Club Vampyr
Chapter 21
Previously: Kerry and Michel have a decent date, punctuated by some witty banter debating of which of them would 'fall' first, some deep and slightly uncomfortable conversations, more banter, a plan on how to deal with the position Kerry's in, and finally Tim's naysayer news that Kerry is the boss's newest target in his devious game of cat-n-mouse (darn you, Tim).
Michel and Tim continued discussing matters, but Kerry didn't really hear them over the roar of fear in her ears. Their conversation had become incredibly coded, and even though she was apparently in Michel's confidence, there were things he still didn't want her to know. What a surprise. She kept her hand tightly grasped around Michel's, and despite the angry red marks her fingernails were creating, he didn't say anything, and more importantly, he didn't pull away.
"Kerry?" Michel asked, lightly shaking her hand to get her attention. She came back into the present to find all three of them staring at her expectantly.
"I'm sorry," she blinked. "I wasn't paying attention."
"That's fine," he told her kindly. "I asked you if you wanted to go into hiding. I might be able to protect you."
"With Nelle?" she asked, pulling her jacket tighter around her body with her one free hand. She was suddenly freezing.
"No, not with Nelle. Nelle has just gone on a short trip. I'm not sure you'll ever be coming back."
"I don't understand," Kerry said, speaking the words though her mind could rationally see what he was saying. She didn't want to understand. "Are you talking about changing my identity and sending me to live somewhere?"
"Vampires can be very patient," Michel explained. "He has years to bide his time and the longer we keep you away from him, the more chance he'll forget."
"What if he doesn't forget? He'll have years to find me. Years where I'm on the run, looking over my shoulder. I don't understand."
"You seem to—" Tim started to say, only to be gestured into silence by Michel.
"What don't you understand?"
"Why are both of you so worried? What will he do? What kind of game are you talking about?"
"Kerry," Michel said gently. "I think you should consider my offer. I can get you out of the country within hours."
"What about my family?"
"Look," Tim spoke up, "Michael doesn't want to alarm you, but I think you need the blunt truth before you can make an informed decision. First, he'll follow you. You'll see him every day for months until you're terrified of stepping outside, and then suddenly he'll stop for long enough that you begin to regain your confidence. He might do this several times or only once, depending on how much he likes you. Then one day you'll simply disappear off the face of the earth."
"He'll kill me?" She asked, voice sharp.
"No. But you'll wish he had. He'll keep you for a while, and then he'll turn you. He'll keep you for even longer after that, and he'll enjoy breaking your body and then allowing you to heal. Ask Mike if you don't believe me."
Kerry started to shake with nerves. She didn't dare look at Michel, keeping her face as devoid of emotions as she could get it.
"Can I speak to you," Michel said to Tim, rising abruptly. Kerry's hand fell limp as he let go of her. "Ker, Nathaniel's staying here with you."
Kerry watched him as they moved out of earshot, her eyes attracted to the movement. Nathaniel sat next to her awkwardly, patting her shoulder in what was supposed to be comfort. She bent her head over her lap, a few overwhelmed tears dripping from her cheeks. "Do you think I should go?" she sniffed quietly.
"I think it's probably bad when it worries the vampires."
"Yeah."
"There's one thing I don't understand," Nathaniel told her.
"Only one?"
"Of course not," Nathaniel said with a half-smile. "I just don't get why his first solution was to get you away from here. It would be easier for him to let it play out, even if you did die. It would be of little consequence to a man like him."
"You think the worst of him," Kerry said with a shrug, not mentioning that Michel did have a stake in keeping her alive. She just wasn't sure about anything anymore. The picture was starting to come together in her mind, but it was still blurry and pixilated, and she still didn't know where some pieces went. What she did know was that there was still a level in Michel's mind labeled top-secret, and whenever he seemed to be honest with her, he was still editing out anything across that line. This newest piece of information seemed like all the rest, and Kerry realized what it was that was missing – his motives. Michel was a very purpose-minded, and he lived his life based on reasons. Why, then, was he still working under this boss? Why store his power and make himself appear weaker? Why try to use her in his plan, only to turn around and offer to send her away?
