A/N: I had hoped to get this chapter out earlier in the week, but life and work kept interfering. Anyway, here's a weekend read for you. And thanks as always to all you wonderful readers and reviewers, even the anonymous ones. Your kind words are so encouraging!
Chapter 8
MICK
When I got off the elevator, there they were, my best friends. The first one to run and hug me was Carrie, whose softly accented words filled my mind with comfort.
Oh, Mick. I am so sorry. But we have to believe that Beth will be okay. I believe, mon ami.
She kissed both my cheeks, then handed me off to Daryl. He gave me his usual bear hug, going easy on the ribs since he was feeling sorry for me, which actually made me grin a little.
"Anything I can do for you, man, you know I will."
"Thanks. I know," I said, wishing there really was something, but grateful he was here for moral support.
Guillermo shook my hand, the other hand going up to my shoulder. "You find who did this, I'll personally rip his head off for you, or any other part ya want. Just say the word."
"You'll have to get in line," I muttered, a sudden wave of anger overtaking me. Up until this point, I'd been so focused on Beth, I had let Josef and Simone handle the tracking details. Now, with my mind made up about how I would save her, I felt the old, familiar PI instincts kicking in. Questions flooded my mind, and I was suddenly anxious to get back to Josef for some answers. It occurred to me that he was holding out on me, protecting me against more bad news, I imagined.
"Mick!" I was all but tackled by Logan, who embraced me in a slightly embarrassing, less than manly way, refusing to let go even after more than an appropriate amount of time had passed. I dropped my arms, hoping he'd get the hint. He did, finally, and I met the twinkling eyes of my other friends, who were trying hard not to laugh. "I can't imagine what you're going through," he said, pulling away to a more comfortable distance, his eyes slightly watery. "If it had been Stacy…"
"Yeah, thanks, Logan. Speaking of Stacy—where are she and Caridad, Guillermo?" I realized their girlfriends weren't in the waiting area.
"They didn't want to intrude. I guess they thought this was more of a family affair. They're back at the lodge, no doubt getting a spa treatment. They send their best, though."
Family. I guess that's what we were. I looked around at the unrelated faces of my family.
"I'm really glad you guys are here," I said with feeling. I cleared my throat. "So, what did Josef tell you about the kidnappers?"
Daryl looked a little uncomfortable at my question, but the others shrugged and looked as clueless as I felt.
"Josef said he tracked the kidnappers to an SUV parked down the road from his house," Logan answered. "That's all he told me, anyway."
I didn't miss the jealous glance he threw Daryl's way, confirming that Daryl knew something but wasn't telling. Well, if Josef wasn't forthcoming, I knew who I'd try to shake down for more information.
Don't worry about it. We'll help Josef find who hired them, and gladly dismember and disembowel them with our bare hands.
Carrie never was one to mince words. I smiled into her eyes, nodding in agreement.
I reached into my pocket for my cell phone, then dialed Josef's number. He picked up on the first ring.
"Josef, could you ask Simone to stay with Beth awhile? I'd like to do some investigating into whoever hired Beth and Simone's attackers."
He hesitated, and I was beginning to get very pissed off. "Mick, you should be up here with Beth, not worrying about the scumbag who did this."
"Get your ass down here right now, Josef, and tell me just what the fuck is going on here! Daryl looks like he's going to break his jaw from trying so hard not to say anything, Quit protecting me and get me in the loop. I think I have a right to know, don't you?"
A passing nurse gave me the look. You know, the one that all nurses, librarians, and mothers have to remind us to use our inside voices? I smiled sheepishly at her, then continued on with Josef, talking through clenched teeth.
"I mean, it, Josef. Now!" And I hung up on him. The rest of the crew looked away uncomfortably.
"I need some air," I said, going out the sliding doors of the hospital into the clear, frigid evening. I took a few deep breaths of the cold air, feeling re-energized by the chill wind that went through my thin shirt. Daryl followed me out.
"Don't be too hard on Josef, Mick. He felt you had enough to worry about, what with Beth and all."
"I'm not a child, Daryl. And something tells me this isn't just about me and Beth. He's keeping something from me to protect his own ass, I can just feel it."
