Southern Secrets (The Southern Series Book 2)

by Shelley Stringer

  Uncle Lon glanced over Banton’s shoulder at Mr. Matt. He nodded silently to Uncle Lon, affirming what Banton had just told him.

  Reluctantly, Uncle Lon agreed to back off. “On one condition. Chandler, I want you to keep in constant contact with me and let me know what is going on with you and Constance. I still don’t know about all of this, but after what I witnessed last night with Navy intelligence in and out of the house, and the media frenzy this morning on the television, I guess I have to take you at your word.” He turned and left the study, and met Aunt Sue in the hallway. He guided her out the door and back out to the guesthouse, where Ty and Constance were waiting to tell them goodbye.

  Uncle Lon was the least of our worries. Banton’s goal was to get us all back to Baton Rouge before the media circus began. The Navy and the New Orleans police department were doing their best to keep a lid on the incident, but Brie’s parents were already involved and the media was hungry for a story. After the Aldon left with Patrick and Olivia, Claudia and I went into John and Brie’s room to pack their belongings and take them back with us.

  “Come on, Chandler…I’ve got the car ready outside and I just want to get you home. Ty and Constance left about ten minutes ago.” Banton came back into the house and upstairs to retrieve me.

  “Will you load John’s bags? We’ve packed them to take them home.” I looked up at him…Claudia and I had both been crying as we packed. He nodded to me and bent to pick up the suitcases as we followed him down the stairs.

  . “Sweetheart, please call us as soon as you’re safely home. I’m so worried about you. Please be careful and take it easy.” Mrs. Elaine kissed my cheek and then moved over to Banton.

  “Son, you call us if you need us. I will come to the house too to help you if you need me.” Mr. Matt hugged me closely, and then pulled Banton in to embrace him.

  “We will. Don’t worry; the Aldon will be more protective than ever. We will have plenty of protection at the house. It’s the safest place for us right now,” he assured them as we loaded in the car.

  “Son, be vigilant. I’m worried. This situation could escalate in ways you haven’t thought of. The Aldon have to be upset, their cover was nearly blown last night with their involvement, and the Navy is turning every stone in the city over in its investigation. If they don’t stumble across the Aldon’s existence after last night, it will be a miracle. And I don’t trust the Aldon when it comes to their own protection. I don’t know what they might be capable of,” he warned Banton sternly.

  “I know, Dad. The SEALs, all five of us, are well aware of what is at stake. Commander Singleton is handling the investigation by the police and the Navy extremely well so far, and if we can just get through the next twenty-four hours, we can avoid the questions about what happened to the Orco terrorists.”

  Mr. Matt nodded, and then shut Banton’s door. As Banton pulled down the long driveway to the road he glanced over at me, sensing my uneasiness.

  “Don’t worry, Chandler. Everything is going to be all right.”

  After several seconds, I replied, “No, it’s not. Brie’s dead. The Orcos aren’t going to stop,” I continued in a dead tone. “Brie’s parents, they aren’t going to let this go. How are we going to lie to them, to give them any closure?”

  Banton pulled to the side of the road, and put the ignition in park as he turned to me. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. You’re right,” he whispered as he brushed my cheek with his hand. “I just meant, this whole investigation, it will blow over. I’m hoping we will have some word from the Aldon today, and they can retrieve her body to give some closure to John and her parents. And I have a lot more faith in the Aldon than my father does. He hasn’t worked with them…with Everett and Dr. Renault as I have.”

  I nodded to him. He was so desperate to console me. But there wasn’t anything anyone could do to help what I was feeling. He pulled back onto the road, and as he drove on, I couldn’t shut my eyes without the scene playing out in my head, the sight of her body, her eyes fixed in space…now I was even seeing it in front of me, with my eyes open as I gazed down the highway.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  As the days passed following our arrival back in Baton Rouge, I sank deeper and deeper into despair. John was conspicuously absent from our home and was mourning Brie’s death alone in private. I couldn’t help but worry somehow he blamed me for her death…I blamed myself. I felt guilt for having been so careless to step outside without our protectors, guilt for drawing the Orcos in. I knew Brie was never their target, it was me and Constance. Brie just got in the way, and she paid the ultimate price.

