Chapter Nine

 

 

 

“Val’s been avoiding me.” Mackie made the complaint to Quinn as they leaned against the dance-floor railing, watching the boys on stage. Wednesday night was the beginning of the weekend for lots of people. The club was filled up with guys trying to get their freaks on.

“Really? He seems so attentive.”

“Huh! Yeah, if you mean he makes sure I’m fed and watered, like I’m a horse or something. That’s the extent of it, though. Oh, and, he took me out shopping yesterday and to my hair appointment. My own personal chauffeur, bodyguard and bag carrier. That service ends at my bedroom door, however.”

It had been only a couple of nights since the jaw-dropping fuck and feed that Val had delivered. What had started out as an arousing, yet sedate, play session had ended in the ride of Mackie’s life. The way Val had claimed his ass had left a deep ache that Mackie could still feel if he tightened his sphincter. The residual reminder of the night was helping him stay strong under the pressure of the battle, but its effects were waning.

He was still processing how he felt about being a feeding source for a real vampire, instead of the pretend one he’d always thought Val to be. He ran his fingertips along the jugular. There was barely any evidence of how the man had sunk his teeth in. “Does it make you come extra hard when Alex drinks your blood?”

Quinn’s eyelids drooped. “Oh, yeah. I mean, I don’t have anything to compare it to other than jerking off, but wow.” He peered at Mackie. “Wait a minute. Are you saying Val drank from your vein?”

On a sigh, Mackie dished what had happened. He’d intended to keep the event private under the assumption Val wasn’t ready to be open about their renewed relationship. Now that it seemed like Mackie had misinterpreted Val’s intent, there was no reason to keep everything on the down-low.

“I didn’t know if Val wanted that to be common knowledge,” he finished. “And I was trying to be a good boy.” He grimaced. “All bets are off now. He’s retreated from any kind of play. Damn, I pushed him too fast.”

Except he hadn’t really been responsible for Val’s epic meltdown that night. Mackie had been as surprised as he had been delighted with how the night had turned out. That was until he slowly realized that he was back to square one—or worse.

“What a jerk.” Quinn scanned the room. “Why can’t he accept how fabulous you two are together?”

“Beats me. Or, doesn’t beat me. As in, I could really use a good spanking right now.” Across the room, Warren smiled and raised his glass to Mackie.

“You’ve got at least one fan,” Quinn observed. “I hear he is like a gazillionaire, never married. If you play your cards right, you could become Mr. and Mr. Frederick Warren.” Quinn straightened. “Hey, you know what? You’re like my best friend and I don’t even know your full name.”

“Mackenzie Fraser.” Mackie made a face. “Not that I like using it. It reminds me of my family, and I’d just as soon forget them.”

“Okay, so you marry the guy and become Mackenzie Warren. It has a nice ring to it.”

Whirling around, Mackie leaned his back against the railing and pouted. “I’m not going to marry that man. I don’t want to give him a lap dance, either. I want Val. Just Val. I love the stupid idiot, which makes me a complete fucking moron.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry.” Quinn wrapped his arms around his shoulders and rested his head against Mackie’s.

But Mackie’s attention was already taken by the sight of Val. He was walking briskly through the club in the tight-assed manner Mackie now knew meant the guy was trying not to bullet his way alien-style.

“Something’s up.” Straightening, he gently dislodged Quinn and headed after Val.

Quinn was right on his heels as they went to Alex’s office. Kitty had beaten them there, as had Emil and Harry. And of course, Val stood to one side. Once again, everyone had their eyes peeled on the flat screen on the wall.

“Oh, no, not again,” Quinn murmured.

Alex’s head whipped around to face them. He gestured with his hand and Quinn fled to his side. The man embraced his lover tightly as they watched the drama unfold.

Mackie caught Val staring at him without expression. There was no invitation to join him. Hardly a surprise there. Although Mackie would have liked to have the comfort, he had his pride. He wouldn’t ask when no offer had been made. Instead, he braced his legs and folded his arms to watch the misery playing out on the screen.

This time, there was no on-camera death, thank God. A naked African-American woman was screaming as four cops brought her down. She’d run riot through the Harvard Bookstore. It looked like a tornado had hit it. And while the station blurred out her private parts, it didn’t keep one from seeing that blood was splattered over a fair amount of her. It was the glass, he realized. She’d broken windows and countertops. Whoever had filmed the scene must have been holding their phone right through the broken frame of the storefront.

