Reese Ch. 08

Joy looked at the wedding dress that Cristiano wanted her to wear and grimaced. It was horrid with all of its lace and frills. She had envisioned something simple yet elegant. Even her mother and sister hated it but pretended to like it. Neither of them wanted to give Cristiano a reason to cancel the wedding. They had already taken full advantage of the credit card that Cristiano had given them to use.

"Shop to your heart's content," he had told them with a smile that appeared to be sincere. But Joy knew otherwise. She knew exactly what he thought of her mother and sister. They were opportunist and were perfectly willing to throw her under the bus for a much better lifestyle.

What she wondered was how Cristiano was going to keep them safe at a wedding where most of the guest would be vampire. Not only them, but other family members who would also be attending the wedding. It was yet something else for her to talk him about. He had to guarantee their safety and she had to see if she could choose another dress. She was beginning to understand Cristiano and the way he thought. He might let her choose another dress, but there would be a price attached to it.

On the bright side, she was getting her school. He grumbled about it but he was holding up his end of the bargain. She had even managed to get him to agree to build the school with a dormitory although to be fair, she played up the fact that she originally wanted the school to be a part of the house.

"Keep your eyes on the prize," she muttered as she looked at the dress again. It was ugly, but if it got her and her kids what they wanted and needed; then she'd wear the damn thing. A tear trickled down her cheek as she thought about her kids. She missed them. She hadn't been back to work since Cristiano had turned her. She felt as if a big part of her was missing.

She couldn't wait until the school was built. At least she could spend evenings there and still teach. She stopped when she realized that they hadn't talked about that. For all she knew, he might expect her to be at his beck and call every moment of the day. She hoped not, she was sure that she would go crazy if that were the case.

"Joy!" Her mother called, "the car is here!"

She hadn't wanted to call for a car. It was bad enough that they were spending Cristiano's money. What she wanted was some sense of normalcy. She wanted to drive to the shops, but she was outvoted by her mother and sister. She knew what Cristiano was doing. He wanted them to get used to the highlife and then use them as a means to control her. The thing was that it was overkill. All he had to do was threaten the wellbeing of the kids but then, Cristiano was a study in overkill.

She grabbed her jacket, purse and the cell phone that Cristiano insisted that she keep with her at all times. It was already set up with a ring that was specific to him, speed dial and the numbers of several vampires to call if she needed help. Again it was overkill. She was watched twenty-four hours a day by either wolves or vampires.

"Joy!" her mother called again this time the impatience was obvious. She was anxious to begin spending money in all of the expensive shops. She had even asked one of her friends to come along not because she really wanted her to come; but because she wanted to brag.

"Coming!" Joy called back as she closed her bedroom door on the ugly wedding gown. She squared her shoulders and decided to say nothing about the dress. In the end, it wouldn't matter.

*****

Cristiano sat at his massive desk. His pants were open and his cock buried deep in the slave sent to clean his office. Cristiano grunted in pleasure as the woman's vaginal walls tightened around him. Someone had taught her well. He grinned when he felt her struggle not to come before he did. To do so was a punishable offense. He wondered how long it would take Joy to understand her role in the bedroom. He was looking forward to training her. He already knew that she considered herself to be his equal. In a few weeks she would learn differently. Finally he decided to come. He grabbed the woman by her hips and rammed into her as hard as he could.

"Come now!" he yelled as he felt his orgasm begin in the base of his cock.

The woman ground against him crying out in pleasure as she reached between her legs and fingered her clit. Her screams of pleasure filled the office. Even after she was silent, Cristiano continued to pump into her. When he was through, the woman slumped against his chest forgetting her place until it was too late.

"What in the fuck do you think you're doing?" he roared as he pushed her off of him. "You're my fucking slave- not my mate!"

"Yes sire," the woman stammered as she got to her knees and bowed before him. "Please forgive me."

"Get out," Cristiano said coldly.

