| |
––––––––
I left the hotel with my hopes of being able to track her from the air crushed as it became clear, after speaking with witnesses, that it was as I suspected. No-one had remembered seeing a Ferrari of any kind in the parking lot. Meaning that my cunning girl had somehow managed to change her car. Now, how she had achieved that without having proof of ownership, I didn’t yet know but at the very least I was close to finding out. And the key had been her friend Wendy.
Dante had come through, as I knew he would for it was clear that he didn’t want me anywhere near her. So, with the ultimatum I had set against him, he had done the job. He had exercised that certain skill set he was known for and admittedly, was a master at. Doing what he did best, which was manipulating her dreams. Something I should have been able to do with just as much ease with Amelia, but something was changing in her.
She was getting stronger.
I’d never had a problem before entering her Void, especially while she slept. Which made me question now if my blood, my influence and essence in her was doing something more than just keeping her immortal? It made me begin to question the past and start asking myself if I had missed something?
Either way, it didn’t change the fact that the timing couldn’t have been worse, despite being at least assured that should she find herself injured in any way, that she would heal. But then I also knew that eventually my essence in her would run its course and when it did, then even in this way I could not protect her.
A fact I spent a great deal of time worrying about and ultimately dreading. But naturally I was hoping it wouldn’t yet come to that. That time, even though it felt like it was slipping through my fingers the longer she was gone from me, would run out for her long before it did for me. However, despite feeling confident that I was tightening the net around her with every hour that passed, I also couldn’t dispel the fabled tale of assumption biting me in the ass!
But as new information was coming in, I had to act accordingly, starting with the flight attendant. Dom had called me to let me know that my instincts had been right, the only thing missing from her room had been a diamond necklace that she had bargained with. Something I was happy to discover, he had retrieved. This was solely for Amelia’s benefit, for I could have bought her all the diamonds she wanted, I was fucking rich enough!
But knowing Amelia the way I did, then I knew that she would already be trying to think of ways of getting it back one day. Little did she know was that it was worth over two hundred thousand dollars. Something we discovered she had traded for nothing more than a small overnight bag, a uniform and a total of $1751.61, that she had drawn out at ATM’s on her way to New York.
Dom had been furious, doing little more than writing the girl a check for double that amount and telling her that she should count herself lucky that she received anything at all. If it had been me, she would have lost a lot more, not gained from it. For if it hadn’t been for the woman’s greed, then I would have most likely found her by now, seeing as she would have run out of gas and had no choice but to try and make it on foot.
However, this gave her enough money to make it to New York, which I discovered was her first destination after Dante had recovered a phone conversation Wendy had with her from her memories. He mentioned some cryptic shit about never giving Wendy access to any sporting goods, mainly the use of a bat and also the name of a friend of Wendy’s who worked at the New York Times.
Which was exactly where I found myself now, stepping through the glass front of the Times’ building on 620 Eighth Avenue, Manhattan. Doing so with the sole purpose of finding the next piece of the puzzle and discovering why the fuck she had wanted to meet with a reporter!
Thankfully, before Dante had given me this information, he also had the foresight to do a background check on the guy. I swear if he wasn’t a royal in his own right then I would have been tempted to bargain with him into joining my people and letting me become his sire. But then the big bastard didn’t exactly need an upgrade of power and nor was now the time to be making offers. As being tied to my life right now was looking more like a fucking death sentence than anything remotely close to personal gain.
He was most certainly efficient in what he did, that was for sure.
Like the information on the reporter, Micky Donnelly, who was nothing more than an unsuspecting family man who had on occasion rocked a few boats with some of the articles he’d had published in the paper. Granted, this was mainly with politicians and other businessmen in power, but as of yet nothing too bad that it had got him fired.
But my one and only question was why him? Something I was close to discovering as I made my way to his cubicle on the floor Dante had told me I would find him. I ignored all the looks I received, making it known I was interested in nothing but my destination. I swear, but I found myself cursing the use of elevators by the time I finally got there. Especially after one woman in a tight blue dress thought that by continuously ‘accidently’ knocking into me, that this was going to make me suddenly look at her differently. That I would look at her with anything but the indifference I had been showing her. Meaning that by the time I reached my floor, I was close to snapping and baring my fangs at her! Especially when the doors finally opened and she handed me her card telling me,
“Call me and I will prove to you that I’m not that clumsy.” I curled my lip in disgust, dropped the card to the floor and walked away telling her,
“I’ll keep my clumsy, thanks.” Then I found my intended target and got right to the point, leaving the outraged woman dumbstruck.
