Deadlocked (The Harry Russo Diaries Book 3) (10 page)

“You’ve got to help her,” I said to him.

Salvador, who at some point had come to stand at the edge of
the dais, shrugged. “Do I know you?” he looked at Hilde who
struggled to sit up in my arms.

“Magister…I am Hilde. From the…Magyar tribe of…Vérbulcsú.” Hilde struggled to talk. She was
breathless and wheezing. The knife must have punctured her lung.

“Ah, yes. My little foreign exchange
student.” Salvador tipped his head, his face pensive. “You were to arrive tomorrow, were you not?”

Hilde smiled. “Lucky I was
put…on an earlier…flight.”

“Can we sort this out later?
She needs help.” I scowled at Salvador.

“Ah, Harry, your impatience
is always so charming. So human.” He turned his gaze to meet mine. “First,
we must complete the formalities.” He gestured and two of his security vamps
came through the crowd and grabbed Hilde from my arms, hauling her to her feet.

“Wait! Careful. You’re
going to hurt her.” I gave the closest vamp a swat on his arm.

“Our new friend Hilde must
swear her allegiance. She cannot remain here unbound.” For a split second I
saw fear in Hilde’s eyes. She was afraid to be bound to Salvador.

“Wait! Wait.” I said again,
putting out a hand in a stopping motion. “Hilde is mine.” I turned to meet
Salvador’s calculating gaze head on. “She saved my life. She’s mine.”

Salvador narrowed his eyes in
thought, his fingers grasping his chin. He tapped his index finger against his
lips. “I have a client waiting for her arrival,” he said casually. “If she
enters your service, I will have to find another.”

I made a point of looking at
Hilde, as if seeing her for the first time. Even dressed as she was in formal
Goth wear, she looked very young. I narrowed my eyes, scowling. I didn’t need
to fake being angry about what I thought of Salvador’s client. “Then some
old pervert with pedophilic tendencies will just have to wank off to kiddie
porn a bit longer.”

Salvador’s hearty laugh
echoed through the hall. “Oh Harry, you are always so entertaining.” He waved
his hand in dismissal. “Very well. Take her. She’s yours.”

I turned to face Hilde to
prevent Salvador from seeing my triumphant smile. Unfortunately, the smile was
quickly dashed from my face with Salvador’s next words.

“And Harry, you will bind her
now, in front of those gathered.” Gone was jovial, scary Salvador. This was
just plain scary Salvador in front of me now.

I swallowed. “But…”
Salvador gave me a wide eyed, expectant look. “Yes, Magister.” I bit my lip,
unsure what I was supposed to do. Thankfully, Isaac was suddenly at my side. The
two vamps that had been holding Hilde stepped away and she started to fall as
Isaac grabbed her arm. Nash appeared on her other side, frowning, clasping her
arm. His eyes met mine, full of questions. I gave a little shake of my head
and mouthed the word ‘later’.

I looked at Isaac for
guidance. The only thing I could think of was the Knight’s oath from the movie
Kingdom of Heaven
and for some reason I didn’t think asking Hilde to “be
brave and upright that God may love her” was what Salvador was looking for.

Hilde looked at me with a
small contented smile. She grasped the hilt of the knife and tugged it out of
her chest with a quiet groan.

“Omigod! What did you do
that for?” I held up my hands to ward off the small spurt of blood that came
from her wound.

“Mistress, use the knife. It
already has my blood on it to mingle with yours.” She held the knife out to me
hilt first. My hand lifted automatically to grasp it.

Isaac nodded. “That’s right
Harry, take the knife and make a small cut on your wrist. You will need to
feed her, like you did for me.” He gestured for me to go ahead. I was
extremely conscious of the crowd drawing closer to get a better look. I
glanced over my shoulder at Salvador. He smirked and gave a little nod as if
to say, “you asked for it, now live with it”.

I slid the knife across side
of my left wrist. A thin, red line appeared and the blood began to seep out and
down my arm.

