Chapter 12 (Adam Novus Chronicles - Book 1)

I got up from the bed and had a long scalding shower, trying to wash off this persevering feeling of filth that was embedded under my skin. It is disturbing when you can't remember the last time you brushed your teeth; the thick layer of biofilm coating them was a disgusting sensation underneath my tongue.

For the next half an hour, I let the water cleanse me, while my mind was occupied with thinking about things I needed to do.

I didn't sleep at all the previous night after Esmeralda left, not even those few hours my body usually needed. Too much on my mind; everything from deep introspection about my life, as a whole, to creating a plan for the future.

It was time to face the music, but that was all right. It’s a good thing when you have someone to care about what happens to you; to help you stand up when you are lying in the gutter… literally.

Esmeralda and Markus were in the dayroom, talking quietly in a language I did not understand or could identify. The moment I entered, they stopped and looked at me, trying to judge what I would do. Considering my recent behavior, it was perfectly understandable. I crossed to where she was standing and embraced her in a hug.

“Thank you,” I quietly breathed out, feeling that I have never in my life said those words with greater intensity or a deeper meaning.

Vampire hearing being what it is, there was no question that Marcus could hear me too.

I pulled back, and she took a long look into my eyes, then slowly nodded with an understanding smile.

“So… you made some decisions,” Marcus stated, nodding as well.

“Yes, I did. I have decided to do something with this second life of mine, it’s a gift after all.” I replied, which made Esmeralda smile again. “And I also decided to start a business,” I continued.

He looked at me, raising one eyebrow; that was not what he expected me to say. Then again, before I said it out loud, it was just an idea I played with inside my mind.

“OK… that is an improvement, I guess. What kind of business?” He asked while his second eyebrow joined the first.

“One that would allow me to use this… curse of mine, as an advantage. There are plenty of evil people out there, so why not be the one to hunt them down, as you did in the Amazon. If nothing else, the military put me through enough training to make me more than qualified. But not only that, if someone needs someone apprehended, wants revenge for some evil deed done to them, or just plain old justifiable kill, then they can hire me.”

“You mean like… an assassin?” Esmeralda scowled, not really understanding my intentions. But I guess I didn’t express myself too well.

“Oh no, nothing like an assassin, but if I judge that someone deserves to be taken out—then yes, I will do it. God knows there are a lot of people in this world that deserve to die, many times over. However, if it is simply a bounty on someone's head, I’ll bring him, or her, back alive. It will have to be decided on a case-by-case basis. Think of it as a cross between a bounty hunter for the supernaturals and a private investigator—a problem solver.”

“Oh, that’s not so bad…” She murmured, going over it in her head. Overall, I could sense her happiness that I’ve decided to do something constructive, to find my place in the world. Anything was an improvement to the absolute wretch I was becoming.

“I won't say that the rage which led me to that gutter is not still inside me—because it very much is, and I still need to feed. No, let me be honest—to kill once a month. But this way I can… control it, or steer it where it will do damage to only those deserving of it.” I looked at them both, “And this is where I need your help. I owe you so much already, but I need to ask for more. I need a loan to rent an office and get this thing rolling. Additionally, I will need you to spread the word.”

I was ashamed for asking at all; for the past several months Marcus has been paying my bills. I dread to think how much cash he had to spend to settle all the trouble I started, and I’ll have to find a way to pay him back. On top of that, here I was, asking for more… a freaking leech. But I didn’t dare to try and access my old accounts, the secret ones that were under a few pseudonyms I used while still active. I couldn’t be sure they weren’t discovered, and if they were, I’m certain the General had them flagged for long-term monitoring. It was part of the standard operating procedure; no matter that there was only a slim possibility that I had somehow survived the last mission.

“Don't even mention it, it’s nothing,” he said, dismissing it with a gesture of his hand.

We talked for some time about the logistics of my idea and all that would be required to make it into reality. Their expertise in running a business came in handy; I didn't think about a few dozen things Marcus put into a list named ‘Essentials for starting a business’.

