by Gary Jonas
“And she called Amanda on her own.”
“Oh, I decided not to chance it, and ordered her to make the call when she got to Tally’s. I thought I needed a full powered witch or wizard in order to get Pavlenco.”
“Right. Her magic sure helped her,” I said.
“She hadn’t drawn up her power in advance, so with her defenses down she was merely human. She might have been more formidable if she’d realized she was in danger. In any case, I couldn’t risk having Victor get away now that I’ve finally found him again. He’ll stay in town for a few days. He still has business here.”
“Why do you do it?”
“Because I can. Because it amuses me. Because people are less than ants to me. Take your pick. I wasn’t always like this. Of course, I didn’t always have this power. And if I’d gained this power sooner, I could have taken Pavlenco myself.”
“Why him? Why the ring?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He and I were friends once. I still consider him a friend, though he doesn’t see me in that light.” Sinclair sighed. “I don’t much care about Pavlenco now but I do want my ring back. I haven’t seen a sunrise since the year 1305. That’s more than seven hundred years, Ms. Chan. It is the one thing denied me. More than anything else in the universe, I want to stand and let the sun wash over me. So you will get the Ring of Aten for me. You will bring it back to me.”
“And what do I get out of it?”
“Your life and the life of Amanda West.”
“Why me?”
“A Sekutar has a much better chance against Pavlenco than a witch. Bring me the ring and I’ll release you and Amanda. I will not harm you or her in any way. And before you bring her up, I think you understand that my sending Chantelle on her little jaunt was a mercy killing.”
“I know.”
“I’ll leave you now, Ms. Chan. I command you not to kill Geoffrey or any more of my men. You may leave here in,” he glanced at his watch, “three hours and twenty-two minutes.”
With that, he walked out of the room.
I stood there, stunned. I realized the time delay was so Chantelle would be dead before I left the mansion. I wanted to run after him and kill him, but his power was so great I couldn’t do it. I wanted to say things about him, but I couldn’t form the words. I moved over and knelt before Amanda. She was still out. I raised one of her eyelids with my fingers. Bloodshot, but normal.
Geoffrey rose and crossed the floor to stand behind me. “I apologize for your predicament,” he said.
I spun around and rose to my feet. “Your apology means nothing.”
“I’ve been under his command for more than a hundred years. Get the ring and he will let you go. We’re nothing to him but tools. He can put us away at will, and doesn’t care whether we live or die. We’re a means to an end.”
“And you didn’t warn me.”
“I couldn’t.”
I considered breaking his nose. That wouldn’t kill him.
But in his eyes, I saw that he was as much Sinclair’s slave as I.
“I’ll watch over Ms. West,” he said. “She won’t wake until he commands it. I can keep her hydrated and fed with intravenous tubes should it be necessary. We have a room in the basement for that. But Mr. Sinclair is not going to be patient for long. He’s been after the ring for centuries, and while I can’t speak ill of him, I will say that I fear his mind is not what it was even when I fell under his spell.”
“You’re pushing boundaries too,” I said.
“I have a modicum of leeway after more than a century of service.”
“How nice for you.”
“If you complete his little mission on time, and if he actually releases you, I would greatly appreciate it if you’d do me the favor of separating my head from my body. It’s the only way I’ll ever be free.”
“You want me to kill you?”
“I died a hundred and twenty-seven years ago, Ms. Chan. William won’t release me because he took me on as a favor to his former love, and my original master, Bernadette. He doesn’t like me, and I’m not able to say how I truly feel about him. He blames me for her final death, as do I, and he tortures me with the thought of how I’m still here and she’s not. I’ve been with him for more than a hundred years. I want you to destroy me so my spirit will finally be free.”
I drew a deep breath and blew it out slowly. It occurred to me that Chantelle might be the lucky one.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I drove south on I-25 as fast as I could with so many cars on the road. It didn’t matter what time it was, traffic on I-25 sucked poisoned donkey tits. Up ahead, I saw emergency lights. I slowed down. Paramedics worked on someone at the side of the highway. I pulled over, and a policeman told me to stay in my truck. Like that would stop me.
I pushed past him and moved closer to see the paramedics trying to revive Chantelle West.
“Ma’am,” the cop said, “you really need to get back in your vehicle. There’s nothing you can do here.”
I hesitated a moment, gave the officer a nod, and went back to my truck. There was nothing they could do either. Chantelle was dead.
Amanda had two days.
I drove home, and the first thing on my agenda was a long, hot shower. I stood and let the water crash into my skin until the hot water went cold. I couldn’t wash the feelings off. Sinclair owned me now. Just like the bastard wizards at DGI used to own me. This was worse because at DGI I was still able to speak my mind.
I spent most of the shower trying to think of ways out.
Sinclair covered the bases well. I couldn’t harm him or kill him or speak ill of him. But perhaps he hadn’t covered those bases well enough. I dressed, got myself a cup of chai, and placed a call to a friend, told her what I wanted, and to be quiet during the conversation, then three-wayed that call in to include Victor.
He answered on the third ring. “I told you not to call me again.”
