Reese Ch. 04

"We're done!" Lewis hissed. "Where is my son?"

"As I said," Reese said patiently, "he is safe but I still need you."

"That wasn't the agreement! I did what you wanted..."

"Yes you did," Reese agreed, "and you did very well. As a reward I will allow you to talk to your son. I know that you will ask him where he is-he will not be able to tell you. Neither will you be able to trace the call. When you are through talking with him and are convinced that he is well; we will arrange a time to meet. Let me remind you of the rules. You are to tell no one about me. If you do, Edgar will pay the price and then I will come for Jean. I want you to destroy the phone than you are now using and get another one."

"I already have one," Lewis said. "If you wait I'll give you the number."

"You are prepared, I like that," Reese said. "Keep doing what you are doing and all will be well."

"What about Paolo?" Lewis asked. "He'll come after me."

"You need not concern yourself with him," Reese replied. "He is in the afterlife."

"He's dead?" Lewis asked flabbergasted.

"Yes he is dead," Reese replied. "Get the phone number. I will wait."

Lewis turned to see Jean looking at him. He could see the questioning look on her face but didn't take the time to address it. Reese was waiting and he had no desire to test the vampire's patience.

"Not now Jean," he said as he hurried past her.

"Lewis? What's going on and who are you talking to?" she demanded following him.

"You may tell her," Reese said, "but remember the rules. If she talks to anyone, Edgar pays and I come for her or someone else in your family."

"I understand... when can I speak to Edgar?"

"Soon-do you have that number?"

Lewis went to his office to get the phone glad that he had thought to charge it up and activate it. He gave Reese the number and jumped when he heard the soft click of a disconnection.

"Hello? Hello!!" he shouted into the phone.

"Lewis! What's happening?" Jean asked.

He had no choice but to tell her the whole truth.

"I thought that he would release Edgar and you would be none the wiser. Now he wants me to help him again."

"How do you know this vampire?" Jean asked.

"I don't know him, but he knows me. The bottom line is this... Paolo is dead. I took him to that party. If he killed Paolo then he will have no problem with killing Edgar or us for that matter."

"I'll call my father," Jean said. "He'll know what to do."

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Lewis asked his tone sharp. "If we call anyone, he'll know. He'll kill Edgar and come after someone else and that someone else will be you."

"How would he know?" Jean countered. "We can grab him when you meet with him and make him tell us where Edgar is."

Just then the prepaid phone rang. Lewis stared at it as it rang a second and then a third time. Finally he answered it.

"From now on you will answer when you hear the first ring. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Lewis whispered.

"Good- I suppose you told your wife?"

"I told her."

"Does she understand the rules?"

"I explained them," Lewis replied.

"That isn't what I asked," Reese said. "Does she understand what will happen if she talks to anyone?"

"I was in the process of explaining that to her when you called..."

"Put her on the phone."

"I'll make sure that she..."

"Put her on the phone-now," Reese said.

Lewis handed the phone to Jean who slowly took it and put it against her ear.

"Do not talk, just listen," Reese said. "I have your son Edgar. He still lives because your mate has done as I have asked. He will continue to live as long as he and now you continue to do as I ask. If you don't, whatever happens to Edgar is on your hands. If I have to kill him, I will replace him with someone else from your family. Now, put your mate back on the phone."

Jean numbly handed the phone back to Lewis. Lewis, she realized; was right. The vampire on the phone wouldn't hesitate to kill Edgar or anyone else who got in his way.

"I believe that she understands," Reese said. "You may now speak with your son."

****

Edgar lay on the small bed wondering what was happening at the party. With nothing else to do-he had tired of working on his gifts, he decided to see if there really was no way out. He started with the most obvious place-the door. He stood before it knowing that it was locked, but was it warded? He suspected that it was. Reese had struck him as too meticulous to not only have the door warded but the entire house. The one thing that he did remember from his classes was that wards were nearly impossible to break. Those who could break them were very much in the minority as were those who could make them.

