Chapter 55

Ripples

Author's note: Confession time, friends – I was working on chapter edits on 2 different computers & posted The Billionaire & the P.I. out of order from one of them! It could easily have gone in one of several places – except for one very important thing Josef is ruminating about… I will repost it in its proper order but, in the meantime, here is the real Chapter 55.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Intro Song: Sign of the Times, Harry Styles

"Are you all right, Ben?"

Talbot lifted his head from his hands to stare at Jamie Sommers, standing in the doorway to his office, a concerned look on her face. He had been massaging his temples, trying to relieve the massive headache that had gathered there, courtesy of the latest press conference, where he had dealt with insistent questions from relentless reporters, demanding interviews with Carl Davis or Gregory Latham, the San Diego detective in charge of the investigation there. When they pivoted to lob questions about the location and identity of the missing hero P.I. it had gotten even worse. When he'd had to admit that he was not sure exactly where Mick St. John was, they had badgered him relentlessly. How was that possible? Did he have any information on his condition? Why had a civilian been in the middle of a shootout? On and on they had gone. And he had no answers. God, where's a good, juicy political scandal when I need one.

He mustered a smile for his assistant. "I'm fine, thanks. Just not used to dealing with a bunch of shouting reporters."

You deserve to have migraines, Jamie thought grimly. Aloud, she said, "Still no word on Mick, then?"

"No, nothing. I have no information on where he is or how he's doing - or even if he's still alive." Talbot sighed heavily. "What a fucking nightmare... Oh, hell, I'm sorry, Jamie! Didn't mean to say that."

The young woman tried for a half-hearted smile. "It's fine. Nothing I haven't heard a thousand times or more at home." Her face sobered and she said, "I haven't heard from Beth either. I imagine she's wherever Mick is. I'm just so worried about both of them."

Talbot grunted, "Yeah, me too."

Liar! The thought jumped into Jamie's mind in a flash of clarity and anger. While the ADA had made token efforts to reach Beth, she was sure that the welfare of either his civilian investigator or the missing P.I. was not in his thoughts at all. No, Ben was worrying about Ben.
Jamie gritted her teeth. She knew things she shouldn't and it was in Carl's - and her - best interests for Talbot to continue to be in the dark about them.

"Well, is there anything I can do, Ben? Do you need some aspirin?" How about a little arsenic in your coffee? Nightshade on your toast? You can't be hurting the way Mick must be hurting, you wimp!

Unaware of Jamie's true feelings toward him, Talbot smiled. "I'll be all right, Jamie. Why don't you go home at noon? Right now, there's nothing I can add to what we've already told the press, so there's no point in continuing to answer those phones. I know I'm not going to," he added grimly.

Jamie smiled gratefully. "That would be a big help, Ben. Thank you." She was genuine in her gratitude. She'd been worrying about Carl all morning, knowing he had gone back to San Diego yesterday to examine the dead assailants and interview Detective Latham about what he remembered of that night. She had not heard from him since his return. Now, she could at least worry from home.

Talbot knew nothing of the trip; as far as he was concerned, Carl Davis was still on administrative leave as he dealt with the aftermath of the ambush in San Diego. The cagey detective intended to keep it that way.

"He lost the right to know what I'm doing or where I'm going," Davis had almost snarled at Jamie when she had questioned him about his plans.

She had, at least, been successful in convincing him to return Mick St. John's file to the ADA after making a copy of it for him. When Carl had called her with an apologetic request to talk to her again, Jamie had been happy to oblige, assuming that he'd needed to vent more about the events of the previous night. She had had no difficulty in appearing surprised over the file he presented to her; while its contents were as well-known to her as the personal items she carried in her purse, she was shocked to see it sitting on Carl's coffee table.

The detective had shown her the file he had ripped from Talbot's hands, not knowing her history with it. He reviewed some of the material for her - the pictures of Mick being hit by a car, the case notes, comments in both Josh's and Ben's handwriting, the odd list of names...

