Amelia & Andrew: The Diamond Legacy Ch. 05

Susan thought over who would possibly have access to this information and the list was disturbing to say the least. Charles, Gloria, Emma, Neil, Andrea, and possibly Mitchel besides herself, the list was all family or people she considered as close as family. The very thought that one of these people had betrayed Charles and her was sickening and it tore at her heart.

While she was lost in her thoughts, her cell phone rang, forcing back to the here and now. "Hello, what did you find?" Susan asked expectantly.

"They went out the window and headed towards downtown. Andrew is carrying Amelia." Gloria responded.

"How do you know he is carrying her? And where the hell are you?" Susan inquired.

"I tracked them to a muddy field about a mile from the hotel. There was only one set of footprints and by the length of the stride he was moving," Gloria replied.

"Are you going to keep tracking them or are you coming back?" Susan asked.

"Unless you order me not to I'm finding them. When I do what do you want me to do?" Gloria inquired.

"When you find them make contact and ask them to call me and be extra careful. I will join you as soon as I can slip out of here," Susan commanded.

"Susan what the hell is going on, Are you safe?" Gloria demanded. Worry crept into her voice.

Susan saw Charles talking to Mitch as the two of them headed towards her." OK Gloria, keep me up to date on your location and status. When you locate them, contact me immediately," Susan said changing the subject.

Susan quickly hung up her phone and shielded her mind against intrusion. She tried to give off a nonchalant air about her as she headed towards Charles. She stopped a step or so behind Charles while he finished talking with Mitch.

Charles knew the minute that Susan had shielded her mind. He wondered what had her so worried even though he gave no visible sign anything was wrong. When he was done with Mitch he immediately, lead Susan to a secluded spot. "What has you on such high alert?" Charles inquired.

"What makes you think I am on high alert, Charles?" Susan responded keeping her expression and tone carefully neutral.

"How about knowing you for nearly twenty centuries?" Charles countered, his body language clearly saying, "I'm not impressed."

"What did you think that I would do once you showed me those papers? Most of them were from the dossier that I sent to you by carrier. Between both of our organizations, I can only come up with a total of ten people that had access to them, two of which are standing right here. My god Charles one of the main suspects is our own daughter!" Susan responded. Her eyes showed just how much the obvious betrayal had hurt her. Susan quickly buried her feelings and resumed her calm facade.

"I know love that is why I want you personally to take charge of who betrayed us. You have my full authority to do what you must to find out and bring guilty person or persons to me. Then we will judge them together," Charles decreed then pulled Susan into a hug and kissed her on the top of her head as he whispered, "I love you."

Susan relaxed into Charles embrace and allowed the tension to be drawn from her body. She wrapped her arms around Charles' neck and pulled him into passionate kiss." God, how I have missed you," Susan softly whispered.

Susan then broke the embrace replacing her mask of indifference. "What about Andrew and Amelia?" She asked.

"I can't think of a better person to find them then Gloria can you? " Charles replied.

"No, I can't. What do you want to do once we find them?" Susan asked.

"I would like to arrange a place I can talk to them. I am even willing to let them to name the place, as long as it is within reason." Charles answered honestly.

Susan pulled her cell out and started to dial Emma's number." I'm going to explain everything to Catherine. I hope that she will be willing to help us when they call her," Susan said.

Charles acknowledged her with a wave he was already on his cell answering a call he had ignored three times while talking with Susan. Susan told Catherine everything and explained the reason why they had to isolate the two of them. Susan promised her that all she wanted was a chance to explain everything. Catherine said she would ask them to call her if she heard from them but she stated clearly, that she wouldn't betray them.

**********

Amelia headed to the two pay phones at the front of the store. One of the phones was occupied and the other was out of order. She waited while the man finished, thank fully he keep it short. Amelia dialed Catherine's cell number and while it rang, she discretely kept looking around for threats. She was counting on the fact that they wouldn't try anything in a crowded store.

As soon as she heard the call connect, and before Catherine could speak." Please just listen. Andrew and I were set-up and I was almost killed. We were betrayed by Charles or someone in his organization. Is anyone associated with Charles in the room with you? Is Scott with you?"

