Amelia & Andrew: The Diamond Legacy Ch. 04

"Andrew love, he's giving up."

The vampire that the others were holding indicated that he was going to surrender. It was then that Amelia realized that he had a broken jaw. She has one of the vampires that were under her control take care of Andrew's prisoner. The blood had stopped flowing from Andrew's neck but he was weak from the loss of blood.

Amelia had just taken out her cellphone to call for help when four dark paneled vans pulled up. Emma and her mate Neal got out of one and Amsu followed by a vampire who stood six feet, seven inches tall with long black hair and gray eyes got out of a second one. It was clear that he was of Middle Eastern descent. Amelia had to admit that he made a very pretty package.

"Susan did say that you two attract trouble." He said with an amused smile.

"How did you know we were in trouble?" Amelia asked.

"How else?" Emma replied. "Catherine told us. She knew that you were going to be attacked, but she was unfamiliar with the city. We misunderstood her description and thought that you had gone the other direction on Water Street.

The vampires that came with Emma quickly disposed of the smoldering corpse and cleaned up the scene. Two vampires helped Andrew to a van, checked him over, and handed him a bottle of blood.

The vampire that arrived with Amsu approached Amelia.

"Ms. Hensley, I am Charles Black. Could you please tell me what happened here?"

Even though it was worded as a request, Amelia knew that it was anything but. Getting into her facing the review board mode, she stood straight and began her report.

"First, please call me Amelia. Andrew and I decided to go for a walk after breakfast..."

Charles was surprised by the clear and detailed report that Amelia gave, but was confused about how the vampire had been set ablaze.

"Please do not take this wrong, but are you sure that it was Andrew and not you that set the vampire on fire?"

"I'm positive." Amelia replied. "I felt him do it. I really can't explain it except to say that I felt the power as it welled up in his mind. I also heard him say the words burn in hell. The next thing I know, the vampire is on fire. I've never seen Andrew project like that and I'm not sure of how long it will take us to master this."

"Please call me Charles." He said. "I'm hoping that we will be able to develop a friendship such as the one that you have with Susan. Are you saying that the two of you have been helping each other learn control of your powers? That is remarkable normal vampires who have no sire have to learn how to control their abilities on their own."

"Andrew and I have been working on developing our powers together." Amelia explained. "I haven't been as much help to him as he's been to me, but he anchors me and keeps me focused. When the need arises, he lends me his strength. I know that this is going to sound strange, but just his being there helps me."

"I understand." Charles replied. "But you will both need to be very careful with this ability. Pyrokinesis is one of our least understood abilities. I would also suggest that you limit the number of people that you tell about this. It seems that you have some form of sixth sense that is nowhere as developed as Catherine's, but it's there."

"Is there some place where we could go where Andrew can safely learn to control his gift?" Amelia asked.

"If you're asking if there is a school or a training facility, the answer is no. You must understand that until recently, vampires had a house to which they were loyal to. The enemies of the house became your enemies; it was the same with alliances. For the most part, it is still that way in Europe and in Mexico except Mexico they are called cartels but this isn't the place to discuss such things."

After she and Charles were finished talking, Amelia went to check on Andrew. He was still weak from the blood loss and from using the Pyrokinesis. He was still trying to figure out how he had done it and if he could do it again.

Amelia wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. Andrew knew that she thought that she had lost him and could feel her anger boiling under the calm façade that she as showing. He wasn't looking forward to having that anger turned loose on him.

Once she saw that Andrew was all right, Amelia took his face in her hands.

"You ass! What in the fuck was that? I thought we had a plan and you let him goad you into attacking him! If you had stuck to the plan, I would have had him and the two flanking him under my control. You wouldn't have been hurt and we may not have had to kill any of them."

"I know." Andrew said sheepishly, "But when he threatened you, I attacked."

