Reese Ch. 02

Edgar begged to be released so much that Reese made a threat that wasn't idle.

"If you don't shut up I'm going to cut your tongue out."

Edgar shut up wishing that he had taken the time from playing to learn the skills that he needed to protect himself.

****

Lewis Nichols scowled when he called the beach house for the fifth time and no one answered. He was already regretting inviting Edgar to the house. He only did it because Jean, his wife kept bitching to him about reconnecting with their only child.

"He is what he is and ignoring him isn't going to change it. He's still your son and heir. So invite him to the beach house and start acting like his father."

Usually he could side track her with a nibble on the neck and a hand down her panties or a shopping trip, but this time none of those things worked. She got both things and then still demanded that he spend time with their son.

"He enjoys those parties... invite him," was her final instruction.

"Shit!" Lewis exclaimed as he hung up. He was imagining the reason why Edgar wasn't answering the phone and swore again. He didn't get it. None of his other male relatives preferred other men and if they did, he didn't know about it nor did he want to. Having to acknowledge Edgar was bad enough. He sighed and debated about what he should do. He still had some business to attend to before he went to the beach house. Finally, after much self-debate; he decided to send someone to the house.

Two hours later, Lewis got a call.

"Lewis, I'm at the house," the guard said. "His belongings are still here and half of the list of things that you gave him to do is completed. Maybe he just went out for a while-

"Hold on," Lewis said, "I've got a call coming through-it's Edgar."

****

Edgar cowered in the back seat of the van unable to move or speak. He had made the mistake of trying to vanish. When he realized that he couldn't, he began to beg to be let go. He offered everything that he could think of including himself. Finally tired of the racket, Reese bound him with a thought and figuratively cut out his tongue.

He could hear Edgar trying to talk around the 'gag' and ignored him. As he drove the house, Reese began to plan his next move. He had to let Lewis know that he had his son and begin to mentally prepare himself for the party. For a brief moment, he considered Marco's suggestion that he wait until after the party to go take care of Paolo, but the thought that some of the others being there was enough to make him stay the course.

Reese pulled up to the gate, murmured the numbers to open the gate and drove in. He murmured a few more words and continued drove into the garage that was connected to the house. He shut of the engine, turned around and gave Edgar a small smile.

"Thank you for helping me although it is and will be against your will."

He released the gag so that Edgar could talk. It was time to get all of the preliminary questions out of the way so that he could concentrate on his plans.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" Edgar asked as soon as he could speak.

"My name is Reese and you are going to help me by calling your father."

"I don't understand. Do you know my father?"

"Not well, but I know who he is. We didn't travel in the same social circles."

"Has he wronged you somehow?"

"Fortunately for him; no. But I know that he won't help me without a little incentive."

Edgar laughed surprising Reese.

"Good luck with that. The man hates me and will probably be glad that I'm gone."

"No parent hates their child no matter what they've done," Reese replied. "But even if he did, your father is too concerned about what others think- that's why he makes you call him uncle instead of father. He will help me and as long as he does, no harm will come to you."

"How do you know about that?" Edgar asked.

"That doesn't matter," Reese replied. "Now are you going to get out on your own or do I have to carry you?"

Ordinarily the idea of being carried away by a handsome man made Edgar's heart flutter, but not now. He knew that while Reese was being polite, he felt the undercurrent of danger that came from him.

"I'll walk," he said.

"I am going to unbind you," Reese said. "Don't bother trying to get away-the house is sealed."

As soon as Edgar felt the binds release and the door to the van was open, he made a run for it. He got no more than four steps when he felt the binds go around him again. He choked back a cry when a stab of pain shot through his head.

"That was stupid but necessary," Reese said quietly. "I suppose that you had to try, but what I don't understand is how you don't even have the basic survival skills that a newborn has. Taking you was much easier than I had planned. Let's go."

Reese took Edgar to the 'panic room' and showed him around.

"There is blood and human food in the refrigerator and a small bathroom in the back. I stocked it with the basics. Put any dirty linen in the hamper and I'll attend to it later."

