Moonlight, The Next Chapter: Darkness

Chapter 14

Pawns

Intro Song: You Gotta Be, Des'ree

"Josef! I didn't expect to see you here." Beth tried mightily to keep her expression innocent as she wrestled her way into Mick's apartment, juggling several beautifully-wrapped packages. Of course he'd come, the jerk - he thought this was their first night to have sex and he'd planned to torment them. Little did he know...

"Ah, the lovely Beth. I'm happy to see you too, my dear. So good to see you looking so cheery." The billionaire vampire raised his glass of blood to the young woman from his seat in the armchair next to Mick. The two had been discussing the upcoming pro football season, a particular passion they both shared - along with a knack for betting on the losing teams. "But really, you shouldn't have brought me gifts!" he added, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief.

"That's good, because I didn't," Beth retorted, dropping the boxes on the stairs before making her way to Mick for a kiss. Perching on the arm of the sofa next to him, she swung one slim leg as she added, "Those are baby gifts for one of my best friends, so I'm guessing they wouldn't make good presents for you. What could you possibly need anyway, Josef?"

He grinned wickedly. "Need? Nothing! Who said anything about my needing anything? I actually figured you'd needa few things though..."

Mick exchanged mystified looks with Beth, who shrugged. He arched an eyebrow at his friend. "Josef, are we supposed to know what you mean?"

"It's just that I thought Beth would have some personal shopping to do, after leaving some of her things behind at the vineyard."

Beth wrinkled her nose, puzzled. "What in the world did I leave? I was a little pressed for time so I didn't bring much. I seem to recall raiding your 'closet of shame' for most of what I wore while I was there - and I wasn't exactly inclined to bring those clothes back with me."

"Except for that last night. The night of the party." Josef fished an envelope out of the inside pocket of his jacket and held it up to his face, inhaling deeply. "Yes, I do believe this is yours." He leaned forward to hand the linen envelope to the confused young woman.

Tearing open the envelope, Beth peaked inside. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, dropping the packet onto the couch as if it were red hot. Her face was flaming. "How did you-"

"Dave, my vineyard manager," Josef replied, his grin broadening. "He walks the grape rows every morning. You didn't miss them?"

Mick grabbed the envelope, tilting it to expose the contents. A tiny pair of ripped panties slid out into his hand. He immediately recognized them and his mind flashed back to that night in the vineyard, the sight of Beth glowing in the pale moonlight, the feel of her skin beneath his fingertips...

"You know, you can actually get those things off without ripping them, Mick...if you use the right approach, that is."

Mick tossed the envelope angrily at his best friend, crushing the bit of fabric in his hand. "Inappropriate, Josef. You're crossing a line."

"I'm crossing a line?" Kostan hooted. "You two are the ones who were stripping down in my prize vineyards. Dave had a cow!"

Embarrassed as she was, Beth had to laugh. She poked Mick playfully in the ribs, reaching down to grab the ruined bits of fabric from him. "He's got us…stud."

The vampire smiled ruefully at that. "I guess we were where we didn't belong." His eyes followed Beth admiringly as she sashayed over to the kitchen to toss the item in question in the trash.

"Don't get me wrong, stud." Josef relished knowing Mick's old nickname, thanks to the Cleaner, Guilia, divulging it at the Temecula celebration. "Dave may have been in an uproar, but I don't mind at all you using my vineyard for your adult playground. I'm just critiquing your technique..." He hopped nimbly up and swapped his now-empty glass of blood for wine. He held up his glass inquiringly to Beth, who nodded as she returned to perch at Mick's side. "So! What's on the agenda for this evening, kiddos?"

Wouldn't you like to know. Mick smiled as he held up a DVD case, reveling in the knowledge that they had thwarted his best friend's scheme. "Beth was thoughtful enough to get me a copy of this old Fred Astaire movie that I love. We're gonna watch it. Want to join us?" he asked innocently. Two can play at this game.

The billionaire snorted. "Not if you're only inviting me to join in on watching some old movie. Now, if there's some other activity wherewatching might be involved..." he added hopefully, smiling at Beth as he handed her a wine glass.