Why? She had a feeling that he had one underlying motivation for almost everything.
"Come on Nate, we're going," Tim called from the hallway, moving towards the front door with haste, a furious glower on his face as he looked towards her. It was a good gauge of her mood that she wasn't even tempted to give him a small finger-wave.
Michel came back into the living room once they were gone, sitting in the wooden chair across from her. He leaned his elbows across his knees, hanging his head as he stared at his feet. His dark hair covered his eyes, and he raised one arm to pinch the bridge of his nose like someone who had a headache coming on.
"Do I have any other options?" she asked, watching him. He looked like a man defeated, and it interested her to see him this way. "If there's nothing besides staying here and dying a long and painful death, and spending the rest of my life in hiding and looking over my shoulder, then I'll go."
"You'll go?" Michel asked, raising his head so quickly it looked like he gave himself whiplash. "I never expected you to agree," he mused, pulling out his cell phone from the pocket of his black leather jacket. "I thought you'd be foolish and insist on staying. If I can make arrangements for tomorrow morning, you'll go?"
"Wait," Kerry said, wrinkling her nose as she tried to stop crying. "By tomorrow? I don't think I've had time to really think about it yet. I just don't want to die." She paused, sniffing as she watched him observing her. "You're right," she said finally, "I'm being weak and selfish by agreeing to leave."
"The world is full of people who would classify that as smart," Michel criticized, but closed his phone.
Kerry made a face at the implied insult, wiping tears from her eyes. "But I'm not one of them, and you know it. I can't just leave. What about my brother? My father? What about my life? You frightened me into thinking hiding was my best chance, but it can't be the only option."
"Kerry," he said seriously, "it is your best chance."
"I can't leave."
"You can," he insisted.
Kerry crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not."
"You're sure?"
Kerry faltered. "No."
"I'm making the arrangements anyway," he told her, reopening his phone. "Go get dressed for the club. We're not going to deviate from the plan, and he'll assume we don't know about Nelle yet."
"I've made up my mind," Kerry said obstinately. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Right now you're going to Club Vampyr with me. As for the rest, we'll see. Wear a dress." Michel paused, waiting for her to comply before adding, "that little white thing, preferably."
Kerry stomped into her bedroom, wondering why the man was so infuriating even when he was trying to be helpful. She removed the outfit she had put so much consideration into earlier, able to hear tones of Michel speaking on the phone through the wall from where she stood. Kerry knew that whatever it was he was planning probably took a lot of preparation and attention to detail. She didn't think he could pull it off in just a few hours. Not even Michel was that good.
Obstinately, Kerry grabbed the requisite little black dress from her closet and wriggled into it with little thought of how it reflect upon the vampire theme. She thickly lined her eyes with stark black powdered liner, and figured that the look would have to be dramatic enough, though it had taken her about five minutes to complete. It surprised her to find that she was a little tempered by the fact that Michel hadn't complimented her on her efforts to look nice on their date, so now that their next outing was for ulterior motives she just didn't have the spirit to make herself fabulous. Especially if he wouldn't notice anyway. She grabbed her strappy black sandals – another necessity for every female over the age of fifteen – and headed back into the living room.
"I don't care if you have other things on your plate right now," Michel was saying into the phone. "I'm cashing in a favour, and offering you time and a half for the rush job. Yes. She has a valid driver's license from the state of New York." Michel paused, turning around quickly as he noticed her standing in the doorway to her bedroom, shoes dangling from her fingers. He raised his eyebrows at her and then turned his head away with a frown and spoke back into the phone. "No, tomorrow night is not acceptable. I want the package hand delivered by five at the specified address. Yes. That five, and I don't give a shit if it's less than six hours away." Michel hung up with a frustrated snap.
"Why do I get the feeling you aren't ordering a pizza," Kerry asked dryly as she fiddled with the strap of her sandal. It was always difficult to latch the heels on without moving her leg in complex ways and flashing more thigh than she already was. She managed to cross her legs and fasten the buckle, watching to see if he looked at her legs from the periphery of her vision. He didn't.