Amelia's eyes narrowed as she spoke in a deceptively calm voice. "Andrew Martin, if you ever pull a hair brained stunt like that again; I'll kick your ass. You tell me a plan and then with no fucking warning you change it and almost got yourself killed. Then, you try to justify it by saying that your mate was threatened. You asshole! You could have gotten us both killed! What would have happened if I did what you originally planned and grabbed the guy with the sword to help us? I would have been wasting energy taking control of a dead vampire. We would have been outnumbered and in trouble because of your caveman tactics. You know as well as I do that he used his words t throw you off and it worked"

Andrew let out a harsh breath.

"I did the same thing that you did twice and I never berated you for it! In fact, neither of those vampires was going to attack me. They flirted with me and you lashed out. It is well within my rights to protect my mate from those who threaten her."

Amelia's eyes began to glow. The vampires who were caring for Andrew began to back away.

"How dare you throw that up in my face!" She said angrily. "I don't know why I attacked Catherine, but that other bitch was trying to steal you from me and you looked at her!"

"The only reason that I was looking at her was because she was invading my personal space." Andrew replied his voice just as angry as Amelia's did. "I was going to tell her that I wasn't interested when you went all psycho on her ass and almost got yourself killed! I will reiterate what I said earlier; I have the right to protect my mate."

"You may have the right to defend me," Amelia said, "But you don't have the right to get yourself killed while doing it. If you had just stuck to the original plan, not only would you have defended me; you wouldn't have gotten stabbed."

At this point, Charles intervened.

"Perhaps this is best discussed in private after you've both had a chance to cool off."

They looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They rode back in the same van as Charles and Amsu. The only conversation that took place was when Charles formally introduced himself to Andrew.

Andrew felt badly about the way he had jumped Amelia and had to admit that she was right; he should have stuck to the pan.

"Amelia, I'm sorry. You were right; I should have stuck to the plan. I never should have brought up the past. Forgive me." He said telepathically.

Amelia snuggled closer not caring that he was covered in blood.

"I'm sorry too. I was so scared that I had lost you when you were stabbed. According to Charles, we have a lot of work ahead of us. He also said that Pyrokinesis is one of their least understood gifts. He told me that we should be careful about who we reveal our powers to."

Once they arrived back at the club, the vans that they were riding in pulled into a building next to the club. After they unloaded Emma lead, Andrew and Amelia to a rear set of stairs that took them to the third floor.

"Get cleaned up and join us in the office where we met last night." Emma said.

"Give us fifteen minutes." Andrew replied. "Thank you for your help this morning."

Emma shook her head.

"I'll never doubt mother again. I'm just glad that you're alright."

They took a quick shower and got ready for the meeting.

"How are you going to learn to control this ability?" Amelia asked.

"I'm not sure." Andrew replied. "I guess we'll have to find an area where there is nothing to burn. I'll just keep practicing until I have it under control. I'm not sure that I like using that power, it drained me; I feel worn out."

Amelia nodded as she finished getting dressed. She chose a summer dress with floral print on it and a pair of flat shoes.

"It'll get better once you have it under control." She said. "I was worn out when I first started using my abilities. Now I can use it several times and I don't get near as drained as I used to."

Andrew buttoned his shirt and slipped on his loafers.

"But if I make a mistake, I could burn a whole neighborhood down." He replied.

"I'm sure that you'll get it under control." Amelia said hugging him. "We'll just have to be careful until you do."

She stepped back while Andrew grabbed his wallet and room key. They held hands as they walked to their meeting with Charles.

When they got to the office, Charles was not there.

"Please have a seat." Emma said. "Father had to take a conference call. He shouldn't be too long."

As they were taking their seats, Andrew saw a newspaper and asked if he could borrow it. After getting permission, he read the headlines:

"Three men decapitated in downtown nightclub"

"Amelia." Andrew said telepathically, "You may want to read this with me."

