The Bonding Ritual (Girls Wearing Black: Book Four)

by Spencer Baum

  Annika sat down on the edge of the bed. “I was hoping, maybe, I could,” she said.

  “You left. We got everything together for you to leave. We got you a new ID, a passport, I programmed your phone, you took your trust fund.”

  “My trust fund’s gone,” she said.

  “Gone? No, I set up the routing on it myself. I went through Switzerland and then you had access to it under your new identity.” Jill had to search through her memory to dig up all the work she had done to get Annika out of town. “Geary,” she said. “That was the ID we gave you that was attached to the bank account. JoBeth Geary.”

  “I didn’t have any trouble accessing the funds,” Annika said. “Everything you said you would do, you did it, and I thank you for that. I can’t…I mean, Renata was coming for Shannon and we worked together to save her life. We were pretty amazing, what we did to outsmart Renata, weren’t we, Jill?”

  “We did the right thing,” Jill said.

  “That’s what I keep telling myself. We did the right thing. We acted honorably. I should feel good about that. Even if that bitch didn’t appreciate any of it.”

  “Uh oh. Did you and Shannon get in a fight?”

  Annika hunched over. “You could say that.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I don’t even know where to begin. Shannon’s lies started long before I even left town. You remember that night we were on the phone with her and we discovered Melissa killed her parents?”

  “Yes, I remember.”

  “Do you know why she wasn’t at her house that night?”

  Jill shook her head.

  “She was seeing someone. She was cheating on me.”

  “Annika, I’m sorry, but you can’t--”

  “You’d think she would have learned her lesson too, because this girl she was seeing robbed her and left her on the streets. Who was the one who sent the money to rescue her? My money pulled her off the streets and put her in one of the nicest hotels in Rio!”

  “Yes, I remember,” Jill said. “This sounds awful, and I wish I had better news for you, but there are things going on here in DC…”

  “When you add up the money I sent her last semester to the money she stole from me, God, I could kill her!”

  “Money she stole from you? What are you talking about?”

  “I’m sorry, Jill. You worked so hard to help me, and I’ve screwed everything up.”

  She started crying. Jill sat next to her on the bed and put her arm over her shoulder.

  “We were in Buzios,” Annika said. “For two days it was magical. We stayed in a hotel, we were shopping for houses in the day and going to the clubs at night. We weren’t worried about anything at all. But whenever she would drink, I’d learn a little more of the truth, and last Wednesday I got her to tell me everything. She acted like it wasn’t a big deal. She said we were miles apart and she was lonely, but I never thought of us as being apart! We were just waiting until we could be together again. We fought about it and I got angry with her, but even then I figured we would make up. I couldn’t just let her tell me she’d cheated on me without at least getting angry, right? It’s not like we broke up. We just got in an argument at the club and I went back to the room without her. I even told her we’d talk about it more in the morning when we were sober. And I kissed her goodnight! I don’t think I could have been more clear! I wasn’t breaking up with her! I was just angry because she’d cheated on me. I had a right to be angry.”

  “Of course you did,” said Jill.

  “But then the next morning I wake up and Shannon’s gone and she’s left this in the hotel room.”

  Annika pulled a tattered piece of paper from her pocket and gave it to Jill. Folded into a square, the paper was worn to the point of being soft. Jill unfolded it carefully. It was a piece of hotel stationary, the logo for some place named ‘Grande de Buzios’ on top.

  Dearest Annika,

  I’ve been up all night thinking, and I’ve decided it’s best for us to part ways. What we had back at school was fun, but it was a different time. Since then, I’ve had my family sneak me out of the country in the middle of the night, I’ve found my parents murdered in our own house, I’ve had two vampires come after me, and I’ve had people I thought were my friends betray me and leave me for dead. What can I say? These things change a person. We’re in different places in our lives. You don’t belong down here. You belong back in DC. There’s no reason for you to throw away everything you have. Spring semester hasn’t started yet. There’s still time for you to go back to Washington. You can make up a story about taking a trip by yourself, and you can get on with the life you were meant to lead, without me. I’ve taken some money from the bank account to get me to my next stop, and left plenty for you to get back to town and get on with your life. I’m sorry to do this to you, but it’s for the best for both of us. Know that I will always treasure what we had once, and even if you don’t think fondly of me, I will always thing fondly of you.

