When Pleasure Rules by When Pleasure Rules

Author:When Pleasure Rules [Rules, When Pleasure]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-12-11T02:23:08.932000+00:00

Chapter 23

"We're in the middle of the goddamned devil's asshole out here," Xeres said,

slowing his black Land Rover as he took the first exit off the 15 into Victorville.

"Desert," Rand said, looking around at the dry landscape, the ground baking in the

afternoon sun. They'd been in the car for hours now, following up a lead Xeres had on a

local Outcast.

"I've found one," Xeres had said back at the Slaughtered Goat.

Xeres had arrived in the late afternoon and found Rand at his desk. He'd spent the

morning playing the Sergius angle, trying to find any indication--in shadow gossip, in the

Los Angeles Times, in Internet rumors--that the rogue vampire might still be in Los

Angeles.

A call to a friend in New York had given him some insight into the vampire-brilliant, reclusive, ancient, and tormented--and had confirmed that there was no

indication that he'd returned to Manhattan. The vampire's high-rise condo remained

abandoned, and although Rand's source didn't know the location of Sergius's second,

underground lair, New York's Division 12 had officially reported that the haven had been

located in an abandoned subway tunnel and was also uninhabited.

Rand had taken that information and applied it to a map of the victims' locations,

looking for a pattern that suggested a subterranean refuge with access points near the

various murders. He was cursing the lack of any such pattern when Xeres had come in

with news that he'd located an Outcast male.

Now, in the car, Rand continued the conversation. "Give me the rundown on the

other Outcasts in the area."

"Slow going," Xeres said, frowning. "Not too easy finding someone the system's

told to get lost, you know?"

"You found this one."

"And two others so far," Xeres said.

Rand turned to face him. "And?"

"One moved to South America three months ago--that's confirmed, by the way. I

called a buddy at Division in Brazil, and this Outcast actually landed on their radar."

"And the other?"

"San Diego," Xeres said. "Hell of a long way to travel just to fuck with Gunnolf,

but I'm going to drive down tomorrow and check it out."

"Good," Rand said. "And this one?"

"My source says he's living in a trailer," Xeres said. "Couldn't give me any more

specifics than that."

"So we check the RV parks." He pointed to a small sign advertising the chamber

of commerce. "There. They'll have a list."

Xeres hung a hard right, and they wheeled in, the sharp ring of Xeres's phone

punctuating his slide into a parking space.

"Yo." A pause, then, "Yeah, he's here. Hold on." He passed the phone to Rand.

"Caris. You talk. I'll get our list."

119

Caris sounded both excited and irritated. "I tried your phone. Mia answered. Said

you left it on your desk."

Rand cursed. "Tell her to give it to Joe and let him keep it behind the bar. What

the fuck does she think she is, my secretary? That's why God invented voice mail."

"You tell her. I'm about to crash until sundown."

He glanced up at the blazing sun. "So why are you calling me?"

"Because I just got a damn good lead. A rumor that Sergius may be living wild in

the Angeles National Forest."

"That doesn't sound like the Sergius I've heard about.

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