"How long are you going to keep me here?" Edgar asked looking around.

"For as long as I need you. How pleasant you make your stay is up to you."

"What if I refuse to help you?" Edgar asked.

"Your mother's name is Jean," Reese replied. "At this very moment she's shopping for the party and I know where she is. It would be a simple matter to go there and to end her life."

He really didn't know where she was. He was making an assumption, but Edgar was already frightened and didn't question it.

"What is it that you want me to do?" Edgar asked.

"That's better," Reese said. "I want you to call your father from your cell phone."

"Why didn't you call him?" Edgar asked.

"Because if he's anything like me, he won't answer the phone if he doesn't recognize the number. When he answers, tell him that you're with someone who needs to speak with him."

"I really so think that you're overestimating my father's sense of duty to me," Edgar replied.

Reese shrugged, "maybe but I have another option. You were the easier of the two. Call your father."

Edgar fished his cellphone out of his jeans pocket and dialed the number. His father answered on the second ring.

"Edgar? Where in the hell are you?"

"Dad..."

"I've called several times and you didn't answer your cell phone either."

"Dad, listen a minute... Dad! Will you shut the hell up for a minute?"

There was silence telling Edgar that his father was in shock at the way in which he had just been spoken to. Edgar had to admit that it felt good and wondered why he hadn't done it before."

"I'm with someone who says that he needs to talk to you. I'm going to hand the phone to him so please don't hang up."

A few seconds later, Reese was talking to Lewis Nichols.

"Who is this?" Lewis demanded.

"My name is Gerald," Reese said smoothly," and I have your son."

"How much do you want?" Lewis asked.

"It isn't your money that I want or need," Reese replied.

"Then what do you want?"

"I need to be at the party that Paolo Rossi is throwing," Reese replied.

"The invitations have already gone out! I can't get you in."

"Edgar is your only child is he not?"

"Yes but..."

"If you don't care about him as he seems to think, then perhaps you might care if I took Jean-"

Lewis hesitated. If he had to sacrifice someone, it would be Edgar but that didn't mean that he didn't care about him.

"Alright- you can come as my guest," he said after a few minutes.

"Good, I'll call you later from another phone. Edgar's phone is no longer functional."

As he said it, Reese had begun to tighten his hand around the phone. By the end of the statement, the phone was completely destroyed.

"Make yourself comfortable," Reese said as he vanished.

*****

Paolo couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding. Everything within him screamed for him to cancel the party, but pride wouldn't allow it. He had never cancelled a party before and he wasn't going cancel one now. He unsuccessfully tried to shake the feeling off, but it seemed to get worse. For the first time, he understood what the humans at his party felt once they understood what was happening. He discovered very quickly that he hated the feeling.

He went into his room to sequester himself from his servants. Even they would come after him if they smelled fear. It wouldn't matter that they didn't stand a chance against him even collectively-they would still try to come after him. To further mask the scent of his fear, Paolo lit the lavender incense that was set in strategic places around the room. He knew that no one would question it as it was his favorite scent.

He turned on his desktop and went to a very rarely visited website in the hopes of finding a reason for his uncharacteristic fear. Once there he saw the announcement about the Borcelli's. It made him nervous, but he wasn't frightened by the news. In fact, he was anticipating going to the ball. He scrolled down looking for anything else that could offer an explanation for his fear. Seeing nothing, he logged off.

Paolo remembered Alberto's death and Edwards warnings. He still believed that Alberto was killed by hunters, but he was now questioning whether he should have listened to Edward's warnings. Once again the thought to cancel the party and leave crossed his mind and once again he refused to do it. Instead, he labeled himself as being silly and made himself calm down. He stayed in his room until he was back in control of his emotions. When he left the room, He didn't notice that he was being watched.

***

Leo was the only one who seemed to be able to smell Paolo's fear even through the scent of the incense. He attributed it to the fact that he had been with Paolo longer than anyone else- and his connection to him seemed to be stronger. He wished that the others could smell Paolo's fear too. If they did, they could have attacked him as a group.