“You were asked to meet a girl with a Ferrari last night.” I heard him release a sigh down at his keyboard before he finally turned around to look at me,
“Damn that Wendy! Look, I don’t know who you...oh.” The sight of me looming over him stopped him in his tracks and after taking a look at our very noticeable size difference, he visibly gulped and started to sweat. His heart rate also increased, and I followed his gaze to my clenched fists, one where the leather of my glove was cracking.
“What I mean is...ahem...what is it you would like to know?” he asked after first needing to clear his throat. So, I put a hand to the small partition wall of his booth, leaned closer and said in what I knew was an intimidating, and threatening way,
“Why Micky... I want to know everything.”
Only ten minutes later I had my phone back in hand and was issuing my next order,
“Bring the car around, we are going back to the helipad,” I said before stepping on the elevator, now having all the information I needed to continue my search. Which also meant it was time to inform Dom just what his precious little princess had been up to. Something that waited until I was once again folding myself inside the limo that had been organized to be waiting for me once the helicopter had landed.
I tapped on his name, wondering whilst waiting for him to answer if it meant that I now needed to change his contact name from asshole to something less derogatory, especially seeing as we seemed to be working together on this.
“Please fucking tell me that you have found something useful?” Dom snapped, obviously like me very near to the end of his patience and answering my internal musing I decided that asshole would stay for now.
“Well, I think I may have found your car, although I am pretty sure you’re not going to like its destination,” I told him.
“Just tell me, Luc, where is it?” His tone said it all and one that would soon turn from frustrated to furious in a heartbeat.
“In a chop shop in Albany,” I told him making him growl low and menacing, gritting out the question,
“And what the fuck was my daughter doing at a fucking chop shop!?”
“That, my friend, is precisely what I am about to find out, but I think we both can guess, seeing as she wasn’t driving your car when she arrived at the hotel,” I said pointing out the obvious.
“Gods in fucking Heaven, Amelia!” He cursed under his breath and I didn’t bother telling him that I had already uttered the same curse seconds after the reporter had told me who it was that Amelia had been trying to find.
“Let me know what you discover.”
“And the car?” I asked making him groan,
“Use your imagination and if that doesn’t work, write a fucking cheque, after all I know you’re good for it.” I scoffed a laugh before telling him,
“Fine but consider it a gift that I will be reminding you of when I am marrying your daughter.” After this I ended the call to the sound of his growl and allowing my frustration a moment’s reprieve after smirking to the thought riling my former King. A sound that despite the circumstances still managed to amuse me.
However, that amusement died the moment I started issuing orders which included calling the helicopter pilot and telling him to get the bird ready as I wasn’t wasting over two hours driving to Albany from the city. Which meant arranging yet another car to be waiting for me when I got to whichever pad was closest for us to land on. During which time I also called Dante, now with a new name for him to research,
A gangster by the name of Big B.
The moment the reporter had mentioned him an image of the blood on Amelia’s hands instantly came to mind and I hated where those reasons took me to, having a bad feeling in my gut. But then again, I also didn’t see any bruises on her in the image she portrayed back to me in the mirror and none were described when questioning the receptionist at the hotel.
Which was why, by the time I reached Washington Avenue and was sat across from the chop shop, I already had a pretty good idea of what I would find inside. Knowing Amelia, it would be broken bones and a red Ferrari.
“Do you have what I need?” I said as a way of answering the phone the moment Dante called me back.
“Oh yeah, I have what you need,” was his amused answer.
“Good, time to go and introduce myself then.”
“It would be rude not to,” he agreed with what I knew was a smirk. And my answer was a simple and knowing one...
“Indeed.”
Night had started to fall by the time I got out of the limo, telling the driver that I would no longer be needing the car and as I took one look at the double roller doors, I told him,
“I will shortly have alternative travel.”
Then I slammed the door and walked across the street up to the doors that I knew were locked. I decided against knocking and instead got right to the point. Something I did by reaching down and forcing them to lift, snapping the locks with the resounding echo of cracking metal as the doors started to crumple upwards. I felt the anger rolling through my senses and rage fueling my blood as it pumped around my body at a greater speed. Now I know I could have just walked inside and commanded every mortal to their knees, at the same time draining them of every memory that contained my girl.
But really,
Where was the fun in that?