The Auxilium operative had drawn a sudden intake of breath at the sight of the list. Shit! She was more concerned about Carl seeing the list than she was about Ben having it. Davis was an astute, meticulous detective who, once started on something, kept worrying at it until he had a solution, like a dog with a particularly juicy bone. To make matters worse, he was quickly becoming obsessed with anything related to Mick St. John. Understandable perhaps, but the presence of the list in that file represented a significant danger to Auxilium, and more importantly, those they were trying to protect.

Thinking fast, she had cautioned him. "Carl, if you are trying to get Ben to quit focusing on Mick, taking that file is not the way to go about doing it. You need to help Mick substantiate his good name, not feed Talbot's suspicions." When he had hesitated, she had offered a solution. "Let me make a copy of everything in that file for you. I'll make sure I get everything. Then, you can swallow your pride, give it back to him, and apologize - and get on with your own investigation."

Reluctantly, Davis had agreed and handed Mick's file over to her, not knowing that she had omitted making a copy of the list of names, the troubling Auxilium list for which its leadership still had no explanation. How had it gotten into Talbot's hands, if not put there by a member of their own organization? A mole, or traitor...

It was a risk and she knew it. It was unlikely that Davis would not notice that a particular list of names was missing. Her only defense would be to plead ignorance - or incompetence. Would he buy the idea that she had just missed it when she was copying the contents? Would you? Didn't think so…

She had watched Carl head into Talbot's office the previous afternoon with the accursed file in his hand. He didn't stay long and when he left, his hands were empty. Jamie had caught his eye but the detective had not come over to her. Instead, he'd shaken his head at her and kept on going. She hadn't had the chance to talk with him since.

Had he noticed that some items were missing from the file copy she had given him? Did he blame her for this mess? Or, was he feeling guilty that he had called her in the middle of the night, drunk, allowing her to see him at his most vulnerable? Jamie didn't know, but clearly, an already complicated situation had just gotten a whole lot more so.

As she packed up her things and set up the phones for voicemail, she couldn't help but think that Talbot had somehow managed to share his headache with her...

Gabby's call to the charter jet company confirmed that Victoria had made the arrangements with them and set up their departure time. Or poor Andrew did... She frowned when she heard the time, and negotiated with them to push it back an hour - she and John would have to leave for the airport soon and she had some unfinished business to attend to before they did.

Her first stop was Josef, whom she found sitting in one of the blood-colored wing chairs in his study, a tall glass by his side. He looked up with a grin as she entered the room.

"Well, you look a lot more relaxed now, Josef."

"It's a new day, Gabrielle. I feel like we've been given a reprieve. We were blindsided by this – but we won't be again, I can promise you that."

She nodded, taking a seat across from him. "I'm so glad to hear you say that. I wanted to talk to you before I head back. I think it is clear that this attack has to be related to what has been happening to vampires in New York. Do you agree now?"

Josef nodded. "There's no longer any question in my mind - and I said as much on the call with Elijah and Victoria the other morning. Even though the method of attack was different, I get the sense that whoever is behind this is testing the waters, figuring out the best way to come after us. Maybe even trying to pick off key vamps in leadership positions."

"Given the shape Mick is in, my biggest fear is that there will be more use of this type of ammunition," Gabby added. "To ask that clichéd question...what keeps you up at night, Josef?"

Kostan frowned and got up out of his chair. Crossing over to the bar area, he produced a glass that matched his. Pouring it full of blood from a carafe stored in the refrigerator cleverly disguised behind a bookshelf facade, he carried it back over to the female vampire.

"Here, Gabrielle, you look tired. I think you'll like this particular 'vintage'."

She accepted it with a grateful smile. "I'm exhausted. Thank you for noticing, Josef. A woman always likes hearing that she looks like hell."

