Sorry it's been so long, folks. My muse went on vacation and it's been a crazy summer so far. Now, our vamps are on the trail of the bad guys. Coraline goes off the rails, so be prepared~~~~~~~~
Chapter 17
Coraline entered the Duvall mansion, wondering why her brother had asked her to come immediately. She gave the butler her coat and strolled toward the library. The castle held many memories, and the slightly stuffy scent of damp and old books reminded her of the childhood she had spent there hundreds of years before. Shaking off the past, she pushed the door open to see Henri at the desk that had formerly belonged to their sire.
"Hello, Henri. What is so urgent that I must rush over here?"
"Sit down Cora," he said, not looking up.
She made her way to a plush chair across from his desk. Henri only called her Cora in when it was something serious.
Her brother raised his eyes, and suddenly Coraline felt some fear, as he seemed so solemn.
"I have some news, mon soeur. I'm sorry to tell you that Luc has met the true death."
Coraline looked at him in horror. "What do you mean? I just saw him a day ago."
Sighing, Henri sat back in his chair. "He became involved in a brawl with some vampires in Montmartre and they killed him. They fled and no one knows who they were. The Cleaners informed me a short while ago."
She was stunned, Luc was dear to her, even if she wasn't in love with him. He was loyal and would do anything she asked. She trusted him which was something that didn't come easily to her.
"Do the Cleaners have his remains?"
Henri nodded, wondering why his sister asked.
Coraline sat up straight, tears in her eyes. "I want his ashes placed in the family vault."
"That would not be appropriate," her brother frowned.
"I don't care. He was with the family for a century, he deserves the honor."
Henri considered the request, but didn't approve. "Non, I think not."
Her eyes blazed, "You have given other servants that privilege. Why not Luc?"
With a shrug, he said, "He had not been with us for sufficient time."
Standing up, Coraline snarled, "Perhaps not, but it is my request. You will grant it."
Never one to deal with his sister's wrath, Henri capitulated. If he didn't, he knew he was in for a long night of her drama. "Very well. We will allow him the remembrance."
Coraline sat down abruptly and lowered her head. She was overwrought and upset.
Henri could feel her emotions and thought he would deliver some good news. "I'm sorry about Luc, cheri, but I've heard news from America."
She raised her face to him. "What news?"
"It seems that Kostan's woman has been found." He didn't mention Mick St. John in deference to his sister's sensibilities.
"What?" she asked, her eyes wide in disbelief, her horror apparent.
Wondering why it would affect her, Henri answered, "My sources say the women were found after a few days and are safe. I thought you would want to know, since Kostan accused me of being involved."
In a blinding second, Coraline became totally still. She regained her composure and went into survival mode, hiding her feelings from her brother. She would deal with them later.
"How do you know?" she was finally able to ask.
With a snort, Henri got up and poured some fine Armagnac into a snifter. "I have contacts in the Los Angeles area that keep me informed. I need to know what Kostan is doing."
With a more composed demeanor, Coraline answered, "I'm glad you have been exonerated, although I don't know why Kostan would have suspected you in the first place."
"I don't know either," Henri growled, thinking of the insult the older vampire had given him.
Not able to stay still, Coraline stood and moved about the room, going to the bar to keep her hands busy fixing a drink. Taking a large sip of the burning liquid, she said, "I'm glad you agree with me about Luc. Please let me know when you receive his remains. I will want to be at the internment."
Henri nodded and went to her to give her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry for your loss, cheri. I know Luc was loyal to our family." He could feel she was still upset. "Shall I have one of the cars take you back to your apartment?"
"Non, I will walk a bit." The Parisian weather had turned into a fine mist, and Coraline liked the feel of the cool spray on her skin.
Understanding her need to be alone, Henri saw her to the door and watched as she walked to the gate and disappeared into the darkness. He had no worries about her safety. After all, their kind ruled the night.
Coraline moved away from the mansion, past the other gated estates and toward the city center to her home. Now that she was alone, she could process what she had heard from Henri.
How could the women have escaped from their kidnappers? She received a detailed message that described how the two vampires had left them hidden away in the wilderness. What happened? How could they have been found, and so quickly? Had the mercenaries betrayed her?
The thoughts swirled through her mind, along with deadly disappointment that her plan had come unraveled so fast. And if those women had seen anything, could they trace it back to her? Coraline froze at the realization. This was another issue that she needed to sort out at once. All the messages about the scheme had been routed through Luc's computer, which was still at her home. She started walking faster, still upset and anxious.
The night was dark and it started to drizzle again. The streets were empty but from out of a doorway, three men slouched toward her. Coraline could scent they had been drinking, but was not concerned as the humans finally took notice of the beautiful brunette walking alone.
Two of them stumbled over and one took her arm. "Good evening, ma'amoiselle. Can we buy you a drink?"
