Amelia & Andrew: The Diamond Legacy Ch. 04

Andrew hit speed dial and she picked up after two rings.

"Hi Emma... yes we've already been there. The techs aren't too happy though. Tell your dad that we're fine... yes... where is the local blood supplier? The assassin was injured in the fight and he's going to need blood... yes, he's Hispanic with shoulder length brown hair and a scar across his neck. It looks like someone tried to slit his throat... no I don't think that he'd risk coming there to buy blood... I would monitor the police bands to see if they get any calls about a body drained of blood... I want to check the local supplier and then we'll come by to give you the evidence we have. Yes we'll talk to your father... just be ready in case the lab calls to check our credentials... we'll see you soon."

Forty minutes later, they were sitting in front of the lab. Andrew slid the three-eighty from under his seat and placed it in the back of his waistband. Amelia retrieved the Glock from under her seat and placed it in her purse. They walked in to see that it was set up much like the facility in Baltimore was.

A thin blonde with brown eyes was sitting behind the desk greeted them snidely.

"What do you want parvulus?"

"Is the manager available?" Andrew asked pleasantly.

"The manger doesn't have time for the likes of you." She replied impatiently. "If you're here to make a purchase, its thirty-five hundred a unit and you go through me. If you aren't here to make a purchase; leave or I'll call security."

Andrew quickly lost his pleasant attitude.

"I tried to be pleasant but you're being a stuck up bitch. I work for Emma Black; I take it that you know who she is? Now, take me to the manager or I'll be making a call. A security force will be here within minutes and we'll tear this place apart. You won't be able to reopen for a week and you'll have to explain it to your boss."

The woman laughed dismissively.

"Do you know who owns this place? Obviously, you don't so I'll tell you. Her mother Susan Dorchester owns it. Do you really think that she'll close her mother's business?"

"That's good." Amelia said with a smile. "Why don't I give Susan a call?"

"The number is ready." Andrew said as he handed her the phone. "Just hit send."

"Alright, the fun is over." The woman behind the desk snorted. "If you don't leave right now; I'm calling security."

"Tell your boss that we'll be out front." Andrew said.

Amelia hit the send button as they walked toward the door.

"Hi Susan, its Amelia... sorry to bother you but the receptionist at your Philly location is refusing to let us see the manager... no we don't need blood. We're helping your daughter... we're out front, the receptionist threatened to call security... ok... thanks... we'll see you tomorrow."

"Is everything alright?" Andrew asked.

'It's fine." Amelia replied. "She thanked us for not pushing the issue and for calling her. She said to give her five minutes and it should be straightened out."

A few minutes later, fiftyish, balding vampire came out.

"Mr. and Mrs. Barnes? I'm Stephan Noah. I must apologize, I had no idea that my receptionist was interfering with your work. Please come into my office so that I may be of assistance to you."

Andrew plastered a smile on his face.

"Thank you. Your cooperation is appreciated.

When they walked past the receptionist, she wouldn't make eye contact.

"He's a lying sack of shit." Amelia said telepathically. "He knew what she was doing because he told her to do it. He's also charging extra for the blood and pocketing the difference. The receptionist is afraid of him."

"Alright, let's get the information that we need and then we'll handle the rest of it." Andrew replied.

Once they were in the office and sitting, Andrew began asking questions.

"Did you sell blood to an injured Hispanic male? He would have had a scar that ran across his neck and he would have been in late last night or early this morning. You might have also gotten a clean-up call from him."

"No I didn't." Noah replied. "But I can check with the night manager."

"Ask if he sold to any Hispanic males. The gentleman that we're looking for may not have been working alone. While you do that, I'm going to talk to your receptionist in case she was the one who sold it to him or received any phone calls."

"I can do that for you." Noah said quickly.

"No thanks... I'll talk to her while you help my mate. Is there a reason why you don't want me to talk to her?" Amelia asked.

"Ummm Susan warned me about you." he replied after a moment. "I don't want to have to replace my receptionist.

Amelia knew that he was lying. As soon as they left, he was going to kill the receptionists and replace her.

"I promise not to harm her." Amelia said as she walked out of the office.

