Hi, and happy spring to everyone. Here is the next installment to the story. Coraline is in a bit of a bind (for the moment) and has to make some hard decisions. Will Josef's killer be able to find her?

Chapter 21

Coraline led Cynthia into her lounge. She hated to tell Cyn about the latest problem in her life.

Cynthia, ever loyal, felt the sadness radiating from her friend. She didn't speak, but instead went to the bar; knowing Coraline would have fresh blood and liquor ready. She poured them both drinks, giving her friend one. She sat down and asked, "What has happened, Cora?"

"I'm so sorry," Coraline started. "Henri was here earlier. It seems the bastard Englishman who is running our Council has decided we cannot keep selling our formula."

Cynthia's eyes widened in shock. "How can they do that? It's our business; we're not breaking any human laws."

"Of course not."

Taking a few moments to think, Cynthia asked, "What did Henri say? What did the Council tell him?"

She took an unneeded breath. "Apparently, the Council found out I was involved in marketing the supplement." She went on to tell her friend about the conversation with Henri.

Cynthia sat back, considering. "What do you want to do, cher? We have millions in our accounts. Is it worth it to defy the Council?"

After a deep gulp of her drink, she responded, "I don't want to be dictated to by the damn English. I refuse to recognize they have any power over us."

Cynthia shrugged in agreement. It had not been the first time she and Coraline had defied authority. "What do you suggest?"

Coraline smiled, slyly. "The Council doesn't know you are involved. We will take down our current website, reinstate the drug under another name and continue to market it."

"We can do that."

"You will have to find another location for our laboratory and shipping warehouse. I'm sure if the English found I was involved, they also know about the manufacturing plant in Switzerland."

The prospect of going undercover intrigued Cynthia and she commented, "We must find a place they will never think to look. It can be anywhere there is good access to shipping."

"China? Thailand? Or Argentina?"

"Perhaps. Let me see to it," Cynthia said. She had just been to South America and there were fewer regulations there. It would be worthwhile to look into.

"Bon. I will let you know where I am," Coraline said.

Surprised, Cynthia asked, "Why? You don't have to leave."

"Yes, yes I do. I told you Henri threatened me with confinement. When Lance brought me back from Los Angeles that time, our sire kept me staked in the dungeons for almost two years. I won't go through that again." She stood up, pacing in fury. "Henri is starting to treat me like Lance did. Our family was bankrupt, and I saved us with the treasure from the catacombs. We would be nothing without my help."

Cynthia remembered. "Your brothers should be grateful. You could have kept the fortune for yourself."

"Ha!" Coraline snorted. "I thought if I helped us, they would see I am important to the family. But I'm still treated like a nuisance. It's the same with Mick."

Cynthia reached out and took her friend's hand. "They are fools. So is Mick. He is not worth your contempt and he never appreciated you. Look at what you have accomplished on your own."

Smiling wanly, Coraline replied, "Thank you, mon ami, you have always been my best support."

"Come, let us make a plan. Then we will go to the club and find some lovely men. I feel famished."

With a wicked grin, Coraline agreed. She didn't have to leave right away; she could wait a night or two. Her brothers would be most surprised when they found she was gone.

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"What do you mean, you let him go?"

"Just what I said," Josef replied, keeping his amusement under wraps. He knew Mick would give him grief over letting the assassin leave, but felt when his friend thought about it, he would agree.

Mick glowered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you sure the guy isn't in the tarpits?"

Rolling his eyes, Josef smirked, "So what do you want? You're upset that I let him go, or upset because I killed him?"

Mick huffed, "I don't know."

Josef went to the desk in his home office. Mick had come to the house, wanting to talk about the assassin. Josef picked up the phone and asked for James. He gave Mick a look and went to the bar, silently offering his friend a drink. Mick shook his head, and Josef proceeded to pour some expensive single malt.

There was a light knock on the door. James entered and stood silent, looking at his boss.

Josef took a sip and said to James, "Could you tell Mr. St. John what happened with Vincent?"

James turned toward Mick and said, "Per Mr. Kostan's instructions, we implanted a GPS tracking device into the subject's forearm. After that, he met with Mr. Kostan for half an hour and then we transported the subject to LAX. We couldn't go through security, but Rider confirmed he boarded a plane to La Guardia."

Josef said, "Thank you, James. I'll let you know if I need any further information."

The security vampire left, and Mick sighed. "All right. I believe James."

Feigning insult, Josef said, "Well, thanks a lot."

Mick glared. "C'mon, Josef. I know you don't deal with enemies well."

With a slight shrug, Josef replied, "Maybe for once I listened to Simone and Beth. It didn't seem this guy was behind the kidnapping. The girls would have accepted his death, but Simone wouldn't have been happy."

"So you said you implanted a tracking device?" Mick asked.

"Yes. If he comes here again, I'll know it."

Mick sat down heavily in a chair. "You're sure he won't come back?"

Sitting opposite him, Josef replied, "He's being monitored. He's well aware if he sets foot in California he'll be eliminated. I made that very clear."

