I appreciate all you who have read and reviewed, and to the guests, to whom I cannot give a personal answer. Again, thanks to Evilous for letting me use one of her plot ideas in my story. Now, what will Beth think of Mick's involvement with Coraline?

Chapter 5

Mick came in and sensed Beth upstairs in her office. "Beth?" he said, knowing she'd hear.

His wife came to the top of the stairs and gracefully jumped down to the living room, with a huge grin. "I just love doing that!" she said.

Mick took her in his arms, content with her smell which made him happy. He kissed the top of her head. "What have you been up to?"

She pulled back to look at him, her blue eyes sparkling. "I've got a pretty good quote from a contractor about the bathroom."

"Really," Mick smirked. He knew she wouldn't take too long in getting the spa tub he promised.

"It's less than I thought it would be, since the plumbing is already in place."

Mick went to the secret fridge and poured himself some blood while Beth continued to tell him about the new construction.

He drank, and after a few moments, Beth said, "What's going on?"

Mick sighed. She could always read him, and he didn't want to tell her what he'd learned at Josef's. "Sit down with me."

She frowned and sniffed. "You've been with Josef. Is something wrong?"

"It's about the Duvalls."

Beth's frown deepened and her fangs came out. "What?"

"Josef is trying to ruin their family finances, but he's not sure that will be enough to get Lance's attention. He wants me to play up to Coraline and get her on our side in case we have to go into their castle. She's the only one who can help with that."

"What does he want you to do?" Beth asked.

"I told you when I talked to Coraline the other night; she's afraid of Lance and wants my help. She says if Lance comes after her, she wants me to go with her to ensure her safety."

Beth's vampire came out, and she grabbed Mick's shirtfront with her talons and her eyes silvered. "Not in million years will you go with that bitch!"

Before her vampire could get out of control, Mick clutched her arms and came close to her face. "NO! No, I will not go with her," he said, forcefully.

She felt his love wash over her, and her primal instinct retreated. She let go of his shirt, and gave him a sad look. "I know she has information, I just hate that you're the one who has to be around her."

Mick held her close, and rubbed her back. "I hate it too, sweetheart, but we need her in case we have to get into their mansion. Even if Coraline has to leave, I won't be with her. Josef will send one of his security guys to make sure she's safe."

"Oh," she said, relieved. She relaxed in Mick's arms, letting his familiar scent calm her.

Mick decided they both needed some blood, and went to get some from the hidden fridge. He handed her a glass, and they sat in front of the crystal fire.

"What does Josef want you to do?"

"Just feed her information about what we're planning. He has some other idea in mind, but he wouldn't tell me yet."

"So in the meantime, you have to spend time with her?"

"Yes," he said, kissing her on the top of her head. "We can't trust her, but she's the only option since we need to have access to what Lance is doing."

He felt Beth nod against his chest and pulled back to look her in the eye. "I'm doing this because we have to take Lance out. He's never going to give up on trying destroying us. He failed in New York and Geneva. I won't let him hurt you again."

"I know, Mick," she said, kissing him sweetly.

"Josef says when he finishes with them, they won't have a Euro to their name, and you know he's good at that."

Beth chuckled, "Yes, he is. That's why I've got him investing most of my salary.

Mick smirked to himself. He had plenty of money, also due to Josef's financial acumen, but knew that Beth wanted to be independent, so he kept quiet. "Well, maybe when I get tired of working, you can support me."

"Damn straight," Beth said, smiling up at him.

"See, I did good marrying an ambitious woman."

Beth's talons came out again, this time raking up his thigh. "Care to back that up, Mr. St. John?"

His jeans tightened with arousal, and he growled, "Anytime, Mrs. St. John."

Her fangs came down, her tongue wetting her lips, "I look forward to it."

"Good." Without another word, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder to head upstairs to their bed.

xxxxxxxxxx

It was deep into night when Sonora Vargas sat back in her chair. She was working in the new office provided for her at Kostan Industries. She had to admit that Josef Kostan did nothing by half-measures. Her office was large, with all she needed to decipher the puzzle of the Swiss doctor's research. She glanced at the clock, knowing that Gerald was also at work at his lab for another few hours, so she didn't have to rush.

Checking her computer information against the hardcopy notes, she thought she had figured out what the doctor was trying to do: allow vampires to function in the sunlight as well as they did in the dark. It was a brilliant piece of work that combined certain herbs with blood chemistry. She saw from the notes the doctor thought he'd made a breakthrough, but with her medical degree in hematology, she wasn't so sure it would work permanently. Still, it deserved further research before being abandoned.

