Dark Corners - Twelve Tales of Terror (35 page)

Victor chuckled, but then saw that the old man was dead
serious. He licked his lips nervously.

“
Uh,
Mr. Li, I was under the impression that no money would be changing
hands in this deal. I assumed you were looking for someone to take
over for you.”

“
Indeed
I am, Mr. Mallone. But to simply give away everything I have worked
for? Oh no. That won’t do at all.”

“
Then
we have nothing further to discuss,” Victor said and stood.

The old man laughed.

“
Victor,
my friend, sit your fat, greasy ass down and listen to what I have to
say.”

It was like someone flicking a switch. Gone was the
frail appearance, the shaking hand. He still looked like hell, but he
had an air of supreme authority about him that made Victor’s
confidence falter. Shocked, he sat back in his chair as Li leaned
close, spitting his words venomously.

“
I
have something to show you, Mr. Mallone.”

Li shouted over his shoulder in Chinese and the meeting
room door opened. Victor could see his men, or what was left of them,
smeared over the walls. He wondered how they had managed to be so
quiet. They were all dead apart from Salvatore, who was on his knees,
hands behind his head and mouth gagged. Their eyes met for a split
second before the door was closed. Lei Ling, the courier, brought in
a laptop computer and set it in front of Mallone, then opened a video
on screen. Victor glanced over to Wang Li, who looked on
expressionlessly.

The video was shot in Victor’s house, but it
wasn’t the pristine and clutter-free space he would have
expected to see. The walls were riddled with bullet holes and a thin
haze of smoke drifted across the screen. There were three chairs
lined up in the centre of the frame, and tied to them were Victor’s
wife and two daughters. Victor glared at Wang Li, who was now
smiling.

“
Your
home is very well protected, Mr. Mallone. My men had some trouble
gaining access.”

Victor felt sick, but kept his expression neutral. He
knew that if he had any hope of escaping this boat alive, he would
have to be at his absolute best. He discreetly reached under the
table and pressed the panic button.

“
Mr.
Mallone, the sniper has already been taken care of. It is now just
you and I, so please, relax.”

Victor slumped back in his chair and glared at Li. He
was suddenly hot and the air felt thick and heavy. His eyes drifted
back to the jittery video of his family. He could see his cousin
Francisco lying face down on the crème rug, his throat cut and
pooling blood.

“
I
must say, I’m surprised you fell for such an obvious ploy, Mr.
Mallone. When you actually agreed to this meeting I almost felt sorry
for you.”

“
You
fucking chink! You never planned on making a deal!” spat
Victor, finally losing control.

Wang Li smiled.

“
Actually,
you are wrong. The deal still stands, Mr. Mallone. I’m retiring
and will be leaving once you pay me for my territory.”

“
I
don’t have that kind of money, you dumb chink!” roared
Victor.

“
You
lie, Mr. Mallone. Between your various accounts you are worth two
hundred and ninety-seven million dollars, which you will transfer to
my account using the computer in front of you.”

“
Are
you fucking insane? That would wipe me out, leave us with nothing.”

“
I
wouldn’t worry about that, Victor,” said Wang Li with a
cruel smile. “I would worry about where you intend to find the
remaining three million dollars to complete the transaction.”

“
Are
you insane, you old fuck? There is no deal!”

“
You
have already agreed. To change your mind now would be very
disrespectful. I urge you to think carefully about your next words.”

Victor bit his tongue and folded his hands on the table.

“
Fine—let
us negotiate. But I ask you to let my family go, Mr. Li. I have acted
in good faith in arranging this meeting.”

“
Apart
from the sniper on the roof, of course.”

“
Yes…but
still...”

He trailed off, trying to think of a way out. For him it
was all about self-preservation.

“
How
about this, Mr. Mallone: for the outstanding balance of three
million, I will allow you to pay by other means.”

“
What
do you mean?”

“
I
want your family. More specifically, your wife and two daughters.”

Victor could no longer hide his terror as he glared at
his nemesis, then back to the grainy video of his wife and children.

“
There
is no way. Surely you understand that. Family means more to me than
anything in this shitty world, you old prick!”

Li continued, acting as if he hadn’t heard
Victor’s protests.

“
I
think it’s a fair price, Mr. Mallone. Three million for three
human beings... Though it is a higher price than you typically
charge.”

“
Fair
price? I’m supposed to sell you my fucking family?”

Wang Li chuckled and shook his head

“
Don’t
preach to me about family, Mallone. You have no concept of family
values. You have no honour, no respect, and this time it’s
going to cost you.”

“
How
about we negotiate, come to some arrangement...”

“
No.
The time for that has passed. The offer is non-negotiable.”

“
Then
there is no deal. You will have to kill me.”

“
I
don’t want to kill you, Mr. Mallone. What would I want with a
fat, greasy shit of a corpse like you?”

Victor lurched to his feet. “You fucking prick!”

Wang Li didn’t move as the door to the meeting
room opened, and three armed guards burst through, training their
guns on Victor.

“
Sit
down, Mr. Mallone, before you get yourself shot. A man of your size
is hard to miss.”

“
Why
my family? What do you want with them?”

Victor flopped into his seat, wiping his arm across his
sweaty brow. His eyes darted around the room, scanning for a way out.
He realised with dismay that his attention to security meant he had
inadvertently trapped himself. Wang Li motioned to Lei Ling and
whispered something in her ear, then turned back to Victor. She left
the room and closed the door, leaving two armed guards flanking Wang
Li’s seat.

“
In
my culture there is a legend, Mr. Mallone. A story that my family has
told for generations. I want to share this with you now, and please
listen, for you are the first person outside of the Li family to hear
it.”

Victor remained silent and Wang Li continued.

