OMG! I am overwhelmed at the response I am receiving for this story! (With the exception of two reviewers).
This chapter has Dark Klaus, which I hope will please you all! He is such fun to write! I hope you all enjoy this story! (Again, I tried to catch the grammar errors, but I'm only human.)
Please remember to review at the end! :)
He lifted the gun level, and felt his blood pumping through his body as the adrenaline coursed through his veins.
"I'm only going to ask you one more time before I blow your brains out of your head." Klaus replied, in a chilling tone.
The young man before him shook visibly, and fear radiated from his body. "I told you before, Mr. Mikaelson, I didn't know this was your town. I swear." He choked out, glancing at the dark man in front of him, and glancing toward the distinguished looking gentleman beside Klaus.
Klaus tilted his head and shifted his lips to the side, seeming to think about the prospect. "I don't believe you." He whispered, moving the gun slightly to the right, and firing it.
The man jumped, the bullet barely missing his head by an inch.
Klaus narrowed his eyes. "Who told you about the shipment, and how much did you take?" He asked, in a low growl.
The man kept his eyes downcast, and swallowed hard. "I…I don't know. We just got a letter and a phone call. Never saw the man." He began, shaking. "He only told us about the shipment of weapons coming in from Dallas, so we planned the heist." He added, looking up with scared eyes. "Honest, Mr. Mikaelson, we didn't know it was your truck, we took." He stated once more, fear creeping into his eyes.
Klaus sneered, and leveled the 9mm at the man's head. He shifted his gaze to Elijah before moving it back to the man. "Well then, I am at an impasse, it seems." He began, lowering the gun to his side. "I need those weapons, and it seems you are the only one who knows where they are, so should I let you live, or should I kill you and chance it." He stated, with a devilish tone and smirk.
The man swallowed. "I can show you where we took them." He began, in a begging tone.
Klaus glanced at Elijah, but his mind was already made up. "I don't think so, mate." He replied, bringing the gun up, and squeezed the trigger.
The man opened his mouth to speak just before the shot rang through the empty warehouse at the edge of the docks.
Klaus lowered the smoking gun to his side as the man's body fell to the floor with a loud thump. Klaus sighed, gazing at the man's body.
"Perhaps I should have told him that the guns were marked with GPS devices." He replied, with a smirk.
Elijah shook his head. "I doubt you would have listened, Niklaus." He replied, scratching his forehead with his left hand.
Klaus shrugged, and headed out of the warehouse. "Where are the weapons now?" He asked, slipping on his sailors' jacket.
Elijah pulled out his IPhone, and sighed. "They are in the French District near the harbor." He replied, officially. "Kol is en-route with a few others to retrieve them." He added, lowering his arm.
Klaus scowled. "Make sure that Kol understands he needs to be careful. I don't want another mistake like Paris." He stated, harshly, opening the passenger side of the Jaguar.
Elijah sighed. "He knows, Niklaus." He replied, walking around to the driver's side of the Jaguar.
Klaus nodded, curtly, sitting in the car. He pulled out his phone. "Have someone come and dispose of the body." He replied, absently.
Elijah sighed. "With amount of people you kill, Niklaus, we are running out of places to put them." He stated, turning on the ignition.
Klaus smirked. "There are always places, Elijah. Be creative." He stated, with laugh.
Elijah smiled and shook his head. "My creativity ran out when you killed the rival's son a few years ago, and I had to clean up the mess." He stated, glancing at his younger brother.
Klaus shrugged nonchalantly. "He was trying to kill us, Elijah, besides he had a smart mouth." He replied with pleasure remembrance.
Elijah shook his head. "I suppose that warranted you pouring acid down his throat and ripping his tongue out." He replied, smiling.
Klaus laughed darkly. "He deserved it, Elijah." He replied, laughing.
"I'm not saying he didn't, Niklaus. We just need to be careful now. Interpol has been getting closer every year, and word is they are getting the Marshals involved as well." He replied, calmly, but with a hint of urgency.
Klaus frowned at the new information. "How can they be getting close?" He asked his voice full of questions. "We have been nothing, but careful with the exception of Paris." He stated, mainly talking to himself, as if he was trying to understand the truth.
Elijah shrugged, turning the wheel down the street towards their home, near the bay. "I don't know, but they are." He replied, with conviction.
Klaus shook his head, and his head fell on the headrest. "How did they even know about Paris?" He asked, absently, his eyes distant and thoughtful.
