Chapter 4
(Ralalith and Beth's P.O.V.)
Ralalith looked up from her reading and smiled. "That is alright my son," she said putting the book down and stood walking over and around looking at Beth up and down. "Um Mick's friend." She stopped in front of her and played with her hair grinning. "What a sweet child you could make. That maybe later, but not now. "
"Child?" Beth asked wondering. "You mean turn me, don't you?"
"Yes to me you are nothing but a child. As for turning you, I haven't decided on that yet." Ralalith turned and walked back to her chair and crossed her arms "Though I have some humans around the house. Not for food but as help for the day's business that needs to be run when I don't feel like it. I'm not all that mean only when I have to be." She turned around and smiled. "Now my dear what is your name?"
Beth glared at her. "Since you took the time to kidnap me and figure out where I work, I would like to think you know already know my name," Beth said.
Ralalith laughed. "I like hearing it from the horse mouth so to speak." She looked at the vampire that was holding her. "Let her go my son."
The male vampire looked at her and let her go and backed up.
"Now are you hungry? It is still early."
Beth's stomach growled. "What exactly is on the menu?" Beth asked.
"Well I don't know." Ralalith looked over to someone and waved them over.
He walked over. "Yes Miss Ralalith?"
"Take Miss Turner to the kitchen and find her something to eat. Will you, Mitch?"
"Yes I will be glad to." he said and turned to Beth. "Come with me and we'll see what's the fridge."
(Niko's P.O.V.)
Niko looked around to see if Beth was around. "Damn it," she said. "They must've taken her while I was fighting against them." Niko saw Beth pepper spray can. "How will I tell Mick or Josh for that matter?"
A man came up to Niko. "You're Ms. Banoss, aren't you?" the man asked.
Niko arched an eye. "Who are you?" she asked.
The man took a badge and ID and passed to Niko. "I'm Detective Harrison Connelly. Prosecuting Attorney Josh Lindsey has requested that I watch you and Ms. Turner," he said.
Niko eyed his badge. "Nice work, Detective," Niko said threw it at him. "Beth's been kidnapped. Now if you don't mind, I need to call someone."
"Mick St. John?" Detective Connelly asked.
Niko looked over at him. "How'd you know?" she asked.
"Josh told me that if something happened to either of you to call Mick," Connelly replied.
"Twenty says that Mick's pissed," Niko told him.
Connelly looked at Niko. "Huh," he said. "You really do know Mick, don't you? How long have you known him?"
"About a week," Niko said, "but then again, I'm very good at gauging people with first impressions." Niko walked to Beth's desk, picked up her purse, went through it, found her cell phone, and found Mick's number. "Mick, we have a problem."
Mick looked up from the notebook with his phone in hand "What's the problem Niko?" he asked with concern "Please tell me you and Beth is alright."
"I'm alright," Niko said. "I was able to get away from them, but Beth wasn't so lucky."
"Damn it! You get somewhere safe now. I have some things to deal with." Mick said grabbing his coat and walking out the door with his phone to his ear, "and don't tell me you want to come with."
Niko crossed her arms. "I have a Detective Harrison Connelly right next to me while I made this call," she said. "He mentioned PA Josh Lindsey, and you need me to help you, Mick. There's more than meets the eye."
Mick sighed. "Ok, but you do as I say. I'll be there shortly to pick you up."
"Happy to," Niko said happily, "if that means I get to come with."
(Mick's P.O.V.)
A short while later, Mick pulled up to the office building and looked at Niko. "So you and have been doing the opposite of what I told you to be doing huh?"
Niko rolled her eyes. "We weren't going after anything, we just doing research in case you asked," Niko said. "Or bothered to ask." Niko looked over at Detective Connelly.
Detective Connelly got up from his chair and walked over. "Mick St. John," Connelly said, "I'm Detective Harrison Connelly. It's pleasure to meet you."
"Yes it is a pleasure to meet you, Detective Connelly. Is there anything I can help you with?" Mick said looking at him.
