Irresistible Nemesis

Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2011 Annalynne Russo

ISBN: 978-1-927368-03-9

Cover Artist: LF Designs

Editor: Dana Horbach

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

To my wonderful husband, Sam Rieta, for your constant love and support over the last year. Thank you for giving me the time I needed to follow my dream.

IRRESISTIBLE NEMESIS

Annalynne Russo

Copyright © 2011

The Crypt

At half-past midnight, Eva made her way through a throng of half-dressed bimbos in Manolo Blahniks. There was no freakin’ way in hell she’d wait in line.

Okay, Eva. It’s time to turn on the charm. Work it, girl
.

She sauntered up to the two men in expensive tailored suits and cheap cologne posted outside the main entrance. Eva flashed them her most brilliant smile.

“I’ve
come
to see Mr. Kristopolous.” Eva’s sultry voice flowed like warm honey, over-emphasizing the word “come.” “I should be on his VIP guest list.”

Both bouncers whirled around. One lifted his brow and licked his salacious lips while the other grinned from ear to ear and bared his blood-stained fangs. Four sets of eyes looked Eva up and down, letting their gaze linger in all the right places. The filthy bloodsuckers made her skin crawl.

“Welcome to
The Crypt.
Mr. Kristopolous is lucky man. I think you not the only one to
come
tonight.” The vampire chuckled in a heavy Russian accent, his speech riddled with grammatical errors.

Eva read the name printed on his nametag. “Thanks, Ivan.” She winked at him. Both bouncers stepped aside to allow Eva into the club. A soft giggle slid past her lips as she recognized these clowns for what they were. A walking contradiction. With fancy clothes and spit-shined loafers, they oozed power and money on the surface. But their ten-dollar-a-bottle cologne easily gave them away. No doubt they were a mere paycheck away from being shipped back to the mother country.

Why did the son of a filthy-rich oil tycoon from Athens, Greece need the Russian mafia to do his dirty work? The answer to that question proved complicated. For years, Andreas Kristopolous remained an enigma. To Manhattan’s social elite, he served as an upstanding member of the community. A successful businessman and philanthropist, he had a penchant for the arts and an insatiable appetite for women. But Mr. Kristopolous hid a deep, dark secret. He was a blood thirty vampire.

Andreas boasted a giant-sized ego. His overblown self-importance claimed its own living, breathing place in the world. It didn’t help that he was damn good at his job. A pillar of society, he controlled the notorious New York City vampire coven like a chess master maneuvering across a game board. The bastard had the balls to bolster his own utter perfection. With a chiseled physique, piercing green eyes, and rock star good looks, he was the ultimate sexual predator. Nevertheless, the ladies continued to swoon over his drop-dead gorgeousness. A simple glance was all he needed to transfix female victims. He enjoyed the power he held over the opposite sex.

Those poor, unsuspecting women had no idea that behind his mesmerizing stare, a vicious beast awaited them. So what vampire in his right mind would have the nerve to behave in such a manner?

Only a vampire that dripped money and sexual prowess. A man like Andreas Kristopolous. No wonder he boldly named this uber-exclusive night club on the Upper East Side
The Crypt
? It was the perfect hangout for a vampire.

The smell of expensive liqueur inundated her senses, as Eva stepped through the velvet ropes. The sounds of techno music and the flash of neon lights momentarily blurred her vision. When she finally got her bearings, she saw the open floor plan of the club. With no interior walls to obscure her view, the three elaborate levels were laid out before her like a smorgasbord. Eva entered on the second floor.

Above her, people danced and mingled over the edge of finely ornate terraces accented by dim torch light. Below her, luxurious VIP suites were filled with champagne flutes and velour lounge chairs. Several couples mimicked sexual acts as they lounged on the sofas and in dark corners of the club. Their writhing bodies pressed together, as soft moans filled with both pleasure and pain echoed over the sharp beats of the music. It was the ultimate public display of affection.

How many of these foolish idiots were human? Were they here of their own free will? Eva shrugged her shoulders, dismissing the eerie sense of doom emanating from the room. Her mission tonight wasn’t about saving these poor bastards. If people were stupid enough to end up in a bar owned and frequented by vampires, that was their own damned problem.
I’ve got bigger fish to fry.
Besides, she came tonight to scope out Mr. Kristopolous and find out everything she could about him, his family, and their business dealings.

While the Kristopolous family and their associates lived in New York City for generations, no one in law enforcement had ever been able to prove any wrongdoing on their part. Countless bodies found mangled in the sewers and alleyways of the city, as well as at the bottom of the Hudson, resulted in little or no leads. Even with tell-tale pin pricks on their necks, or other less conspicuous parts of the body, no definitive evidence had been collected. Local law enforcement viewed vampires as nothing more than a legend. They had no way to connect any serious crimes to the Kristopolous family.

Eva intended to right that atrocity.

Her objective remained clear. She needed to find evidence of illegal activity on the part of the Kristopolous family – embezzlement, fraud, tax evasion – it didn’t really make a difference. Once the police had them in custody, the people Eva worked for would take over.

She’d been sent by the BPA. Bureau of Paranormal Affairs, the U.S.

division of an international organization charged with fighting the supernatural forces of evil. Her job required her to carry out justice in the name of the innocent to vanquish evil from the world. The agency dealt with all types of supernatural beings from ghosts and goblins to werewolves and vampires. Eva concentrated her efforts on bloodsuckers. Kicking ass and staking hearts was what she did best.

But her interest in vampires wasn’t just professional. It was highly personal. Her parents, Giuseppe and Carmella Sambucco, died viciously. Murdered at the hands of a rogue band of vampires in the London suburbs ten years earlier. That was the real reason she’d trained to be a killer. She would never forget that day. Her family had just left an ice cream shop in the tiny town of Devonshire before they embarked on the long sea voyage back to America. Hand-in-hand, Eva skipped along the cobblestone streets with her father. They had no warning before three monstrous-looking creatures with red, beady eyes and crazed expressions, jumped from the shadows and attacked them. Vampires. She’d read about them in books, but had never seen one in real life.

“Run, Eva! Run!” Her mother screamed in terror, her face twisted in panic and fear. Eva’s eyes widened, recognizing the emotion in her mother’s eyes. She heeded the command and raced like a bat out of hell down the uneven pavement to the end of the street Her heart rate quickened as sweat beaded down the side of her cheek. She turned the corner at the end of the narrow road and through her peripheral vision, saw one of the animals brutally slit her father’s throat. His blood splattered along the pebbled street as the vampires guzzled down the red-hot liquid. She was only eleven years old when it happened, yet she could still smell the metallic scent of her father’s blood as it flowed out of his lifeless body.