The Beasts of Juarez, R.B. Schow [books to read for self improvement .txt] 📗

Now, all we have to do is ditch this ride, wipe it down, and get to the airport.”

“That’s not all we’re doing,” Cira said, knowingly.

“I know,” he said. “It’s just what’s next.”

Chapter Forty-Five

LEOPOLD WENTWORTH

In the six months since Leopold and his team took down Russell Lumley’s sex trafficking and blood harvesting ring in St. Petersburg and Odessa, the former secretary of state had relocated to the Virginia countryside. As far as Leopold was concerned, it was time to bring his great uncle a housewarming gift. First things first, though. He had to get clearance for the new flight plan.

When they were finally airborne, everyone pretty much fell asleep for the duration of the flight, Esty snoring loudest of them all.

When he woke up, Leopold saw that Camden had neither slept nor moved. The man’s eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, so he knew the congressman had been thinking about the horrors his family must have endured on his behalf, especially Callie.

Callie’s gruesome fate broke Leopold’s heart, but he couldn’t uncork that well of emotion just yet. After he closed the book on this op, he would vacation somewhere exotic where he could empty out his emotions away from the civilized world and all of its prying eyes.

“I’m still blown away at how you are related to this man,” Camden said with a frown. “I thought this was about me, but it’s about you, too.”

“First off, he’s my great uncle by marriage, so technically he’s not a blood relative. Second, we took down his entire sex trafficking network in Russia and Ukraine,” Leopold said. “Furthermore, we killed all of his contacts—everyone critical to the survival of his infrastructure.”

“How much do you want to bet he tracked down Kofi Danvers and had him tortured until he spilled the beans on us?” Atlas asked.

“You should call Kofi after this,” Cira said, now awake. “We need to see about him and his family.”

Leopold had a limousine meet them at the airport when they landed. Atlas, Camden, and Kiera opted to go with Leopold to pay a visit to Secretary Lumley while Esty and Yergha opted to stay on the plane and continue sleeping. He didn’t blame them. The drive to Lumley’s house was short but pleasant and when they arrived, Leopold met the private security guard at the gate.

“Good afternoon, sir,” the armed guard said. Judging by the way the man appeared he was either former military or a former law enforcement officer. “Do you have an appointment with the secretary?”

“Yes, but I want to show you something first,” Leopold said. Atlas handed him the phone. It was already opened to the picture of Callie’s body in garbage bags along with her decapitated head lying in the street.

The man saw it then stepped back.

“My appointment is to see my great uncle, who not only knew this girl but gave her the makeover you’re now seeing.”

He looked up at the house, then back to Leopold. “Is that…Callie Fox?” he asked.

Leopold nodded slowly, prompting the guard to look deeper inside the limo. In the back seat, he saw Kiera, and then he saw Congressman Fox. “My condolences, Congressman.”

“Thank you,” Camden said, still pale.

“Did Russell really have something to do with this?” the security guard asked Leopold in something of a whisper. His eyes were so serious they were cold and flat looking.

“He had everything to do with everything,” Leopold said, “and now it has to stop.”

“You want to fix this right now?”

“How long have you worked for him?” Leopold asked.

“Nine years.”

“So you know there are dark things afoot, don’t you?”

“I’ve always had an idea but never a confirmation of this sort.”

“Do you have a set of keys to the house?” Leopold asked.

He glanced back at Congressman Fox, then at Atlas, and then he pulled the keys out of his pocket, slid one of them off the ring, and handed it over. When he was done, without a word, the guard opened the gate and took a step back.

Leopold and Atlas let themselves in the front door with Kiera and Camden in tow. They found Lumley in his private TV room with the lights off watching a horror movie.

Atlas turned the lights on, prompting Lumley to pause the movie. Slowly, because he was old and aging hard, the wrinkled nightmare turned and saw the four of them standing there.

“I wondered when I would see you,” he said, not referring to any of the four of them in particular. Then he focused on Leopold and said, “Oh, Leopold. Why are you here?”

“I understand you wanted to meet the man who took down your sex trafficking network in Ukraine and St. Petersburg,” Atlas said. “It wasn’t just me, but a lot of it was. It was Kiera, too, and Leopold, as you know. We slaughtered them all. We wiped your entire slate clean, you sick fucking degenerate.”

“It wasn’t just the kids,” Lumley said candidly because he saw the writing on the wall. “The blood market in America is bigger than you can imagine.”

“Hopefully it’s less now,” Atlas growled, taking a step toward him.

“These vampires will always find a way to get what they need,” Lumley hissed, his face shaking with the rage he was holding back.

Atlas laughed and said, “You don’t really believe in vampires, do you?”

“I believe in Vampire’s Kiss,” Lumley said. “VK was the biggest drug on the market until you upended my distribution lines and my product.”

“You killed children!” Atlas roared.

“Human sacrifice has been going on for thousands of years,” Lumley argued, the heated exchange taking a toll on him.

“You are a disgusting creature,” Leopold said. “I should have killed you six months ago.”

“But you didn’t,” Lumley said with a bit of pained laughter.

“Who told you about my team going into Juárez?” Leopold asked. “Your low-rent cartel wannabes did a number