Sonora had also found the formula for the specious cure that had almost killed Josef and Beth. By the notes, the doctor knew the compound would cause any test subjects to become sick and possibly die. Josef told her the story of their captivity in Geneva, and Sonora was horrified they had been subjected to such a barbaric torture. Josef implied the person or persons responsible would be taken care of, and she hoped so. Any vampire who would subject another to such torment needed to be removed from their race.

Getting up and stretching, Sonora looked out at the skyline of Los Angeles. She never thought she'd be happy in such a large city. After her turning in Castile a century ago, she'd emigrated to the United States and spent her time in school. Her sire was wealthy but not possessive, so she was allowed to make her own way in the world.

Meeting Gerald in Japan when they were helping with the nuclear reactor cleanup was another fork in the road of her life. Sonora was beautiful, and that attracted men, both human and vampire, but once they knew her; most men were intimidated by her brains and individualism. She scoffed at herself. Men seemed to think her intelligence negated her femininity. When she met Gerald, he accepted her brilliance and she found his shyness intriguing. His mind attracted and stimulated her, and she thought his diffident attitude about himself was adorable. She lost no time in seducing him, recognizing she had finally found her intellectual match. By now, she knew he felt the same and it brought them both the happiness they had been missing during their long years.

Moving back to her desk, she picked up the telephone and dialed Josef's office.

"Yes?"

Surprised Josef answered, she said, "Ah, Josef, its Sonora."

"Do you need anything?" he asked.

Knowing he was probably busy, she said, "Do you have a few minutes; I have something about the research."

After a pause, he replied, "Come up, I'll be waiting." The connection clicked, and Sonora picked up her papers and went to the elevator to Josef's office.

Sonora noted Josef's assistant was gone, so she paused at Josef's steel doors, and rang the buzzer. She was admitted, and made her way across the office to his desk.

He looked up and smiled. "Good evening. You have some news?"

Sonora sat down, and said, "I believe I know what the doctor was working on."

"Yes?"

"It's a compound that would allow vampires to function in sunlight as well as the dark."

Josef raised an eyebrow, and sat back in surprise. "That would be very valuable. Does it work?"

She frowned, examining her papers again. "I don't know. I believe the doctor didn't have extensive experience with hematology, and I'm not sure this formula can be made permanent."

"But still, if it could work for even a short time, it would change how we can manage in the daylight," Josef said.

"Would you want me to pursue it?" Sonora asked.

"Of course." Josef got up and started pacing as he thought of the ramifications of her discovery.

"Even if it's only temporary, it would still be valuable to the community. How could it be administered?" Josef asked.

Sonora shook her head. "I'm not sure yet. It might be injected, or possibly be mixed with blood to be consumed."

Josef stopped pacing and stood in front of Sonora. "This is top priority. Do you think you could complete the formula?"

She felt his excitement. "Yes, I think I can, but I'll need a laboratory."

"There's space on the 29th floor, it's an empty shell, so it's just walls and windows. Will that do?"

Sonora nodded, and smiled. "As long as there is room for the equipment, it will be fine."

Josef went back around his desk. "I'll let research and development know that you'll be contacted them. Get whatever is necessary, you have carte blanche. If there are any problems, let me know."

Sonora stood, grasping her notes. "Very well. I will start as soon as I can get the instruments I need." She could feel Josef's satisfaction, and was pleased she would be running the project.

She paused a moment. "Oh, I wanted to tell you I found the compound that made you and Beth sick."

Josef frowned.

"It was as you thought," Sonora remarked. "The doctor tried to replicate the cure from the Duvalls. He knew it wouldn't work, so I presume your enemy told him to use it anyway."

Josef growled. "What have you done with it?"

"I shredded the hardcopy and deleted it from the computer files. No one will ever use it again."

"Good," Josef said, still looking angry.

"I'm sorry you were subjected to such pain."

Josef was still frowning. "Do you know the formula?"

She knew he was testing her loyalty, and said, "If I saw anything, it's already forgotten. I have gone through human medical school and believe in the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm. Trust me; nothing will happen to any vampire or human through my knowledge."

Josef nodded. "I'm glad you're with us, Sonora. Does Gerald know of any of this?"

"No, neither of us speaks of our work at home."

"A wise decision," Josef said, smiling. "If you can perfect the formula for sunlight, you will have helped our race, and it will be very profitable."

"I'll do what I can. I'm enjoying working on something that can help us in the human world. It's been a while since I've felt like I can make a difference. That's why I went to Japan."

Josef stood and walked Sonora to the door. He was impressed by her sincerity, and felt Gerald Stofsky, for all his faults was lucky to have found such a vampire.

"Give me weekly reports, but don't rush things. Take whatever time you need," he said as he showed her out.

xxxxxxxxxx

Coraline called Mick and asked him to meet her at her hotel. She gave him the room number and he knocked on the door.