The woman scrambled to her feet and ran out of the office without looking back. Now alone, Cristiano fixed his clothes and looked at the plans for the wedding and gala. A feeling of uneasiness settled over him when he glanced at the guest list. The urge to cancel the entire affair almost overwhelmed him. He shook himself not understanding the anxiety. He picked up the list and began to read the names hoping that whoever or whatever was causing his anxiety would stand out.

When he got to Elena's name he cursed. As much as he wished she was his true mate- he hated her. She had gotten the upper hand with him and that was something that he would never forgive. Rumors of her victory ran through the house and had even reached a few of his business associates. Nothing was ever said to his face- to do so was suicidal. In the back of his mind he knew that there had to be a way to get his revenge and to save face; but what was it? If anything happened to Elena or her bitch suspicion would automatically fall to him.

"Shit," he cursed and then continued to peruse the list. He smiled when he saw Donatello's name and then Vangie's. He was surprised to see that he was bringing a female given what happened to the last female that he took to a party. "Probably his mate," he muttered. He frowned when he saw Emilio's name. He didn't like him. He had been one of the ones hardest on Elena. That he had permission didn't matter. All of the others had showed some restraint, but not him. It wasn't until he reached the bottom of the list that his heart jumped.

"Giovanni Barresi"

He knew that name or thought he did. He was sure that it was no one in his social circles so how did he know that name? It could have been a servant, but a servant wouldn't have been invited to the gala/wedding.

"Who are you?" he asked as he stared at the name.

For the briefest of seconds, the human male that Elena had turned came to mind. Just as quickly he discounted the thought. It couldn't be. He had to be long dead unless...

"No," he muttered under his breath.

****

Leo sat by the phone waiting for a call from Giovanni. He was filled with a sense of excitement. A sense of purpose. He was no longer depressed. He was helping others namely the man who had rescued him and others from Paolo Rossi. He could now do something to pay the debt that in reality he knew that he could never repay. As Giovanni had instructed, he had a list of those he could trust. Those he couldn't were moved to another location. Secrecy was paramount for the success of whatever it was Giovanni was planning. The only thing that he knew was that it involved the gala and that he would be revising his role as servant. There were three others who agreed to help with whatever needed to be done. There were others out seeking Intel. One of them, a young woman had struck up a friendship with a maid from Cristiano's house. Unfortunately, she knew even less than they did.

They could all die, Giovanni warned but yet none of them cared. All of them had lost loved ones at the hands of Paolo Rossi or someone like him. None of them had found someone to fill the void that was created by that loss. A moment later, the phone rang.

"You don't have to do this," Giovanni said for what had to be the hundredth time. "You owe me nothing."

"We have talked about this," Leo replied. "We are willing to die for and with you. I have the names of those that we can trust and yes they are fully aware of the possible consequences."

"Fine," Giovanni said. "I will be contacting you soon with more details. Make sure that your escape plan is in place. Once it begins I may not be able to help you escape."

"Understood," Leo said and then hung up.

He had no escape plan although he made sure that others did. He planned to die killing Cristiano Borcelli.

****

After he hung up, Giovanni logged on to his laptop. Immediately the alert that someone had tried to breach his safeguards flashed across the screen. He called for Marco and waited.

"Whoever did this is good," he remarked as he pushed keys, "and it wasn't accidental. They wanted to attract your attention. Now they know that you know that they were here."

"Can you figure out where it came from?" Giovanni asked.

"Yes because they want you to know," Marco replied. "It's going to take some time though."

Giovanni tried to think of who would be bold enough to make the attempt to breach his system.

"It's another vampire," he said. "No human or wolf would be this stupid. Will you be able to locate them?"

"Not unless they want me too and I don't think that they do. It looks like they just wanted you to know that they were watching you. How many people do you play chess with?" Marco asked as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Just one," Giovanni replied.

"Well damn," Marco cursed. "Whoever this is, they're good... almost as good as me. They want you to know that they tried to breach you but I can't tell where it's coming from. That's going to take some time."