“Now say the words Harry,”
Isaac coaxed.

“What words? I don’t know
what to say.” I looked at him in confusion.

“Just think about your
intentions for Hilde and what the bond should accomplish.” Isaac looked at me
patiently. The blood had begun to drip from my arm to the floor. The crowd
grew restless. It was probably not a good idea to prolong things more than I
had to.

I chewed my lip in thought
for a moment then said,

“
Hilde, I bind you to my house.

On pain of death be true.

Defend me and mine until death,

in good faith and without deceit
.”

I held my wrist to Hilde and
she latched onto it hungrily, her tongue darting out to lick where the blood
had run down my arm. Nash growled, but held still. After a minute, I put my
hand on her chest beside her wound to push her gently away.

“You’re mine,” I said, giving
a push with my power. “You will allow no harm to come to me. Now be whole.”
My hand tingled and there was a small flash of light. The crowd murmured
loudly. I pulled my hand back as if I had received an electric shock. Hilde
wiped the blood from her mouth, a look of surprise on her face. She put her
hand to her chest and smiled. The knife wound was healed. Wow! That was
new. I didn’t know I could do that.

I risked a look at Salvador.
His face was a cold mask, but his eyebrows gave away his surprise. “Enough! We
are done here.” He clapped his hands and the crowd began to disperse.

I turned, hoping to blend in
and make my way to the door just as Nash’s hand clamped on my arm. “You and I
are going to have words,” he hissed at me, tugging me along.

“Not you, Harry.” Salvador’s
voice was sharp. “Oh, and Detective Nash, I do believe we also have some
business to discuss.” He turned and headed towards the private elevator that
would take him upstairs to the club above, not waiting to see if we followed.

“Here, Harry,” Isaac said,
handing me a handkerchief. Yeah, that’s how he rolled, old school. “Will you
allow me to…” He gestured to my wrist. I nodded and held it out to him,
earning another growl from Nash.

“Would you rather I drip
blood everywhere in a club full of vampires?” I looked at him expectantly.

Nash clenched his jaw and
turned away. Isaac grasped my wrist and laved it with his tongue. It
instantly healed. If only we could bottle the wonder that was vampire spit.
We’d make a fortune.

“Thanks, Isaac,” I said,
mopping off my arm the best I could before cleaning off my katana. I held out
his now bloodied handkerchief and gave him a sheepish grin. I didn’t have
anywhere to put it.

“You’re most welcome Harry,”
he said, taking the cloth and stuffing it into his pocket. “And thank you.”
He put an arm around Hilde’s shoulders.

“Thank you, thank you,
Harry.” Hilde threw her arms around me. “I will defend you to my last death
and bake you the best bread you have ever tasted.” She smiled.

I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re welcome, Hilde. I guess I should say welcome to the family.”

Isaac pulled the exuberant
Hilde off me. “You should go, Harry. Best not to keep Salvador waiting.”

“Yeah, you’re right. So, I
guess…” I looked over at a scowling Nash. “I guess I have a ride home,
so you can go on without me.” Nash snorted. I shot him a glare, but he just
stared back at me, his eyebrows rising. I turned back to look at Hilde. “Isaac
will find someplace for you to spend the day.” I looked at
Isaac.

He nodded. “Not to worry,
Harry. We’ll work something out.”

Nash grabbed my arm
impatiently. “Come on Harry, quit stalling. His highness is going to be
getting impatient.” He dragged me towards the elevator.

The bell dinged and the doors
opened immediately. Salvador must have sent it back down for us. We stepped
inside, Nash releasing my arm to punch a code into the panel as the doors slid
shut. I leaned back against the wall and crossed my arms, waiting for Nash’s
outburst. He turned and leaned against the side wall and looked at me, his
lips drawn, his brow furrowed. He was pissed.

“Well, come on,” I said.
“Let’s have it.”

The elevator ride seemed to
go on forever.

