This Same Earth

Chapter Seven

Los Angeles, California

December 2009

“Anything else?”

“I got a call from Ernesto’s assistant today wondering whether you were going to bring B by this week.”

Giovanni frowned and tugged on his hair. It still wasn’t as long as when he first met Beatrice, but it had grown around four inches from the time he’d singed it off when Lorenzo had taken her.

“When does he need to know?”

“Kelli said he was going down to Mexico for some business next week so he was hoping to meet with you both tomorrow evening, if possible.”

He nodded. “Let me ask her tonight. She and Benjamin are due back soon.”

Matt smiled. “Spending time with the kid, huh?”

Giovanni cocked his eyebrow. “He’s been her preferred company for the last couple of weeks.”

“Well…” The private detective shifted in his seat, looking slightly nervous. “Mano…he was a good guy. I mean, I know it’s none of my business and all-”

“Do you consider yourself her friend, Kirby?”

Matt nodded. “I do.”

“Then it’s your business,” Giovanni said, giving the tacit approval the man seemed to need. “And I’m not going to kill you for liking Beatrice’s ex.”

“Good to know,” he said with a tight smile.

“How is the lovely Desiree? Beatrice said you two are seeing each other.”

Matt chuckled. “Well, after the initial shock, she’s fairly fascinated by all of it, to be honest. I think being part of the supernatural world gave me a leg up dating her.”

Giovanni smiled before he burst into laughter. “Well, you’ve certainly taken enough risks over the years, I’m glad it finally paid off for you. Thank God for curious women.”

Matt’s head cocked when he heard the hum of the Mustang coming up the drive. “I should go.”

“I’ll call you about the meeting with Alvarez later tonight.”

“Let me know. I’m sure he won’t mind putting it off for the girl, with their connection, but it’s getting close to Christmas and I know you’re leaving for Texas…”

“No, I understand the urgency.”

“And I’m not sure how long you want that guy to sit in the dry room, either.”

“Oh,” Giovanni murmured. “The longer the better as far as that goes. As long as he’s conscious, he’ll suit my purposes.”

Matt nodded. “Just give me a call when you have a date. If it’s not office hours for you, I’ll take care of arranging the appointment.”

“Thank you, Kirby. Your assistance, as always, has been excellent.”

“No problem at all.” He nodded toward the vampire, who showed him to the door.

“And give your father and mother my best.”

“Of course. Have a nice night.”

Giovanni closed the door and walked back to the kitchen, curious why he hadn’t heard the stomping and shouting that normally followed Ben’s return to the house. When the basketball began to bounce, he had his answer. He heated a glass of bagged blood and sat down at the counter to drink. Soon, Ben and Beatrice’s quiet conversation drifted to his ears.

“-doesn’t matter if you want to go. It’s part of life. Just get it over with.”

“But I hear really bad stuff about going to the dentist, and I’ve never been. My teeth are probably super bad, and he’ll have to pull them all or something.”

He could hear Beatrice laugh. “You’re not going to get all your teeth pulled. I’ll make the appointment with my dentist. She’s really cool, and I’m sure she can fit you in next week.”

“Hey, did you ask Gio if we could go to the blue alien movie?”

“Not yet.” He could barely hear her mutter.

“Oh, come on, B! Will you guys stop fighting already? You could at least start talking to each other again.”

He was tempted to go out and yank Ben’s ear for talking to Beatrice that way, but he was too curious what she would say in response.

“Gee, Ben, I’m so sorry my disagreement with your uncle is cutting into your precious movie attendance. I’ll see what I can do.”

“It’s not that, and you know it.” Giovanni heard the basketball bounce a few more times and someone threw it toward the basket. “You guys are both just…”

“What?” she asked the question on the tip of his own tongue as he listened in.

“You’re sad. Both of you. It sucks.”

“Well,” he heard her start, “sometimes shitty things just happen, Ben, and it takes time to work through them. It’s not like I like being mad at him. Besides-” Her voice dropped. “-I’m mostly mad at myself.”

His heart ached for her, and he had to fight the urge to rush out and embrace her. Giovanni knew his comfort was still unwelcome.

“Well, figure it out by Christmas, okay? This is my first huge Christmas with lots of grown-ups giving me stuff, and I don’t want you two spoiling it.”