"Umm yes and yes," Catherine responded quietly as she casually went to a more private spot to talk.

"Can the two of you slip away? If you can, procure transportation and leave. Make sure you have your cell phones with you and we will contact you." Amelia said.

"Amelia I am where I can talk now. There is no way for us to leave undetected but we aren't prisoners here we can come and go as we please. I have the keys to the Hummer. Where are you?" Catherine asked.

"Listen to me I want you and Scott to take the Hummer and go. Get somewhere safe and stay out of sight. Do not tell anyone where you are going. Once it is safe to do so, we will contact you." Amelia pleaded.

"Amelia, we are as safe as we can be. I talked to Susan and they're aware that you were set-up. Susan asked that you contact Gloria and no one else. Charles was not behind this and he wants a chance to explain everything to you. Please trust me and call Gloria before you do anything else," Catherine begged.

"I will talk to Andrew about it and we will call you in a day or two. We will be fine; you just make sure you take care of yourself and that baby," Amelia responded. She got the feeling someone was watching her. She turned around slowly and saw Gloria Standing there staring at her. She continued quietly, "I have to go and I hope you were right about Gloria. She is standing here looking at me. I will talk to you later. I hope."

"Hun, Gloria is standing out front of the store looking at me." Amelia sent mentally.

"I know I am working my way behind her as we speak. Please tell me you have that gun handy," Andrew responded the same way.

"I do and I am coming out. Are you in position?" Amelia telepathically said. She started walking slowly towards the door.

"Yup, I hope I don't ruin my new clothes," Andrew responded as before.

Amelia came out of the store and stopped about ten feet from Gloria. Gloria cautiously closed the distance all the while she kept glancing to where Andrew was trying to determine if he was going to attack. She could see that Andrew was relaxed but Amelia was nervous and tensed but surprisingly neither of them showed any fear. "All I want to do is talk to you and Andrew. Can the three of us go somewhere more private so we can talk," Gloria asked cautiously.

Andrew stepped back into the shadows became visible. He could tell by the way that Gloria kept looking at him that she knew he was there. He stepped beside Amelia and handed her the bag. "Let her get changed, then we will talk," Andrew responded.

The three of them walked around a corner of the building. Amelia turned invisible and quickly changed her clothes. Amelia returned to being visible and the three of them stood there a moment sizing each other up. Andrew and Amelia were trying to decide if they could trust Gloria. "There is a small cafe down the street where we can get a coffee and we can talk. Would the two of you do me a favor and allow me to call Susan. She is worried about the two of you and I want to let her know you are OK," Gloria requested

Amelia visibly relaxed she could sense no deceit from Gloria and the only other vampire she sensed was her mate. Andrew on the other hand was still on alert. Even though he could sense no other vampires besides the three of them he still wasn't convinced, that this wasn't a trap. "Andrew darling I was hoping that you would trust me," Gloria said, a little hurt.

"I do trust you, if I didn't I would have attacked you on sight. I am worried that Black may have had you followed. I am sure you are as expendable as we obviously are," Andrew dispassionately said, as he looked Gloria directly in the eyes.

"Andrew what happened? I know that the two of you were attacked but there is something else going on. Susan wanted me to contact her, without Charles knowing. She is never gone behind his back before. Please, I am asking you as a friend tell me what happened." Gloria beseeched.

Andrew did not say anything at first; he just started leading them away from the area. He finally found a secluded spot and stopped; he quickly looked around to make sure no one was around. He started describing the events of the day in detail. He explained that Emma had asked them to investigate the assassinations at a human club. He explained about Stephen's illegal activities and his involvement with Antonio. He also told her that Antonio had recognized Amelia and knew that she was a former FBI agent and that they were there for him.

He explained that the only people knew that they were there for Antonio was Blacks' own inner circle. Finally, he explained that Charles had locked them in a room and placed guard and the door. He also had moved their vehicle effectively trapping them there. "If he wasn't going to eliminate us, why would he lock us in that room and take away transportation?" Andrew demanded.

Gloria could not believe what she was hearing; one of Charles' closest associates had betrayed him. From what Andrew said, the most likely suspect was Emma his own daughter. She now understood why Susan was being so cautious. Gloria was now worried for Susan she could be in danger. "Andrew, will you please trust Susan enough to allow me to call her. She needs to know what is going on and I will get her to come alone," Gloria requested.

