The Chaos Order (Fanghunters Book Three) (5 page)

Miranda stared at Trixie’s limp body with an open mouth as Dom went by. “What happened to Trixie?” she asked, her eyes brimming with concern.

“She took one for the team,” Dom said.

“We should get her up to her room immediately,” Vincent suggested, placing a hand on Miranda’s shoulder.

Miranda turned to face him. “Vinny!” she gasped before wrapping her arms around him.

Dom suppressed a chuckle.
Vinny!?

“Hello to you too, Miranda,” Vincent said, hugging her back.

“What on earth have you done this time, you old fool?”

Vincent sighed. “The same as usual, I’m afraid. Taking on dark forces at the expense of others.”

“You’ll never learn.”

Vincent pulled away and gave her a sincere stare. “It’s my nature.”

Miranda gave him a shake of her head in return.

“I take it you’ve been aiding the youngsters,” Vincent then said to her as they both turned and followed Dom inside.

Miranda nodded. “Who else can you rely on to pull off a rescue mission?”

Vincent chuckled. “Indeed. You definitely have a knack for these things, my dear, that’s for certain.”

“That’s why you pay me so well.”

“Indeed. And you’ll definitely be getting a bonus for this. Now, if you could be a dear and beef up security around here I would be most grateful.”

“I think I could see to that. How many guys do you need?”

“Oh, around thirty I’d say.”

“Thirty! Blimey, you expecting a war?”

“Possibly. I’d prefer to have backup just in case we find ourselves sucked into any local skirmishes. The Great Unveiling is finally underway and things are going to get a
little
crazy from now on.”

Miranda’s mouth became an O. “Are they now?” she said, her voice laced with irony. “Well, if that’s the case, I better get a move on then.”

“Absolutely, Miranda. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to see to Trixie.”

“Yes, I think you better tend to the poor dear.”

Vincent gave her a grave stare. “Indeed.”

Miranda flipped out her phone and turned away to make some calls.

Vincent strode past her toward the back entrance. Dom was already up the main stairs and heading for Trixie’s room.

Vincent swiftly followed up. “I’ll get the door for you, my boy,” he said, moving ahead of Dom.

“If you could,
Vinny
,” Dom replied.

Vincent grumbled under his breath and then scuttled along the corridor. He swung Trixie’s door open, clearing the way for Dom. While Dom stepped inside, Vincent flicked on the light.

Trixie then started mumbling something to herself.

“It’s all right, Trixie,” Dom said as he began laying her down on her bed. “It’s your bed.”

Her eyes then snapped open in horror. She laid them on Dom’s grinning face. Dom gave her a wink. She immediately swung her palm across the air. Before Dom could react, he caught a slap on the cheek. His smile was wiped from his face in a flash.

He dropped her down on her bed and shot a hand up to his burning cheek. “Ow! What the hell was that for? You gone nuts?”

“Get away from me!” she snapped in alarm.

“Hey, I’m just trying to help! You’re hurt, you need to lie down.”

“I know what you’re up to!” she sneered.

“Up to? What the hell—”

“It’s all right, Dominic,” Vincent interjected, placing a calm hand on Dom’s upper arm. “She’s a tad delirious. Leave her to me.”

“She’s all yours,” Dom said, stepping back. “Man, that’s gratitude for ya!” He turned away, rubbing his reddening cheek.

Vincent placed a hand on Trixie’s clammy forehead, and her frantic eyes instantly mellowed. Soon after, her breathing became shallow. “It’s all right, Trixie,” Vincent whispered. Her eyes closed, and in seconds, she was drifting off to sleep once more. Vincent glanced back at Dom.

Dom puffed his cheeks. “Man, she’s in a bad way.”

Vincent nodded. “Yes. Her courage is astounding.”

“So’s her strength,” Dom noted, still rubbing his hot cheek.

Vincent pulled the covers out from beneath her and laid them over her. She instinctively grabbed them and pulled them up to her face.

“We better leave her to rest,” Vincent suggested. “But, we’ll need her wounds tended to.”

“Eddie must still be at Sun. I’ll give him a call and get him to send one of the med guys over.”

“Good idea. Get an update on Rufus’ condition as well.” Vincent sighed and stood upright, his gaze fixed on Trixie. “Thanks for coming back and saving us, Trixie,” he said to her.

“Anytime, Daddy,” she replied in a voice slurred with sleepiness, her eyes shut tight.

Vincent turned and faced Dom. “Come on, let’s leave her in peace,” he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

“
E
ddie?”

“Dom! Where are you? Are you okay? What happened? I’ve been going nuts here!”

“Woah, woah, buddy, I’m all right. I’m back at the mansion.”

“Thank God. I thought I’d never see... Never mind all that crap, you’re safe
,
that’s all that matters. Did you find Vincent?”

“Yeah, we got him, bro, he’s here with me at the mansion. Trixie got a little beat up though.”

“Oh man. She okay?”

“Yeah. Actually, no. She’s hurt, but she’ll make it. I’ll need you to get one of the med guys down here to fix her up.”

“Yeah, no problem, I’ll send someone over ASAP. So what happened? There was a killer storm this morning downtown, it was like the apocalypse.”

“Leviah is dead. That’s what happened. The Blood Order is kaput.”

“What? How?”