"I have someone I know working at getting you new identification. He does excellent work. It's an art these days to match the hidden security measures in the laminates. I wouldn't trust anyone else."
"It sounds expensive," Kerry pointed out suspiciously.
Michel shrugged. "About twenty in all."
"Twenty thousand?" Kerry exclaimed as she tottered to her feet. "Are you crazy? I'm not even leaving!"
"Then you'll have an excellent set of forged ID."
Kerry shook her head, moving past him towards the front door. "I'm not worth that amount of money."
"That's interesting," Michel mused. "I thought you were one of those liberal people who think every life is priceless. Wear a jacket," he told her, switching gears as she reached for her apartment door, her hair tumbling down her bare back so she could feel the strands as she turned her head to look at him.
Kerry glowered at him.
"It's cold out," he said, trailing his hand over her the exposed skin of her shoulder. "And you're dressed for heat, not below freezing temperatures."
She shivered as his hand trailed over her neck, dipping into the hollow of her collarbone. A part of her screamed 'yes' for getting him to notice her through her clothing, but a second, more rational part of her brain knew he was trying to deflect her. She leaned towards him anyway, drawn by the touch.
"Close your eyes," he told her, and she complied without question. Gently, he rubbed his thumbs over her eyelids, smearing her quick eyelining job. "There. Very nice."
Kerry opened her eyes, slightly confused that he hadn't kissed her like she had expected. She opened the door to her coat closet, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. "It is nice," she told him. It was sexy, she thought, like bedroom eyes. She just didn't know if she wanted to think about him controlling her makeup as well as ordering her to wear a dress.
Michel watched her through the mirror, brushing her hair away from her face and gently kissing her shoulder. The long gold-chain earrings she had thrown on swayed, brushing against her neck and his cheek as he moved his mouth closer, hovering above the skin as he turned his eyes upwards to meet her gaze in their reflection.
"Do you see that," he asked, hand slowly caressing down her arm.
"What?" Kerry whispered, and in the mirror her lips pouted around the word like a returned kiss.
"The way you look at me."
Kerry blinked, turning her eyes away from the mirror and clearing her throat. She shrugged him off, grabbing a long black coat from the closet. It was Nelle's and she couldn't button it up, but it was the only jacket in the apartment which would suit her nice dress.
"I didn't mean to embarrass you," Michel said, opening the door for her as she flipped her hair out of the collar.
"Yes you did," Kerry retorted, brushing past him. This time, she was the one leading the way down the hallway. She was unaware that he watched the line of her back, and the angry swish of her jacket against her legs, but she was aware that when he looked at her, there was a slight pinching at the corner of his mouth that spoke of disapproval of some kind. It only served to make her more upset.
Half an hour later, they were back at Club Vampyr and Kerry was frowning so hard wrinkles were showing between her eyebrows.
"You're going to have to act better than that," Michel said in her ear, taking her in through the back door of the club. She glowered at him, using it as an outlet for her nerves. She had left her jacket in his car, and though the garage was underground, she was still chilled enough to set a quick pace despite her heels. "I don't know what you're so angry about, but you're going to have to cut it out," he hissed, emphasizing the last words.
Kerry pulled away from him sharply as he tried to grab her arm, and she tottered backwards dangerously for a moment. He watched her regain her balance, not moving forward to help. She paused, watching the way his eyes observed her in a detached way. "I'm sorry," she said shortly. "I'm having trouble dealing with everything and I'm taking it out on you."
"Do you need a moment?"
"No, I'm fine," Kerry said, giving him a dazzling smile as she looped her arm through his and leaned towards him slightly. You're not fine, her mind screamed at her. She was feeling trapped and claustrophobic, but she wasn't sure why. She thought it might be her life. "You know I just sometimes get lightheaded around you, baby," she said sweetly.
Michel gave her his trademark good-natured look. "Maybe I should check your blood pressure."