"Three men were beheaded at the Club Nuveen last night. However, there were security cameras on scene a source close to the investigation said there is no clear images of the suspect. No one from inside of the club could recall anything about the suspect. However, a man who was the club reported seeing a Hispanic male running from the club. He was described between twenty and twenty -five with shoulder length black or grey hair his height was reported somewhere between five foot-eight to five foot --ten .weight was said to be between one- hundred and thirty to one- hundred and forty pounds. He was wearing a light grey business suit with a light pink shirt. If anyone can offer any information as to the identity of this unknown person please contact your local police department"

The victims are Carlos Martinez, Juan, and Raul Hierra. All three me are reported to have ties to the Martinez drug cartel. Carlos Martinez was the grandson of Santiago Martinez, the reputed head of the cartel. The Hierra brothers both have long police records and Raul was wanted for questioning in connection with a triple homicide in Pensacola, Florida..."

The story continued with giving more background information.

"The attacker sounds like a vampire." Andrew said quietly. "I wonder what in the hell is going on?"

"I agree." Amelia said. "Do you think that the cartel is being run by vampires?"

Amelia went to mind speak

"If they are, does that mean that Charles Black is nothing more than a two-bit drug king pin?"

Andrew grimaced at the thought.

"I guess we can ask him about it." Andrew said before switching to telepathy. "I sure as hell hope not, but we need to be prepared. Do you know where Scott and Catherine are?"

Amelia closed her eyes for a moment and smiled.

"They're at the mall looking at baby things. They're safe for the moment. How do you want to play this?"

"Loosely." Andrew replied. "If things go wrong in there I'll try to keep Charles occupied long enough for you to either take control of or wipe Amsu out. If you can't do anything with him, then we'll switch targets. The problem is I don't know how long I'll be able to stand against them; I'm still weak from the fight this morning."

Emma watched them and could tell that they had gone on alert although she didn't know why. She saw that they were having a private conversation and that something in the paper made them nervous. She entertained the idea of reading their thoughts, but if she were caught; they would never trust her again.

"Is everything alright?" She asked. "You seem tense; did you see something in the paper?"

Andrew was in the process of deciding if Emma was a threat when Amelia spoke to him telepathically.

"She is genuinely worried about us. She is wondering what it is that has us concerned."

Andrew gave Amelia a nod and spoke to Emma.

"We were just reading about the murders at Club Nuveen. We were wondering if vampires were involved."

Emma gave them a confused look as she got a copy of the paper and read the story. As they watched, her demeanor changed.

"Son of a bitch! I'm not going to let them get away with this! Philly is neutral territory and Rodrigues knows this. Now the emergency conference call makes sense. Damn it! I should be in on it."

"Would you mind explaining what's going on?" Andrew asked.

"Fuck it!" Emma swore. "I'll bring you up to speed and if father doesn't like it; tough fucking shit. There's some of this that you may be aware of, but I'll go through it anyway just in case you aren't up to date. Right now, there are six cartels running drugs through North America. Normally we wouldn't care, but the lead enforcer for Mexico has decided to supplement his income with drug money. He's already taken over the Rios cartel and was either destroying or taking over the other cartels. The problem is that he's turning humans to act as guards and enforcers for his drug empire.

The Martinez cartel is run by a vampire who has been running it since the twenties. Outside of his immediate family and a few of his guards, it was always a human operation. That is until Rodrigues set his sights on him. Santiago sent his grandson Carlos to see father about intervening to stop Rodrigues from using his position of enforcer to cover up his illegal activities. According to what I've been told, in the last month he's turned twenty of his men into vampires. I need a big favor from you. Name your price, but I want the assassin alive and able to answer questions."

"We'll need access to our weapons and the crime scene." Andrew said. "Any information on the suspect pool would also be helpful."

"I can have your truck out back in ten minutes with your weapons inside. There will also be a disc with all of the pertinent information. Hand me your cell phone and I'll program my number in for you. Also need to know what you are going to charge me so that I can have it ready." Emma said.

"We'll take a good steak dinner plus any expenses we incur." Andrew said. "We'll be sure to save the receipts."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked shocked. "Isn't there anything else that you want?"

"Yes." Andrew said after thinking for a minute. "A copy of the crime scene reports from last night and you have to explain to your father why we aren't here."

Emma gave him a mocking smile as she handed the cell phone back to him.

"Now you're asking for something hard. Neil's number is in there as well as mine. Keep me posted."