Giovanni almost snorted blood through his nose, and he grabbed a napkin from the holder on the counter. Luckily, he heard the welcome sound of Beatrice’s laughter, as well.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You know he’s listening to us in the kitchen right now, don’t you? You should go say hi and stay for dinner. Actually, you should cook because you’re way better at it than Gio is. Or we could order pizza! I know where he keeps his wallet.”

Giovanni rolled his eyes and sent a small prayer toward heaven. Carwyn would be pleased, he thought, he hadn’t prayed this much since Caspar started driving. Just as his eyes opened, he heard the kitchen door open and Beatrice walked into the house. He took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of her, fresh from the brisk air outside.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hello.”

“Apparently I’m a better cook than you are.”

“I have a hard time imagining that’s a surprise,” he said with a smile.

He saw her glance at his glass. “Bagged blood?”

Giovanni shrugged. “Unless you’re offering…”

Her eyes darted around the kitchen and she walked to the refrigerator to open it. “Uh, no. Not tonight. And there are tons of clubs in Los Angeles, why don’t you just-”

“No thanks,” he said. “Haven’t gone that route in years.”

Beatrice turned to look at him. “What? Years?”

He glanced meaningfully at her neck and sipped his glass. “Yes, years.”

She turned back to the refrigerator and paused before she started pulling out what looked like the ingredients for a salad, or maybe tacos, which he knew Ben loved.

She worked quietly as Ben continued playing outside and Giovanni pretended to read a book. He heard her start to say something a number of times, but she stopped herself and continued working.

“Ben’s doctor said he’s healthy as a horse, by the way.”

He nodded. “I assumed he was. I had him checked out in New York and his scent hasn’t changed significantly.”

“So, if a person is sick or something, they smell different?”

He nodded. “Yes, human scent changes quite significantly for all sorts of reasons. Health, hormones, even age…”

She chuckled. “I just had the realization that you have to smell adolescent boy on a daily basis.”

Giovanni winced before he grinned. “You have no idea.”

She shook her head, still laughing, and he suddenly realized they were smiling at each other for the first time in weeks. She must have realized it at the same time, and a sad smile replaced her laugh.

“So, your sense of smell is a little scary, to be honest. I always wonder if I’m wearing enough deodorant around you and Carwyn.”

“I wouldn’t worry. You usually smell lovely. Especially when you first wake up,” he added quietly.

He smiled when he saw her pause, but she didn’t get angry.

“You always smell the same to me,” she said.

He cocked his head. “How? What do I smell like to you?”

She didn’t look at him but turned on the burner to heat a pan on the stove. “Kind of like smoke. Wood smoke and whiskey.”

“I remember you wrote that in the journal. About the smoke.”

She looked up at him. “Did you read that? All of it?”

“Of course.”

“Even the parts when I cussed at you? I wasn’t very nice.”

He shrugged. “Did you read my journals? Most of them are far harsher than yours.”

“I haven’t read all of them yet,” she said as she put the ground beef on to cook. “You live in a rough world, you know?”

He folded his hands under his chin and put down the book he was pretending to read. “I don’t want you to have any illusions, Beatrice. My world, and the world your father lives in, can be very brutal.”

“I’m getting that impression.”

“Good.”

She glared at him. “Don’t use the professor-voice with me, Gio. I’m not a kid anymore.”

He allowed his eyes to run over her slim cut black jeans and the tight black t-shirt that hugged her breasts. It was her normal uniform on her days off and suited her to the ground. “No, you most certainly are not,” he muttered. “I don’t want to lie about anything to you, Beatrice. It doesn’t do either of us any favors in the long run.”

“The long run, huh?”

“That’s what I’m talking about.”

She paused to look at him, and he didn’t flinch from her steady gaze.

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

Giovanni was annoyed by her dismissal, but he forced himself to remain calm. “Speaking of immortal matters, there is a certain vampire in town that you should meet.”

The meat sizzled in the pan as she added the onions and chiles. “Who?”

“You asked who ran Los Angeles, but the answer is somewhat complicated. As a matter of fact, the reason I never worried much about you living here-”

“Hiring someone to move next door to me isn’t worrying much?”

“-is because of who controls the city.” He ignored her question and continued. “Tell me about your grandmother’s family.”

