Reese Ch. 05

"Sneaky devil aren't you?" he muttered under his breath. He leaned back in his chair and looked at the chess board. He had several options, but each option would cost him more than he wanted to pay. He looked at the screen name and wondered if it had any significance. He stared at the board for a long time before making the move that he thought the least damaging. Right after he made the move, he realized his error. "Son of a bitch!" he swore laughing. "But the game isn't over yet."

He wanted to meet this player and find out where he had learned to play so well. He could certainly learn a few things from him. There was nothing left to do but wait for the next move. He looked at the screen name again and felt an unexplained chill. He shook it off and went to the twenty-four hour news site. Paolo Rossi was no longer the top story. The ball was. The same irritating reporter that had reported on Rossi's death was babbling something about wishing he could get an invitation.

"It isn't an invitation, you idiot," Donatello muttered. "It's a command."

And it was. He could no more refuse to go to the ball than he could walk in the sun. Not to go was signing his death warrant and god only knew what would happen to Vangie if he didn't go.

"Done!" she said triumphantly as she hit the submit button.

"Already?" Donatello asked.

"It wasn't hard, so what have you been up to?" She asked as she kissed his cheek.

"Emilio- he responded."

"What did he say?" Vangie asked impatiently.

"He wants to meet with me- and note I said me," Donatello said firmly when Vangie started to say something. "It's bad enough that you're going to the ball and placing yourself in harm's way. I'll not have you in the presence of that murderer!"

"Don..."

"Do not argue with me on this! You are not going with me and if I have to lock you up I'll do it!"

Vangie clamped her mouth shut. She was going to argue with him, but the look on his face and the tone of his voice shut her up.

"Yes Donatello," she said softly but her mind raced. He couldn't go to that meeting alone. He would forget that they needed him and he would try to kill Emilio or die trying. For now the best course of action was to let the subject drop. If she pushed too hard, he would keep her from going to the ball.

"I mean it," Donatello said his voice low bordering on anger. "I can see that pretty head of yours swirling with ideas. Do not test me on this."

"Alright, but I need a promise from you," she said. "You have to promise me that you won't try to kill him. I don't care what happens to him after the ball is over. I don't even care if he dies there- but Donatello; you have to control your hatred of him. Do I have your word that you won't try to kill him?"

Donatello hesitated. He wasn't sure that he could make and then keep that promise.

"If you can't make that promise, then I won't promise to do as you ask."

"Vangie, you will do as I say!"

Vangie's face flushed with anger. Realizing that they were still in the bedroom; she got up and walked out to the living room. She waited for Donatello to join her before speaking again.

"I will not do as you ask unless you swear to me that you won't kill him. We need him. If he tells you what we need to know at that meeting then by all means do what you want. But he won't tell you anything- he wouldn't be that stupid."

"He might." Donatello replied. "He doesn't know about me and Calandra. We know of each other because we were turned at the same time and were at the ball that I told you about."

"Maybe, but I still don't think so. It wasn't as if you were friends," Vangie said. "Now tell me are you going to try to kill him? You told me that you could and will set aside your hatred until this was over- did you lie to me?"

"Be very careful of how you speak to me," Donatello said his tone icy. "I am still the master of this relationship."

Vangie blushed, she had overstepped her bounds. Using what he told her against him was a huge mistake.

"I apologize," she said softly. "I was only trying to make sure that our only possible ally wasn't harmed. In my desire to help, I overstepped and questioned your integrity. Please forgive me."

"I told you that I will set aside my anger and hatred did I not?" Donatello asked his tone still icy.

"Yes, yes you did," Vangie agreed realizing how much she had angered him.

"In all of our time together- have I ever lied to you about anything?"

"No you haven't," Vangie replied and fell silent. She had just learned a very valuable lesson.

"It is well within my rights to punish you," Donatello said, "but I am not an unreasonable man. I trust that you have just learned something from this?"

"Yes Donatello and once again, I apologize."

"Your apology is accepted and you are forgiven, but Vangie do not ever call my integrity into question again. Is that understood?"

"Yes Donatello."

