that is when I switched from plantation work to jobs on the fishing boats.”
“You were feeding on the crew once the boats reached international waters,” Lucian said, sounding impressed, and then he asked, “Is that where Vasco got the idea for his tours?”
“Maybe,” Ildaria muttered. When Lucian’s gaze grew concentrated as he obviously tried to read the truth from her, she heaved a sigh of exasperation. “Oh, get out of my head, I will tell you. Si, he got the idea from me,” she conceded, and explained, “The immortal that was allowing me to use their hut was on the verge of losing his property. He had taken a mortgage out on it for renovations just before Juan started jacking up the price of blood. He could no longer afford the bank payments and the cost of blood too. He had gone to a canteen, considering risking biting a mortal rather than buy blood, so that he could pay his mortgage and not lose his property. I suspected as much and followed to stop him. I was trying to convince him to take the occasional job on one of the fishing boats with me to get the blood he needed without putting himself at such risk. I was so concerned, I did not check to be sure there were no immortals there, but Vasco and Cristo were and heard me pointing out that the Council could not execute him if he fed in international waters.”
She shrugged. “They approached me as we left. Vasco liked what I had said and had an old pirate ship. He wanted to fix it up and start tours taking tourists out into international seas where the poorer immortals and those under threat of losing their homes could feed. But he didn’t know many of the poorer immortals. And he didn’t think they would trust him if he approached the ones he did know of. He was Juan’s son, after all,” she pointed out. “So he asked me to take Cristo around to convince those who needed it most to join his ‘crew.’”
G.G. smiled faintly to himself. He hadn’t known this, but leave it to Ildaria to be the clever one behind such an endeavor. It wasn’t just her fighting skill that had helped her stay alive and out of Villaverde’s clutches all these years. Her wits too had kept her safe and alive. It was probably the main reason for it. Thank God she’d been born with a sharp mind, he thought as he began to transfer eggs from the pan to the plates.
“Enough talk,” he said as he carried the first two plates to the island and set them in front of Lucian and Ildaria. “Time to eat.”
He didn’t wait for a response, but grabbed a dish towel, opened the oven and grabbed the bowl of fried potatoes and the plate that held the toast. Carrying them to the island, he set them on the cutting board he’d set out earlier to hold the hot plates.
Realizing that Ildaria was no longer in her seat, he glanced around to see that she’d gone to retrieve silverware for all of them. Grateful for the help now that the cooking was over, he grabbed the plate of bacon from the oven next and quickly transferred the newly cooked bacon onto the pile already there, then grabbed the plate holding his own eggs and carried both to the island.
“Eat up,” he said as he settled in the chair between Lucian and Ildaria. Paws on his leg drew his attention down to H.D. then, and he scowled firmly. “We are eating. In your basket.”
H.D. hesitated, but then dropped back to all fours and moved morosely out into the living room to find his basket. Grunting with satisfaction, G.G. turned to his food. As he expected, the conversation died then as the three of them concentrated on eating.
Twelve
“That was good,” Lucian said as he pushed his plate away. “Thank you.”
G.G. smiled faintly, impressed that the man had remembered the “thank you” without prompting.
Standing up, Lucian glanced at Ildaria and announced, “I will return to the Enforcer house and inform the two men you injured that you have refused the invitation to return to the Dominican, Angelina. Then I will call Juan and try to persuade him to leave you alone.”
Ildaria nodded, but looked dubious. She obviously didn’t think a phone call was going to do it. Even one from Lucian.
G.G. opened his mouth, closed it, and then sat hesitating briefly.