"I want some were more public than a small cafe," he responded after considering for a few minutes. He quickly surveyed his surroundings, showing McDonald's across from the mall. He then continued, "I hope you like McDonald's sweet tea. Call Susan and have her meet you here and please don't mention us. It isn't, I don't trust Susan; I'm just afraid someone might listen in and follow her," Andrew said.

Gloria didn't like lying to Susan but she knew that she would understand this instance. Gloria was one the few vampires that could lie to her sire. The fact that Gloria could tell a lie to anyone, and it not be detected was a blessing in her work. That ability coupled with her being able to track anyone or anything was the reason that Susan had never needed the services of the Ubertas Venator.

Gloria dialed Susan's number and waited for the call to connect. "Hello..." Gloria said.

"Did you find them? I heard you caught up with them at Target," Susan interrupted.

"No I lost them; as soon as they saw me Andrew grabbed Amelia and bolted. Damn he is fast! I manage to track them as far as Mac Dade mall then I lost their scent. Would you mind picking me up at the McDonald's across the street? And about how long will it take?" Gloria lied.

"How did you manage to lose their scent? If you are giving up, I can be there in about 20 minutes." Susan responded; her suspicions colored her voice.

"I am sorry, Susan. I think they must have hopped a bus since I lost their trail by a bus stop," Gloria stated. She quickly disconnected the call after that. The three of them walked over to McDonald's ordered sweet teas while they waited for Susan. Gloria had suggested that they sit near the exit in case something went wrong. Gloria volunteered to delay any pursuit to give Amelia and Andrew a chance to get away.

"Gloria, we wouldn't abandon you. If it became necessary we would all fight together and if anyone was going to stay behind it would be me," Andrew stated firmly.

"Andrew I appreciate that, but I would never abandon either of you," Gloria replied. She carefully considered how to broach the next subject. After a few minutes of considering she continued, "I do not believe that Charles is the one who betrayed you two. I understand that he put guards on your door and I know you don't want to hear this, but if I were in his shoes, I would've done the same. Andrew from what I was told you had gone completely over to your feral side and we're having trouble regaining control. The reason he had placed the guards on the door was because in that state you were a danger to everyone around you except Amelia. Frankly, I'm surprised that you did not attack Charles and his men one sight," Gloria explained sincerely. She then took a sip of her iced tea before continuing, "By Charles isolating you the way that he did it gave you a chance to calm down and regain control of yourself. I am not sure why he had the Hummer moved without your permission. If it was me and he didn't have a good reason for it, I would ask Susan to kick his ass for me."

The three of them chuckled at Gloria's comment. The talk then turned to trying to figure out who had betrayed them. The list of suspects was short and it concerned Gloria greatly, specifically the main suspect Emma.

*******

Susan was confused as she hung up the phone from Gloria. It was so very much unlike Gloria to give up so easily, normally Susan would have to drag her in from a chase. "Charles, if you do not need me and Greagor pick up Gloria. I have a couple errands to run. I will meet recalled later," Susan said as she got a quick hug and kiss from Charles.

"Would you like me to ride with you?" Charles asked.

"I would love for you to join me but my car has two seats," Susan responded.

"I thought you brought your Prius?" Charles asked confused.

"No love, I brought my Z --4," Susan replied with a chuckle.

Charles followed Susan out to the car. He whistled as he admired it. "Sweet ride, when did you get it?" Charles inquired gleefully.

Susan knew how to get his hackles up. She decided it would be fun to tease him. "Umm, a few days ago, it was a gift from a friend," Susan responded nonchalantly.

"What friend?" Charles demanded. His words were icy cold as his eyes started to darkened.

"Well to be honest four friends Amelia, Catherine, Scott, and Andrew. They gave me the car as a thank you gift for all of the help I gave them. You should see the Viper that they gave Gloria." Susan teased while laughing.

Charles calm down and his eyes returned to normal. He smiled ruefully as he opened the car door for Susan. "You did that just to get me to react. Please be careful, and I love you. O' by the way, are you coming back to the club tonight?" Charles asked.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to spending time with you. Let me take care of these errands then I will be all yours for the rest of the evening," Susan replied.