"Good, now back to the issue at hand," Donatello said his voice warming. "I will not kill the son of a bitch until this is over. Now, you will not attend that meeting. You will remain where you will be safe. Is that understood?"

"Yes Donatello-may I speak freely?"

"You may."

"I understand that I can't be at the meeting but I need to hear what is being said. As you are aware- I can pick up things just by listening to the inflection in the voice of the speaker."

"I am aware of this," Donatello said as he stroked her arm to let her know that he had really forgiven her.

"Would you consider wearing a recording device? It won't be as good as being there but it will work."

"I can do that," Donatello replied taking her hand in his. "Vangie, I don't want you to think that I don't appreciate or understand what you were trying to do..."

"I understand," Vangie said interrupting him. "I should have approached the issue in a different way. I... I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"It won't," Donatello assured her. "Tell me about this recording device that you want to use."

Vangie relaxed. Things were back to normal.

*****

Elena lay on the floor exhausted and hoping for a moment's peace. The traffic in and out of her room had been non-stop for twenty-four hours. The last of them had just walked out. Not having the strength to get up, she rolled onto her side and threw up. An hour later, she was still on the floor when she heard the door to her room open.

"Please no more..." she said weakly.

"Calm yourself mistress," a soft voice said. "I am here to help you."

Elena sat up and scooted backwards. No one had lifted a finger to help her thus far so why now?

"Please mistress- I mean you no harm. My name is Bella. Do not be afraid."

"What do you want?" Elena whispered. "Did Cristiano send you?"

"Yes mistress- he told me to help you cleanse yourself and to help you into bed."

Elena didn't believe it. Cristiano had been nothing but cruel to her since her demotion. There had to be more to it.

"What else?"

"There is nothing else," the servant replied.

"What else?" Elena demanded. "He does nothing out of the goodness of his heart."

"Mistress..."

"Tell me the truth!" Elena demanded in a voice that she hadn't used in weeks.

"There is nothing! I swear it!" The servant replied. "The master sent me here to attend to your needs. That is all I know. Will you allow me to assist you?"

Elena hesitated and then nodded at the girl. She took another look at her and thought that she looked familiar. She was also the first servant to call her by her former title; mistress. She wondered what that meant. Had Cristiano forgiven her? With a start she realized something. At the beginning his forgiveness was all that she wanted. The last time she saw him, she wanted it but now...

"Mistress?"

"Stop calling me that!" Elena snapped. "I'm not your mistress! I am lower than you are."

"You don't remember me do you?" Bella asked. "I was a new slave and one evening, the master called for me to bring him wine. Do you remember?"

"Vaguely," Elena replied. "Wait! You were the one who spilled it on him!"

"Yes Mistress," Bella replied. "He was going to have me whipped for spilling such expensive wine but you interceded for me. I know that it wasn't an act of kindness on your part but I chose to believe that it was. Because of that; you will always be my mistress."

Elena was touched. The girl was right- her intercession hadn't been an act of kindness. She was impatient to try the new sexual positions that she discovered on Cristiano. The girl had been spared the whipping only because she had been impatient. Now she was glad for that impatience. It felt good to have someone treat her kindly. She tried to stand up but her knees buckled. Before she hit the floor, Bella was at her side.

"Thank you," Elena said humbly. "Thank you."

As they walked to the bathroom, Elena tried to remember the last time she had thanked anyone for anything. She had been living as though she was entitled to every good thing in life and that others lived to serve her. Her parent's warnings about Cristiano came back loud and clear and she wished that she hadn't been swayed by his looks and money.

Elena stopped walking as understanding hit her. She wasn't Cristiano's true mate. She was nothing more than a distraction until he found her. He must have found her and was getting ready for her. She had thought about the human male before and she had been punished but this was over the top so finding his real mate was the only explanation. There was nothing special about the human male other than she had inadvertently turned him. Cristiano, she realized had been planning this for centuries. Tears of anger rolled down her face as the ramifications of not listening to her family hit her.

"Mistress? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Elena replied with a small smile. Now that she understood what was happening, she was better than alright. She was relieved. There still might be a way for her to come out of the ball emotionally and physically intact. "And maybe exact a little revenge," she murmured and then caught herself. She never knew when Cristiano was in her head. She waited for a response from him and breathed a sigh of relief when none came.