As the woman was carried away, still screaming, the reporter came on with a split screen. He talked about how this was the fourth case of what police believed was the poisonous effects of a dangerous new drug. He reminded the viewers that both the governor and the police had only yesterday issued a joint statement warning against its use.

Kitty shook her head. “That poor, poor woman. What a horrible thing to do to anyone. Excuse me, boss. I’m going to go polish my bar.” She strode out of the room, stone-faced.

Alex turned off the television. He’d seen enough. They all had. No one said anything for a few seconds until Alex turned to Harry. “Give me some good news.”

“As it happens, I can. I’ve been experimenting with my own blood, Lucien’s and Demi’s. I think the key to neutralizing the effects of this drug is in the hybrid cells. So, I’m concentrating now on the boy. He doesn’t mind, makes him feel useful and it lets me keep an eye on him. He has an interest in chemistry. That surprised me, actually.” The man smiled with obvious pride.

“Great,” Val chimed in. “So you think you can fix this problem and help that woman we just saw?”

Harry’s face fell. “I’m not sure of that. I think I can neutralize it, not cure it.”

Val shook his head slowly. “Meaning?”

“I can stop it from progressing, but I don’t think I can repair the damage already done.”

“It’s something,” Alex interjected. “We can perhaps find a way to get it to the humans. Duncan mentioned a doctor who seemed brighter than average. Maybe we can funnel it through him.”

“Without his learning the source?” Val scoffed. “I don’t see that happening, boss.”

“It’s a tangle, to be sure, and we’ll figure it out once we get to that point. It might be enough to throw Dracul off this scheme once he learns we have something to counter it. There’s no value in it for him unless it escalates. Please carry on, Harry. Let me know if you need anything.”

The man left with a wave. He gave Mackie a sympathetic smile, as well, as he passed. That act of kindness irritated Mackie. This was all Val’s fault. Now everyone pitied him because he loved someone too idiotic to acknowledge loving him back.

Mackie stepped forward. “Alex, is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yeah,” Val replied. “Go back to work.”

“I wasn’t asking you,” Mackie sneered.

Alex smiled at him. “No, thank you for the offer. Val is right, however inelegantly put. There’s nothing for us to do except wait for Harry to brew his potion and for Duncan or Logan to find us the location of the drug source.”

His kissed the top of Quinn’s head with a tenderness that hurt Mackie to witness. “Waiting is hard, I know. But, there’s nothing else we can do.”

 

* * * *

 

Wales

 

“It took you long enough, Petru. You know how much I hate waiting.” Dracul put venom in his tone because he did like to remind even the most loyal of men who was in charge.

“Your pardon, sir. I think you’ll be pleased with my offering.”

So saying, the man lifted the hood from the boy’s head, exposing an exquisite beauty. His naked body had already met with Dracul’s approval, all that milky-white skin pulled tight over a slender frame. The way he flailed in Petru’s grasp, despite having his hands tied behind his back, meant he had a bit of spirit to him. Dracul would enjoy breaking him of it.

“He says his name is Brenin.”

Dracul grinned. “As if I care. You are a slut for now, maybe a pet later, if you please me.”

The boy blinked his doe-brown eyes back at Dracul. His short black hair stood up in sweaty spikes. That wasn’t very appealing. Oh, well, it would grow. There was lots of time to shape the boy into something Dracul fully desired. In the meantime, the way the human’s chest rose and fell on rapid breaths and the strum of his heart with fear were very fetching.

Dracul snapped his fingers and pointed to the ground. When the boy didn’t move, Petru shoved him down. The boy winced as his knees hit the floor. Dracul’s cock twitched at the sight.

“Where did you find him?”

“Coming out of a homeless shelter.”

“Excellent.” Parting his robe and his thighs, Dracul exposed his hardened dick. The boy’s eyes went wide. Dracul smiled as he ran his palm up his length. “I trust you know what do to with this, hmm?”

The boy shook his head frantically and would have backed up but for Petru’s grip on his shoulder.

Dracul tsked. “Oh, come now. Nothing too difficult. I only want your mouth.” He’d leave what he hoped was a virgin hole for later. Taking time to savor delicacies was a strength of his. He prided himself on being disciplined.