She opened it, looking beautiful in a red silk shirt and black slacks, her dark hair swinging as she turned for him to follow her in.

"I thought you were staying at the house," Mick commented.

She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "I decided I wanted to be downtown. More people and I felt too alone there."

Mick was glad, as he dreaded having to spend any time in the place that caused him so much turmoil. Remembering he was supposed to placate Coraline, he asked, "How are you?"

She smiled slightly. "Fine. I'm going to try to do a little freelance photography here just to keep busy, and give me a reason to stay in the city."

"Have you spoken to Lance?"

"Yes," she said, moving into the suite. "I'm sorry, would you like a drink?"

"Scotch if you have it."

"I remember," Coraline said, slinking across the room to a makeshift bar on a credenza.

She handed him a glass, and poured vodka for herself. She indicated he should sit, and he sat down, somewhat facing her on the sofa.

Coraline took a sip, and said, "I talked to Lance, but he seemed preoccupied, and mentioned the family investments had had some problems." She took another drink, and watched Mick closely. She saw he knew about the Duvall's money issues, but kept her face blank.

"Did he ask about Josef?"

"I said I'd just gotten back to LA, and I would try to talk with you. He knows you and I aren't the best of friends, so I didn't want to say I'd spoken with you yet."

Mick sat back with satisfaction. "That was a good idea. In a few days you can tell him that we've talked and Josef is still angry at him. He'd expect that."

Coraline put her drink down and took Mick's hand. "I will. He's still very upset, and on edge. I hope he'll listen to me."

Trying not to cringe at her touch, Mick said, "I'm glad you're willing to help us. I've got Josef's people working on new identification for you in case things get dangerous."

She squeezed his hand, letting go finally. "Thank you. I'll talk to Lance again tomorrow. Is there anything else I can do."

"Yes," Mick said uncomfortably. "We need you to tell us how to get into your family's house in France."

Coraline sat back with a gasp. "You would attack my home?"

"Only if we have to." Mick's eyes became hard. "You know Lance wants to kill us, me, Josef, Beth and Simone. He had that doctor in Geneva poison Beth and Josef went we were there. We know he was behind it and he is going to die."

Coraline closed her eyes for a moment, steeling herself. She was much older than Mick and she was able to hide what she was feeling so he couldn't read her. She asked, "That's the only way?"

"Yes. If you can't help, then you can have your new identity and leave. But Lance will die one way or another."

She got up and poured another drink, coming back to sit a little closer to her ex-husband. "If that's what needs to be done, then I'll help."

Mick could feel the conflict of her emotions, but still felt no deception from her. "Wouldn't you be better off without him?" he asked.

She looked down into her glass, and said, "Yes, he's become a tyrant, like our sire. He would have no compunction in killing me or any of my other brothers."

"It will be easier for you without fearing for your life."

Nodding, she said, "What do you want me to do?"

"If you could give me the address of the compound, we can try to get blueprints of the property. It would be helpful if you can tell us of any entrances, and what kind of security Lance has."

"All right," she said softly. "Bring me the plans and I'll show you the hidden entrances and passageways. The building is old, and there are many secrets."

Now Mick took her hand. "Thank you. I know this is hard for you."

She gave him a small smile. "But, I only want to talk to you; you're the one I trust." She looked at him, her dark eyes moist. She knew he was holding back, but it didn't matter. She was determined he would be hers again.

"That's okay," he said and watched her go to a desk and write down the address.

"Here. The mansion used to be in the country, but it's now in one of the suburbs of Paris. When you have the information, I'll show you where you can get in." She would do no such thing, but she kept her emotions tightly held and she could tell he believed her.

Mick stood up and smiled at her, taking the paper. "Thanks, I'll be in touch when I have something to show you."

Mick left, and Coraline got another drink, this time mixing it with fresh blood. Her smile deepened, malevolently. She had indeed spoken to Lance, and told him of Josef's desire to kill him. For once, Lance listened and didn't interrupt. Lance already knew that Kostan was trying to bankrupt them, and he was taking measures to stop the destruction of their empire. Coraline told him she would help to bring down Josef, as long as Lance made sure Beth St. John was one of the casualties. She had Lance swear that Mick would be unscathed. He agreed, but Coraline didn't believe him, so she told him she had enough money to disappear at a moment's notice and he would be on his own against Josef.

Lance railed at her for her weakness in still wanting Mick, and she responded that was her price for helping to destroy Kostan and his empire. She knew she was in a position of power and he finally agreed.

Now she only had to find out what Josef had in mind. She would call Lance tonight to warn him to strengthen his security around their property. Coraline swirled her glass with the ruby-colored blood and vodka, and felt most satisfied.

TBC

Boy, Coraline is really a nasty baggage. It's a good thing Josef had other plans. Thanks for reading and reviewing!