Chapter 23
Felipe wasn't inside the Club, but Emily was, on the same couch Sookie and Eric had been sitting on earlier when they'd met with the King. There were two vampires talking nearby. To keep an eye — and ear — on them, she was sure. They were regulars and she wouldn't be surprised if they were more loyal to Victor than Felipe. Sookie was a little bit rattled but she made sure it didn't show on her face. She realized she was going to have to tone down her inner ice queen by several degrees to reassure the woman, though. The thought made her feel naked and vulnerable. It was going to be a real bitch to wear both masks at once. She thanked God for the vampire standing next to her and that the donors had been sent away and that, besides the five of them, the Club was completely empty. She didn't let on that a good bit of her fear had escaped its cage. At least she hoped not.
It was an effort to make her legs move, but she managed to walk towards the sofa without showing her hesitation. The room was quiet and her high heels were loud, clacking confidently with every step on the tile floor. Emily looked up at her when Sookie reached the couch. The woman was obviously terrified and Sookie hoped her smile was at least a little reassuring.
"Hey, Emily. It's nice to see you again."
Emily didn't answer. Sookie sat down next to her and the woman grasped Sookie's hand, hard, before she'd had a chance to offer. Sookie thought she could almost hear the bones in her hand grinding together over the mental noise of the woman's fear and terror and panic, heaped on top of her own. She swallowed. Her brain was dumping adrenaline into her bloodstream and it was really hard to keep the shakes at bay and herself together enough to function. Ironically, being a sheep in bitch's clothing was a whole lot easier when she wasn't wearing any clothes. God, she needed to keep her head on as straight as possible. If she lost her backbone again, she wouldn't be able to hold herself up.
Eric sent her courage through the bond and she decided she owed him a blow job when this was all over and done with for the night. She closed her eyes and was able to square her shoulders and screw her head on a little bit straighter. She hoped nobody noticed, although she was sure the damage the past week had reaped was already done.
She and Emily went over the same ground they had covered the night before, but Sookie could find nothing new. The same snippets of Johnny on the phone, presumably talking to Sandy about making Felipe pay, and then in the VIV Club with Victor, followed by what Victor had done to her after. Everything else was all buried behind ignorance and glamour. Sookie could almost see the edges peeking through, but nothing she could get a good enough grip on to pull out into the sunlight. Especially since Emily's mind kept going right back to how terrified she was, for her and for Johnny.
Sookie closed her eyes. This wasn't working. She needed to get Emily to calm down.
"You're doing great. Let's just take a short break, okay? Do you need to use the bathroom or anything?"
The woman shook her head, but she was very thirsty. Sookie was, too. She didn't want to get up and leave Emily alone, though. She wanted to calm her down, not get her even more worked up. She also didn't want to send Eric away, because she didn't want to be alone, either. She ignored her inner coward and looked at the two loitering vampires several feet away. They were low-level thugs, pretty much, and she had never bothered to hold her tongue around them. They couldn't get away with hurting her on purpose like Victor could. Not without pissing off Felipe. And they'd all seen what happened to vampires who pissed off the King.
"Hey, Alvin."
They both turned to her.
"Go get us a couple of bottles of water and two protein bars."
The shorter one stared at her angrily. She stared back, expressionless, but very glad she had her vampire sitting right beside her. She needed to get her confidence back while she had someone to help prop her up. And, really, this was low stakes stuff. She would have done similar a week and a half before. They knew better than to cause any real damage at the best of times. Now, she was working directly for Felipe, doing a job ordered by the King. Victor was chained in silver down in the basement. She belonged to Eric, who was very old and very powerful and had been hand-picked by Felipe to be Sookie's bodyguard/prison guard/bonded companion. And, under normal circumstances, a dozen or more lower-tier mainstreamers would have fallen all over themselves to volunteer. She was a sex slave, but she was a very popular one. The colder she was to them, the more some of them tried to seek her favour although, before Eric, she had never given any to anybody. She raised an eyebrow.
The vampire clenched his jaw but went to the corner where the donors usually hung out and rifled through the fridge and pantry. He brought back what she'd asked for and handed them to her.
She barely looked at him and sounded bored and insincere when she said, "Thanks."
The corner of Eric's lip twitched. She continued to impress him. She was still very afraid, but he wouldn't have been able to tell if he hadn't been able to feel it for himself. And he'd known Alvin Donovan for years, and he was a real jackass.
Sookie smiled warmly at Emily.
"All that talking is thirsty work."
Emily smiled back, but it looked as shaky as Sookie felt. Still, it was an improvement, and she had calmed down a bit. They both had.
Making small talk under these circumstances was pretty much impossible, but it didn't really seem necessary. The silence was comfortable, even if the setting wasn't. Sookie tried to eat at least some of the bar so maybe Emily would eat some, too. It took two big swallows of water to get the first bite down. She didn't attempt a second. Emily ate almost half of hers, though, and she was definitely more centered after some sustenance and a few minutes of quiet.