While Bella ran the tub and added bath salts to the water, Elena got into the shower and turned the water on hot. She stepped out when the dried semen and blood was washed off of her hair and body. Bella helped her into the tub and then handed her a glass of a fruity wine. When she was totally relaxed, Elena began to probe Bella for information.

"So tell me, are we allowed to talk?"

"Yes mistress," Bella replied confused by the question.

"Are there any topics that are off limits?"

"No milady-at least none that I'm aware of."

"Tell me about the ball," Elena said as she rested her head on the back of the tub so Bella could wash it.

Fifteen minutes later, Elena knew no more than she had before. The guest list had been posted but not the time, date or place. What was Cristiano waiting for? She finished her bath sighing with pleasure as Bella dried her and then applied rose scented oil to her skin. The next surprise was that instead of walking around nude; she could wear a sheer gown. Although it was sheer, it still gave Elena the feeling that she was covered.

"When will you be back?" She asked as Bella brushed her hair.

"I am at your disposal," Bella replied. "The master has decided that I am to be your companion."

"I see," Elena said understanding. Cristiano was going to kill her. He was presenting himself to his true mate as a benevolent master. "When do we move to the new suite?"

"Now if you wish," Bella replied. "Everything that you need is already there.

Elena also knew something else. This girl- as thankful as she was to her was a spy and not to be trusted. Cristiano had to have been extremely busy to have sent her.

"Let's go," Elena replied anxious to be away from the suite where she had been used so often. She stopped at the door and turned to Bella. "Am I to pleasure all who demand it if me?"

"No milady, the master has rescinded that order. None may touch you unless you will it."

Elena was surprised for the third time that night. Something was happening and she had to know what it was.

"Tell me, does our master have a new mate?"

"Yes milady," Bella replied and looked away.

"Have you seen her?"

"No milady- shall we go to our quarters?"

Elena followed Bella to the East wing of the house. The ball would take place in the large room just below their suite. The garden where her final humiliation would take place was clearly visible from the patio.

"Well played," Elena whispered.

Cristiano had done two things in one stroke. He was portraying himself as the kind master while letting her-Elena suffer while watching the preparation of the garden.

"Bastard," Elena hissed confident that Cristiano wasn't listening.

"Did you say something mistress?" Bella asked from behind her.

"Nothing important," Elena replied reminding herself that she had to be careful. "Tell me of the happenings since I was-indisposed."

****

"Listen!" Jean said urgently. "We can do this! All we have to do is let the Borcelli's know that there is a plot. We don't have to tell them any more than that..."

"NO!" Lewis roared. "He will know and then Edgar will be killed."

"He's going to kill him anyway!" Jean screamed back. "Don't you understand that? Edgar knows who he is..."

"No," Lewis said again. "You do not know this vampire. As long as we do as he asks, Edgar is safe. Even if we did as you want anonymously he will know."

"Why do you believe him?" Jean asked quietly. "Has he hypnotized you? Or have you become a willing participant in this madness?"

"Because I believe," Lewis said after a short pause, "that he never meant to do Edgar harm. What kidnapper allows the victim and the parents to talk on a daily basis? Does Edgar sound distressed? No he doesn't but if we betray this vampire that will change. I am not a willing participant as you call it nor am I hypnotized. I am simply doing whatever I can to keep our son safe. I am telling you- do not do anything stupid. Edgar will pay for it."

"But my father..."

"Your father is a fool and a brute!" Lewis broke in. "The man doesn't have a tactful bone in his body. If you involve him, not only will Edgar die; so will we. Now for the last time we are not contacting your father or the Borcelli's. Don't bring it up again."

Jean opened her mouth so say something, but clamped it closed when saw the way Lewis was looking at her. It was a look that she had never seen on his face before and to some degree it frightened her. The man standing before her was not the weak man that she had always thought him to be. Edgar's kidnapping had changed something. She was sure that part of it was guilt, but the rest of it was all him. The Lewis of old was gone at least for now. She would no longer be able to control him as she had. The balance of power had just shifted.

