Page 31 of Taste of Blood
The alley is dark, only a single light above the back doors to the restaurants, so I’m well-concealed. After several minutes a light sweeps over the alley as a dark van pulls up behind Nicko’s. I flatten myself against the wall as the driver cuts the lights. For a few minutes nothing happens, then I hear the squeak of a door opening.
It could just be here picking someone up after work, I rationalize. I discard that theory when two men emerge and start walking up the alley. They’re not the same ones from Luca’s picture, which throws me off. Are there more than two of them?
They don’t look particularly threatening, just your average street thugs, but then I catch their scent when they pull even with me.
Vampire.
I let them pass just to see what they’re up to when the back door to Giovanni’s opens. Luca appears holding two largegarbage bags. He walks over to the dumpster and lifts the lid to throw the bags inside when the two men make a move toward him.
“That’s far enough,” I say as I step out behind them. They stop and turn, and now all eyes in the alley are on me.
“Go back inside, Luca.”
He glances between me and the two men, then nods and ducks back into the restaurant. The two men look at each other, then the taller of them narrows his eyes at me. He’s on the wiry side, maybe an inch shorter than me, with a nose that looks like it’s caught a few punches.
“Who the fuck are you?” he demands.
I ignore the question. “What are you doing here?”
“None of your fucking business,” the shorter one snaps. He’s got a little more weight on him, though it looks like he’s kind of soft around the belly. My guess is he’s a lightweight. The only way these guys are kidnapping people is sheer bravado.
“Looks like today’s your lucky day. I’m making it my business.”
“Do you know who we are?” the taller one asks.
“I don’t really give a shit.”
“You will,” the shorter one growls then pulls out a knife and makes a move toward me.
I’ve spent the last thirty-plus years training for situations like this. I’ve honed my technique and worked on my speed until, when I want them to, my movements can appear like a blur to the human eye. Granted, these guys aren’t human, but neither are they at my level. It’s a fact that becomes all too obvious when I snatch the guy’s wrist, twist the knife away, then yank him hard into my fist. He bends over and grabs his jaw, moaning.
The taller one looks around, confusion replacing his scowl. “What the fuck?”
I pocket the knife and grin. “You were saying?”
The shorter recovers himself and scowls at me. “You’ll regret that.”
I punch him again, catching him with an uppercut that causes him to nearly bite his tongue in half, judging by the trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.
“Knock it off or I’ll get serious,” I tell him. If they weren’t snatching innocent people, I’d almost find them comical. Still, inept or not, they’re up to no good and I’m going to find out who they’re doing it for, because it’s obvious these two aren’t the brains of the operation.
“Now I’m going to ask you some questions and I expect answers. Understand?”
The shorter one spits blood on the ground. “Fuck you.”
“You’re not helping yourself. You can either answer me, or I’ll let my boss question you. He’s a little less patient than me.”
That last part is bullshit. Dante has always given me free reign because I don’t dick around with niceties when getting information.
“We only answer to one boss, and it ain’t yours,” the taller one declares.
“Is that so? And just who is this boss of yours?”
“We’re not telling you nothing,” the shorter one says.
“Suit yourself.”
I reach for my phone when the shorter guy gets his second wind and rushes me. I meet his momentum with my fist and put something extra behind it, knocking him to his ass then shoving him onto his back and bringing my heel down on his neck., cutting off his air. He gasps and tries to push my foot away, but I just lean on him harder.
