Vampire Assassin League Bundle 4 - Eternity (18 page)

“What are they?”

“Hide and then run. Or run and then hide.”

“Those don’t sound like good options.”

“Right. That’s why it’s a good thing it’s an eight. Half of the first number. That means it’s a small band of Hunters. I liken it to half a brain. There’s like half a brain per whole Hunter. Get it?”

“They’re not very bright?”

“Yes and no. They’re not exactly rocket scientists but they’re not walking masses of matter, either. So. All of that aside, we’re facing a mid-level threat. More than one Hunter. Less than say...twenty.”

“How do we know that?”

“We’ve got at least two of the bastards to deal with. Even if we’ve only got one pilot, he’s going to land at some point, and he’ll have ground help. And don’t forget. Stan got in one of their planes, too.”

“Will he be okay?”

“Tassanee. Babe. Keeping you safe is my major objective at the moment, Okay? I’ll worry about Stan later.”

“Oh...Len.”

“No tears. Remember? It’s a rule. Here.”

He fished out his little packet of tissues and handed one to her. And then he was sorting through his backpack and checking rounds. Just in case they’d been messed with when his brain had been disengaged.
Whew
. Still had both 9mms. His shoulder holster. The Ak-47. Spare rounds. And look. There was the camera, too.

“These Hunters. They’re human?”

“Yeah. Mostly. Some might be half-turned. With special powers. Like you made me.”

“Why do you consider them so stupid, then?”

“Bright. You are very bright, Tassanee.” He took a deep breath. “They aren’t stupid. I just like to put them in that box. Know what I mean?”

She shook her head.

“It helps prepare for an enemy if you make fun of them. It’s kind of like psyching yourself up for an opponent. You make fun of them. Jeer at them. Belittle them. It helps up here.”

He tapped his forehead. She was giving him that confused expression again.

“No dice, huh? Okay. How about this one? If you already have a foe beaten in your head, it’s easier to do battle against them once you get to the physical realm. Get it?”

She nodded. She didn’t look convinced, though. And damn! He really loved that confused look of hers.

“Bottom line, sweetheart – I know they’re not stupid. They’re actually fairly sharp. They’d have to be. The Hunter Organization goes back years. Decades. Maybe centuries. Right now, I like to think there isn’t a lot of brain power at the top. Couldn’t be...if DNA means anything. It doesn’t faze them much, however. They may have less-than-optimum brains running the show, but they’ve got funding to buy strategists and military geniuses and premium equipment. I mean, they own at least one, multi-million dollar, Gulfstream G-Series jet, right? I think the Beethans founded a railroad or a cotton mill or a shipping line or something equally as lucrative back in the day. And so now they don’t have to do anything other than spend the bazillions of pounds in their bank accounts.”

“They’re rich?”

“Yep. But rich doesn’t buy brains, babe. Or class. Chester Beethan is living proof.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Let me help.”

“Tassanee. These guys are serious. They’re going to be using crossbows equipped with sanctified wood arrows, flame throwers modified to shoot Holy Water. Crucifixes. Ultraviolet light. All sorts of religious iconography. They’re fully equipped to handle everything a vampire can throw at them. And we’ll probably land in full daylight. I’ll probably even need my sunglasses. Wait. I’ve been half-turned. I’ll definitely need the shades.”

“But I have skills.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. I know. Trust me. You’re the most skilled woman on the planet. But that is not helpful at the moment. I have to be able to walk. Shoot straight. You know. Things like that.”

“I wasn’t talking about those kinds of skills. I learned more things in...there.”

She was blushing. Or something that sent a rosy shade all along her cheeks. That was almost as adorable as her confused look. And he needed to get his mind and eyes moving.

“Now, babe. I might be dense, but I’m not
that
dense. I’ve already figured a few things out. Like...you didn’t just steal things from a harem. You came from one. Yes? That explains the outfit, and that bed, and your particular skill set, although the emperor was a complete dumbass for ignoring you. Yet another example of how money does not buy brains.”

“It wasn’t an emperor. It was a king. And his successors. Well. Some of them.”