I had no idea how to get a license, permits, federal and state tax ID, or the next fifty things that are necessary to make it all legit. He called his attorney and everything was expedited through legal channels in a way that would make ordinary people starting a business rant and rave, because of the unfairness of the world. I was not complaining.

***

That is how it started, a completely new direction of this new life of mine.

It didn't take much to open the shop and hang up my shingle; I found the perfect place; a two-story brownstone building located in the South Bronx; ideal for what I had in mind. I particularly liked a few gargoyles that were on the roof; it seemed that the original architect was into a more Gothic look.

The rent was more than fair, without any need for a security deposit. At first, I thought that it was on account that behind a building was the start of the industrial zone, with one empty lot in between. But I smelled the rat when the somewhat exasperated real-estate agent dropped Marcus’s name during her sales pitch. He owned it, which was reluctantly confirmed after I called him on the phone. That is after I dismissed a few properties in some better parts of the city, where I wouldn't feel comfortable. (In retrospect, I think they were all Marcus’s.)

Living in the clan house was easy, where all was provided and taken care of. Yet I needed to be on my own, and I was sure the help would appreciate my absence. Their faces were not showing it, but their emotions were clearly saying that they still felt apprehensive around me. It was funny in a way, here they were—freaking vampires, being anxious over little old me… crazy. Besides, my Gramps used to quote Benjamin Franklin about how guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days, and I stayed there for a lot longer than that.

When I showed Marcus what conservative renovations and remodeling of that space would cost, to suit the needs of the new business, he laughed his ass off. Shaking his head and asking me if I forgot to add a few zeros after the number because it seemed a ridiculously small figure to him.

What can I say? A loan for rich people is in an entirely different bracket than what it means to normal people, not that I considered myself normal.

Although, that loan was superfluous now since he decided to take care of all needed renovations as a part of the lease I signed, without carefully reading through it. (Always read the small print—the words to live by.)

Well, I didn’t protest too much, no reason to offend those that want to do you a solid.

Esmeralda didn't want to be excluded from the fun project, as she called it. The day after the lease documents were signed, there were more than twenty workers and contractors on the site, cleaning, fixing, painting, and redecorating. One separate group was responsible for ensuring that the place had suitable security, making it into a fortress. I did some work with such people before, the highly efficient security consultants and their ilk. Not a laid-back bunch; always looking at potential threats and ways to neutralize them.

The four small apartments upstairs were remodeled in one big open-concept studio, as I genuinely did not appreciate small spaces anymore. I like to look outside and be able to see the sky all the time, which was the reason for several big skylights on the ceiling. My time spent underground made me slightly claustrophobic. The windows that wrapped the entire floor were only one way, so nobody could see what I was doing.

Do you have any idea how many New Yorkers own a telescope, and they did not buy them to look at the stars. A bunch of peeping perverts, that’s what they are.

The main floor was where the reception and the office were, and I particularly liked the humongous basement under the entire structure. It even extended a long way behind the building, under the empty lot. That lot was also a part of the lease and was being landscaped into a modest and closed garden. The basement was expanded during the Cold War and used as a spacious nuclear shelter. I'm sure there would be some use for it in the future, and I appreciated a garden above it; that was a luxury you couldn’t easily find in New York City. Not unless you have a bank account with more zeros than most people could earn in several lifetimes.

One thing I did not let them fix too much was the outside of the building. I liked the aged look; it gave it some character, a sense of belonging in this neighborhood. The building was more than a hundred years old but had good bones. No walls made of wood and subpar construction; stone, brick, and mortar were used in excessive amounts, built to withstand the rigors of time.

After the first two days, I was banned from coming close to the site until most of the work was done. My complaints about so many things being unnecessary were not taken kindly by a certain female vampire. Personally, I thought that the bulletproof windows and skylights were a bit much, and titanium-reinforced doors weren't necessary. Some of these improvements were insanely expensive and I couldn’t see the point. It was a madhouse, reminding me of a beehive, with two dozen people running around as if they were competing for a grand prize. Esmeralda showed me the plans and noted a few changes I wanted to be made. Then she ordered Marcus to take me with him and to keep me away until she said so.