"Just the movie, Josef." Beth accepted the glass gratefully with a shake of her head. Josef Kostan had to be the most incorrigible man-child she'd ever met.

"I figured you two lovebirds would be in the sack the minute you walked through that door since this is the day your 'sex-ban' is lifted and all. Unless..." He narrowed his eyes, trying for his best outraged look. "No, you wouldn't have jumped the gun! Not you, Miss Turner. Not after Dr. Spector stressed how important it was for Mick to be careful." Kostan laid it on thick, enjoying the guilty looks on both their faces.

There was a long silence, finally broken by Josef's laughter. "I'm so glad to see that your libido can overrule your heads!" he sputtered. "Beth, you might make a good vampire yet!"

"I didn't know I was auditioning," she joked. She would have said more but she caught the look on Mick's face out of the corner of her eye and snapped her mouth shut. The topic of her being turned was not something he would even talk about, let alone laugh about. Not even with his best friend. From the glower on his face, she could tell he was about to say something cutting to Kostan. Before he could respond, she changed the subject, searching for safer ground. "So, if you aren't here to watch movies...and we've spoiled your fun about interrupting our having sex..."

"What am I still doing here?"

"Something like that. Where's Simone?" Beth was grateful to the attorney for giving her advance warning of Josef's plan to barge in on them tonight. She couldn't help but feel guilty as well. Simone had called her several times during the week to check on both her and Mick - as well as warn her about Josef's plan - but she had yet to return the favor. She's being a much better friend than I am...

"The lovely Simone is attending some lawyer function tonight. Something about networking and continuing education." Josef waved his free hand dismissively in the air. "Better her than me. So, the good news for you is that I'm at your disposal for the whole evening!"

Beth saw trouble ahead. "We-" She glanced at Mick, looking for help.

"Josef knows Carl is coming over, Beth." The vampire frowned, running his hand through his thick hair. "He seems to think I need a babysitter while he's here."

"You do." Turning to Beth, Kostan elaborated. "I know this guy is - at the very least - an acquaintance of yours. Maybe even a friend. I get that. But that doesn't mean he isn't a threat." He drained his wine glass. "I don't trust cops," he added flatly, "and I think inviting this detective over to break bread is a big mistake - even if your boyfriend here could break bread."

"Mick has said the same thing about cops, Josef!" Beth rushed to her lover's defense. "He's not being careless. Carl's different. He's a really good guy - and he helped Mick when he was shot."

"Shot while defending him," the billionaire pointed out. "If Mick hadn't been playing Superman out there in the desert, Carl Davis would be dead. I would hope that he would have helped him. The $64,000 question is, would he do the same thing if he knew Mick was a vampire. Or would he go all Van Helsing on him? You don't know. Mick doesn't know."

He set the empty wine glass down on the oversize coffee table, leaning forward to make his point. "This is an age-old problem for vampires. The only way to know for sure how someone will react is to reveal your nature - and if the reaction isn't what you hoped for, it's too fucking late."

"Carl isn't like that," Beth said stubbornly, crossing her arms defensively across her chest.

"Are you willing to bet Mick's life on that, Beth? Willing to bet Carl's?" Kostan suddenly bared his fangs. "We aren't house pets. If someone puts our secrets in jeopardy, he has to go - no matter who it is."

"Josef!" Mick broke in. "Back off! I'm not telling Carl I'm a vampire - he's just coming over to see how I'm doing! He wants to thank me in person for saving him. Why is that so hard for you to understand?!"

"It would be more suspicious if we didn't let him come," Beth added, putting a hand on Mick's arm warningly. Turning this into an all-out war between the two vampires would not be helpful. She glanced at her watch. Shit! The detective would be there in less than an hour.

Mick caught her look. "Carl is going to be here soon. You need to either get on board with this - or leave." He glared at the L.A. vampire leader. "Your call."

