Mob Sorcery 5 - Ch33

Moving day arrived soon enough. Despite Alessia’s concerns, the upgrades to the house finished on time. Vince tried not to think about how much it must have cost her to get so much done both on short notice and without any delays. Especially as she’d even brought in another team to do an inspection of the work.

They elected to move in on the last Tuesday of February. Even though Nicki and Nina had cleaned out their old apartment of anything of importance, they’d left it full of furniture.

What Vince expected from today was a lot of grunting, heavy lifting, and Nina flexing her superior strength over him. Instead, a small army of Lionetti enforcers showed up alongside several burly wolffolk movers with Italian accents so thick they probably stepped off a boat yesterday.

Vince stood in the middle of the largely barren main room he’d spent the better part of five years living in. The movers had already taken the couch. While he watched, another mover picked up the shoe rack and table by the door before leaving. Grunts from the bedrooms indicated they were disassembling the beds.

A strange, almost indescribable feeling washed over him as he looked around. The apartment looked as shitty and rundown as the day he’d moved in with Nina, thanks to all the cleaning he’d done to stop it from getting worse. Bland cream walls, beige carpets, a tiny kitchen with dirt-cheap appliances, worn and cracked floor tiles…

Despite everything, this had been home. Vince might be shooting onward and upward and moving into a huge house, but he’d missed this place. Would continue to miss it for weeks, he suspected. Some nights in the condo, he awoke in the night and took a minute to realize where he was.

He hadn’t stepped foot in here for weeks. Not since the heist, thanks to the danger he’d been in.

His greatest regret might be allowing himself to be forced out of a place he considered his own. He hadn’t even spent a final night here.

“I’d pay a penny for your thoughts, but your face screams them,” Fia said.

She shuffled up to him, hands in her jacket pockets, and leaned against him.

“I should hate this place,” Vince said, voice devoid of emotion. “The hot water barely worked, it’s tiny for a three-bedroom apartment, rent was way too damn high for what we got, it’s so rundown that no amount of cleaning undoes the cheapness, my neighbors are actual drug dealers. The list goes on.”

“Home is home.” Fia rubbed his back. “I’m sorry we couldn’t keep you here.”

“I don’t…” He sighed. “It’s not about staying. But seeing it empty feels like a chapter of my life has ended, and I didn’t even see the pages turn. I want to move. I got past my problems with Alessia and the new house. But I guess I feel…” He groped for the air, struggling for the right words.

He’d never thought too hard about the apartment. It was simply his apartment, where he lived with Nina. Thinking about it, he’d never really had a home like it before. Moving in with her had given him stability he’d lacked in his teenage years.

Something thumped behind him. Before he could turn, a familiar, soft weight pressed down on his head.

“It feels like we didn’t choose,” Nina said from above him. She was using his head as a rest for her breasts. “First time I job hopped as an accountant, I’d worked there for over two years. Raise was tiny, no promotion, told how we needed to pitch in as a family and shit. I got a new offer within weeks of looking for way more. But when I left, I felt as if I’d lost. No huge desire to play my boss’s head like a bongo appeared. I cleaned out my desk, handed my shit in, filled in a form, and left with no fanfare.”

“I’d complain about you comparing a job to this shitty apartment, but I get it,” Vince said.

Even great things in life came with feelings of regret. He let Nina pick up her bag of plushies and other crap she kept in her room, and lingered on his feelings. Part of him hoped a great rush of catharsis might overwhelm him, making it all worthwhile.

Fortunately, being busy proved to be a great cure to his hollow emotions. Nicki dragged him into her room to help pack a few things. Then Nina asked him to roll up the spare linen with her. Even when they left, Fia made sure he wasn’t the one turning the lights out.

His neighbor, Steve, leaned in the open doorway beside Vince’s old apartment. A couple of enforcers made small talk with him. From the vape canisters bulging from their pockets, Vince guessed they’d stocked up.