It took Kerry a moment longer than it should have to get the joke. "Later," she promised silkily. Michel escorted her into the network of hallways behind the club. She had been there so often in the last few days, that she recognized some of the faces they passed. "I love this place," she lied, hoping he noticed the contradiction from the last time they were there.
"I know how you feel about it," Michel responded, not disappointing.
"Hold on," Kerry requested, drawing to a halt in front of the thick metal doors leading into the back corridor of Club Vamp. The heavy tempo of the music pounded through the floors, giving her a surreal feeling of lassitude as she discovered that her heartrate fell far below the beat of sound. She fluffed her hair and dress, adjusting the covering over her chest, and then looked at Michel, waiting for him to mock her. She was slightly surprised to find her heart rate picking up to the bass line. "I'm ready," she told him finally, far from it.
"If anything happens I have Tim in a security office just through that door," he told her, nodding towards one of the unassuming wooden doors lining the hallway. There was no sign saying 'security' on it to set it apart from all the rest.
"Comforting," Kerry said, looking at the door with a sense of irony. "That really helped Nelle."
Michel took her arm, sensing that she was considering flight, and drew her through the doors and into the back corridor of Club Vamp. Kerry looked at the familiar surroundings, and she could see how the vampires responded so quickly the night Nelle died. What she couldn't see was how the excellent security had allowed for the situation to begin in the first place. "He will make sure you cannot leave with anyone other than me."
Kerry looked at him in horror, never considering a situation where she became separated from Michel. She thought it more likely Michel was referring to kidnapping than worry that she would pick up some other vampire, but if anyone was listening in they would likely take it as the latter. She wasn't sure if she liked what that implied. "I wouldn't want to," she said simply, unable to leave it.
Michel pulled her out onto the dance floor, and she went reluctantly at first, allowing him to skillfully navigate her into position with ease. Kerry moved against him, reveling in their proximity as she felt the lithe muscles beneath his clothes warm up from her body heat. He leaned in, lips brushing against her pulse as it rushed to greet him. He breathed against the slightly damp mark, and goosebumps erupted along the back of her neck.
It took Kerry a moment to realize that he was giving her the arranged signal, gesturing to a man sitting at the bar. Kerry glanced over, her heart thudding audibly in her ears, keeping tempo with the music. At first, she didn't recognize him, his features the type which blended easily into crowds and into memory, but then he leaned towards the girl he was speaking to and recognition flared. Kerry plastered herself up against Michel, unable to miss the way he jolted against her. "Do you think three nights is too soon to fall in love?" she asked, making sure her voice was loud enough that he would be able to hear it in the club if he was human. She felt almost foolish screaming in his ear, when she knew he could hear a whisper. Kerry adlibbed the conversation they rehearsed, needing to get him out of here so they could talk.
Michel's hands rose up her waist, holding her in place. His long fingers brushed against the bare skin of her back, gently squeezing as he twirled them around so she was no longer facing the bar.
Kerry's heart rate grew quicker than the music, and she gritted her teeth against the amount of nerves this was going to take. "Let's go back to your place. I think we should talk." She said the word talk as though she meant something else, and Michel stopped pretending to dance against her. He moved away, grabbing her arm as he walked towards the back corridor. Kerry stumbled after him, not even aware that the last time she had gone through these doors in this direction she had been trying to save Nelle.
He kept moving through the metal doors leading into the vampire headquarters. Her heels were muted against the carpet, but she was relieved he recognized the importance of the situation.
They waited in front of the elevator in silence, shuffling in with the same level of sound.
Once they were in, he pushed the emergency stop button. Kerry was just opening her mouth to remind him that there was a camera and it wasn't really safe to talk when he moved towards her so quickly she couldn't follow the movement and kissed her, forcing her back against the wall of the elevator so hard it shook. Kerry gasped, and Michel pushed his tongue into her mouth, running it along her incisors.
