Kill Wilson (Petersburg Vampires) (20 page)

------

The following afternoon Rio was back in the Harbor Bar,
the barmaid from hell nowhere in sight.

A college-age cutie was working the back room, every
table full. The place was loud, the beer was flowing, and Rio felt a
satisfaction in what he had accomplished so far. The night before he had found
the Wilson compound, the place lit up like the L.A. airport at night, a ten
foot black iron fence surrounding the entire property. He tried not to think
about Amp’s friend’s heads staked to the top of the structure, the inhumanity
of it a reminder of the animals they were dealing with.

He found several areas that would give him sufficient
cover for the mission, as well as a small cave-like formation where he stored
his equipment in watertight bags. He had climbed a tree, giving himself a clear
view of the front of the house, his night vision goggles working perfectly. He
had his sniper rifle with him, and several times he had zeroed in on people coming
and going.

Judging by what he saw, there was some sort of security
on the grounds, although he judged it sloppy. On a scale of one to ten, he
rated the security mechanism of the compound a three. Not good for them, he
thought; very good for us.

Rio stayed in the tree for several hours, keeping a close
record of when the guards made their rounds, the number involved, and what
weapons he saw and could identify. Stiff and growing tired, he climbed back
down, and made the 3 mile walk back to the Tide’s Inn, and slept until late
afternoon.

He sat in the bar for close to an hour, wondering if the
woman would show, and trying to imagine how he would approach her without being
too suspicious.

He needn’t have worried. She came through the door at the
same time as the day before, dressed in designer jeans, a cream sweater, and
hiking boots. Waving at Billy, she continued on into the back, standing and
looking around, nodding at a few people, smiling at the men, and finding Rio at
his corner table. Without hesitation, she walked toward him, stopping with her
hand on the back of the empty chair across from him.

“Looks like a full house today,” she smiled, even better
looking than he had thought. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Please do, I could use the company,” he replied, smiling
at her as she pulled the chair out and sat. The barmaid appeared immediately,
wiping the table off in front of the woman.

“Hey, Miriam, nice to see you?
What can I get you today?” she asked, sticking the rag in her back pocket

“Bridget, you’re looking so grown up. I’m glad they hired
you for the summer. How about having Billy fix me up with a Peppermint Twist,
heavy on the schnapps…and bring my friend another Bud Light, please.”

“Thank you,” Rio said, holding out his hand. “Anrio Peron.”

“I’m Miriam, nice to meet you, Anrio. Didn’t I see you in
here yesterday?”

“I was in here…my first day in town. Not a lot of choices,
although I kind of like the atmosphere. Pretty much what a person expects of Alaska…a
bit of the Wild West mixed with Nantucket.”

She laughed, and Rio was amazed it sounded quite genuine.
This was nothing like he had expected, nothing like the woman Amp had
described.

“I’ve never heard it described better,” she said. “What
brings you to Petersburg, Anrio?”

He had been expecting the question; had prepared his
story carefully.

“I got out of the Army not too long ago, and wasn’t sure
what to do with my life. My mother passed last year, and left me a little
money. I thought before I settle down and make a new life, I’d go see some of
the places I’ve been dreaming about. In the Army I saw Georgia, and Louisiana,
and New York…Iraq, Afghanistan, and South America. Now it’s time to see Alaska,
Hawaii, and maybe Europe.”

Bridget arrived at the table with their drinks, refusing
the twenty dollar bill Miriam offered.

“On Billy,” she whispered. “Enjoy.”

“How about you?” he asked, raising his bottle, and
saluting the bartender with a smile and a nod. “Are you a native Alaskan?”

“Born and raised in Juneau. I’ve been in Petersburg for
several years, came here for a job, and I love the area. It’s quiet, and
friendly, and beautiful.”

“What kind of work do you do?”

“I’m an operations manager for a small business on the
island, a very low key and private company. How long do you plan on being in
town, Anrio?”

She was good at deflecting questions about herself, Rio
thought. He knew she’d been doing it a long time.

“I’m operating on no timetable, open ended ticket all the
way.”

“Have you had the chance to see the entire town?” she
asked.

“Just up and down Main Street.”

