didn’t pay you himself, so who did?”
Domino stared with fascinated revulsion at his own limbs on the ground in front of him. “Promise you won’t kill me, then I’ll tell you everything.”
“You don’t want me to do that,” Bones said softly. He leaned closer until he was mere inches from Domino’s face. “Because if I let you live, you’ll wish I hadn’t. Or I can kill you here. Much easier that way. See, I believe you when you say you didn’t know what that missile was for. That’s why you get a choice, but either way, you will tell what I want to know.”
I watched as denial, hope, despair, and bitter acceptance flashed on Domino’s face.
“The money was wired, I don’t know who from,” came his flat reply at last. “Max was given an accountnumber to transfer it into, but he didn’t handle it himself. I know this because he kept calling me to see if the money had arrived. It took a few days, and he got impatient and said something about a deadline.”
“Back to the bank wire,” Bones said. “You’re going to give me all of your account numbers, and then the locations of where you store your other merchandise. Make it quick. Don’t want to stand here all bloody night.”
Domino began to strain against Spade, but the other vampire was too strong. “Why do you need all of them? You can take the account it was sent to, but leave the rest alone!”
Bones chuckled, but it wasn’t pleasant. “Why I want them is because I’m taking every last cent you have, along with your life. It’ll be a lesson to others about what will happen to them if they cross me. Now, do you need more incentive to talk?”
Domino swore as he began to spout off numbers, locations, banks, stocks, investments, safety deposit boxes, all but what was hidden underneath his proverbial mattress. Bones took notes, pausing to question in more detail certain nuances. When Domino was finished, he just stared blankly ahead.
Bones rested his hands on either side of Domino’s head, a light touch that belied his intention.
“Now, mate, if you’ve left anything out, or lied to me, you won’t be around when I find out. But you have a son. Drug runner, isn’t he? He won’t be past my reach, and I’ll have no qualms about taking all of my anger out on him, so the next bugger doesn’t try to deceive me when I offer him a fair deal. One last time, have you left anything out?”
“I’d always heard you were a vicious bastard,”Domino said in a dull voice. “All I’ve worked for, gone. My son will have nothing.”
Those pale hands tightened. “He’ll have his life. Unless he was involved in this or tries to collect vengeance on me later, I’ll leave him alone. Last chance.”
Domino must have believed the warning, because three more bank account numbers were revealed in a monotone of resignation. Being an arms dealer paid well. Between the money and the illegal merchandise, Bones was getting millions. No wonder he laughed at my salary.
“Wise choice,” he commented when Domino finished. “If you’ve been truthful, your son is safe from me and mine. Any last words?”
“You’re an asshole.”
Bones just shrugged. “I already knew that.”
Two hard turns later and it was over. I looked away from the head that dropped to the ground next to the rest of Domino’s body.
N INE
I N SPITE OF THE FEVERISH TRACKING OF D OMINO’S accounts to try and pinpoint who supplied the money, we’d come up empty-handed. Whoever it was, he or she was clever. There were ghost companies, fake names, and canceled bank accounts, to name a few of the obstacles we encountered.
Two weeks later, Bones’s cell phone rang. The crescendo should have sounded like a warning, but I’d been concentrating on the papers in front of me.
“Hallo…ah, didn’t recognize the number, Mencheres…”
The name snapped me to attention. What did Bones’s version of a vampire granddaddy want?
Bones’s relaxed features hardened into unreadable
Domino stared with fascinated revulsion at his own limbs on the ground in front of him. “Promise you won’t kill me, then I’ll tell you everything.”
“You don’t want me to do that,” Bones said softly. He leaned closer until he was mere inches from Domino’s face. “Because if I let you live, you’ll wish I hadn’t. Or I can kill you here. Much easier that way. See, I believe you when you say you didn’t know what that missile was for. That’s why you get a choice, but either way, you will tell what I want to know.”
I watched as denial, hope, despair, and bitter acceptance flashed on Domino’s face.
“The money was wired, I don’t know who from,” came his flat reply at last. “Max was given an accountnumber to transfer it into, but he didn’t handle it himself. I know this because he kept calling me to see if the money had arrived. It took a few days, and he got impatient and said something about a deadline.”
“Back to the bank wire,” Bones said. “You’re going to give me all of your account numbers, and then the locations of where you store your other merchandise. Make it quick. Don’t want to stand here all bloody night.”
Domino began to strain against Spade, but the other vampire was too strong. “Why do you need all of them? You can take the account it was sent to, but leave the rest alone!”
Bones chuckled, but it wasn’t pleasant. “Why I want them is because I’m taking every last cent you have, along with your life. It’ll be a lesson to others about what will happen to them if they cross me. Now, do you need more incentive to talk?”
Domino swore as he began to spout off numbers, locations, banks, stocks, investments, safety deposit boxes, all but what was hidden underneath his proverbial mattress. Bones took notes, pausing to question in more detail certain nuances. When Domino was finished, he just stared blankly ahead.
Bones rested his hands on either side of Domino’s head, a light touch that belied his intention.
“Now, mate, if you’ve left anything out, or lied to me, you won’t be around when I find out. But you have a son. Drug runner, isn’t he? He won’t be past my reach, and I’ll have no qualms about taking all of my anger out on him, so the next bugger doesn’t try to deceive me when I offer him a fair deal. One last time, have you left anything out?”
“I’d always heard you were a vicious bastard,”Domino said in a dull voice. “All I’ve worked for, gone. My son will have nothing.”
Those pale hands tightened. “He’ll have his life. Unless he was involved in this or tries to collect vengeance on me later, I’ll leave him alone. Last chance.”
Domino must have believed the warning, because three more bank account numbers were revealed in a monotone of resignation. Being an arms dealer paid well. Between the money and the illegal merchandise, Bones was getting millions. No wonder he laughed at my salary.
“Wise choice,” he commented when Domino finished. “If you’ve been truthful, your son is safe from me and mine. Any last words?”
“You’re an asshole.”
Bones just shrugged. “I already knew that.”
Two hard turns later and it was over. I looked away from the head that dropped to the ground next to the rest of Domino’s body.
N INE
I N SPITE OF THE FEVERISH TRACKING OF D OMINO’S accounts to try and pinpoint who supplied the money, we’d come up empty-handed. Whoever it was, he or she was clever. There were ghost companies, fake names, and canceled bank accounts, to name a few of the obstacles we encountered.
Two weeks later, Bones’s cell phone rang. The crescendo should have sounded like a warning, but I’d been concentrating on the papers in front of me.
“Hallo…ah, didn’t recognize the number, Mencheres…”
The name snapped me to attention. What did Bones’s version of a vampire granddaddy want?
Bones’s relaxed features hardened into unreadable
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