Sighing, Mick nodded. "I guess Beth won't have a problem with it."

"Don't worry. I won't let him near us again," Josef growled.

Mick knew Josef was serious. "That still doesn't answer who grabbed Beth and Simone. I don't like to have an unknown threat out there. If someone is after us, we need to know."

"I've got Rider still looking for the woman perp in Asia. He's also trying to find out about Celeste. So far all he knows is that she spent some time in New York, and writes an occasional fashion blog. He hasn't seen anything online from her since the girls were kidnapped."

Mick ran his hand through his hair. "I guess that's not a good thing."

"I'd like to hear what she has to say about the abduction, but otherwise I don't really care what happened to her," Josef shrugged.

With a smirk, Mick rose and poured himself a drink. "I won't let our wives know you said that. But you're right; I'm more concerned about who was behind it."

Josef growled, "You know it might have been Coraline."

"Possibly," Mick sighed. "But we don't have any proof."

"I checked, and she was in Paris when the girls were taken."

Remembering the fight he had with Coraline's servant when they were in France, Mick asked, "What about that thug that works for the Duvalls?"

Josef replied with a shrewd smile. "I had him checked out as well. He was in Paris. They both seem innocent, but I'm not buying it."

"Well, there's not much we can do without proof," Mick commented.

That's what you think, my friend. Josef kept his face blank and hid his feelings from the younger vampire. He only hoped that Vincent would be able to destroy Coraline soon.

Changing the subject, Josef asked, "How is the house coming?"

Smiling, Mick said, "The contractor is almost done with it, and the pool is open."

Josef said, "When you guys are ready, why don't you let us give you a housewarming party at your place? Simone would love it."

"I don't know…."

"It'll be fun. All you have to do is show up. It would be a no-stress deal."

Mick had never been a social vampire, but had relaxed a bit since he'd met Beth. He would probably be able to convince his wife to let the Kostans host the party. What was he thinking? She would convince him. "All right, I'll get Beth to agree."

"Good," Josef replied, and got the bottle from the bar, topping up their drinks.

They both took a long sip from their glasses, and Mick said, "I'll tell Beth that you let that guy go." He paused. "She's after me to get a GPS implanted."

Josef sighed. "Yes, I'm hearing about it daily from Simone. I've tried to distract her but….."

Mick snorted, "Yeah, right. I don't think we can ignore them."

Shaking his head, Josef said, "Four hundred years ago I never thought there would be anything like the technology we have today."

"You are so old," Mick said with a chuckle. "You have to be smarter than your equipment."

"Huh, I don't have to be—I hire people for that!"

Mick had been taking a drink, choked, coughing briefly.

"What's Beth up to tonight?" Josef asked.

"She's picking out décor with Maureen." Mick was glad his wife had taken over the finishing touches on their new house.

"All right. Then you have time for me to whip your ass at some eight-ball."

With a smirk, Mick rejoined, "Put up your money old man."

The two vampires made their way to Josef's world-class game room. Josef let Hale know they would need refreshments while they played. After convincing Mick that he had sent the assassin off to unknown parts, Josef was pleased. He was hopeful that Vincent would locate Coraline quickly and eliminate her. Life was good.

They entered the dark paneled room and Josef offered Mick a cigar. Not bothering with a nipper, they both pierced the ends of the cigars with their fangs and lit the fine tobacco.

Drawing in the smooth smoke, Mick allowed himself to relax. He was relieved the assassin was out of their area, and he knew Josef would be vigilant in tracking him.

Josef racked up the balls. With a raised eyebrow, he asked, "Two hundred dollars a point? Three out of five games?"

"That all y'got?" Mick queried.

Now Josef stood, chalking his cue with a shrewd smile. "Okay. How about if you lose, Beth tries out the next three male freshies I'm contracting for Simone?"

Mick frowned. This was not what he had in mind. "I'm not betting on that."

"Sure. I'll just mention to Simone you were afraid to let Beth feed on her male humans."

It was a no-win situation and Mick knew it. Even before Josef finished telling Simone, she would be on the phone to Beth. "All right—fine." Mick growled.

With a chuckle, Josef lined up the balls. "Don't be pissed. After all, you might win."

"Right," Mick sighed and rolled his eyes. He took comfort in the fact that Josef didn't specify that Mick couldn't be there when Beth fed on the (sure to be attractive) humans. He gave his friend a glare and chalked his own cue. Game on.

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Coraline waited in the VIP lounge for her chartered flight taking her from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. As she was the only passenger, she would be able to take fresh blood, carried in her luggage without interference. Her Portuguese was rusty, but she could pick it up again easily. Rio had a vibrant night life with lots of tourists and she could be anonymous. It would do for now.

Coraline missed Luc who would have smoothed the way and taken care of her. Perhaps when she settled in she would find a willing human or two to be her servants. She knew Cynthia would be starting up their new processing plant and moving it to a safe location. So far, all was going to plan.