  And even harder to take was Banton’s reaction. He was desperately trying to hold everyone together, and to find a way to help me. The harder he tried, the more I felt myself withdraw. The ultimate guilt I felt was our overwhelming love, and I knew what we had, John had lost.

  Part of my depression was due to lack of sleep. I was absolutely terrified of closing my eyes. Every time I did, all I could see was her face, frozen in that horrible moment, staring at her attacker. My heart would race, and I could feel the bile rise in my throat. I would head for the bathroom and heave, not able to control the nausea that would invariably threaten each time I had the vision in my head. So I would stay awake as long as I could, and then finally fall into an exhausted slumber about two o’clock every morning, only to wake up by five or six by another horrifying dream. Only now my dreams were about Brie’s attack, not a Tariq stalking me.

  By the end of the second week, I’d lost about ten pounds, and the signs of sleep deprivation were beginning to show on my face. After dinner with Constance and Ty, I went to bed early at Banton’s insistence, trying to comply to ease his worries. I listened quietly to Banton’s footsteps as he climbed the stairs. He undressed silently and then slid gently into the bed beside me.

  “Banton?” I asked softly in the dark, turning over to face him.

  He reached out and pulled me into his chest. “I thought you were asleep, Andie. What is it?” he murmured as he kissed my forehead.

  “I heard you on your cell earlier, did John call? Have you talked to him?”

  “Yes he did. He sounds a little better. He’s coming over tomorrow night to get some of his belongings. He’s decided to go ahead and move into the house we bought for them, and start work on it. He said he thought it might be therapeutic for him, and he needs to be working since our team doesn’t have anything going on right now.”

  “I’m glad he’s ready to come over. I…I need to talk to him, too. I need to tell him how sorry I am,” my voice broke on the words. “I’m sure he has questions, about why I let her go outside, why I was so reckless and stupid. I owe him an explanation.”

  “Chandler. He absolutely does not blame you! You have to stop this. You have nothing to feel guilty about! Sweetheart, he just wants to talk to you. Everett told him how despondent you’ve been, how much you’ve been mourning Brie’s death. He wants to see you tomorrow night and talk to you. He’s as worried about you as you are about him.” He rubbed my back as he tried to calm me. “Please, will you try to get some sleep, for me…for the babies, Chandler? You have to.”

  The memories of the day the Orcos broke in and took Constance and me hostage came flooding back. The Orco held Brie, his fangs elongated and hovering over her neck. Brie’s eyes were wide, full of terror at the thought of how close she was to death. “If you give us any trouble at all, Nikko will gut her and never think twice. He will savor every inch of torn, delicate flesh.”

  Was that why they had murdered Brie, retribution? I looked up at Banton, and his eyes were full of tears, he was so desperate to help me. I nodded as I swallowed the large lump in my throat.

  “I’m sorry, okay. I’ll try, I promise.”

  It was an empty promise. I couldn’t stop thinking about being the reason John was mourning, and Brie was dead. He continued to hold me and rub my back as I drifted off to sleep.

  Her screams tore through the night i
n a horrible crescendo. I searched as I ran, first up one alley, and then down the next. I stopped and turned slowly…the scent of the Orcos dirty sweat hung in the air like smoke. Behind me in the alley lay a form cloaked in black velvet. I ran to her, and as I touched her shoulder she turned in my arms, revealing a gaping, shredded bloody mess on her throat. I tried to hold her wound together, soaking my white gloves in blood. Her face was frozen, fixed in a horrified stare. Abruptly, her eyes blinked, and then began to glow with an unearthly light. A hissing sound made me turn, and as I fought to protect Brie, rough hands grabbed me as dozens of Orcos surrounded me, sinking their teeth into my flesh…

  “NNNOO! NO! STOP IT! BRIE, NO! SOMEONE HELP HER…” I screamed so loudly, my own ears were ringing as I sobbed into the darkness.

  “Chandler, wake up! It’s only a dream, wake up,” Banton shook my shoulders as I continued to scream out, straining against his arms.

