Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Red was as usual filled to capacity, a lot of them young men and women celebrating New Year's Eve with their friends. One of the nearby hotels promised a spectacular fireworks display at midnight, and people were flocking to the area. Most of our patrons would likely join the crowd, so James instructed the servers to make them pay their bills thirty minutes before midnight. I didn't mind if one or two slipped through. It was New Year's Eve after all. But James was a shrewd purse keeper and wouldn't let anyone take advantage of the celebratory confusion. I really should be thankful for his efficient management of Red. Ever since we discovered the existence of Newborns in the city, I had been more focused on my duties as Enforcer. My other bars were doing well despite my absence, thanks to their talented managers. Perhaps it was time I officially promoted James to the position. Especially now that I won’t be around much to oversee its operations. The Count just told me of the Council’s recent demand for answers.

"Mon ami! I'm glad I caught you here. I was thinking you had eloped with that lovely girl of yours," a familiar voice said, breaking into my reverie.

Marcel, dressed in a ‘70’s inspired outfit, was jauntily walking up to the bar with his arm draped around a similarly attired girl. They must be on their way to those throwback parties he loved to go to.

"Celebrating the New Year, Marcel?" I said, ignoring his reference to Mira. I didn’t know why Marcel's happy-go-lucky disposition was irritating me.

"But of course, mon ami. We must always greet another year of existence with a bang. Aren't you supposed to be celebrating with your girl, as well?"

"She's visiting family," I said. Marcel didn't need to know that Mira and I were no longer together. It might give him the crazy idea that Mira was free to entertain his advances.

"Family? But I thought she was an orphan?"

My hackles rose at Marcel's words. I never told him that. In fact, other than him teasing me constantly about her, we never really talked about Mira.

"How did you know that?" I asked, unable to keep the edge off my voice.

"Kris told me. She and Mira are very close. Aren't you, sweetheart?" Marcel replied, smiling down at the girl beside him.

"Er...yeah, yeah. Mira and I are best buds," she said, laughing.

That's why she looked familiar, I thought. She was here with Mira the morning I came back from Baguio. It could explain why Marcel knew about Mira's status. Yet, I couldn't completely push my doubts away. The girl seemed hesitant in her answer. Also, Mira wasn't one to blurt out the secrets of her life. And as far as I knew, her flatmates were her only close friends. I could be wrong, of course, considering how brief our affair had been. There were a lot of things I didn't know about Mira, and this could be one of them.

"She's not entirely alone. She has other relatives," I said. It wasn't a flat-out lie. Mira had other blood relatives. They just weren't in Cebu.

"Good for her. At least she didn't get to be stuck with a cranky, old man to greet this wonderful New Year's Eve. I'm sure she's having the time of her life right now. Just like my little flower here." Marcel laughed as he pulled the girl to him and kissed her passionately.

Marcel's words were like a knife to my gut. Yes, Mira was probably out enjoying the night with her friends. With that tall, overly concerned human, specifically. When my phone rang, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It gave me a valid excuse to get away from Marcel.

"I have to take this. Work," I said, walking away before Marcel could stop me.

"Hey, let's go on a double date when she comes back. I'm going to teach you two how to have some fun!"

I heard Marcel call after me, his laughter ringing in my ears; as if mocking me. Pushing all thoughts of Marcel away, I went into my office and took the call. It was Torres. He already got the files I asked for. Unfortunately, his folks were visiting and his wife wouldn’t let him leave the house. However, his colleague, Lance Chavez, would bring the files to me if I would meet him at a nearby Starbucks outlet. I agreed readily.

After texting James that I was leaving. In order to avoid Marcel, I took the secret backdoor. He would only nag me to stay and I wasn’t in the mood to indulge him. I reached my destination within minutes, not knowing what to expect. It was only in hindsight that I realized I should’ve brought Stefan along. I wasn’t expecting an encounter, but after what happened in Cebu, I couldn’t afford to be careless. I texted Stefan about my location and told him to follow. He would be here within minutes.

Meanwhile, I ordered an iced tea to avoid the guards’ suspicious looks. I then went out to the spill-out section of the cafe like I told Torres. Glad to find an empty seat, I pretended to sip my drink, my eyes scanning the area instinctively. This was my first time meeting Lance Chavez, and I didn’t know what to expect. I only hoped that he would be more like Torres and not one of those tight-ass bureaucrats I really hated. He turned out to be neither.

Lance Chavez was a crusader, if not a religious fanatic. From the moment he stepped in front of me, I felt the animosity rippling underneath his placid features. At first, I thought he was one of those preachers who sat down beside random people to deliver the Good News and not a police officer. He looked the part, what with his neatly combed hair, dark-rimmed glasses, and an ensemble of too-ordinary clothes, carefully chosen to make him blend into the background. But his eyes had the same intensity coming from an unwavering belief. And Lance Chavez, from what I could swiftly surmise, believed I was evil incarnate. He hated me and my kind with a passion, smartly hiding it behind a facade of nonchalance.

“Mr. Roman,” he said, taking the seat in front of me.