She had spent the last couple of days transferring many of her millions from her Monaco and Swiss accounts to several different banks under the name of Victoria Brandon. She already had identification and an English passport under that name. She smiled to herself when she thought of what Henri would say when he discovered she was gone. Determination took hold of her as she gazed out of the terminal windows to the bare tarmac. She would no longer be a pawn to her brother, family, or even Mick St. John.

Coraline allowed herself a few moments of self-pity when she thought of leaving her beloved Paris and her apartment. She would also miss Cynthia, her friend and unwavering support. She knew it was necessary, and in their long lives there were bound to be times of loneliness.

Then her mind turned to Mick. It galled her to think that Beth had escaped the hell Coraline had planned. She knew Mick would never come to her as long as Beth was alive, and she was not done with her ex-husband. As soon as she was far away and safe, she would revisit how to kill the upstart Beth, while keeping her hands clean. Then she could reappear after a certain time and Mick would see that Coraline was his sire and true love. Just wait, Coraline thought with malice, you will come back to me, my husband.

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The California weather was living up to its reputation, the night was cool and the stars shone brightly on the estate in the hills. Josef's house was welcoming as Mick and Beth drew up in the Benz. She glanced at her husband in curiosity. He had been a little vague as to why they were visiting the Kostans that night. Mick told her about Josef releasing Vincent with an implanted GPS, and Beth thought that was a good idea. She knew that Josef would be focused on keeping them safe. Beth also spoke to Simone about trackers for their husbands, as well as her. Beth wondered if that was what was going to happen tonight.

Hale showed them to the patio area, where Josef and Simone were talking together. A few of the freshies, both male and female sat apart chatting in groups.

Simone said, "Hi, you two. Would you like a drink?"

After they had their glasses filled, Beth commented, "I understand you sent Vincent away."

Mick sighed, knowing it was impossible to reign in his wife.

"I thought it was the best thing," Josef responded.

Simone interjected, "I agree."

Nodding, Beth said, "I think it's a good idea, but I still want to try to find Celeste."

"Of course," Josef replied. "I have Rider looking for her, and the woman assassin." He gave Mick a wicked smile, "Now to other business—"

"Just a minute," Simone held up her hand. She waved at someone and James appeared out of the shadows.

"I know you guys will keep putting this off, so Beth and I decided it was a good time to have your GPS devices implanted." Simone rose, and gave her husband a look.

Mick sighed and said, "Roll up your sleeve, buddy." He pulled up the material as James opened a case he was carrying. Josef grimaced and complied.

James did the insertions quickly, including Beth. He left before his boss could chastise him for taking orders from Mrs. Kostan.

Beth looked at the newly healed wound where the small device was placed.

Josef noticed her glance and commented, "Rider has the codes for each of the GPS, but the information is encrypted so only he and I can access in case we need it."

"I'd like the info for Beth and me," Mick said.

"Understandable. I'll have Rider let you know."

Simone went to the bar and refreshed their drinks. She gave her husband a sly smile. "Now we can move to the main reason for this evening."

Josef moved over to Beth, taking her hand. Mick barely kept from growling, but knew his wife was going to be mad enough as it was.

"Beth," Josef started, "You may not have noticed we have some new donors here tonight," he indicated the humans gathered at the other end of the patio near the pool.

She nodded, giving Mick an uncertain look. She felt the embarrassment and guilt coming off him. What is going on?

Simone went to the humans and pulled one of the young men over to the group of vampires. "This is Derek," Simone said to Beth. "He's a student at Berkeley, and a lovely O positive."

The blond male sat down next to Beth and offered her his wrist. She frowned and looked first at Simone, then Mick.

When her husband didn't answer, she turned to Josef with raised eyebrows. "What's going on?"

"Well, Mick and I had a little bet," Josef said, his enjoyment evident.

Beth turned to Mick, "A bet? On what?"

Still chagrined, Mick said, "Well, um, it was, if I lost at eight ball, you would test Simone's new donors."

Her frown deepened. "You bet me?"

"Yes, and he lost," Simone grinned. "Bon appetite."

The young human thought it was a good idea and insinuated himself a little closer to Beth and again offered his wrist. She ignored Mick and smiled at Derek, "I'm sure you'll be delicious," before biting into his vein.

Mick didn't look at the sight of Beth feeding or want to hear the sounds of the freshie responding to her sensual bite. His stomach dropped, because according to the wager, there were two more humans that Beth would taste before they left.

He knew she was just getting back at him for losing the bet with Josef. Mick sighed to himself. He loved Beth with all his undead heart, but he was sure she would make him pay for this. Suddenly, he thought of a solution. With all that fresh, human blood in her, she was sure to be receptive to his advances. He would distract her in the bedroom so she would get over her irritation. Feeling better, he stoically watched his wife as she enjoyed the young man.

Oh, yes. He was impatient for her to finish so he could take her home and make her forget all about the handsome humans.

TBC

Mick should learn not to bet with Josef. At least our crew is safe for the moment from Coraline's schemes, but don't count her out. Will Vincent find her before she can put any plans into motion? Thanks again for reading and staying with the story!