Kostan sighed deeply and straightened the crease in his Armani slacks before answering his friend. His dark brown eyes were stern. "I'm not going to, as you say 'get on board' - but I am staying. To save you from yourself, if need be." His eyes flashing dangerously, he held up his hand as the younger vampire opened his mouth to respond. "Look, I'll be civil and play along. I'm certainly capable of passing in human company - I do it in the boardroom all the time. I'll be good... as long as nothing happens, that is. Now - how about some more wine?"

As Josef sprang up and headed back to the kitchen area to pour for the three of them, Mick and Beth exchanged worried looks. This was going to be a long evening.

"Thank you for jumping on with me on short notice, Aleksa."

"I assumed it must be important." The slender, olive-skinned woman leaned forward, her concerned expression coming into sharper focus on the computer screen. "What's going on? Is it about Mick St. John?"

Taking a deep breath, Jamie Sommers began, her words rushing out in a torrent. "I can't get to Mick and I need your authorization to bring Carl Davis into Auxilium. He works with Ben Talbot on cases, he's involved with Mick St. John, maybe even friends, he's a good detective and we could use his expertise, and he's really pushing me for information-"

Aleksa held up her hand. "Jamie, Jamie, slow down!"

The younger woman's mouth snapped shut and she bit her lower lip in frustration. You are your own worst enemy sometimes! "I apologize. Let me start over." Be cool. "I've been trying to get close enough to Beth Turner to reach Mick St. John, but I don't seem to be making much progress. Maybe if he hadn't just been hurt so severely, but the way it is…" She shrugged. "Well, to be honest, it could be a long time before I get anywhere that way. And I know we are running out of time." Here, Jamie hesitated. Quickly reminding herself that she had a job to do, she continued. "In fact, I'm sure of it – Christophe Durand was visiting Ben Talbot today at the office."

Aleksa raised her hand to her mouth. Shit! She knew that sooner or later Crucis was going to show themselves, but so soon... and Durand himself? What did that say about how close they might be to launching an operation to annihilate the vampire population? Too close. She willed away the gnawing ache in her stomach. "What the hell?! Did he see you? What can you tell me?!"

"It's still not clear to me exactly why he came," Jamie struggled to maintain her calm. She didn't want a repeat of the panic she'd experienced at the office. "He and Talbot seemed pretty…chummy. I'm sure that his support of Ben during the shooting incident was an investment. What specifically he hopes to gain from it..."

"Leverage and influence, no doubt," Aleksa interrupted, spitting the words out with controlled loathing. "The puppet master preparing to do what he does so well." Tiredly, she massaged the bridge of her nose. "The Los Angeles DA's Office has been mired in turmoil even before this incident - the murder of Deputy District Attorney Josh Lindsey, which created the opening for Ben Talbot... and the murder of District Attorney Quinlan before that..."

"That's his plan then!"

Startled, Aleksa dropped her hand to stare at the image of the young woman. "What?!"

Sommers chewed at her lower lip worriedly. "The new District Attorney. The DA's Office has had a change at the top, two murders of leadership in the past year, Talbot is fairly new himself... What better time would there be to build influential relationships? Durand ingratiates himself to Talbot, thanks to his very public support - and become friends with the office."

"And the LAPD directly serves the DA's Office - your friend is a lieutenant who works closely with the DA's Office, and he was there when St. John was wounded. Tell me, did Durand mention wanting to meet with either Davis or St. John?"

"I- I couldn't hear. I tried to keep as far from him as possible," Jamie confessed. What she didn't admit to her superior was the fact that the Crucis leader being even that close to her - let alone potentially be able to see her - had thrown her into a blind panic. "I'm sorry, I should have taken more advantage of the situation."

"No, you should have done just what you did – protect yourself. He could have recognized you."

"What if the shooting in San Diego wasn't supposed to happen?" Jamie asked suddenly as the thought occurred to her. "Durand is precise, calculated and careful. If he really meant for St. John to be dead, I honestly think he'd be dead. And collateral damage isn't a problem as far as he's concerned, which means that there probably would have been more humans murdered. Especially if they were witnesses." Like Carl. "So... say that, for argument's sake, this was one big screw-up on the part of someone... that the attack wasn't sanctioned or wasn't carried out properly."

