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Geoffry was incredibly nervous the entire trip home, but even that wasn't enough to distract his thoughts away from Melody. As much as I would have loved to stay there for another day, Melody needed to get back to school, and I need to figure out what to do next about this attack.
Thinking about the attack made Geoffry remember that there was a chance Imastious would order his death. I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. In some ways it would be the best if I was killed, but more than ever before, I want to live.
When Geoffry finally arrived and opened up the tired-looking door to his apartment, he found Venice pacing back and forth impatiently.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Trying to remain ready for a battle while not appearing to be ready for a battle was a loosing proposition, so Geoffry carefully pulled out his katana and pretended to be inspecting it. “I got jumped the night before last by some red-headed pyromancer and a couple of other guys. I killed them all, but got pretty beat up in the process, so I laid low somewhere other than my apartment, which I thought might have been compromised.”
Venice's eyes got big for a moment, and then she looked at Geoffry's weapon and smiled. “You can put that away for now, Imastious is the one who'll make the decision as to whether or not you have to be eliminated. You've got some time before you need to worry about him sending someone to collect your scalp.”
“You think you'll be the one he assigns to do it?” The words came out colder than Geoffry had intended, but it was too late to take them back.
The slender vampire looked at Geoffry appraisingly and then shrugged. “You mean will I do it if he tells me to?”
“Maybe. Why don't you answer that one while you're at it.”
Venice frowned, “I've told you before, love. I won't come out in open defiance against him no matter how I feel about you. That's a losing proposition, and will be for quite some time. Right now even the two of us aren't strong enough to take him on and have a chance of winning. So yes, if he commands me to kill you I'll give it my absolute best. I don't want to suffer a gruesome death any more than you would in my place.”
Geoffry felt a chill run down his spine. Is that some kind of premonition of events to come, or am I just disappointed in her response? Is she right about what I'd do to avoid Imastious' wrath?
Venice walked over and gently pulled Geoffry's sword away before leading him over to a chair and then sitting down on his lap. “Why are you taking this out on me, love? I've told you my boundaries, but I'm going to do everything I can to help you short of actually defying Imastious.”
Letting Venice sit on his lap felt natural and right at the same time that it felt like a betrayal of Melody. “I didn't know that there was really any other option once they found me.”
Venice shook her head and smiled. “When you get all forceful and angry like that I have a hard time remembering you aren't the Geoffry I fell in love with so long ago. Then I forget that you don't have his knowledge of our ways. I'm currently serving as your handler, just like you used to serve as mine.”
The blond vampire stretched, showing off her stomach in a display that Geoffry suspected was staged, but which nevertheless pulled his eyes towards the expanse of skin revealed by her pale peasant top.
“The handler/operative setup is pretty standard among vampires in this city. It helps protect the Elders from being attacked if one of their operatives is compromised. In our case things aren't quite like they are supposed to be, since you know who I report to, but at least you don't know how to find Imastious and I, so in theory we're still somewhat protected.”
Geoffry fought off a spat of anger at Venice's tone. I need her help if I'm to get out of this alive so I can help Melody and her mom.
“In certain cases that chain of cutouts is compromised without the vampires in it being killed. Once that happens, the operatives aren't any good for the covert actions that tend to make up the majority of the conflict between vampire Elders, but they can still be used to clean up things that everyone expects the Elder in question to get involved in.”
“Like hunting down the executioner of a known asset,” breathed Geoffry.
Venice flashed one of her winning smiles. “Exactly. I don't know if Imastious knew Eculdes was that councilman's patron or not, but the fact that Burnout got assigned to track you down pretty much confirmed the fact. Luckily it is pretty common knowledge that Burnout reported to, a telekinetic named Rogers, who in turn reports to a mentalist who goes by the handle of Gothic. It's pretty certain that Burnout passed whatever he knew up to Rogers, and it is likely once they decide Burnout is dead, that Rogers will pass what he knows up to Gothic, but if you can take Rogers and Gothic out before Gothic reports in to Eculdes, you should be pretty safe. We'll just need to move to you a different part of the city.”
Geoffry raised an eyebrow, “Pretty safe?”
Venice shrugged. “If you manage to eliminate both of Iculdes' men, he'll take one of two actions. He'll either decide that they got too close to someone more powerful than he wants to piss off right now, or he'll decide maintaining his power and influence requires that he take down whoever just clipped his people. In the first case, you're pretty much home free. In the second case, you'll have to try and keep a low profile until the search dies down and they get caught up trying to solve some other problem.”
Nodding, Geoffry sighed. “How do I find these two?”
**
It's hard to believe that Rogers can walk around so unconcerned and calm considering that by now he has to know Burnout is dead. I guess he essentially has had a target on his back since he and Burnout were compromised years ago. The fact that Eculdes will avenge his death has always been enough to deter someone from really trying to take him out before, so he probably assumes that it'll continue to protect him.
Geoffry carefully checked the handgun he'd taken from the gang member who'd assaulted him weeks ago, and wished once again that he'd had a chance to practice with it. There just wasn't time or a place to do that inside the city. At least not one that I could get access to on such short notice.
Venice had exploded when Geoffry had told her he wanted to use a firearm to attack Rogers. I don't understand. I'm not keen on the idea of loosing my hand to a pyromancer, but from everything she's told me this guy is older and more powerful than me. I need some kind of equalizer or I don't stand a chance of taking him out, even from ambush.
For all that Rogers was expected to mingle with the rest of vampire society so that he could serve as a conduit for people wanting to get information back to Iculdes, he was still careful about making sure he wasn't tailed back to his apartment. Geoffry had decided against trying to follow his usual plan of attacking his target once they were at home and their guard had started to come down. Instead I've spent the last two days waiting around one of the seedier clubs he likes to frequent in the hopes I can ambush him on the way out. I was starting to worry that it wouldn't happen, or that it would take too long before he wandered by, but it looks like the gamble is about to pay off.
Geoffry had fed again since Burnout had attacked him. He currently he felt as though he radiated strength and power, so much so that he had to keep reminding himself Rogers could easily turn the ambush around on him if he wasn't careful.
Once the other vampire finally passed Geoffry's hiding place, he brought the Beretta up and after checking the sights to ensure he was on target, pulled the trigger.
It was too dark to see where the bullets were impacting, so Geoffry emptied the handgun as quickly as he was able, and then sprang from hiding, his katana drawn as his thoughts snaked over to the other vampire's mind.
Rogers was fast, slightly more so than Geoffry, and his blows despite being executed with a duelist's weapon left Geoffry's palms tingling from the impact, but one or more of the nine millimeter bullets must have hit because the older vampire didn't seem to have the concentration to be able to use his telekinetic powers.
In the first few seconds Geoffry was nearly stabbed twice, but then his frantic efforts to hammer through Rogers' mental shield succeeded and he suddenly knew exactly what the other vampire was about to do.
The slender blade that had been giving Geoffry such problems executed a slash towards his neck, but he already knew it was a feint. Geoffry stepped to the side as he brought his weapon around to parry the true attack, a lunging stab to his chest.
Rogers' emotionless gray eyes had a split second to grow alarmed as he realized what had happened, and then Geoffry's right foot smashed into the older vampire's knee destroying the joint and dropping him to the ground.
A second later the fight was over and Geoffry was wiping his blade on Rogers' clothes. Time to leave. Before the police arrive, or another vampire happens by.