Daryl said no more, but by that time Josef was joining us in the snow. He nodded at Josef, then joined the others inside. The chicken. He knew whatever Josef was about to tell me, he didn't want to be there to watch me blow up.
"Okay, my ass is down here. And by the way, I don't appreciate being summoned like some sort of—"
"Save it, Josef! Tell me who hired the attackers, or so help me—" My hands clenched into fists, and I wasn't opposed to beating it out of him.
"Alright, alright! I'll tell you." He sighed and put his hands in his pants pockets. "You sure you want to know?"
"Josef!"
"Fine. We used one of the kidnapper's phones to track down who hired them. It was Simone's… mother."
"What?"
"Yeah. She was trying to take Simone in order to stop the wedding from happening."
I looked him right in the eye, seeing that he was telling the truth. "Sort of an extreme way of expressing her disapproval, don't you think?"
He shrugged, uncharacteristically noncommittal. Then the meaning of his words finally sank in. Of course. Last time Josef had seen Elise Walker, he'd flashed his fangs at her and threatened her. Well, no wonder she was scared. Her daughter was marrying a monster.
"Goddamit, Josef! This is all your fuckin' fault! I warned you this would come back and bite you in the ass. Number one rule, remember?"
His hands came up defensively, waiting for the hit that he knew he deserved. But hitting him wouldn't solve the problem; it'd only make me feel good for a minute or two.
"Come on, Mick. You met the bitch. But last time I saw her, she pushed me to the breaking point, and I wasn't gonna sit there and let her hurt Simone that way. I bet if Beth's mother treated her like that you might have done worse. I thought you understood that about me, Mick—someone hurts one of my own, I'll make them pay."
His words took some of the wind from my sails, and I was able to ask calmly: "What have you done with her?"
"She's chained up in the basement of my house."
"You didn't kill her? What about making her pay?"
"Don't worry about that, buddy. Payday is coming." He glanced at his platinum Omega watch. "As a matter of fact, he should be arriving on the next plane in."
"What? Who?" I wish he would stop being so dramatic all the time and get to the point.
He grinned a little evilly. "Why, Daddy, of course."
SIMONE
I couldn't help the twinge of guilt I felt looking at my mother, chained to the toilet in the basement bathroom. She could stand or sit, drink water from the sink faucet, or use the facilities. We'd even left out some human food Josef had stocked for Beth so that Mother wouldn't go hungry. But she was still shackled by the foot to the commode, and the anger and indignity were written all over her face. When she spoke to me, her voice was hoarse, likely from screaming for help all day.
"I know you are no longer…yourself, but isn't there some part of you left that has respect for your mother?"
"Losing respect for you had nothing to do with my becoming a vampire, Mother. Attempted kidnapping and putting Beth in a coma pretty much took away any last positive feelings I had for you."
"You're brainwashed now. You're one of those…creatures. How can you have any human emotions left?"
I walked closer to the door of the bathroom, ignoring Josef's prior advice that I remain a healthy distance and avoid engaging her in conversation. I was just supposed to be checking on her, but old habits die hard.
"I was a vampire back in New York, and you had no idea, did you? We can live among humans without anyone knowing. You never would have known at all had Josef not gotten so angry with you."
"You don't think I would have known my own daughter had become a monster?"
"No, I don't. You might have thought I was acting a little differently, maybe looked a little paler, saw I wasn't eating. Vampire would never have crossed your mind. But you had to try to meddle with my life, to insinuate yourself into my plans. Josef is a very old and powerful vampire. The only reason he hasn't snapped your neck is because of me. You owe him for that."
"What's your father going to say when I come up missing?" She asked, thinking she'd trapped me.
"You told him you were coming to visit me for the holidays. He couldn't come because he had a special gallery exhibition this week. Funny thing is, he knew nothing about the wedding. Hadn't even seen the invitation. If you were so hell-bent on saving my life, why didn't you ask him for help?"
Her eyes flickered down, then up again, a hint of fear behind her words. "You've spoken to your father."
"Yes. He's on his way to help us deal with his crazy wife."
"Crazy?
"Yeah. Seems Mother Dear hired kidnappers—a federal offense, by the way—to take her daughter by force. A woman may die as a result—so we're looking at possible murder charges here. Not to mention the wild accusations that Josef and I are vampires." I tsked at her condescendingly—an attitude I know she despised.