"I am looking forward to this evening," Charles said lustfully. He smiled as he leaned into the car for a quick kiss before continuing, "I am heading back to the club, but I am leaving Hank and Belinda here in Andrew's room just in case they come back. I will also have them monitor the situation with the humans."

Charles closed the door and stepped back. Susan took off knowing something was not right about Gloria's call. It concerned her greatly and she was going to find out what the fuck was going on.

*************

Somewhere across town a cell phone rang and a second ring, it was answered. "We have found them, they are with Gloria. What do you want me to do?" the mysterious voice said.

"Kill the female it will cause the male to go berserk, then he will have to be put down. Try not to touch Gloria, I do not wish Susan upset," a cold hard voice replied.

"Understood, I shall call you once I am finished," the mysterious voice responded.

The man with a mysterious voice was parked in the lot across the street from McDonalds. He had the perfect snipers roost set up in the back of his van. In the rear door, he had a disguise panel that he could slide open and take the shot without having to open the doors. He figured he was about 400 meters away, he knew it would take just over a second for a bullet to strike its target. He looked through the scope and he saw Gloria setting with her back to him. This meant he had to shoot over her shoulder to hit his target, not an ideal shot but he had made it many times before.

He loaded the 800 grain exploding head round in to his specially converted to sharp's .50 -140 caliber rifle. He adjusted the windage and elevation settings and his four-powered Leopold scope. He patiently waited until Gloria moved slightly to her right clearing his shot. Just after he squeezed the trigger, Gloria moved right into the path of the bullet.

The window exploded into a million shards and Gloria's body lurched from the impact of the bullet. Blood came pouring out of her wound .She also had blood coming from her nose and mouth. She had a large entrance wound just to the right of her left shoulder blade. Andrew immediately knocked Amelia to the floor as the store exploded into pandemonium, people running and screaming. Andrew carefully slid Gloria off the table and got her on to the floor. She was still alive but gravely wounded. Andrew grabbed Amelia purse and handed it to her. "Amelia give me the gun and call Susan now," Andrew demanded sharply.

Amelia handed Andrew the .380. She then found Gloria's phone and called Susan. "Susan it is Amelia. Gloria has been shot and she is hurt bad. We need help!" Amelia said as she assessed her wounds. She was pale but the blood loss had slowed down. She estimated by the amount of blood lying around she had lost over half of her volume. She kept pressure applied to the wound as she looked around the store noting that it was almost completely empty. Then she could here sirens and knew the police would be there any moment.

Susan was in shock she could not believe that Gloria was hurt. "Where the fuck are you?" she asked harshly.

"We're at the McDonalds across from the mall, waiting on you," Amelia replied.

"I will be there within 5 minutes," Susan said.

"Susan wait, we don't know where the shooter is and the police will be here any minute. Just tell me how to help Gloria, please," Amelia responded. She glanced down to check the condition of Gloria she may have died. She frantically continued, "Hold on a second, I need to check on Gloria."

Gloria was still alive just barely. Her skin had almost no color at all and her body was ice cold. She quickly got back to the phone. "What do we do about the human police?" Amelia desperately pleaded.

*****

Andrew turned invisible and cautiously peeked out the window just in time to see Ford cargo van racing out of the lot of the mall. He slowly scanned the area seeing no threats "how is Gloria doing? And do you sense any other vampires around?" Andrew asked telepathically.

"Gloria is hurt bad, I do not think she will last much longer. I do not sense any other vampires out there. Not that this means much, but I do not sense any threats either; however I didn't sense any before the shot was fired," Amelia responded mentally.

Andrew moved back to where Gloria was while Amelia was on the phone. He knew they had to get moving soon or they would have to explain things to the local police that didn't want to explain. He thought back to all those old vampire novels he read while on stakeouts. He was not sure this would work but he knew Gloria had to have some blood and she needed now. He used his fingernail to slice into his wrist and stuck it into Gloria's mouth letting his blood run down her throat. Gloria's eyes popped open and immediately turned black as her fangs extended. She viciously bit into Andrew's wrist and greedily gulped down his blood.