He didn’t try to object, just muttered “Yes dear” and pulled me out by the elbow. For the next few days, he kept me company, not letting me out of his sight. I don’t know if he was making sure I would not fall off the wagon, or return to the building site, and annoy his wife and the workers.

I was in no danger to start drinking again; the urge was simply not there, which I accredited to the amazing regenerative properties of my body. But I would have probably been guilty of his second concern as I wanted to see what the hell were they doing there. I used the time to buy some essentials, one being a personal method of transportation—aka a car. This city had decent public transportation systems, but all those crowds were doing funny things to my empathic sense. Imagine being in a room full of people where everyone was shouting like a bunch of perverted deviants. Honestly, most people are thinking about sex all the damn time, and as I was now practicing celibacy, it was not something I was comfortable with.

It took them a little over a week to finish, and that had to be some sort of a world record considering everything that needed to be done. It is amazing what can be achieved when you (and by that, I mean Marcus and Esmeralda) have enough influence and funds to light a fire under some asses. The triple shift may be against some Union rules, but in this world—money talks and rules are there to be bent.

It was a big relief when everybody packed up and I was allowed back on the property. Marcus drove me to the site as my car was in the shop; Esmeralda was waiting for us with the head of the security team.

“Mr. Novus, the entire building is as safe as we could make it,” he began with his summary of security features. They had turned the entire thing into a fortress, with state-of-the-art security systems, and more cameras than one could find on a Hollywood movie set. The building, together with the refurbished bomb shelter in the basement, was all set to survive a nuclear attack or a zombie apocalypse. They even placed plenty of solar panels on the roof, so that it was now energy independent from the city’s power grid. Any extra power could be sold to the city—sweet.

During the bomb shelter refurbishment, they found that there was a deep well dug up underneath it, so they cleaned it up and installed a pump and sophisticated filtration system. Not that I had anything about regular tap water, (no matter what people with aluminum foil on their heads preach all the time), but having my own source of water without all residual chemicals used in the purification process (which are necessary when treating regular river water), was a big bonus. You see, it was all about the coffee that tasted better when using really pure water, without that faint chemical aftertaste my senses could now detect; that was very important to me. Priorities people, always know your priorities.

After he finished a lengthy explanation of how everything worked, Esmeralda thanked him and then dismissed him. He shook everyone’s hands and departed. Now, he was professional and very composed on the outside, but inside the man was instinctually wary of the power couple that he worked for. I guess being employed by vampires is not the most relaxing thing in the world. His company provided security for all their properties, a very lucrative arrangement.

Esmeralda had to make one last inspection of the entire place—the lady had high standards. That took another hour—she was thorough and knew more about the little details that went into renovating the structure than I thought possible. I guess when you live that long you pick up a few things on the way… or a hell of a lot of things.

“Here, we got you a housewarming present,” Marcus said as they were leaving the building, giving me a small rectangular box, professionally wrapped in high-quality paper.

“Thank you, and I sure hope it is not another lamp,” I lightheartedly replied, taking the box that was a few inches thick and pretty light. Esmeralda’s decorative style ensured that I had more lamps than I think anybody needed. We joked about it on several occasions.

“It is from the both of us, but open it after we leave,” he mysteriously said and winked at me.

Esmeralda kissed me goodbye. “Don't be a stranger; we are expecting you to come every Sunday for lunch, OK?”

There was no way I would refuse Esmeralda anything, and I never say no to free food. Marcus smiled and patted me on the shoulder.

“Call me if you run into something you cannot deal with by yourself.”

I stood on the steps before the front door and waved at them as they left in a stretched limo that came to pick them up. Carefully unwrapping the glossy paper, I uncovered a nice lacquered wooden box.

There was a small yellow Post-it note on the top.

“Marcus is everything to me and without you—I would have lost him.

This is just a small token of our appreciation.

Esmeralda

P.S. If you were wondering, this gift is non-returnable.”

Opening the lid, I saw a bundle of legal papers that I quickly browsed through. My ass hit the steps, overwhelmed with the realization of what was inside.

It was a deed to the entire building… in my name.