Rising, she took his arm, pulling him up. “Come on, I’ve
got all afternoon, let’s go see everything there is in Petersburg. Shouldn’t
take long, but we’ll string it out.”

“For you,” Rio said, handing Bridget a twenty and a wink.
He followed Miriam out of the bar into the bright sunshine. They strolled up
and down the main street, stopping at every store window, Miriam having a tale
or tidbit of gossip about every business and businessman, and most the people
they passed. They ended the walk near the docks, standing in front of the other
bar on the strip.

“This is
Kito’s
Kave
. I understand it used to be a nice place, was owned
years ago by the mayor of Petersburg, Kito something or other, but it’s pretty
much a dive now. Somebody told me back in the early seventies, Kito brought in
a group of strippers from Anchorage or Seattle or somewhere. Petersburg went
wild, the men jamming the place every night, the women petitioning to recall
Kito as mayor. While the girls were here, they set up shop in the Tide’s Inn,
and sold their wares. It was a regular little scandal in Petersburg. One of the
good looking ones stayed behind because she fell in love with one of the Coast
Guard boys, which pissed everyone off all over again. I don’t know what
happened, but I’m sure true love didn’t conquer all.”

“You seem to know everything there is to know about this
town. It must be pretty special to you,” Rio said, the two walking back up the
street.

“It is what it is…where I work, and where I’m pretty much
stuck. I wish I could break away and go somewhere else, but…never mind, that’s
a mood killer, and I’m in about the best mood I’ve been in for years. This was
nice, Anrio. You’re a gentleman, and a nice guy. I’ve truly enjoyed the
afternoon.”

They had arrived back at the start, standing on the
sidewalk in front of the bar.

“Thank you for the tour, I’ve learned more in an
afternoon with you than I ever would have on my own. Do you get to town every
day?” he asked casually, staring into her blue eyes.

“Sometimes, it depends how hard my boss is working me. I
try to get things organized so I can have afternoons and evenings free a few
times a week.
You going
to be around tomorrow?”

“I am. A few beers
helps
me deal
with the weird hours up here.”

She surprised him, and leaned forward, giving him a kiss
on his cheek. “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow. Thank you, Anrio. This was a good,
good day.”

Turning, she walked down the street, and turned into a
lot, disappearing from Rio’s view, his eyes following her the entire way.

Rio sat in the same tree that night, his view of the
Wilson front yard and entrance unobstructed. He would rather have been hidden
at ground level in brush or bushes, but the tall black iron fence prevented a
good view, and if needed, a clean shot. He felt secure where he was, hidden
from the eyes of the security patrols. The tree was three hundred yards away,
close enough to see who was coming and going; far enough not to call attention
to
himself
. Rio was a master of camouflage, confident
in his ability to stay invisible. A person, even knowing he was about, would
have a hard time spotting him.

At one a.m. the routine around the compound was broken,
making Rio sit up and pay attention to what was happening. The front door had
opened, and four of the young vamps were milling around the porch.
 

It didn’t take long for Rio to see the headlights of the
vehicle driving down the road, the bright beams reflecting along the length of
fence, turning and waiting for the gate to swing open. The vamp at the gate leaned
down; checking the car’s inhabitant, then waved it on.

Turning back to the house, Rio saw the front door open,
Miriam and a man Rio had not seen before stepping onto the front porch.

Wilson, Rio thought, staring hard through his binoculars
at the tall man dressed in dark slacks, and dark dinner jacket.

His gaze switched to Miriam’s face, noticing the frown
and steely eyes as the woman watched the approach of the black Escalade. She
had on a beautiful red gown, her hair falling to her shoulders, and she was in
heels that brought her close to the same height as Wilson. A good looking
couple, Rio thought. Although Wilson’s smile looked genuine, Miriam looked like
she was ready to kill. Trouble in paradise, he guessed. Maybe I can find out
what that’s about tomorrow.

The man who exited the passenger side of the vehicle was
taller than Wilson, lean and solid, Rio noticed. A good looking man who moved
with the confidence of a soldier, he thought. Rio had seen the walk, the
self-assurance in Rangers who had been tested in battle, and found worthy.

