The Guilty Innocent

by D N Simmons

  “This shit has been hard! Watching him, making sure he is safe, it's not a walk in the park. I hope no one else tries to assassinate him before his trial.” Matthew said, Warren nodded his head in agreement.

  Then Warren rose from his chair, heading towards the holding cells. The officer on duty let him in and he walked to Darian's cell. Through Warren's eyes, I saw Darian resting on the bed, one leg bent and both hands resting on his stomach. He looked to be dozing; he looked human from what I could see. Warren was satisfied with what he saw and he walked away heading back to Matthew. I closed off the vision connection I had with Warren and focused on Devin, I noticed that he was falling asleep, that relaxed me. After that, I decided to block off all visions and rest my mind as I rested my body.

  I began to hear a voice drawing me out of my deep sleep. “Natasha, wake up, Natasha wake up.” Elise was saying to me softly as she shook my shoulders.

  “I'm up, I'm up.” I groaned. Elise backed away and watched me as I sat up on the bed, wiping my eyes. I looked around the room trying to gather my senses. Then I looked at Elise. “What time is it?” My eyes squinting from the light in the room.

  “It's late, 2:30 in the afternoon, I just received a telephone call from my Pride, they are here and we have to pick them up. So come on, get ready, I've cooked brunch just so you know.” Elise walked out of the room.

  I sat on the bed a moment longer, lighting the urge to lay back down, then I decided to just stand up. I walked into the bathroom to handle my necessities then turned on the shower and climbed in. I then realized that I had forgotten my soap in the other bathroom, I saw a bottle of Elise's expensive looking bath gel and reached for it. I looked at the label and saw that it was Anisi's new Shimmering Shower Cream. I smiled when I realized that we had something else in common, I too loved Anisi's body and bath products. I used only a little to finish bathing then dressed quickly in a pair of loose fitting black jeans and a black turtle neck sweater. I was happy I brought my black hiking boots with me, sure I never went hiking, but that was not the point. I wore them to trudge though Chicago winters.

  I walked into the kitchen and sure enough! Elise had prepared a feast as if she was cooking for five people! I looked at all of the food spread out on the table, there were platters of pancakes, eggs, bacon, ham, raisin toast, and cajun-chicken hash browns. I looked at Elise who was standing over the table gazing at all of the food, she then looked up at me, smiling sheepishly.

  “You don't think I cooked too much do you?” She asked apprehensively.

  I chuckled. “Oh no, don't be ridiculous. You said an army was waiting for us to pick them up, this should be just enough to hold down the fort,” I joked, Elise chuckled.

  We sat down to eat our brunch. I noted that Elise was wearing an all black ensemble as well, she had on a black t-shirt and black stretch pants, but she was never without her black three-inch heel boots.

  “Do your feet ever hurt?” I asked as I stuffed more eggs into my mouth.

  Elise swallowed her mouthful of food before she answered. “No, I find these to be more comfortable than flat-soled shoes. Sergio asks me the same thing.” She said, staring forward, she smiled. Then she looked at me and chuckled. After we finished our meal, we put the food up and left the cabin. Elise and I climbed into the stolen car and drove to the airport to pick up the others. As I sat in the car, I begin to realize that Sergio, The Roughneck That he is, stole another car to take to the mansion. The man truly has skills.

  “Is this car going to be big enough to pack everyone in?” I asked. Elise glanced at the interior of the car and shook her head.

  “No, I had decided to rent two Sidewinder trucks, they should be big enough to carry the cargo in.” Elise said as she pulled into the parking lot of the airport.

  “What cargo?” I asked curiously.

  “The vampire's coffins, Xavier and I made arrangements for my Pride to bring in four of the vampires from his coven, so they are all waiting for us. Let's wipe down this car.” Elise said as she removed two white handkerchiefs from her purse.

  She handed one to me then she began to wipe off the steering wheel, buttons, everything that we touched while riding in the car. I did the same. Lastly, we wiped off the doors before calmly walking away from the car, heading towards the airport. The double automatic doors slid open as we walked through and Elise led the way to the arrival area of the airport.