Noah tried to hide his nervousness. He knew that Amelia knew that he had lied. He stared at her as she walked out and was still staring when Andrew started tapping on the phone.

"If you don't mind, we're in a bit of a hurry. We're late for a meeting with Mr. Black."

"I'm sorry." Noah said sheepishly. "But your mate is a remarkable woman."

When Amelia reached the receptionist, she noticed a couple of humans waiting in the reception area. She ignored them and spoke to the receptionist.

"Did a Hispanic male with a scar across his neck come in for blood or any other services?"

The receptionist became nervous and looked around the room before replying.

"I'm sorry about earlier. Mr. Noah is trying to get rid of all but a few select clients. The man that you're looking for was in here yesterday morning. Mr. Noah took care of him."

Amelia sent the information to Andrew and then spoke to the receptionist.

"I want you to gather your things; you're leaving with us. Don't panic, we're doing this to save your life."

The receptionist gave Amelia a wary look and then nodded.

"I'm sorry, but no one fitting that description bought blood or ordered services last night or today. My receptionist may have helped him."

"What about the man that you took care of yesterday morning?" Andrew asked.

Noah paled and became nervous. He silently cursed his air headed receptionist and put a weak smile on his face.

"That was Mr. Santos. He's an old associate from Barbados. He just stopped in to say hello and he didn't purchase any blood."

"I guess that it's a coincidence that Mr. Santos had a scar across his throat?" Andrew asked. "You're coming with us to answer a few questions. I'm sure that Ms. Black would love to meet you."

"You can't do this!" Noah protested. "You have no right!"

Andrew however didn't agree. He grabbed Noah, slammed him across the desk, and handcuffed him.

"You should have cooperated." He said as he patted the man down. "You could have walked out of here with your dignity."

Andrew sat the man back in his chair and called Emma.

"Hi, I have a question for you... Is there someone who could run your mom's shop for a few days?... I have him in handcuffs. I'm sure that you're going to want to talk to him and if what Amelia says is true; you mom will want to talk to him too. I'll call her if you like... tell your father not to get his panties in a bunch, we'll be there soon. "I'll call her... Neil is coming over? Good... what do you know about the head of security for this place? Ok... we'll see you then."

"Amelia." Andrew called telepathically, "we're going to be getting a lot of company in about twenty minutes. Emma, Neil and a security detachment are on their way."

Andrew looked at Noah with a small grin on his face.

"Perhaps you would like to spare yourself some pain and tell me what you know before Ms. Black gets here." He said.

"He'll kill me if I say anything." Noah whimpered.

Andrew pulled the pistol from his waistband and put it against his knee.

"What do you think I'll do to you?" he asked. "When you blow a human knee cap apart, it's a onetime thing. I wonder how many times I can blow your kneecap out. Shall we find out?"

"No! For the love of god don't shoot! I'll tell you what you want to know!"

"I'm waiting." Andrew said.

There was a tremor in Noah's voice as he began speaking.

"I was contacted by a man who claimed to be a representative of Mr. Rodrigues the lead enforcer for Mexico. He wanted to use us to distribute drugs and women all over the city. I knew that Susan wouldn't have gone for it simply because it would have drawn the attention of the human authorities. However, the money was too good to pass up so I agreed to do it without Susan's knowledge. At first, it was just a couple of shipments a month, but now its three to five a week for drugs and at least two shipments a month of women. I was allowed to tap the women for blood and keep the money that we normally paid our donors.

I even started dating a woman in Black's office so I could monitor what was happening there. Between the innocent pillow talk and compulsion, I was kept informed. Two weeks ago, Becky told me that she overheard that Santiago Martinez had been in contact with Mr. Black. According to her, he wanted to talk to Mr. Black about Rodrigues using his position to commit crimes, which included turning vampires who would be loyal to him.

I was afraid that he knew about me so I called my contact. They told me to find out where the Martinez party was staying and that he would send a man to handle it. He met me here yesterday and I gave him blood and the information about the room I had reserved for him. I put him up at the Holiday Inn express over by the airport. The room is his until tomorrow but his flight leaves at three-twenty am. His name is Antonio Munoz and he's staying in room one-ten."

"Do you have a number where he can be reached?" Andrew asked.