Amelia and Andrew went to their room to change into more appropriate attire. They packed a change of clothes just in case they needed them. As they got ready to go, Andrew wondered what else other than Amelia's powers could be used to restrain a vampire.

As they were heading out, Andrew saw Mitchel and stopped to talk to him.

"What can be used to restrain a vampire?" he asked.

Mitchel handed him a pair of handcuffs.

"These are made from a special metal that inhibits a vampire's abilities and takes away their strength." He said.

"Can I buy a couple of sets?" Andrew asked as he handled the cuffs.

"Why do you need them?" Mitchel asked.

"We're thinking about doing some bounty hunting and may need a couple of sets." Andrew replied.

"I'll talk to Ms. Black about it." Mitchel replied. "If she approves it I can sell you four sets. Let me give her a call now."

Andrew nodded and loaded the duffel bag in the back of the truck. He pulled out the Glock and handed it to Amelia along with an extra clip. He placed the three-eighty under the driver's seat while Amelia placed the Glock under the passenger seat and the extra clip in the glove box.

A few minutes later, Mitchel came out and handed Andrew four sets of the restraints.

"Ms. Black charged them to your account." He said.

Andrew put the cuffs in the duffel bag,programmed the GPS system, and headed toward the crime scene. Amelia booted up the laptop, inserted the disc that Emma had given them and started going through the files.

She stopped to look at the information on Carlos. It was more or less, what she expected to find. He was the suspect in over a dozen murders and the witnesses either forgot or disappeared. Amelia also noted that Carlos had been born vampire and that his father had been killed when Rios firebombed one of their warehouses. His mother, in her grief had gone over the edge and had to be put down. The report also mentioned that his two guards were humans that had been turned twenty years before. Amelia relayed the information to Andrew as she read it.

As she read the files, she made notes on the victims. The next file she opened was on Rodrigues. He had become lead enforcer for Mexico in nineteen-ten. He had run it without incident until the nineteen seventies when he got greedy and took over a little known cartel.

Initially it was weed and meth, but then he expanded adding crack, weapons, and women to his available merchandise. The latest report was that he was trying to take over the Mexican drug trade. It would get interesting if the rumors that he turned a Mexican Army General were true.

Andrew pulled up in front of the club but it was a beehive of activity. He drove to a side street and found a parking spot. He and Amelia became invisible and went into the club. They could see the forensics team still collecting evidence from the crime.

"I could use a distraction." He said telepathically.

Amelia smiled and went to the kitchen. A few moments later, Andrew heard her scream and then the sound of a door slamming. The four technicians and the officer who was acting as guard charged into the kitchen leaving the evidence that they collected unattended.

Andrew quickly gathered the evidence and the camera that was being used to take pictures of the crime scene. He went through the evidence and saw that outside of the blood spatters and the two ornate knives; most of it was useless. He was sure that the knives belonged to the victims.

When he picked up the knives, he saw the assassin. He was a six-foot Hispanic male with shoulder length brown hair and a vicious looking scar on his neck. It looked as if someone had tried to slit his throat. He had also used a wakizashi and not a katana as a weapon.

Still holding the knife, Andrew watched as the assassin killed one of the victims. One of the victims however had wounded the assassin before dying. That meant that the assassin had to feed and wouldn't have time to dispose of the body.

Amelia alerted him that the crew was returning. He grabbed as much of the evidence as he could and headed for the hummer. As he left, he told Amelia to meet him there. He heard the technicians cursing because they realized that the majority of their evidence was missing. He could see that their clothes were a mess and that they were bruised.

"What did you do to them?" He asked telepathically.

"I poured cooking oil on the floor and dumped the pots and pans on them." Amelia replied with a chuckle. "I figured when they heard me scream they would come rushing in. The oil did the rest. Honestly, it was like watching the Keystone Cops."

Andrew put the evidence in the rear of the truck and got in. Amelia joined him a minute later still chuckling. He handed her the SD card from the camera so that she could load the pictures onto the laptop. He heard the beep from his cellphone indicating that he had messages. When he looked, he saw that there were two from Emma.