The Innocent Life of Valerie Vale

The Suit

The Suit

Mr. Finch stared out across the city as dawn broke. His view from atop the skyscraper in downtown Lanton was impressive and awe inspiring. The financial district was illuminated by the red glow of the rising sun. ColtCorp Stadium, home to the Lanton Lions lay like a jewel to the east. In the distant north, Fontana Bay shimmered and shined in the brightening light of the coming day and below, the autumn trees that were scattered throughout Notum Park looked silent and serene. Lanton was a city of opportunity and from Finch’s perspective, it lay by his feet – fit and ready to be taken.

Finch was a tired old man. He was oddly tall and strangely thin. He had long bony fingers and a gaunt but stern face. He moved like a skeleton. He had a narrow nose and lean lips. His eyes were sharp and beady, sunken back within his face. He was mostly bald and only a thin layer of grey hair covered his skull-like head, which for the most part was invisible to the naked eye.

Finch was dressed in a Gucci suit, coloured in navy and with a pinstripe style. With it, he wore a matching waistcoat and a crisp white shirt made of a rare synthetic cotton. His red tie was fashioned in fine silk and his polished shoes were of the best Italian leather. His Rolex watch was made of white gold, as were the cufflinks that decorated his wrists... but money meant nothing to Finch. Not anymore.

Finch had been up all night. His mind was preoccupied by harrowing thoughts. He had been to see the doctor and he wasn’t happy with the progress being made. Test results were slow and with too few samples to go on, the analysis proved difficult. Time was running out and failure was not an option.

Finch made a deal with the wolf, a common and detestable dog he would have rather seen put to sleep. Caine was a product of his environment and West Lanton was a diseased old place that Finch refused to venture. Social filth and petty crime were rife. Wasters queued for welfare. Women bred at an obscene level and gave birth like rats, to litters of drug dealers and atrocious addicts that lined the streets. Thieves plundered, felons raped and bandits looted. Children ransacked, rioted and raided. Lanton was once a prime city, a testimony to the American dream. Now it was overrun by those of every colour, race and creed. Finch was disgusted and he vowed to the return the city to greatness... but first, he had business to do and things to accomplish.

Caine was being paid well. Finch had Jeffrey, his executive officer, see to that. On the outside and to those who barely knew him, Jeffrey was a handsome and charismatic individual. He was a pleasure to work with and was seen as a catch to single women. He was refined and distinguished, the promising young star of Finch’s team. However, Jeffrey was a repugnant soul on the inside. He was fiercely obedient and wormed his way through life as he rose to the top of the corporate ladder. He would do anything for money and for success and Finch used that to his advantage. Jeffrey was his corporate hound, an essential cog in the mechanism of Finch’s organisation that simply put... got the dirty work done.

Finch was stressed. He had mountains of cash, rivers of gold, bonds and stocks and bank accounts, both on and offshore. He was the icon of business pedigree, an employer of many, a friend of the mayor and respected by all who knew his name... but that meant nothing to Finch. Not anymore.

He needed a breakthrough. Vampires stood in his way and he was determined to use them for his impious means. He cared little for their lives and was unwavering in his pursuit for answers and for solutions. He would kill and torture, persecute and torment. He would inflict the greatest pain on the innocent and rip them mercilessly apart to uncover the secrets and truths that lay within. He would work alongside the soulless and make deals with the devil. He no longer had a choice. It was a matter of life and death.

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