"You're building the case that I'm insane," she said, outraged. "Your father will never believe it. No one I know will ever believe it. My reputation is unimpeachable."
"Not for long, Mother. Not when we get through with it."
"But I'll expose you and your fiancé for the freaks of nature that you are! You'll be the ones having to explain!"
"No one tends to believe psych ward patients."
We stared at each other, at an impasse. I felt close to tears, but I wasn't about to expose my weakness to her. I knew that steel-trap lawyer brain of hers was working overtime, trying to figure a way out of this. Then I heard light footfalls on the carpeted steps, and down came Josef and Mick.
They'd likely heard our conversation, and felt compelled to intervene. The basement was a game room of sorts, complete with pool table, dart board, golf putting green, and a full wet bar. But Mick, upon seeing my mother, didn't even seem to notice his surroundings. Anger seeped into the air from his every pore, and he promptly vamped out as he strode over to her, grabbed her upper arms, and got right in her face.
"So you're the bitch who put my Beth into a coma?" He growled, low, dangerous, and just barely in control.
She visibly gulped and flinched, her eyes huge in her pale face as she eyed his extended fangs.
"You're a—a—"
He shook her, none to gently. "Vampire? That's right. Take a good, long look. If you weren't Simone's mother, I'd kill you where you stand. And if Beth dies, I may come back and do it anyway, you hear me?"
"I—I'm sorry. I never intended—"
He shoved her away, and she fell into the bathroom sink, grasping the marble before she could fall. She stood shakily, rubbing her arms. Her apology was apparently not accepted.
"Careful, Mick. If she shows any signs of abuse, the plan won't work," Josef said, unable to hide his smirk of satisfaction.
"I was just telling Simone that there's no way you'll be able to convince Marcus that I've done anything wrong. He loves me. He'll never believe any of you."
"He'll believe us," I said softly, the feel of Josef's hand in mine reigniting my courage. "He'll especially believe me, and I think you know that. He may love you, Mother, but he has no illusions about who you are."
"And don't forget," added Josef, "we have two witnesses—we captured your two henchmen. They're willing to rat you out in exchange for full immunity. Beth's boss in the LA District Attorney's office is a personal friend of the DA here in Tahoe. And once the Feds are called in, your disloyal employees will sing like birds, you can bet on that."
Josef was such a convincing liar. Had I not killed those two attackers with my own hands, I would have believed him myself.
"So here's what's gonna happen," he continued. "You're not going to fight being committed to a psychiatric hospital, or we'll proceed with the Federal charges. And don't even think about getting out of this place. We've found the perfect location—a place here in the mountains, far from civilization, where you'll be able to hobnob with some of the other dirty little secrets of high society. Lifestyles of the Rich and Crazy—very plush, but extremely secure. You'll feel right at home, and you'll have the best of care, with lots of the finest shrinks to try to deprogram you of your flights of fancy into that mythical vampire world you've created in your mind."
"No! I'll never agree to that. Marcus won't—"
"He will," said Mick ominously. "Or we'll make him one of us, just like we did Simone."
Wow. These guys were good.
Josef looked up suddenly, catching the sound of an approaching vehicle. "Our guest has arrived," he said gleefully. Then, to Mother: "I suggest you put on your best insanity defense. I've heard you're very good at those."
With one last glare from Mick, and a smirk from Josef, the men started up the stairs to meet with Daddy.
"You coming, sweetheart?" Josef called down to me.
"Yeah. Just give me another minute."
I looked at my mother, as the reality of her situation began to finally sink in with her.
"You wouldn't let them hurt your father, would you? He had nothing to do with this. Please, honey, don't let them do this to us."
I shrugged nonchalantly. "There's really nothing I can do to stop them, Mother. They're older, much more powerful than me. And I'm evil, now, remember?"
"No, you're not. I know you're still my daughter in there…somewhere."
I smiled sadly. "It's too bad you could never see me for who I really am, even now. I'm sorry it's come to this, I really am."
I turned to follow Josef and Mick up the stairs.
"Simone!" My mother wailed, but this time, I didn't come when she called.
TBC
A/N: I hope you like this compromise I came up with. Please let me know what you think!
