Just to let you know I'm away for a week now so posts may be a little sporadic. Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews, its appreciated. Love Jules xx
Chapter Twenty Six
Aro
I had to admit that killing Maria had been a bad move, we should have sent The Major after Pedro instead. The unrest in Mexico had spread as far as Panama and now threatened Colombia. Of course The Major was happy, if happy was the right word, with all the extra work but it was destabilizing and I knew we would have to go down there ourselves and make our presence known.
Of course Caius was unhappy, he didn't want to be anywhere near The Major's killing fields but it was unavoidable. As we climbed aboard the jet bound for Panama along with the majority of the guard and leaving Marcus in charge I couldn't help feeling a little anxious both of Marcus and The Major.
Jasper
So the great Volturi leaders were coming down here to rally the troops, they needn't have bothered, we'd taken care of the ringleaders after a chase across half of fucking Central America. Peter was still bitching about all the traveling but he knew better than to do it in my hearing, we may be friends but I had a really short temper these days and he knew it. Friends? I hardly knew what the word meant any longer, I just wanted someone at my side who would get the job done without any stupid fucking questions.
We sat watching as the last couple of prisoners slowly burned and he turned to me,
"You ever want out Major?"
I didn't bother looking at him as the smell of burning vampire flesh assaulted my nostrils, it was a stench I knew only too well and hardly even noticed these days.
"Out of what?"
"This, all the fucking killing. Doesn't it ever get on your nerves?"
"Only one thing gets on my nerves Peter, people who ask stupid fuckin' questions."
"Meaning me?"
"If the cap fits. What would you be doing if you weren't here? At home with a wife and family? I don't think so, you'd be long dead and rotting."
"Like our families?"
He knew I never spoke of my human life and I turned to look at him coldly,
"Don't push it Peter. Tell the others to get packed up, we're leaving."
I got up and walked over to my stuff enraged at his words, I tried to remember my human family but I couldn't see them any more. I had buried all thoughts of them once I became a vampire. The Major never had a family, I was alone and that's just the way I liked it. You got ties they could be used against you. I should know, I'd done it myself. All those stupid fucking emotions were just a weakness to me, one to be exploited. I toyed with the idea of taking the Volturi out but life was more interesting with them around. They gave me an outlet for my rage, a rage that never diminished except when I was killing. Then the rage abated for a short while but it always returned and when it did it was eve more intense. Yet I had learned to accept the rage, even embrace it as some men did love. Now that was an emotion I didn't understand nor did I want to.
As we moved out leaving just the legs of our victims still smoldering, without the heads they would just continue to wriggle for hours before finally becoming still though whether they ever died I didn't know, nor did I care.
"Where we goin' Major?"
"Ahead."
It was all Sam would get, he knew better than to repeat a question, that was something his predecessor had done and he was dead. Peter ran at my shoulder keeping pace but not talking, I preferred my own thoughts to conversation. However we hadn't gone far when my cell phone buzzed and I called a halt. The others wandered off to wait., they knew better than to listen in, I'd tell them all they needed to know, only Peter stayed.
"Yeah?"
"Major, we have another job for you."
"I already got one Aro."
"This is rather urgent Major. Humans who have found themselves involved in our world and you know the penalty for that."
"Where and who?"
"A Mr and Mrs Maurice Walker of El Paso. We will be setting down in Panama city soon and you can take it back, save time."
"That urgent? We'll be there."
I put my phone away and whistled the others,
"A job in El Paso. We're hitching a ride in the Volturi plane."
"Must be urgent."
I glared at Ben,
"Get moving."
We set off again Peter still at my shoulder,
"What about the rebels we were chasing?"
"They'll wait. Give 'em time to sweat."
He nodded and the rest of the journey passed in silence.
When we finally reached the airport in Panama City the Volturi had left, only Heidi and the pilot remained waiting for us.
"Aro asked me to give you this Major."
