The Blood Diamond

[borgiafatale]

The man that had asked Cesare to be introduced to Lucrezia was named Tom, and he was old and not terribly attractive and rather boring. But he also was not dangerous in the least. He had the air of submission on him, and Lucrezia was amused that Cesare may not have picked up on this. And though he spent his fair share of time they were having a drink to openly ogle Lucrezia, he was also checking his phone constantly for texts, and disappearing to take calls. It was not for work. In fact, it highly amused Lucrezia to think that a dominatrix had this man wrapped around her finger.

After one of the phone calls he returned to Lucrezia and asked if she had any interest in another quick stop before he returned her home. He had a friend who was a fan of her work and would like to meet her. She was at a club only a couple of blocks away. It was one of his favorite places, he told her; he thought she'd like it.

Obviously, she should say no. Cesare would have told her to say no. But now that she had her suspicions about the man, the promise of blackmail material was so close to her grasp. She imagined going back to Cesare with this, imagined how surprised and impressed he would be. She could help the family, too. Even without instruction.

Once they arrived at a place called the Blood Diamond, she wondered if he was really very stupid or just thought that she was. He brought her inside, and she realized that she was perhaps a bit underdressed. She had not wanted to seem the seductress that night so she had dressed in a manner that passed as rather innocent for her - a white dress, cinched at the top but flowing, almost sundress like thanks to an unseasonably warm night. Her hair was curled and left long. She also wore a rather large ruby at her throat, which would not have been her choice for a club such as this. And even in this environment, she carried herself like a princess - which perhaps was what was drawing the attention of those around her.

"I have to go find her," said Tom once he had settled her at the bar. "I will be back."

She nodded at him, and once he was gone, brought out his phone which she had taken out of his back pocket as he walked away. Jackpot. She idly scrolled through a series of photographs of the man tied and bound - not a pretty sight. In the occasional photograph there was blood on him as well, which wow. She sent copies to herself, idly sipping on a martini and ignoring those around her except for keeping her senses peeled for Tom's return. She assumed he would bring some beautiful woman with him, holding the end of his metaphorical leash. And she assumed as well that perhaps the woman was attempting to get him to convince her to join them - as if. But there were several cabs waiting outside, and it wasn't as if they could force her to leave with them in the middle of this crowded place.

And suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder.

Lucrezia spun on her stool, instinctively grabbing the arm and twisting it. It belonged to a young man dressed in black leather and blinking at her in surprise. "Miranda and Tom sent me to - " he said, and she dropped his arm, standing now and on guard. Ah, so they'd sent someone else.

"Tell Tom thank you for the lovely evening but I'll be going now," she said, leaving Tom's phone there on the bar so that he could assume he'd simply forgotten it there.

"Miranda told me to fetch you," the man said, and his eyes looked slightly glazed, as if he were high. Or hyptonized.

"No thank you," she said, and turned to go.

He grabbed her wrist, hard enough to bruise this time, and she spun on him and kicked him in the groin. He doubled over but was not down long. "She told me - " he repeated, and this time grabbed her by her hair. When she yelped and tried to yank away from him he swung her in an attempt to bring her closer to him but their balance faltered and her jaw came into contact with the edge of the bar.

Despite the pain, she took the opportunity to reach for the compartment on the side of her purse, where she kept the knife that Michael had given her. She grabbed it, struck the man in the throat with her free hand, and when he released her, used a maneuver that Michael had taught her to come round back of him and put the knife to this throat.

This all happened so fast. Fast enough that she wasn't shocked that no one had yet come to her aid or indeed intervened at all. But once she had the man in her grasp, she saw that many of the people standing around them were staring with all kinds of expressions she didn't quite understand.

Her tongue darted out to taste the blood on her lip.

Comments

[thenorthman]

Eric had no idea why Borgia hadn't told his sister, whether he might not simply have respected their secrecy, but he was fine with her thinking whatever she wanted about it. "Tom's the man you came in with?"

Eric didn't tend to know the names of other vampires' humans, not unless they were worth it.

[borgiafatale]

"Yes. Some MP whose support would help my father, I suppose. He wanted to meet me." She tapped her fingers idly on the arm of the couch, her brain working through it. "Though I wonder now if it was really him who wanted it."

[thenorthman]

Eric had every intention of finding out the next night. Serena would be there, if she knew what was good for her. "You're taking all this in stride."

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia supposed she was. Well. Outwardly, at least.

