Thank you to all who are still reading the story, you guys make my day! Now Coraline's plan gets put in to action. Hope you enjoy~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 10
A few floors below her office in the Kostan Building, Beth entered the law firm of Walker & Talbot. Smiling at the receptionist, she asked, "Is Ms. Walker in?"
The young lady at the desk recognized Beth St. John and replied, "I believe she's between appointments. Let me tell her you're here."
After a few moments, Simone came out to the lobby. "Beth! What a nice surprise. Come back to my office."
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Beth said as they sat down in Simone's office. It was stylish but not overwhelming, and she knew Maureen Harrison had a hand in the interior design. It pleased Beth that Maureen would be helping her to decorate the new house.
"What's going on, Beth?" Simone asked.
"You probably know that Mick bought Fletcher's house for us."
With a sly smile, Simone said, "Yes, Josef confessed under duress."
Beth chuckled, knowing what kind of duress Simone must have put to the older vampire to divulge his secrets. "Thanks for not spoiling the surprise."
"You're happy then?" Simone smiled.
"It's going to be nice to have some place to get out of the city once in a while. I love the loft but I like the room at the house. It has a lot of land and even a little stream on the property."
"I didn't know that."
"The pool is fun and there are guest rooms so we can have visitors, or have people stay after parties."
"You're going to have parties?" Simone asked.
"Believe it or not, Mick suggested it."
"Wow, it sounds like Mick is taking after Josef. Maybe the re-turning thing is not just a joke between them," Simone said.
Beth giggled a little. "Whatever it is, I'm glad Mick feels comfortable enough to want to be around people and other vampires."
"When can we come by and see the place?"
"Oh, not for a while. I've been in touch with Sofia's mother, Maureen, and we're going to redecorate the house. We want to change the colors and draperies. I was afraid it would cost too much, but Mick said we can afford it. They moved all the furniture Fletcher had into a warehouse, so why don't we go over there and see if there's anything you want. After that, we're going to auction it off for charity."
"Sounds like a plan," Simone said.
They both got up but as they were leaving, Beth turned quickly. "Oh, I forgot. I have a couple of tickets to LA Fashion Week. Do you want to go?"
Simone looked surprised. "Really? I tried to get some, but couldn't."
"I'm always getting invites to openings and things since I'm the PR person for Josef. I thought about doing a fashion show for the woman's shelter and while we're there I want to check out the designers. If I could get some on board, it would help."
"Smart," Simone said, approvingly. "That's why Josef wants you in the office—you're both workaholics."
Beth laughed. "Just keeping an eye open."
"The show starts next week, right?"
"Yes, we can figure out what we want to see and go from there," Beth said.
"All right, it's been quiet here, so I'll ask Ben if he can take over any new business next week."
Beth said goodbye and headed back to her office. She looked forward to attending the gala fashion week showings. She'd never been that interested in clothes when she worked at Buzzwire, but now that she was at Kostan Industries she needed to dress appropriately and there were many parties and events. Fortunately, Mick liked her in anything, including jeans, but she enjoyed surprising him by dressing up. Checking her watch, she decided she could finish up her work later. She had a handsome, sexy vampire waiting for her at home.
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The assassin Celeste finished unpacking in the vampire-friendly hotel in Santa Monica. She'd checked in using one of her many identities, then called the valet to have her clothes cleaned and pressed. After all, she'd be going to the West Coast's premier fashion event and needed to look like she belonged.
She had her cover story and documentation to prove she was a journalist from New York. In the last two weeks emails had flown back and forth between herself and her unknown employer. After making sure the money was in her account in the Bahamas, Celeste had gone over the proposed plan in detail. She made a few suggestions, which her employer accepted. There would be two other vampires working with her, and she hoped they were up to the task. If not, everything could blow up.
Celeste decided to go to one of the vampire clubs she knew about. She needed some fresh blood. The next days would be challenging.
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An air of excitement hung over the convention center at the beginning of LA Fashion Week. Harried designers, stylists and photographers rushed around behind the scenes, preparing for the runway shows that would be ongoing during the day.
Later in the afternoon a limo drew up to one of the entrances and Simone and Beth got out. Simone insisted on the limo, as parking would be a nightmare. They'd both dressed elegantly, but with comfortable shoes since they'd be walking quite a bit. After gaining entrance, they headed for the first showing and finally found seats. Simone was a bit overwhelmed at the amount of humanity surrounding her, and leaned into Beth.
"There are so many humans," she said in the vampire undertone.
"Are you all right?" Beth asked. She felt rather claustrophobic herself.
"Just give me a moment."
Beth grabbed her friend's hand and they sat very still while the chaos went on around them. Finally, Simone said, "I'm better now."
"Do you need a drink?" They both knew Beth had a small, insulated container of blood in her large handbag.
Simone shook her head. "Save it for later. I'm just not used to being around so many people."
"Me too." Even though they had progressed well, neither of them were many years out of the fledgling state. Beth vowed to herself she wouldn't tell Mick of her weakness, it would only worry him. Both Josef and Mick were proud of their wives abilities and she wasn't about to change that opinion.