  There they are,” she said, as she gestured to three people standing against a wall. I looked at them closely, there was one male and two females. Elise walked over to them and I followed her.

  “Is everyone doing well?” Elise asked when she approached them. The three members smiled and nodded. “Good. Where are the coffins?”

  The male spoke. “We have just gotten them past customs, Miranda is waiting with them now.”

  I looked at him, he was tall, at least six-feet-three-inches, he was built like Sergio, broad shoulders, strong muscular limbs and a tapered waist. His short sandy brown hair was combed back, his deep brown eyes focused on me as if he were wondering why I was there. I looked at the females, I noticed that one was as tall as Elise, both females had strong arms and legs as well, but slender at the same time, their tanned skin looked smooth and soft. Everyone was completely dressed in black.

  “Good Danny, let me introduce you to Natasha,” Elise gestured to me. “Natasha this is Daniel, Carmen and Rachel” She pointed at each person as she named them. “This is Natasha, she is Darian's and Xavier's lover,” Elise giggled.

  I looked at her, surprised she said that. She looked at me and winked. The other's gave me a nod, the one Elise introduced as Rachel said “hi” and waved.

  “She also has been a huge help thus far, now come on, let's go,” Elise said.

  We were led through the airport by Daniel until we stood outside of what looked like the loading dock area. We were walking towards a tall black female standing by four coffins. She had to be at least six feet! She had her hair cut in a bob, and was also wearing all black.

  “Hello, Miranda.” Elise said as we approached the woman.

  “Hi, Elise.” Miranda replied then she gave Elise a big hug.

  Elise returned the embrace. “Good, everyone is here, I'm going to get the trucks, Carmen you will come with me. The rest of you will wait here,” Elise walked away, followed by Carmen.

  I looked at the other three shape-shifters, feeling a little uncomfortable around them. Not because they were shape-shifters, but because I did not know them. It was the kind of awkwardness that one feels when you are invited to a party and your host leaves you alone in a room with a group of people you do not know. Only one thing left to do...time to make small talk.

  “I want to thank all of you for coming all the way out here.” I said, attempting to break the ice.

  “You don't need to thank us, we are here because our Pride is in trouble and our queen requested us,” the male named Daniel said. He was still watching me as if I was some strange creature, it made me feel very uncomfortable.

  “So it is true that you are Xavier's and Darian's lover?” asked Rachel. It was a bold question, but the interest was sparked up by Elise.

  “Well, I love them both and I'm in love with Xavier.” I said, I did not want to have to explain any further, because I didn't know my own feelings concerning Darian. I loved him, I found him to be extremely sexy and simply irresistible, but I was still leery on forming a relationship with the both of them. The shape-shifters were all looking at me with the same curious expressions, it was getting a little weird. I decided, now would be the perfect time to reveal a little secret of Elise's. Not to mention, I think it would take the attention away from me and my complicated love life.

  “Elise and Sergio are lovers now!” I blurted out. Their expressions changed from curious to ecstatic. They smiled at each other, then back at me.

  “Is this true, she no longer lusts for Darian?” Miranda asked excitedly, I nodded my head.

  “The
y've mated!” announced Daniel happily.

  “Boy did they ever!” I exclaimed. “I think a new record was set!”

  They chuckled at my joke. It made me feel good to know that I had given them something to be happy about during this uncertain time. I looked up to see Elise coming around the corner driving the humongous Sidewinder truck. I looked at the cargo area of the truck and was immediately convinced it would be able to hold the coffins. Carmen pulled up behind Elise in a second truck and both women climbed out. Elise walked over to us and pointed to the trucks.

  “You know what to do,” she said.

  Daniel turned and walked towards two coffins, he lifted both, resting one on each shoulder. Miranda and Rachel each picked up a coffin. It never ceased to amaze me the strength of the supernaturals. I am quite certain that their superior physical abilities is what the human race finds to be the most threatening. The shape-shifters loaded the coffins into the trucks-two per truck. And then we all climbed inside, Elise sat in the driver's seat and I sat in the passenger's seat next to her.

