I tried to post earlier, but the FF site was not working. So here is the next chapter and I appreciate all of you who read and/or reviewed—you guys rock! Now the DA gets into hot water—can he get out?

Chapter 7

The doorbell rang, and Mick hurried to get it. On the step stood Sofia and her mother Maureen Harrison. He had asked them to come to the house of the former Max Fletcher.

"Hi Mick," Sofia said, smiling.

"Nice to see you, Sofia, and you too, Maureen."

The older human looked around the house and stated, "Nice place."

Mick had purchased the mansion a couple of days before and had asked Maureen if she would be able to help with some redecorating.

"I just closed on the house and I want to surprise Beth. I'd like her to be able to decorate it the way she wants."

Nodding, Maureen walked through the rooms taking mental notes. After looking around, she said, "First thing is to get rid of the current furnishings, unless you want to keep them."

Mick's taste ran to modern and the house was decorated in French antiques. He wasn't sure what Beth would think. "I don't know if Beth might want anything here."

"Tell you what," Maureen said, shrewdly, "I'll get the place cleared out and store the stuff at a warehouse. Beth and I can go through it and keep what she likes. The rest can go to an auction house and the money to charity."

Mick brightened, "That would be fine."

"All right, let's check out the rooms and you can tell me what you have in mind. Once Beth gets a look at it, we can discuss decorating ideas," Maureen said and led Mick through the house.

xxxxxxxxxxx

The offices at Kostan Industries were busy and making money, but Josef Kostan felt uneasy. He asked James, his head of security to come to his office. James was a vampire who had been with Josef for nearly a century and Josef trusted him implicitly. Although he kept out of his employee's personal lives, Josef was amused that James was in a serious relationship with one of the LA Cleaners.

Entering quickly, James stood respectfully, waiting for his boss to speak. Josef nodded toward a chair, and James sat down.

"What do you have for me?" Josef asked.

James reached for his phone and checked his notes. "The subject has been going to his regular job until two days ago. I called this morning and they said he was out until Friday. I followed him yesterday and he went to a State office. I went into the building and pretended to be applying for a job and saw him, but couldn't see where he went." James shifted and glanced at Josef. "I've asked Rider to get me a list of employees in that building and cross-reference them with anyone involved with the Monahans. It's possible that it has nothing to do with it, but I want to find out."

"Good," Josef nodded in approval. He'd asked James to tail Robert Hemmings and knew he would be tenacious in tracking the DA. "He might not be a threat, but I can't take that chance."

James agreed with Josef, but knew Mick St. John had taken a more conservative approach by planting listening devices in the human's home. James had never been through a vampire purge, having been turned in Chicago the early 1800's but he'd heard enough about them. He knew their secret had to be kept even if there was collateral damage. One dead human DA, no matter how high-profile, would not mean much to protect their race.

"I'll find out what this guy is doing. So far, we haven't heard anything on the bugs Mr. St. John planted."

Josef got up and poured a drink. He didn't offer one to his subordinate, knowing it would be declined. He took a large swig and turned back to James, "That's what worries me. Hemmings went to Ben and asked about the Monahans. Since then, we haven't heard anything. Is he making inquiries from his office?"

"I don't know, sir," James responded.

"See what you can find out." Josef put down his drink and started to pace. "I'd arrange an accident but Mick would take my head."

"If we can prove the human is a danger, Mr. St. John can't object."

Josef stopped and gave his security chief a sly grin. "That's true. Maybe he's not doing anything, but if he is—"

"—I'll find out," James stated.

As James left, Josef felt relieved. Being the Elder for the Western Region didn't allow him much compassion. He tossed back his drink and left the office, telling his assistant he was going home for the night. He needed to spend some time with Simone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Robert Hemmings woke late the next day after being up most of the night. A day person, he felt out of sorts to have slept so long. He made himself some coffee and a bagel and sat down at his desk to go over what he thought he'd found out.

What seemed possible in the dark of night was even more fantastic in the daylight. Rob didn't often second-guess himself but he had to admit his idea that vampires were involved in Emma Monahan's escape was a little farfetched.

He sat down at his desk and fired up his computer. He had a good amount of information on Josef Kostan, and the employment file for Guillermo Gasol, as well as a file on St. John. He went through all the evidence point by point, pro and con. By late afternoon he had a headache and needed some air. Changing into some sweats, he decided to go for a run to clear out the cobwebs. All this would still be here when he got back.

After an early dinner, Rob settled back down to his notes. It didn't matter which way he looked at it, the evidence was clear—there were some kind of supernatural beings that had a hand in Emma's escape. Maybe they weren't vampires, but they weren't human either. The question was—what to do next? The only link he knew for sure was Mick St. John. The van guard had identified him and Rob wanted to find out what he knew. He wasn't a fool, knowing if was dealing with unknown beings it could be dangerous, but he couldn't let it go. He had to find out about Emma Monahan.

It was late in the day and he needed to go back to work in the morning. Looking through his papers, he found Mick St. John's business address.