  Shannon

  “Oh dear,” said Jill.

  “Oh dear is right,” said Annika. “Dumped like a rock in the ocean. But that’s not the worst part. When she says she took some money she makes it sound like she pulled pocket change out of the bank account.”

  “She took a lot of money, didn’t she?”

  “She transferred two million dollars to an account in the Caymans, and left me with barely enough money for a plane ticket!”

  “You had her name on the bank account?”

  “The day the funds came available to me we went to the bank and added her. We spent that afternoon talking about our wedding. We even stopped in a bakery and tasted some wedding cakes.”

  “Annika, I’m so sorry.”

  “I am too. But better now than later, right? That’s what I’ve been telling myself. I mean, we really cut it close but we’re under the wire. School starts tomorrow. I know I have an issue with the Renwicks, but you took care of that, right?”

  “I don’t think you understand,” said Jill. “You can’t just…come back.”

  “No, I’ve been thinking it through all the way back here and it will be fine. Kim is the only person who knows anything and you made a deal with her. She knows my secret, but you know hers so she’ll stay quiet.”

  “Things have changed, Annika.”

  “I didn’t tell anyone a thing! As far as Mattie and Jenny and everyone else knows, I just took a trip after my birthday party.”

  “Daciana is back and she’s looking for you,” said Jill.

  Annika furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean she’s looking for me?”

  “While you were gone, someone from the clan questioned your parents.”

  “My parents didn’t know about me and Shannon.”

  “And that’s the only reason they’re still alive. Last night there was a party at Daciana’s house and she stood up in front of the whole school and called you a traitor.”

  “Oh my God. How did she find out?”

  “It was inevitable,” Jill said. “Kim Renwick knew Shannon was alive and she caught you sending money to her. And the Renwicks don’t have half the resources Daciana has to snoop on people.”

  “Oh shit oh shit oh shit! What am I gonna do, Jill? I’ve got no money, no place to go. Maybe I could throw myself at their feet. It’s not like I really did anything wrong. I was just in love! I never did anything to hurt the clan. I just wanted to be with Shannon! God, what a disaster! I’m so screwed!”

  “You most certainly are not throwing yourself at anyone’s feet. Daciana would love nothing more than to make an example of you. If she got her hands on you, she’d make you into one of her servants so everyone at school could see what happens to people who cross her, then she’d kill you some night when she was hungry.”

  Annika was bawling now. “I had it all, Jill! I had everything anyone could ever want and I just threw it away! Now I don’t have any money, any family, any friends.”

  “Yo
u still have one friend, Annika, and I can help you out.”

  “Really? What can you do? Do you think you can get my money back?”

  Jill tried not to laugh. “No. I’m sad to say if it went to a bank in the Caymans, your money is completely out of my reach. But you can always make more money. Right now, our concern is keeping you alive, and in order to do that, we’ve got to get you far away from Potomac.”

  “I still have my passport,” Annika said. “I can still be JoBeth Geary.”

  “Even that ID may be compromised,” Jill said. “But that’s alright. The Network will have no trouble making another ID for you. We live in a world where vampires remove hundreds of people from the streets everyday. Every one of those people has a name and Social Security number that are no longer being used.”

  “So what’s our first step?”

  “The first step is to get you in the shower, my friend. You’re ripe. Once you’re cleaned up, you’re coming with me. I was actually on my way out the door for a little road trip to Virginia. There are some people there I need to see. I think they can help you.”

