TKG08 WE WILL BUILD Rel 01 (9 page)

“Oh?
 
I can’t remember which way your swinging this decade.”
 

Richard waved his hand airily, “I gave up deciding that back in ’97.
 
Frankly, I’m just too old to care much anymore. But never mind that, you’re trying to deflect.
 
What is it you needed to call me out of my cave to come see you?”

This time, Samuel couldn’t hold his laughter in. There was only one other couple in the establishment at the moment. They glanced briefly his way then resumed their own conversation.
 
Samuel got his mirth under control, “Your calling that seven thousand square foot edifice to hedonistic activities a cave?”

“Well,” Richard sniffed, “I’ve yet to get some of the walls painted again after I went through my black phase so yes, I’m calling it my cave.”

Samuel shook his head and continued smiling, “Well, as much fun as that must be I do have some rumors that we need to deal with.”

Richard waved his hand in a universal ‘continue’ motion.

“First, we have to deal with the Queen’s request for tribute.”

Richard made a face, “That bitch is trying that request again?
 
Didn’t we slap her down back in…what, ’88?”

“It was ’89 and the ‘bitch’ is much stronger this time.
 
My contacts are saying that she is capable of disappearing just like Michael is rumored to do.”
 
Samuel looked around, like he was thinking that now they might be watched, “Either way, she and her group did take out Hichoi back in December.”

“He went to her house, remember?”
 
Richard commented.

“Yes, that was a strategically poor choice, but that’s the first vampire on vampire killing in a long time. I tell you, it gives me the shivers.
 
That was the whole reason we came out here instead of staying in Europe, less bullshit to deal with.”

Richard shrugged, “Look, we would have had to deal with something sooner if the Queen’s mother wasn’t killed in the Hiroshima blast.”

“Lucky that.”
 
Samuel mentioned

“You know better, that was Michael’s doing.”
 
Richard said pointedly.

“Fine.
 
So get on me because I’ve enjoyed an extra seven decades without upper level politics.
 
It isn’t like...”
 
Samuel’s cell phone rang.
 
“Sorry.”
 
He looked down and his eyes opened a little larger.

“Who is it?” Richard could see Samuel’s surprise.

“Gabrielle.”
 
Replied Samuel.

“Gabrielle who?”
 
Richard asked.

Samuel looked at his friend, “Not Gabrielle ‘who’, but Gabrielle.
 
Stephen’s daughter.”

It was Richard’s turn to open his eyes, “How did she get your number?” The cell phone stopped ringing.
 
“You missed the phone call.”

“Yes, so I did.
 
I have to admit that her calling caught me off guard.”
 
He looked up to his friend again, “When was the last time you had anything to do with her?”

“Wasn’t it the night the three of us got drunk and all woke up together in bed?”

Samuel smiled, “Yes.
 
Imagine her surprise when that happened.
 
I think she still believes something happened with the three of us.”

“Didn’t it?”
 

Samuel looked at his friend, “You weren’t able to stand up, much less anything else on your body.
 
It was all I could do to get everyone undressed and in bed.
 
It was the best practical joke I’ve ever played on her.”

“It’s why she hasn’t spoken to us since, you arsehole!”
 

Samuel shrugged, “Yes, but god you should have been awake to see her face turn beet red!
 
Oh, if only I had a camera in that century.”

“How the hell did we get so drunk?
 
Did you figure that out?”
 
Richard was looking up to the ceiling, trying to remember that far back.

“Poison.” Samuel replied emphatically.

Richard dropped his eyes to look at his friend, “Poison?”

Samuel nodded, “Yes, it seems that the girl I had used for help had spiked our barrel of wine with poison.
 
It did something to our bodies that took a while to recover so the alcohol effects took a lot longer to flush out of our bodies.”

Richard’s eyes grew huge and his mouth opened before he pointed a finger at the friend across the table, “You poisoned the three of us!”

“No, you dolt!”
 
Samuel said, then relented, “Well, not on purpose.”
 

“Then what was the plan?”

“I had heard rumors that a certain grape in that area would cause alcohol to become stronger, so I had a young woman go and pick me some berries and I gave her a description.”

“What did she do?”

This time, it was Samuel who made the disgusted face, “I believe she was the original blond that all jokes have been based on ever since.
 
The girl picked moonseed instead of the berry I asked for.”

“The grapes looking stuff?”

“The very same.”
 
Samuel replied.

“Good thing we didn’t all die that night.”
 
Richard said and glanced at the door as three new people come into the coffee house.
 
The small group consisted of a black man, a white man and then a white woman.
 
The white woman stepped around the two men and started coming right at them and she didn’t seem happy to see them.

“Samuel?”

“Hmmm?”

“Do you remember what Gabrielle looks like?”

“Sure, darker hair, pretty long.
 
Wonderful figure with a great pair of…”
 

Richard cut him off, “I’d leave off any other description unless you want eat your foot.”

Samuel rolled his eyes, “Why? Is she right behind me?”

Richard nodded slowly.

Samuel smiled at his friend’s joke and turned in his chair. Richard watched as his shoulders slumped.
 
“Awww, Crikey I’m cactus.”

Gabrielle came up to the table and looked down at Samuel, “Well, hello there Samuel,” She nodded to Richard, “and Richard.
 
It’s been a long time.”

Richard smiled, “Gabrielle, imagine you showing up right now, we were just talking about you.”

“Yes, I’ll just bet you were.
 
Probably because I tried to be civil to pencil-dick here and called before showing up.”
 

“I can explain…”
 
She put a hand up in front of Samuel’s face.
 
“Samuel, I’ve been listening for the last five minutes. When I’m off this operation I will come back and we will have a discussion like mature adults.”
 
