Page 15 of Heathens

“You know, Theodore, sometimes I think you’re the one in charge and not me.”

“Maybe that’s because half the time you act like an uninvited kid at a birthday party. What the hell were you thinking burning that lab down?”

“I told you–”

“Revenge. Yeah,” Theo grumbles. “Still fucking stupid. Who cares if he’s working on some kind of blood substitute, drug or not?”

“Drugs mean money, Theo, and money means power,” I sigh. “Have you learned nothing over the last five years? We’re going to make this shit right under Rene’s nose, and it’s going to make me rich. I’ll buy this fucking city out from under him. Every one of his men will work for me before long.”

“We.”

“What?”

Theo turns his head, his expression stony.

“We’regoing to be rich.”

“Theo, there’s no ‘I’ in team. Of course I meant we. It’s always the two of us! Now I need you to get that head of yours out of your ass. We have work to do.”

We step into the elevator and he presses the button for the penthouse. 30th floor. Mateo nibbles nervously on his claw, still covered in blood. He never knows what to do when we fight.

“Wait, boss, doesn’t Rene already have a deal with the humans and the blood bank?” Mateo asks, his eyes bouncing between us.

“So do we. What’s your point?” I growl.

“Well, if he’s got this on the side now… isn’t he doing better than us?”

Theo snorts and hangs his head, his shoulders trembling as he laughs silently. The elevator opens and I turn to Mateo, tilting my head to the side and looking him up and down. He’s young, hasn’t learned his place in all of this. I turned him a year ago, and he’s got a hell of a long way to go when it comes to respect. With one hand, I grip his throat and squeeze as Theo lets out an exasperated groan.

“Cut it out, man.”

I lean in close, digging my claws into Mateo’s skin while he struggles, wincing in pain.

“You speak to me like that again, and I’ll toss you out into the sunlight without even an ounce of regret.”

His eyes are back to being filled with fear, just the way I like it.

“Y– yes, sir.”

“That’s how much you’re worth to me, Mateo. A couple seconds of sunlight, you understand?”

He nods, choking as he struggles to breathe.

“Good boy.”

I release him and he stumbles backward, wheezing and straightening out his suit as Theo and I step into the penthouse. This is my fortress, even though I rarely spend much time here other than sleeping through the day. I may always be on the move, but I love it here.

The entire apartment is open concept save for my bedroom and a spacious bathroom, both tucked off to the side. There’s a black velvet couch sitting in the center of the room, flanked by all the art that I’ve collected over the years — mostly Renaissance. I’m not so big on modern art, despite the big price tags. I prefer the classics I wasn’t around for.

Theo places the bag on a coffee table before heading to the bar cart to pour himself a drink. Mateo perches himself on the edge of the couch, unsure exactly what to do as I linger by the window, staring down at the city.

I could make this place better, happier. Humans and vampires living and working side by side. For me, of course, but for a reasonable cut.

Rene makes alliances, sure, but there’s always a catch. Some hidden little clause that’ll ruin you when you least expect it. He only plays by the rules with the humans because he’s the one that makes those rules.

And now everything is under his control: the blood bank where humans go to make monthly donations, the vaccine clinics, food, weapons, drugs. He doesn’t respect them, he just wants to drain them dry as he keeps them in line. It’s a blind spot, one of the only ones he has.

I dig my cigarettes out of my jacket pocket and light one, the smoke swirling around my head in delicate ribbons. Theo and Mateo have struck up a conversation that’s already fading into the background as my mind swims, slowly being overtaken by visions of fiery red hair. As obsessed as I am with Rene, I can’t get her out of my mind.

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