He had contemplated seeking advice from Ben Talbot, the former ADA, until his research revealed that Talbot was a law partner with Josef Kostan's wife. He wondered if Talbot knew anything about St. John. All their relationships seemed connected. The more Rob thought about it, the more convinced he was that he needed to see St. John in person and confront him about Emma.

Rob changed quickly into a tie and jacket. He thought about taking his hand gun with him. He was licensed for concealed carry, but decided if he was dealing with someone inhuman, a gun wouldn't make any difference.

He drove downtown and found the office marked St. John Investigations. There was a low light coming through the frosted window and that encouraged him to knock on the door.

Inside, Mick scented an unfamiliar human. He checked his watch and saw it was after eight pm. He could feel the tension from the male human on the other side of the door.

Mick opened it, and saw a man in his mid-thirties, with short cropped hair. "Can I help you?" he asked.

The man gave Mick a piercing look and said, "I'm Robert Hemmings, District Attorney for Los Angeles. May I speak to you for a moment?"

Only Mick's vampire abilities allowed him to remain stoic as he moved aside and allowed the human to enter.

Rob looked around the modern office, and said, "You're Mick St. John." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Yes," Mick responded, now on his guard. "What can I do for you?"

Rob decided to proceed delicately. "I'm looking into an old case concerning Emma Monahan."

Returning to his desk, Mick sat down and Rob did the same, obviously still studying the vampire. Mick was aware of the man's interest and wondered what he wanted.

"You know Emma Monahan, correct?"

"Why do you think so?" Mick stalled.

Rob took a breath. He knew if St. John was a vampire, he was a killer like the vampire the witness saw in Atlanta. Now that he was here face-to-face, he began to feel a bit of fear. Maybe he was a fool to confront such a being by himself. Still, he was driven to find Emma, so he forged ahead. Then, in a moment of clarity, the pieces suddenly dropped into place.

"I think you know Emma Monahan because she is a vampire, just like you."

Mick narrowed his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Are the police so lame they're blaming crimes on zombies and boogie men?"

Rob reached into his pocket and drew out the broken shackle from the van, throwing it on Mick's desk. "I have an eye witness that saw you break this with your bare hands. I also have street video showing you, Josef Kostan and Guillermo Gasol moving at incredible speed. You took Emma out of that van and I want to know what happened to her."

"I still don't know what you're talking about," Mick said, stubbornly.

"I know you're a vampire and a killer. Is that what happened to Emma?"

Mick vamped and showed his eyes and fangs to the human intruder. In a moment he was around his desk and slammed the district attorney against the wall. "If you want to live, you'll walk out of here and forget you ever saw me."

Rob was shocked at the sudden transformation, but managed to say, "You know I can't do that."

Upstairs, Beth heard the commotion and rushed downstairs. "Mick! What are you doing?"

He growled and dropped the human, trying to get his vampire under control.

Rob rubbed his neck and straightened his jacket. "Ms. Turner, I presume?"

"Mrs. St. John," Beth snapped back. "Who are you?"

"I'm Robert Hemmings, DA for Los Angeles. I was just discussing your husband's part in the escape of Emma Monahan."

Despite herself, Beth was impressed with the man's courage, especially after dealing with Mick in vampire mode. Seeing Mick was still not ready to talk, Beth asked, "What do you want?"

"I want to know where Emma Monahan is," Rob said boldly. He was taking a risk now that he knew Mick St. John was a vampire, but he pushed that aside for the moment. He could see that St. John had great power and could kill him, but strangely, didn't feel a threat from the immortal.

Beth glanced at Mick, who had resumed is human face. He narrowed his eyes at the district attorney. "Emma and Jackson Monahan are dead."

"How do you know that?"

"I saw them die myself," Mick said, in a low voice.

Beth moved to Mick, putting her arm around his waist in comfort. She knew how much seeing the Monahans die the true death had affected him. She had liked Emma in the short time she'd known her, and their deaths had made Mick admit he loved her.

"How did they die?" Rob insisted.

Mick growled and Beth held him in place feeling his emotions. She turned and frowned at Rob. "Just know they're gone and leave it at that," she said coldly. In the vampire undertone she said, "Honey, why don't you go get some blood?"

Mick shook himself and went toward the door.

"Bring us back some scotch," she called. She looked at Rob. "I presume you could use a drink?"

The human nodded, trying to take in all that he had seen. He looked at the beautiful blond and realized she was a vampire, too. "You say that Emma Monahan is dead," he repeated.

Beth looked at him and said, "Yes, but don't ask my husband. He was there when they died and it upsets him."

"Why?" Rob had come this far and still wanted to know.

Beth sighed to herself. This human was tenacious. "Emma Monahan broke our internal laws. She was executed by our enforcers. Mick helped her escape your jail, but then had to watch her die, along with her husband. It still bothers him."

"You drink blood, right? Are you all killers?" Rob knew he probably shouldn't annoy the woman, but he was eager for information.