“Finally leaving, eh?” Steve asked with a smile. His cat ears twitched as he gave Vince a lazy salute. “You’re all over the news, social media, videos. Always wondered why you and Nina stuck it out here. Bet you have a sweet place lined up, especially with all these mafioso helping you move.”

“It’s pretty nice,” Vince admitted. “I’ll miss having a neighbor who can hook me up with booze and energy drinks at any hour, though.”

“I still can’t believe how much of those things you drink. Even with the regular deliveries from that succubus, you still came to me sometimes.” Steve shook his head. “The cartel has been keeping an eye out around here, so I’m betting you won’t be a complete stranger if they like you.”

The mention of the cartel visiting reminded Vince that Steve had told Nina and Nicki about spies. Vince slipped the catfolk a hundred as thanks, and even picked up a case of energy drinks for the road.

“I’m not one to say no to cash, but you didn’t have to,” Steve said while bringing out the energy drinks. “Stay safe. Or as much as you can when you’re fighting armies of undead assassins, I guess.”

Fia drove him and Nina across the city, while a convoy of SUVs escorted them. Gaby joined them on the way out, and various cartel bikers joined in for a brief jaunt until they reached the edge of their turf. If they flashed lights and sirens, they’d almost pass for a Presidential motorcade.

More than a few gawkers watched from their gates or the sidewalk in Albion as they arrived. Even in a suburb like this one, Vince doubted many new arrivals came with an army of bodyguards. Plus, he’d heard that old people and rich people loved poking their noses into their neighbors’ business.

“I don’t think I fit the neighborhood profile,” Vince said while looking at the old fogeys standing outside expensive ass homes.

“Your home might be more expensive than theirs, master,” Daji helpfully pointed out.

He frowned, unsure what to think of that.

“I doubt you’ll have any trouble,” Fia said. “There’s no homeowners’ association, and the fact you moved in with a mafia escort and huge security upgrades means complaints will be few and far between.”

“What’s with the lack of an HOA, anyway?” Nina asked. “When I checked out houses, basically all of them had one.”

“Albion’s old, and old money has its own ways to keep riff raff out and in line,” Fia said. “HOAs had a political stink originally, as they started as white-only communities, and then transitioned to human-only after the Masquerade broke. Nobody remembers that these days, so Houou and Immanuel happily use them to protect their investments.”

“And then cranky old farts become tyrants,” Nicki said.

“… What do you mean by ‘ways to keep riff raff out?’” Vince asked.

“Albion has its own council and various rules,” Fia explained. “Dad’s part of it, which is why I know how it works. It can’t pass laws, and everything it does has to be within the purview of the laws and charter that created it, but this is the oldest and richest part of Aulfair. Judges live here. They aren’t going to water down the laws that keep them happy and restful.”

“So I’m nestled by corruption for once, instead of buffeted by it,” Vince said. “So long as I don’t cause trouble.”

“With the wards on this place, you’d have to go to extremes to cause trouble. Maybe they’ll bitch if too many people try to kill you, but everyone has to live somewhere.”

He recalled the firestorm he caused while taking out Arnulfo and winced. Sure, he’d avoided damaging any of the neighbors’ homes, but that certainly counted as a massive disruption.

Then again, that was what life in Aulfair entailed. People ignored the house that got taken out by a fire tornado so long as it didn’t affect them. If Vince had burned down a neighboring house, he wondered how much angrier the cops would have been. No wonder Frost planned to arrest everyone involved in the upcoming civil war.

Fia pulled into the driveway of his new home. The hedges and wrought iron fence prevented him from seeing anything, although several SUVs parked on the curved street outside. Gaby joined them. Her bike made less noise than usual.

The moving truck sat on a platform built of wind over the grass, allowing Fia to pull into the garage. Alessia’s SUV sat beside them. Even with two cars in it, the garage had plenty of room for storage, workbenches, and other junk to accumulate. For now, a huge electric battery occupied part of the wall, complete with bollards to stop the cars from hitting it. Vince hadn’t paid much attention to the presence of solar panels, but he guessed the second-story roof was full of them.