"I gave him a burn phone." Noah replied. "If you want the number, then we deal for it plus the location of the disc that has all of my contacts and shipping information on it."

"What do you want in exchange?" Andrew asked.

"Let me go before Ms. Black gets here."

"I could start with your knee and then move on to other areas." Andrew said as he moved the gun to Noah's groin. "Do you think that will grow back?"

Andrew watched as a bead of sweat formed across the vampire's forehead.

"Don't worry." Andrew said. "I don't have time for games. I'll let my mate handle you." Andrew said as he pushed the intercom button. "Amelia my love, could you come in here?"

A moment later, Amelia was in the office. Andrew wrapped an arm around her when she stood next to him.

"I'm sure you remember her." he said. "Your eyes were glued to her ass when she walked out of the door. Don't worry. I find myself doing the same thing; but for a much different reason. The reason that I called her back in is because she has the ability to read minds. I know that you're thinking that you can block her and under normal circumstances, you might be able to do that. However, if you try, I'll take great pleasure in seeing how many times I can blow your kneecap out before it won't grow back anymore. If you fight her, I'll ask my lovely mate to wipe every thought from your head. You'll be nothing but a dribbling fool."

Noah's shoulders slumped in defeat as he lowered his barriers so that Amelia could search his memories. He had heard about what she did to Gregori Demidov and didn't want to end up like that. He felt her presence as she examined his memories experiencing them as if she was him.

"You are one sick son of a bitch." She said when she was done. "You made your father watch as you drained your mother and sister."

Charles and Emma arrived a few minutes later.

"Why the hell is Stephen in handcuffs?" Charles demanded. "You'd better have a damned good reason for it!"

"Charles! You've got to help me!" Noah said. "They're crazy! They're accusing me of all kinds of shit. He threatened to shoot me and then have her destroy my mind!"

"I'm waiting for an explanation." Charles said looking at Amelia and then Andrew. "I've known Stephen for almost a century."

"He's the one who helped the assassin kill Carlos Martinez." Andrew replied. "We have the assassin's name, room number and the time his flight leaves. Your friend has been using the office to smuggle drugs and women and he's been skimming your profits."

Charles' eyes narrowed in anger. He knew that there had been some irregularities that Susan had planned to address; but she hadn't indicated that it was anything serious. He had believed that they were simple errors in communication.

"Stephen, you'd better start talking." Charles said.

"Charles," Stephen said, "We've been friends for almost a century! Surely you don't believe that I would do anything to jeopardize that friendship... are you going to believe a couple of parvulus over me?"

"Do you have any proof?" Charles asked Andrew.

Amelia knew how to prove it; but didn't know where the knowledge came from. She walked over to Charles, placed her hands on his face, and locked her eyes onto his.

"These are his thoughts." She said.

Charles' eyes widened as Amelia shared Stephen's memories with him. He was enthralled with what was happening. There was no pain; just pressure and a weird sensation that he couldn't quite describe. It felt as if five people were trying to force their way through a doorway designed for two.

Amelia released her hold on him and stepped back. It had only been for a couple of minutes, but to Charles; it had felt much longer. He stood silent for a few minutes trying to process the information that Amelia had shared with him.

Everyone watched as Amelia placed her hands on Charles' face. Her eyes began to glow as she murmured something about his memories. Charles' body had gone as stiff as a board and his eyes seemed captivated by her. It was almost as if she was a snake and he was the prey.

Emma was going to pull him away from Amelia, but Andrew stopped her. She began to shout for help but by the time, security came rushing in; Amelia had already released Charles.

Amelia began to slump to the floor but was caught by Andrew.

"Emma, your father is fine." She said. "He is processing the information that I gave him."

Andrew helped Amelia to a chair and let her sit for a moment. After a couple of minutes that seemed like hours, Charles started to blink rapidly and began to collapse. Andrew and a very angry looking security man helped him to a seat. Emma was immediately at her father's side.

"Dad? Are you all right? Talk to me."

Charles shook his head to clear the cobwebs.

"Sweetie, I'm fine; but that was one hell of an experience. Amelia do me a favor and warn me the next time."

He turned to look at Stephen.

"Your ass is mine." He said quietly. "Mitchel get that piece of shit out of here and contact team two; they have a pickup to do."