"It has to be related to the gala," Giovanni mused. "It's the only thing that makes sense. Find out where it originated from and let me know. Where's Edgar? We need to discuss the visit with his parents."

"He's in the kitchen making dinner. Giovanni- before you go, I want to tell you something. You are one pain in the ass but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. You need to remember something; we've got your back. We've got each other's back so don't go getting over-protective and mushy. We know that you care for us. What we need from you is to continue being that cold son of a bitch that you can be because that's what's going to keep us alive and will make this plan succeed. If you want to do the family man thing; do it after this shit is over."

He had listened to Alex and knew that she was right, but somehow hearing it from Marco was what he needed. He had to trust them and yes, the family man thing could wait.

"Thank you for that now get your ass back to work."

"Ah there he is! The pain in the ass that we all love," Marco teased and went back to work.

Deep down Giovanni knew who the message had come from. It was his chess partner. The question was why was he contacting him and why now? It had to have been someone from his past, but whom? It irritated him that he had been playing with someone from his past and that he hadn't realized it. The other question was where in his past did they cross paths? Was it during the plague? One of the wars? Did it matter? Probably not. He pushed the questions aside. There were more important issues to be dealt with. Edgar's parents for one. He wasn't concerned about Lewis, it was Jean.

Edgar was in the kitchen as Marco said he would be. He was making a casserole of some kind and dancing around the kitchen as he did it. Giovanni watched amused and then interrupted him.

"We need to talk about the visit with your parents. I don't trust your mother."

"I was just thinking about that," Edgar said turning the radio off. "I don't trust her either. She was never one to do as she was told even though the consequences were high. But you have another concern- me. Even though I have sworn loyalty to you, you don't quite trust me. You think that I'm going to bolt as soon as I see my parents."

Giovanni stood silent.

"I don't know what I have to do to gain your complete trust," Edgar continued. "How long have I been here? Except for initially, have I tried to escape? I've done nothing but help."

"Edgar, I trust you and yes I do have some concerns. It is an easy thing to swear loyalty in the absence of one's real family but what happens when you see that family? Our lives could depend on what you do."

"I know that!" Edgar snapped. "I have chosen, but let's talk about this trust thing. Do you know why I didn't try to leave again? Because you gave me your word that no harm would come to me. I stayed because my mate is a part of you and if you think that I would do anything to endanger him... look Giovanni, I know that you have to think about all of the possibilities. It's what a leader does but a leader doesn't mistrust someone who had done nothing to be mistrusted."

"Alright," Giovanni said after several minutes. "I will give you my complete trust but let me warn you, if that trust is broken there won't be a place for you to hide."

Edgar found himself relaxing. This was the Giovanni that he knew and had come to love and respect.

"I expect nothing less," Edgar replied with a small bow. "Shall we plan my visit?"

"Yes, we should do that, but with the others present." Giovanni replied.

Edgar watched him leave, turned on the radio and continued making the casserole. Part of him was saddened by what he was going to do to his parents but part of him was happy to be where he was. He hadn't felt the sense of belonging from his own family as he did here. He was anxious for the gala to be over so that he and Marco could begin their lives together. In a month, it would happen- if they survived. There was nothing to indicate that they wouldn't survive, but it helped to be cautious.

As the casserole baked, Edgar thought about the past. Primarily his thoughts were about the relationship between him and his father. He found it strange and sad that it took his being kidnapped before his father told him that he loved him. It was even sadder that it took a major event for his father to see that he-Edgar was a strong man. He sighed heavily and sat the table. Chances were that after the gala was over, neither of his parents would ever speak to him again. They would be furious that he had stayed with Giovanni and Edgar of his own free will. They wouldn't understand that he had no real choice once Marco claimed him as his mate.

"They understand," he muttered. "They just won't accept it."

Many times he had thought the vampire world to be a world of contradictions. On one hand they were taught that one's mate came before anything or anyone but in the next breath, one was expected to side with one's family. The vampires considered themselves to be more civilized than any other species, but they often acted more animalistic than those they thought themselves to be superior to. The parties that Cristiano Borcelli threw were a case in point.