Beth snorted. "Of course not. We don't even kill to get blood. But there are criminals in every culture and justice has to be done."

Mick returned carrying a bottle of single malt and some glasses. He felt better after downing some A neg. He silently poured some liquor into the glasses and Beth handed one to Rob. He'd heard what Beth had told the DA and now that he'd revealed himself, he hoped they could contain the situation.

Rob was silent as he took a sip of the expensive liquor. He was impressed at the quality and looked at the two beings. He had to admit they met the standards of the beautiful people of LA. Now that he knew the fate of Emma Monahan, he was consumed with curiosity about the vampires.

"How do you know about vampires, aside from what you suspected?" Beth asked.

Feeling a little more at ease, Rob said, "A few years ago in Atlanta, a witness saw a woman bite someone in an alley and kill him. No one believed him, but I remembered the incident."

Mick and Beth exchanged glances. That was why the human assumed they were all killers.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me something about you? I know Ms. Turner—I mean Mrs. St. John was an internet reporter."

Mick replied, "I don't know if we should tell you anything more. It's dangerous for you to have information about us."

Confused, Rob said, "Why? You've told me about Emma and I believe you. I wish we could officially close the case, but I can't bring up your involvement."

Mick shook his head, almost amused by the naiveté of the human. "It's not just that. Now that you know about us, what are you going to do?"

"Um, nothing, I guess … except I'd like to know more about you, er, I mean vampires," Rob said, a little flustered.

"Do you want to know why Emma Monahan was judged a traitor and executed?" Mick asked.

Realizing he was about to hear something he might not like, Rob took another sip of his drink and nodded slowly.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Mick brought up the past. "As you know, Emma and Jackson Monahan were Dominic Michael's agents. Emma was having an affair with Dominic. On the night he died, they got into an argument and Emma accidentally killed him. There was a witness and she was arrested." Mick stopped here and gave a small smile. "You can imagine that prison isn't a good place for a vampire."

"So because she killed Dominic, she was judged by the vampires?" Rob broke in.

Mick shook his head. "No, that wasn't it. To the vampire community, a human death means little. I don't agree with this, but most vampires only consider humans as food."

Beth went to Mick and took his hand. She knew how hard this was for him and hoped the DA would see the other side of their race.

"The reason Emma was executed was that she threatened to tell the humans of our existence. Our survival relies on our secrecy. You can see that if the general population knew we existed and came after us, we would fight back and it would be a disaster."

Mick glanced at Rob and saw he was listening intently. "We had to get Emma out of jail before she revealed us to the humans. That can never be allowed to happen."

Mick fell silent and Rob mulled over what he had heard. He knew now he was in a more tenuous situation than he realized. Vampires killed to maintain their secrecy. After a pause, he knew the two were waiting for him to speak.

"I'm not about to say anything," Rob assured them. "No one would believe me anyway. I only wanted to find out about Emma Monahan."

"Who else knows what you were investigating?" Beth asked.

"No one," Rob said, truthfully. "Oh, well maybe the guard in the van. He saw Mr. St. John and identified you in a picture line up."

"But not officially?" Mick queried.

"No. He wanted to keep out of it. He'd been hurt in the van crash and is waiting out his pension."

"Good," Mick nodded. "Did you tell him anything about your suspicions?"

Rob recalled the conversation. "No, I just said I'd let him know if we needed him."

"Fine. Tell him it was a dead end and you won't be pursuing the case."

"Okay," Rob agreed. He made to get up, but Mick gestured for him to stay seated. Beth looked at Mick with alarm, knowing what he was about to say.

"I'm going to believe that you won't reveal us," Mick said. "But you'll have to talk to the head of our region. He'll make the final decision."

By Beth's reaction, Rob surmised this wouldn't be good. A little alarmed, he said, "I have to work tomorrow, and they'll miss me if I don't show up."

"Mick, I don't think Mr. Hemmings will cause any problems. If you think Josef needs to see him, this weekend should be fine."

Rob's ears perked up. Josef must mean Josef Kostan. So he was the vampire leader. Interesting. He decided to take the offensive. "Look, I swear I'm not going to out you guys, and tomorrow's Friday. I'll be at your disposal during the weekend, and do whatever you think necessary."

Mick was impressed by the DA's forthright attitude and looked at Beth. In the vampire undertone she said, "I think it's safe, sweetheart."

He looked at Rob and nodded. "All right. We'll pick you up at your home at eight pm on Saturday. It might take a while so be prepared to be out all night."

Rob nodded, not daring to ask how the couple knew his address. He'd rather not know. He got up and with a tentative smile to the two beings in the room, opened the door and headed toward the elevator. As he rode down to his car, he realized he'd had a lucky escape. But what would happen Saturday night?

TBC

Well, Rob found out more than he bargained for in this chapter. Next, what will happen when he meets Josef? Our snarky vampire might not be as forgiving as Mick and Beth. Thank you for reading and all your support!