by T. J. Quinn
Alek immediately brought his hand down under the table to readjust his junk. Grinning, Dakota thought he must have liked that idea.
“We’ll think on that for a while. I’m sure we can come up with something suitably safe if we really apply ourselves.”
“Whatever you say, handsome.”
Jared stumbled into the dining area. He grabbed a sparkling water and dropped down into the seat next to them. “I’m ready to talk.”
Pulling her attention from Alek, she turned to her son. “I’m glad you decided to talk to me. Is it okay if Alek stays?”
“Since I’m seriously going to rip his face off if he bullies Selene that way again, I think it would be best if he stayed.”
“I wasn’t trying to bully her that morning at our house. I was trying to keep her safe.”
Sighing, Jared replied coldly. “That’s the primary reason you still have a face.”
Alek smiled at her son’s blatant protective nature when it came to Selene.
“From as far back as I can remember one man called himself my father. He had a lot of kids and was none too nice to any of us.”
“That man was not your father.”
“Maybe, but he was human and made he believe that I was his son. He liked me because I was so much smarter than the other kids. Things that came hard for them were easy for me to learn. He valued me differently, so I was kept clean.”
“Kept clean?”
“I don’t want to talk about that.”
Dakota stilled in her seat. He must be talking about hygiene or sexual abuse, depending on whether he was speaking literally or figuratively. Either way, it made her blood boil to think her son had been exposed to such things. “Tell me what you want me to know.”
“I helped him professionally, in ways the others couldn’t or wouldn’t. I didn’t know how wrong it was. Once I was old enough to understand, I refused.” Glancing away, his voice changed. “That’s when the beatings started. When that didn’t work, he tried to starve me into compliance.” Swallowing thickly, he continued. “I was ten times more stubborn than him. I knew that if I did what he asked, the others would suffer. I refused until I was a sick bag of bones that could no longer get out of bed. That’s when he dropped me off at an orphanage. I was probably about ten at the time.”
“I found you when you were fifteen.”
Nodding, Jared’s eyes found Alek’s. “I didn’t know anything about the blood bond the first time Selene, and I shared blood. If I’d known, I never would have shared with her. God knows, she’s too young and innocent for that kind of stuff to be floating around in her head.”
“Don’t apologize for what you are. Maybe she’ll learn a lot about the kinds of people not to trust by seeing your experiences. It’s preferable to her having to learn the hard way, right?”
Nodding, Jared folded his arms over his stomach. “I’ve seen my father and my old handler…”
“Your old handler?”
“The man tasked with ensuring that we did as we were told. God, I was so screwed up as a child that I honestly thought every family had a handler. Anyways I saw them once when I was leaving work at the precinct and another time at the children’s home. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to leave there.”
“You feel like you have to stay close to protect the other kids?”
Nodding, Jared’s voice dropped. “I think he’s looking for more kids. I see in my mind’s eye that the others escaped over the last few years.”
“You see in your mind’s eye?”
“My father was an inventor of sorts. One of the things he invented linked me to my brother.” Holding up a hand before Dakota could speak, he explained. “I know he’s not my real brother, but he’s a vampire, like me. We swore our loyalty to each other.”
Dakota wiped the expression of disbelief from her face before it fully formed, intent on being supportive no matter how strange his story got.”
Jared’s shoulders slumped. “This is one reason I didn’t want to tell you. I can’t tell one part about that experience without telling it all and the more I talk, the stranger and more unbelievable the story gets. By the time I’m finished talking, you’re going to sign me up for a mental health stay.”
“It’s just hard to believe there’s a device that links minds.”
“Alek risked his life to take out a device that folds space-time, and here you are with all kinds of doubt my experience. That’s really rich. Look, I’m going to go. I never should have gotten started with this conversation.”
Dakota’s hand came out around his arm. “Please don’t go. Stay and finish the story. I love you, and I need to know what happened to you all those years ago.”
Dropping back down into the chair, he mumbles. Senol says I should start with my father’s name and occupation. He thinks that might help you understand.”
Dakota slid her hand from his arm. “Senol is your vampire brother? He speaks to you even now?”
“He whispers, always hearing more than he says.”
Alek’s curious voice sounded off. “Tell us.”
“Stephen Abrams is my father’s name. He calls himself a pharmaceutical engineer, but he is by all rights producer of designer drugs.”
Dakota hissed, “Abrams. I should have known something was up with that creepy old man. The way he stared at us…”
“You met my father?” The shock on Jared’s face was hard to bear.
“We’ve seen him several times. What do you think he wants?”
Alek interjected, “Who the hell cares. If he’s a threat, we’ll just…”
“Senol says no, we may not make him disappear him. Others are at risk.”
“What can we do?”
“I do not know. Senol believes there is only a thirty-two percent chance he is here for me. I believe Father is intent on trying once again to bend me to his will.”
“I’m not looking forward to seeing what’s next in his bag of tricks to force your compliance.”
“Then you believe my words to be true?”