“What?” she frowned. “The Alvarezes? Why? They’re from Mexico. Guadalajara. I’ve never even been there, but I hear it’s pretty. I think Grandma has one cousin she keeps in contact with.”

“Your grandmother is descended from a very old and very wealthy Spanish family that was once large land owners in Alta California.”

“Okay,” she said slowly as she alternated between stirring the meat for the tacos and chopping tomatoes.

“He won’t eat those,” he said, looking at the cutting board.

She snorted. “He will if he wants me to feed him.”

Giovanni grinned and continued talking. “Don Ernesto Alvarez was a very wealthy man, and he had a very large family. A tradition he continued even after he was turned into a vampire in the late 1700s.”

She had looked up as soon as he said the name ‘Alvarez.’

“Gio, are you telling me I’m related to another vampire?”

He smiled. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, probably ten percent of California and Northern Mexico is related to him in some way. It was a very large family.”

She shook her head and continued preparing dinner. “So what? This Don Ernesto is my great-great-a whole bunch of times-great-grandfather?”

“Yes, he is. And you’re a direct descendant, which is rare and brings out his sentimental side.”

“And he runs the city of Los Angeles?”

“And most of the surrounding areas, yes. Most of the area between here and the Mexican border is under his and his clan’s control.”

“Is he an earth vampire? You told me once they tend to stay in clans.”

“Ah, but they don’t like politics much, and where there are cities and large populations, there are usually politics. No, most larger cities are controlled by water vampires. London, Athens, Rome, Beijing, Buenos Aires. Water vamps tend to be quite tricky. Very smart and they like manipulation.”

“The perfect politician,” she said.

“Exactly.”

“What about Houston? Was there a lot of that there?”

He chuckled. “Houston is a bit of an anomaly, to be honest. That’s one of the reasons I like it. Because of the proximity of New Orleans, it has an extremely low vampire population. It’s an easy place to lie low, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

She gave him a rueful smile. “Kind of spoiled the lying low thing for you, didn’t I?”

He winked. “You were worth every singed hair, tesoro.”

“It’s growing back,” she said quietly, reaching over to run her fingers through his short locks. He leaned into her hand and she let it rest on his cheek briefly. Their eyes met again, and he saw hers soften.

“So,” she said after a few quiet moments of contact, “this Don Ernesto knows about me? Does he know about my dad?”

He nodded and she continued fixing dinner. “He knows the basics, but not the specifics. I met with him the night I left the sonnets at your home. He was pleased to learn of the connection and more than happy to offer additional protection. An umbrella, of sorts.”

She shrugged. “What’s the big deal? You said he was related to a bunch of humans.”

“But not any under my aegis, tesoro. He did me a favor by helping me protect you. And now I am in his debt.”

She looked worried. “Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” he shook his head. “He’s a very decent sort, and if you’re going to be related to a vampire, it’s good that it’s him. He’s very protective of his people. Very old-fashioned. And he’s pleased to have the connection to me, as well.”

She smirked a little. “You really are kind of a bad-ass, aren’t you? I read your journals. You and Tenzin made quite the reputation for yourselves for a couple hundred years.”

Giovanni shrugged. “I did what I needed to survive and build a reputation that no one would question. The more you are feared, the more you are respected and left alone. It’s the way of the world.”

“The vampire world, anyway.”

“It’s the way of any world, Beatrice,” he said grimly. “Don’t let the politicians fool you.”

Giovanni watched her grate the cheese for the tacos. He could hear Ben outside, still bouncing the basketball by the garage.

“So why did I need all the super-secret vampire info? Besides being well-informed.”

“Don Ernesto has the vampire who attacked Mano in his custody. I will be interrogating him tomorrow evening, and he’s asked that you accompany me so he can meet you. You will not go the interrogation.”

He could see the blood drain from her face. “What does he want from me?”

“I suspect Ernesto only wants to know you. As I said, he’s very fond of his family and has been wanting to meet you for some time. It’s only been out of courtesy to me that he has maintained his distance. He knew I wanted you left alone.”

“And the guy who attacked Mano?” she asked quietly.

“He was apprehended after I spoke to Ernesto’s enforcer, Baojia. The vampire is Greek, unknown, and not particularly valuable. He hadn’t caused any trouble in the area but was spotted near the port the night Mano was attacked. They picked him up the next night.”