Samuel smiled up at her, “And by that, I mean I’m going to kick your ass from here to Newcastle and back, do you understand me?” Samuel’s smile turned to a grimace.

She turned to the two guys, “Scott, if you don’t mind I’d appreciate a sandwich from the glass case.”
 
She looked at the four sided column that had chalk paint up all four sides, “See if they will do that Jose’s breakfast special.
 
If they will, I’ll have that over the sandwich and a Jumbo coffee.”
 
She turned to the other, “Darryl, would you make sure nothing comes from the front?”
 
He nodded and moved a couple of tables over. Darryl grabbed a small stool from one of the café’s round tables and rested one foot on it, continuing to stand.
 
The other couple were leaving at that time.

Richard and Samuel shared a look and Richard minutely shrugged his shoulders.
 
They both turned to Gabrielle when she turned back around.
 
“So guys, I’m here to find out about the rumors of potential Forsaken business.
 
Do you want to fess up what you know or shall I beat you both until you squeal?”
 
She gave them both a smile that in other times might have lit up the room.

Richard waved at her, “Gabrielle, you can’t take us both out and would you risk your human muscle?”
 

Gabrielle smiled when Scott laid a plate with a sandwich and her coffee on the table next to them instead of in front of her and Scott said, “Don’t want your food to go to waste, sometimes it’s tough to change old and senile minds.” As he eyed the two vampires. He then turned his body slightly to angle towards the kitchen, “The counter help is doing something to prep for later in the back, they said to give a shout if we need anything.”

Richard turned his head, “Who are you calling senile?
 
You might look strong but…”
 

Gabrielle cut him off, “Don’t Richard.”
 
He turned and looked at her, “The reason that I’m talking with you is because these two have killed enough Nosferatu to fill a pool with their blood and have plenty left over.
 
They would just as soon break your backs over their legs as talk with you.
 
Since the two of you are, somewhat, old friends of mine I’ve been tasked with trying to keep this as bloodless as possible.”

Richard hissed, “These two Gabrielle?”
 
He sniffed, “I can smell their humanity on them from across the coffee shop.”

Gabrielle lowered her face to Richard’s level, “You fucking idiot.
 
These are two of the Queen’s Own.
 
They restrain because I’ve been put in the lead, but don’t assume I control them.
 
They can and will put you into the grave a final time if you fail to help me.”
 
She stood back up, “So, who’s going to talk about the false queen first?”

Samuel spat, “False?
 
Tell that to Hichoi and his group.
 
They have seen their last moonrise.”

Gabrielle nodded, “That was the information I received.
 
That’s why she’s been tagged.
 
Vamp on Vamp violence has been outlawed.”

“By Michael?
 
He hasn’t been to this side of the world, ever.
 
His edicts mean little to us here.”

“No.”
 
Gabrielle said, “By Bethany Anne.”

“Who?”
 
Richard asked.

Richard noticed the human man turn his head towards him.
 
“She is talking about the Queen Bitch, you poor excuse for a sentient being.
 
If you say one disparaging word about my Queen, I will pull your intestines out through your mouth and sit on your useless ass until the sun comes up.”
 
Richard was about to make a disparaging remark when he noticed something that made him stop and stare.

The human’s eyes were glowing red.

Washington D.C. – USA

Barb tilted her chair back and leaned her head against the headrest.
 
Then, she leaned back further and stared up at the ceiling as she twirled in the chair, causing the ceiling to go round-and-round.

That lasted about three turns before she closed her eyes, “Good going, Barbie girl, you just successfully made yourself nauseous!”

It was a nice Saturday afternoon outside and Barb was stuck.

She was pretty far down the rabbit trail on the report.
 
She couldn’t completely pin down the group, but enough smoking trails were there to lead her to this new TQB Enterprises.

When she looked into the taxes and roster, it was pretty damning.
 
They had a retired General as the Company Operations Officer and a group of black-ops guys had disappeared into the mix. Not to mention a fuck-ton of ex-Navy people were floating around the Mediterranean Sea during the time of the Turkey operation. To top it all off they had purchased or, at minimum, indefinitely leased a major army base in Colorado that had just conveniently been decommissioned.

Why the hell hadn’t anyone else pulled this information together?

The companies under the umbrella were old.
 
Some of them centuries old and some as recent as a couple of years ago.
 
The elusive head of the company had real estate down in the Miami area but she hadn’t been seen there recently.
 

Barb had tried to track credit card receipts, but they didn’t make sense.
 
She might have purchased something in Miami for lunch and then in France at night with no method of travel that Barb could tell.

She had been able to confirm that the company had private jets, but she had tracked the flight plans. Occasionally they matched up, but frequently they didn’t.

It was pissing her off.
 
It was like she was missing pieces of the puzzle and couldn’t put it all together.

But that wasn’t the worst aspect.
 
The part that really concerned her was ‘who’ she was doing this research for.
 
There were plenty of potential clues, but they kept pointing to a non-entity.
 
The kind of non-entity you would use if your group was black and deniable.
 

The kind of group that might get rid of any pointer back to them.

Sydney, Australia

Samuel snapped in irritation, “Gabrielle, there is no way that…”
 
He stopped talking when he felt the gun barrel touching his skull.
 
Samuel noticed that Richard’s eyes were wide open across the little table.

The human bent down next to Samuel and hissed into his ear, “Please give me an excuse to blow your fucking brains all over the place.
 
The humans here would get money and might receive memory modification.
 
I, on the other hand, would have the pleasure of ending your useless ass.
 
The next words out of your mouth better respect Gabrielle or I’ll personally take you out and kick your ass.”