“Yeah, I’m sure,” I answer again. If she needs reassurance, that’s what I’ll give her. “I live at Vincenzo’s court most of the time, but I wanted somewhere that was just mine. I bought it off the books for cash over a century ago. Don Vincenzo knows nothing about it, and if the Grand Ball Sack knows we’re headed to New York, he’ll assume we’re going to Hell’s Kitchen.”
“Hell’s Kitchen?” she repeats, amused. “The vampire Mafia has its headquarters in Hell’s Kitchen?”
“Yeah, well. Don Vincenzo is not a man renowned for his subtlety. It’s an impressive place.”
“Yeah? What’s it like?”
“Big,” I answer, appeasing her need for distraction. “He owns two whole blocks, though you’d never know from looking. From the outside, it’s all normal—stores, bars, yoga studios, whatever. But inside, everything’s connected—it’s like a maze of knocked-through buildings, a big yard in the middle where he grows his fruit trees. Dungeons down below, a cinema room. Gym on the roof.”
Neither of them has anything to say to that.
“What? Was it the fruit trees? Or the gym? Vampires work out, you know. Even the new ones who can’t change their bodies do it for fun.”
She runs her eyes over my muscles, and I enjoy the warm sensation that follows.
“A, uh, cinema room?” Pietro says from the back.
“Yeah. Some of us like movies.”
“Some of you were around when Charlie Chaplin was big,” he quips. He’s getting some of his spirit back, and I’m not impressed.
“Including you, kid, so let’s not get into that. Did you think it’d be all torture and blood and dark suffering, people being skinned alive over roasting fires? Because not gonna lie, there’s some of that too. But we have down time. We have hobbies.”
“What’s yours?” Pietro says. “Macramé? Sudoku?”
“My hobby is ripping the balls off dickhead Capelli men and ramming them down their throats when they talk too much.”
“Fuck you!”
“No, thanks,” I retort.
“Jeez,” Rosa says, laughing. “You two should get your own YouTube channel or something. Are we there yet?”
It’s been at least fifteen minutes since she last asked, so at least the stupid conversation distracted her for a bit.
“Yeah, we’re nearly there, bella,” I reply. “I told Matteo what’s been going on, and he’ll be waiting.”
“And Matteo is…” she says.
“Loyal,” I answer firmly. “I brought him into the family. He’s my second-in-command, and I trust him. I was going to say ‘like a brother,’ but that doesn’t feel like much of a recommendation right now, does it? Anyway, he’ll get the place ready, and I asked him to stock up with human shit.”
“Wow, that sounds appetizing,” chimes Pietro.
“Shut the fuck up!” Rosa and I say at the same time. We grin at each other, and a jagged sliver of emotion pierces my heart, sharper than any stake.
Fuck. All she has to do is smile at me and I’m lost. I love her. One hundred percent. My life before her was empty; my life without her would be meaningless. I am in love with the fucking Capelli Seer.
The thought sobers me and terrifies me. If I love her, I am weak. And if I’m weak, I can’t protect her. And if I can’t protect her, what is the fucking point of me at all? What I felt for Isabella was a fraction of this, and it broke me when she was killed. If I lose Rosa, I’m over.
My hands grip the steering wheel so tight that the leather starts to crack, and I force myself to relax. I must focus on what’s next and not worry about the future. They think they know vamps, these two. They think they know me. They’d be surprised as fuck to learn that over the years I’ve experimented with meditation, mindfulness, even with crystal therapy. When you live as long as we do, you cycle through a lot of phases.
Most of it did nothing for me, it was simply a way to pass time, but the meditation, that still helps. Even if my breathing isn’t like human breathing, learning to slow it down and control it is useful. I wonder how they’d react if I started to chant Om.
We finally climb out of the car a few blocks away from the house. I told her Vincenzo has no clue about it, and I’m sure I’m right, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful. Plus it gives me the excuse to heft Pietro over my shoulder like a sack of shit and jiggle him around as we walk. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of making him uncomfortable.
Before we set off, I pull the plates from the Chevy. No point making it easy for anyone who might be looking for us.
We walk through the dark streets of the quiet neighborhood, and I lead us to a big brownstone on the corner. Rosa lets out an appreciative whistle. “Nice. I can see this whole vampire crime lord gig has its perks. Now, didn’t you promise me a dog?”