Sookie told the same vampire to throw away their trash and he looked murderous, but did it anyway. As much as it had scared her at first, acting confident had boosted her confidence some. Emily was a little in awe of her and Sookie didn't know if that was a good thing or not. She took Emily's hand and smiled at her again. Maybe she would try some chit chat after all. Jumping back in with both feet would likely ruin all the progress they'd made.
"Let's just talk for a couple of minutes before we really get started back up again. You kind of sound like you grew up near my neck of the woods. It makes me feel a little bit homesick. Where are you from?"
"I was born in Tuscaloosa but I've lived in Arlington since I was four."
"Yup, pretty close. I'm from Bon Temps, in Northern Louisiana. Not quite smack in between, but definitely on the way going by, as the crow flies. We all went to the Six Flags in Arlington for our senior trip in high school. It was a lot of fun. I haven't been to Dallas since, though."
Emily smiled, but it was wan.
"I've been to the park a few times, but I'm pretty scared of roller coasters."
This situation was a whole lot more scary than amusement park rides.
"What kinds of things do you like to do? What are your interests?"
"I dunno. I'm pretty boring. I like to cook and read. I have a lot of house plants and I'm thinking about growing a garden in my back yard."
Boring except for her very-long-term vampire boyfriend.
"That all sounds really great. I like to read and cook, too, but I'm not much of a gardener. Not like my Gran is."
Thinking about Gran almost made her choke up a little, but she didn't have the luxury of a good cry right then. She had to clear her throat before she said, "I know it's really bad for me, but I think my favourite thing to do is lying out in the sunshine with a good book or the radio turned up real loud. Guilty pleasure or not, there's nothing like a little sun tan therapy."
Emily's smile had warmed up some.
"My favourite thing is just hanging out with my dog."
Emily closed her eyes and immersed herself in the memories of her pup and how much she loved her. It calmed her down more than the food and water and silence and connection with Sookie had, all put together. She was still terrified, but a lot of it had been pushed to the side for the moment. Sookie knew, though, that the terror was going to jump right back to the forefront as soon as Sookie brought up Victor or Felipe or Sandy or the woman's boyfriend again.
Instead, Sookie leaned into it.
"Oh, I love dogs! I don't have one myself, but I have a black cat named Tina."
Well, she used to. That is until Victor had had Bill Compton wring her neck after Sookie had stupidly told Victor to go fuck himself and tried to bite his cock off shortly after she'd arrived in Las Vegas. And that was on top of the up-til-then beating of her life. Bill Compton had made Gran tape the whole thing. Sookie had seen the recording. She'd learned quickly to keep her mouth shut and do what she was told when it came to Victor Madden.
Emily's smile looked a little more genuine.
"Cats are nice, but I like dogs best.
"I like 'em both. What kind of dog is it?"
Sookie could see it clearly in Emily's mind. The dog looked a whole lot like a maltese, only a little bigger, and was very cute, with long, fine hair that almost begged to be petted.
"She's just a mutt, I guess, but she's small and white and fluffy, with the softest coat in the world."
"She sounds adorable. What's her name?"
"Carly."
Emily closed her eyes again, wishing she was safe at home with Carly and Sookie could see some of the tension leave her brain and her shoulders. It came right back as soon as Emily opened them again and reality set back in. Sookie wondered if she could loosen it back up and keep it that way long enough for Emily to tell Sookie everything else she had tucked away inside her mind.
"Hey, that's a great name for a dog. Emily, I want you to close your eyes again and just think about petting Carly, okay?"
Emily frowned a little but nodded. "Okay."
Sookie could see and feel how uneasy the woman was. Emily looked suspiciously at the two vampires nearby, but then shut her eyes and tried to just relax and think about nothing but her dog. Sookie squeezed her hand gently and started to talk. Her voice was soft and soothing. She used Emily's thoughts and memories to guide her.
"Emily, imagine Carly, all snuggled up on your lap on the big comfortable chair in your living room. Put your hand on her head and run it down her back, all the way to her tail. Her coat feels so soft and smooth on the palm of your hand. I can tell how much comfort holding her like this gives you. Go ahead and pet her again. And again. Each time, notice how warm she is. How sturdy her body feels underneath all that hair. When she looks up at you, see how much love there is in her eyes and think about how much you love her back. Slowly stroke her hair again."
Eric was fascinated. After only a couple of minutes, the woman's heartbeat had slowed considerably and the tension in her body and face had loosened. It wasn't anything like glamouring, but Sookie had managed to hypnotize her all the same. Sookie, though, was wound tighter than a spring, no matter how cool and calm she looked and sounded.
"Just keep on petting Carly while I talk, okay? Emily, when did you first meet Victor Madden?"
Frown lines appeared between her eyebrows and Sookie rubbed the back of Emily's hand gently.
