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| Chapter Three: Faces of Evil | |||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | |||||||||||||||
| In one of the few old mansions that were in tact in the Warzone - a meeting was underway. Around this large table - sat four men in multi-thousand dollar suits. The others present were local gangsters and thugs who helped keep them in the know. | |||||||||||||||
| "So everything is running smoothly?" a relatively young looking man asked. | |||||||||||||||
| "Profits are up - the appropriate people have been bribed," one of the gangsters replied. | |||||||||||||||
| "Then there is no new business?" the man at the head of the table asked. | |||||||||||||||
| "Well - this could be something - could be nothing. One of the strip malls south of here - one of the owners said some punk kid was asking about Italians," a thug remarked. The four well-dressed men instantly focused on him. | |||||||||||||||
| "Do tell," one of them requested. | |||||||||||||||
| "The guy didn't say anything - he knows better. But - I think who ever was asking was snooping for some other curious fish," the thug stated. | |||||||||||||||
| "This meeting is adjourned. I thank you for your time - and look forward to talking to you soon. You know the way out," one of the four gentlemen stated. They watched as the small gathering rose and filtered out of the room. "You think the prince or his cronies are still nosing around?" he asked. | |||||||||||||||
| "No - it was explained to the Brujah that - our business here would not be long term. Whoever is snooping around is not under a prince - or under the prince - yet. Any ideas Samuel?" one of them asked. | |||||||||||||||
| "We have made a few enemies in our travels. I can't think of anyone in this area who would have an interest in our affairs though," the Giovani lord of the manner stated. He then leaned back in his chair. | |||||||||||||||
| "Perhaps - the interest - lies not in our affairs - but in you," another of them suggested. | |||||||||||||||
| "Have you been approached by any seeking favor? Favor you denied?" one asked. | |||||||||||||||
| "I turn down a lot of people - they get over it. I have some influence - but there are bigger fish out there than me," he replied. | |||||||||||||||
| "Be that as it may - some may not see it that way," one pointed out. | |||||||||||||||
| "I suppose," Samuel admitted as he thought back. "In the past two three weeks - I think only one person came my way. I was rather shocked at the fact he found me truth be told," he remembered. | |||||||||||||||
| "Who was it?" one of the older ones asked. | |||||||||||||||
| "He was a Setite and he represented some vampire named Snake. He said he wanted financial backing for the war that was brewing. Sounded intriguing at first - but - didn't sound too profitable so I said no," he recounted. "You think the person inquiring about Italians is one of Snake's agents?" he asked curiously. | |||||||||||||||
| "Hard to say at this point in time. One of his serpents found you before - stands to reason that he might try to find you again. If you refused once - he might have taken it personally," one of the other Giovani stated. | |||||||||||||||
| "Its bad business to take refusal to heart. Especially if it is concerning a war. I mean - if one backer says no - there are many others who will say yes," Samuel rationalized. | |||||||||||||||
| "There are some that look at things in black and white. There are two sides of the line. For - or against. This Snake character - might have seen your refusal as a choice to oppose him. If such is the case - the next messenger may not take no for an answer," one of the other Giovani pointed out. | |||||||||||||||
| "If - indeed he or she chooses to ask a question," the eldest added. | |||||||||||||||
| "Interesting. You think the Snake sent an assassin?" Samuel asked. | |||||||||||||||
| "It is too early to say at this point. I just find too many coincidences - unsettling. You set up shop here after four weeks of travel and negotiation. None save the family knew of your itinerary. A Setite - learned it - and approached you. Now - after you have the machine here in motion - an outsider asks questions about Italians. The trail leads directly to you," the eldest stated seriously. | |||||||||||||||
| "Are the proper security measures up and in effect?" Samuel asked. | |||||||||||||||
| "You rely too much on technology. It is to be used as a tool not a crutch. Rely on machines to protect yourself - us and this - business - it will fall," another Giovani added seriously. | |||||||||||||||
| "Who said I was relying wholly on technology?' Samuel asked as he got up and walked over to a bookcase. He pulled on the spine of an old looking bible. A secret passage opened up. | |||||||||||||||
| As he made his way into the secret room - the others followed him in. once inside - the four looked at a scale model of the mansion and surrounding territory. | |||||||||||||||
| "The prince gave us sanction to set up shop here. The fool has no notion of how dug in we are now. Already our work crews have cut into the local sewers and have isolated all of the tunnels under this area. So far we have five mortal gangs on our payroll. Four anarch sects. If she wanted us out - it would take every ounce of her resources," Samuel reassured. "As for our would be assassin - or any that would seek to stop us or oppose us. Let me just say that I have measures in place to stop any potential threat," he reassured confidently. | |||||||||||||||
| "You seem pretty sure of yourself," the eldest remarked. | |||||||||||||||
| "It is a matter of knowing your enemy. If indeed Snake is behind this - he clearly has no idea who he is dealing with. But - I assure you - if so much as one of his serpents slithers into my garden - I will take exceptional pleasure in peeling off its skin," he said with a grin. | |||||||||||||||
| "I don't think it wise to underestimate an enemy you know nothing of. If he is zealous enough to plan for a war - he would be - zealous enough to be serious in facing one he believes to be an enemy," the eldest reminded. Samuel sighed and nodded. | |||||||||||||||
| "As always - you are wise. I want a memo sent out - fax it to the head office. I want to know everything that is known about this Snake character - and I especially want to know everything plus one page on anyone he might send this way," he replied. The other three Giovani nodded as they left the room. "Who did you send here Snake? Who am I going to have to kill?" he asked himself as he pondered the answer to that question. | |||||||||||||||
| To Be Continued... | |||||||||||||||