A/N: Here's what Rafe and the bellman are really saying - in case you're curious. According to internet translation of course. )
R: "Good afternoon. Excuse me. I am looking for my daughter. Can you help me find her?"
B: "Your daughter. She is quite pretty and young. With blond hair, no?"
Knowing that will help you sleep at night - right? LOL!
Until - gasp, gasp 80!!!!! Enjoy - xox - G
Chapter Seventy-nine
"Bună ziua. Scuză-mă. I sînt privire pentru meu fiică. Poţi tu să mă ajuţi află ei?" Rafe walked up to the bellman. All he wanted to know was if he had seen Kate.
The elderly bellman thought back to the guest he had helped the day before. "Al tău fiică. Ea este foarte drăguţ şi tînăr. Cu blond păr nu?" He asked.
It definitely sounded like he might have seen her to Rafe. Young, pretty with blond hair. Rafe pulled a picture out of his pocket his heart breaking as he saw the image of her smiling up at him. "Da." He said softly as he handed it over.
"American?" The bellman asked then.
Rafe's heart felt as if it was pounding out of his chest. They were so close. "Da. Yes. American. Have you seen her?"
The bellman smiled. "She is sweet, your daughter. She is staying here, yes."
"What room?" Rafe was desperate now.
"She is not here at this moment. She went to visit the festival and then…"
"Then?" Rafe prompted, getting impatient.
"She said she would visit the Morley estate. I told her how to find it. I warned her but she was determined."
Rafe's heart fell. "She always is. Could you please tell me, what time did she leave?"
"Da. About noon."
"Mult'umesc foarte mult." Rafe said with a sigh, reaching into his pocket to give the man a tip.
The older man held out a hand in protest. "Cu plãcere." The bellman gave him a nod. "Bărbat tînăr, you go get her and bring her home."
Rafe took a deep breath as he replied, "I intend to."
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"Good news. She's staying here. Bad news, she's gone to find Colin. I'm going to try and call your mom." Rafe said to Grant as he came back over toward his son and niece.
As they watched him walk away, Grant turned his attention to Lynnie.
"Lynnie who was that guy?" Grant asked her as he sat next to her on a couch.
"Mmmm?" She was lost in her thoughts. When they left the other hotel Ethan had said "I'll see you around." What did he mean by that?
"The guy you were talking to at the last place. Who was he?"
"You mean Ethan?" She said, finally focusing.
"Yeah. If that's his name, I mean Ethan. Who was he?"
"I don't know. I do know he was pretty mad about something." Lynnie smiled, remembering.
"Hey Lynnie, listen. I know you probably won't like me telling you what to do…" Grant began.
She turned to face him and gave him an icy glare. "You're right. I had a conversation with the guy. We talked for about 10 minutes. Give me a break Grant. Aren't I the one person who wasn't constantly harping on you about Chloe?"
That was definitely true. He should leave her alone. 'You're right. I'm sorry. I just worry about you."
"Thank you. That's sweet. Now back off." Lynnie said then, suddenly mad that she would never see Ethan again. She had the worst possible luck – ever. Too bad Grant was going to be the recipient of her bad mood.
Grant knew when to leave well enough alone. He glanced at the door to the hotel and noticed someone walking in. "What the hell? Is he following you?" Grant asked, now on guard.
"Who?"
"The guy you told me to get off your back about. Ethan."
Lynnie looked up and smiled, giving him a wave before she could second guess herself.
You're on the same team here, Ethan thought. It'll be hard to explain but you can do it. Just relax. Hanging his head a bit, he made his way over to them.
"Hi Lynnie Donovan." He said with a grin.
"Hi Ethan Thomas." Lynnie grinned back. "Long time no see."
"You want something in particular or are you just a stalker?" Grant asked as he stood in between his cousin and her newfound friend.
"Grant!" Lynnie jumped up and tried to pull him back. She looked around from behind Grant and smiled at Ethan again. "Ethan. Please forgive my Neanderthal cousin. He doesn't get out much."
"Your cousin?" Ethan asked, his spirits lifting at the possibility.
"Yes. He's Kate's brother. Is that why you're here? Have you seen her?"
"No. Actually, I'm here because, I know it sounds weird, but I'm looking for Kate too."
"What?" Grant's defenses went into overdrive. He got directly into Ethan's face. "Listen creep. I don't know who you are or what game you're playing but if you think you'll get within ten feet of my sister you're mistaken."Ethan said nothing, but pushed Grant back forcefully.
The sound brought Rafe out of his disappointment. He had said he wanted Alison to get her rest, but it seemed no matter what time he called, she had just drifted off to sleep. He was desperate to hear her voice.
"What's going on here?" Rafe's voice boomed as he walked into the fray.
Lynnie pleaded desperately, "Uncle Rafe. I'm not sure. Please stop them."
"This guy is following Lynnie and now he says he's looking for Kate." Grant said, his eyes never leaving Ethan's.
"Care to explain yourself?" Rafe said as he turned towards the stranger in their midst.
"Mr. Kovich. Please. You have to believe me. I'm not a stalker. I'm really not. Look, my name is Ethan and honestly - I'm just trying to do my job. I – I was sent here…" Ethan began.