He laughed. "Gabrielle, you couldn't look like hell if your life depended on it. But back to less pleasant things..." He sat back down in his chair and picked up his own glass. "To answer your question…pretty much the same as you. You saw what it took to pull Mick through this. With no idea how long it will take him to fully recover. If he fully recovers at all. If this ammunition were mass-produced and widely used, there is no way we could save more than a small handful of vamps. And that's if we were lucky. There are a lot more of them than there are of us. That is what keeps me up at night. That, and the idea that this ammunition might not be the worst of what they have to offer…" He sipped morosely at the blood.

"If we can convince the Eastern Council of this, Josef, we can pull in other large communities and get some kind of organized response going. Will you help us, if we need to call on you?"

"Of course, I will. And, I promise you, I'll call Victoria this afternoon to offer my support - and, to thank her. You were right. I let too much get in the way of doing that. If she hadn't responded so quickly, I'm not sure Mick would still be alive." Josef set his glass down and leaned forward, elbows on knees, his hands clasped together. "In fact, I'm sure he wouldn't be alive," he added quietly, his face somber.

Gabby set her glass down on the glass-and-granite side table and reached out to put her hand on top of his. "Josef, I-." She hesitated, not quite sure how to word her next question.

Kostan's lips twitched. "What now, Gabrielle?"

His tone was dry, but his dark eyes sparkled with such humor, that she could not feel offended by the comment. She decided to just get it out in the open.

"What is your problem with John?"

"It shows, huh?"

"Yes, you aren't too subtle about it. I think even humans would pick up on it. The man has been a good friend to us and he saved Victoria...and now, Mick. Yet just now, in the freezer room, was the first time I've heard you be civil to him. I don't understand the animosity and it's been bugging me."

"You want the truth? I don't understand it either - and I hate to admit it, but I'm actually a little ashamed of myself. I was apologizing to him when you walked in on us earlier. I just- I don't know, I just had this feeling that he wasn't trustworthy. Nothing I could point my finger to...just this instinct I had. And still have, to be honest. When you live as long as Victoria and I have, you learn to pay attention to that."

"Well, if Victoria had that same 'instinct', do you really think John would still be alive?" Gabby pointed out. She squeezed his hand slightly to emphasize her point.

Josef looked down, chagrined. "No, I don't. He's afraid of me, that much is clear. And after all he's done for us - as you so aptly pointed out - I really regret my attitude. I know I need to make amends."

With a final touch of his hand, Gabby got to her feet. "Well, a good start would be for you to be sure that Victoria and the council know how grateful you are to him."

He nodded. "I can do that."

Gabrielle looked down at the vampire leader, her arms crossed. "And it might not hurt for you to do some lobbying before that meeting, if you can. I know I can count on you to support Victoria - and John. Thank you, Josef."

She leaned down to kiss him on the cheek but Kostan was quicker. He turned his head, catching her soft mouth with his own. Reaching up, he threaded his fingers through her lustrous hair, holding her against him for a long moment, her black mane, falling down around their faces, providing a curtain for their embrace.

There was silence when they separated, finally broken by Josef, who cleared his throat and quipped, "Well, thank you, Gabrielle." Why the hell did I do that? He had no idea.

Gabby was shocked - as much at her response to Josef as to his action itself. Regaining her composure, she decided to ignore the embrace. They were all emotionally strung out at this point. It doesn't mean anything.

"Um, you're welcome. Take care of Mick for me." More briskly, she continued, "Now, I need to find Beth. Do you know where she is?"

"I think she's out on the terrace at the back of the house, with Simone. Sunbathing or something weird like that."

Gabrielle laughed. "Somehow, I doubt that."

As she turned to leave, Josef added, "By the way, Gabrielle."

"Yes?" She paused on her way to the door.

"Love the shirt."

Gabby looked down at her top with a grimace. Frantic with worry, she hadn't taken the time to pack any clothes in the mad dash to get to Los Angeles from New York. After two days in the same outfit, she had decided her clothes were too stale to wear any longer and went to Josef for help. Surely, with the constant parade of freshies the man had, there were bound to be extra clothes around somewhere…

Kostan had directed her to what he affectionately termed his 'Closet of Shame' - a walk-in filled with discarded clothes left behind by various dates and refreshments.

