Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)
Chapter 7
"That wasn't smart. You were seen, Sabine."
"I know."
"They will come looking for you."
"Christian," she sighed, "I'm sure they have been looking for me this whole time. Ranger and Morelli won't give up that easy. Did you think leaving the open casket at the grave site was a good idea?"
"No," he agreed, "But I didn't have much time. You know what has to happen if they find you, don't you?"
"Yes."
If he hadn't known Bobby and Lester for as long as he did, Tank would have dismissed their claims as some drunken hallucination. Not only were they both sure of what they had seen, but they were both scared. Bobby and Lester didn't get scared. He'd been in combat with both men, and they were solid. The pictures Bobby had taken were downloaded and enlarged. It was a nice bike, Tank thought to himself. They insisted Stephanie and the mystery man were sitting on that bike. What was odd was that the bike appeared to be holding itself straight. The kickstand was up, and the bike didn't lean. He decided to look into this by himself. Ranger couldn't handle another dead end. He was on the edge and getting closer to snapping at any moment.
The license plate! Tank ran a search on the plate. It was registered to a corporation called Starlite Enterprises. They were based in New York. Starlite had no web page, and his Google search showed nothing. He would have to go to that address and check it out in person. He instructed Bobby and Lester to keep quiet until he was able to investigate this information further.
Tank had been very uneasy about Stephanie's death. The whole situation had an evil vibe to it. His mother was born and raised in Haiti. She always told tales of voodoo, curses, black magic, and zombies. Although he would never admit it to Ranger, Tank was very superstitious and believed every word of it. Like everyone else around her, Tank, too, was devastated by Stephanie's death. The circumstances were odd but nothing to make him believe it was anything but a normal homicide. He should have known better that nothing was ever normal when it came to Stephanie Plum. When he saw the claw marks on the inside of the casket, he knew. He knew from the depths of his soul that something supernatural was at work. Something that was pure evil. The mystery man who took Stephanie's life was from that dark world. His image could not be caught on film. Stephanie was still alive at the time Lester took the pictures of them at DuJour's. That man, whom ever he was, dragged Stephanie into his world.
The address was an empty building not too far from Battery Park. Tank found a locked door in the alley that separated it from the next building. It was still daylight, and he didn't want to be seen breaking in there. The office building next door had its lights on, so Tank decided to ask them about Starlite. No one had ever seen anyone going in or out of that building in over a year. They never heard of Starlite either. Tank thanked them for their time, but left his business card to contact him if they did see anyone over there. Looking at his watch, he realized he still had time before dark so he went to get something to eat. The receptionist picked up the phone after he left and placed a call.
Sitting on a bench in Battery Park, Tank watched the sun set. As darkness fell around him, he made his way back to the abandon building. The streets quieted down after the commuter rush had dwindled. Tank inconspicuously, as much as a 6'6", 350 lbs man could be inconspicuous, slipped down the alley. Making sure he was not followed, he picked the lock and let himself in the building. Using his flashlight to show the way, he wandered from room to room. Some rooms were empty. Some had old desks and chairs. There were no footprints in the dust on the floor. He checked out the other six floors. Nothing. Not a God damn thing. Shaking his head in disgust, he headed back to the first floor. He started to believe that the stress had been getting to him, and he was losing it like Ranger. That was until he felt a presence in the room with him.
"Looking for me, Tank?" Tank whirled around and shone his flashlight in the direction of the voice. It was Stephanie. She sat on one of the old desks, legs crossed and leaning back on her hands.
"Jesus," he whispered as his mouth went dry. Stephanie uncrossed her legs, slowly slid off the desk, and walked towards him. The sound of her heels clicking on the wooden floor was all he heard over the pounding of his heart. He took a step back. Stephanie laughed and put her hands on her hips.
"Since when are you afraid of me, Tank?"
"You're dead…." Tank babbled. Tank had never been afraid in his entire life…until now. He was terrified. Stephanie took a few more steps forward until she was a foot in front of him.
"I wish you didn't come here, Tank. I really do. You know I can't let you go."
"What are you talking about Stephanie? What are you going to do?" Tank stammered. He knew she was talking about killing him.
"Just get it over with Sabine," Christian sighed as he entered the room. He knew she would hesitate. She still had a hard time with killing to feed. This person was a friend of hers which made it all the more difficult. Tank whipped his head around to look at the mystery man.
"Who are you?" Tank turned himself so that he could keep both of them in his line of sight.
"Tank…this is Christian. He's my…soul mate?" She glanced at Christian for confirmation. "We've been together for a long time. Many life times actually." Stephanie smiled. Tank's stomach rolled as he saw the elongated canine teeth. "He finally found me again. Now…we'll be together forever." Tank continued to stare into Stephanie's sapphire blue eyes. Her gaze was almost hypnotic. He started to feel a little at ease. When he felt the stinging and burning pain in his neck, he was no longer afraid.
"I'm sorry Tank. This won't hurt. I promise." Stephanie's sweet and reassuring voice was the last thing he heard as he drifted off into the blackness.