* * *
“Victor?” Duncan asked, as they strode directly to the BMW Miguel had left idling on the far side of the hangar.
“He’s at the house, hosting a small dinner party.”
“With humans?”
“Always. The only vamps he keeps around are his four guards.”
“The humans will have to be dealt with, then.”
“Not a problem, my lord,” Miguel said as he dropped into the driver’s seat of the sumptuous vehicle. “Louis and I can handle it.”
“Where is Louis?” Duncan asked, closing the passenger side door with a muted thump.
“Waiting outside the house, keeping an eye on things.”
“You anticipate trouble?”
“No, but tonight’s too important to leave to chance.”
Miguel drove out of the hangar and made a sharp right turn toward the access road. Duncan saw the doors of the hangar begin to close behind them almost immediately.
“How was your journey, my lord?” Miguel asked.
“Uneventful. Raphael sends his regards.”
“I’m honored.”
“So,” Duncan said, settling in for the drive back to the city. “What do I need to know about Victor’s setup tonight?”
“Same as always. He has his four vampire guards, two in his presence, two on guard elsewhere inside the house. They’re complacent in the routine, and the two not with Victor personally usually sit in a room near the front door, watching TV or playing video games. I’ve never seen them leave the house unless Victor’s with them. Exterior security, including the gate, is handled by humans around the clock, and they’re never permitted inside the residence. There’s a guest house that’s set up as a barracks if the human guards want it, but most of them have homes of their own and go there at the end of their shift. The estate is walled, with the only gate locked down during the day. At night, the human guards pretty much limit their duties to guarding the gate, with only the occasional perimeter patrol.”
An accident had snarled traffic on the Beltway, and Miguel zipped across several lanes, utilizing the lightning fast reflexes granted by his vampire blood. Duncan grinned. “Still a terrible driver, I see.”
“Not true, my lord. The accident was already there.”
Duncan laughed, but sobered immediately. “What about Victor’s guests?”
“It’s a small dinner party, just Victor and three humans—a couple of legislators and a K Street scumbag with lots of money to hand out. All males, which is par for the course with Victor. As far as I know, he has no plans to bring in any women tonight, but even if he did, it wouldn’t be until much later.”
“Prostitutes?”
“I don’t think so. Not most of them, anyway. There’s no shortage of women in this city who will party with a man if he’s got enough power. And power is what matters here. Money goes hand in hand, but power means access, and that’s everyone’s number one prize.”
“Very well. You and Louis handle the human gate guards. I’ll take care of Victor’s two vampires at the front door. That needs to be done quickly and carefully so he doesn’t sense anything amiss too soon. Once we reach the dining room, I’ll deal with the human dinner guests. I want them out of the way. After that, Victor has to be mine, but we can play it by ear when it comes to taking down his remaining two vampires. You need to be ready to deal with them.”
“My lord, we can wash the human gate guards’ memories after Victor is taken care of. Let Louis and me deal with the vamp guards at the door, while you—”
Duncan turned to look at Miguel, keeping his voice even, but frosting it with the slightest touch of his power. “I want the humans secured first, Miguel. I can handle Victor and his guards, if necessary.”
“Yes, my lord.”
They turned off the Beltway, zipping down streets one after the other, all of them nearly empty late on a Tuesday night. Duncan had studied maps of the neighborhood, but it wasn’t the same as being here. He’d also memorized floor plans of the vampires’ official residence in the city. Some humans referred to the house as the vampire embassy, which was a good enough, if inaccurate, description.
The residence itself was a big 19th century colonial that in pictures reminded Duncan of the great mansions of his youth in the Deep South. He could only hope this particular house had enjoyed significant renovation since its construction a hundred years ago. If not, it would soon. He had no intention of living with cranky plumbing or nonexistent air conditioning.
Fortunately, the residence sat on an unusually large parcel of land adjacent to the embassy district. With two full acres backed by Rock Creek, a wall surrounding the entire property and only a single gate, the estate should have been nearly impregnable. But it wasn’t. There were holes in the house’s security that one could literally drive a truck through. And that, too, would change once Duncan took over.