Pola crashed into him by the time he got outside. “It’s big! I really wanted to get the new sofa for you, though.”

“I’m the one living here, so you’re not picking the damn couch,” Nina growled.

The two women glared at each other.

Nicki clacked across the driveway and rolled her eyes. “Don’t act like you didn’t agree on one. They just need a few weeks to ship it here.”

While Vince focused on training, he still made time for his regular dates with his girls. Pola chose to take him furniture shopping, which Nina intruded on once she learned the purpose of. His new ludicrously large bed was one thing, but the lioness drew the line at letting Pola decorate the living room. He’d been dragged around for a few hours while very enthusiastic salesclerks showed them the best, most expensive options.

One sofa contained a goddamn minifridge and built-in wine cooler. Pola had really wanted that one, but Nina disliked the material.

Gaby let out a whistle as she joined them. “Can hardly tell they did so much work to the place. Given they had to have removed half the façade to lay new wards and contingency spells, that’s damn impressive. Even the new stonework looks as worn as the old stuff.”

Vince followed her gaze and saw her point. The Italianate style meant the entire house was clad in a sandstone façade, and being sixty years old meant it showed a lot of wear that had become part of the building’s charm. Only when he looked closely did he see differences in the stonework.

The same couldn’t be said of the lawn and garden. Given the low maintenance state it had been in, Alessia had cared a lot less about it. The entire perimeter had been dug up and resewn with grass or plants. While harder to tell, the iron fence appeared to have been replaced, with runes engraved into the back of every fence post.

Vince could spend all day looking at the results of the security upgrade. No doubt the roof showed signs, too. The atelier had been ripped apart and rebuilt, given the strength of his magic.

“You like it?” Pola asked, suddenly nervous.

She twisted in front of him, her tail wagging and ear flat against her head.

He patted her head and she froze.

“It’s great,” he said. “Although I think your sister organized everything.”

“I’ve been running the mafia while she’s busy,” Pola protested. Then she smiled. “I’m glad you love it.”

Alessia stepped out of the front door as if summoned by her sister’s happiness, then her expression abruptly turned thunderous.

The low rumble of an engine told Vince why as he turned to view the new arrival. He gripped his cane and nearly activated his barrier. Nina’s gauntlet appeared on her left hand while Lionetti enforcers rushed in behind the car.

A golden Aston Martin came to a gentle stop in the driveway. Anzu stepped out, resplendent in an ivory mini cocktail dress and pantyhose. Her seven golden tails glowed in the sun as she lowered a pair of sunglasses at Vince and winked at him.

“Such a lovely new home, Vince,” she said. “I brought you a housewarming gift.”

Ignoring the angry enforcers, her tails flicked the trunk open and levitated a large, giftwrapped box out of it. She handed it to Vince in person. Nina nearly took it, but stepped aside when Anzu’s eyes narrowed.

“This isn’t going to have a tracking device in it, is it?” he asked the fox.

“Please. I don’t need one. Not if we’re going to be working together,” she purred. “Not going to open it?”

The giftwrapping appeared to be paper, so he burned it away. Anzu clicked her tongue.

“A blender?” he asked, staring at the box.

“An expensive blender,” Nina said. “Did you feel upset that Alessia bought him a fancy coffee grinder when you only got him beans?”

Anzu stared at the lioness. “I truly do understand why you’re the pride leader now. You are utterly fearless at defending your position.”

“Thanks.” Nina crossed her arms. “You’re not in it yet.”

“Yet.” The fox smirked and strode past Vince. Her fingers ran along his biceps. “It’s not about competition. Everyone can use a good blender. And it might help Vince… bulk up.”

“He’s fine as is,” Alessia growled as she finally stalked over, ears bolt upright and tail lashing the ground.

