Outside, Del Sol Valley baked in the summer heat, but inside the Orchid lounge, the laboring air conditioning managed to keep the air comfortable.
Mr. Grey's eyes, cold and calculating, studied the evening's crowd - a mix of tourists and locals eagerly rubbing shoulders with a few minor celebrities and a handful of entertainment industry workers, probably keeping an eye on the talent.
His practiced gaze spotted the Others. Like lions in high grass, a pair of vampires worked the crowd. Were they simply here hunting, he wondered, or was their presence a subtle message. Either way, Grey thought, it was a good reminder. No matter how high he had risen, how strong he had become, there were still more dangerous predators in the night.
Carefully aware of those hunters, Mr. Grey turned his attention toward the task at hand.
Marco Tennari had clearly blocked off an entire section of the lounge for his private use, no doubt reveling in his authority as the new head of the Alto crime family. The men who had been assigned to keep the crowds away nodded acknowledgement as Mr. Grey passed but made no move to block him. They knew better.
"Well, if it isn't the man himself," Marco said cheerfully. "Candi, this is Mr. Grey. Grey, this in Candi."
"Of course she is," Mr. Grey said, coldly considering the young woman.
"Candi's an actress," Marco continued. "We were just talking about a role for her."
"I'm sure," Mr. Grey replied with a brief, chilly smile that never touched his eyes.
"Join us," Marco said. "I'll have one of the boys bring you a chair."
"I need to speak with you," Grey said. "Privately."
"Always business, this guy," Marco said to Candi. "Give us a minute, honey."
"Sure thing Mr. Tennari," Candi bubbled with false brightness that forced Mr. Grey to reconsider his assessment of her acting skills.
"Hate to see you go, but I love watching you leave," Marco chuckled.
"Oh you," Candi smiled back.
Seeing the quickly and skillfully hidden disgust in her eyes, Grey raised his assessment of the young woman still further. Useful or dangerous, he thought. Something to be considered when he had the time.
"Damn, do you see the tits and ass on that girl?" Marco grinned. "We can get her something over at Symphony... after I audition her a bit more."
"I'm sure," Mr. Grey replied.
"Grey, are you sure you're not dead?" Marco chuckled.
"Quite certain," Mr. Grey said coldly. In fact, he thought, glancing over at the vampires, he was entirely alive, human, and mortal. "I simply don't see the need to spend my energy in the pursuit of... actresses. As a married man, yourself, I would think you could find other avenues for your... energies."
"There are things a man can do with a girl like Candi that he can't do with his wife," Marco said importantly. "Nick would have understood."
"You should hope so, since it's his daughter you're cheating on," Mr. Grey mused. "Regardless, your interesting views of marital relations are not what I wanted to discuss."
"You sent Carla G to Tartosa," Mr. Grey continued. His completely neutral tone did nothing to make the words less of an accusation.
"We had a rat problem," Marco snarled, suddenly sobering. His immediate shift to focusing on business reminded Mr. Grey that there were good reasons Nick Alto had named the man his successor. "I sent Carla to deal with it."
"I warned Mr. Alto that involving Mariah in the business was a risk," Mr. Grey sighed almost imperceptibly.
"I remember," Marco nodded. "If he'd listened to you, he wouldn't be in prison now."
"Learn from his mistakes, Marco," Mr. Grey said.
"What's the problem?" Marco asked, his face flushing.
"Beyond the obvious, and well publicized, fact that she missed?" Mr. Grey's voice actually betrayed a hint of emotion. "The problem is that Miranda Silveroak-Goth was injured during the attempt."
"What the hell, man? You always act like this Miranda girl shouldn't be touched," Marco snapped. "Nick sent guys after her twice for Ms. H. Fuck, going after this Goth girl for H was a big reason Nick brought Mariah into the family."
"Actions I advised against on both occasions," Mr. Grey replied.
"What is your hard-on with that girl?" Marco asked. "Is it that she's the kid of that big-time singer or... No, wait... Is it the girl? Did we finally find a bitch that makes some other part of you stiff?"
"No," Mr. Grey said, his usually bland voice dripping with contempt. "Miranda Silveroak-Goth is a key figure in the feud between the witches of the Silveroak family and the vampires of the Dark Court... to say nothing of her importance to the intrigues within the Dark Court itself."
"Fucking witches and vampires," Marco groaned.
"Precisely," Mr. Grey snarled. "I repeatedly advised Mr. Alto not to involve the Family with Lady Hel... or Ms. H as you call her... and her faction of vampire rebels. He felt that she could be a valuable ally, given the close ties between the Landgraab Syndicate and her rival master vampire, Count Straud."
"Well, the Landgraabs are in jail. Nick's in jail. No one's seen this Count Straud for years. Even Ms. H disappeared," Marco said.
"My sources say she, at least, has been destroyed," Mr. Grey said, regaining his usual expressionless calm. "Though whether it was her rivals within the Dark Court, or Miranda, or perhaps even Mariah, who did the deed remains unclear."
"Regardless," Mr. Grey continued, "we had the opportunity to end the Family's participation in Silveroak-Vampire feud... until you sent Carla to Tartosa and she injured Miranda Silveroak-Goth. You have all but announced in the international press our continued involvement in this conflict, at a time when we have no remaining allies among the master vampires."
"Fuck," Marco groaned.
"Crudely but accurately put," Mr. Grey said.
"Alright, you're the Family's consigliere," Marco said. "You got any advice or are you just here to tell me Carla fucked up."
"We know someone who may be able to resolve this for us," Mr. Grey replied. "He has ties to the Dark Court and has worked for the Family before..."
"Yeah," Marco smiled. "Yeah. Call him."