“
Sometime
in the early sixteenth century, my ancestors found a way to enrich
their lives by the drinking of human blood.”

A chill ran down Victor’s spine as he watched the
old man. He tried as best he could to ignore the intensity of his
twisted stare.

“
It
is not unlike the basis of the vampire legend, but not as dramatic,
I’m afraid. The legend says that he who sacrifices and drinks
from the body of another will earn the years that they themselves had
yet to live...”

Wang Li leaned forward, watching Victor carefully.

“
...
and it is said that the blood of a rival’s family, his
immediate
family,
is the most valuable of all...
You
,
Mallone, are indeed my greatest rival.”

He knew he had to act, to call the old man’s
bluff. The only thing left was to go all in.

“
I’ll
tell you what I think, Mr. Li...”

Victor stood, and although Wang Li’s guards sprang
into action, he held them off with a wave of his hand as Victor
continued.

“
I
think this is all bullshit. More to the point, I think YOU are full
of shit. You think I was born yesterday, Chinaman? Well let me tell
you right now: that old wives’ tale bullshit doesn’t
scare me. Now I am going to leave this room, get my brother, and get
off this boat. Then I’m going to bring the hammer down on you
and every other slant-eyed gook in this damn city.”

Although he had intended to walk around the table and
leave, he knew his legs wouldn’t allow him to. They felt like
jelly, and it was taking all of his effort just to stand upright.
Wang Li simply looked on with his knowing smile.

“
A
fine speech, Victor, but pointless all the same.”

He barked a command over his shoulder in his native
tongue and Salvatore was bundled into the room by Lei Ling. His nose
was bloody and Victor could see defiance and fear in equal measure on
his face.

“
It
is unfortunate you have chosen to respond to my offer with your
typical narrow-minded arrogance. Now it will cost you your brother’s
life.”

Victor watched as Wang Li stood, no longer frail or
slow-moving. Salvatore was forced to his knees and Wang Li moved
beside him, placing a bony hand on his bald head.

“
Out
of respect for you as a rival, Mr. Mallone, I’ll give you one
last chance to agree to my proposal and save your brother’s
life.”

Victor forced himself to meet Wang Li’s gaze, but
couldn’t help glancing toward Salvatore, who was watching him
with a pleading look in his eyes. Victor was sweating now, his heart
thumping so hard he thought everyone in the room could surely hear
it. He licked his lips and then smiled, showing his slightly yellowed
teeth to Wang Li.

“
Fuck
you, Chinaman.”

“
Very
well,” said Wang Li softly as his guards held on to Salvatore,
who was now struggling to free himself. Wang Li reached into his
mouth to remove his dentures, and as he did so, Victor nearly
screamed aloud.

Wang Li’s teeth, his natural teeth that is, were
sharpened into points. He was grinning now, showing as many of the
horrific, bony daggers as he could. He licked his lips, his tongue
looking incredibly bright, incredibly vivid as he began to salivate,
the spit dribbling down his chin. Salvatore tried to push himself
away, but was held securely in place as Wang Li crouched and grabbed
his head, trying to get at his neck. Victor knew it was now or never.
Willing his legs into action, he launched himself across the table,
tackling one of the guards. He slammed his elbow into the guard’s
throat, wrestling his gun free. With a roar of fury, Victor rolled
onto his back and sprayed gunfire towards Wang Li, peppering the
walls with bullet holes as his intended target threw himself to the
ground, narrowly avoiding the storm of bullets. Salvatore had rolled
out of the line of fire, but Lei Ling and the second guard were both
shot dead. Only a few seconds had passed, and the guard on the floor,
although wheezing from his damaged throat, was again wrestling for
control of the weapon, trying to pry Victor’s fingers away.

Victor managed to turn the gun towards the guard’s
face, and seeing the terror in his eyes, managed a smile.

“
Fuck
you, gook!” he roared as he squeezed the trigger. An explosion
of blood and bone erupted as the guard’s face disintegrated.
Victor’s triumph was short lived however, as he felt Wang Li
leap onto his back, sinking jagged teeth into his shoulder. Throwing
himself backwards, Victor smashed Wang Li against the edge of the
table, but like a rabid dog he wouldn’t release his grip,
shaking his head from side to side as he sunk his teeth deeper.
Victor cried out in pain

He slammed his head back in blind hope, and felt it
connect with Wang Li, who let out a surprised grunt and released his
grip, allowing Victor to roll free. His shoulder burning in agony, he
whirled around to see the Chinaman crouching on the floor, his lower
face now covered with blood. Wang Li was babbling in his own language
and glaring at Victor, but Victor wasn’t looking back. His eyes
were on the discarded semi-automatic machine gun lying on the floor.
He lunged for it and a split second later Wang Li did the same.
Victor’s hand momentarily touched the metal casing before Wang
Li’s fangs sank into his forearm, tearing away a huge flap of
skin. Victor screamed, still groping for the gun. As he found a grip
he rolled to the left, whirling and firing blindly toward where he
thought the Chinaman would be, but he missed his target. Wang Li
leapt over the table to the other side of the room as Victor emptied
the magazine.

So
much for being a frail old man,
Victor
thought to himself as he tossed the empty gun to the floor. He
struggled to his feet and staggered for the door, glancing down at
the ugly tear in his arm. He could hear Wang Li scurrying unseen
around the underside of the table, but Victor’s main concern
was getting out of there. He was almost at the door when he tripped
over Salvatore’s leg—Sal who was still incapacitated and
moaning softly. Victor felt his ankle twist under the full weight of
his three hundred plus pounds. He crunched to the floor, smashing his
head against the polished wood and almost knocking himself
unconscious. Exhausted, he rolled onto his side and could see Sal
looking at him—afraid, pleading. Victor froze as Wang Li spoke,
unable to spot him from his prone position.