He felt a flash of guilt when he remembered how much he was looking forward to attending the gala. He had even planned on buying a slave or two. Now he saw the wrongness of it. He didn't fool himself- had he not been claimed he would have gone and did as he planned. That thought led to another thought that would have to wait until after the gala was over.

Giovanni stood by the door watching Edgar. He was looking for any sign that they would be betrayed by the young man. He knew that Edgar believed what he said, but when the time came; whose side would he be on?

"Ours," Alex said from behind him. "Edgar has come to see us as his family and you have to trust that as much as you have to trust me and Marco."

"I know," Giovanni replied still looking at Edgar who had filled out and had lost some of his feminine looks. "But you and I both know how hard this is going to be for him. He's going to have second thoughts and I don't blame him."

"I agree," Alex replied, "but he won't betray us."

Giovanni gave Edgar one more look and then nodded. Alex, he decided was right. Of all them, she was the most perceptive as far as understanding what others were feeling. He would leave the emotional wellbeing of their new family to her.

"Where are you thinking of having the meeting?" Alex asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Giovanni replied. "We need at least four places. Only one will be the real meeting place and they cannot be close together. After the meal we will sit down and plan. My main concern is Edgar's mother. She may be frightened, but she is a stubborn woman. I can only hope that she doesn't do anything stupid. I will not hesitate to kill her or anyone else who threatens this mission."

As much as hearing the words disturbed her, they settled her as well. The Giovanni they needed was back. She had an idea.

"Let me talk to her."

"No," Giovanni replied. "I want to keep your presence secret for as long as I can."

"Think about it," Alex argued. "She doesn't have to know that I'm your mate. All she has to know is that I'm associated with you. You said it yourself, she isn't scared enough. What would scare her even more is the knowledge that a woman would harm her child. We are supposed to be nurturers; caregivers- the gentler sex."

Giovanni thought about it and decided that the idea had merit but he wanted another female to do it.

"Okay, but who?" Alex challenged. "Think about the women that you rescued. Could any of them convincingly pull this off?"

He had to admit that she was right. Most if not all of the women that were rescued still had the servant mentality. They wouldn't be able to withstand the tone of someone they considered superior.

"Let me do this," Alex said quietly.

"Let's go," Giovanni said. "The sooner we rein her in the better."

*****

Jean was sitting at her desk thinking about her options when Lewis walked in carrying the cell phone.

"It's for you," he said nervously.

Jean took the phone after a brief hesitation. She braced herself to hear the voice of the vampire that had her only child. She blinked when the soft alto of a female filled her ears.

"Hello," the voice said pleasantly. "Let's save ourselves some time shall we? You don't know me but I know you. I know that you are a very stubborn woman who was actually just thinking about disobeying your mate. I also know that my colleague has warned you on several occasions not to involve anyone else in this but yet... Your son is alive and well-for now. You know this because you have been allowed conversations with him. What I don't understand is why you insist on endangering him. It's quite simple; you do as we say and he remains safe..."

"Who..."

"I'm not through," Alex said coldly. "This is your last warning. If you insist on involving your father or anyone else, I will have no choice but to hurt your son. Yes... I said I. My colleague has placed your son in my care as he has other matters to attend to..."

"You would hurt a child?" Jean asked not believing that a female could do such a thing.

"First, he is far from being a child," Alex replied, "and secondly, yes I would and I would do it without hesitation. Would you care for proof? What body part would you like me to send?"

Jean was speechless. The icy tone of Alex's voice told her that she was serious. Her heart pounded as she envisioned Edgar being hurt.

"Please... don't hurt him. You have my word that I will involve no one else."

"You have made this promise before. Why should I believe you? You know...maybe I will send you a little something anyway..."

"NO!! Please!!"

But the line was dead. Jean held the phone to her ear still screaming into it when Lewis took it away.

"I swear to you," he hissed, "if anything happens to him; you will pay."