"That would be a reason for Durand to personally visit. A mistake of that magnitude would warrant his personal attention - and who better to get information from than the victims themselves? Especially if they have no idea about Crucis." The Auxilium leader leaned back. "Regardless of our speculation, there is one thing for sure."

Jamie's brows knit. "And what's that?"

"Both Davis and St. John are in Crucis cross-hairs and that's a lethal place to be. If you can't get to St. John through Beth Turner, the way we'd planned, it sounds like you have an alternate plan."

"Yes. Carl Davis."

Jamie could see her supervisor begin to shake her head and rushed on. "Please…hear me out. I've learned that Davis is going to visit St. John sometime tonight."

The Auxilium leader's eyes narrowed. "Well that's interesting. The vampire is meeting with the detective. Do you think that's advisable?"

Jamie laughed aloud at the question. "Well, they didn't consult me, but if you are asking me, actually, yes, I do." She surprised herself with the confidence in her answer. "Davis was the reason Mick was injured in the first place, and he took care of St. John until they were rescued. Experiences like that tend to bond people, and, from what I understand, Carl is desperate see Mick and thank him." And I am not about to interfere with that. She added, "Beth Turner is a pretty strict gatekeeper right now, and without being able to tell her why I would want to see Mick, my hands are pretty much tied. I have to be honest – she's pretty guarded herself and I might never be able to reach him that way."

Andris refused to rise to the bait, ignoring the unspoken request for the moment. " How much have you told him so far?"

"What I shared with Carl was well within the guidelines you gave me." Jamie caught the defensive tone in her voice. Chill out! Aleksa had been supportive of her since her first day with Auxilium. She sighed and started again. "He doesn't know specifics, let alone the truth. I'm sure he has no idea that vampires exist. I promise you that – but it is what I wanted to talk to you about."

For now, she had made the decision not to tell Aleksa about the detective discovering the chat transcript on his computer. That kind of breach would get her thrown out of the organization but her instincts told her that she needed to protect Carl. "He has a direct line to Mick St. John – and a reason to visit him more than once. He's also a trained detective and the inquisitive type. Mysteries don't sit well with him, so...I've had to dodge a lot of questions I couldn't answer. I really think he could help – in a lot of ways."

"You may be right," Aleksa acknowledged reluctantly. "I'm just not sure we should take the risk that bringing him into this would entail. Not yet." She propped her chin up with her hand. "I'm still concerned about his visit. You do realize the potential danger he is in." It wasn't a question.

"He's a human who doesn't know about vampires - going to visit one who's a key figure in the Los Angeles community. If Davis in any way says or does something that he interprets as a threat to their community - what do you think will happen?"

"I don't see Mick allowing anyone to hurt Davis."

The older woman was incredulous. "You think he would risk his safety in the vampire community to save a human?"

Jamie shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I do. Maybe I'm not being realistic but I just- I mean, he did almost die to save Davis. And in my contact with him, I was really struck by how caring and considerate he seemed to be." She leaned forward, smiling. "Do you know why he was in my office that day?" Without waiting for a response, she continued, speaking softly, almost to herself. "He was delivering flowers - a bouquet of roses - to Beth Turner."

"Don't get sucked in by this romance, Jamie." The warning tone in Aleksa's voice was clear. "Bringing flowers doesn't mean he wouldn't kill a human who discovered their secret."

The words angered Jamie faster than she had time to process why. "What does that mean?" she growled, crossing her arms.

"It means that romanticizing vampires will not help anyone." The Auxilium leader sighed. "I'm not suggesting that you're some lovesick teenager, but I've seen this before. They are very... seductive... creatures. Believe me it doesn't end up helping anyone."

And your point is what exactly…?"

"My point is that you have to keep your distance emotionally, or you'll be no help, least of all for what we are trying to do. I appreciate that you are deeply invested in this, and I think you can do some real good here. I know from first-hand experience, though, that getting tied up with them on a… personal …level could keep you from being able to do your job effectively. And even more importantly, it could put you in danger."