"I like it when pieces click together," she said. "This helps explain a few unusual things. And besides, I'm a Borgia. We are immovable blocks of ice inside, or hadn't you heard?"

[thenorthman]

"Well, I can hear your heartbeat," Eric replied, amused.

[borgiafatale]

"Ah," Lucrezia said after a moment. "Perhaps I do have a heart after all, then. Tell me what else you can do. Do you have heightened sight? Smell?"

[thenorthman]

"Tell me why I should tell you more about us," Eric shot back invitingly, still seeming amused.

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia bristled a touch at his expression. She did not like inspiring amusement. "Because now I know that you exist," she said. "And you cannot take back this knowledge. You may as well ensure that I am accurate in my understandings, as opposed to making assumptions or search for the information on my own. I assure you my curiosity cannot be easily sated. It will be easiest if you simply indulge me now."

[thenorthman]

Eric looked no less amused. "I may as well nothing at all. Pursuing knowledge will only put you at risk." He glanced away, looked back at her. "But you misunderstood me. I'm asking you to give me a reason to tell you more."

And she had most definitely not.

[borgiafatale]

"My curiosity is not enough?" she guessed. "Nor the potential for my snooping to make trouble. Hmmm." She tapped a finger to her nose. "Is there something you would like in return?" She was not opposed to such things; information had value, after all.

[thenorthman]

"Now," Eric smiled slightly, "that would be telling. How is your lip?"

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia ignored his question, frowning a little. "So you will not even tell me what it is you would want in trade? Am I to assume it is blood? That seems terribly obvious."

[thenorthman]

She would not even venture guesses. "So your brother is the risk-taker in the family." Eric sounded mildly disappointed, if anything.

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia laughed. "Oh, I've no doubt that the moment Cesare heard about vampires he asked to be bitten. Probably - " She looked at Eric. "By the most beautiful one he could find." She had no idea yet whether it hurt, or was pleasurable as the woman at the couch nearby seemed to attest to, but when it came to Cesare, she doubt it mattered.

"But I imagine that you have a queue of willing volunteers," she continued. "And I am not so vain as to think there is anything particularly special about my blood." Though as she spoke, her head tipped a bit, revealing her throat. "So. Perhaps information for information? You do not seem to be very happy with Serena." Yes, she'd heard the name.

[thenorthman]

"I'm not at all happy with Serena," Eric replied, watching her throat for a moment before looking up at her, his expression impassive.

[borgiafatale]

"I took Tom's phone," she said. "I have copies of his photographs, as well as his texts with her."

[thenorthman]

"Those will be more useful to you than me," Eric stated. He doubted that reading the texts would yield much of interest, but there was always the possibility. He tilted his head slightly, then asked, "What do you want to know, for a look at that phone?" He didn't need, or want, to make copies.

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia really wanted to know everything, but she thought about what was the most important.

"I want to know about the power you wield," she said. "Both physically, and politically."

She was a Borgia, after all.

[thenorthman]

Eric actually chuckled at that. "That is a very big ask, for such a small favor."

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia did not think that an unfair appraisal. Particularly since she was fairly certain there was not much that would interest Eric in those texts.

So she considered this for a moment and decided, "And you can bite me. If you like."

[thenorthman]

Eric smiled again, and shook his head. "Still too big an ask."

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia sighed, impatient. "I grow weary of this guessing game. Shall I make my ask smaller? Will you tell me how vampires fit into the world and how they shape it?"

Of the two, she thought that she could find out about their physical abilities from Cesare or Michael, after all.

[thenorthman]

Eric watched her flatly for a second; if she read that as disapproval at her obvious impatience, she might yet be as smart as he had originally thought her. But this spoiled child routine was not to his taste. Was she truly so used to people falling all over themselves to please her?

It gave him urges he should really not give into, not if he wanted to keep a working relationship with her brother.

So, after a beat, he only shifted, leaning his forearms on his thighs and turning his head to face her, and answered her latest question. "We don't. Fit into the world. We live on its edges. But we do have business arrangements with people in the right places, so we can secure our own continued existence without human interference."

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia did indeed read his reaction as disapproval. It was enough to make her eyes flick away briefly, and she recalculated her strategy by a bit.

"Arrangements with people like my brother," she said. "What is your... business relationship, with him?"

[thenorthman]

"Ask him," Eric told her without missing a beat. "I'm not jeopardizing my relationship with him."