Chapter 53

I left the crime scene after talking to Viktor. I figured that too many cooks in the kitchen spoiled a meal and too many detectives around a crime scene spoiled the investigation.

I drove back to the detachment and waited in my car until Mike came back. I was not in the mood to deal with everyone from the bullpen and I needed some peace and quiet. I still had to officially retire from the police force and needed him to be aware of what was going on. After all, the man was my Beta and would also have options in the future.

Since I had time to kill, I called the number on the real estate card. A few seconds later, a cheerful voice picked up the phone, "Hello! Thank you for calling Dream Home Real Estate, this is Viki Frank, how can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm interested in purchasing a mansion as well as a condo in New York City," I said, my mind on everything that I wanted.

I would need a mansion for the formal affairs that were required for being the Head of a House. You know, banquets, ceremonies, meetings… all the boring stuff that I was not looking forward to. But… honestly… a mansion was so much more than just that.

It was supposed to be a safe place for anyone from that House to run to when they needed help. It was a beacon of what the House stood for and told all of the other Houses what to expect from the Head. And because of that, I would have very exacting standards for it.

A condo, on the other hand, was a space just for me. Essentially the condo would be my home while the mansion was my office. If that made sense.

"Both a mansion and a condo?" Came the voice on the other side of the phone. "That shouldn't be a problem. We will have to arrange a meeting in order to discuss your list of wants and needs for both the mansion and the condo. Do you have an idea where you are thinking to purchase the mansion?"

She flung questions at me as if she was the pitcher for the Yankees and I was up to bat.

"I should be available to meet sometime after 7 pm and for the location of the mansion, I would want it near-ish the House Van Helsing, but far, far away from the Vampires or Wolves." Trust me when I said that location was a big deal. The closer the mansions were to another House, showed the relationships between the two Houses.

I essentially told her that I was allied with Van Helsing, but considered the Vampires and Wolves to be enemies.

I was met with stunned silence and I had to smile. There was something extremely satisfying about being able to trip up a professional.

"Of course, I understand," she said, stumbling over the words like she was trying to figure out a hundred things all at once. "May I ask which House you are with?"

"It will be for the House Gypsy," I responded, a tone entering my voice that I had never used before. I could feel my monster stretching inside of me, listening in on the conversation.

"I apologize, Jenny, I didn't recognize your voice," said Viki, still hesitant.

"That would probably be because I am not Jenny," I replied, wanting to see what she was going to say next. Should I give her the heads-up that Jenny was probably dead?

"I see. I'm afraid that if you are looking to purchase a mansion for a House, you need the permission from the Head to do so. Once Jenny signs off on it, I will be more than happy to help you."

"I'm afraid that Jenny will not be able to do that as she has passed away this morning." Whelp, that answered that question. "As the past, present and future Head of the House Gypsy, I am more than authorized to purchase a mansion in my name."

"I see, I am sorry to hear about Jenny's passing and I will be more than happy to help you. Between you and I, the old house for the House Gypsy was more than a little creepy."

I smiled; I think I might like this Monstru. "I completely agree. There was something rotten about all of it."

She hummed in agreement. "Then, may I ask the name of the current Head of the House Gypsy?"

"Sure, it's Natalia Nadezda Sokol Tesalor, but feel free to call me Nadia," I responded, waiting for the other shoe to drop on Viki's side.

"I'm sorry, did you just say Tesalor?" She stuttered, clearly freaking out. If Van Helsing was the monster Boogeyman, then the Tesalors would be Baba Yaga, the Witch of the Woods. And to be clear, despite what you might think or have heard, there is a big difference between the Boogeyman and Baba Yega.

"I did. My family has returned and will be taking our rightful place within the six families, and I need a new mansion that will make a statement."

"Of course," she said, sounding very sure of herself this time. "I have the perfect one in mind."

After agreeing to meet up at 7 pm in a local coffee shop, I hung up the phone and closed my eyes.

I had spent the day announcing that I was a Tesalor and between the Van Helsing and a Monstru, the rest of the Houses should have the information by the end of the day. Now the hard part was coming.

I did not refuse the title of Head because I didn't want it or because I was lazy. I just knew that there were organizations that were very…against… the Tesalors returning to any type of power. And that was a polite way of saying that there were people out there that wished me a very bloody death with immense pain before I took my final breath.

The last time I had met up with one group, I was literally only a pile of ribbons in blood by the time they were done with me. It was so bad that it took me weeks to be able to walk out of that abandoned building.

And I just announced that I was alive and well… essentially, I just rang the dinner bell. I would have to alert Viktor that there was going to be an influx of hunters coming to New York and some of them might not care if the one that they kill was me or not.