“Trixie. That’s how. Look, things might start to get a bit wild from here on out so you gotta stay safe, buddy, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“How’s Rufus?”

“Considering he’s been used as a bullet sponge, he’s doing good. Been here the whole night with him.”

“Think he’ll make it?”

“Not sure. He’s breathing, that’s the main thing; we’re keeping a close eye on him.”

“That’s good to hear, buddy. Me and Vincent will be over soon to check on him.”

“Hey, man, it’s so good to hear your voice, I haven’t slept since you left for that frickin building.”

“Me neither!”

“Ha ha. I’m just so glad you’re alive.”

“Yeah, me too, buddy. Me too.”

CHAPTER FOUR

D
on César, the Grand Master of the Chaos Order Inner Circle, stepped into the conference chamber of her mountaintop hideaway. The Grand Dons, who each oversaw the cartels of their respective Central and South American country, were already gathered around the conference table. On entering, each of them stood from their seat and bowed their heads.

César patted her hands on the air. “Be seated,” she said.

The dons retook their seats and César stepped over to her own. On sitting, she placed her palms down on the surface of the oak table, her fingers splayed. “We must thank the Unholy Mother for her blessings, for this gift she has bestowed upon us; this gift of immortality, of ageless power and foresight.”

They all bowed their heads in acknowledgment.

“
La
Madre Impía
,” each vampire said in unison.

They then fell silent and Don César commenced the meeting. “My thanks to all of you for making the journey up this mountain,” she began. “It’s not easy traveling in shadow, but tonight is a special occasion.” As she spoke, she stared into the eyes of every vampire seated at the round table alongside her.

“Why have you dragged us all here, César?” an impatient Don Vasquez asked.

César adjusted herself in her seat. “Word has reached us that the Blood Order has fallen. Their leader, Leviah, the blood guzzler, has been killed.”

“Bullshit!” Don Emilio responded.

César gave him a dark stare. “The rumors are correct, Emilio. Our contacts in Chicago have reported an incident. Leviah is dead. Already, the Dragons are moving in to replace the Bloods.”

Emilio lounged back in his seat. “So if this is true, what do we do? Leviah was an ally.”

César’s answer was immediate. “We strike. It’s our only choice.”

“But, if the Dragons are already there, then we’ll have to fight them,” Vasquez stated.

“So? You scared, Vasquez?” asked Don Ramirez.

Vasquez gave her a hard stare. “Me? Scared? My Mexican soldiers will have the Dragons for breakfast. How long will your Honduran assholes last?”

César raised her hands. “Enough of the bullshit! This is our greatest opportunity to finally take control over the North. We mustn’t let the Dragons have it. They’ll become too powerful.”

Don Julio then spoke up. “If
we
could take it, we’d have our hands on the mightiest military force on the planet.”

César nodded. “And we can do as we please.”

“We’ll become Gods,” Julio said with a wicked grin, his eyes flashing with drunken power.

“We already are Gods,” César countered. “We are just not yet rulers of our Kingdom. But soon, we will be. Our patience is finally being rewarded. Once we have it all under our control, we’ll release the chaos, then rebuild a sunless world.”

“What do we do next, César?” Julio asked, leaning in, his eyes wide.

“We need to work together,” César answered. “Tell your lieutenants to call temporary truces. No more soldiers fighting on the streets. First we need to send Magdalena’s gifts to America. Let them spread far and wide. We’ve already activated some of our sleeper cells in Chicago, but they need backup. I want one of you to go to Chicago with your crew and stop the Dragons from taking over. Who among us will be the one to make the journey to fight?”

The dons all glanced at one another. At first, no one answered.

Then, “I’ll do it,” Don Ramon said, speaking for the first time.

Their heads all turned his way. César’s face brimmed with surprise.

“You? You’ve only just joined our ranks,” Vasquez stated, looking Ramon up and down.

“Let me show you all what I’m capable of,” Ramon said. “Let me show my appreciation of what you’ve given me. I’ll go to Chicago and fight the Dragons. And I’ll beat them for you. For us all.”

“Thank you for your offer, Ramon,” César said. She turned to the others. “Do we all agree on Don Ramon being the one among us to head North?”

She was greeted by unanimous nods of the head. Vasquez shrugged, then nodded his approval.

César clapped her hands together. “Then it’s agreed! Don Ramon will take Los Niños to Chicago to fight against the Dragons.”

Ramon bowed his head in appreciation. This was his time. The Unholy Mother had blessed him with luck to receive such a great opportunity so early in his new life as a vampire. The episode back in the ancient temple was now behind him. It was a brief, terrifying, lonely experience. But, the outcome was immense. More than he’d imagined. The injection of authority, power-lust finally satiated. Immortality. The world now his. A small amount of pain for an eternity of gain.

Already, he could feel the power he wielded in his veins. He couldn’t wait to unleash it on the Dragons and the unsuspecting
gringos
. He envisaged himself becoming a legendary vampire of the Chaos Order. They’d speak his name for centuries to come when their kind finally took the earth for their own.

He grinned at the thought.

Now it was time to make history. And set free the Chaos.

CHAPTER FIVE

D
om entered the lounge area to find Vincent standing in front of the TV; he was watching it with studious eyes, his chin resting in one hand, the remote control clutched in the other.