"You have a plan?" Victor asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
"Yes," Eric replied calmly, "you can't run forever, and Felipe will always be hunting you. You can't stay in one place either, so the best course of action is to make everyone believe you are dead. This way, we won't have to worry about anyone spying on you while we strategize. You and your most trusted vampires must go into hiding for about a year while we lay our groundwork. After all, no one plans for an enemy they think is dead."
Victor considered this. "Okay, how do we do it?" he asked, finally sitting down for the first time, his eyes narrowing in thought.
"I have a warehouse on the outskirts of New Orleans," Eric began, his voice steady. "It has a hidden tunnel that leads to a safe house. I will arrange for travel coffins for you and the others. You'll be transported to a farmhouse I own in Sweden."
"All that sounds well and good, but how do we make Felipe believe I'm dead?" Victor pressed, anxiety creeping into his tone.
"Felipe is a coward at heart; he will avoid a confrontation if possible. Any plan allowing him to eliminate you without suffering losses in his retinue will be appealing. I propose we confirm your presence in the warehouse, then blow it up with you inside," Eric suggested, a smirk creeping onto his lips as he leaned back in his chair.
Victor couldn't help but chuckle. "By the time it goes up in flames, we'll be in the tunnel on our way to the safe house."
"Exactly. With your vampire speed, you'll already be at the safe house by the time the warehouse explodes," Eric added, his eyes glinting with mischief. "And with Sookie confirming you were still inside when it happened, why would Felipe believe otherwise?" He shot a playful glance at Sookie.
"Now you just have to get Felipe to agree to it," she muttered, her brow furrowing in thought.
"Agree? No, no, no. Felipe will need to think it's his idea. All I have to do is get him to decide that this course of action is the best way to avoid an open fight with the rest of Victor's retinue."
Victor leaned forward, intrigued. "Ah, I see… by blowing up the warehouse, Felipe can deny all knowledge of my true death."
"Exactly! Things tend to explode, especially a warehouse that used to deal with the packaging of lighter fluids," Eric said with a grin. He walked over to the fridge, retrieved a bottle of true blood, and popped it in the microwave. "Tomorrow night, you and the vampires you want with you in Sweden need to spend a few hours at the warehouse. Use that time to start planning. After that, quietly wrap up your affairs." Eric drained the bottle with a grimace.
"What about if he discovers I have drained my account," Victor asked. He wanted to leave no suspicion of his continued existence.
"It doesn't matter if Felipe finds out your funds have vanished; we can always theorize that your backup plan, should your overthrow fail, was to flee. With me monitoring the warehouse, we can control what Felipe..."
"Believes happened at the warehouse," Victor finished, a glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes.
"Exactly," Eric said, nodding.
"Wouldn't it be better if we had some proof? Like papers that Eric's man can photograph, showing Victor's plan?" Sookie suggested though she knew the question was stupid. After all, vampires had perfect recall; they didn't need to write anything down.
"It isn't something I would do, and Felipe knows that," Victor replied, dismissing the idea. "Look at Compton; leaving a paper trail was what led to his true death." He added this last part smugly.
Sookie couldn't help but think that blindly trusting Eric, a vampire he hated a few weeks ago, was also beyond foolish.
"We'll be at the warehouse tomorrow," Victor said as he stood to leave. Eric, thank you. When the time comes, you can have Louisiana back."
"No, thank you, but I have someone in mind for the position," Eric laughed. Victor nodded before making his exit.
"Felipe is an idiot," Eric groused, loud enough for Victor to hear.
"You can say that again; he doesn't know what he has in Victor," Sookie added, trying to suppress a smile.
No longer able to feel Victor's mind, Sookie felt a sense of relief wash over her. "Three nights can't come soon enough," she murmured, her mind racing.
"You have nothing to worry about," Eric reassured her. "This is Felipe's worst nightmare. The fact that he thinks he has our support and more information than he actually does works in our favor. Felipe needs us, and that is a good thing indeed." He leaned closer, brushing a soft kiss on her forehead. "Remember, this was your plan. So far, your strategies have been spot on."
"It was also a spur-of-the-moment plan," she reminded him.
"Sookie, stop worrying. We are good." He settled down next to her, radiating confidence.
"What would you say if I told you I had a plan for Felipe?" Sookie asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Eric erupted into laughter. "Let's hear it," he managed to say, still chuckling. He had a plan in place but wanted to hear Sookie's.
"We should kidnap Sebastian," she declared, her tone serious.
Eric looked at her with a mix of awe and amusement. "Pam is right. You Stackhouses are scary," he chuckled. "I was planning to ask you to get Sebastian out of court the next day after we deal with Victor. We can't afford to waste time; Felipe will be back in Nevada the next night. I have everything for your kidnapping already in place. Alcide is taking the lead."
"So, I'm going to be kidnapped alongside him?" Sookie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I think it's best. Suppose, by some miracle, Sebastian manages to escape. In that case, I want him to claim you were also a target, not the mastermind behind everything," Eric explained.
"That makes sense," Sookie admitted, impressed by the logic.
Eric leaped onto the balcony that led to Sebastian's quarters and knocked on the door. "Sheriff," Sebastian greeted, surprised to see him.
"Call Felipe," Eric ordered, taking a seat.
"Yes, of course." Sebastian quickly grabbed his phone and texted Felipe. Eric didn't have to wait long for Felipe to arrive.
"What do you have for me?" Felipe asked, extending his hand for the file Eric held.
"It's as we suspected," Eric replied, handing over the file. Felipe flipped through Mustapha Khan's photographs, his expression shifting from curiosity to concern.