  *****

  An hour later, Annika having used Jill’s closet and makeup desk to return to her more natural state, the two of them were on the road. They arrived in Richmond at one in the afternoon and drove to a farmhouse outside of town.

  The house stood atop a small hill overlooking many acres of land. Eve met them in the driveway.

  “You brought a guest?” Eve said.

  “A rescue,” Jill said. “Her name’s Annika, for now. She’ll need a new one.”

  “Annika Fleming?” said Eve. “I thought she was in South America.”

  “She was,” said Jill. “Now she’s not. It’s a long story, but the short of it is she needs to start over again.”

  “Well, she’s come to the right place then, hasn’t she? It’s nice to meet you Annika. You’ll come inside with me and we’ll talk. Jill, you should head down to the barn.”

  Eve pointed at a run-down building at the base of the hill.

  “What’s down there?” Jill said.

  “Someone who is eager to meet you.”

  Jill gave Annika a hug and assured her everything was going to be okay, then she walked down the hill by herself.

  The barn stood on a flat parcel of land. A gravel pathway started at the bottom of the hill and led to the barn’s front door. The barn was red, but the peeled and splintered wood suggested the last paint job happened before Jill was born. An antique tractor, rusted, cracked, and thoroughly broken, was parked on one side of the barn. A concrete silo stood on the other.

  As she neared the barn, she heard activity inside. At first it sounded like someone was ringing a brass bell, but as she moved closer, she realized that wasn’t right. The clanging, ringing tones had a more industrial sound to them. Hammer on steel. Yes, as she neared the door, she half-expected to find a blacksmith at work inside, hammering out a horseshoe on a giant anvil.

  What she found when she opened the door was nothing of the sort.

  A woman in a black trench coat with long, silver hair stood just beyond the door. Without even looking at Jill, she held her hand up, telling Jill to stop where she was.

  Beyond the woman, two people were fighting with swords. One of them was small and slim, a balding man with white stubble on his cheeks and incredible speed as he danced around, swinging an iron blade that seemed as large as he was.

  The other was much, much bigger, a giant whose sword looked like a dagger in his monstrous hands. Brown skin, jet-black hair, muscles that threatened to tear right through his white T-shirt, the other swordsman was Nicky’s friend, the slave who killed Renata.

  “Frankie,” Jill whispered.

  The silver-haired woman, still holding out her hand, stepped to one side and beckoned Jill to follow her. She was keeping Jill clear of the swordfight. As the woman led Jill along the back wall, the bald man made a wide semi-circle around Frankie, dancing on his heels like a boxer.

  “Come on!” the bald man shouted. “Choose your angle and strike!”

  Frankie rushed at the man with such speed Jill turned away, certain the bald man was about to be cut in half. But a loud clang of steel told her Frankie’s thrust had been parried. When she allowed herself to look again, Jill saw Frankie on his back, the bald man standing over him, his blade pointed at Frankie’s throat.

  “Why did you fail?” the man said.

  “Too slow,” said Frankie.

  “Too slow to move?”

  “Too slow to act.”

  The bald man tossed his sword aside and helped Frankie to his feet.

  “Three laps,” he said. “Then we try again.”

  Without a word, Frankie and the man ran to the open door and out of the barn. Neither of them even looked at Jill.

  “What was that all about?” Jill asked the woman.

  “We’re training Frankie to be a hunter,” the woman said. “He is very special. Already one of the best we’ve ever had. A few more months of training and he’ll be ready for the big prize.”

  “The big prize?”

  “Sergio,” the woman said. “Frankie came to us at the perfect time. We’ll have several vampire hunters in the house when Sergio arrives, but I strongly suspect Frankie will be the one to kill him.”

  Jill contained her disappointment at hearing this, but she felt it nonetheless. Even the strategists at the Network were still hung up on the old plan.

  The woman walked to the open door, her eyes on Frankie, who was now sprinting up the hill to the farmhouse, carrying a huge log on his shoulders. Despite her silver hair, the woman had a youthful air to her. The skin on her face was smooth. The look in her eyes suggested an exceedingly sharp mind.