“I’m under orders from William Sinclair to get the Ring of Aten from you or he will kill my friend Amanda. We need to meet.”
“Just like that?”
“I see no upside in lying to you, Mr. Pavlenco. I’m currently under the command of Mr. Sinclair, and I am unable to lift a finger against him. I also can’t speak ill of him.”
“And you’re just going to tell me these things? If he’s ordered you to get the ring from me, that’s yet another reason I shouldn’t meet with you.”
“Another reason? What other reasons would you have?”
“Those are not important. What makes you think I’d meet with you now?”
“My friend Amanda’s life is on the line. Mine may be as well.”
“That means nothing to me; I don’t know you.”
“I can’t kill Sinclair,” I said. “But I suspect you can.”
“I see. So you want me to kill the prick and set you free.”
“I can’t put it in those exact words at the moment, but yes.”
“You haven’t answered the five word inquiry everyone would ask at this point.”
“Five word inquiry?” I asked.
“What’s in it for me?”
“Freedom. If Sinclair is gone, you won’t have to worry about him coming after you.”
“There’s a code among vampires, Ms. Chan. Whether or not we like one another, we do not kill each other. Sinclair commanded you to get the ring, not to kill me.”
“That’s right.”
“He’s sticking to the code.”
“A friend of mine had me watch a movie that talked about a code. In the film, the code was more like guidelines.”
“Geoffrey Rush in Pirates of the Caribbean. I’ve seen the movie.”
“You would have liked Jonathan. He quoted movies all the time.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. As to the guidelines, Sinclair has been a thorn in my side for centuries.”
“You can end that now.”
“I might miss him.”
“Might. And if you do
, you’ll get used to it.”
“I like you, Ms. Chan. I would enjoy meeting you, but what you don’t realize is that you’ll have to try and take the ring from me. You’re under Sinclair’s command, so you have no choice.”
“I suspect you’re stronger than he is.”
“Are you saying you want to place yourself under my command?”
“I don’t want to be under anyone’s command.”
“I can’t remove his orders. And I’ve never tried to command someone under another vampire’s control. I don’t know whether or not that will work. Such things are not done, but I don’t know if it’s courtesy or because it’s impossible.”
“Shall we find out? You can leave the ring with your butler.”
“I think not.”
“So keep the ring with you and take your chances.”
“I think not. To all of it, Ms. Chan. There is no upside for me. I have business to conduct tomorrow evening, and once that is complete, I’ll simply leave town. I don’t think you can find me inside twenty-four hours.”
“I don’t give up that easily.”
“Lose this number, Ms. Chan. I’m sorry about your predicament, but it isn’t my concern.”
He hung up.
That left me on the line with my friend. “Did you get it?” I asked.
“He’s at the Brown Palace Hotel. I wasn’t able to pinpoint the room number. I needed a little more time for that.”
“Upscale. I’ll have to change clothes. Thanks, Sarah.”
“Anytime.”
She hung up.
Sarah worked for the NSA. I’d taught her to defend herself after her ex-boyfriend refused to leave her alone. Her ex liked to punctuate his sentences with his fists. I punctuated one of his sentences with a quick slice from my katana. He’s still listed as missing.
***
Thirty minutes later, I stood in the lobby at the Brown Palace, a luxury hotel in downtown Denver. I knew many of the employees because so many celebrities stayed there, and I often worked as a bodyguard for them.
Joseph stood at the front desk. He was a friendly young man in his thirties, who sometimes slept with one of my celebrity actor clients. The client was still in the closet, and Joseph was professional and discreet. I knew because I had to stand guard. Joseph knew and trusted me. While I hated to take advantage of him, I was under orders from Sinclair to get the ring, and that meant getting to Pavlenco. Celebrities often used aliases to keep overzealous fans from finding them. I often knew those aliases so I could escort the stars to and from their appearances, interviews with local media, signings, and such.
“Hi, Joseph,” I said as I approached the counter.
“Ms. Chan, it’s wonderful to see you.”
“You too. I’m here for Victor Pavlenco, but I accidentally deleted the email with his info.”
He checked the computer and gave me a nod. “He likes to be called David Gellar. Should I know him?”
“He’s not a celebrity,” I said. “Just a wealthy man who has enemies.”
“Right. Room 517. Shall I call ahead for you?”
I took out my phone. “No need. I’ll let him know I’m on my way up. Thanks. You’re a life saver.”
“My pleasure.”
I walked to the elevators. To get there, I passed the nine-story atrium where wealthy people sipped their cocktails and discussed culture. I wore an elegant black evening dress and high heels. The heels were perfect for putting out an eye in an emergency. My hooped earrings could easily straighten into a sharp pointed weapon for stabbing or slashing a jugular, or as makeshift Bo Shurikens. My legs often proved distracting to men as well. It was important to consider the uses of wardrobe and accessories when the dress code required a higher class presentation.
There was no danger here, of course. I simply went to the elevator and rode it to the fifth floor.
I knocked on the door to room 517.
The cute guy I’d seen at the coffee shop opened the door.
