Do You Like It?

Chapter 41: Do You Like It?

The atmosphere in the bar was oppressive. No one spoke as they waited for Alvin and Kingpin, watching to see who would speak first.

Alvin had never intended to cause trouble for these gangsters. He glanced at the sexy blonde standing against the wall not far behind Kingpin, fiddling with a finely crafted metal ruler. She was the girl blind Matt had always pined for. Now she worked for Kingpin.

To ease the tension a little, Alvin took two cigars from his jacket pocket and handed one to Kingpin. Their host, Clark, tactfully offered up an elegantly designed lighter.

Alvin lit his cigar, took a puff, let its aroma swirl around his mouth, then slowly exhaled. Smoke drifted between the two men. Smiling, Alvin said, "No need to be nervous, Kingpin. I told you on the phone—today has nothing to do with territory."

Kingpin relaxed. As long as Alvin was not here to seize territory, nothing else was a big deal.

"Alvin, you showed up in the docks two nights ago and wiped out one of Lanshev's smuggling warehouses. Today, you brought your big dog to Twenty-Seventh Street. It's hard not to get the wrong idea."

Alvin looked at Kingpin with amusement. This guy sure kept a close eye on him. It was rare for him to go out at night, yet Kingpin had known about it. Judging by the ugly looks on everyone else's faces, they were still in the dark and truly thought the police had done it. Only one gray-haired old Eastern European man glared at Alvin with fury and viciousness.

Ignoring the old man's stare, Alvin looked at Kingpin and said, "I said I was going to perform a magic trick. Want to see it? It's exciting!"

Kingpin frowned. "What exactly do you mean? Alvin, get to the point."

Alvin smiled. "Have that idiot of yours with a target tattooed on his head take a few men and follow my big dog to bring someone back. Then I'll explain." He took another puff of his cigar and relaxed, spreading his arms over the back of the long bench. "Oh, remember to bring a big trash can. Put it in there and bring it over. That thing is afraid of sunlight."

The sexy woman burst out laughing at Alvin's description of Bullseye. Sometimes, she did not like that lunatic much either.

Hearing her laugh, Alvin even winked at her. She really was his type—hot body, straightforward personality. Too bad she was the beloved of that dead-blind and broke Matt. Alvin was loyal, so he would not entertain any ideas!

The others did not dare laugh at Bullseye. He really was a lunatic.

Kingpin ignored Bullseye's angry expression and told him to do as Alvin said.

Bullseye shot Alvin a furious glare, then went outside and found several underlings. He dug a trash can out of the back alley and set off with the three-headed ghost wolf, which had long been itching for action. The target was not far away, right on this street.

The atmosphere eased. The gang bosses dragged out the bar owner, each ordered a glass of hard liquor despite the early hour, and began chatting. The topic of conversation, however, was completely at odds with their identities.

"My kid got an A yesterday. Can you believe it? His teacher called me and asked me to help him think about college choices. No one in my fucking family has ever gone to college, but my son can get in on his own."

"My kid's on the football team. Did you watch last week's game? Six touchdowns, and my son scored three of them. Yesterday, some coach from Texas A&M University called and asked me to take my son for a campus visit. Said they could offer a full scholarship. I told him to fuck off! What kind of school is Texas A&M University? You want my son driving a tractor? Do I look like I can't afford tuition?"

Those with children who got good grades kept showing them off. The ones whose children did poorly buried their heads in their drinks, deciding they would teach their little brats a lesson when they got home. If your grades suck, I can't even make conversation when I go out.

Kingpin's man Bullseye was quite efficient. He returned in less than half an hour, though his expression looked terrible.

Looking at the trash can in the middle of the bar, Alvin signaled the owner to turn on the lights, close the doors and windows, and draw the curtains.

Two of Kingpin's men held down the trash can lid. Bullseye clutched several darts and watched the can like a hawk. Clearly, he had been frightened.

Alvin looked around, then took a decorative Viking-style hand axe off the bar's wall and swung it a few times. Hmm, the craftsmanship was mediocre, but the weight was decent.

He raised his brows at Kingpin, signaling for his two men to move aside.

The vampire inside the trash can had been badly injured by the ghost wolves, but the instant the pressure on the lid loosened, it sprang out and lunged at Alvin, who appeared to be the only threat present.

Alvin was not much of a fighter, but he had utter contempt for the vampires' usual tactics. Jumping into the air and diving at someone looked fierce, but it also meant there was no way to dodge.

The hand axe did not sit comfortably in his grip, and he was not holding it properly. He viciously swung the flat of the axe into the vampire's face. Half the unfortunate vampire's face exploded completely. One eyeball was knocked flying, and its mangled facial muscles could no longer cover the toothless gums on that side.

The lunging vampire spun twice in the air before crashing heavily to the floor with a bang. The gang bosses' hearts in the bar lurched with it.

With a cigar clenched between his teeth, Alvin stepped on the desperately struggling vampire's back. He gave the staring Bullseye a savage grin, gripped the axe with both hands, and chopped down hard at the vampire's waist.

Alvin shook his head, dissatisfied with the result. The hand axe was merely a decorative piece and not sharp enough. It had failed to cut the vampire cleanly in two, severing only half its waist and its spine.

Everyone present shuddered, gaining an entirely new understanding of how dangerous Alvin was.

Its spine severed, the vampire lay on the floor, dragging its mangled organs as it struggled in agony. Alvin kept a foot on its back to stop it from scurrying around. He took the cigar from his mouth with his left hand and exhaled a thick plume of smoke.

He swept his gaze over the panicked expressions of the gang bosses and smiled. "See? That's the magic trick I was talking about. Do you all like it?"

Everyone looked at the thing under Alvin's foot. Half its face was gone, half its waist had been chopped off, and yet it still struggled desperately. It was obviously not human. A chill ran through their hearts. What the fuck is that thing?

Kingpin was the only one with nerves strong enough to approach and examine it closely. "Are there many of these things in Hell's Kitchen?" As he spoke, he stomped down on the vampire's wildly flailing right hand and crushed it completely. Watching the vampire continue to struggle and howl, trying to say something through its broken, leaking mouth, Kingpin gave a savage grin and swung his thick cane backhandedly into the vampire's still-intact jaw. Even if it survived, it would need a feeding tube for the rest of its life.

Alvin looked at Kingpin appreciatively. He was an exceptional villain—calm, resolute, and cruel.

"This is a vampire. It only comes out at night and lives by drinking human blood. There are a lot of them. I can't control other places, but every one of these things in Hell's Kitchen has to be wiped out. They have fatal weaknesses: silver weapons and sunlight."

He signaled the bar owner to open the curtains. As sunlight fell on the vampire, everyone watched as it ignited from the inside out like a wad of dry toilet paper, turning into a speck of ash.

Alvin liked that very much. Very eco-friendly!