  “Elise, are you going to fill us in?” Daniel asked from the back seat.

  “I want to wait until we can all sit down together before I give everyone updates, simply because I only want to say it once.” Elise said as she navigated the huge truck through the winding roads.

  We arrived at the cabin in less than forty minutes, everyone climbed out of the trucks and began to unload the coffins. I walked towards the front door, opening it wide for them to bring the coffins and luggage inside. Elise was the last to enter, closing the door behind herself. The shape-shifters placed the coffins in the middle of the room. I looked at the shifters and was amazed by the fact that they weren't even the slightest bit winded or at least it did not look as though they were.

  “I know that you all must be hungry, so I want you to know the refrigerator is stocked and there is food that is already prepared, help yourselves,” Elise said, as she walked into the bedroom.

  The other shape-shifters went into the kitchen without wasting another second. I heard them clinking glasses, pots and pans as they prepared themselves something to eat. I looked at the four coffins sitting on the floor and wondered who was inside them. I did not know all of the vampires in Darian's coven, in fact, the only one that I knew besides Darian and Xavier was John, and that was because he managed Darian's club.

  I looked at the table and saw the little square black receiver. I walked to the sofa and sat down on the soft cushions and turned the receiver up, immediately Sergio's voice came over the speakers.

  “You might as well kill me, because I'm not telling you a fucking thing!” he said vehemently.

  I suppose they were still trying to get information out of him. The other shape-shifters had come out of the kitchen and were standing around the coffee table listening to who I believed was Gregor badgering Sergio. Daniel had a sandwich in each hand, his mouth was full as he munched on one of the sandwiches. The other three females were eating what was left of the brunch, their plates piled high. Elise had come out of the room, she had switched her high heeled boots for a pair of combat boots that looked to be steel-toed. She sat down in the chair opposite the sofa and listened to the conversation on the receiver.

  “Fuck you!” Sergio spat out. Daniel chuckled as he shook his head, taking another bite out of his sandwich.

  Gregor laughed softly. “Well, you might just get your wish, if your little pussy bitch doesn't cooperate, you and I will be fucking all night long.”

  I heard a horrible choking sound and looked up to see Daniel choking on a bite of his sandwich. He sat down in the chair after he had cleared his airway passage. When he managed to regain his normal breathing, he looked at me.

  “Did he say what I think he said?” He asked with a hint of disgust in his voice.

  I nodded my head. I suppose Daniel found it hard to believe that a man such as Sergio could be a victim of another man. I had to admit, I found it disturbing as well. We continued to listen as Gregor attempted to antagonize Sergio, hoping to irritate or intimidate him enough to spill the beans. Sergio said nothing, there was a moment of silence then we heard a door open then close.

  “Elise, I hope you are still there listening to all of this. I hope you guys thought of a foolproof plan. You have to attack tonight! They are planning on shipping the captives out of here at nine o'clock. That means Devin and I will be in deep shit if you don't, these fucking silver bonds have me completely tied down. Fuck! I hate this shit!” Sergio said exasperated.

  I looked up at Elise. “We need to think of a plan, even before the vampires wake up. Then when they do, we can enhance the plan.” I looked around the room at the others. They all had frowns on their faces, I could not blame them one bit, I hated this situation also.

  “I know you wanted to tell everyone at the same time, but I think they need to know now. I'll tell the vampires when they awake or even Xavier can fill them in.” I said, Elise nodded her head in agreement.

  I left the room, walking into the adjacent bedroom for privacy. I wanted to call Warren and fill him in on what was going on. I was sure they could hear me anyway but that didn't matter. I dialed Warren's number, after several rings, he finally answered.

  “Hello, Natasha. Okay, fill me in,” he said instantly. Kind of caught me off guard.

  “Hi Warren, okay, it has been a rough, tough and ugly twenty-four hours.” I said, unintentionally sounding like a wrestling commentator, then I proceeded to tell him about everything that happened from last night up until now. He was silent as I filled him in, then I waited for his response.