Rafe didn't need him to finish. He realized what was going on right away. "Is my father giving you a hard time?" He said with a smile.
Ethan pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and grinned back. "Yes sir. He is."
Grant and Lynnie looked on with stunned expressions. They both knew full well what that meant. If Ethan knew Ed, that meant he was an angel.
Amazing. Lynnie whispered under her breath. She suddenly had a thousand and one questions. Her heart was also immediately filled with sadness. If he was an angel he was only here for a short time – most likely. Her heart broke for him as she looked over and gave him a smile.
Rafe took Ethan's hand and shook it. "Sorry to hear it." He said with a laugh. "It's kind of a bad habit with him." Rafe smiled as he continued. "Well. Ethan. Now that you're here, I wondered if you could do me a favor."
"Sure, sir." He replied with a nod.
"Can you keep an eye on my niece for me? My son and I need to go and get her cousin and I don't want her in the line of fire." Rafe looked over at Lynnie and asked. "Is that OK with you sweetheart?"
"Sure." Lynnie nodded when she finally found her voice. "That's OK."
"Great. Kate's headed to Caleb's manor. It's not going to be easy to get in there – let alone to drag her out. I'd feel better if you just stayed here. Ethan will be able to protect you."
"I'd be honored to." Ethan replied, his eyes wandering over to glance at Lynnie.
"I'm sorry I jumped down your throat. I didn't know who – er what – er who you were." Grant said as he extended a hand to him.
Ethan shook his head back and forth. "No. Don't worry about it. You were protecting her. It's cool."
"Lynn – if you see something you make sure you call us, OK?" Rafe said as he grabbed his bag and handed her a key before starting to head for the door. "Here's your key. I got us three rooms. We'll be back tonight."
"OK. Be careful Uncle Rafe." She said as she stopped him in his tracks and pulled him into a hug. She turned to Grant and hugged him as well. "You too, tough guy." She grinned as she eased away.
Grant ran a hand over her head, messing up her hair a bit. He laughed at the expression on her face as he followed Rafe out the door.
"So." Ethan grinned, feeling on top of the world at the moment. "Guess it's just you and me."
"Yeah." Lynnie replied, smoothing her hair down as she smiled up at him. "Guess it is."
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Kate looked up at the ornate door taking a breath before she knocked. He was here, she could feel it.
She turned and looked out at the grounds, awed at the beauty all around her. It didn't seem right that a place where evil dwelled would be so beautiful. She noticed right away. The roses that lined the road leading up to the manor were stunning. Kate remembered how Colin told her this was his favorite place on earth – until he found out what his family's legacy actually was. Then he came to despise it.
Just the thought made her angry. She took a deep breath and raised her fist – pounding on the door.
It creaked open ominously. A well dressed man who appeared to be in his fifties stood before her.
"Miss Kovich, I presume." He said in a deep rich voice.
"Presume nothing you creep." She said – unceremoniously pushing past him and walking into the foyer. Her anger rose to the surface and began to boil over. "Where is Colin?"
"My son is resting. He has a big day tomorrow." Caleb called from the entrance to the library.
Kate was beyond livid. She walked straight over to him and smacked him squarely across the face with all the energy she could muster. "You make me sick." She said with disgust.
Caleb ran a hand over his cheek and wiggled his jaw. "Picked up a few things along the way, haven't you? Your mother always was a good shot. If I remember correctly, she has a hell of a right hook."
"Care to test out my left?" Kate said, the words sounding just like a promise.
"No. That's OK." He said with a smirk. "You may take your leave, Sebastian. By the way, Miss Kovich will be our guest for the next day or so. Please make up the Rose Room."
Sebastian nodded and backed out of the foyer, off to do his master's bidding.
Kate watched the older man leave and fought to regain her composure. She looked Caleb straight in the eye. "I'm so not staying here – and neither is Colin. I want to see him – NOW."
"You are on my turf now, Slayerette. You will get your wish, all in due time." Caleb promised. "Actually, you should know. We're having quite a celebration tomorrow evening. Colin's initiation ceremony will commence at midnight. It'll be the soiree of the season. Anyone who's anyone will be there." He said his voice mocking her.
"It won't happen." She vowed as she shook her head at him.
"Oh - but it will. And you'll be here to watch. It will like a bonus for me to know you're looking on, watching every moment, witnessing his transformation from mortality to immortality. It's quite lovely and much more civilized then the sloppy way I was turned. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."
"I'll be sickened." Kate promised. "To watch you try and break his will, to watch you destroy the amazing, loving, noble and kind person he is will be nothing short of tragic. And I think you'll be the one who's surprised. The thing that makes me happiest is that when Colin chooses me over this twisted tradition you insist he follows, it will finally destroy you."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Caleb said to her then, more than confident of the outcome. He stared her down, doing his best to unnerve her. She was tougher than he thought.
When it came to something Kate believed in as much as she believed in Colin, tough didn't even begin to describe her. At the moment, she felt invincible. She shook back her hair and didn't flinch, her eyes glittering with fury. "Yes. I guess we will."