Page 63 of Unholy Gambit: Checkmate in Blood
“I will teach you anything you wish to know, and possibly a few things you won’t want to learn until you’ve fully experienced them.”
She looked at him a few seconds before shaking her head. “Oh no.No butt stuff.That’s exit only.”
Chapter 18
Axel understood that being invited into the underground of Homewood was a big fucking deal. Most outsiders went to the basement office of TBC to meet with Marco.
The unvetted were only allowed into a public business everyone knew about, with security it wasn’t terribly hard to find out about, so you weren’t learning much by being invited in.
But Homewood was where Marco lived with Cora, his one true love.
A wolf let him in the front door, and Julian walked him down. Axel offered a bottle of top-shelf whiskey to Marco upon entering his office. Marco nodded for him to hand it to Julian, thanked him, and motioned toward a chair. “Please, have a seat. I understand you wish to remain in Chattanooga?”
“I do, Master Marco.”
He wasn’t Axel’s Master, but he was lord of the territory, and it never hurt to show respect to the people who had such a large say over one’s future.
“I have a job I believe you are uniquely suited for. It’s a traveling job, but…” He shrugged. “You’d be working thirty to seventy hours per week, depending on time of year, if I kept you in town. With this, you’ll be gone one week per month, but your time will mostly be your own otherwise, except for specialoccasions, which shouldn’t happen more than a few times per year.”
He tilted his head. “What’s the job?”
“My territory is vast, and I need a better way to keep up with the smaller coteries. I travel to the large ones enough to stay on top of them, and have spies in them, as one would expect, but the small cities — I don’t want problems to develop I’m not aware of. I need someone to spend a week living in each coterie house, exploring the locally owned businesses, paying attention to management, to the underlings, to how the flock responds to the vampires they feed. Go through everyone’s minds, look for any thoughts of a coup.”
“You need an in-person audit.”
Marco nodded.
“And when I find problems?”
“You’ll put them in a box and bring them to me.”
Axel lifted a brow. It was important information to know, but it wasn’t the root of the question in his mind.
Marco lifted a shoulder. “Who kills or tortures them will depend on circumstances. Etta is my evildoer, but I believe it would benefit her to share the load with another who’s just as pitiless and cruel. It’s a big territory.”
“I will follow your edicts in this because I believe you to be fair and just. Our world revolves around brutality, and it’s no secret I lean to that more than most. It’s good when one can balance brutality with objectivity, though.”
Marco smiled. “Love changes us all, eventually. Even Etta. Even you. Ryan has property he will approve of you raising your snakes and spiders on, with natural protections to keep them contained, as well as additional ones the two of you will agree upon. He will have access to them, as will you. If you aren’t agreeable to that, I’m afraid you won’t be able to bring them with you.”
“I will sit down and reach an agreement with him. He’s been integrated into the coterie, so we will work together.”
“He integrated himself, but I didn’t stop him. I slowed him down along the way, but as he’s gained trust, I’ve let him push in farther.”
He looked at Axel a few seconds. “I have a contact with the State Department who’ll expedite your work visa. You’ll have to make a quick flight home to turn the paperwork in. He’ll have trouble greasing the wheels if you do that from here. Will you be using a new identity, or keeping this one?”
“This one’s only three years old. Returning to Egypt for a short time is fine. I need to pack up my house and either give items away or have them shipped here.”
And he’d be personally overseeing his venomous menagerie’s travel.
“I assume you’ll want to live in your own place, rather than the coterie house?”
“Yes. Do you have a Realtor who understands a vampire’s hours?”
“I do. Your leopard will remain in Egypt when you go home, yes?”
“He will. Do you have suggestions for the easiest way to see to my sustenance when I return?”
“If you purchase in the same section of town your Aury prefers, the Northshore, you can either drop by the bikers’ Whore Hotel to feed from their working girls who will let you pay to drink from them, you can pay them to come to you, or you can work with my flock recruiter to pay a few shapeshifters to move in with you and act as your sustenance. Otherwise, you’ll have to drive either here, or to the coterie house, daily.”