"Dad, what did she do to you?" Emma asked. "It scared the hell out of me."

"She did something that I had only heard about." Charles replied. "She shared the memories that she mined from Stephen with me. It was a unique experience."

"I'm sorry." Amelia said. "I wasn't even sure that it would work. I wanted to get the information to you quickly; I hope that I didn't hurt you."

"No you didn't hurt me." Charles replied with a smile. "It was interesting to say the least. I gather that the two of you would like to be present when we capture the assassin?"

"Yes." Andrew replied speaking for the both of them. "If you like, we could go stake the place out. We'll call you if he starts to move."

"That would be great." Charles replied. "I don't want to lose this asshole. It will make removing Rodrigues much easier. Do you know where the hotel is?"

"We have the address and a GPS system so we're good." Andrew replied.

Andrew and Amelia got into the truck and drove to the hotel where the assassin was staying. Once there they found a spot where they could watch the main entrance and the only road in and out of the hotel parking lot.

"This isn't exactly an inconspicuous stake out vehicle." Amelia said as she looked around the hummer."

"Maybe not." Andrew replied with a chuckle, "But how many police agencies could afford an H-3?"

"True." Amelia conceded. "How do we know that he's in there?" she asked.

"I was thinking about going in to rent a room and compelling the clerk into giving me information and then erasing his memory." Andrew replied.

"Pull up front and act like you're on the phone." Amelia said. 'I'll go in and see what I can find out."

"Fine, but be careful that he doesn't spot you." Andrew said as he started the hummer. "We don't want to tip him off."

"I've done this a time or two before." Amelia replied. "And besides, my mental skills are much better than yours."

Amelia walked into the hotel and was headed for the counter when she saw the vampire they were looking for coming out of the business center. She sensed that he was tense but didn't think that he noticed her. She played it cool and decided to see about renting a room.

"Do you have any rooms available?" she asked when she got to the counter.

"Yes we do." The clerk replied. "How many will be staying in the room?" he asked.

"There will be just two of us." Amelia replied. "We also prefer the bottom floor."

"How long will you be staying?" The clerk asked.

"Three nights." Amelia replied.

She handed the clerk a credit card and began filling out the registration paperwork.

"Will he ever get off the damned phone?" she asked as she looked toward the front door.

The man stifled a chuckle as he handed her a room key.

"Room one-twelve." He said. "It's through that door and it's the third room to the right. The ice and vending machines are across the hall from it."

"Thank you," she said with a polite smile.

She stormed out of the hotel and opened the door to the truck.

"For the love of Christ!" she exclaimed. "Will you get off of that damned phone? I've got a room and I'm hungry!"

"This is an important call." Andrew replied. 'What's the room number? I'll park the truck and be up as soon as I'm done with this phone call."

"He's here." Amelia said telepathically. "I just saw him come out of the business center."

"Good." Andrew replied. "I'll call Charles and let him know. You check to be sure that we can watch him from our room and let me know if we can't."

Amelia grabbed the duffle bag with their clothes in it. She checked the Glock to be sure that it had a full clip and that the first round was chambered and safe before putting it in the bag.

"I'm going to take a shower and try to lay down for a while." She said. "Try not to take too long."

Andrew nodded.

"I'll grab the other bag and the laptop." He said still holding the phone to his ear.

Amelia walked into the hotel and saw the assassin at the soda machine. She had the impression that he was going to attack her.

"Andrew, I need you; I think he spotted me." She said telepathically.

Antonio Munoz pulled a pistol with a silencer on it out of his pocket.

"Agent Hensley," He said with a thick accent, "let's keep this civil. I have no desire to hurt someone under the protection of Mr. Black. I know that you have already warned your mate. Tell him to come to my room where the three of us can talk. I must warn you that these are exploding bullet. They may not kill you, but they will incapacitate you making it easier to finish you. So please senorita; do not do anything stupid."

"He has a gun with exploding bullet." Amelia sent to Andrew. "He wants us to go to his room so we can talk."

"He's coming." Amelia said. "You know that you won't leave here don't you?"

"We shall see." Antonio said with a smile. "Now move."

Amelia started to move toward his room and felt the cold steel of the silencer press against the back of her head.