She held out an envelope and I motioned for Peter to take it before brushing past her and up the steps into the jet's interior. He followed me and handed me the sealed envelope which contained my fees, expenses, and details of the family. Husband, a doctor and his wife a charity worker. There were no details of their crime, Aro had told me enough and to be fair I didn't care. There was a photograph which I glanced at and passed to him and an address which was all I needed. The plane took off soon after and I knew we wouldn't see the pilot, we never saw the pilot or any other staff, they wanted nothing to do with me.
When we put down in El Paso it was dark and I gave the men time to hunt, I didn't need to remind them to be circumspect, they knew what would happen should they be seen or their prey be discovered and none of them wanted that. Peter went with them, I preferred to hunt alone after a kill but I wanted my group fed before we spilled human blood. We never bit those we killed, it was too risky, besides that would be too easy a death and I wasn't famous for giving anyone, human or vampire, an easy end. I checked out the address and was pleased to find our targets at home. They had company and I wondered if they were talking about what they suspected or knew.
The others were back a couple of hours later and I gave them their orders.
"Sam, you go round back with Peter, Ben and I will take the front. We'll go in first, you join us once we're in."
"They got company Major. We waitin' for them to leave?"
I turned slowly to look at Sam and he backed away,
"Why would we do that?"
"Just askin'."
"Well don't. I hate questions, now get."
Peter and Sam disappeared round the back of the house while I strolled nonchalantly to the front door and listened.
"Are you sure Maurice? It sounds far fetched."
"I saw it Bill, with my own eyes as I drove home after my shift. This guy came out of nowhere like a ghost and attacked the other guy. He bit him in the neck and I pulled up blowing my horn to attract attention. The attacker dropped the other guy and turned to look straight at me. He had bright red eyes and white skin. Then suddenly he wasn't there any longer. I went to the guy he'd attacked and there was a ragged wound in his throat but no blood. The first guy had sucked all the blood from his victim's body. if that's not a vampire then what is?"
"What did the cops say?"
"They didn't see anything. I turned when I heard the cops siren and when I turned back the body was gone. With no body and no blood they weren't likely to believe me were they? Just told me I was working too hard and escorted me home. I've been terrified ever since. I don't know who to tell, or what, but I can't just forget it."
I smiled and rapped on the door waiting for one of the occupants to answer it. When he did I pushed him back stepping inside followed by Ben.
"Mr Walker?"
"Yes who are you? You can't just come crashing in here."
"I just did. I understand you had an encounter with a vampire."
"What? Where did you hear that?"
"Just answer the question and the rest of you sit the fuck down."
His wife and friends who had gotten up to help subsided helped by Ben's intimidating presence and I turned my attention back to Maurice,
"Well?"
"I saw something yes. Who are you?"
I took off my shades and he cried out in horror at my red eyes,
"That's all I wanted to know, shame you told these people. They can blame you for their deaths."
He tried to struggle out of my grip to reach his wife who along with the other woman were now in Peter and Sam's grasp. They had joined us silently as I spoke.
"No time to say goodbye I'm afraid."
I checked my watch ostentatiously,
"I have somewhere else to be, Ben, finish them."
As their husbands watched Ben snapped both of women's necks and dropped their limp bodies to the carpeted floor. They both screamed in anguish and terror pumped up by me of course. I let go and Maurice tried to run, his guest just pissing himself with fear. I caught the friend and knocked him to the floor breaking both his legs below the knee then did the same with the other.
"You should be more careful, I hear gas can be dangerous."
Ben nodded and went through to the kitchen and I heard as he snapped the gas pipe to the oven then came back in.
"Well, I guess its time for us to leave."
Turning my back I walked to the door and Ben passed me going outside while I pulled from my jacket pocket an old style detonator fuse and crushed it in my hand lobbing it into the house and shutting the door then walking away. The explosion when it came a minute later shook the road under my feet but we just kept walking, our job was done.