Alessia stood only inches away from Anzu, reminding him that the two women were roughly the same height. Their close proximity and revealing dresses made it difficult for Vince not to compare their breasts, and he suspected Alessia had gotten up close and personal for a reason. She won the competition.

“I’d make a comment that being sedentary gave the wolf a leg up, but her sister somehow matches her, and the lioness is in peak physical condition despite tits nearly as big as her head,” Daji said.

“Perhaps,” Anzu said. She leaned in close to Alessia, who scowled. “But imagine how much more impressive he’d be when he takes off his shirt in the bedroom and reveals a lovely set of rippling abs, right before he pushes you down and—”

“He already does that to me,” Alessia insisted. “You can stick to imagining it.”

Her face burned as she took a step back from the fox. Anzu smirked.

“Anzu, did you come here for a reason, or just to flex that you know where I live and annoy everyone?” Vince asked.

“You asked for my help.” Anzu pouted at him. “I can finally visit you again.”

“The wards will keep you out,” Alessia said.

“You can think that.” Anzu paused, then sighed. “Before you kick Vince out again, I’ll stop taunting you and be clear that I can’t break in without being very obvious. But he’s not as well protected as in your towers. I already offered to help him rectify that. The cost being that I can visit, naturally. Stealthily.”

Despite her misgivings over the fox, Alessia’s expression told Vince that Anzu hadn’t lied. Even after all the upgrades, the house couldn’t hope to match the defenses of towers locked behind elevators and security teams. Although he questioned how stealthy driving up in her gold Aston Martin was.

“I’ll leave that decision to Vince, but if you introduce backdoors—” Alessia began to say.

Anzu strode past the wolfgirl, while beckoning them indoors. “If that’s settled, perhaps we should speak inside? I doubt you want eavesdroppers to hear what I have to say.”

Alessia muttered something unkind and whipped her hair with one hand.

“Wow. She is going to be a handful,” Gaby said. “I don’t think she’ll settle for second ring, V.”

He raised an eyebrow at the unicorn. “I don’t exactly plan on having ‘rings.’”

“Good. Because that means I don’t need to argue over which I’ll be in.” She grinned at him and took the blender off his hands.

Inside, Vince noticed how empty the house still appeared. The movers had unloaded the furniture and were unpacking boxes, plates, and other items. But even though he and the others had owned enough stuff to need a small truck, it barely made a dent in the floor space of a two-story house of this size. Their old couch looked like it was made for ants in the gargantuan living room.

Anzu leaned against the back of it, her tails shifting as she cast wards. “There. Now you don’t need to worry about prying eyes and ears.”

“This is about Kigenai,” Vince said.

“Yes, and Mei.” The fox levelled a curious gaze at him. “I’m not privy to all your plans, and I don’t think that matters. But if you can’t stop the Qilin from teleporting, are you truly ready to battle Mei?”

“We can stop Kigenai,” he said. “But nothing stops Mei from teleporting her like she has before. Setting up a generator to trap Kigenai is too difficult. Even if we somehow lure her to a predetermined location—”

“That alone would be nearly impossible,” Anzu interrupted. “Mei is a competent fighter, but I suspect she lacks good instincts for battle. Her right-hand is a battle-worn warrior who has seen multiple wars and the destruction of her Knightsgate branch. I understand. You’re aware that Juliet Forest has taken a contract with the Yakuza?”

“On orders from Kreesa,” he said.

Anzu blinked, then grimaced. “Hamelin, right. I had hoped the vampire was merely desperate. Word is that her long-time benefactor, the elder vampire Ceresviel, has finally cut Juliet free. Sorcerers from Aulfair Statewide raided Juliet’s penthouse a few days ago. I assume you have her binding weakness?”

“Probably her origin as well,” Vince said. “But I think digging deeper is dangerous.”

“I recommend not killing her until you at least reach out to Ceresviel,” Anzu said. “Enjoy her with that succubus of yours, but if the vampires are handing out Juliet’s weakness without additional info, it means they want her humiliated, not dead.”

