Yeah, okay, so that was an evasion, but it's better than South America.He chuckled softly as Dan and Mike inspected the Jeeps in the wide, cir�cular driveway.Ididn't want the team to bug, especially going into the rainy season.
Damali hesitated but then kept walking.Aw, man...mudslides, tor�rential rains, floods-Carlos, come on, now...
In the evenings and nights, June to October...what can I say? That's why I asked Dan to secure a lot of ponchos, boots, and wet gear.
Damali inwardly groaned. But what could one do but deal with it?
Paradise came with a price: rain. It was a necessary evil to go along with brilliant, subtropical flora. The moment the thought crossed her mind, Damali stopped and briefly held on to Carlos's arm. There was so much that seemed constant and that one took for granted that it also seemed almost impossible for those things to simply no longer exist.
What if there was no rain...and after these blooms fall, no more were born? Have you noticed that there are a lot of blooms on the ground?
Carlos nodded.Another reason why we came here. The team needs to know that they're fighting for this-not just big, dirty, congested cities crammed with humanity, but the little things that mean everything...like the entire cycle of life. This. Take one insect out of the food chain, then the thing that eats that perishes, and the thing that eats that thing becomes extinct, and so forth, like huge, standing stones of dominoes crashing the whole system.
"That's deep," Damali said quietly as they began walking. "People definitely have to see what they're fighting for, to keep the image fresh in their minds."
Carlos just nodded as members of the team followed them inside. They walked through the massive foyer that rose in impressive Moor�ish arches above hexagonal-patterned stone floors. "I want the floors mopped with colloidal silver so if anything puts down on 'em, they'll fry. Same with the stone walls."
"Cool," J.L. said. "I can get up to the ceiling with Jose and we can hit exposed beams, the chandelier, and over all the windows, door-jambs, and vents."
"Better split the joint in half," Bobby said, gawking. "Me and Dan can take the west wing, you guys take the east wing, or you'll be at it all day long."
"Cool, just work fast, y'all," Damali said as they passed heavy Baroque-style furnishings in the parlor.
Heather lagged a little, making the group come to a halt. Her gaze silently roved over the massive mahogany mantle above a huge stone fireplace and lingered on the heavy crimson velvet tapestries and drapes before becoming consumed with the fine, ivory-hued, silk-embroidered seating. She allowed her palm to gently caress the ornate woodwork of each sofa, teakwood end tables, and Queen Anne chairs, and then she got down on her hands and knees and touched the fibers in the thick, multihued Turkish rug.
Pressing her hands to the stone floor, she glanced up quickly to find the team curiously staring at her. "I was drawn," she murmured. "This feels like... a master's lair."
"Oh, shit!" Dan shouted, beginning to walk in an agitated circle.
"The girl is on," Carlos said with a sly smile. "No further com�ment."
Damali shook her head and chuckled. "Tell me this isn't-"
"Yeah, yeah... okay, people, chill. It used to be mine a very long time ago. Familiarity breeds contentment," Carlos said with a widen�ing grin. He watched shoulders around him begin to relax. "I had bought it for you when I was in the life, and put it on the market-of course," he said, giving Damali a sheepish sidelong glance. "But after the joint I saw in Australia, my pride wouldn't even let me show it to you. Humans bought it, so don't worry. This never passed through another vamp's hands."
"Carlos, man," Shabazz said in a cautious tone. "You ain't backslid�ing on us again, right, brother?"
"Naw," Carlos said, chuckling. "This isn't an ego move, it's a strategic one." He allowed his line of vision to go around the anxious group. "How much sense does it make for me to take y'all somewhere in the blind? I know this joint like the back of my hand, every crack and crevice in the walls, every vent, and every pipeline and basement access point. The windows and skylights have leaded beveled glass with metal running through them-so they can be charged. Get the ladies on that. The pipes are old lead pipes, not PVC, so they can be charged. Mar, you and Damali are on subflooring and exterior wall barriers. Pull the garden hoses out and spray the exterior walls... af�ter you bless the house tanks... and make it holy water." He looked at Shabazz, Berkfield, and Mike. "I want a cleric to do a walk-through and then the fort walls sprayed. Find us a local parish priest."
"I feel better," Marjorie said with a tense smile.
"Marj, this used to be my house," Carlos said with a wink."Mi casa es su casa, literally, as they say, and I wanted you all to be somewhere that you could really rest until it was time to rumble again."
"The man is making a serious point," Marlene said, her eyes glanc�ing around to the long, polished dining room table in the adjacent room that could easily seat twenty-five guests. "Me and Shabazz were sorta worrying about all the dark corners and back stone stairwells, plus all the glass windows with no way to seal them properly at night."
"We can always stand at the top of the steps and throw a bucket of water down them, and sweep 'em off, old school, Mar," Damali said, smiling. "This joint probably has multiple escape routes and secret passageways throughout the house, if Carlos bought it." She gave him a glare with a smile as she arched an eyebrow. "That's a benefit for our side. Anything that tries to run behind us inside the house will torch as soon as it materializes or tries to set a foot on the floor."
"The dark corners are for us, people-our ambush if the house gets sieged, and it's hard to burn down stone... I hate new con�struction," Carlos said, resolute as he folded his arms. "I learned from the best on both sides."
"I'ma give you a hug, my brother," Mike said, pounding Carlos's fist.
Hidden agenda? Talk to me.Damali shot Carlos a knowing glance.
This will also rub salt in Cain's wound and piss him off, which will hope�fully make him come at us sloppy again. Last time we did his lair, this time, he can do ours.
Excellent.Damali smiled. "I like it."
"The sooner we get the house swabbed down, the sooner y'all can go take showers and rest," Carlos said, feeling a sense of relief wash through him as the family visibly relaxed. "The casa is shaped like a bigH. Center hall on the second floor has eight bedrooms, each with its own private bath... huge beds, feather-down mattresses and com�forters, towels, whatever. Everything you need is in there. Dan's got supplies on the way so you'll have clothes and whatever else you need. On each wing are also two bedrooms, for a total of four-making twelve altogether. The west wing has a library between the bedroom-, and on the east wing is a conservatory and study between them. I was thinking about claiming one of the ones on the east side, for me and D... and maybe Shabazz and Mar... since that section of the house leads to a tower."