“Right. And those are just titles for dead guys who had you in their cadre of women and yet didn’t know what they had. Like I said. Dumbasses. The entire lot of them.” He looped the shoulder holster over his head, slipped a clip into a 9mm, and holstered it.

“Leonard. I can help.”

“Just fly out of the way and stay hidden. That will help. Okay?”

“But I know
Bokator
.”

“Boka-what?”

“It’s one of the earliest systems of Khmer martial arts.”

“They taught that in the harem, did they? Do I really look that gullible?”

“I had a teacher. One of the eunuchs.”

“Oh. Right. Look. I just need you to stay out of sight. I’m an expert level sharpshooter, Tassanee. Expert. This means I’ve passed multiple tests and achieved Designated Marksman level. I’m ranked on long range sniper rifles, marksman rifles, close quarter submachine guns, and personal defense firearms. I have the military bars to prove it. That’s why VAL hired me. I do not miss.”

“Well, I achieved blue
krama
level in
Bokator
while I lived. I have since earned the tenth degree in black. There is no one to best me. If there is, we have yet to meet. It isn’t because I was better. It takes a lifetime to earn the tenth degree black
krama
. And I’ve had more time than that.”

“What the hell is a
krama
?”

“A scarf. It’s tied about the waist to show the level of expertise. I use mine for my top. But I also have red and blue
sangvar day
that I can tie elsewhere.”

“What the hell is
sangvar day
?”

“Red and blue silk cords. They fasten my trousers.”

“I suppose all that means you have the ability to kick major ass, even if you weren’t a vampire. Yes?”

She nodded.

“Okay. I give. You do your thing. I’ll do mine. I’ll try not to shoot you and you try not to knock my head off. Between us, there shouldn’t be anyone left standing. Now. Listen up. We are in the enemy’s hands. We’re going to be landing somewhere in Eastern Europe. And they probably have a nice little torture session prepared for us. Me, for sure. I’m rather worried that they’ll just take you out without time to shout a warning first.”

“Why?”

“They really want Akron and VAL Headquarters. And I know where it is.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Now. For the advantages.”

“They don’t know about us.”

“Well. Yes and no. It’ll be an advantage for about a second and a half. Maybe less.”

“What?”

“That’s how long it’ll take before I make sure they know I’m your mate.”

“Oh. Leonard.”

“You’re not going to cry, are you?”

She shook her head.

“Good. Hear that?”

She shook her head again.

“The engines have changed. Not much. If you know what to listen for, you’d notice. If I don’t miss my guess, we’re going to start descending any time now. So. No tears. Geez. Why would you do that?”

“You said...you’re my mate.”

He grinned. “Well...yeah. Let’s debate that later, okay? We really don’t have time to prove it again. Deal?”

She smiled back. And then gave him that confused look again. “So why would you tell them?”

“Because I need to give you value the moment they see you.”

“Value?”

“Listen. We’re going to play like this is just another stop on a VAL mission, and nothing’s amiss. We’re going to use our first moments acting like nothing’s up. That way we’ll get the layout. The targets. Their objective. And if they think they can use you to get me to talk, they won’t be trying to shove a stake through your heart right away. Don’t worry. They wouldn’t succeed. But it would force my hand and tip the scales in their direction. And then we’d be in a complete disadvantage and shooting blind. Got it?”

She nodded.

“Good. Now for the other advantages. VAL Headquarters knows about this. They probably tracked us. And if we’re very lucky, we’ll have associates on the ground and ready.”

“They know?”

“In all likelihood, that’s who sent the code. I’d like to think it’s because Stan escaped and told them, but I’m going to go with worst-case scenario and guess it’s because they got to the pick-up point and we were AWOL.”

“Ah. That is Absent Without Leave. Because we weren’t in the shack in Laos. I learned that term in a war movie. Very amusing. You have a gift with phrasing, don’t you, Leonard?”

“I like to think so. I hope you don’t get all pissy on me about it.”

“Pissy?”

“Look. Tassanee. Since we’re going to be mates for like eternity and all that, I should probably warn you. I’m a smartass. I put my mouth in gear before the transmission is ready, and I say things I shouldn’t. A lot. I’ve been called a sarcastic asshole more than once. Okay. Almost daily. Can you put up with that?”