"Kol believes we have a traitor in our midst. Someone Interpol has gotten too." Elijah answered, glancing at his brother.
Klaus' eyes flashed darkly, and his hands gripped the armrest on the door. "Who?" He asked in a demanding tone.
Elijah shook his head. "We have not figured it out as of yet, but that would explain how those lowlife dealers discovered our route and armaments." He replied, stopping outside their house.
Klaus growled, opening the door, and slammed it once he got out. He charged into their three story home, which had once been a plantation house back in the 1800s, which had fallen into disrepair, but had been renovated when the Mikaelsons bought it in the early 1990s.
Elijah shook his head, watching Klaus stormed into their home, and slammed the front door. He wouldn't be able to talk to Klaus for a few hours. He knew. It was times like this; Klaus usually retreated into his art room, and became unresponsive. Elijah had learned early in their lives, when Klaus gets in one of his moods, it would do no good to talk to him. Klaus was a like a loaded bomb. Say the wrong thing, and you would be nursing a wound for the next few days.
Klaus entered his art room, and began to throw his blank canvases against the wall. He let out a scream, and fell to his knees. He lifted his head and gazed at his sketch book. Narrowing his eyes, he picked it up and scooted back against the wall.
Opening it up, he picked up a piece of charcoal and began to sketch. The face he began to sketch was a face he had never sketched before. He smiled casually, his hand moving over the paper sketching the oval face with blue-green eyes and wavy hair. He paused in his work, and gazed at the paper.
The face staring back at him was that of the young woman he had seen just early that morning.
"Caroline."
~X~
Caroline sighed, opening the door to her hotel room, and dropped her two bags on the floor. Her eyes scanned over the room, and she let out another sigh.
Taking out her phone, she hit the app Tyler had programmed in it. She shook her head at the thought of what that man could accomplish with the technology he was given. She moved her phone over the room in a sweep, and smiled when she found no bugs or cameras.
She sat down on the bed, and fell backwards. Her mind was racing, and her adrenaline was pumping through her system.
She had contacted her supervisor when she landed and was informed that she had a meeting that afternoon with one of the members of the Hybrid organization, a man named Mikaelson.
She lifted her wrist and looked at the time. She groaned as she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. Standing up, she slipped out of her travel clothes, and slid on a pair of business gray slacks and a button down gray shirt. She left her hair down, and didn't button up the last three buttons. She debated on one of the buttons.
She had heard of the Hybrid's fascination with women, and part of her knew she had to try. That was her mission. She stood in front of the mirror, and sighed.
"Okay, Caroline, you can do this." She replied, shaking her shoulders up and down, trying to get the courage to do what she needed to do.
She lifted her right hand, and touched the simple locket around her neck. Normally, she would hide it underneath her clothes, but now she needed it. Opening the locket, she gazed into the frozen eyes of her dear mother. She bit back tears, and closed the locket. Dropping against her chest, she buttoned the other button, which left the last two open.
Turning on her heel, she slipped on her grey stiletto ankle boots, and then headed out the door. She walked down the street, and smiled as she passed a jazz band playing down the street. The afternoon air was warm, until the wind blew. She smiled at the atmosphere surrounding the street, and paused for only a moment to listen to a trumpet player kick a solo with so much passion she felt it down to her bones.
Shaking her head, she continued on her way. She didn't need to be distracted. She smiled as she reached her destination. She entered the bar at the corner of Bourbon Street, called The Wolf, and her eyes began to scan the room.
The place wasn't as crowded as she thought it would be. Smoke filled the room, and glasses clanked against each other and the tables. People were talking loudly, and she had to resist the urge to jump when she heard someone shout a few feet away from her. She shook her head, making her way through the room, to the table at the far corner. She sat down in the chair in the corner, and watched with attentive eyes.
She swallowed, when she saw a young man with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a mischievous grin walk towards her. He was dressed in jeans and a simple Henley and carried a beer in his hand.
He stopped at her table, and pulled out the chair across from her. "Well, now, what is a tasty little thing like you doing in a place like this?" He asked his voice light and accented.
She shook her head. "I'm meeting someone." She stated, with an annoyed tone.
He chuckled. "Well, isn't that a coincidence. So am I." He stated, with a wink.
She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Don't you have someone else you could annoy?" She asked, with a hard glare.
He shrugged. "I don't know. Are you available?" He asked, wiggling his brows.