Dakota nodded. “I believe you are a smart person. You believe what you are saying, and that is good enough for me. I need to ask you something important.”
“Go ahead, mother.”
“What did you mean when you said he kept you clean?”
“I’m ashamed to say that when I was young, he taught me chemistry and math. The one thing I excelled at was creating synthetic molecules that would attach the appropriate receptors in the human body.”
“You worked in a lab, as a small child?”
Shaking his head, Jared explained. “No. His science team used a computer modeling program. To my child’s mind, it was like playing a video game. I enjoyed it immensely. Only when I was older did I discover that the synthetic drugs and enzymes I was designing were being tested on some of the other kids. Sometimes it made them happy, and other times it made them cry. For a little while, I was under the impression that we were curing sick people. On the day I discovered we were creating new and more powerful designer drugs, nothing could compel me to continue.”
“Gods of chaos, what a horrible man.”
“The problem for father was, by that time his team had exhausted their own abilities to create. They were relying on the simulations I modeled for them to create new products. Once I refused to participate, his entire business stagnated. He needs my unique abilities or another like me to get back into production.”
“He was probably making millions off your simulations.”
“I have no doubt that was true.”
Alek frowned. “Somehow sitting around, waiting for the old geezer to make a move seems like the wrong move.”
“I say we begin gathering intel on the bastard. Get out ahead of the problem and plan some strategy for dealing with him.”
“Research and plan all you wish. There is nothing about father that I don’t know and I am no longer the frightened little child he dumped at the children’s home. When he
comes for me this time, I will meet him on an equal footing as a grown man.”
“I’m not taking any chances with you.”
“Nor am I, mother. I have much to protect and the will and determination to find a way.”
“You were planning to do this alone, weren’t you son?”
“The thought had entered my mind, but now I see the wisdom of having you, Alek and Senol at my side.”
Chapter 15
Things Popping Off
~ Dakota ~
Three weeks later, Dakota got a letter from the orphanage regarding Jared. She made one phone call then went immediately to Alek.
After reading the letter, Alek rubbed his temple. “I don’t know why Abrams is claiming to be Jared’s father when a simple blood test will prove otherwise?”
Dakota replied, “I don’t know, but we need some answers. Maybe he’s found out about Jared’s inheritance.”
“Call Jared up here and let’s talk to him again. He knew something like this was coming.”
“No, not until his father arrives.” Alek mouth fell open. “I need them both to give blood work. For the first time in my life, I need to prove paternity to keep my own son safe.”
Alek immediately walked over and wrapped one arm around her, as she called Jared and asked him to go to the medical wing. She then called the chief of medicine and told him to draw blood for a paternity test but not to tell Jared why.
~ Jared ~
Jared showed up in the medical wing, and one of the doctors approached him wearing a white lab coat. The male introduced himself as Dr. Gray and explained to Jared that everyone at the institute had to have a routine physical once a year. Jared immediately agreed. Dr. Gray pulled blood samples, sent them to the lab and then began the exam.
Jared sat answering question after question regarding his medical history. Something set off his Spidey senses but try as he might he just could not figure out what that something was. The doctor was nice enough. He had been given physical exams before and realized the blood work typically was taken last, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Then Jared realized there was something in the doctor’s manner…something cautious and empathetic. Something that led him to believe the physical was not routine.
Jared’s hand came out and touched the physician on the arm. The man stopped moving. “Jared, talk to your mother if you have questions.”
“Interesting comment…out of the blue but interesting.”
A small smile slid onto the doctor’s face, and he mumbled. “You are definitely your mother’s son.”
Jared smiled to himself because no truer words had ever been spoken. He realized the man’s heartbeat had increased, indicating a spike in anxiety. When did he start picking up on things like that? Pride filled his chest, to think that he was becoming a real hunter. It was as close as this world had to being a warrior.
When he went in search of his mother, Jared discovered that she’d called in reinforcements. About a dozen large vampire males were sitting in a conference room with his mother. They appeared to be getting briefed on something because he recognized them as her ass-kicking crew. Whatever was going on, it was related to his biological father. He’d bet his last credit on that. Only dealing Abrams would require so many seasoned vampire warriors. As he walked through the lobby of the institute, he caught the strange glances that were cast in his direction.
Jared knew precisely where the weak link in the information chain was and that is why he chose to approach Faran. He had gotten to know the large Kalian pretty well during the time they had spent hunting for Alek. He found the man to be way more playful and irreverent than was necessary for most situations. He was deadly, there was no doubt about that, but he always seemed to find levity even in some tense situations.
Jared remembered when they had walked up to the door of the crypt and found the filthy human closing in on his mother with a weapon. Both them had instinctively fired on the man at the same time in a heartbeat…no hesitation on the Kalian’s part at all. Unlike Jared, he seemed to sleep like a baby afterward. Faran later mentioned that he didn’t usually lose sleep after killing insects. Jared pulled the Kalian aside and asked what was going on.
