Fratelli: The Awakening (The Vampire Cartel #1)

55. Trust For Survival

Chapter 55

Trust For Survival

B ellagio Casino, Las Vegas - Nevada

April 16, 2018

(5 Days Before Death)

It took a while, but Lucio finally located his love. Tristan had paired her with a few performers from the casino’s Cirque du Soleil show. From one of the twelve security rooms, Lucio observed her champagne lunch. Each screen broadcasted a different part of the hotel that was under surveillance.

There were several command centers just like the one he was in for monitoring the casino game rooms. From his vantage point, he also spotted his brother’s goons roam the casino floors. Domencio had taken over a cigar bar, where high rollers often lounged between big stake games. He conducted business as if he belonged there, while his men prowled the hotel in search of Dolly. Shakespeare led the hunt.

“Everything is ready, boss,” Tristan said from behind him. Lucio glanced over his shoulder to see Tristan, who had quietly joined him. The men monitoring the casino screens were undisturbed, as Lucio and Tristan communicated telepathically.

“Marcello’s team will arrive in twelve hours. Do we have a secure area where they can work with Dolly? One that Domencio can’t access?” asked Lucio.

Tristan nodded. “The vaults. Took some mind-bending negotiations with the authorities here, but they have agreed to allow it.

“The Triad? Have they arrived?” Lucio asked.

“They are with Lamont. He is being prepped on what to expect,” Tristan replied. “With Domencio present, the wolves are on the prowl, as you know. This will be Lamont’s first test.”

Lucio looked back at Dolly on the screen. She laughed, raised a champagne flute with the women, and celebrated something he could not hear. He enjoyed seeing her happy. He knew there would soon be dark days ahead for them both.

“Let’s move,” Lucio said. Tristan led the way.

“It was so good meeting you,” Chloe squealed. She affectionately squeezed Dolly. Dolly returned the hug, grateful for the fun she had with the girls and seeing how they ran their production. It reminded her of her days at the club with Charmaine and Sonya. Their friendship bloomed almost instantly as a trio. The reprieve took her mind off her problems.

“Thanks again, ladies, for having lunch with me. The champagne has me feeling a little loopy,” Dolly joked.

“Maybe you can come to the show tonight,” Annie suggested.

“Yes! Oh, yes, come! Please!” Chloe, Marie, and Liv chimed in.

Dolly couldn’t be sure if they were genuine or simply impressed by her introduction as Lucio Di Salvo’s girlfriend. As if on cue, she saw Tristan enter the room. She nodded in his direction, and he stared at her.

“Sure, I’ll definitely try,” she said, and gave some girls hugs as they all chatted her up at once, then said their goodbyes. Once alone, Tristan closed the door and secured privacy.

“Enjoy lunch?” he asked.

“It was nice. They seem really sweet and accepting of a nobody like me,” said Dolly.

“Who says you’re a nobody?” Tristan asked.

“Where is Russell?” Dolly checked her watch. “You said his next break would be at two, right? I was supposed to tour this Game-Con, but you stuck me with performers instead.”

Tristan nodded. “He’s giving press interviews at two. It’ll be hard to keep track of him and his schedule today, but I can take you to him if you wish.”

“I’d like that, please,” she said and started toward the door.

“Lucio wants to see you first.” Tristan stepped in front of her.

“Oh? Okay, well, maybe later,” Dolly said.

“I know you are uncomfortable with me now,” Tristan began.

Dolly took a step back.

“You know what we are, correct?” Tristan asked.

“I think I know what you are. I don’t have much memory of some things Darlene told me happened. I don’t want to know, to be honest. It’s just all so weird to believe.” Dolly walked away, preferring a little distance. She still felt anxious around these men, knowing they could rip her to shreds if they wanted to.

“Everyone has a beginning,” Tristan said. “Mine started in an orphanage. If I were human, I’d be around eighty-six years old.”

Dolly frowned. “Seriously?”

He nodded. “Yes. Seriously.”

“And Lucio? If he were human, how old would he be?” She couldn’t help but ask.

Tristan looked up at the camera in the corner of the room. Dolly turned to look at it herself. “Can he see us? Hear us?”

“Yes. Why don’t you meet with him and get the answers you need,” Tristan suggested.

“Can I ask you another question first?” Dolly asked.

“Certainly,” Tristan replied.

“Did you want to be a vampire, or did he force you to be one?”

Tristan's eyebrows lifted in surprise. He showed no other readable reaction to the question. “Did I want to be one? No. Do I resent him for making me one? No. I had a calling on my life, and I served it to the very end. Padre Tristano Santiago is what they used to call me. I was once a young priest who thought he could heal the world, but didn’t even know in the world monsters who would torture a young altar boy under his care even existed.”

Dolly frowned.

“Padre Santiago died. His life and mission ended. I am Tristan Di Salvo. I am not that man anymore.”

“I don’t believe that, Tristan,” Dolly said.

“You don’t have to. I believe it Dolly. I have another purpose. I accept my role in the great order of things. I am a servant, not a healer.”

“Why? Why accept it? Because Lucio would kill you?” she asked.

Tristan chuckled. He glanced at the camera. “I’m already dead Dolly. We don’t get to choose our fate. Sometimes fate chooses us.”

“Hmph,” she said. “Well, okay. I think Lucio and I should talk. Take me to him.”