Coraline yanked her arm away, bumping into the other man, who tried to put his arms around her. "Come, ma petite, don't be shy," he gurgled. His fetid breath sickened her. Abruptly, with all the grief and strain of the night, she snapped.
Snarling, she broke the neck of the one that grabbed her and he fell to the ground. She turned, her eyes silvered and her fangs lengthened. The drunken human staggered back in horror. Coraline pulled him to her by his shirt and held his head as she ripped out his throat. The smell of his blood and fear inflamed her and she looked toward the third human. He seemed to be a little more sober than his comrades and was already starting to run.
With a growl, Coraline was on the hunt. She gloried in the feeling of power and the prospect of the kill as she gleefully followed the man and his pitiful attempt to escape. She even moved a little slower to let him think he might survive. In the darkness of an alley she caught up and flung him to the ground. He was in shock, seeing her eyes, fangs and blood dripping down her face. Coraline was on him in a moment and growled inhumanly, relishing the terror that came from her victim. She mauled him, not intent on feeding, the blood was full of alcohol and unappetizing.
After he was dead, she pulled the body further into the alley, and went back and concealed the other two dead men. Calmly, she called the Cleaners, informing them where to go and where to send the bill.
Feeling much better, she wiped her face on her sleeve and continued to her apartment, taking the freight elevator to her floor so she wouldn't be seen. The encounter allowed her to release her frustrations. The lives of the humans were not important but now she needed to focus on finding out what happened with the women.
After a shower and a light meal, she pulled out Luc's laptop and signed on. She needed to read everything that had been sent and received from the mercenaries and then destroy the computer.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Across an ocean and a continent, Josef Kostan was waking up in his freezer. It was mid-day but he wanted to check on a few things.
As he stirred, Simone woke as well. "Mmm Josef, why are you getting up? Is something wrong?"
Smiling, he kissed her cheek. In the week since she'd been rescued, Simone hadn't been exactly clingy, but had wanted to be near him more than usual. Their sex life had gone into high gear, and between that and trying to find the kidnappers, Josef had neglected his business. For once he didn't care—his focus was his wife. He'd lost Sarah and was going to make damn sure he would not lose Simone.
"Nothing's wrong, babe. Just going downstairs to see what's happening with the markets. Why don't you get some more shut eye?"
"All right. Are you going to the office?" Simone asked. She knew she had kept Josef from his business since she had been found. Simone had spoken to Beth every day and was amazed at her friend's ability to accept what had happened to them. She seemed to let it roll off her. Of course, Simone knew Beth had had numerous adventures with Mick and had even staked her husband's ex-wife. Maybe if I had worked more with Beth instead of hanging out in court, I'd be used to danger, she thought, ruefully.
Josef was pulling on his jeans and shrugging into a shirt. "I can work at home today." He had an idea and smiled. "How would you like to go out later? We could go to a club and then dancing."
Simone sat up further in the freezer with a grin. She knew Josef wasn't especially fond of dancing, but she was. "I'd love it!"
Pleased that he had made her happy, Josef said, "Get some sleep and I'll see you in a few hours." He gave her a quick kiss and left the room.
Heading downstairs, he decided to give the manager of Cartier a call. It might be a good time to surprise Simone with a little sparkle and a diamond bracelet would be just the thing.
After making arrangements with the jewelry store, Josef turned his mind to less agreeable tasks. Opening his email he noted several messages from Rider. Finally! Pulling out his phone, he dialed his IT specialist. "Rider, what do you have?"
"I think we've got a lead on the two vampires. We have video of them leaving San Francisco."
"Where did they go?" Josef barked.
"Uh, the female went to the international terminal and the male went to Aeromexico."
"Where did they end up?"
"We're working on that now. Logan is tracking the man. He was at the gate for a flight to Puerto Vallarta. That airport doesn't have cameras so we have to assume that's where he landed. I'm getting the passenger list and I'll send it over. As for the woman; there were three flights that left when she was at the airport—one to Tokyo, one to Manilla and one to Singapore."
"Hmm," Josef replied, thoughtfully. "She went east. Have you been able to find where she landed?"
"I'm working on it. At least Tokyo, Manilla and Singapore have security cameras but it will take me a while to get into their systems."
"Do you need more help?" Josef asked. he wanted to find these vampires as soon as possible.
Rider sighed. "Thanks, but there's no one who could hack the systems as fast as we can. But after we find them, give us a few days off—okay, boss?"
Appreciating the tech's boldness, Josef responded, "Sure when you find them you both are off the clock for a week, with a bonus."
"Good. I'll get back to you when we have something solid."
Josef hung up, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Glancing at the window, he saw the darkness was encroaching and picked up his phone and called Mick.
"Yeah Josef," Mick answered. He'd just gotten out of the shower and was getting dressed in their bedroom. Beth was already downstairs fixing them a liquid breakfast.
