Chapter 47
Vincent towed Nicole toward a short cliff that lead down into a pit of fire.
"You're just going to kill me?" she asked him.
"Not if I get what I want," Vincent assured her. "You see, my brother couldn't quite get the job done on his own so I needed to sort of... swoop in and take control of the situation."
"What situation?"
He tipped the corner of his mouth up in a half-smile, "We need your mother's aid, I suppose."
"I already told you-"
"Yes, yes," Vincent cut her off, "She won't work with us."
"Right," Nicole said coldly.
"Well, then, I guess this is the beginning of the end for you." He huffed, sighing lightly as if he cared.
"So, you're willing to leave with nothing, huh?" she went on, "Your father sent you here to get information, using killing me as a scare tactic more than anything, and you come back with ash on your hands. He might not say it, but he'll lose faith in you. He'll wish for Felix, Demetri and Alec back."
"Even your most clever of words won't help," Vincent told her.
"Your father would love it if my mother joined your coven," Nicole explained, "Do you think she'd ever help if I was dead?
"You just said she wouldn't help anyway."
"How did you find us?"
"Salvatore," he responded simply.
"Elaborate." Nicole didn't believe Vincent for a moment. She knew Salvatore too well to know he would purposely put her, or anyone else in danger.
The menacing twin sighed heavily, letting her know she was a bother. "He's been filling me in all along."
"Okay, what has he told you?"
"He's been getting close with you in order to get information."
"How has been doing that?" Nicole pressed.
"I didn't ask for any intimate details."
"How did you find us?"
There was a silence that brewed between them as they stared into each other's eyes.
"I take it you're not buying the fact that my brother sold you out," Vincent stated matter-of-factly.
Nicole shook her head, "No... I'm not."
He shook his head, "Stupid girl."
"What does your father want?"
"He wants justice."
"And how will he get that?" Nicole asked, raising her voice, "By killing the Egyptians? They didn't kill him; they didn't kill Caius, or Marcus or any of you. How is that justice if he were to kill them?"
"They attempted to take their lives by burning our home." Vincent's voice elevated to match hers.
"Because they came to kill us... and we thought they killed my mother... and Carlisle."
"Oh, do believe me when I say I checked in with that wretched clan of wolves in Montana to check up for your whereabouts."
"Why would you do that?" Nicole was eager to keep him talking.
"Why not?" he shrugged, "You weren't in Forks. It was only a matter of time before I figured things out."
"So you gradually made your way over here?"
"That's right."
"Starting in Forks..." Nicole waited for his response.
"Yes." Vincent's voice was hard and impatient.
"So... if you were in contact with Salvatore, why would you go to Forks? He's known we've been in Connecticut since late August."
Vincent's facial expression changed and he shifted through his memories of the phone conversations with Salvatore.
All of that false information my brother gave us, he thought, nearly letting the sentence flow out of his mouth as he thought it.
Nicole felt a twinge of hope. She knew that Vincent just realized at least a fraction of the truth, and in turn he had revealed it to her in his eyes. He felt betrayed, and it showed. Nicole didn't know exactly how he'd found them, or even how he managed to get his hands on Salvatore's cell phone, but she knew now that Salvatore had nothing to do with setting her up. She felt it.
"You found us some other way," Nicole kept her voice quiet. "But how did you do it?" She was more wondering aloud than speaking to Vincent.
"Family." He kept his response vague and simple.
"This'll start a war, you know," she explained, "And I'm not talking us versus you, I'm talking Salvatore and you, which in turn will cause turmoil for your father. He'll have to pick sides. It'll tear your family apart; weaken the core. Others like the Egyptians will strike as if you're a wounded animal."
"Enough!" Vincent responded in a loud, shrill voice. "The only predictions I care to hear come from your mother."
"Why don't you let me call her then?" Nicole asked. "Then maybe she can help you."
Vincent looked down into the pit of fire he'd created, causing Nicole to do the same. "You're right," he said with a nod, "I suppose we really don't need you anymore... after all."
His words chilled her to the bone, and for the first time she embraced the danger she was in. Nicole realized how badly she wanted to live.
Vincent looked into the pit again and Nicole felt his hands tighten around her as he prepared to heave her off the side.
"Stop!" A voice called in the darkness.
Vincent paused and abruptly turned in the direction of his brother.
"Sal!" Nicole didn't bother to complete his name. She looked at him with relief and shock.
"Ahh, Salvatore," Vincent smiled, "You're just in time."
Before anyone could any another word, Vincent shoved Nicole off the side of the cliff toward the pit of flames.
She screamed at first, and then suddenly felt weightless as she tumbled through air toward her fate.
"Nicole!" Salvatore leapt into the air, prepared to follow her down and as he dove potentially toward his own demise, he reached an arm out, bringing Vincent down into the Hellish fire with him.