“Oh...Leonard.”

“And there she goes with the tears again. You are really cute. Know that? Here. Tissue. Buck up, babe. We’re starting the descent.”

But then, he softened his words by opening his arms and taking her close. And darn if his heart didn’t give him another stutter.

CHAPTER NINE

The plane cabin was spacious. Even Len had room to stand and bend his head back and forth emitting cracking noises from somewhere in his torso. And he was well-defined and very visual. Tassanee licked her lips. He should probably find a shirt and don it. Or fasten his jacket.

“Now that was one smooth landing. Really smooth. You wouldn’t know, though. Would you? This was probably your first ‘non-Tassanee-powered’ flight. Come on. We should probably thank our pilot. Or both of them, in the event we have two.”

The plane was still moving, but it was jolting a little. That must be what Len was referring to as he approached the front of the jet.

“We should?”

“Yeah. That gives us a good reason to open this door. Wait. Hear that?”

The sound outside had changed. The engine sound was echoing weirdly. She nodded.

“That is the sound of a private jet entering a large cavernous space. Something on the lines of metal and concrete. Get it?”

She shook her head slightly.

“We’re in a building. Maybe underground, but it’s not a cave. That is not an earth-sound. We wouldn’t have that kind of sound reverb. That’s metal. And from the size of the echo, it’s large. And that means there probably won’t be a lot of hiding spots close by. If I can just get...this loose—what the hell did you use on this ax? Cement?”

Tassanee watched him push the ax she’d shoved into place for several moments before reaching behind him and smacking the center of it. The wood splintered. The handle part fell out easily. The ax part dropped next, making a dull thud in the carpet. Len looked over his shoulder at her and raised his brows, putting his eyes above the rim of his sunglasses as he peered down.

“Thank you. Thank you very much. Remind me to have you around when I need a jar opened.”

“All right,” she answered.

“That was sarcasm, Tassanee.”

“Why?”

 “Because it covers up my failure.”

“What failure?”

“Things like...inability to open a door.”

“But I had the handle jammed in there. And I am stronger than you.”

“Right. Like I said. Thanks. Maybe you could give me a bit of leeway next time. Allow me to work things out on my own before stepping in?”

“Why?”

“My machismo. Remember?”

“You need to be in charge?”

“Never mind. Look. We’re just going to pull this lever, and wow. This is unexpected. Hi there.”

Len’s right hand went up while he moved his shoulders that direction, shielding her. His left was around the handle of the gun tucked into his belt at the back. Right at her bosom level. Tassanee went on tiptoes to see. The cockpit was smaller than the cabin, and had a lot of switches and dials and monitors and flashing lights. There were two pilot men. One was sitting in his chair, looking wide-eyed up at them. The other one was standing. He was shorter than Len and had a gun pointed right at Len’s chest.

“So. Hey. How about lowering that thing, buddy? Or at least taking this back into the main cabin? No reason to ruin a multi-million dollar cockpit, now is there?”

“You make no sense.”

“I mean, the lady and I might want to do another flight, and blood splatter would make everything so... messy.”

“What blood would splatter this direction?”

The last was a lot higher. Probably because Len had his gun at the guy’s groin.

“Yours,” Len answered.

“Even if you get the shot off, you’d be dead. Your heart would be the first casualty.”

“Did you hear that, Tassanee? The man is threatening me with a bullet. I guess nobody told him he was transporting vampires.”

“But Len—”

He interrupted her.

“Okay. Your little bullet might do a little damage for a little bit of time, but hey. Mine is going to make you a lifetime soprano. If you live through it. You know. I think I’ll try and make certain you do.”

The man’s hand shook slightly, and Tassanee reacted. She grabbed Len’s jacket shoulder, the move pushing him to the left against the cabin wall. That gave her room for a spin kick. Her left toes kicked the man’s gun into the belly of the other man. Her right foot took the pilot’s head off. His head bounced off the left window, ricocheted off the right and then flew back past them, landing somewhere in the cabin since Len dodged to avoid it. The headless torso sagged slowly down the consoles, spurting blood outward in a disjointed rhythm that caused all sorts of hissing and ringing sounds from the instruments beneath him.