“Why should we play by their rules?” Nina sneered. “She sure as hell doesn’t. And I know we’ll make enemies, but they stood by and let her rampage.”

“Oh yes, the vampires truly believe in equality and that the rules apply the same to them as to everyone else,” Anzu said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. “I’m always wary of an organization that does very little, yet has its claws deep in everything. Immanuel’s demons are older, but they’re open and flashy. They’ve also lost most of their links to Europe, unlike the vampires. Don’t make unnecessary enemies over petty spite.”

Alessia bit her lip. “I wouldn’t call it spite.”

“Vengeance, then.”

“Would you forgive someone who murdered your clan members, and continually tried to harm someone you loved?” The mafia don stared at Anzu.

The fox’s tails dipped momentarily. She ran a hand down her face. “At least take the time to confirm if you’ll make enemies, Vince. Make the decision with eyes wide open.”

He nodded. “I can try to do that, at least. What about Mei’s teleportation?”

“Momo and I will have to block it directly,” Anzu explained. “If we openly establish wards, too many will realize we’re intervening. So we’ll monitor your battle with Kigenai and block Mei’s magic if she tries anything. That can be justified, given our involvement down south. But no matter what happens, don’t expect us to help in person.”

“Not even if Mei teleports in?” Pola asked, eyes wide.

“The idea is we’ll stop that,” Anzu said. “It’s possible Mei won’t even intervene. Your ring blocks scrying, so she’ll be in the dark.”

“I’d like to be prepared anyway. Thanks,” he said.

The tips of Anzu’s tails danced, and he didn’t miss the frowns that appeared on some of his girlfriend’s faces.

“Finally, if the Miuras don’t come through, I’ll see if I can help you with your plans for Mei,” Anzu continued. “Mei didn’t get eight tails by allowing herself to be easily cornered. Even with a generator, she’s still highly talented at teleportation and telekinesis. The same skills that make her good at stopping others from teleporting allow her to breach wards.”

After a quick goodbye kiss on his cheek, Anzu sashayed out of his new home. He did his best not to stare at her ass. Mostly because of the glares he’d receive if he did.

“Were we supposed to buy housewarming gifts?” Pola asked, tilting her head.

“You helped buy me a house, Pola. Don’t worry about it,” Vince said.

Nicki patted Pola on the head, while Gaby grimaced. He guessed the unicorn hadn’t thought to buy one.

Then again, it would probably be alcohol.

As he should have expected, his first night ended up being a busy one. Ally and Kiho turned up with a basket of goodies, including sake, a whole eel, candles, incense, and a box of Japanese snacks they’d presumably baked together.

Fia and Nina tried to order pizza, but Alessia took over. Given the enforcers still hanging around thanks to her and Pola, the amount of pizza needed skyrocketed. Vince swore the delivery guy unloaded pizzas from a pocket dimension. It was good Italian pizza, and the alcohol came out alongside it.

Before things got too rowdy, Kiho, Ally, and Alessia beat a retreat. Pola nearly left with her sister, but bravely stayed on. Or perhaps the alcohol gave her the extra courage.

Come morning, Vince felt tired. He’d broken in his new bed, and it could definitely support a rowdy Nina doing her best to break it—and him.

At some stage, Fia and Pola had crept into bed with him and Nina. He’d ended up cuddling Fia with Nina behind him, while Pola slumped atop him. No wonder he’d felt damn hot. Both women wore underwear. He assumed that meant no surprise foursomes had happened, as he didn’t remember one.

After he stumbled into the shower and got dressed, he found Gaby grinning at him from the doorway. She’d stayed the night along with the rest, but had stolen Nina’s bed.

“Fia said you tended to wake up first,” Gaby said. “You’d think they did all the work.” Her eyes scanned the three girls and she bit her lip. “I’m impressed you railed all three of them. Pola seemed skittish when Nina pulled your dick out.”