“Hello, Miss Chan,” he said. “I’m Ben. I’ve been expecting you.”
“You’re Pavlenco,” I said and shoved him backward a step so I could enter the room.
“No I’m not. Victor is gone.”
“You are Victor.”
“No. I’m his companion, his servant.”
He wore a white robe and his hair was still wet from the shower. He ran a hand over his hair and led me into the room. A single king-size bed filled a large portion of the room. A large flat-screen high definition television stood on the dresser against one wall, while lamps perched on various end tables and nightstands. The curtains were open, and a burner phone sat on a desk.
I didn’t see a suitcase, but it could have been in the closet.
“Give me the ring, Victor.”
“My name is Ben. Listen to my voice. I’m not Victor. Really.”
His voice did sound different, but I already knew he could change his voice. “Prove it.”
He grinned and stepped in front of the lone mirror to the side of the bed. “Feast your eyes on my reflection,” he said.
Sure enough, he cast a reflection. He wasn’t Victor.
“So where is your master?”
“Out.”
“Out where?”
“He didn’t say.”
“You realize I can kill you, right?”
He grinned. “You realize I’m already dead, right?”
“You have the phone.”
“Victor left it with me. He knew you’d come here.”
“Is he coming back?”
“No.”
“Is he listening to our conversation? Maybe you have a microphone hidden on you.”
He grinned again, and slipped off the robe to stand naked before me. His abs could have been chiseled marble. He did a slow turn, and as I looked at his buns of steel, I realized he was trying to distract me the way I could distract men with my legs or by leaning forward in a low cut gown.
“Feel free to search me,” Ben said, holding his arms out to his sides. “Search every inch of me.”
“Get dressed,” I said.
“Are you sure?”
He was a beautiful man. Most women would melt for him, but I knew that in spite of his looks, there was some magic at play here too. “I’m sure.”
“I could search you,” he said. “I have the perfect tool for the job.”
“I don’t sleep with cadavers,” I said.
“You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“If your penis is still visible in ten seconds, I’m going to cut it off.”
His eyes shot wide-open and hands went into protective cover mode. He crouched and grabbed the robe. “Don’t you dare cut off Little Willy,” he said as he donned the robe. He tied it closed and turned around to face me.
“You call your penis Little Willy?”
“I like Sweet. Don’t judge me.”
“You pour sugar on your dick?”
“Sweet as in the band. ‘Ballroom Blitz?’ ‘Love is Like Oxygen?’ Don’t you listen to the radio?”
“Why are you talking about songs? I need to see Victor.”
“He won’t strip for you like I did.”
“I didn’t want you to strip,” I said.
“But you liked it. Well, up until you threatened Little Willy.”
“Does this work to distract most people?”
He nodded. “Men and women have melted into my arms time and again. I’m a lot of fun in the sack.”
“Where is Victor?”
“I told you, he didn’t say. But if you promise not to hurt me too much, I’ll be your playmate until he returns.”
“When will that be?”
He ogled me up and down then bit the tip of his right index finger. “Hopefully not for a long, long time.”
A feeling of desire swept over me, and I moved closer to him. It had to be the finger. He bit his finger and unleashed pheromones. Enhanced with magic, of course. Powerful stuff. I wanted
to kiss him and stroke him and make him mine for the night, but the need to get the ring pushed the desire aside.
“Nice try,” I said.
His shoulders slumped and he frowned. “But I’d enjoy being with you,” he said. “You’re beautiful and smart and deadly. You’re in amazing shape, and I’ll bet you can do incredible things.”
“You’ll never know.”
“I hate spells,” he said. “I really hate them.” He sat on the bed.
“Sinclair wants the ring.”
“He’s going by Sinclair again?”
“He’s using the name William Chambers.”
“Victor still calls him William. Bill Sinclair. The Knight Betrayer.”
“So Victor was really Jacques de Molay?”
Ben laughed. “No. Who keeps spreading that bullshit? He knew Jacques, but he was simply one of the knights. He enjoyed going on crusades, but wasn’t a fan of being arrested and tortured.”
“Understandable.”
Ben tilted his head to the side and softened his gaze. “I can see in your eyes that you’ve been tortured.”
“Spare me,” I said. “Sympathy isn’t going to get me in bed with you either.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“Mostly you’re trying my patience. Now get back to Victor. Can you call him?”
“He left his phone here so you couldn’t keep tracking him.”
“He knew I’d trace him?”
“He suspected, and felt it better to give you the benefit of the doubt by expecting you to be smart enough to do so. He hasn’t lived this long by underestimating people.”
“I’ll bet he overestimates people too.”
“Sure, but that’s never hurt him.”
“And he leaves you behind to seduce whoever he doesn’t underestimate. Does that always work?”
He shook his head. “Usually. However, many men are strictly heterosexual these days. It wasn’t always that way. Culture plays a big part in it. We occasionally run into a man who won’t give in to me, and we occasionally run into a woman like you who won’t give in. Your friend from the coffee shop, Amanda? I could have snapped my fingers and she’d have danced naked in the street for a chance to be with me for a night. When I met your gaze, I thought I had you too.”