“Mr. Chavez,” I said, nodding. He didn’t offer a handshake, so neither did I. We had drawn the line.

“Torres asked me to bring these to you,” he said, taking a thick Manila envelope from his leather sling bag. He placed it on the table and made no move to give it to me.

“Thank you. We truly appreciate this,” I said, reaching for the envelope. I expected him to leave immediately after completing the errand. But he remained seated, staring quietly at me. “Is there anything else, Mr. Chavez?” I asked, letting a bit of my irritation seep through. I didn’t like people ogling me, especially face to face.

“This is my first time to see one of your kind up close,” he said simply.

I noted the way he emphasized ‘your kind’ like I was some strange animal species.

“And?” I said when he didn’t say more.

“I’m just surprised that you look almost...normal.”

His words hit a nerve, but I kept my cool. I didn’t want to agitate Stefan unnecessarily. I felt his presence just after Chavez arrived, but he stayed away, just as I instructed.

“Oh, really? What did you expect then, a couple of horns and a forked tongue?” I said, leaning back to observe him as well. His reaction was not something I expected. He laughed.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Even Satan could make himself look like an angel.”

“You said ‘almost normal’. Is there something not normal about me you can see?”

Chavez leaned back in his chair with his chin tilted up at me, as if in deep thought.

“You look too perfect, which isn’t normal,” he said after a beat.

Again, not what I expected. “Too perfect? In what way?” I said, unable to help myself.

“I don’t know exactly. It must be your skin. It’s too unblemished.”

“Did you expect me to sport warts on my nose and chin?”

Chavez chuckled and shook his head. “No. But you should at least let a few wrinkles show. It would make your face look more human.”

“Are you trying to help me camouflage my true nature better?”

“If it were up to me, I would kill every single one of you,” Chavez said, his smiling eyes turning hard and dark, like black diamonds. “Keep this in mind, Roman. I will never willingly help you. I am only here because I want to put a stop to the mindless slaughter of my people. Seven years ago, I wasn’t sure your kind existed. I didn’t even know I was chasing one of you. I lost my partner because of that. Nearly lost my life and job, too. But now they tell me I was right, and that I wasn’t crazy like everyone said. Too late the hero, if you ask me. Because I don’t give a shit anymore. Not about you or your hidden government or your deals with mine. As soon as you’re done cleaning up your mess, I don’t want to see you or hear from you ever again.”

“Well, then. I believe the feeling is mutual,” I said, thankful that he was at least honest. Chavez didn’t even blink at my admitted hostility.

“Sort this out, Roman. Stop these demented creatures from interbreeding with our women. We don’t want any hybrids running around our cities. And do it fast. Before I decide to break ranks again and make it my life’s sole mission to hunt down every single one of your kind.”

And with that, Lance Chavez jumped to his feet and left without another word.

I was right; he was a crusader.

“Your instructions, sir,” Stefan said, standing behind me. I knew what he was asking of me. He wanted permission to go after Chavez and exact an apology for the verbal threats. I couldn’t give it to him, though. Chavez was just acting the way any normal human would when confronted with our existence.

“Stand down, soldier. He’s just a passionate protector of his people. He has every right to mistrust our kind. And he’s right. We need to wrap this up as soon as possible. Time is running out, Stefan. The Council already sent an ultimatum.”

Stefan gritted his teeth, but nodded without protest. He would do as told and won’t step out of line. He was too ingrained with decades of military training and discipline. We left Starbucks as soon as the countdown for the New Year began. With our preternatural speed, we reached Red just as the first fireworks lit up the sky. I looked up and wondered what Mira was doing. Was she also enjoying a variation of these colorful spectacles? I had planned on sharing this moment with her, and an ache bloomed inside me at the lost opportunity.

I instructed Stefan to go back to his rounds while I went back to my office. I didn’t go out to the bar, though. Everyone would celebrate the New Year by now, including Marcel and his toy, if they were still around. I didn’t need the added aggravation of feeling out of place in my own bar. I was hungry, exhausted, and depressed. What a terribly inconvenient combination for this night of overindulgence. All the Knights were already out patrolling the cities. This wasn’t time to relax as our enemies would be more active tonight, making use of the revelry and accompanying chaos for cover. It was only natural for our Order to be on high alert. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any incidents involving Newborns.

Seeing as there wasn’t anything much I could do here, I went home. I needed to feed properly if I were to function at all. I had just finished parking downstairs when I received a cryptic message from Boris:

‘Boss, you need to come home now. Urgent matter concerning the subject.’

‘Subject’ meant Mira. A chill slithered down my spine as a hundred tragic scenarios played inside my brain. Boris was not one to cause undue alarm, and when he said something was urgent, I could bet my entire fortune that it really was.

If not for my weakened state, I would’ve teleported straight to my unit. I just consoled myself, knowing that whatever the matter was, a few more minutes of delay wouldn’t make much difference. Still, I was on pins and needles when I rushed to my door, expecting Boris to deliver the worst news.

What greeted me when I slammed the door open wasn’t my second-in-command, though. It was someone I didn’t expect to ever see again.

“Hello, Nick,” she said, smiling shyly up at me.

“Mira?”