Shadows of Deceit (A Series of Shadows)

by Mell Corcoran

  Abby nodded and took up the tale. “So the guys are taking Cameron Timms pieces back to Moshe, the African Dominor. It’s customary for the presiding Dom to dispose of any traitors. Max is extending that courtesy so that Moshe doesn’t look weak after letting Cameron get away with, well, bloody murder, for lack of a better way of saying it!”

  “Once they take care of that...” Frank continued. “The South American Dom is giving us a shot at Manuel Rojas and Ernesto Vargas before they are executed. Max needs some questions answered before they go bye-bye.”

  “What kind of questions?” Lou asked, having a few herself.

  “That doesn’t matter.” Abby assured her. “I’m sure they’ll brief you once they get back.”

  Lou thought she had an idea although they said they had only started listening in after Dillon got back in the car. As it stood now, only Lou and the recently departed Timms knew that he had helped Albert get away. Lou didn’t think she needed to add to the pot by telling them any of that right now. It could wait.

  “Connor went with them too?” Lou asked.

  “Yeah, why?” Frank looked confused.

  “Max and the whole Council had to go.” Abby added.

  “Damn.” Lou blew out a breath. “I was hoping he could open his trunk of tricks one more time for me.” She blew out another breath and Abby realized by the way Lou’s eyes were watering that she was in serious pain.

  “Oh shit!” Dillon had seen it too. “Did I hurt you when I carried you upstairs?! I am so sorry Lou!”

  “No, I just think with all the adrenaline, things are a little amplified right now.” Lou didn’t have the heart to tell him how bad it had hurt when he tossed her over his shoulder.

  “Oh! I can take care of that!” Abby leapt up and went around to the other side of Lou’s bed where Connor’s first aid trunk was still residing.

  “She needs to eat something before she passes out!” Shevaun came into the room holding a tray of food. Marta, the housekeeper following behind her with even more. “Everyone come on now, eat up.”

  Another lie Dillon had told Cameron Timms, Marta rarely, if ever, took a day or night off. When Lou smelled her fresh baked empanadas, Lou had never been more grateful for that fact.

  Lately it hadn’t been unusual for Lou to not remember when she fell asleep, or what she was doing just prior. She hated needing pain medication. After her run-in with Albert Von Messenbach, she was on so much medication in general that Lou made a vow to herself that as soon as possible, one multivitamin a day was going to be all she ever took again. Clearly that was not working out for her.

  She laid in bed for a long time after waking, staring at the ceiling, piecing events from the night before together as best she could. Lou didn’t like having the upper hand taken from her yet again. Her injuries and exhaustion had made her drop her guard, allowing Timms to get in that back seat. It royally pissed her off. She needed to get healthy again. She needed to be stronger. Lou’s mind immediately went to the character Sara Connor, from the Terminator movie. Yes, she needed to be like her. Wicked strong and always on alert. Prepared for any scenario she was bound to fall into given this new life she was leading. There was a faster way of accomplishing this goal, she knew. The whole concept of turning scared the crap out of her. Since her indoctrination, she had put that option out of her mind. Even with what little she knew about the process, it was not a choice to be taken lightly. Twenty-eight days of agony with a good percentage weighing towards not making it through. Yes, she would be stronger, less fragile, able to heal at an astonishing rate. Case in point was Dillon and his two gunshot wounds. The man barely had blemishes where the bullets had ripped through him only days ago. That was a serious advantage, indeed.

  There were also very serious drawbacks to choosing to turn, though. Eventually Lou would need to move, relocate. Her lack of aging at a normal rate would draw suspicion. Sure, that was many years off but could Lou really leave? What of those she loved? Watch them all wither and fade away while she continued on? Could she really do that? She pulled a pillow over her face and screamed into it. Too much to think about. Too much to process.

  “Lou!” Abby pulled the pillow away, her face awash with worry. “Are you alright? What’s wrong? Tell me what hurts!”

  “I’m fine!” Lou assured her. “Were you in here the whole time?”

  “We took turns during the night keeping an eye on you.” Abby sat on the edge of the bed. “Now why are you yelling into your pillow? Talk to me.”