Tristan nodded and led her out of the suite to the elevators. Instead of going down, they went up, and at first, she thought they were headed back to a penthouse. The elevator doors opened to the roof. Tristan held the door for her. Dolly hesitated. “What is this?”

“Helicopter. He’s waiting,” Tristan informed her.

She didn’t think she was in danger. That was not her concern. The mere thought of leaving Russell behind terrified her. If Lucio was gone, what if some crazy vampire attacked him? What then?

“He’ll be fine,” Tristan said. “Your brother is as popular as a movie star right now. No one will hurt him. It’s not our way.”

“I want to trust you, Tristan,” she began.

“You can. It might sound strange, knowing what I am. But I assure you, I am not a liar. If I tell you he is safe, he is. It’s your choice, Dolly. What would you like to do?”

Dolly knew that choice was very subjective with these men. They claimed to give it to her, but every step of the way, she was being pulled in the direction that Lucio wished. Maybe the only way to escape hell with her life and her brothers intact was to continue on the path Darlene started. And that would mean forgiving Lucio.

“Thank you, Tristan,” she said and walked off the elevator. She looked to the right and saw the sleek black helicopter waiting with a pilot. The sun was much brighter in the desert at her elevated height. She had to shield her eyes from it as she walked toward it. Lucio opened the door to the back of the helicopter and stepped outside to greet her. When she reached for the bird, he took her hand and helped her inside. He joined her.

“Hi,” he said and handed her a pair of headphones.

She smiled and accepted them. When she put them on, the helicopter blades whipped up into a frenzy as Lucio buckled her in. He fastened himself in, and they lifted off from the roof and sailed out across Vegas. Dolly looked down and marveled at the city below.

Lucio believed that to win Dolly’s trust, he had to do something extraordinary, something that would show her a different side of him. He needed a place where they could be alone, away from the prying eyes of his brothers and the dangers that lurked in the hotel. An idea struck him—a secluded retreat accessible only by helicopter.

He arranged everything with meticulous care. A private dinner and a luxurious tent set up in the heart of the Grand Canyon, a place of breathtaking beauty and tranquility. It was the perfect setting to show Dolly he could be more than the monster she believed him to be.

The flight to the Grand Canyon was beautiful. From the glittering lights of Las Vegas to the rugged, awe-inspiring beauty of the canyon, the scenery below them transformed the journey. The helicopter descended into a hidden valley, untouched by the usual throngs of tourists.

When they landed, Dolly froze at the sight before her. A large, clear igloo-shaped dome covered an intimate setting. Inside a beautifully arranged table, surrounded by the grandeur of the canyon, but cool enough in the desert heat to enjoy a meal. Further away was a large Arabian-style tent pitched for the evening. Lucio had thought of everything. She looked over at him in awe. “You did this? For me?”

“For us. Remember, I’m too selfish to think of anyone without thinking of myself,” he said with a smile.

She smiled and nodded. “True.”

Lucio laughed. She had a similar humor to her like Darlene. He immediately pushed his thoughts of Darlene aside, even though secretly he missed her.

“Will you join me?” he asked. The blades had stopped spinning, and they found themselves seated in the helicopter, staring into each other’s eyes. Dolly removed her headphones, and Lucio took off his.

“This is incredible,” Dolly said. “But I already ate. I just wanted to talk Lucio. Not romance.”

“That’s fine. I have a nice dessert planned for you, and friendly conversation, too,” he said.

“That’s right, you were watching me today.”

“I’ve been watching you, Dolly, every day since the first day we met. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you,” said Lucio.

She looked away.

He waited. He was a patient man, even if she did not believe him to be so.

“What if I said no, Lucio? What if I asked you to take me back to the hotel? Would you force me to stay?” she asked.

Internally, his Draca rolled its eyes. Lucio sighed.

“Be honest. Would you force me to stay?” she asked.

“I would work really hard to convince you to stay, to hear me out. I don’t have much time to negotiate the terms of our friendship. And you need to understand why. Your life depends on it. And mine,” said Lucio.

“Something has happened?” she asked.

“Can we get out of the helicopter and discuss it?” Lucio asked.

“I’m afraid to give you even an inch, Lucio. If I hold on to my anger at you, I feel strong enough to deal with this. But if I give in, then what happens? I slip up and Darlene comes back? Do you take her over me? I get caged in her mind and left behind?” asked Dolly.

“Is that what you fear the most? Are you afraid that I will replace you, that someone else could replace you?” Lucio asked.

“I was replaced,” she reminded him. “You don’t know how that feels. Living our life through someone else’s eyes. Being pushed out of existence. I can’t do that again.” She looked away from him. “And if I trust you, I can’t protect myself. Darlene is stronger. She’s already proved it.”

Lucio reached over and touched her hand. He squeezed it. “Let’s talk. Let’s talk until we figure it out. I came for you, Dolly. I know it took more time than it should have, but I did. I know who you are. I never forgot, and when the time was right, I came for you. I’m not going to let you go. No matter what happens.”

He took her hand and brushed the back of it across his lips.

“Trust me. Just a little. Then decide the rest.”

“Just a little?” she asked through her tears.

“Well, maybe more than a little,” he winked.

Dolly shook her head and released a deep breath. She forced herself to stop crying. She forced herself to be fearless. “Okay. Let’s try. Let’s talk and see where that takes us.”