ledge.
He drops fast.
My eyes track the movement as my body threatens to turn and run.
I set my jaw.
One does not run away from an apex predator.
The vampire slams to the ground, forming a crack in the granite we’re standing on.
I swallow down my fear and push my shoulders back.
I’m an apex predator too.
The crack widens when the other vampires drop to the ground.
I stare into his black eyes before dipping my chin. “King Tosa. It’s nice to meet you.”
He might not be as tall as Vameer. But he’s wide. Formidable. Dressed in a black suit.
And he came with a dozen vampires.
The old King turns his head toward one of my men. “Are those bullets made from cobalt?”
My man doesn’t respond. Either out of fear or duty, the reason doesn’t matter. But the answer is no. I was unaware that cobalt was a weakness for vampires.
“Did you come with information?” I draw The King’s attention back to me.
“I have a plan.”
He tells me. And I listen.
I couldn’t find any information on King Tosa. And since I couldn’t ask anyone, not wanting to bring this meeting to anyone’s attention, I’m going in blind.
But I know he’s old. He looks about fifty, and since vampires don’t age like us, I’m guessing he has a century or three on the Vadas brothers. His features are a blend of various traits, and not for the first time, I wonder if he’s from a background unknown to modern people.
“I will require you to bring more humans.” His voice grates.
“This is my personal team; we will remain outside.”
“Bring fifteen.”
I nod. I can find fifteen men.
And this time they’ll be protected by The King’s guards. So hopefully they won’t end up sliced in half.
“Will all your men wormhole to get there?”
He stares at me.
At least, I think he’s staring at me.
When he still doesn’t answer, I shrug. “Just asking. I don’t care how you travel.”
“Any other questions?”
About a million. “Why are you including me in this mission? I’m under no illusion that you could do this without me.”
“When Vameer is dead, I want everything that he stole from me. You are a representative of your government. I want you and the rest of the world governments to recognize my sovereignty. And I want to be left to live my life under my own rules. No interference. By anyone.”
I nod, acknowledging I heard his request, not agreeing to it. “What did he steal from you?”
King Tosa leans forward. “Everything,” he hisses.
Then he stands back upright, like he’s remembering himself.
“He stole my kingdom. Drowned my army. Sank my ships. Emptied my coffers. Burned my home. All because he thinks he’s better than everyone else.
” He takes a step back. “I want him dead. And I want my lands returned to me.” The rest of his vampires take a step back as well. “Be ready.”
Then, they leap, straight up into the sky.
When the last of them disappears from sight, the men beside me exhale and sag.
“We all agree that dude is terrifying, right?” The man on my left chuckles.
“Yup,” the other replies, then looks at me. “We gonna get our hands on some of those cobalt bullets?”
“Caught that, did you?” I turn back to the car, keeping my nerves on lockdown. “Bullets and fifteen volunteers.”
“Not it,” the men say at the same time, then laugh as they walk to their vehicle.
I drop into my seat and pull the door shut. Then I undo the buttons at my throat and pull in a deep breath.
What I need is for King Tosa and Vameer to kill each other. Because if The King succeeds, he’s going to be very disappointed when he finds out that I do not represent my government, and that none of his demands will be granted. Especially the gift of land.
Who the fuck does he think he is? A king of a land no one has heard of. No one cares.
When this first started, I had the backing of my bosses.
Of the government. Because I saw an opportunity to either capture an unknown or kill a threat before it killed us.
They saw the sense in it. But after New York, when I was the only one with balls enough to actually put a plan together, they turned their backs on me.
I almost scoff.
They turned their backs but didn’t turn off the tap.
They’ll let me pull men and spend money. Filing the expenses under some fake project name but asking no questions. So in the end they can pretend like they knew nothing about it.
But if I can get both of these loose fucking cannons to die, they won’t be able to ignore me anymore.
No one will ignore me ever again.