  “I’m fine, really.” Lou grumbled and tried to sit up as best she could without incurring too much pain. She knew today was going to be the worst of it so she just had to grin and bare it. “I’m just pissed is all.”

  “What are you pissed about?” Abby smoothed Lou’s matted hair back and smiled.

  “That dick getting the drop on me.” She was pouting. “I cannot believe I let him get in that car. What the hell is wrong with me? You think I would have learned by now!”

  “Lou, you can’t do that to yourself! What could you have done, honestly?” Abby tried to console her as she got up to fetch her a cup of coffee. “I mean, really? What are the odds of this happening again? They were flukes we couldn’t have anticipated. You need to remember both Cameron and Albert are Sanguinostri! They are stealthy, quick and exceedingly strong.”

  “Abby, you forget this is not the first or second time a man has snuck up and gotten the drop on me.” Lou gave her a weary look and Abby thought as the Keurig spit Lou’s brew into her mug. “Sawyer was just an asshat and he got me twice, remember? And, if we are honest, there are the two monkeys he hired to grab me at the barbecue place too. I mean, come on! This is getting silly!”

  “That guy was a psychopath!” Abby shook her head as she returned with Lou’s steamy mug. “Maybe we are looking at this wrong, too.” Abby said as a thought occurred to her. “First of all, it’s clearly an occupational hazard that you need to take into consideration. You put bad men away. Statistically some are going to want payback.”

  “I suppose.” Lou conceded as she accepted the mug gratefully. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” Abby smiled then snuggled up beside Lou on the bed before she continued. “Now, another thing I bet you don’t even think about, let alone factor in to the equation is that you are freaking hot, unbelievably smart, completely awesome at your job and you take shit from no one!”

  “Oh come on!” Lou scoffed.

  “I am serious, Lou!” Abby insisted. “That and the fact that you’re a woman? Remember, God made man first, realized how badly he screwed up, then he made us! Men can’t help being jealous. And your awesomeness, well, that is going to draw some envy on any given day but lets be honest here! Part of your job is dealing with some seriously warped people so that’s going to amplify their jealousy. Especially now that we’ve got you mixed in with our people.”

  “I thought Sanguinostri were above all that?” Lou reminded her. “Enlightened or some shit.”

  “Uh, hello?” Abby gave her a sideways glance. “Yeah our physiology may lean to the erudite but you know as well as I do, everyone has baggage and no one is perfect. Sanguinostri are human, just evolved to an amplified level.”

  “Amplified?” Lou asked.

  “I’ll tell you how I see it.” Abby answered. “You know how some people say that alcohol amplifies normal character traits? If your a sappy person, when you drink too much you get even more sappy?” Lou considered and nodded. “And if you have a propensity for violence, as a drunk you turn in to a belligerent and violent jackhole?”

  “Yeah.” Lou saw where Abby was going.

  “Well, I think that who you are as a person is enhanced when you are turned. Which is why I think we have so many rules and criteria that have to be met before someone can be allowed to turn.” Abby sighed. “Look at the gene pool Cameron Timms came from! George and Alma Timms were not good people before they had a kid. I swear, there should be a test people have to take bef
ore they procreate. That kid never stood a chance.”

  “That can be said for a lot of normal kids though!” Lou reminded her.

  “Exactly!” Abby agreed. “But that’s an example of being blood born. Turning for a normal person, you need to really look at the person first. Are they decent? Are they kind? Are they deserving? I mean come on! Can you imagine amplifying Charlie Manson’s genetics by turning him?” Abby shuddered at the thought.

  “Hello, Albert!” Lou laughed.

  “You just made my point for me.” Abby joined in Lou’s laughter.

  It did make sense the way Abby explained it. But Lou was still befuddled by it all. Once again she decided it was time to put all of that aside and go with her original plan. Get healthy, get strong, get ready for any bad situation that would inevitably come her way.

  “Have you heard anything?” Lou asked, wondering if Max or the any of the guys had checked in yet.

  “No.” Abby knew exactly what she meant. “It’s a long trip, Lou.”

