Read Online Six Times Deadly: A Lawson Vampire Story Collection (The Lawson Vampire Series) by Jon F. Merz - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jon F. Merz
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"Party end early?"
"You drunk yet?"
I smirked. Niles had a hair-trigger wit almost as fast as mine. Might have been what made us work so well together. "Not even close, unfortunately."
"Got a fast ball for you."
"It's Christmas Eve. You're kidding, right?"
"Santa came early, dude. And that coal? It's a bag of shit."
I paused. Duty never seemed to take a break, not even for a holiday. "Details?"
"Rudolf Hess. Heard of him before?"
"Never."
Niles sighed. "You don't ever read those intel briefings I send along, do you?"
"Sometimes, I do. If I'm having trouble falling asleep. They work like a charm."
"Funny guy. Hess is in town. Looking to unload some of his merchandise."
I glanced out the window. Everything still looked incredibly peaceful out there. Christmas Eve shouldn't be a time when anyone died. Whatever deity ruled the universe should simply give everyone a pass at least one night a year. I took a deep breath and blew it out, wishing I could have just stayed inside.
"What's he selling?"
"Illegal weapons. Rumor mills says he's arming a gang of thugs in Tai Tung Village. Last I checked, you were pretty familiar with that place."
"Don't bring her up."
"Hey, I'm not the one with the fondness for Chinese nurses who play volleyball and drive BMWs."
"It was a long time ago."
"Yeah." Niles cleared his throat. "Anyway, Hess is supposedly headed there with enough weapons to help this gang establish a decent toehold in Chinatown. We can't have that."
"I thought the Vietnamese had that place sewn up."
"They do. For the most part. But there's a small community of our people there. And the kids are getting a little tired of the Vietnamese influence. They apparently don't appreciate the necessity of remaining subtly in the background."
"Kids being kids," I said. I remembered it well. It was tough being what we are and having to play second fiddle to humans who are only around for seventy years or so. The desire to simply reveal ourselves and take over was strong, especially when you were battling the hormonal fluxes of being a teenager.
"Tai Tung, huh? You got a name for me? Who's running the show down there?"
"Huang. They call themselves the Shadow Vipers."
"Cute." I sighed. "This official?""The sanction? Yeah. Wasn't hard to get it, either. Nothing like a couple Council members being jarred out of their drunken stupor by the grim reality of life. Talk about pissed off. I think they'd ask you to gift wrap his head if they thought you'd oblige 'em."
"I wouldn't."
"Exactly. You'll handle it?"
"Yeah." I paused. "What about the kids?"
Niles took a second before answering. "Any of them present a threat, you know the deal. But otherwise, maybe impart a small measure of wisdom with regards to keeping a low profile. Rowdy behavior isn't something we tend to tolerate. Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Niles disconnected.
And the ice had melted in my drink.
***
A series of high-rise yellow-bricked apartment buildings marked the entry to Tai Tung Village. Inside the complex, it was a bewildering mazelike system of corridors, small apartments crammed with people, and dead-ends. Most of the folks inside were a mix of Cantonese and Toisanese.
I'd spent time learning my way around Tai Tung, but that was years ago. Times change and with a gang of teenaged vampires holding court, the layout was likely different from the last time I'd been in here.
I parked my Mercedes by a newly busted meter and then walked over. My feet crunched fresh-fallen snow underneath, but even this blanket of white couldn't mask the smells of garbage, urine, and crumbling hope. In this part of Chinatown, they didn't see much of the American Dream beyond fourteen-hour stretches in the fires of greased woks.
I checked the rear door fire exit of one of the buildings. Last time I'd been here, it was
"You drunk yet?"
I smirked. Niles had a hair-trigger wit almost as fast as mine. Might have been what made us work so well together. "Not even close, unfortunately."
"Got a fast ball for you."
"It's Christmas Eve. You're kidding, right?"
"Santa came early, dude. And that coal? It's a bag of shit."
I paused. Duty never seemed to take a break, not even for a holiday. "Details?"
"Rudolf Hess. Heard of him before?"
"Never."
Niles sighed. "You don't ever read those intel briefings I send along, do you?"
"Sometimes, I do. If I'm having trouble falling asleep. They work like a charm."
"Funny guy. Hess is in town. Looking to unload some of his merchandise."
I glanced out the window. Everything still looked incredibly peaceful out there. Christmas Eve shouldn't be a time when anyone died. Whatever deity ruled the universe should simply give everyone a pass at least one night a year. I took a deep breath and blew it out, wishing I could have just stayed inside.
"What's he selling?"
"Illegal weapons. Rumor mills says he's arming a gang of thugs in Tai Tung Village. Last I checked, you were pretty familiar with that place."
"Don't bring her up."
"Hey, I'm not the one with the fondness for Chinese nurses who play volleyball and drive BMWs."
"It was a long time ago."
"Yeah." Niles cleared his throat. "Anyway, Hess is supposedly headed there with enough weapons to help this gang establish a decent toehold in Chinatown. We can't have that."
"I thought the Vietnamese had that place sewn up."
"They do. For the most part. But there's a small community of our people there. And the kids are getting a little tired of the Vietnamese influence. They apparently don't appreciate the necessity of remaining subtly in the background."
"Kids being kids," I said. I remembered it well. It was tough being what we are and having to play second fiddle to humans who are only around for seventy years or so. The desire to simply reveal ourselves and take over was strong, especially when you were battling the hormonal fluxes of being a teenager.
"Tai Tung, huh? You got a name for me? Who's running the show down there?"
"Huang. They call themselves the Shadow Vipers."
"Cute." I sighed. "This official?""The sanction? Yeah. Wasn't hard to get it, either. Nothing like a couple Council members being jarred out of their drunken stupor by the grim reality of life. Talk about pissed off. I think they'd ask you to gift wrap his head if they thought you'd oblige 'em."
"I wouldn't."
"Exactly. You'll handle it?"
"Yeah." I paused. "What about the kids?"
Niles took a second before answering. "Any of them present a threat, you know the deal. But otherwise, maybe impart a small measure of wisdom with regards to keeping a low profile. Rowdy behavior isn't something we tend to tolerate. Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Niles disconnected.
And the ice had melted in my drink.
***
A series of high-rise yellow-bricked apartment buildings marked the entry to Tai Tung Village. Inside the complex, it was a bewildering mazelike system of corridors, small apartments crammed with people, and dead-ends. Most of the folks inside were a mix of Cantonese and Toisanese.
I'd spent time learning my way around Tai Tung, but that was years ago. Times change and with a gang of teenaged vampires holding court, the layout was likely different from the last time I'd been in here.
I parked my Mercedes by a newly busted meter and then walked over. My feet crunched fresh-fallen snow underneath, but even this blanket of white couldn't mask the smells of garbage, urine, and crumbling hope. In this part of Chinatown, they didn't see much of the American Dream beyond fourteen-hour stretches in the fires of greased woks.
I checked the rear door fire exit of one of the buildings. Last time I'd been here, it was
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