The lights dimmed as a prelude to the fashion show. They were distracted by the music, lights and models strutting down the runway, and excited by the designs as they watched the show.
Further back from the stage, Celeste used her opera glasses and pretended to watch the parade of fashions. In actuality, she was watching Simone and Beth. She'd been given information and pictures of the two women but wanted to study them before making contact. Celeste was prudent and had lived as long as she had by being careful.
Her employer had seen to it the women received tickets to Fashion Week, so they would be separated from their husbands and other support. This would leave them open to the plan Celeste and her employer had worked out.
Her mobile phone buzzed with a text. It seemed the two others that were to help her were in the building. They had found an appropriate area for the capture to take place and wanted her opinion. She smiled to herself—their employer had given her the lead over her accomplices. Celeste moved delicately on her high heels to rendezvous with her cohorts. There was still time and she would not take action today.
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It had been an exhausting afternoon and Simone returned home after dropping Beth off at the loft. Josef was in the library and greeted his wife with a lingering kiss.
"Hmm, you smell like half of Los Angeles," he commented with a smirk.
Simone grimaced and went to the bar to pour a half and half with scotch. "I feel like I've been around half of Los Angeles." After a large sip, she sighed and said, "It was worth it, the fashions were amazing."
Josef sat down next to her, trying to look stern. "So, are we in bankruptcy yet?"
"Not at all," she returned. "We looked at a few different clothing lines. We're going back tomorrow and I plan to order some things then. Beth wants to get a couple of the designers to commit to a charity fashion show. You might have to spend some money to fund that."
With a mock sigh, "I knew it was a bad idea to let you two go there together."
Simone snorted, "Ha, I should have let you go with Beth. She wasn't very interested in anything for herself, just getting those designers to do her show."
"I knew I hired her for some reason," Josef bantered.
"I could be jealous," Simone said, dragging her nails across Josef's shirt. He shivered and moved closer raking his fangs over her open neck.
"Ummm, I like it when you're jealous," Josef mumbled, taken up with removing Simone's blouse. She responded with a growl and pushed him backward, scattering things from his desk.
Outside the door, Hale heard the noise and turned away with an inward smile. He would inform the donors that the Kostan's would be delayed for dinner.
The next afternoon, Beth and Simone were once again dropped off at the Fashion Week show. They were more accustomed to people the second day, and were looking forward to seeing the designs. There were booths displaying accessories and Beth was examining a lovely leather bag when both she and Simone scented another vampire. They looked around quickly and saw a well-dressed woman at a nearby kiosk. Celeste had been following the two women and staying out of range, but now wanted to make herself known to them. She pretended to have just noticed, and with a smile, she made her way through the humans.
"Hello," she smiled. "Aren't the crowds terrible?"
Beth and Simone smiled back. They could tell this vampire wasn't as old as Josef, but considerably older than Mick. She was dressed in an expensive suit and seemed pleasant.
Celeste examined them without appearing to do so. Both vampires were very young but she didn't let down her guard. Her age allowed her to hide her emotions from them. For some reason they had made an enemy of her powerful employer, but that was none of her business. She held out her hand, "I'm Celeste, by the way."
Simone shook her hand replied, 'I'm Simone, this is Beth."
"Nice to meet you. I think we might be the only ones here," Celeste finished in the vampire undertone.
"I think so, too,' Beth said. She gestured to the runways. "How do you like the fashions?"
"Very interesting, I'll have a lot to say on my blog."
"Are you with a fashion magazine?" Simone asked.
"Actually, I'm a journalist, but I do a fashion column for several magazines and my blog is starting to get some attention. What do you do?"
"I'm an attorney, mostly handling our 'family' cases," Simone smiled.
"Ah, that sounds like a good business. What do you do, Beth?"
"I'm in public relations for a large corporation," Beth said.
Celeste said in undertone, "I'm glad to see that vampire women are taking some control." In a normal voice she asked, "Are you interested in any particular designers?"
"We're going to see the new casual lines,' Beth said. "I want to try to get them to do a show for charity."
"There's an exhibition by Versace starting in a few minutes, why don't we see it together?" Simone said.
The three vampires walked through the mass of humanity toward the stage.
They sat together and Beth and Celeste made notes about the show, Celeste for her supposed blog and Beth for her charity. Simone just decided she wanted to buy most of the new designer's line. When the show was over the audience left the area quiet. It had been a long afternoon and Beth felt she needed some refreshment.
"I think we need to go now," Beth said to Celeste.
This was a critical moment for the assassin. "Oh, I've so enjoyed this afternoon. Will you be coming back tomorrow?" If not, she would need to act now.
Beth looked at Simone. "I still need to find at least one more designer willing to commit to my event here."
"I'm off for the week," Simone said. "I'd love to come back tomorrow, although my husband's bank account might not be so happy," she smirked.
The other two vamps laughed.
"Why don't we meet tomorrow? I'm going to scout around and get some photos for my blog. Maybe I can find one or two designers willing to talk to me. There are some new people trying to get publicity and it would be great if I could get them online before anyone else," Celeste said.
"Celeste, if you do run into anyone, could you get their info for me?" Beth asked.
"Of course."