  Ty and Everett both burst through our bedroom door at the same time, wildly looking around our room.

  “It’s all right. She had another nightmare,” he assured them. They both relaxed. Constance pushed into the doorway around them.

  “Chandler, what’s wrong?” she demanded.

  “Just another dream. It’s okay,” Ty assured her as he drew her back outside the bedroom door.

  “Banton, do you need anything?” Everett asked as he began to pull the bedroom door closed.

  “No, she’ll be all right,” he replied.

  “Shhhh. I’ve got you, it was just a bad dream,” he continued to whisper in my ear. I was so tired from these constant dreams and the exhaustion from the sleep deprivation I couldn’t even respond. I just held on to him tightly until the sun came through the window, casting the light of another long day across the foot of our bed.

  * * *

  “That’s enough, Bebe. I’m going to go back on my word and throw a small intervention,” Everett stated at the dining room table the next morning. “My first responsibility is to Chandler!”

  “What are you talking about, Ev?” Banton asked, placing a cup of coffee in front of me.

  “I’m taking charge of this situation. I can’t stand to see what she is doing to herself. Dear friend, do you trust me?” Everett asked forcefully.

  “Of course, I have before, and I do. With her life and mine,” he replied.

  “Good. Then I’m taking Chandler for a little ride this morning, and I’ll bring her back this afternoon. No questions, we’ll see you after lunch.” Everett rose and held his hand out to me as he watched Banton’s surprised expression.

  “Where are you…,” Banton began, before Everett interrupted.

  “No questions, remember? Just trust me.” He pulled me to my feet and led me out the front door.

  After Everett had me belted into the front seat of his little black Mercedes, I finally found my voice.

  “Where are we going?” I asked quietly.

  “To find you a little peace.”

  “You’re sweet, Ev, but I don’t think I’m in the mood for a shopping trip today. I’m sorry.” I glanced at him as he gave me an exasperated look.

  Everett put the car in reverse, backed down the driveway, and then continued down the street. “No, we aren’t going shopping. We are going to get your sanity back! Bebe, I’ve never seen anyone grieve the way you have, or blame their self so! I made a promise I wouldn’t reveal what I know, but I have to break that promise for you. What I am about to tell you, you can’t tell another living soul. You absolutely cannot tell John. You c-a-n-n-o-t tell John. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes…Ev, what is it?”

  “Chandler, the Aldon found Brie’s body the night she was murdered.”

  I froze. It took a minute for the words to sink in. Turning in my seat, I looked at Everett disbelievingly.

  “Everett! Why haven’t you told anyone! Don’t you know it would give John, give her family…the closure they need?” I yelled at him.

  “Oh, slow it down, Sister! Listen to what I am telling you. The Aldon found her body, and the venom had circulated enough, before her heart stopped beating. She had large amounts of venom circulating in her system,” he stated again as I studied his eyes.

  “What are you saying?” I whispered.

  “Brie has transformed. She isn’t dead, Bebe, she’s…” he stopped.

  I gasped. “Brie’s an Orco? A vampire? No!”

  “Bebe, don’t jump to conclusions. No, we won’t call her that, not yet. I have to explain some of her issues to you, about what happens when you transform. How much do you remember, about when you were bitten?” he asked softly as he drove along.

  “I remember a little, I was so weak already. I remember I felt trapped in my body, and I couldn’t respond to Banton to tell him I was all right. I remember not having any control over my emotions, and feeling everything so intensely. Sensations, urges… I couldn’t stand my nerve endings.”

  “Multiply that by one-thousand. Throw in a thirst for human blood, a hunger you cannot control. A hunger which drives you mad, and all of a sudden, all of your emotions are upside down, but yet you remember your human emotions too. Only you can’t reach those, you can’t get those back.”

  “So what can we do to help her?” I asked, my heart beginning to race.

  “I don’t know if we can. We are going to try our best, but there is only so much we can do, except keep her isolated and hope she works through the immediate issues, such as craving human blood and getting control of her emotions.”