Lewis walked away without looking at her. Jean watched him walk away and made a decision.

***

Alex was quiet for so long that Reese didn't think that she was going to say anything.

"Rob," she said softly was the love of my life. "He was sweet, kind and funny as hell. We were kind of like the odd couple. He was a big guy and I don't mean muscle bound big. He was like this big, soft cuddly soft animal that you just wanted to hug. He would make three of you. Anyway, we met at college and he began chasing me as soon as he saw me. I wasn't interested and his size and race had nothing to do with it. I had goals and I didn't want anything to get in my way. Do you know how he finally got to me? He stopped chasing me and became my friend. Somehow he figured out that I needed a friend more than I needed a love life. He stopped asking me out and started bringing me a mountain dew when he saw me studying at the snack shop. He didn't stay long, he would buy the soda, bring it over, say hello and then he was gone."

"He sounds like a smart man," Reese commented liking Rob although he had never met him.

"He was," Alex said laughing. "One day I asked him to sit down and I found out that he wasn't just smart; the man was brilliant. He was majoring in biology and agriculture. I won't lie and tell you that I understood half of what he was saying-it sounded like science fiction to me, but the look on his face when he talked about it...it was like anything was possible.

Rob was a lover and not a fighter. Every summer he went on some humanitarian mission trip and always came back so excited about what he learned, thrilled that he had made a difference somehow. Suffice it to say that I fell in love with him. My friends didn't get it- neither did my family for that matter and I didn't try to explain it. When they saw him, they saw a big white guy who really was inherently shy. What I saw was a genius and an incredibly passionate man that I was blessed to have in my life."

"How long were you married before he died?" Reese asked.

"We were married for almost five years," Alex replied. "The last time that I saw him alive... The last time I saw him alive he was going to on a mission trip to the Middle East. I was going to go with him but I was called into work. No -that isn't right; I chose to go to work instead of going with my husband. We decided to meet in Paris since that's where I had to go. I kissed him goodbye and..."

She couldn't continue. She was crying too hard.

"Alex," Reese called softly as he held her. "He wouldn't have wanted you to see him die."

"I might have been able to save him!"

"And you might have died with him," Reese countered.

"So what if I had?" Alex asked. "He wouldn't have died alone like..."

"Like what?" Reese prodded. He wanted her to verbalize her deepest fear. "Tell me."

"You have no idea of what they did to him. He wasn't a fucking spy! He was there to help! They tortured him for two days before they finally killed him. He died alone and in pain! The others that were with him were killed right away, but they kept him alive because he was the only American in the group. If I had been there, I could have said that I was the spy. I would have made up a story so that they'd let him go."

"Alex- he wouldn't have allowed that." Reese said. "You know this to be true. He would have offered his life for yours..."

"And now you!" Alex exclaimed. "Rob didn't know what he was walking into but you do! You are making a conscious choice and you expect me to just sit here and do nothing? I couldn't help Rob, but I can help you- please don't put me through that again. Let me help you."

Reese held her as she cried and begged. Begging he realized was foreign to her just as it had been to him centuries ago. He also knew that she had hoped to talk with him logically about his plans and not resort to tears. But how could she not cry? She had suffered a great loss and she hadn't been able to do anything to prevent it. She was right. He was willingly putting himself in harm's way and expecting her to sit idly by doing nothing. If he didn't let her help and he did die she would never recover from it. He had to let her help him in some way. The question was how. Her going to the ball was out of the question.

"Cara-sweetheart, I am sorry for your loss. I am also sorry that I found you when I did. In retrospect, I should have left you alone until this was done."

"Have you considered that you found me when you were supposed to?" Alex asked pulling away from him. "Let's face it, you were on a suicide mission and to some degree you still are..."

"Alex..."

"Shut up! Yes you are! You've carried this hatred inside of you for so long that you're confusing it with vengeance. You're not even going to let what you say you feel for me stop you. I maintain that you found me because you needed someone to stop you from doing something insane. You keep bringing up the fact that I'm human- okay then do something about it. Turn me."