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"A pay phone? Are you kidding? No one uses pay phones these days."
Shiraz sighed. "And yet, despite the fact that we are in the twenty-first century, there remains a pay phone at the commuter rail station called Norwood Depot. It has been used as a dead drop for many years and still functions as one. That is one reason why it has never been removed. You will ride the commuter rail train to that stop, make a phone call from that phone and while doing so, deposit the material on the underside of the phone tray using a magnetic box that you can acquire at any hardware store. When you've made the drop, mark the ground with a piece of purple chalk, surreptitiously of course. Then ride the train back into the city. One of my associates will recover the dead drop. That is all I require from you at this moment."
He paused. "I've never done any of this type of stuff before. Won't it look weird that I'm using a pay phone?"
Shiraz sighed. "Not as much as you think. Just act natural and you'll be fine. And be sure you don't have any ticks on you."
"Ticks?"
"Surveillance," said Shiraz. "If you do, you'll need to lose them prior to making the dead drop."
"Okay, I'll do my best."
"Do better than that," said Shiraz. "Otherwise all of this will have been for naught." He hung up the phone and turned to Hassan.
Hassan looked up from his laptop. "Did he get what we need?"
Shiraz nodded. "Do me a favor and be a guardian angel to our amateurish friend, would you? While he claims the Council is done looking at him as a traitor, I would hate for him to have any unwanted attention when he goes to bring us the information."
Hassan nodded. "What should I do when he has made the drop?"
"Nothing. Let him go. We still require his presence in our plans. Once he has outlived his usefulness, then we'll dispose of him."
Two Days Later
The estate covered twenty acres in the midst of the city. Trees cloistered around the house like a protective shield, warding off any indication of urban sprawl. If you didn't know any better, thought Shiraz, you would simply assume you'd woken up in some place in the country.
The long winding drive up to the house did a good job of hushing much of the noise, but Shiraz's ears were well trained and every
once in a while, he could make out the sound of traffic from the streets.
Still, for a place that was a mere three miles from downtown Boston, it was hard to match.
The floor plan showed that the house covered roughly ten thousand square feet, with seven bedrooms and an indoor swimming pool among its many amenities. Shiraz shook his head when he gazed upon the mansion bathed in the soft glow of exterior lights. Vampires might have to live in the shadows, but they certainly lived well in this house.
The Council saw to that, of course. Vampire society had evolved from one of hunting to one of existing in prosperity. With vampires having infiltrated every portion of human society, they could steer plenty of money toward the vampire race. Whole blood banks existed to feed them; investments made years ago helped ensure future generational wealth. And blue-blooded Boston vampires--scions who had helped settle the new world and begin the governing body itself, especially aristocrats like Council member Ava--had the greatest wealth.
Shiraz wondered what her problem might be with Lawson. Not that it truly mattered to him, although he was the curious type and he enjoyed knowing things. What mattered more to Shiraz at that moment was getting inside the house and down into the subbasement that lay underneath the basement itself.
The estate was old. It had been remodeled and expanded in ensuing generations, its brick and mortar replaced and given a fresh look, but the framework of the place still dated back to the early 1800s.
Hassan nudged him. "We are prepared to disrupt the power as soon as you give us the word."
Shiraz nodded and looked at the moon above them. Ideally, this would have waited until a new moon for a better infiltration. But then again, time was of the essence and it didn't really matter since they now possessed the security configuration. He still did not know if Ava was inside. She had another home on Beacon Hill, steps away from the Council building. Perhaps she was staying there tonight.
Or perhaps not.
It mattered little. Shiraz nodded at Hassan. "Do it."
Hassan spoke into his phone and within seconds, the floodlights illuminating the exterior went dark.
It was time to move.
Hassan trotted ahead of him, a suppressed MP5 submachine gun held at the ready. Ava wasn't supposed to have much in the way of security, but that didn't stop Shiraz from expecting the worst. Experience had taught him that if things could go wrong during an operation, they inevitably would.
At the main door of the house, two more of Shiraz's men got to work on the lock. In seconds they had the door open. Such a better option than blowing it off its hinges, Shiraz observed. Although, they could have catered for that eventuality as well, given the backpack that Hassan wore.
Inside the foyer the house was quiet. Shiraz frowned. Shouldn't there be someone here? A butler perhaps? After all, would a woman like Ava live alone in all of this incredible space? It didn't make sense.