Nash narrowed his eyes, his
nostrils flaring as he took in a deep breath. Finally, the elevator dinged
again. We were at our floor. Nash strode out the moment the doors slid open,
stopping with his hand on the door frame. “Trust me Harry, I will certainly let
you have it.” He gave me a scorching look that almost made my knees buckle and
then stalked away. I stood for a moment as heat flooded through my body. I
wasn’t sure if he was planning on fucking me or punishing me or both. And
didn’t the ‘all of the above’ answer just turn my crank? I took another deep
breath, leaping for the elevator door as the bell rang and it began to slide
closed.

I hurried out the door and
into a large foyer. I had no clue where I was. A semi-darkened hall to the
left seemed to lead to a large open spaced room with floor to ceiling windows.
I could hear glasses clinking and the low purr of Salvador’s voice, so I followed
the sounds down the hall and stepped out into the room. I gaped, looking
around at the swanky apartment. I had expected to get out in Salvador’s
private lounge above the club, but instead, the elevator had carried us all the
way up to the penthouse and what must be Salvador’s private quarters.

“Ah, there she is,” Salvador
was standing at a small butler’s cart, helping himself to some ice for his
drink. He waved the ice tongs at me. “Come in, Harry. Don’t be shy.” He fixed
me with a stare. “Or perhaps I should call you Angharad Grainne, as I am
particularly miffed with you.”

I winced. It’s not that I
didn’t like my name, although I did prefer Harry, but I certainly didn’t want
Salvador whipping out my first and middle names so he could scold me like,
well, like he was my father or something.

“Really Salvador,” I said as casually
as I could, shooting a quick glance at Nash. “I’m not a child.” Nash, who was
standing with his back to me looking out over the lights of the city, snorted
and then took a long swallow from his glass.

Salvador looked at me, a
calculating smile on his face. His eyes flicked to Nash and then back to me as
he realized that Nash didn’t know about our familial connection. His eyes
narrowed in thought for a moment and then he shrugged as if deciding to let me
get away with my little omission to Nash. He lifted a crystal decanter from
the cart and splashed some scotch or whatever it was into his glass. “Would
you care for a drink Harry?”

I licked my lips. “I’d kill
for a shot of tequila right about now.” It was about the only alcohol that
gave me a brief buzz with my whacked out metabolism. I moved further into the
room, keeping my distance from both Nash and Salvador, to perch on the rounded
arm of the white leather sectional. With a little nod of his head, Salvador
reached into the bottom cupboard of the cart and pulled out a distinctive
looking bottle. “Geez, Salvador, don’t waste the good stuff on me,” I said,
eyeing the amber-gold liquid. It was Gran Patron Burdeos. I’d heard of it,
but at about six hundred bucks a bottle, I had never tried it.

Salvador raised an eyebrow
and gave me a patronizing look. “Perhaps it is time to develop your palate, my
dear.” He poured me a rather generous shot into a low glass and held it out to
me. I rose and walked over to take it from him, being careful to ensure my
fingers didn’t touch his. Salvador grinned, aware of my awkward attempt to
avoid contact with him. He raised his own glass in salute. “
Salud
!”

I raised my glass in
response. “Here’s mud in your eye.” I sipped the amber liquid cautiously, not
wanting to repeat the mistake I made previously when I tossed back some of
Salvador’s twenty-one year old Irish single-malt and it burned all the way
down. Surprisingly, this sip was smooth and sweet. I smacked my lips, tasting
vanilla and raisins with a woody finish. “Nice,” I said, nodding my head in
appreciation. Salvador smiled and indicated I should sit down. I glanced at
Nash who had yet to turn around. I guess I was getting the cold shoulder.
With a little shrug, I slipped down the buttery soft leather and took a seat,
leaning back, the leather quickly warming against my bare skin. I crossed my
legs casually, hopefully exuding more calm than I felt. It took a large amount
of concentration to just keep my heart from racing.