Jamie was stunned. It sounded like there was a story there, and she was tempted to pursue it but the likelihood that Aleksa would share personal details with her was slim. Still, how could she expect her to remain detached?

"How - how can you say that? How can you ask me to risk my life – and the life of outsiders like Carl Davis - and then tell me not to get involved?! How is this not personal?! So many people – human and vampire - have suffered... died. More probably will die before this is over... and you are honestly telling me to feel nothing?!" She could feel her pulse pounding in her ears as her anger rose.

"Calm down, Jamie. I have not forgotten how you came into all this. I understand how your experience during the Katrina disaster affected you... and I appreciate your drive and your passion." Aleksa liked the young woman - which was exactly why she was concerned when she saw signs of Jamie getting personally involved. More than most, she knew where that led. No place good. "Why do you think I wanted you to be there? You're not the most experienced - you know that. But you have other qualities that more than make up for that. I just want you to keep your perspective. Sometimes you can get too close to something to see things clearly."

And sometimes people don't get close enough, Jamie thought darkly. This was becoming a waste of time. "I apologize for sidetracking the conversation. So I gather that bringing Ca- Davis," she amended hastily, "…isn't an option right now."

Andris shook her head. "Not yet. I need to see how things play out with St. John – and it might be that you could get to him through Davis without the need to tell him about us." She paused, looking into the computer screen. "I can see from your face that you don't agree, but Jamie, we worked hard to get you in place at the ADA's office. If we revealed ourselves and our mission to Davis and he didn't respond favorably for whatever reason – can't accept the existence of vampires, sees them – or us – as a threat, isn't comfortable with our organization – whatever the reason, all that work will have been for nothing. You'll be fired – maybe even arrested – and we will be back at square one."

Jamie sighed. It wasn't like she disagreed with what her superior was saying - and she had anticipated that her idea would be rejected – but it was still disappointing.

Aleksa continued. "I hope your lieutenant treads carefully. We cannot afford to alienate the Los Angeles vampire community. As you know, New York is all but lost to us because of the Crucis activity there - and as they go, the other East Coast groups will likely follow."

Jamie leaned forward, chewing worriedly on her forefinger. ''So, no luck with Philadelphia, Boston -"

"No. At this point, any humans who were not already in the vampires' inner circles don't stand a prayer of getting close, especially on the East Coast. Chicago is pretty nervous too. We have a few operatives in place who are still trying, but it's difficult. When the vampires are this suspicious, it can be dangerous."

Frustrated and worried, Andris shared more with the younger woman. "Now we are hearing reports of a – stalker, I guess might be the right word - who is literally snatching prominent vamps off the streets. I know of at least three individuals who had been pinpointed as influential community members, who have gone missing in Boston and Philly, and these are not the type who would just roam off."

Shit, Jamie cursed silently. "Is this Crucis too?"

"Well, that's a fair guess, but we don't know for sure." Aleksa's eyes looked tired as they gazed out of the screen. "There have always been self-styled hunters – vigilantes who fancy themselves as some sort of Van Helsing. It's possible that Crucis is ginning up the fringe element - but it could alsobe a coordinated effort by them. That's why it's so urgent for us to gain the trust of the Los Angeles community before our window of opportunity closes."

"That's why it's so urgent to bring Carl Davis into it," Jamie couldn't resist adding.

"Look, I'm willing to discuss that if this meeting with the vampires goes well and you can't get to St. John through Beth. If it doesn't go well…" Aleksa shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if it doesn't, we probably won't be talking about Mr. Davis anymore anyway."

What a horrible thing to say! Jamie bit her tongue, thanked Andris for her time and disconnected quickly before she said something she shouldn't. For a long moment, she stared at the dark screen, chewing her lower lip. She'd pushed as hard as she felt like she could but the way the conversation had ended bothered her more than she was willing to admit. We probably won't be talking about Mr. Davis anymore...

With a heavy sigh, she pushed away from her desk. "I wish I were back in N'Orleans country right now," she muttered darkly as she grabbed her car keys and headed out for her favorite coffee shop to clear her head.

End Song: Complicated World, Lee Schorr