When the boy still didn’t move, Petru pushed him forward until it was either knee-walk over or fall flat on his face. The boy wisely chose the former. Good. Dracul liked boys with a bit of brains. Not too much, mind, but enough to train quickly and easily.

He spread his legs even wider in invitation. “I’m sure I don’t have to warn you that if I feel teeth just once, you won’t be allowed to keep them.” The boy whimpered, a lovely sound that caused pre-cum to leak out. “Now, see? You’ve already paved the way for your lovely mouth to do its job. Come now. Don’t be shy.”

His arousal grew the closer the boy got. It was pure ecstasy watching the way the human reluctantly opened his mouth with teary eyes. He bent down to take only Dracul’s cockhead past quivering lips. Of course, that lasted about two seconds before Dracul grabbed a handful of hair and impaled the boy’s mouth on his shaft. The choking and gagging noises amused him for a few seconds before he let him up.

“Lick and suck, slut, or I’ll choke you with it again.”

The effort was tentative and artless, but he patted the boy’s head in appreciation. He could afford to be magnanimous as a reward for good behavior. Carrot and stick had proven an effective training strategy with Dafydd. These humans were pathetically easy to control.

He turned his attention back to Petru. “What is the status of my boys?”

“They continue to feed the drug into the local population. There have been three deaths so far and the local government has started warning their people away from vamp.”

“From what?”

Petru cleared his throat. “From vamp, sir. That is what your sons have been calling it.”

“Ridiculous.” Honestly, the human half of his sons made them stupider than need be. “Wait, what?” He straightened, sending his cock back down the new boy’s throat. “Only three! What are my boys doing? There should have been wide-spread use of the drug before anyone realized what was happening. The streets of that backwater city should have been littered with bodies by now.”

His pique caused his balls to tighten. Shoving the boy’s head down again, he spilled his seed into the unwilling mouth. “Get me my phone.”

Petru rushed off to comply. As the human struggled and gagged, Dracul fumed. Must I do everything myself? He poured all his anger into and through his cock, and when it was spent, he tossed the boy away. He lay sputtering and drooling onto the stone hearth.

“You’re going to lick up every drop of that,” Dracul snapped. “I’m surrounded by incompetence!”

“They only reflect your own failings.”

Outraged, Dracul stood and growled toward the wan human lying on the bed. Dafydd stared back at him in defiance. Training notwithstanding, the boy had never learned to keep his mouth shut and his foolish opinions to himself. Dracul took a step forward, his palm itching to deliver a vicious rebuke. He pulled up short immediately, remembering why the boy still lived at all.

He changed direction. “You need a stern reminder of your place, pet. I won’t risk the life you shelter, however, as he or they are far more important than you will ever be. But, then I don’t have to. Let’s bring back the ancient human custom of the whipping boy, shall we?”

He bent down and fisted the short strands of hair, hauling the human back to his knees. The boy started screaming before the first blow landed.

 

* * * *

 

“Do you have a moment, sir?”

Alex swiveled his desk chair away from the television. “Of course. I don’t know why I keep watching that damn thing. There’s nothing they can tell us of any use.”

“It’s hard to wait,” Val agreed, taking a seat in one of the visitor chairs. “With four more deaths, there’s more than a whiff of panic in the air. I don’t understand why humans would continue to try this stuff with the warnings being issued.”

Alex tossed his head back and stared at his ceiling. “You and I have been interacting with this species long enough to know there is often no logic to what they do. It’s no surprise that so far the victims have been the young and the marginalized. Males in particular have always strangely tied their manhood into doing dangerous things.”

Val did know that about humans. Two of the latest victims had been male college students, no doubt trying the drug on a dare. Duncan had told them that the police speculated the other two had been undergoing some kind of gang ritual of admittance. Sadly for all of them, no one had won any bets or prized positions, only a trip to the morgue.

“I hate to say it, but the one I’m worried about is the woman. Her survival is making it possible for that doctor Duncan mentioned to isolate the drug. Not that I wish any more ill than she’s already suffered, but she might be the key to exposing our existence on this world. It would be ironic if Dracul causes our demise by doing the one thing that he and we have always agreed on—keeping our presence a secret.” He choked out a laugh. “Sorry for being Captain Obvious. Waiting makes me squirrely. I think too much.”

Alex flashed a smile. “I understand completely. I don’t expect, however, that you came here simply to rehash what we know. What else is on your mind?”