"Hey Mick, it looks like we have some action on those vampires."
Josef didn't need to explain who he meant, and Mick suppressed a growl. "Where are they?"
"The woman is somewhere in Asia, maybe Tokyo or Singapore. The man is in Mexico, they think on the west coast."
"Can you get the Cleaners to go after them?"
Josef frowned. "I thought you'd want to go."
The younger vampire paused before answering. He started to reply when Beth came up behind him, having heard both sides of the conversation.
"Of course we want to go, Josef," Beth said decidedly.
Mick looked up, concerned. "Uh Josef, let me call you back."
On the other end, Josef smirked. He knew Blondie wouldn't want to miss out on the chance to find her abductors.
At the loft, Mick said, "You shouldn't be involved, Beth."
Raising an eyebrow, Beth retorted, "I was involved when those bastards kidnapped me. If we can find them, I want to be there."
Mick sighed and sat her in his lap. "Sweetheart, these vamps are dangerous, they're assassins."
"I know—they tried to eliminate me!" Beth saw his jaw clench and could see he was going to be stubborn. "At least I can recognize their scent so we can be sure about the identification."
Beth picked herself off Mick's lap and stood facing him, her hands on her hips. "Mick, I'm not going to let this go. If we can find these vamps, we should. Who knows who else they've hurt or killed."
Beth's words struck home. Mick hadn't thought of that, and his sense of justice was outraged that others could be harmed.
He looked up at her. "You know these are probably mercenaries, paid assassins who have no regard for anything but money. They're dangerous."
She nodded, "Then we'd better have a plan. We need to talk to Josef."
Knowing when he was overruled, they left for Josef's house in the hills. Mick called on their way and the older vampire was not surprised that the couple wanted to take part in the hunt.
Josef greeted them when they entered the lounge, and offered a drink. Beth accepted, asking, "Where's Simone?"
"She's still in the freezer, but she'll be up soon. We're going out dancing," Josef replied, smirking.
With a raised eyebrow, Beth glanced at her husband. "Hmmm."
Mick gave a mock grimace. "Thanks, Josef. Now I'm going to have to take Beth out or I'll never hear the end of it."
"You got that right, handsome," Beth purred, batting her eyes.
Josef was glad to see his friends seemingly back to normal. With a chuckle, he said, "I hate to break up the party, but you wanted to see me?"
Beth turned to him, her face serious now. "Yes. I'd like to go after both of them, but it's not practical to go after the one in Asia. It would be easier to track down the vamp in Mexico."
Leaning back, Josef said, "There aren't many vampires outside of Mexico City. The weather is too hot."
"Do you have any contacts in Puerto Vallarta?" Mick asked.
"No, and the Cleaners are mostly near the border or in Mexico City. I don't know if this vamp has a network in Vallarta. Maybe he feeds off the tourists and the locals put it down to gangs," Josef mused.
"Could you lend us James or one of the other security guys? We would cover all the expenses," Mick said.
"Sure. I suppose you want to use my jet," Josef asked with a smug smile.
Mick had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "Well, yeah. But only because we need to smuggle our gear." The Kostan jet had concealed storage areas for weapons and blood supplies.
Beth hid a smile at the byplay between the two friends, and said, "I'm sure Simone would want us to use it."
"Use what?" Simone asked, entering the room. She moved to Josef, kissing him briefly.
Beth saw that her friend looked calmer and hoped that she was now recovered from their ordeal. "Josef's jet," Beth replied. "They have a lead on the vamps that kidnapped us. One of them is in Mexico and we want to track him down."
Simone gave an internal sigh. She would love to help catch the bastards who had taken them, but she knew she would be a hindrance rather than a help.
Josef gave his wife a sharp glance. He and Simone were so well-attuned to each other he could feel her disappointment that she couldn't be involved. Changing the subject, he said, "Let's look at what Rider found."
The four vampires crowded around Josef's computer screen as he brought up the videos that Rider found from the airport cameras. Josef played the looped visuals several times, then turned to Mick.
"Does that look like them?"
Nodding his head, Mick commented, "Yeah, as much as I was able to sense out in the forest."
Beth's eyes narrowed. "Can Rider get us printouts of this guy?"
"Already done," Josef responded, handing a file to her. Inside were enlarged photos of the vampire as he was waiting to board his plane in LAX.
"A little grainy, but I think they'll help. I just wish I spoke better Spanish," Beth said.
Simone beamed. "Why don't you take Guillermo?"
"Perfect!" Beth exclaimed.
Mick nodded and said, "Good, but I'd still like James to go."
"Whatever you want," Josef said. "Now, when do you want to leave?
TBC
Looks like Mick and Beth have a start, and we'll see if they can track down the vampire and find out who's behind everything. Will it lead to Coraline, or will she be able to cover her tracks? Thank you for reading. I'll try to be faster with my updates.