He wracked his brain for a way to get rid of Paolo before the party, but then realized that his best chance was during the party or shortly afterwards. With the party being only two days away, his time was getting short. He ran through the names of the servants trying to think of whom he could trust enough to help him. Natalie was out of the question which left only Tobias, Eric, Shirley and Renee. Of those four, Shirley was the one that he trusted the most. Like him, she had lost someone because of Paolo. There was another advantage to choosing Shirley, she was computer savvy. Whereas he didn't even know how to turn one on.

Paolo often used her skills when he was too lazy to check on his investments. Leo had wondered if she was ever tempted to take some of the money.

"Tempted yes," she replied when he asked her about it, "But I'm not stupid. I'm sure that he has more traps set than I can count. At the very least, he'll get a ding if any of his accounts come up short. I've never been on the receiving end of what he can do and I don't plan to be."

There was something in Shirley's tone of voice that told Leo that she was working on something. He didn't push because he knew that she wouldn't tell him. From that moment on, he made a point of getting to know her. He now considered them friends and wondered if she had found a way to get around whatever alarms Paolo had set up. It had been several months since they talked about what she did for Paolo and the only way to find out was to ask. He waited for several minutes to see if Paolo would call him and went in search of Shirley.

****

As Vangie slept, Donatello thought about how to begin to tell her about what he had been and what he had done. He wondered if he shouldn't begin with Lisbeth. After all, it was her that helped him to become the man and vampire that he now was. Maybe if he started there, the rest wouldn't seem so bad.

"Coward," he muttered under his breath.

The thought stopped him. He had been running for centuries and for what and from whom? He looked at Vangie and realized that he had kept her from so much because he was afraid. Maybe it was time to join the world of the living. They would still have to be careful and avoid others of his kind, but...

It was time. It was time for him to start facing his past and there was no time like the present.

"Vangie darling wake up," he said softly as he kissed her head.

"What's the matter?" Vangie asked sleepily and then her eyes snapped open. "Do we have to leave?"

"No sweetheart, we don't," Donatello replied. "I want and need to tell you about Lisbeth."

"You don't have to..."

"Yes I do," Donatello interrupted. "Lisbeth.... Before I tell you, do you need anything?"

He let her out of bed to use the bathroom and got her a drink while she was gone. When she came out, he handed her the drink and waited.

"Donatello, you don't have to tell me," Vangie repeated.

"Thank you, but I must," Donatello replied. "As my mate you are entitled to know everything about me. To keep things from you any longer would be lying to you and I can no longer do that."

The ball of ice was back in Vangie's stomach. She wasn't so sure that she wanted to know Donatello's secrets.

"I am going to start with Lisbeth because of what happened to her. I guess that you could say that it is my way of paying homage to her."

"You loved her," Vangie said softly feeling a pang of jealousy.

"Yes, but not in the way that I love you," Donatello assured her. "Lisbeth was my first and only slave before you. I found her wandering the streets after I had been turned. Her family was gone-they were all killed by the plague."

"You took her in, that was kind of you," Vangie said intertwining his fingers with his.

"It wasn't kindness that guided me," Donatello replied. "I was drawn into the power that my new life gave me. The fact is that even in my human life I wasn't known as being a kind man. I wasn't cruel, but until the sickness came and people began to drop like flies- I simply didn't care. I was the personal physician to the senators. I lived and ate well while others barely had enough to provide for their families."

"I don't believe that," Vangie said. "You have always been nothing but kind to me and if you weren't; it was because I overstepped the bounds of our relationship."

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better, but that won't happen until I tell you about Lisbeth. As I said, I found her wandering the streets after her family died. She was doing what hundreds of people were doing- she was scavenging for food. When I saw her, she was dirty and malnourished; but so beautiful. By this time I had been changed and as I said, I was drunk on the new power that I had. I went to her and made her an offer that she had no choice but to accept."