Gabrielle was so small that the only item she had been able to find that didn't swallow her petite frame was a black, fitted t-shirt with the words "My Boyfriend Is A Vampire" emblazoned on it in stylized, blood-dripping font. To add insult to injury, the words were covered in red sequins. Nothing could have been further from her own edgy, sophisticated New York style, but she was desperate.

She tried to save face. The best defense is a good offense, Gabby. "May I point out that it would appear that you actually dated, or fed from – or both - a woman who purposefully bought this and wore it, Josef? Voluntarily! I think it says more about you that it was in there at all. I, at least, had no choice!"

Head held high, she left the room, Josef's laughter trailing behind her.

Gabrielle went in search of Beth, finding the young woman on the stone terrace that stretched across the back of the house. The view of the vineyards from that spot was breathtaking, the pale green plantings of various types of grape vines, marching off into the misty fields in orderly rows, separated by low stone fences. She felt a pang of regret that she had to leave before really getting to enjoy the beauty of Josef's hideaway. It would be lovely to explore it by moonlight…

Beth was sitting in a circle of sunlight on the otherwise shady terrace, wrapped in a thick, creamy knit afghan. Her blond hair looked as if it had a spotlight on it as she moved her head to sip coffee, or nod in response to a comment from Simone.

"I thought you'd be back in bed, Beth." Gabrielle, poised in the shady doorway, purposefully announced her presence. She didn't want to sneak up on the two women; it was bad enough that she sometimes eavesdropped on humans' conversations without meaning to. And sometimes you do mean to…

Beth turned around in her redwood chair with a delighted smile. "Gabrielle! Can you come join us? We'll move into the shade, if you like."

"No, stay put. I can sit across from you." Gabrielle gestured to a low retaining wall running the length of the terrace on either side of the broad steps. The green lawn sloped away from the house, the slate walkway enclosed by elaborate flower displays on each side. The stone wall itself was in the shadow of enormous, ancient oak trees, providing sufficient shade for even the most sensitive vampire.

As Gabby made her way to her chosen spot, Beth answered her earlier question. "I'm too happy and excited to sleep right now! I feel like I just slept for twelve hours, and then drank a gallon of coffee. I'm wide awake!"

"That she is," Simone said, yawning. "Positively giddy. I, however, am not. Now that you have company, Beth, I think I'm going to go catch up with Josef, and then go take a nap myself." The slender brunette rose and stretched. "Gabrielle, I understand you and John are leaving soon.

Gabby nodded. "As soon as everything is ready with the jet - a couple of hours, at most. I guess this is goodbye, Simone. Thank you for all your help." She stood and embraced the lawyer.

"My pleasure. Wonderful to meet you - I just wish the circumstances had been better. Beth, I'll see you a little later. Oh, and Gabrielle, keep her out of that freezer room for now. Josef had to almost bodily throw her out and I've had to sit her back down two or three times already."
Still yawning, Simone picked up her coffee mug to leave. Eyeing the vampire, she deadpanned, "Nice shirt," before wandering off into the spacious house.

Gabrielle groaned. Though she knew it wasn't logical or possible, the fabric of the tacky garment seemed to burn like silver.

Beth snickered. "I agree. I want one!" Then, she frowned, her sunny cheeriness suddenly dampened by the thought that Mick's savior would be leaving his side. "I hope Dr. Spector's not leaving too soon."

Gabrielle threw back her head and laughed. When she caught her breath, she smiled at the mystified young woman. "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you, Beth. That's a reasonable concern. It's just that I had this exact same conversation with Josef a few minutes ago. You have to know there is no way that he - or I, for that matter - would let John leave if we weren't sure Mick is going to be all right. He is going to have a lengthy recuperation, though - and a long list of do's and don'ts. John was very adamant that he is to have no physical exertion – and absolutely no sunlight," she added.

"I'll make sure he follows his instructions to the letter." Beth's blue eyes flashed in the morning light.