Kerry moaned against his lips as he kissed her, his mouth demanding and forceful against hers. Boldly, she nipped at his tongue with her teeth, and he pressed against her sharply, his hand sliding up her thigh. Leisurely, he moved his mouth away from the kiss, skimming it down her jaw and to the sweet spot on her neck that he enjoyed taunting her with. His teeth pressed dangerously against skin as his hand moved under her skirt, dragging his fingers up to cup her hip.
"Michel," she breathed. "Wait. I really meant it about talking." He paid no attention to her, and the part of Kerry that was seriously enjoying his attentions told her to let it go. The frightened part of her that wanted to live, unfortunately, urged her onward. "Stop," she requested, managing to get some command in her tone of voice.
Michel pulled away slightly, blinking at her unfocused. She wanted to kiss him again, he looked so confused. "You want me to stop?"
"Yes." No.
He laughed sharply, pulling away completely with a quick run of his fingers through his longish hair. "I can't believe I've let you do this a second time. You're a tease."
"You told me to make it believable!" Kerry shot him a horrified look.
"So I did," Michel said with a smile and a shake of his head. "What is it you want to talk about?"
"Isn't there a camera in here?" Kerry questioned, shooting a suspicious glance towards the ceiling where she guestimated the video from the night before had come from.
"Shit," Michel cursed, and Kerry knew the situation wasn't too bad since he had used an English word. She giggled behind her hand as he glared up at the camera.
"It's no big deal," Kerry reminded him. "Tim caught the live show the other night."
Michel turned his unamused face at her. "If it had gone any further, Tim would have seen a lot more than my tongue down your throat." He pressed the button to restart the elevator. It lurched into motion as Kerry gave him a cheeky grin.
"Maybe we could have gotten a video."
He chuckled, leading her out of the elevator with a hand on the small of her back. This time, Kerry was able to find her way to his office with little guidance, only turning the wrong way once. Without him there to correct her, she would have gotten hopelessly lost, but she made a mental note about the direction and promised herself it wouldn't happen again. Focusing on something else helped calm the hum of her pulse berating and reminding her of her foolishness. He opened the door for her, allowing her to enter before he did. Kerry arranged herself on a couch, looking at him expectantly as he followed her, waiting for him to sit.
"I recognize your boss," she told him immediately, no small-talk this time. They both had had enough foreplay for the time being. "I've seen him before."
"I'm not surprised," Michel told her, sitting on the opposite side of the couch and draping his arm along the back. "You are his target."
"I am," she told him. "I had assumed that I was in this because of you and Nelle, but the first time I talked to him was in Club Vamp on opening night, before Nelle got separated from us."
Michel nodded once. "You spoke to him?"
"Yeah," Kerry said with a derisive laugh. "He butted into a conversation between Nelle and me, and I told him that I knew he was human but that he pretended better than most."
"I see," Michel said slowly. "It's unexpected, but it's possible you brought his attention on yourself."
Kerry hummed her agreement.
"And?" Michel asked. "You said the first time, so I'm assuming there's a second."
Kerry shook her head. "It's stupid," she told him, "but I swear he looks exactly like that guy who pulled me out of traffic today."
Michel sat up quickly, his arm slipping off the back of the couch and landing on her shoulder. He meant it to be a supportive gesture, but it was too rapid for Kerry to comprehend what he was doing and she jumped with a gasp. Michel snatched his hand back, and then frowned, slowly putting it back on her shoulder as he realized he had merely startled her. "I forget sometimes," he muttered by way of apology. "You'll have to tell me exactly what happened."
"I wasn't paying attention and walked on a don't-cross sign, and this guy pulled me back to the curb. He made some joke and told me I looked familiar."
"It's probably not the same person," Michel said slowly, as though reluctant to dismiss her suspicions.
"Oh! And he said his name was Andrew something. Hilton? Howard? Does that mean anything to you?"
Michel's face went wonderfully blank in that look that told her nothing, but said everything, and Kerry knew that it was the same man without him having to say a word.
"But how was he out during the day?" she asked.
Michel slowly smiled. "Slipping up and proving that the stories were true. He does have the Surya talisman."
"So this is a good thing?"
