Anarameha

Chapter 32

Bran looked at the figure that was held by his arms, guards either side of him. Keoni lifted his head. Despite the roughing up that he'd been given, the bruises seemed to be already fading. It was the ridiculousness of their race and how easily they could repair themselves. Still, it was enough for him, enough to show Keoni that he was not a happy leader.

"Why are you here?"

"Normace has taken Ana."

"And you're surprised. Why exactly?"

Keoni ignored the mockery, deciding to say what he wanted.

"I need information, and I don't know who I can trust."

Bran twitched a wry smile, flicking his fingers at the guards. They dropped the vampire to the floor and left the room. Leaning on the edge of his desk, Bran became rather pleased with this new situation. He never expected to have the once mighty Keoni Adileko on his knees begging for help.

"Your statement is intriguing, but I am a wise vampire and I can see beyond what many in this world see. You don't trust Garlet Moss and for the record, no one does. Having the displeasure of dealing with him to the point where he thinks that he can summon me with the expectation that I comply instantly, I can tell you that you are right to think that. The problem that you face is that he is Geniprea's biggest and most influential gangster. In fact, he's the only one worth considering. The others never last long enough to be noteworthy. You don't get those kinds of credentials by being nice and letting people get away with whatever they like. No one in their right mind would go against him. He is ruthless and there is nothing that he won't do to get what he wants. People either fear him or worship him. Did you know that crime bosses travelled here from other parts of the city to create a commission of boss leaders? They wanted to control Garlet. Do you know how that ended?"

Keoni figured it wouldn't be good and the wicked smile on Bran's face told him he was right.

"They're all in the wasteland with the rest of his victims, and now he rules the entire city. If I could have warned you to stay away, I would have but it was too late. More so because you're so infatuated with the princess. If anything, she needs to get away from Garlet long before Pierre. All Pierre wants is the top job. He'd let Ana live if she agreed to never contest his leadership. Garlet however, he doesn't trust anyone, doesn't accept their word as a promise. Cross him and you are screwed."

Bran was sick of seeing Keoni on his knees. He stood and pushed the chair closer to him.

"Sit. You need to think about this long and hard. Kneeling on the floor is not going to do you any good."

"Will Ana be safe with Pierre?"

"Probably. Having little to do with the man, I can't answer you with confidence. She's away from Garlet, so that's a win in my opinion. The way I see it, you've got two problems here. You've got a princess who has been abducted by a militia leader who is determined to legitimise his leadership. You could rescue her before any of that happens but then she's out on the streets again, running back to the gangster who uses her for his own gain. Now, you might say, better the devil you know and perhaps you are right but the thing is, Garlet is always one step ahead of everyone. How did Normace find Ana?"

Keoni shrugged with a slight frown filling his face.

"She was waiting for me on the roof of an abandoned club."

Bran's eyebrows lifted with slight shock.

"So, she was on the roof waiting for you. We can safely assume that she wasn't making a lot of noise and not leaning or hanging over the edge. Who knew she'd be there?"

"Garlet told me that she'd be waiting there for me when I arrived at work."

"You're working for him? Good grief. Are you mad?"

"There wasn't much choice after you kicked me out."

"That was not my choice. I knew how Garlet wanted the conversation to roll. He wanted you under his thumb, just like he has Ana. So, have you figured out who betrayed Ana?"

Keoni nodded, anger filling him.

"Who do you take down first?" Bran hummed as he lifted from the edge of the desk and began to pace. "Pierre will have a lot of guards. Garlet has a lot of henchmen. We have a reasonable group that could go against one or the other, perhaps even both. The problem is that if you attack Garlet first, Pierre will notice. Go after Pierre first and Garlet will wonder why you didn't include him in the attack and then suspect that you're planning something for him as well. Once that happens, you will never get near him."

"So, we include Garlet in the attack and then deal with him after that."

Bran chuckled, shaking his head.

"Come on, are you even listening to me? He's a leader that has no enemies because he kills them as soon as they become an issue. He has his fingers on the pulse of this city, and trust me when I say that he has already planned for you to double-cross him."

Running his fingers along the shelf, Bran looked at the dusty fingers before flicking the dirt away.

"I'd like to be free of the burden," he murmured. "I do not like being at his beck and call. It is beneath a vampire to be treated as if we are nothing more than a pet. We were once a strong race, feared by all. Now we are reduced to living in drains, hiding with the vermin of this city."

Keoni noted that there was a dark shift in Bran's mood. It was not the amused mockery that he'd endured in the previous minutes. Bran was annoyed, and it filled Keoni with hope. If Bran was annoyed at Garlet, he'd be perfect for taking down a gangster that had gotten too big for his boots.