No, this way it gave me the rare opportunity to expel some pent-up anger and frustrations. Which was why, when I walked through the now broken doors, I cracked my head to the side, relishing the snap of pain it rewarded. Gods, but I needed what felt like a whole day on the mats, fighting someone with skill. Because one look at the mortals in this garage and I almost wanted to roll my eyes. Although, the more I looked, taking in the details of each, I finally allowed myself a deadly grin.
My girl had done well.
Damn it, but I hated it when she was fucking right! She could take care of herself. Fuck, but just looking at these guys and now I was wondering if she couldn’t be classed as a dangerous weapon on the streets of the mortal world. Of course, it wasn’t the mortal world I was concerned about...it was my own.
“Who the fuck are you?!” Some guy shouted at me as he walked towards me in what he no doubt believed was a threatening way. So instead of answering him, I snapped out a fist quicker than he could react and broke his nose...again.
He dropped to the floor instantly and I hated the fact that I wasn’t free to give more into the punch. For it wouldn’t have just killed him, my fist would have most likely embedded itself inside his skull and that shit was one mess that even I didn’t relish the idea of right now. I still had a lot of travelling to do and didn’t foresee doing so with brain matter crusted on my knuckles as being exactly practical.
Amelia didn’t realise it yet, but it was why I always forced myself to hold back when fighting her. Doing so more with the aim of teaching and well, the last time most certainly ended more to my advantage. Especially when it was becoming clear the addiction to tying her up that had manifested in our sex life very early on.
But this was unsurprising, as it was true that I was a dominant lover, even spanning throughout my long history. But since Amelia, naturally being the first mortal in my bed, well then there was no comparison. The urge to keep her in place and unable to take away my enjoyment as I made her mine and claimed her body, was just too tempting not to give in to. This was also helped by the fact that she also enjoyed it...immensely, for I always made sure of this fact before finding my own release.
But right now, it was time for a release of a very different, violent kind.
“Oh shit, not again.” I heard one of them mutter and from the looks of the sling around his arm, then it wasn’t surprising, nor was the fact that he started to back up.
“Let me guess, you’re the motherfucker missing a Ferrari?” The question came from the mezzanine level above and from who I expected to find walking closer to the rebar railings. Of course, his choice of insults had me questioning exactly what Amelia had said, for however it had happened, she had somehow managed to do business with this asshole.
I replied with a deadly grin,
“No, I am the horror story your boys will tell others when asked how you lost your life, should you choose not to co-operate of course...now where is my woman, Bryant?” I told him making him sneer down at me at the sound of his own name from my lips.
“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are or where the fuck you got that name but both just signed your fucking death warrant...’cause, unlike the last time someone walked in here and fucked with me, now we are all packing, asshole and from the looks of things, you look shit out of luck, as you should have brought a gun.” I smirked at this and told him with a confidence that cracked the air around me along with my knuckles,
“I don’t need luck, Bryant, just as...I don’t need a gun.” I let these last five words out with a demonic growl that made his eyes widen. Then I reached down and picked up an air line before ripping it from the air compressor it was attached to. As the first guy pulled a gun from the holster at his back, I swung the hose and hit him square in the chest with the impact gun that had been the tool the forced air had been used for.
He landed backwards into the tall red tool chest, knocking a set of wrenches off the top with a clatter of sound. By which time, I had started pulling the hose back to me, and was swinging the end of the tool ready for the next asshole. But then one came running at me from behind and I sidestepped with time to spare. This was so that when he passed me, I could then wrap the length of hose around his neck. After this I twisted my body downwards to one knee putting my back to his. The move took him with me and started to cut off his air supply.
It was only when I felt his body go limp that I let him go, just as the first rain of bullets started from both my level and the one above. So, I threw up a hand and stopped them in their path, making them drop to the floor like metal hailstones. And it was just as they were no doubt asking themselves how the fuck I had done it that I turned towards the closest car that they had been working on. It was one that was minus its wheels, hence the impact gun, and soon that wouldn’t be all that was missing.
I grabbed the open door to what I could now see was a Mercedes, ripped it from its hinge arms before using it to throw at the men who were all foolishly stood close to each other, making them one big target for me. The impact rocketed into them, knocking each man back into the wall of tools, just like their fallen colleague before them.
This also caused their guns to scatter along the floor and neither one looked like they were getting up from the hit anytime soon. Or if they knew what was good for them, they would simply fake their injuries.
After this I focused my attention on my intended target seeing now that the big man had gone pale.
Good, it was time fear played a part and like I said, it was time for his own horror story.
One that featured...
The Devil’s Right Hand.