"Uh, no," Connelly said. "I was told that PA Josh Lindsey wanted protection on Beth Turner and Niko Banoss."
Niko glared at him. Man, I was right, Niko thought. "Well, Connelly, it appears you were halfway successful on your mission, but Beth has been kidnapped."
"You told me that already, Ms. Banoss," Connelly said. "I'm sorry that you were able to get away and not Ms. Turner."
"Well, anyway, I see that Josh does care, but Niko will be riding with me for the remainder of the evening. The case I'm working on is very sensitive, and she has some information that I will be needing. You can keep an eye out on her place to see if anyone might look for her there or stake it out." Mick said looking at him "That is if you don't mind?"
Niko tried not to look gleeful. She was getting her way and all she did was have sensitive information on a case.
Connelly shook his head. "No," Connelly said. "Josh figured that you might need to borrow Niko at one point in the investigation, but I was told that I should be at your disposal if needed."
"Alright let us exchange numbers so that I can contact you when I need you, but my client doesn't want their business aired to the public if you can understand," Mick said looking over at Niko and then back. "This is a sensitive case."
Connelly glared at Mick. "I know how to be discreet, Mr. St. John," Connelly said as he wrote down his number for Mick. "It's not like I haven't been a cop for only a short amount of time."
"If you guys are done with your show of testosterone, we have a case to close," Niko put in.
"Call me Mick, Detective. I understand that you have been on the force for a while, but the nature of this is far beyond anything you might have seen," He said taking the paper and walking to his car.
"If you say so," Connelly replied as he walked to his own car and drove off.
"I don't like him," Niko told Mick as they watched him drive off. "I really don't like him."
"Why do you think I was trying to get rid of him?" Mick said looking back at her. "Now, I'll tell you what I found on our rogue, and you tell me what you found. Sound fair?" Mick said starting the car.
"Yeah, it sounds fair," Niko said looking at Mick. "As long as you don't pass me off to Detective Boredom again."
Mick smiled, laughed, and said, "Alright that's a deal."
Mick told her what Josef told him about Ralalith, her address, but he left out the part about her slamming him against the car.
Niko nodded. "What you're getting into, Mick, is a vampire ring," Niko said quietly. "And it's not just vampires who are in this organization. Humans too. I haven't dug deep enough to figure out who is head of the ring, but for all we know it could be Ralalith herself. I'm not certain."
Mick tapped his finger on the steering wheel. "From what I know, it sounds like she would have something to do with it." Mick got out of the straight away and into a turn lane. "Let's go see Josef and see what he thinks about this. He knows Ralalith better than I do."
"You've met her once, and how long has Josef known her?" Niko asked. "I think that's part of it."
"Josef well I'm not sure how long he has known her. All I'm sure of is long enough to know what she will and will not do. " Mick said glancing over at her and then back at the road.
"While you're looking for information about Ralalith, I don't suppose I can find a quiet space for me and my computer so I can dig further into this vampire ring," Niko said, "could I?"
"I'm sure you could find a spot, but there are others there as well so watch out," Mick said as he pulled into the garage of Josef's building.
Niko smirked and pulled the pepper spray out of her bag that held her laptop. "I'm prepared," she said.
Mick laughed again. "Here." He reached back and pulled out as couple of stakes and handed them to her. "If any make a move you don't like, just knock them down and stab them with this."
Niko arched an eye at Mick. "Well, aren't you going to ask Josef for help with this vampire ring?" Niko said. "I might as well sit in the meeting while I dig deeper. I can multitask."
"Yeah I want to know more about her. Get in her head kind of thing." Mick got out of the car. "If you would like, you can sit and talk with us. It's up to you."
She got of the car and swung her laptop bag on to her shoulder. "I might as well," Niko said as she followed Mick. "Because I have a feeling I'm going to be saddled with you while this whole thing goes down, and it'll benefit the both of you if I find something while in the meeting."
"Yeah, let's hope so," Mick said punching the button for the elevator.