Of course, Alex was always one to get to the point. Normally Val was as well. This conversation was going to be hard, because everything involving Mackie was. “When this latest battle is over, I want to send Mackie away.”

“Ahh…” Alex sat forward and folded his arms on his desk. “This is a familiar topic of conversation, although surprisingly reversed. Haven’t I been urging this very thing for the last couple of months? Mackie, himself, raised it only to have you shoot it down.”

Val had expected this reaction and deserved it. “Yes, sir, you have, and I apologize for being so stupidly stubborn on this issue. You’ve been right all along. So was Mackie when he complained of being little more than a prisoner.”

“Well, I would say I’m gratified to hear it, except now I wonder what has changed your mind. I have noticed, of course, since this latest aggression from Dracul began, that you’ve been running hot and cold with the boy. Mostly cold now. Glacial, one might say. What happened the other night?”

“I almost hurt him, badly.” Val had trouble getting the words out because every time he relived his actions, he pictured all the different ways he could have ended up killing Mackie.

“I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s true. I-I lost control. Savaged him, in more than one way.”

“Really? He seems fine to me. Not a mark on him other than the telltale signs of a feeding.”

The observation reminded Val of how the warm, salty blood had coated his throat and satisfied the deep hunger that never left him. “I lost control,” he repeated, choking a bit at the confession. “I could have bled him dry as well as ripped him apart with the brutal way I mounted him.”

He lifted his gaze so that his captain could see his anguish. “At first, I thought I could keep him close and safe without getting involved with him again. When that proved unworkable, I convinced myself I could provide the discipline he craves and still manage to keep emotionally distant. I was wrong.

“Now I know that I have no discipline of my own when it comes to him. He’ll be safer elsewhere. Yet I can’t stomach the idea of handing him over to one of our cadre, either. That might not be fair of me, but knowing I might run into him and his new lover drives me to distraction. I’m not sure I could handle that and I wouldn’t want to bring trouble to your command. There’s already enough fighting between our two factions as it is.”

“What makes you think if he went to live with one of my other men, they’d become lovers?”

Val merely blinked back at Alex in confusion. “Who could resist Mackie?”

Alex smiled. “Ahh… Of course. Forgive my obtuseness.”

Val sighed. “In any event, I’m sure we can find a place for him to live where Dracul won’t bother looking. As far as he knows, Mackie isn’t mine anyway.”

Alex shook his head and gave him the same look he had so many centuries ago. “Oh, my dear Valeriu, he is yours. Everyone can see that except you.”

Now it was Val’s turn to shake his head. “No. He can’t be. Please, sir, I don’t have the strength to have him near and not claim him. And, I don’t have the courage to make him truly mine, either.”

“Remember when we were picking our human names? We wanted to blend in with the locals, and though we thought it was strange that their names had meanings, we did each go for something we thought suited us.”

“I remember.”

Alex gave Val a wan look. “Because you have the uncanny ability to never forget, which makes you suffer perhaps more acutely than the rest of us”—he paused—“you chose a name that means ‘strong’. It suited you then as it does now. One of my biggest fears when I realized that Dracul was plotting against me was that he would woo you to his side.”

“Never!” Val issued the denial on a snarl.

Alex smiled. “Loyalty is the only thing about you greater than your strength. I was more relieved than I can say when you stuck with me.”

“There was never any question of that, sir. And, I have only the one regret, as you know. That’s why I’m begging you to help me deal with Mackie.”

On a sigh, Alex sat back again. “I will, certainly. He won’t like it.”

“He’ll do as he’s told.” He had to, or Val didn’t think he could survive anything different.

“I can’t imagine why you think that. That boy may be a natural submissive, but he’s no pushover. Nevertheless, we’ll figure something out.”

Val was on the verge of expressing his thanks when Alex got a text. “It’s Kitty. Duncan is here. She’s bringing him back. Let’s hope he has a line on the drug’s source.”

“And, let’s hope it leads right to Dracul’s whelps.” He’d seen little of the hybrids, as Harry would call them. What he had made him keen on disposing of them for good.

“Hey, boss.”

It wasn’t Duncan who arrived a few seconds later. Emil came in as he issued the greeting with Logan in tow. Val hadn’t seen her since that night in the T tunnel. She looked—and frankly, smelled—as if she’d spent the time since visiting homeless groups around the city.