The two men shook hands warmly, each holding the others
forearm like old friends. Then Wilson introduced Miriam, and the group went
inside, the front door closing behind them. The driver of the SUV drove it
around back to the garage, out of sight of Rio.

Could be a business acquaintance, Rio thought, but he
doubted it. This man…and he
was
certain it was a vampire,
had all the attributes of a fighter…no, a warrior. Rio had a bad feeling in the
pit of his gut, a feeling that he seldom ignored, one that kept him alive more
than once. This isn’t good, he thought. They’ve broken routine, and brought in
an outsider. Could they possibly know we’re out here?

It was going to be a late night.

------

Miriam went through the motions of being the gracious
hostess for the unwelcome guest, giving the man a tour of the house,
introducing him to the various children roaming the hallways, and forcing
herself to speak fondly of Wilson. She had expected to be up all night with the
men, but after her duties were finished, Wilson excused her for the evening,
letting her know she was not needed, or particularly wanted.

Smiling a goodnight to the man and nodding at Wilson, she
left them in the living room as Wilson brought out the Cuban cigars, and turned
on the soft classical music he loved so much.

 
Miriam retired to
the second floor of the house where her bedroom suite was located, changed into
her night clothes, and went into the reading room off of her bedroom. This room
was situated directly above the study Wilson and his friend were sitting in. She
carefully locked the door, and turned the lights on low. Miriam had discovered
years before that the air vent rising from the study was a perfect conduit for
sound she could hear clearly by listening at the floor vent.

It had been a long time since she had eavesdropped on
Wilson, but her curiosity was driving her crazy. She wanted to know the
connection between the two, and why Wilson thought so much of this man that he
would offer her body as some type of enticement? She was on the verge of
running, leaving this life behind, and all she needed was to hear Wilson give
her away.

------

“We may have a problem,” Rio was saying into the phone to
Nikka. He explained about the visitor that had arrived at Wilson’s estate,
described his take on the man’s apparent military bearing, and how the entire routine
around the grounds had changed during the night.

“About an hour after this guy walked through the door,
suddenly the security level picked up. Instead of the haphazard strolling
around the compound by some random vampire, they started patrolling in pairs,
doing complete circuits of the fence. Another thing that is new is they were
armed with shotguns, although to tell you the truth, they didn’t look
comfortable carrying them, as though they’re unfamiliar with the weapon. The
thing is
,
this guy kicked the security into gear immediately,
as though he expects trouble. The good thing is
,
he
didn’t bring any friends with him. The main force is still Wilson’s boys, and I
don’t have a lot of respect for them, at least not the ones I’ve seen.”

“Do you think he brought in a security expert? Maybe his
paranoia is flaring up again,” Nikka asked, her mind going into overdrive.

“Don’t have a clue, Nikka, but that’d be a hell of a
coincidence. It’s something I have to find out from Miriam. Hopefully she’ll
show today. Is Bobby nearby?”

“Yeah, he’s right here. Please be careful, Rio. You’re
not going to be any use to me in several different pieces.”

“Always careful, honey.
It’s
just a job. Don’t forget, the good guys always win. Talk to you tomorrow. Bye.”

“Goodbye, Rio. Good luck.”

“Hey Rio, what’s
shakin
’?”
Robert asked, taking the phone.

“Are you packed and ready to move when I need you?” Rio
asked.

“Affirmative.
 
Bags packed, fatigues laid out, weapons loaded
and locked and ready to go. We have a pilot in town who Amp arranged to be on
call around the clock for an emergency flight to Petersburg.”

“How long will it take to get here, if things begin to come
apart?”

“One hour, from the time you call. Rio, we could just
come over now, find a place to hang out, and be available immediately. We’re
itching to go. There’s nothing to do here but walk around in the woods, and
that’s getting boring as hell.”

“Let’s wait one more night, see if I can find out what’s
going on. We’re real close to going in. I’ll visit with Miriam this afternoon;
then watch them tonight, and tomorrow we’ll make some kind of decisions. Listen
careful, man; if I send you a 911, get your ass over here with the rest of the
infantry, because if I text you, the whole thing is blowing up in my face.”