“I didn’t,” Vince said, but pointed out the door. He didn’t want to wake the girls.

The two of them padded over to the kitchen. The master bedroom was on the ground floor, and he’d practically been forced to take it. Nina planned to use it quite often, after all.

He poured a tall glass of water and guzzled it down. His next went slower.

“So they just wanted cuddle time?” Gaby asked.

“Not the first time.” He shrugged. “None of them are really adventurous enough to jump in together, but they don’t mind sharing the bed for sleeping. It’s a big step for Pola, though. She’s always avoided Nina.”

Gaby nodded. “Yeah, that matches up. I didn’t quite get as much of a show as I wanted. Not sure if you remember, but I chickened out around the time Nina decided to show everyone her ‘technique.’” Her red face told Vince the exact reason she’d left. “I don’t think I was the only one who left when your cock joined the party.”

“Not to rush you, but we’re spending a lot of time together lately,” he said. “With how much your gang has to cover for you—”

She shook her head. “It’s fine. At least until after Mei. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think I’ll get my real taste for you when we really fight together. A big brawl against demigods as part of the pride?” She bit her lip. “I know it seems like I’m being a coward, but I want to be sure.”

He held her hand. “Like I said, I don’t want to rush you. It’s more that I’m concerned. You might make a rash decision if you spend so much time around me. The others already treat you like part of the pride.”

“I know. It’s nice.” She giggled and played with her hair. “Also makes it hard to watch them… enjoy you and only watch. Even Pola is getting over her problems with Nina, even if it was only with a ton of liquid courage.”

“Who has problems with me?” Nina asked while entering the kitchen.

She’d thrown on one of Vince’s jackets, which hung so poorly on her frame that her nipples were completely revealed. A pair of panties were her only real clothing.

“Me. Because you’re ruining my jacket,” he growled.

“It’s only the sleeves, and they’re big enough.” Nina got defensive when he tried to take it off her.

For maybe the first time since he’d met her, Gaby stared jealously at Nina’s massive tits.

Ignoring the unicorn, Nina poured herself some water. “So, now we’ve moved in, any update on when we’ll take out Kigenai?”

Gaby nodded. “Earliest is next week. Monday. That’s the next time we think they’ll make a move on the docks. Hard to say after that. Could be two more weeks, as the Yakuza are feeling tough thanks to Juliet showing up and Houou pulling enforcers away.”

“Sounds like a date,” Vince said. “We’ll talk to Fia once she’s awake and set everything in motion. No reason to keep waiting. Especially if our enemy is feeling overconfident.”

The next week vanished in the blink of an eye. Vince still spent time in the penthouse, but shifted to every third day given most of his girlfriends preferred his house. His plans to bring Alessia to his own bed had yet to come to fruition. He spent his days training, either in his new atelier or the rented one alongside Nina, Fia, and Nicki. Gaby joined in sometimes.

Spring began to rear its head as March arrived. On the first Monday of the new month, everything was in place to take out Kigenai.

Rain pattered on the rooftop and bounced off Vince’s barrier. He gazed out to the south from a warehouse rooftop close to the docks. Sirens screamed in the distance, and flashes erupted at random, followed shortly by the crack of lightning. Some came from above, but the rest moved closer and closer as Kigenai tore through blockades on her way to the docks.

Most of his pride gathered near him, along with the other fighters they’d recruited like Ashley and Hamelin.

Minutes from now, he’d put his plans to the test. Hopefully everyone he cared about came out the other end of the night intact. But to use magic was to walk with death.

- - - - -

Commentary: The feelings about moving are one of those personal experiences that I'm not sure are as widely shared as they used to be. People move around more rapidly than they used to, especially with how uncertain renting is these days and moving for jobs. This chapter wasn't planned originally, but it got added while working on the big fight.

The big fight is next. There'll probably be a one day gap before I post the entire thing, but it'll go up at once. It's a big chunk of chapters - not as long as the heist, but definitely long and intense.