“I must commend you, Harry,”
Salvador said, taking another slow drink. “I did not think you were as,” he
tipped his head from side to side, “ruthless, shall we say, as to plan
tonight’s little entertainment.”

I gaped at him in surprise,
or at least what I hoped looked like surprise. “I really don’t…” I fell
silent at Salvador’s raised eyebrow. Wow, he was really taking to the whole annoyed
parent role like a natural. I swallowed, my mouth feeling like it was filled
with dust. Stalling for time, I took another sip of tequila, letting it roll
around in my mouth for a moment to bring out the flavours. I noticed Nash had
turned to watch Salvador and me, his expression curious. “It was Isaac’s
idea,” I finally admitted. “Hilde is his friend, as you are probably aware,
and she’s tired of being a sex toy for dirty old men. Besides, I needed a
baker.”

“I see. And Petyr?” Salvador
set his drink on the table and sat back, one arm resting on the back of his
seat. “Whose idea was it to use Petyr?”

I shrugged. “He was going to
be a problem. We thought it best to deal with him before the Mariposa’s
arrival.” I fixed him with a stare, daring him to disagree.

“Perhaps,” he tilted his head
in a little shrug. “And the other? The one you sent to his final death?”

“He was trying to kill me.”
I sounded so blasé about it, but it was true, he was trying to kill me so I
killed him first. It was kill or be killed and I’d do it again in a heartbeat,
if I had no other choice.

Salvador fixed me with a
penetrating stare. After a moment, he nodded as if he saw something he liked.
“
Bueno
.” He reached for his drink and raised his glass to me. “Well
played,
Pequeña
.” I tossed back the rest of my tequila, almost
wishing for the burn of the cheap stuff. Salvador turned and looked at Nash.
“Detective! So quiet. Come, come!” He waved Nash over to a seat. “Join us.
Sit with your…
Mate
.” He put an emphasis on the word so you could hear
the capital letter.

Nash took one last, long drink and set his glass down on the
butler cart before walking around the sectional. He reached out with his hand
as he passed behind me, his fingers skimming over my shoulder and across his
mark. A shiver ran down my spine and I brushed his hand away, frowning at him.
He returned my glare, his face impassive, but I knew the anger was still there,
simmering below the surface.

He sat down beside me, putting himself between me and
Salvador. His thigh rubbed against mine, making my leg tingle and I jumped up
from my seat. “I need another drink. Can I get anyone a refill?” I grabbed
my glass and headed over to the cart, avoiding eye contact with either Nash or
Salvador as I busied myself with pouring a generous dose of tequila into my
glass.

“So tell me Detective, what news is there on our little
problem?”

I barked out a surprised laugh and then tried to cover it with a fake cough. Of course
Salvador would call the violent death of four norms a ‘little problem’. He had
referred to the whole DiCastro debacle as a ‘little zombie problem’.

Nash leaned forward, his face serious. “The coroner has
confirmed that both female bodies had vampire bites on the inner thigh. We had
her go back and re-examine the neck injuries on all the victims and it is her
belief that the damage was done post-mortem as a means to try and disguise the
fact that at least three, possibly four vampires fed on the victims.”

Salvador swore, at least I think he did, but it was mostly
in his mother tongue and to my grade twelve Spanish it sounded like someone had
done something nasty to the communion wafers.

Nash waited patiently until Salvador’s Spanish rant lost
steam. “We need to lock this down, Salvador.”

Salvador turned a cold stare towards Nash. “I am aware of
this, Detective. I can assure you that none of my people are to blame. They
are under strict orders to feed only in a designated club. Anyone found
feeding elsewhere will be spiked.”

Nash gave Salvador an impressed look. Whatever spiking was,
it must have been a really good deterrent. “So do you think that this is an
advance party for the Mariposa?”

“Yes,” Salvador nodded. “It certainly is her style.”