The vampire snorted. "I have no doubt that if anyone can keep Mick in line, it's you." She added, "I know I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again because I want to make sure you hear this. I am absolutely sure that your being here is what kept him alive - more than anything John, or I, or anyone else, did. He loves you so much, Beth. I've just never seen a guy that much in love – vampire or human." She flipped her long, straight hair back from her face with a toss of her head, smiling at the woman across from her. "And I think the world of Mick, so...thank you."

They spent several minutes in companionable silence, enjoying the sounds from the vineyard, where the sprinklers were hissing rhythmically, throwing up a spray of water to shimmer with temporary rainbows in the morning light.

Beth was the first one to break the silence. "Gabrielle, I want to ask you something...and I'm going to apologize for how trivial it will probably sound." She hesitated. With all that had happened, why was this on her mind? Do I even want to know? "Did something happen between Mick and this Victoria in New York? I mean, I trust Mick, of course, but I'd just like to know. She- she answered his phone when I called him there and seemed to be very...I don't know…comfortable, I guess."

She looked away, unwilling to meet Gabrielle's surprised gaze, silently cursing the insecurities that had prompted her to focus on something so superficial, but, with Gabby heading back to New York, this might be her only opportunity to ask.

Damn you, Victoria! "Beth, let me set your mind at ease. I work for Victoria - and she befriended me when I really needed someone. She is actually a good person. But she's also an old vampire who is easily bored. She sees men as..." Gabby searched for the right word. "Prey... they are prey to her - to be pursued and conquered, then discarded. Mick was a challenge. First of all, we can all agree that he's gorgeous - and the fact that he seems to be pretty oblivious to it just makes him all the more attractive. And, he was completely uninterested in Victoria - which, of course, made her throw herself at him even more. She made his life hell while he was in New York - but he never responded to her that I saw. Not once. And I was around them a lot."

Gabrielle closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the birds singing their early morning anthem to a new day. When no response was forthcoming from Beth, she opened her eyes, and studied the young woman. "What he did do - with me - was talk about you."

Startled, Beth looked up at the Asian woman, who smiled. "It took him a while to open up. He's very guarded and protective about you around vampires, for which I don't blame him. But, trust me, you are on his mind all the time. He talked about how much in love with you he is, how happy he is - and how worried he is about bringing you into this dangerous world of ours..." Gabrielle smiled almost wistfully. "Trust me when I say, you have nothing to worry about as far as fidelity is concerned with that man. A million other problems about humans and vampires, yes. But not that."

Beth nodded and said quietly, "Thanks, Gabby." Embarrassed at having asked such a private and seemingly shallow question, she changed the subject. "You and Mick were investigating Sara's murder together, right? Is there anything new?"

"No." Gabby followed Beth's lead in moving away from the subject of Victoria Silver. "I haven't been able to find anything more; every potential lead has been a dead end. I don't mind admitting it's been frustrating as hell. Logan and Ryder uncovered an address that Mick asked me to check out but then, this happened, and..." She shrugged. "Well, priorities, you know. I'll look into it when I get back."

The former reporter's eyes brightened as her quick mind clicked into gear, her interest in this unsolved mystery rising in spite of all that was going on at Temecula. "Do you think Sara's death and the attacks on vampires there are related? And, could they have anything to do with the attack on Mick? What about..."

She stopped, chagrined, her mouth closing with an audible snap when Gabby raised her hand. "I- I'm sorry, Gabrielle. I know it's vampire business, not mine. I just have a tough time finding the 'off' switch sometimes. My reporter background, I guess."

"Don't misunderstand. Those are all intelligent, valid questions. I just don't have any concrete answers. None of us do. Although..." Gabby hesitated. On the one hand, Beth was right - this was vampire business. On the other hand, she was part of this world now. A delicate balancing act... Mick was right to worry.

The vampire studied Beth for a moment, her dark eyes troubled. "Let me ask you something. John told Josef that Mick should stay here for at least a week before he tries to make the trip back to L.A. What are your plans?"