Her mouth fell open. “So they’ve had him for two and a half weeks? What are they doing to him?”

“Do you care?” He cocked a curious eyebrow at her.

She hesitated, frowning a little. “Not really, I’m just curious.”

Giovanni smirked. “They have him in a very ingenious little place called a dry room. Quite torturous for water vampires. Saps them of their power. It’s a bit like a giant dehumidifying chamber.”

“I don’t want to picture that after two and a half weeks.”

He shook his head. “It won’t be pretty, but he should be miserable enough to give up any information about Lorenzo if he has it.”

“Do you have any doubt about it being Lorenzo?”

He paused. “No.”

Beatrice nodded. “So that must mean he still hasn’t found my dad, right?”

“If you are still a target for him, then probably not. You did steal most of his money, though. That had to be irritating.”

“And lucrative,” she muttered. His only response was a snort. “And then what? After you interrogate this guy, what then?”

Giovanni watched her carefully. “I will kill him.”

Her dark eyes seemed to lighten, her mouth a thin line. “Good.”

“So, will you meet with Don Ernesto Alvarez tomorrow after work?”

“Sure. I’ll come here and we can take your car. What about Ben?”

“The fewer people who know about Ben, the better. I’ll see if Kirby and Dez can watch him. He seems to be fond of blondes.”

Beatrice shook her head. “That kid is fond of females. Doesn’t seem to matter what kind.”

“He’ll learn to be choosy in time. It only took me five hundred years to find the one I really want.”

She blushed and tried to hide her smile. Giovanni was trying to keep the innuendo to a minimum, but he wasn’t a saint. He knew she was grieving her relationship with Mano and blamed herself for the human’s pain, but he also knew she would eventually see the wisdom of not dwelling in the past.

He’d had enough of the past; he wanted her future.

“Okay, I’ll call Dez in the morning and then head over here after work. I’m sure she’ll be happy to help. Then we can go over and talk to this Ernesto.”

“He’ll expect you to treat him like family, just so you know. He already knows all about you and considers you a granddaughter. He’s quite proud of you.”

Beatrice made a face and Giovanni chuckled. “I’m not going to lie,” she said, laughing along. “That’s kind of weird.”

“And he’ll probably try to persuade you to let him sire you.”

She fumbled the knife. “What?”

Giovanni smiled. “He won’t force the issue, far from it, he fears me too much, but he can be very persuasive. He loves having a large family and he particularly likes having human descendants in it. It’s a peculiarity of his, but not an obsessive one.”

Beatrice took a deep breath. “Okay, as long as he’s not going to try to force me or anything.”

“No, I’ll be in his home with you. No one would dare.”

“It’s a date then.”

He propped his elbows on the counter and watched her warm the tortillas, one by one, in the flame from the stove. “Maybe we should try the theater next time. Might be less stressful.”

Beatrice looked over at him, glanced at his hands and held up another tortilla with a pair of tongs. “Little help here?”

He grinned, snapped his fingers, and let the warm flames fill his hands as he helped her finish preparing the meal.

“Ben wants to know if I can take him to that movie with the blue aliens.”

“That movie looks horrible.”

She shrugged and folded the tortillas in a clean dishtowel to keep them warm. “He’s twelve.”

“Remind me to make him read some Jules Verne.”

She grinned and nodded toward the door. “You’re such a snob. Can you call him in to set the table?”

Giovanni turned his head toward the door and yelled, “Benjamin! Come inside and set the table!”

She gave him a disgusted look.

“What? He heard me.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Boys. Five hundred or twelve. Mortal or immortal. Still kind of the same…”

He grinned, pleased beyond measure to have her in his kitchen, in his home, in his life. Giovanni couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to have her living with him, working with him, and helping him raise Ben.

Loving him.

His feelings must have spilled out of his eyes as he watched her take the food to the table, because she glanced over at him and quickly looked away. He stood, walked into the kitchen, and took the plate of food from her.

He leaned down and brushed a kiss over her cheek before he whispered in her ear, “Grazie, tesoro. For dinner. For being here.”

She swallowed and opened her mouth as if she was about to speak, but just then, Ben barreled into the kitchen.

“Awesome, tacos-” And then. “- Ew, are those tomatoes?”