Page 117 of Taste of Blood

He’s got the money to arm them and buy up any number of buildings to use as hangouts.

He’s obviously playing the long game. Putting together an operation like this took time and planning, and I suspect we haven’t even seen the tip of the iceberg yet.

The two guys we caught kidnapping people from Luca’s neighborhood were an anomaly, and I’m starting to wonder if they were just Thalium fishing to see what we’d do. We’ve encountered no more Outliers. The men we have captured or killed, with the exception of Cosgrave, have been trained to withstand torture.

I’m starting to wonder if they weren’t more tests for us. With everything I’ve seen of Thalium so far, I find it hard to believe he would employ men careless enough to get caught.

So how is he doing it? Is he training them himself, or is he recruiting experienced warriors?

I look over at Zeke, who’s kicked back watching the street. “You ever get the feeling we’re in over our heads?”

He sighs and offers a somber grin. “I’ve been feeling that way since the night we got ambushed.”

“It just seems like we’re always one step behind. Like we’re being led right where this guy wants us. Take those three guys we just took down. They weren’t your average street thugs, and yet we took them down fairly easily.”

Zeke chuckles. “Not patting yourself on the back for that one, huh?”

“Considering what happened the last time we were in this neighborhood, this was a cake walk. Almost like a set up.”

“Could be, but what does that make us right now?”

What indeed? We’re on the highest vantage point in the area, so there’s no one above us to discover our position. And yet, I feel exposed. Like he knows right where we are.

“Don’t let this guy get in your head,” Zeke warns. “He’s just another vamp.”

Maybe. But I still don’t feel comfortable.

The comms spark up, and one of our guys says, “Incoming.”

We sit forward, eyes trained on the street as two guys round the corner and pass below us. They’re dressed all in black and the way they walk, balanced on the balls of their feet, tells me they’re fighters. That’s verified when I spot what’s strapped to the hip of one of them.

A fucking sword.

“That’s them,” I whisper to Zeke, who nods.

I can tell they’re hyper aware, checking the street around them multiple times before crossing to enter the bar.

“Now what?” I ask.

“We don’t know how many of them there are so we can’t risk going in there,” Zeke replies.

“I didn’t recognize them but they were the same kind of guys who attacked us.”

We decide to sit tight and wait, at least until TJ and Eddie get back. Other than a homeless guy and an oblivious couple, no one else shows on the street. When we hear the van pull into the alley below, Zeke reaches out to Eddie on the comms.

“See anything on your way in?”

“No. It’s fucking weird. Streets in this area are completely deserted.”

The door to the bar opens and a man steps out.

“Hang on,” Zeke says.

Everyone goes quiet as we watch the man look around then head left down the street.

“He’s a vamp,” TJ says.

“How can you be sure?” Zeke asks.