Caroline shook her head. Wonderful, she was getting picked up by an arrogant jerk when she was supposed to be meeting someone. "Could you please leave me alone?" She asked, glaring at him.
He shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that, beautiful." He replied in a husky tone. "You're too tempting." He added, leaning forward.
Caroline clenched her fists in her lap, and turned her gaze away from him. Maybe if she just ignore him, he would go away.
She felt his hand on her knee, and she clamped her eyes shut. No, such luck. Getting aggravated, she grabbed his right hand, with hers, and flipped his wrist. He hollered as the pain rang through the bar, causing a few people to stop and stare.
"Nobody touches me." She whispered, letting go of his wrist.
He groaned, and massaged his wrist, while shooting daggers at her. Standing up, he grabbed her left arm, and pulled her up from her chair.
Caroline groaned, but didn't waste any time. Grabbing his arm, she twisted it around his back, and smiled as he hollered.
"I said nobody touches me." She stated loudly, twirling him around and slamming him against the wall.
He groaned as he hit the wall and fell to the ground. She smiled to herself, and glanced at a few other women who were nodding in her direction.
She dusted her hands off, and nodded at his slightly moving body.
"I don't even want to know what he did."
Caroline stiffened at the voice behind her. Slowly she turned around, and her eyes widened. "Klaus?" She asked in astonishment.
Klaus' eyes widened slightly, but kept his surprise tapered down. "Caroline." He began, stepping closer. "What a pleasure to see you again." He remarked, bowing his head slightly.
She nodded, and nervously pushed her blonde hair behind her ear. "You too." She replied, swallowing lightly.
Klaus glanced at the man on the floor, and rolled his eyes. "Elijah, why don't you take our dear brother outside to cool down?" He asked, turning to the neatly dressed man next to him.
Elijah nodded, and approached his brother, who was slowly standing up.
"You just wait, beautiful. You'll pay for that." He stated, as Elijah led him out of the room.
Klaus shook his head and turned to Caroline. "I apologize for my brother. He gets a little adolescent when he's had too much." He replied, motioning to the seat in front of Caroline.
Caroline lifted her hand, and waited for him to sit down. "I can tell. He doesn't seem the type to take no for an answer." She stated, lowly.
Klaus smiled and shook his head. "It's a family trait. I'm afraid." He returned with a laugh.
She nodded, and glanced at her hands on the table. "So, what are you doing here?" She asked, looking around the bar.
He shrugged. "I was supposed to be meeting a hopeful client here, but apparently he didn't show." He replied, glancing around them.
She nodded. "Yeah, I know that feeling." She replied, with slight disappointment.
He smiled and lowered his gaze. "Well, would you consent to having a drink with me then?" He asked, motioning to the bar.
Caroline smiled and nodded. "Sure, why not." She stated, shrugging.
He laughed and stood up to get a couple shots of bourbon. He brought the drinks back to the table, and handed her one. "I should have asked what you prefer, but the bourbon here is always the best." He replied, smiling.
Caroline tilted her head to the side, and took a quick swig. She felt the burning sensation of the drink run down her throat.
"By the way, you haven't told me what your last name is, love?" He asked, downing half the bourbon.
Caroline smiled. "It's Dobbs." She replied, calmly. "Caroline Dobbs." She added, watching his face transform into shock and then amusement.
"Well, then, Miss Dobbs, it appears our meeting will take place, after all." He replied, in a deep tone.
Caroline's brow furrowed deeply at his wording. "What do you mean?" She asked, looking around her carefully.
Klaus smiled, and it looked almost sinister. "I'm Mikaelson. Niklaus Mikaelson." He stated firmly with satisfaction.
Caroline's eyes widened slightly as his words began to sink in. The man she had been attracted to on the plan over was the Mikaelson she was supposed to meet? Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
"I take it; I should have introduced myself on the plane." He replied with a chuckle.
She let out a breathless laugh. "You think?" She asked, though when she thought about it, she didn't know about Mikaelson on the plane.
He shrugged. "Well, you can't really fault me on this, love, when you didn't tell me who you were." He replied, pointing at her.
She shook her head at him. "You told me you were into investments." She replied, lowering her voice.
He chuckled and lifted up a finger. "I told you, you could say I was into investments. I never did clarify what kind of investments." He replied, with humor in his eyes.
She shook her head in disbelief. This wasn't happening. Her first assignment with the Marshals and her first contact is with a man she met on the plane. A man she had been attracted too, and still seemed to be attracted to him. No, she couldn't think that. He was the enemy. She had to keep focused on that. He was the enemy.