"A very good thing," Michel affirmed, moving closer and grabbing both her hands. His obvious excitement was contagious and she found herself grinning at him. "I've been trying to validate the rumour for a while."
"Then I don't understand why he showed himself to me, then."
"Because cherie," he said with charm, kissing her hand. "Unlike me, he seriously underestimated your observational skills."
Kerry's heart fluttered, and she observed him with a smile in her eyes. "And you've been trying to find this talisman for a while?" she asked. "Is that the reason behind everything?"
"The reason?" he asked, tracing the bluish veins of blood in her wrist with a gentle touch of his finger tips.
"Yes," she breathed. "I know there's something you aren't telling me, some motive beneath everything."
"Ah. There's being observant, and then there's being paranoid." He smiled to soften the words. "There's something I have to do. I'll get Tim in here to babysit you. You really helped me out today, honestly."
Kerry frowned, thrown by his use of the term 'honestly' and what she perceived to be truth in his words. She also wasn't pleased with the idea of being 'babysat', but she also would rather not be alone these days – ever. What really made her upset, though, was the fact he was brushing her off again. "Fine," she told him shortly, going cold.
He gave her a look that told her he knew exactly why her tone had changed. He raised her wrist to his mouth and bit gently, teasing her with his blunt front teeth. "Don't become that girl," he warned characteristically cryptic.
"What girl?" she took the bait and asked, jerking her arm back towards her body.
"The kind that seems great but later becomes possessive and critical." Michel looked towards the door. "There's Tim," he told her, standing and moving away from her. Kerry didn't even pause to wonder what kind of signal he was sending Tim to get him to come substitute him in the babysitting endeavor. Michel thought she was great, she thought goofily. Michel was talking about 'later's. Michel was implying a relationship.
"Hey kiddo," Tim said unenthusiastically. Kerry was surprised to find that Michel had left.
"Hey," she breathed with a foolish grin.
"Oh oh," Tim took a seat. "I know that look. That's the 'I'm so totally in love with Michael' look."
Kerry shot him a sharp look. "I'm not in love with him."
"No?" Tim asked ironically.
"I just don't hate him. Like Nathaniel. Nathaniel hates him. Who knows why," she rambled.
"Yeah, I know," Tim agreed, jumping on a normal and less embarrassing topic of conversation. "What Nathaniel doesn't seem to get is that Michael isn't that bad of a guy. I'm kind of surprised that you haven't let my son influence your opinion. He can be surprisingly persistent in swaying other people to see his views."
"Michael hasn't given me any reason to hate him," she said honestly. Though, if she really thought about it he had – multiple times. "And you don't seem to dislike him either."
"Like I told Nathaniel, Mike can be a real bastard sometimes, usually for a good reason, but sometimes he's really human. Like when he saved your friend. I was in the security room with him while it was happening. I didn't recognize Nelle, but as soon as Nate entered the room Michael recognized him. You should have seen him jump into action. There aren't many of us who would break cover like that to help out a guy's son."
"Cover?" Kerry asked suspiciously.
"What?" Tim questioned, his head jerking rapidly towards her. "Oh! I don't know. You'll have to ask him."
"I will," Kerry mused as Michel reentered the room, his face turning blank as he saw the openly speculating frown on hers.
"What have you been telling her?" Michel demanded from Tim.
"Nothing! Just what a great guy you are."
This time, Michel was the one who looked suspicious.
"It's true," Kerry affirmed. "He was telling me how you jumped to Nelle's rescue once you saw she was Nathaniel's girlfriend." She crossed her arms over her chest, looking decidedly unhappy.
"Tim," Michel said with a harsh gesture of his head. "Out. This is the exact reason I warned you not to talk to her."
"What does that mean?" Kerry exclaimed.
"It means you'll translate everything he tells you so that it fits your version of the truth."
Tim looked between the two of them, and fled.
"I do not!" Kerry said hotly.
"Really? So what do you think really happened?"
Kerry swallowed, promising herself she would not get emotional. "I think you killed my best friend."
©RelenaFanel.Mar8.2008