  “Shit!” he said, no doubt in shock.

  “Tell me about it. I take it Darian is safe?” I asked.

  “Of course, it's been hard but Matt and I are keeping our eyes on him.” Warren said calmly, I assumed he was still taking in what I had told him about Sergio's infiltration and the mobster being turned.

  “Oh, I now know what I wanted to tell you!” he said. “I called my...Xander, and he has sent two people to assist you tonight, they should arrive no later than six pm-your time. You won't have to pick them up or anything, they know the address and the Russian pack master has not been notified, which is a good thing from what you have just told me.”

  “Only two people?” I was hoping he could send about twenty!

  “That's all you're going to need, they are the enforcers of our Pack,” Warren said with a hint of pride. “But I thought it was a challenge to enter another's territory without permission,” I asked curiously. “Why didn't Xander get permission?”

  “Xander is wiser than I will ever know, he's a man that follows his gut instincts. He didn't feel it was necessary to ask permission. I told him about your dream and I suppose he did not trust the Pack master there and rightfully so. Look, Tasha, I've got to get going, Matt and I have to finish wrapping up this other case, I'm going to call you later.”

  “Yeah, sure, be careful.”

  “You be careful,” he said. “I don't want anything to happen to you.”

  “I'll be careful.” I replied, hoping I could keep my word. I was not so sure, this whole venture was not what I expected or would have ever foreseen. Warren hung up and I turned my cell off. I walked back into the living room, Elise had just finished updating everyone on what had happened. The room was filled with mixed expressions. Miranda and Daniel were livid, Carmen was crying and Rachel was in shock. Only Elise looked composed but sad. I walked over to the sofa and sat down beside Rachel.

  “Okay, now that you all know what has happened, it is time for us to think up a plan. How should we do this?” I asked. I looked around the room, everyone seemed to be concentrating. I looked at Elise, she looked disappointed. “What's the matter?”

  “I must admit, that I am well equipped to handle almost any situation, but I have never been in a war, nor have I ever planned this sort of attack. I am...inexperienced, so to speak.” Elise admitted.

  I looked at her, then I looked
at the others. Remembering what Warren said about the two people coming to aid us I decided to inquire about their enforcers.

  “What about when you get into tight spots, who's your enforcer?” I asked.

  “Sergio, he is the protector, he would be able to work out this sort of plan. Don't get me wrong, we are well equipped to defend what it ours, it is just the strategics of it all. Sergio is a master strategist,” Daniel said proudly.

  I was beginning to understand a little more about their Pride. I did not fault them for not having an offensive tactical plan.

  “We could still work out something, then run it by the others when they rise. We may be able to come up with a more solid strategy,” Elise said.

  I think she sensed my minor disappointment and she looked at me. I looked up at her and nodded. I did not want her to think that I was upset with them, because I was not. I now understood that shape-shifters had a system and worked situations out the way they saw fit.

  “We have to get there while the hostages are still in the basement. So we should attack no later than seven o'clock.” Miranda said. Everyone began to give their ideas on how we should execute the rescue mission.

  “I think we should split up, half of us go around the back, and the other take the front,” Daniel suggested.

  “Even better, we flank the mansion, surround it enough to catch everyone.” I said, feeling a little like a commando.

  “We don't want to spread ourselves too thin, there are only twelve of us all together.” Elise said then she smiled at me.

  I knew why she did so. Just a few days ago, Sergio had called me a liability, but now we are all in this together. I suppose this is another chance I get to show my mettle. I was excited just sitting there talking about what we were going to do.

  “Actually Elise, there will be fourteen of us,” I said, everyone gave me a perplexed expression.

  “What do you mean, fourteen?” Elise asked.

  “Well, remember I spoke with Warren. He called his pack master and they are sending two more people to help us.” I said feeling better about our chances. Everyone seemed to consider the new information and I began to see a few heads nod in return. We continued to come up with different ideas for our strategic approach.