"I've been monitoring Victor's movements, and earlier tonight, he and these seven disappeared for several hours. I'm still struggling to believe Victor…" Sebastian scoffed under his breath, but in the presence of vampires, the quiet of his disdain was futile; they caught every sound.
"You're not surprised by this?" Eric directed his gaze toward Sebastian, intrigued.
"No, I'm not surprised. I talk to the humans around the court, and none have anything good to say about Victor. Most think he's always believed he could do better…" Sebastian replied, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Like being the monarch," Eric finished, a knowing look in his eyes.
"Oh, he thinks he's far superior to his current position," Sebastian added, his disdain for Victor evident.
After a moment of silence, Felipe broke it with a heavy sigh. "These seven and Victor single-handedly took this court." Eric remained silent, fully aware of that piece of information. It was one reason he had encouraged Victor to bring along his retinue. Secondly, these seven were unlikely to believe Victor had faked his death without their knowledge. Getting them out hadn't been part of the original plan, but it was a splendid bonus.
"Eric, I want you to personally monitor Victor's activities tomorrow night," Felipe ordered, his tone firm.
"I planned on it," Eric replied. "Sebastian, you couldn't possibly keep Sookie company tonight while we work?" he asked a hint of mischief in his voice.
"Not at all," Sebastian answered with a bright smile.
"Excellent. I'll call Sookie; she will join you shortly." Eric said as Sebastian left the room.
"I can have some of my best here tomorrow night. We can get everything set up and take them in the warehouse in a night or two," Eric proposed.
"No," Felipe interrupted. "It'll turn into a bloodbath with those vampires. They're formidable fighters, and Victor spent decades gathering them." Eric was also aware of that. The oldest in that group was seven hundred years old and was one hell of a fighter.
"So you don't want them held?" Eric pressed his brow furrowing.
"No, I want them all destroyed," Felipe growled, pacing the room. Eric said nothing, waiting for Felipe to devise a plan before offering his own.
"Who does the warehouse belong to?" Felipe asked suddenly.
"I have no idea; I believe it's owned by a company that closed it down over a decade ago. It still might belong to them," Eric replied, shrugging.
"Are you thinking about taking them and the warehouse down? A fire wouldn't spread fast enough to trap them all. With vampire speed…" Eric started but Felipe interrupted.
"No, I'm thinking of blowing it up with them inside," Felipe said, a gleam of determination lighting up his eyes.
"That might not get all of them," Eric countered, playing devil's advocate.
"No, but we could have the warehouse surrounded. Any vampire that escapes can be taken down," Felipe declared, his confidence growing. "I believe you have two snipers in your retinue," Eric acknowledged, impressed by Felipe's strategic thinking. Felipe was proving to be more astute than Eric initially believed. He had thought he would be the one to propose the idea of blowing up the warehouse. In the end, Felipe had done exactly what Eric had hoped for. This was turning into the best possible outcome.
Victor and the other vampires sat in tense silence, waiting for the ruse to unfold. "Felipe is an ungrateful bastard," Shinji muttered, his katana glinting ominously in the dim light. The Japanese vampire was the oldest, and his deadly reputation preceded him.
"In less than a year, Felipe might very well meet his true death at the end of your sword," one of the younger vampires remarked, trying to lighten the mood.
Shinji's facial muscles twisted into a semblance of a smile, but it was short-lived. "They're here," his progeny announced, his acute hearing picking up on the distant sounds of movement. The vampires moved to the tunnel. "The telepath has confirmed our presence." With that, they all vamped through the escape tunnel, nearly reaching the safe house when a series of explosions rocked the night air.
As expected, eight travel coffins awaited them. Eric's day man, Mustapha Khan, would assist during the day, and a private charter was arranged to take them to Sweden. The vampires found bagged blood in the fridge, and although there wasn't much else, it didn't bother them in the slightest.
"You're back," Sebastian said excitedly as Eric, Sookie, and Felipe entered Felipe's office.
"Yes, it took ten minutes," Eric gloated, pleased with the outcome. Now, do you understand that you have been with Felipe since sundown?" Sebastian nodded eagerly, a bright smile lighting up his face. He knew his turning was just around the corner.
"Yes, you can smile; your turning will occur tomorrow night, the second we return home. It's best to get it out of the way before anything else arises," Felipe added, his tone serious yet encouraging.
"We should go out tomorrow; it's your last day in the sun," Sookie suggested, her eyes sparkling enthusiastically.
"Oh, that's a brilliant idea," Sebastian replied, practically bouncing with excitement as he looked around the room, eager to seize the moment.
"Excellent! Sookie, let's go for dinner. You haven't eaten, and it's something when the vampire has to remind you to eat," Eric chuckled, shaking his head.
"You're not alone there," Felipe chimed in. I'm constantly reminding Sebastian to eat. Tomorrow afternoon, enjoy your favorite meal and your time with Miss Stackhouse; you won't see her for a while." Sebastian looked around, puzzled.
"Sookie smells exceptionally sweet; you might lose control in her presence," Eric teased, winking at her.
"Oh," was Sebastian's only response, the realization dawning on him.
"I swear to God, if you tell me how sweet I smell when you see me, I will kick you," Sookie threatened, her voice playful yet firm.
"Better prepare yourself for that kick," Eric warned, chuckling as he leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying the banter. "There's no way you won't mention her smell."
It was just after sunup that Mustapha, Warren, and Alcide arrived to collect the travel coffins. They transported the coffins to the warehouse, where Victor was chained to a table next to Bill, secured by silver chains, ensuring he remained incapacitated. The other seven vampires were similarly restrained, wrapped tightly in silver chains, and left on the floor.