"Besides, you were exactly truthful about your occupation either." He replied, pointing at her again.
She glared at him. "I thought you were a stranger." She stated, roughly. "What was I supposed to say? Hello, I run weapons into the country." She replied, with the last word fading off as she caught him trying not to laugh. She shook her head and leaned back in her chair, trying not to laugh at the irony of the situation.
Klaus contained his laughter, and studied the woman in front of him. She was exactly as he remembered her. Well, not exactly like he remembered. She was even more beautiful. He shook his head, slowly and dipped his head. This was not good. She was supposed to be a business acquaintance, hopefully. Something about her had him not quite trusting her, not to mention believing.
Slowly he stood up, and moved his head to the side. "Follow me; I don't talk business out here." He replied, walking out of the room through a back door.
Caroline frowned at how fast he walked out of there, causing her to practically run after him. She went out the door, and into an alley way and she rolled her eyes. How quaint.
"What no office?" She asked when Klaus stood in front of her.
He smiled. "Not for the first meeting." He replied, nodding to a man behind her.
Caroline glanced behind her, and felt hands touching her body. She stiffened, but didn't react like she usually would.
Klaus seemed to notice her discomfort, and lifted his hand to the man, who shook his head at his findings.
"Thank you, Stefan, that'll be all." He replied, with a nod.
Caroline swallowed hard, and lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry for that, but I had to be sure you weren't wearing a wire." He replied, firmly.
She nodded. "You could've just asked me." She stated, harshly.
Klaus noticed the change in her tone, but overlooked it. "What are you doing here in New Orleans?" He asked, after a moment.
Caroline folded her arms over her chest. "I'm looking for a new business venture, and I hear through anonymous sources that the Hybrid is looking for new blood." She stated, with a light business tone.
Klaus nodded. "Well, if I say he is, what would you have to offer?" He asked, cautiously.
She smiled and captured his eyes. "I have contacts in the Middle East as well as Russia and China, who would be more than happy to push their merchandise into the United States without being detected. I hear the Hybrid specializes in that." She added, coldly.
Klaus placed his right hand under his chin, while his left arm wrapped around his chest. "What do you need the Hybrid for?" He asked after a moment.
"I can get the merchandise. In fact I have buyers waiting, but I can't get them into the States because of the border patrol. The last time I tried to get them through, Interpol intercepted them." She stated, remembering the information Alaric had given her as a backup story.
Klaus nodded in a contemplative way. "Let's say I believe you, what do you have to prove that what you're saying is true?" He asked staring at her with eyes turning cold and hard.
Caroline reached into her pants pocket, and took out her card. "Everything you need to know is on that website, though it's coded. I had a master hacker set it up for me, so only my buyers and I can look at it." She began, handing him the card. "The code to enter the site is on the card. Just type it in, and it'll tell you what you need to know. If you decide to take me up on my offer, my number is on the bottom." She stated, in a professional tone.
Klaus smiled at her efficiency. "You seemed to have thought of everything, love." He replied, placing the card in the pocket of his jeans.
Caroline nodded. "I'm not known for my carelessness." She stated, lifting her head high.
He smirked and dipped his head. "Well, then I shall be in touch." He replied, formally.
Caroline felt relief fill her soul, but she kept the mask on her face. "I look forward to it." She replied, turning to enter the bar once more.
Klaus watch her enter the bar once more, and the smile fell from his face. That woman was trouble, and, though he liked trouble, he detested this kind of trouble. He pulled out the card she had given him, and smirked.
There was definitely something else to that woman, and he intended to find out what it was. After all, the Hybrid didn't do business with just anybody, not even blonde vixens.
What did you think? PLEASE NO HARSH COMMENTS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY, THAT'S FINE, BUT PLEASE DON'T LEAVE HURTFUL REMARKS.
If you have not read the note at the beginning of this story, a few of the reviewers expressed their 'concern' on the fact that Klaus seemed too soft and forgiving in the Prologue. I understand their concern, but I intended for that scene to happen that way. I don't like 'puppy dog' Klaus anymore than you do, but there is a reason he is in prison, and it was not entirely Caroline's doing, and the answer will be much later in the story. I wanted the set up in the Prologue to create a little intrigue. I hope I succeeded a little bit.
Next Chapter will be up as soon as I can get it written! :)
Until Next Time...