“So why are you letting this bitch come here?” I spoke
aloud without realizing it.

“I am not
letting
her do anything.” Salvador said,
his voice harsh. “The Mariposa does as she pleases. We will just have to
weather the storm, minimize the damage and present a united front when the time
comes.” He sounded almost resigned. It was scary, but only because he didn’t
sound scary.

I mulled over Salvador’s words. Something was bothering
me. “Omigod! She’s coming here to try and steal your territory!” I tossed
back another shot of tequila, forgetting to sip it.

Salvador smiled at me indulgently, like I was a small child
that had finally grasped a difficult concept. “Yes Harry, she will make a play
for Riverton and the surrounding territory. She wishes a foothold in North
America and thinks that I may be ripe for the picking.”

“Why would she think that?” I was genuinely confused.
Salvador didn’t particularly come across as weak.

“We had a parting of the ways years ago, a falling out of
sorts when we began to disagree on some fundamental principles. Catalina views
any deviation from the way she does things as a sign of weakness.”

“Catalina?”

“Yes, she has a name, like anyone else. Catalina Gutierrez,
although if you call her that, she will probably gut you Harry, so beware.”
Salvador gave me another patient look.

“Fine, fine.” I raised my hands in front of me in a calming
motion. “I’ll try to remember not to piss off the woman who calls herself the ‘butterfly
of death’.” I air quoted the last bit.

Nash smirked and then quickly covered it with a frown. I threw
him a cheeky grin and he winked at me. Good. Maybe it was a sign that he
wasn’t as angry with me as he was earlier.

The wheels still turning, I
frowned again. I should have skipped the third shot of tequila because my head
was feeling a little fuzzy. “But why now? You said your falling out was years
ago.” Salvador looked at me patiently, an eyebrow cocked. It took a minute,
but the wheels finally clicked over. “Oh! Ohhhhhh, right. The whole
necromancer thing.” Great, so some psychotic vampire and her entourage were on
their way to Riverton and it was all my fault. Peachy. I walked back around the
couch and sat down beside Nash, his warmth beside me a comfort.

Salvador took pity on me.
“There are many reasons, Harry. The fact that you are a necromancer is just a
mere convenience.”

“So what do we do in the
meantime?” Nash sat forward again. “Their goal is obviously to disrupt our
relationship with the norms, to stir things up and it’s definitely working.
The mayor is on the war path.” He ran a hand through his hair. “There is no
rhyme or reason to the attacks, no way to predict or prevent them.”

I shook my head. “Sure there
is. There definitely is a pattern.” Nash turned to look at me, surprised.
“What? It’s all over the news,” I said defensively. Nash gave me a skeptical
look, like he knew there was more and I was holding out on him. I bit my
bottom lip and then gave little shrug. “And maybe I hacked into RPD’s
server and read your filed reports.” Okay, so I sort of fudged that last bit,
but Nash would know it was Bryce that really did the hacking. There was no
need for Salvador to know that little fact. Nash scowled, but I rushed on.
“All the victims have been surburbanites, killed when they were away from home,
out of their safe zones, but still in places they frequent often enough to
consider them safe - the 24-hour gym, the all-night diner, the bar, the late-night
pharmacy. These are the sorts of places we need to watch.”

Nash gave me an incredulous
look. “Do you know how many places fit that criteria? Over a hundred
probably.” He shook his head. “We don’t have the manpower to watch that many
places. I can’t just send the norm units into a possible situation where they
will have to face down vampires.”

“You don’t have the RPD
manpower, but what about Cimmerian manpower? What about members of the SRU?
There must be other vamps that we know can be trusted to help patrol and I’m
sure some werewolves would volunteer. Salvador could speak to the Conclave and
get some battle mages assigned as well.” I looked at Salvador. He was slowly
nodding his head as the idea took root. “You said we had to be united. Well,
let’s unite then. If we flood as many areas as we can with regular patrols,
maybe we can discourage the monsters from hunting.”