The surprise on Faran’s face was evident. He grabbed Jared by the arm, pulled him closer and said in a low voice, “The humans have a saying for these situations, I think it is ‘all hell breaking loose.’ Your foster father petitioned the court to get you back. You mother has called up every favor anyone owes her, Alek is working on a restraining order, and your father is on his way from South America.”
Now it was Jared’s turn to look surprised…well, it was more like shock than surprise.
Faran gave him a gentle yank back to reality and said harshly, “I have activated your tracking chip. Don’t leave the facility. Tell me, what was he like? I need to know what to expect.” Somehow when Kalian men spoke most always sounded angry. It was something about the guttural articulation of vowels and the rough quality of their voice. It sounded like sandpaper rubbing against gravel.
“Faran, my father is crazy, dangerous and cruel. He hates vampires as well as other aliens. Do not turn your back on him and do not trust anything he says.”
Faran looked angry and corrected, “Foster father not father. I don’t think I am going to like him very much…might have to put the press down on him. Stay close, my friend. We will see that no harm comes to you.”
Jared murmured absent-mindedly, “Smackdown not press down.”
The Kalian laughed. “Whatever, we were told to keep you out of this man’s line of sight.”
Josh waved Faran over to him, just as the vampire warriors were descending from the conference room above to join the security detail. Josh immediately began breaking the males into teams.
Marko and Durk nodded to him respectfully as they walked by. Marko was now firmly established in a relationship with his soon to be step-sister Ariana, and Durk was his mother’s oldest and dearest friend. They were both accomplished Vampire warriors, and he considered them friends.
Jared looked up and could see a team of males in dark colored suits in a conference room with Alek and the computer hackers in another conference room with his mother and Squeaky. He smiled that they were moving double quick and appeared quite serious. It made him realize just how important he was to his mother…and apparently to Alek as well.
Even his beautiful little Selene was helping out although she was wide-eyed and filled with fear. She was pinning a bunch of information to a huge wall as quickly as her trembling little hands could manage. It made him angry that his father could have this effect on his little love mate. He cursed under his breath as a wave of profound anger washed over him. For one brief moment, he wished his mother had never found him. All these people were now in danger because of him, and that didn’t sit well with him.
He glanced at the conference room with Alek again. The poor man seemed exasperated. Jared could tell because he was running his hand through his hair. He only did that when he was extremely frustrated. It occurred to Jared that these people were probably his legal team. Their dialogue seemed to have some urgency.
If there was one thing living with an unequal power dynamic early in life had taught him, was there were much easier ways of getting information than running up and down the stairs and hoping the folks running the show were in a mood to be brutally honest. His mom was more likely to tell him what she thought he needed to know and that’s not what he needed right now.
Jared ducked into one of the test bays and picked up the eye in the sky monitoring device. As he turned it over in his hands, familiarizing himself with it, he noticed a small monitoring device that looked kind of like a spider. He grabbed it, as well as the tiny flash drive with the operation software and headed back out to the lobby.
Dropping down against the wall, he pulled out his small tablet and loaded the drivers for the eye in the sky and then the spider. It was amazing how sitting on the floor kind of dropped
him out of everyone’s field of vision. The few people, who noticed him sitting there, shot him sympathetic looks. As if he needed their sympathy.
He lowered the spider gently onto the floor and used his tablet to walk it up to the conference room, skillfully avoiding all the moving feet by crawling it up the wall. He walked it up all the way up to the ceiling and to the edge of the conference room door. He could not hear much then a staff member brought in coffee and he quickly manipulated the spider into the top of the doorway and into an inconspicuous spot in the corner of the room.
He could hear one of the legal team saying, “We have an injunction from the local magistrate. This Mr. Abrams cannot legally take Jared. You are worrying over nothing Mr. Shardon. The world is filled with strange people. Who knows what he wants with the boy.”
Alek snapped, and Jared could hear the anxiety in his voice. “We need much more information about this man than you’ve managed to collect.”
Another man spoke, “Dakota just threw information into the cloud. She caught a break from one her law enforcement contacts.”
Alek growled with satisfaction, “We’ll know which side of the tube he squeezes his toothpaste from in a few hours, so be prepared to move on whatever intel she digs up. I won’t take any chances with the legal part though.”
Another of his attorneys interjected, “We’re vulnerable until his father shows up and we can get a clear paternity match. The human says he is Jared’s biological father. Are you sure that is not true.”
Alek responded, “I have walked in his mother’s mind. I have seen Jared’s father with my own eyes. He is a large impressive vampire warrior and a hunter like Dakota. She learned most of what she knows about hunting from him and trust me when I say he is a kind and decent person. He’s on his way, and you will see for yourself. I guarantee you that he will risk no harm to his son, nor will I.”
The next time the door opened, he switched conference rooms.
Selene’s trembling voice spoke. “I should be with Jared right now.”
“No can do. We need you here pinning information and helping us track down information on Abrams. Jared wouldn’t want you anywhere near that bastard.”