  Jill followed the woman’s gaze, looking out at Frankie, who moved with incredible speed even with the weight on his back. Jill was certain she wouldn’t even be able to lift that log, much less carry it on her shoulders, but Frankie was running as if it wasn’t even there.

  “Someone from Headquarters sent me a text this morning. Was it you?”

  “Indeed it was,” said the woman. “I thought it was time for a meeting. You’ve had quite a string of successes lately. The TPM database, the Rose Ransom clues, Renata’s house, and now, Daciana’s personal computer. The past four months have been the most productive in the Network’s history, and we owe most of it to you.”

  “I’m happy to do my part.”

  The woman turned to Jill and extended her hand. “Winnie,” she said.

  “Nice to meet you,” Jill said. “Winnie’s not your real name, is it?”

  “Of course not. I’ve always liked it, though. I had a friend in childhood we called Winnie. It’s the name I use when I need to interact with agents in the field, like I’m doing now.”

  “About the mission,” Jill said. “Are you aware of…all our difficulties?”

  “Helena reports to me directly,” said Winnie. “I think I’m up to speed on things at Thorndike. Unless there’s something you wish to tell me.”

  “So you know that Samantha has a ninety-million dollar lead on Nicky.”

  “Yes. I also know that Daciana has unveiled a new game with a prize that dwarfs Samantha’s lead.”

  “It won’t be easy for us to win this game. A lot of things would have to go our way.”

  “That has been the nature of this mission since day one. But here you are, still alive and well.”

  “I wish I was as confident as you. But I’m not. Bernadette knew the truth about me.”

  “And we killed her.”

  “She could have told someone.”

  “The clan is investigating everyone at school right now, and you and Nicky have both been cleared.”

  “Cleared by Sergio. One vampire. There are a hundred others Bernadette could have talked to.”

  “Daciana trusts Sergio more than anyone. Whatever the clan knows, he knows.”

  “Sergio is up to something,” Jill said. “La
st night, when I was caught in the back of Daciana’s mansion, I saw him. He did something.”

  She paused, the memory of what she had seen sending a shiver down her back.

  “What is it, Jill?”

  “Sergio killed Lena Trang.”

  Winnie waited just a beat, then said, “How interesting. What do you think it means?”

  “I think it means there’s a lot going on in the clan that we don’t understand.”

  “Well, that’s always been true.”

  “But we shouldn’t assume we’re safe just because Sergio cleared our names in his little booklet.”

  “We never assume our agents are safe. Not on this mission, or any other.”

  “But surely most missions don’t get as complicated as this one,” said Jill. “If you ask me, the Coronation contest is a dead end at this point. Now that we have control of Daciana’s computer, we should focus on breaking into her banking software and then get the hell out of here.”

  “Yes, Eve tells me you’re very excited about stealing Daciana’s money.”

  “It’s not just her money,” said Jill. “The way the software’s written, we can access every penny bank account owned by a member of the clan. That is, once I figure out how to get past one more layer of security.”

  “And you think that would suffice?” said Winnie. “If you had all of Daciana’s money, you would be willing to walk away from the mission, leaving Sergio still alive?”

  “Yes,” Jill said without hesitation.

  “It’s an intriguing point of view,” said Winnie.

  They watched as Frankie rounded the farmhouse for lap number two. He was still going strong. Sweat was dripping down his face and he was breathing hard, but he hadn’t slowed a step. If anything, he was running faster.

  Jill and Winnie stood at the open door in silence for a time, then Winnie said, “Has anyone ever taught you how to kill a vampire?”

  Jill shook her head.

  “Come with me,” said Winnie.

  She led Jill to the other end of the barn, where a row of dummies made out of straw were lined against the wall.

  “Vampires have incredible powers of healing and regeneration, so long as they have blood flowing to the brain,” Winnie said.