Emil jerked his thumb in her direction. “Logan’s got some news.”

“So do I.” Duncan trailed Kitty into the office, looking again as if he hadn’t slept in a long time.

Behind him were Quinn and Mackie. Of course. Why would I expect anything else? He was on the verge of telling the boy to leave then decided it wasn’t worth the confrontation. Val had no illusions, either, that he would win the argument. With Quinn heading straight for Alex’s welcoming lap, there really was no logical reason for Mackie to be forced out. Val’s discomfort didn’t count.

Duncan dropped down on the couch. “Ladies first.”

Logan made a rude noise in response but then got down to it. “I’ve found the source, the place the dealers are using as a home base. I can take you there.”

“Where is ‘there’, if I may ask?” Alex’s polite phrasing notwithstanding, he was demanding the information. “We—Val, Emil and I—can go on our own.”

“You’re not going without me,” Duncan asserted.

“I have to show you,” Logan insisted. “It’s because you won’t know how to access it without someone who already knows the layout.”

Val faced her. “The layout of what?”

“The T. See… There’s lots of hidden parts underground that aren’t in use. It’s in one of those, at Harvard Square.”

“I’ve heard of that,” Duncan replied.

“So have I,” Val added. “I researched the area very thoroughly before we relocated here. Boston boasts the oldest subway system in the United States. There are forgotten places, as Logan says. You know the access route to where they’re holed up?”

“Yup. We street people use them from time-to-time. No one hassles you down there. But I have to show you. It’s too hard to explain.”

“Fair enough,” Alex replied. They all knew Logan could handle herself in a fight. Alex eyed Duncan. “What can you add to that?”

“Well, first off, I had the same info. Karl and I met with the Cambridge cops again this afternoon. They’d leaned on an informant and he’d told them the stuff was coming from somewhere in Harvard University’s underground steam tunnels. He must have confused them with the T tunnels, though.”

Val did the math in his head. “So, none of your police brethren will be looking in the right spot. We’ll have a clear shot.” The idea of taking down Dracul’s sons and ending this latest round of war gave Val something to focus on other than Mackie. It also meant the boy would be leaving that much sooner. Why doesn’t that make me feel better?

“Yeah.” Duncan frowned and scratched the back of his neck. “I really hate all this sneaking around.”

Alex inclined his head. “As always, we appreciate how difficult this is for you, Sergeant, and hope tonight will see the end of it, at least for now.”

“I’d like to think so,” the cop replied. “But there’s no telling how much of that poison is out there. The other thing I found out is that it’s being marketed differently, as a new and better version of Molly. You know, a form of Ecstasy or E. That explains the college kids.” He shook his head. “Dumb bastards thought they’d be fine taking a less-lethal drug.”

“Debbie would have thought that, too.” Everyone turned to Logan. “That’s her name, you know? The woman who trashed the bookstore.”

“We did not know,” Alex replied in a quiet voice. “I don’t think anyone’s come forward to say.”

Logan grimaced. “I didn’t know her well, but she was a vet, like me. Can you fix her?”

Alex shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know. I can promise you, though, that once Harry finds an antidote, we will do our best to get it to her.”

“She’s heavily sedated on the psych ward,” Duncan offered. “No one’s guarding her because it’s a lock-down unit and she’s restrained besides. I bet I can get something past Dr. Paz, though.”

“All right,” Alex said, standing and setting Quinn down on the floor. “Let’s gear up.”

Mackie, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, said, “Wait. What about us?” He gestured toward Quinn, then himself. “What can we do?”

“Stay here.” Val issued the order before Alex could open his mouth.

“Yes,” the boss confirmed with a narrowed gaze at Val. “That would be best. Your presence out there would distract us,” he added when Quinn started to object.

“Oh.” The boy hugged Alex briefly. “We understand. Be careful.”

Alex brushed a kiss against the boy’s lips as if they were the only ones in the room. “Always, dearest boy. Always.”

“Hey, Duncan,” Emil called out. “You had dinner yet?”

The cop rubbed his stomach. “Now that you mention it, no.”

“Come on. You too, Logan. Can’t fight on an empty stomach. We’ll meet you at the back door in thirty, boss.”

As the others left, Mackie stood staring at Val for a few seconds before moving to bring up the rear of the column exiting the room.