"Shh. It's okay. Let's just pet Carly a little bit longer. There you go."
At first, Sookie was a little frustrated, but she kept talking softly until Emily's mind fell back into her bond with her cute little dog again. The mental door Sookie had opened with her question about Victor was still standing ajar in the background. It was easy for Sookie to push it open and look around inside.
She had been in thousands of brains other than her own in her twenty-eight years on earth, but never like this. She wasn't just an observer; it was kind of like she had the run of the place while Emily was occupied elsewhere for a little while. It didn't feel anything like being in her own head; she couldn't take over or make Emily do things or say things or forget things, like a vampire could. At least she didn't think so. But she could easily poke around in all kinds of nooks and crannies where thoughts and memories could hide and sort through them. She still had to navigate through the big gaps and small holes glamouring had left behind and she wondered if she could somehow fill them in. She saved those for later.
Mostly, though, it was all there for the taking. And she found a lot more than she'd been able to see when she'd talked to Emily the first time.
Emily and Johnny had arrived at the casino and met up with Victor by the baccarat tables two nights before. Victor was pissed.
"You're late."
The woman had glanced up at her boyfriend, who looked angry, too, but he kept it out of his voice. He was definitely an underling, but she didn't really think he was a nobody, either.
"Our flight was delayed."
Victor looked Emily up and down and grinned.
"She looks tasty. You can make it up to me by letting me take her for a ride when our business is over and done with."
Johnny held her hand a little tighter. Too tight, but she didn't say so.
"She's mine. But maybe we could discuss a trade. I'd like to try yours. I've heard she's a hell of a good lay. And delicious."
Emily had shrunk in on herself even more. They all headed towards the Club but Sookie could only see the hideous casino carpet and three sets of shoes. It was hard to hear the vampires over the din of the people and the slot machines, but Emily had caught most of it.
Victor's voice dripped with derision.
"Unfortunately, you'll have to take a rain cheque. She is working for the King."
"Well, shit. I guess we're both out of luck, then."
"We'll see."
Emily hadn't looked up to see his face, but Sookie knew the grin that went with that smug tone very well. Victor was going to take whatever the hell Victor wanted. And Sookie had already seen in Emily's head the night before that Victor had fucked her, despite the fact that Sookie wasn't currently a commodity up for trade. And thank God for that.
Victor had swiped his card in the door and they all entered the VIV Club. It wasn't as loud as the casino proper, but it was loud enough for quiet conversation to stay private as long as they kept themselves far enough away from the horde. Emily didn't lift up her head and saw the blood smear on the floor where Eric had beaten Victor earlier that evening as they went past. Despite the fact that this seating area was reserved for Felipe, Victor had led them there and sat down in Felipe's chair, diagonally from the couch where Sookie, Eric and Emily were all sitting right then. It was almost like he was taunting the King. Trying to get himself in deep shit. What in the world had he been playing at?
When Victor spoke to Johnny again, Emily looked up, and Victor's eyes looked as cold as Sookie had ever seen them.
"Have you done what you were told?"
Emily was pressed up right against her boyfriend and she felt him shrug.
"Not yet. Sandy said-"
Victor cut him off. "I don't give a shit what Sandy fucking Sechrest said. If I tell you to do something, you'd better fucking do it, instead of running to her. Jesus Christ, you could have fucked up the whole thing. I told you this was on a need-to-know basis, and she does not need to know about this part of the plan."
"Okay, Victor. I'll get right on it tomorrow night."
"No. It'll have to wait til next week. I need you for something else tomorrow. You and your pet. And this time you need to keep your fucking mouth shut. Capisce?"
"Yeah. I got it."
"Good. Now, tell me what you found out. Everything."
And that was where it ended. The rest of the conversation had been wiped away. Emily remembered nothing else about that night except for the snippet of Victor looming over her. Fucking her. Emily's terror had nearly drowned out the disgust and betrayal she'd felt. Sookie was glad most of those memories had been scrubbed from Emily's brain.
Sookie and Emily both shuddered, even though the woman still appeared to be somewhere else, safely tucked in her mind with her cute little dog. She wondered if Eric could take away what little there was left, or even if he should.
Sookie opened her mouth to ask about the next night, when Emily and her vampire had followed Sookie and Eric around the casino, but Eric's cell phone rang. It was Pam. He started to get up to step away to talk to his child, but Sookie reached back and grabbed his arm with her free hand. Her fingernails bit into his skin. She absolutely needed him there with her. She looked at him and barely shook her head. He sat back down and answered the call.
"I am here."
Pam snorted.
"Well, Victor isn't. I just heard that he escaped."
Post-script A/N: I thought it was a cop out that sometime between DUD and LDID, Sookie had learned how to hypnotize people "off-screen" by practicing on the Fangtasia wait staff. And then I don't think she ever did it again. So, dammit, she figured it out in the VIV Club on Emily instead.