  “I guess.” Lou knew she wouldn’t see any of them until Monday at the earliest. She was sure they had some super sonic plane that could get there faster but from what she knew, it took about twenty to twenty-four hours to fly to South Africa so with that as her guide, it was going to be a long few days to wait.

  “You hungry?” Abby broke into Lou’s train of thought.

  “I am, actually.” Lou started to get up.

  “I can bring you something!” Abby tried to get her to lay back down.

  “What time is it, anyway?” Lou could see by the bright light of day that it was definitely no longer morning.

  “It’s almost 2 p.m.” Abby hesitated to tell her how late it was.

  “What?!” Lou leapt out of bed, ignoring her body’s protests. “Why the hell would you let me sleep this late?!”

  “Why not?” Abby didn’t see what the problem was.

  “Because I have work to do!” Lou scrambled for her closet so she could get dressed.

  “Lou!” Abby yelled after her. “It’s Saturday! Dillon went in to your office early and is coming here after to get you updated. There is no work for you to do! You just need to rest!” Abby could hear Lou’s whimpers and grunts coming from Lou’s closet. “Why don’t we get you in the shower first. I’ll get you something to pull on while your in there. I’m sure Marta wouldn’t mind bringing you something to eat while we do that.”

  “I do kinda stink.” Lou emerged from her closet with an armful of clothing.

  “I wasn’t going to say anything.” Abby grinned at her. “Come on, let’s get you fresh as a daisy.”

  Abby took the pile of clothing from Lou’s arms and tossed them onto a chair. Once she got Lou set up in the shower, she sifted through the pile and determined all the articles of clothing should go to Goodwill rather than back in Lou’s closet. They were ratty, ragged and rumpled sweatshirts and sweatpants that no self-respecting woman should ever be caught dead in. She got an empty bag and sorted through the rags once more, making sure there were no pieces that might have sentimental value, like an old academy sweatshirt and such. Satisfied they were all just rags, Abby went through Lou’s closet while she waited for her to finish getting cleaned up. She decided she wouldn’t mention the Goodwill bag to Lou.

  Showering had taken far more effort than Lou expected. It took her over ten minutes to run her normal routine given the stiffness that had set in during the night. Her ribs ached with a teeth gnashing pain that was seriously wearing her down. Lou had no clue where the stool in the corner of her shower had come from but when she sat and let the hot water soothe her aching bones, she wondered why she hadn’t gotten one long ago. She closed her eyes and just let the water hypnotize her. The calming sound, the comforting fragrance of the vanilla and lavender soap that either Caroline or Abby had put there, it was peaceful. Lou wasn’t in much of a rush to get out. Finally she decided that if she stayed in much longer, she would probably fall asleep and drown herself somehow. It was a struggle getting up from the stool, but she made it. She also managed to get out of the shower and put her robe on without further injury. The day was looking up. After toweling her hair a bit, she wandered out to her room and saw Marta and Abby chatting and giggling about something.

  “What’s so amusing?” Lou asked, surprising both the women.

  “Hello Miss Lou!” Marta beamed a smile at her.

  “Everything is amusing to me!” Abby winked.

  “I made you some chicken fingers! With the honey mustard, just the way you like it!” Marta motioned to the plate on the coffee table.

  “You didn’t have to go to all that trouble, Marta.” Lou hated people waiting on her. Especially Marta, for some reason. Even though it was technically her job. “Thank you so much. It smells yummy.”

  “I made sure they weren’t poisoned.” Abby grinned. “That’s what we were giggling about. I stole a bite.”

  “I can make you some too Miss Abby!” Marta insisted.

  “No!” Abby hugged the petite housekeeper. “I’m still stuffed from last night! It just smelled so good I had to steal one.”

  “Well, you just let me know if you want some. Or anything else, just call me.” Marta started to leave. “There is a smoothie I made for you too, Miss Lou.” She paused a moment at the door. “It’s good for your healing so drink it all up!”

  “I will.” Lou smiled. “Thank you, Marta.”

  “My pleasure always!” The woman waved and headed back downstairs.

  “Let’s get you dressed, then you can eat.” Abby grabbed the outfit she had chosen for Lou off the chair and once again, Lou could not recall ever seeing the pieces before.