“Wait.” The word popped out of Val’s mouth. With the boy and Alex already in the room and the end of the current crisis in sight, it made sense to talk about his future. Val didn’t need a half hour to get ready, anyway.

Mackie eyed him suspiciously. “What?”

Val took a deep breath for courage, itself a cowardly act. “I’ve been talking to Alex about where you should go once this thing is over.”

Mackie’s eyes widened. “When what thing is over, the war with Dracul?”

“Just this round of it. You won’t be in his sights, if you ever were, while he licks his wounds. It will be the perfect time to relocate you.”

“Relocate me!” The boy whirled to face Alex. “What do you intend to do with me?”

“Val has made a valid point that as you and he are no longer…involved, it makes sense to get you settled somewhere else, somewhere Dracul has no interest in.”

“Oh, I get it. You and Val have the rest of my life all planned out, huh? You’re going to shunt me off to ‘no one’s ever heard of this God forsaken place’ Idaho or something. And I’m supposed to be grateful, is that it?”

“I don’t understand. Only a few days ago you raised the issue of leaving. You said you felt imprisoned.”

“That was different. I meant moving to an apartment instead of living at the club. And besides, things have changed since then, h-haven’t they?”

Val saw the hope and confusion in the boy’s eyes. Val had hurt him, again. He’d allowed Mackie to think they were in a relationship once more. “No.” He made his tone final and implacable, making a quick cutting wound instead of drawing it out.

Mackie’s jaw tightened and his eyes hardened. “My mistake.”

“We’re doing this for your own good.” The words sounded weak to Val’s own ears.

“Really? Is that what you tell yourself? Like when my parents were going to send me to a special school to cure me of my sexual confusion. Beatings and praying hadn’t worked, so they tried to rid themselves of their problem the same way you are.”

“No, it’s not like that.” Val knew something of Mackie’s history. The way his family had treated him had always made Val want to hunt them down and mete out some of their own vicious justice. “We’ll make sure you’re situated to your liking and take care of you financially. It won’t be like when you had to run away.” Val could see tears forming in the boy’s eyes. Damn, he should have thought of how this might remind the boy of his family’s betrayal. “You’ll get to pick where you want to go.”

Mackie eyes spit fire. “Gee, thanks. I appreciate having a say in my life. And, fuck you for thinking my concern is the money. Did it occur to you that I might have found a home here? I have friends and admirers and a skill for making money. If I get a say, then I choose to stay in Boston.”

“You can’t!” Val’s temper snapped in an instant. Couldn’t Mackie see how hard this was on him, too?

But, the boy was focused on Alex. “You’re onboard with all of this? It’s your club. Are you kicking me out?”

Alex looked pained as he replied. “Mackie, please understand. This is for your own good.”

“Bullshit. It’s because he can’t handle having me around, and he can’t fucking commit.” Mackie punctuated by jabbing his finger in Val’s direction. “Well, fuck you, Val. And fuck you, Alex. Fuck the whole damn place. You just tell me when the coast is clear and I’ll be out of your hair faster than a seven-foot-tall alien vampire. Good thing I never unpacked. But, you don’t control me and you don’t own the whole damn city, either. I can live wherever I want.”

Val closed his eyes a second to gain control. “Mackie, please. We know you’re upset, but don’t do anything rash. We can help you financially and physically.”

“I don’t need your help. I can earn a living. If nothing else, I can always go back to sucking cock in alleys.” He shot past Val—or tried to.

Val reached out to grab his arm. “Wait!”

Mackie turned hard, dried eyes on him. “Let. Go. You’re not my Dom anymore. You’re not my anything.”

The venom in the boy’s voice drowned out the hurt. It was still there, layered under the bravado that the human’s past had forced him to adopt. It would have taken nothing for Val to lift him up and tie him to his bed, but that wasn’t the way for a Dom to treat his sub—or former sub. There would be no consent given for such an action. Much as he hated to do so, he forced his fingers open and watched the boy flee the room.

Alex said nothing for a few seconds in the boy’s wake. “He’s upset. We’ll talk to him again later. Quinn will help, I’m sure.”

Val couldn’t imagine anyone would be able to say anything to change Mackie’s mind. The boy was a brat after all, stubborn and unruly.

Not my problem.

He turned cold eyes on Alex. “Let’s go show Dracul’s boys whose city this is.”