"You compelled her,"

"It didn't take much, but yes I compelled her. All of us had what we called pets with the exception of me. I took her home, cleaned her up and it wasn't long before I began to care for her. I didn't feel the same pull that I felt toward you, but I cared for her. I promised her that I would take care of her and that no harm would come to her-and I failed."

Donatello stopped speaking; his eyes were closed as tears trickled down his face. Vangie gave his hand a gentle squeeze and waited.

"Vangie... the human girl that I told you about, the one who died at the party was Lisbeth. It was I who allowed her to be used, abused and then killed. I had never been to a party before and wanted to fit in so when the invitation came- I accepted. I should have talked with someone who attended these parties to find out what to expect, but in my arrogance and stupidity, I didn't.

The things that went on... Vangie it was horrible, but yet I couldn't make myself leave. When the host of the party asked to have a turn with Lisbeth, I let him; but I gave no limits as to what was acceptable. I found out later that he should have asked. I watched as he took her and then whipped her because she didn't want to participate in a show. I was too afraid to stop him when I saw that he was hurting her much more than necessary for her refusal.

Even now I can hear her screams for mercy and my protection. My dreams are plagued with that night. They are not as bad since you became my mate, but still they persist. The night that you claimed me, she came to me in my dreams. I was having the nightmare that seemed more intense than any other time. At the end of it, she appeared to me and released me from my guilt. Even so, I will always feel guilty for not protecting her as I should have."

As Vangie listened, things began to make more sense.

"That day that I beat you so horribly...Yes I still think about that," Donatello said when he saw the surprise on her face. "I was afraid for you. The person that I allowed to kill Lisbeth was in the area. I didn't know if he knew that I was there, but I didn't want to take any chances that he would find us. When you questioned me, all I could think of was Lisbeth and getting you safely away. I reacted badly and again, I apologize. There is no excuse for what I did."

"May I ask a question?"

"You may ask me anything that you like," Donatello replied. "Our relationship has changed in that you are no longer my slave, but my mate."

"Can't I be both?" Vangie asked after a few minutes.

"Is that what you want?" Donatello asked. It was what he wanted, but she had to be the one to suggest it.

"It's what I want," Vangie replied. "But my question is this, when do we stop running from whatever it is that you're afraid of? I'm sorry about Lisbeth and I can understand about not wanting to see the one who killed her, but Donatello... it's more than that."

Donatello looked at her wondering what else she had noticed.

"There is more, but for now I want to ask you a question. Given what I just told you, will you continue to trust that I will allow nothing to hurt you?"

"You have done nothing but keep me safe since you first found me," Vangie replied. "Why would I doubt that you wouldn't continue to do the same? Donatello, whatever it is that you think is coming after us; you have to tell me about it."

"I will, but there is another matter that I need to discuss with you first," Donatello replied. "I would like to turn you. You would be faster, stronger and whatever latent psychic gifts you have will activate..."

"Yes."

"But I haven't explained it to you," Donatello said surprised by the speed of her response.

"I told you that I trusted you to keep me safe," Vangie said. "If turning me is part of that then I'll do it no matter what's involved. But Donatello, I want to be able to help keep you safe as well. What I'm saying is that while I agree to remain your slave, it's in the bedroom only. I want to be an equal participant in everything else and that means no more secrets. Do you accept my terms?"

"I accept," Donatello replied without hesitation, "and Vangie, things are going to be different. I'm tired of hiding from a threat that may only be in my head. We will still exercise caution, but it's time for us to enjoy life. I would like to begin by taking you shopping and then to dinner."

Vangie was speechless. When she spoke, she made a suggestion.

"Turn me first."

****

Reese called Lewis Nichols back on a prepaid phone.

"First, I hope that you haven't told anyone about me. As cliché as it's going to sound, I'm warning you that if you involve anyone else in this, your son will pay the price and then I'll go after Jean."

"Do I know you?" Lewis asked.

"No, but I know who you are Mateo Ponzi," Reese replied. "After this call, you will purchase another phone to which only I will have the number. No matter when I call, you will answer. Now go purchase your phone. I will call you for the number- by the way, make it one of the prepaid phones and remember, tell no one about this."