Cullen - Origins [English Version - FINISHED]

Chapter Fifty-Five

Smith took a second drag on his cigarette, silently observing the surroundings. Since the boss had phoned him, he had gathered his men and set up guard tours at the rendezvous. The bar was quiet, and Smith began his second tour, sitting outside in the shade of the screen. In a few minutes, two of his men would join him. They had been waiting for two hours now, and it had been a long time since noon. What had happened to make the boss call him urgently and ask to meet him ? Smith had known about bad situations for a long time, but this was not normal and he could smell trouble. The only thing he wanted was his money and no trouble. He was involved in the boss's business only out of obligation to get the job done, and get his reward. He didn't care about anything else ; he knew it wasn't pretty, and having the police after him wasn't in his plans. If the boss was ever caught, they would be in trouble. So he and his men had agreed to leave here, to the other side of the world after they got their reward. The police would never be able to find them, and they could go about their business. Including him, their little band consisted of a dozen men, all trained in combat, espionage and whatever else was useful to them. Together, they had done a ton of different things and jobs : burglars one day, murderers the next, illegal organ sales and easy swindling, they had accomplished a lot that made them valuable to people like the boss. Those who wanted a job done, without any mistakes and especially without leaving any traces. They had never been caught, and it wasn't going to start today.

Smith looked at his watch. His men would be joining him soon. Tapping his foot nervously, he was on the alert. At the first meeting with the boss, the latter had arrived right on time. They had both had a drink, at the same table where Smith was sitting today, and the boss had told him about the vampires and what he expected of him and his men. Smith had been suspicious when the boss had mentioned these supernatural creatures that were only supposed to exist in books and legends. Was it a trick ? Yet Smith could see that his future boss was not lying. The hefty sum of ten thousand dollars had finally convinced him.

Watching the Cullen family had been child's play ; the vampires had suspected nothing. They had been watching them for a week, and knew their every move by heart. The boss had provided them with the missing information and the weapons that had enabled them to act. Darts coated in a strong drug that could incapacitate any vampire, plunging him into unconsciousness instantly. The drug worked for a few hours, long enough for Smith and his men to load the two vampires into the cars and drive them to the park. They hadn't planned a specific day to kidnap the two vampires ; Smith didn't want any information to leak out, so he had set up guard towers, allowing them to act at any convenient time. By the time one of his men had contacted him, they had been anxiously awaiting their time for three days. The rest had been as simple as the boss had said. Drug the two vampires, take them to the park and tell the boss they had succeeded. Nothing could be easier.

Waiting for their reward had been a bit boring, and when the boss had called him that very morning, Smith had been more than surprised. But finally, after their conversation, he had concluded that he was getting nothing but benefits from this appointment : they would pocket their reward sooner and therefore leave this country faster. That was what he had told himself. Now, as the minutes passed, Smith had a bad feeling. If the boss wasn't coming, he was in trouble. The fact that Smith was allowed to tell the police everything he knew about the Holy Mother, this woman in a white coat and strict bun whom he had only seen once, confirmed his suspicions.

A noise startled him, as his two men sat down at his table. One was blond, his eyes hidden by sunglasses, while the other wore a black cap, matching his jacket of the same color.

- You should be more suspicious, said the blond man. What were you thinking, not watching the annoying passers-by ?

Smith snorted with contempt. He crushed his cigarette on the ground before answering.