  “Where is she, Everett?” I asked. Everett reached over and touched my cheek, wiping the tears away with his fingers as he caressed it. I was surprised; I hadn’t even realized I’d been crying.

  “The Aldon are holding her at the safe house where we first took Banton. We have her locked up, and she can’t get away from us. If we can control her hunger and get her to be satisfied with animal meat and blood, then we have won half our battle.”

  “How long will that take?” I was getting more and more excited by the minute, thinking we might be able to get her back to John.

  “Hold on, I have to prepare you.” Everett pulled up to a stop light, and then turned to me as he waited, “There are few documented cases of success with getting control of a transformed human. If we fail, she will have to be taken far away from here, from anyone who might recognize her, or who she might put in danger. John couldn’t take it, believe me. It would be worse than thinking her dead. Remember what Dr. Lane told Banton and John about his wife?” he asked, and I nodded silently.

  “But you have seen this work?” I asked hopefully.

  “Yes, I have. And I give her a better chance than most, because she was such a kind, sweet soul as a human. But you have to be prepared for failure, Bebe. Please, don’t get your hopes up too high. And, you absolutely cannot tell Banton either. He might be tempted to tell John. Our success depends on his not knowing!” He stared at me, and I nodded as the light changed. He pulled back into traffic.

  “So you never answered my question. How long do you think the first stage will last?”

  “We should know something in a month or so. If she can get past that hurdle, then we can start working on her emotions,” he stated as he slowed to turn into the driveway at the safe house.

  “Are you taking me to see her?” I asked hopefully.

  “Yes. You have to see how she is to understand why you have to remain silent. I think it’s necessary, Bebe. She has a long, long way to go. Come with me.” He pulled me from the car and up the stairs to the front door. Taking some keys out of his pocket, he unlocked the door and then led me into the house.

  “Mr. Everett, how are you today?” The small, trim lady I remembered from when Banton had been wounded met us in the hallway.

  “I’m fine. I’ve brought Chandler here today to observe our patient. She needs to understand what we are dealing with.”

  The lady nodded her head, led us down the hallway past several doors, and then down
a staircase to the basement. Once we got to the bottom of the stairs, I began to hear a sound…a faint, heavy breathing, hissing sound. We rounded a corner to find a walled-off room with a large picture window. The window was made out of one-way glass as you would find in a police interrogation room.

  Everett led me over to the window. “Remember, don’t expect too much. Stay calm, and remember, we aren’t hurting her, and she is being kept here for her own protection as much as others,” he cautioned as he drew the blinds back.

  I gasped. Brie was seated in front of me with her back to the window, sitting on the floor and rocking as I’d seen Banton do on occasion. She stopped, jerking her head to the side, and lifting her head into the air as an animal would that impulsively smells prey. I could see the mangled scars and tissue on her neck where she’d been wounded.

  “A Human! Oh, I can smell…A human…I smell blood!” she screeched, swaying on the floor and holding her head. “Oh, get them…get them away from here, get her…It’s…It’s Chandler! Oh, God, get her out of here!” she screamed to someone standing in the corner. “Get her away from here, I don’t want to hurt her! Chandler, run!” she screamed as I began to shake.

  Everett pulled me back down the hallway and up the staircase. Once we were back on the first floor, he led me into the front room, and then sat me down on a sofa and pulled me up into his arms.

  “Excellent. That went extremely well,” Everett sighed as he kissed me on top of my head.

  “What are you talking about? It was…it was awful,” I looked up at him in surprise.

  “Awful for you to see, but her reaction was far better than we’d dared to hope!”

  “Please explain!” I demanded.

  Everett chuckled, and pulled me back to study my face. “If she’d just complained she was hungry and she smelled blood, had fought to get free, she would have been exhibiting normal Orco behavior. But she didn’t.” He smiled at me. “She begged us to get you away. She was worried about her reaction to you, and she was able to find the human emotion she cares for you and wanted you out of danger. Do you know how huge that is? Do you know how incredible it was for her to distinguish your scent from any human? It means she retains some of her human memories and characteristics! This is phenomenal!” He hugged me, and then pulled back to look at me again.