Beth nodded. "All right. When will you be here tomorrow?"
"Let's meet about 2 pm at the east gate. We can go see the designers before the shows start."
Relieved that the plan was working, Celeste watched the two women go with satisfaction. She would arrange for her associates to be ready tomorrow afternoon. Turning away, she sighed. She really liked the two young vampire women, but she had a job to do and after this one she wouldn't have to take another commission for a long time. That appealed very much.
The next day Simone and Beth waited at the gate for Celeste. Beth had told Mick how much she'd enjoyed the show so far, but was a little embarrassed when he chided her for not buying anything for herself. She'd been so focused on getting the charity show lined up she hadn't really thought about it.
Standing outside the show entrance, Beth said, "I should get a few things today."
Simone grinned as she looked around for Celeste. "Good idea. If I'm the only one buying anything I'll never hear the end of it from Josef."
"And Mick will rub it in, I'm sure," Beth responded. "No problem, I need some evening wear for company events, and I could use a few other things."
Just then, they saw Celeste walking up. She was dressed more casually in a black silk blouse and trousers. "Hello, so glad you made it."
"Wouldn't miss it," Simone said. "Today we shop!"
Celeste laughed and they walked toward the entrance. She pulled them aside a little way from the doors. "I did some snooping after you left yesterday and met that new designer, Trevor Jones. He has a shipment of fashions that came in yesterday. He's going to present them later but I talked him into letting us see them this afternoon. His models won't be here for a couple of hours so the clothes are downstairs in one of the loading areas."
"I've never heard of him. Will he let us look at his things?" Simone asked.
"He's been showing in London, but this is his first time in America. I told him I could get his fashions out on the internet and Beth might be interested in using his designs for a high-profile charity fashion show," Celeste gushed. In actuality, there was no such designer, but it was the lure that would take the two women away from the crowds.
Beth checked her watch. "When will he be available?"
Celeste grinned, seeing the bait had been taken. "He's down there now, guarding his designs until the stylists and models get here. I guess I don't blame him. There are some who would steal other people's ideas."
"All right, let's go," Simone said.
They entered the building, and started toward the back when Celeste pretended to get a text.
"Just a moment," she said. She took out her phone and quickly sent a message that said, 'GO.'
The three went down an elevator which led into some dark hallways. "Follow me," Celeste said, walking ahead with perfect confidence. Simone and Beth had no trouble following in the semi-dark with their vampire vision.
She found the door and led them into a lofty storage area, with a large loading dock door open to the afternoon sun. Wooden crates were stacked against one wall and there seemed to be covered clothing racks against the other.
The three vampires were temporality blinded by the brightness from the open dock door, and before they could adjust to the light, something buzzed through the air.
Beth, Simone and Celeste went down, wooden arrows striking them. The three collapsed onto the floor, paralyzed.
Beth fell on her back, unable to move, her head turned slightly. She could see Celeste twisted away from her and Simone on her side, an arm flung out in front of her. Beth was in a state of panic and pain, never having been staked before.
She heard movement around them, and saw two figures dressed in black, with masks. All she could do was blink as they hauled out wooden crates from the walls and saw them move Simone into a box about four feet square, fitting her in carefully. She noted in terror they nailed down the lid before turning to her.
Dragging one of the crates over, Beth felt herself being lifted and settled in a fetal position by gloved hands. She could scent the two attackers were unfamiliar vampires. They checked the wood arrow impaled in her chest, making her hiss in pain. Something was packed around her so her body wouldn't shift in the container, then the top was put on and nailed down like Simone's.
The two vampires removed their masks and Trina went over to Celeste and pulled out the wooden arrow. Celeste gasped softly and signaled to the others not to speak. She didn't want the two women in the crates to hear anything.
Celeste watched as they put the crates on wheeled carts and moved them to the waiting truck, depositing the boxes, then pulling down the truck door and locking it.
In the meantime, she stood up, brushing the dust from her clothes. The blood from the arrow hardly showed on her black shirt. She picked up the purses that the women dropped and took out their mobile phones. She disabled the GPS on each, and broke them with her vampire strength. Later, she planned on weighing down the bags with rocks and dumping them into the ocean.
After securing the purses into her large tote, she joined her conspirators outside by the front of the delivery truck, slipping on her sunglasses.
Trina asked Celeste, "Did everything go as planned?"
"No one saw us come down here. You said there aren't any cameras on this level."
"No cameras," the man replied. Vincent spent the last few days checking out the building that would be used for Fashion Week. "The only cameras are outside on the street. The show organizers are so paranoid that designs might be stolen, they don't allow any surveillance inside the building or in the loading area."
Celeste smirked, "Obviously our employer made a good choice to pick this location."
Nodding, Vincent said, "We should get going."
"Right. I will be leaving LA by tonight and will email our employer the details of my portion of the operation as requested."
Trina said, "We will do the same after we have completed the drop." She looked at Celeste. "It was a pleasure to work with you."
The three parted, each considering the ease of the assignment and large payday it entailed.
TBC
Now Beth and Simone are caught and hopefully our guys will be able to find them. Thanks again to all who read and/or review. Lots more coming up...