Beth was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. "Well, if Mick is staying, then I am too. Why?"

"What about your job?"

"Simone insisted I send Talbot that e-mail Wednesday to say I'd be back in touch when Mick was better. She tells me I could take family leave time. Even though we're not exactly...family." Her voice faltered for a moment before she began again, saying firmly, "I'm going to quit anyway. Just the thought of what he did, using me to blackmail Mick into going to San Diego..." Her blue eyes darkened with anger as her lips compressed to a thin line. "He's a snake and I want no part of him. He almost got Mick killed!"

"Does Josef know that you're planning on quitting?"

"Yes." She hesitated, then reluctantly admitted, "He thinks I shouldn't."

Beth thought back to the conversation she and Josef had had when she told him of her intention to quit the ADA's office. He was furious about Talbot's underhanded tactics, and the jeopardy they had put Mick in, but he had counseled her to reconsider, pacing up and down in the study as she warmed herself by the fire after a session in the freezer room.

"I'll be honest, Beth. I initially thought this job at Talbot's office was a really bad idea. Just ask Mick. But, there are things going on that we don't yet fully understand. The attack on Mick was deliberate and so was the use of silver in those bullets. Now, who knows if Talbot was directly involved - but even if he wasn't, someone in that department may have been. Someone had to tell the creeps who set up that ambush where Mick was going to be. It was either the DA's office there in L.A. or the detectives in San Diego. No one else knew where they were going to be."

Seeing the look on Beth's face, Josef's tone had softened and he had sat down beside her, his dark eyes serious underneath his shock of auburn hair. "Look, I know it's a lot to ask of you. But we need someone on the inside, someone trusted, to find out what's going on there and keep an eye on Talbot. We need you, Beth. I don't want to go through anything like this again. Do you?"

She had shaken her head, her expression grim. The vampire had reached out to take her hand. "I know it's a lot to ask, trust me. Just think about it, okay?"

But now...

"Gabby, we all know this wasn't an accident," Beth burst out. "Someone deliberately tried to kill Mick - someone who knew he was a vampire. Josef thinks that Ben- Talbot, I mean," She almost spat his name, "That he or someone else in the DA's office, had to be behind it. Josef wants me to spy on them. I just don't know if I can stand to be around Talbot after all this." She looked down at the coffee mug in her hands, tracing with her thumb, the cheeky vampire logo of the vineyard etched into its stoneware surface.

"For what it's worth, I think Josef is right."

Beth looked up, startled, as Gabrielle continued, "Hear me out. He's right about someone on the inside setting this up. Now, I have no proof yet, but my gut tells me that what happened here is linked to the attack on Victoria and other vamps in New York... maybe even to the death of Sara Whitley. And, if I'm right, this is something big, something most of us have never faced before. We could really use a friend to help us crack this... case." Gabby phrased her words slyly, knowing that the idea of an unsolved mystery would be tough for Beth to resist.

She fell silent for a moment to allow Beth to consider what had been said before continuing. "And, there's another reason - a more selfish one. I want to know you're safe. Mick can protect you when you're with him - when he gets better, of course," she hastened to add, "but this way, you'd be safe when you're at work, during the day when Mick has to sleep. No one is going to come after you in the DA's office, I don't care who they are. They'd have to have a death wish."

"You may be right..." Beth said, thoughtfully. "I'll think about that, Gabby. Thank you." She smiled gratefully at the petite Asian woman as the vampire jumped down from the retaining wall and made her way over to Beth, holding her hand up to shield her face from the warm sun.

"I have to go. Take care of yourself... and Mick. Okay?" Impulsively, she bent over and hugged Beth as she sat in her chair. After the many conversations they had had in the cold silence of the freezer room as they held vigil for Mick, Gabby felt like the two of them had bonded - and she liked the young woman. "Be careful," she whispered, before breaking away and heading into the house.

Gabby could feel Beth's eyes on her as she walked out. Don't get yourself hurt, Beth...

End song: Back Up, Ripe