  “This is mine?” She asked once she was assembled, complete with her knee brace.

  “It was in your closet so it must be!” Abby shrugged. “Now eat. Then you can get some work done. I have an errand to run and your parents should be back any second. Will you be OK if I take off for a bit? Frank is just downstairs with Marta if you need anything.”

  “Of course I will be fine!” Lou hated that Abby felt she needed twenty-four hour supervision. “Go! I’m going to check my email while I eat, get my reports shipped off to my captain then veg out for a while, so do not worry about me. I have plenty to keep me out of trouble.”

  Abby smiled and hugged Lou gently. “See ya later then! Don’t hesitate to yell for Frank if you need anything.” She waved then was out the door like a shot.

  At the bottom of the stairs, Abby double checked to make sure Lou wasn’t behind her. When she was satisfied that Lou was still in her room, she made a beeline for the kitchen where Frank and Marta were sneaking around, making preparations for Lou’s surprise party.

  “How’s she doing?” Frank asked as soon as he saw Abby come in.

  “She hurts. She’s out of sorts.” Abby shrugged. “Any word?”

  “Yeah, Niko just texted that they just got off the plane in Morocco.” Frank whispered. “Moshe and his Council are already there so they should be back in the air within the hour.”

  “OK so that means...” Abby counted with her fingers. “They should be back here in plenty of time!” She bounced. “Wait! What about the South American Council? That is one serious time delay.”

  “Yeah but Lena Ruiz got it set up so that they can Skype the interview during the flight!” Frank grinned. “They may have already done that! So they’ll be back in time to take a nap, get showered and changed, no problem!”

  “Perfect!” Abby high-fived him. “The fact that Lou slept so late, she’s gonna be up late unless we drug her up, and good!”

  “You two don’t make my Miss Lou some drug addict just so you can have your party go right!” Marta scolded them.

  “We would never!” Abby was appalled.

  “Marta, she is legitimately supposed to be taking her pain pills!” Frank told her. “She’s supposed to take them every four hours and we haven’t even given her anything since last night.”

  “What
is wrong with you two?!” Marta was yelling at them now. “Why you not giving my Miss Lou her medicine?! You making her suffer in pain!”

  Abby and Frank looked at the irate housekeeper, then at each other. Exasperated.

  “Go give Lou her medicine.” Abby told Frank as she grabbed her bag from off the coat rack. “I’ll be back in about an hour. Make sure Lou doesn’t work too long. Watch a movie or something.”

  “Yes ma’am.” Frank smiled as Abby headed for the door then turned to see Marta glaring at him. “I am going! I will not let her suffer!” Frank sprinted before Marta whacked him with a frying pan.

  A caravan of Rolls-Royces were waiting on the tarmac as soon as their plane landed at Menara International Airport in Marrakech. After the drivers loaded three steamer trunks into the vehicles Max and his Aegis Council were promptly whisked away to the Palace Namaskar. It was after 9 p.m. in Morocco and the city sparkled like a jewel. Max rolled down his window to enjoy the aroma of spices and warm desert air wafting in as they rushed through the city. A full barrage of valets were waiting for them when they arrived at the hotel. A finely polished young man, dressed in full royal uniform, opening Max’s door before he could reach for the handle.

  “Your Grace.” The young man bowed deeply. “It is an honor having you with us this evening. We shall escort you straight away to the Mountain Palace, where your presence is eagerly awaited.”

  “Thank you.” Max buttoned his suit jacket and watched as the valets took possession of the trunks. They moved like a well rehearsed marching band filing through in unison with precise and measured movements. Max and his men followed as they were lead through the grand foyer.

  The Palace Namaskar was the epitome of luxury. The twelve acres of property were nothing short of majestic with Balinese gardens, private palaces, villas and myriad of cascading ponds and pools. They were lead through the warm night air and into the private garden of the Mountain Palace. The golden dome at the center of the structure was illuminated, making it look almost ethereal in it’s setting. As they approached, Max saw Moshe, and his four Councilmen, rising from the large seating area just inside the tall glass doors and make their way to meet them.