With nothing to lose, he reached out and touched the door knob surprised that he could actually touch it. He wrapped his hand around it and tried to turn the knob. It simply vanished from his hand and reappeared somewhere else on the door. He spent several minutes trying to touch it again before giving up and actually touching the door which vanished and appeared on the ceiling.

"Damn it!" Edgar swore and abandoned the door which was now in its original place. There were no windows that he could see, but for all he knew they were there; but invisible to him. He did the one thing that he was good at-levitation and rose off the floor for a better look. He cursed again when he saw nothing that indicated that there was a window and then he laughed.

"Edgar you idiot, you're in a panic room; there won't be any windows!"

He landed back on the floor with a light thud and continued his inspection of the room. Three hours later he was back at his starting point. What possible points of escape he found had been warded off making him realize something. Even if by some stroke of luck the house was found, they wouldn't find this room. He also suspected that even if he managed to get out of the room he wouldn't be able to leave the house. He was simply stuck and all he could do was hope that his captor was successful in meeting whatever goal he had.

Once again bored, he wished that he had a book to read. When he looked at the table, there were a stack of books that hadn't previously been there. Edgar blinked. It couldn't have been him or had it been? To find out, he wished for one of his favorite foods...tacos.

"Well damn!" he thought as the tacos appeared on a plate next to the books. "Can I have a beer with those?" A big smile covered his face as he realized that it indeed had been him that conjured the things. He wondered if he could send things out as well as receive them. If he could, he might be able to reach his father. He thought up a pen and paper and hastily scribbled a note to his father.

"Father,

I am unhurt and actually rather well cared for. I wish that I could tell you where I am, but I have no idea. All I know is that the house has a panic room in which I am being held. I can also tell you that the room is warded so that even if you do manage to find the house, you won't find the room. Father, I don't know what this person wants you to do, but if it is something that endangers you or anyone in our family-don't do it. I would rather die than to see anything happen to any of you.

Your son,

Edgar"

He folded the note, sealed it with a thought and wrote his father's name on it.

"Here goes nothing," he murmured as he sent the note on its way. His heart leapt as the note floated across the room and to the door. "Go! Go!" he thought as the note reached the door and.... Burned to ashes and floated to the floor. Edgar let out a small cry of dismay and wrote another note. This time he tried to send it through a wall. Once again it burst into a small flame, the ashes floating to the floor. He tried several more times before giving up and accepting the fact that he wasn't going anywhere until he was released.

The books and tacos forgotten, Edgar went back to the bed and laid down to think about his predicament. Knowing that he still would be captive even if he had all of his vampire gifts did little to make him feel better. Reese, he decided had been right about several things. A newborn vampire was stronger than he was and would have at least fought to escape and he should have had full command of his gifts long before now. He sat up on the bed and tried to remember the things that they had tried to teach him in class but it had been too long ago.

"Shit," he muttered as he lay back down.

He woke up to Reese standing in front of him with a phone in his hand.

"Talk to your father," Reese said holding out the phone.

"Is this a trick of some kind?" Edgar asked looking at the phone.

"No trick," Reese replied. "Your father has done what was asked of him and talking to him is the reward."

"You're going to let me go aren't you?"

"Talk to your father," Reese said and vanished to a corner.

*

Edgar looked around before putting the phone to his ear and speaking.

"Dad? Are you alright?"

Lewis hesitated. He had half expected a whiny, tearful Edgar to be on the phone. He was pleasantly surprised to hear otherwise. Had Edgar always been this way? It disturbed him to admit that he really didn't know.

"I'm fine son, how are you? Did he hurt you in any way?"

It was Edgar's turn to be surprised. He couldn't remember the last time that his father had called him son or asked about his wellbeing. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat before he answered.

"I'm fine- he hasn't hurt me in any way but dad, I don't think that he's going to let me go. I tried to send you a message but the room is warded. I just wanted to say that if what he wants you to do puts you and mom in danger, don't do it. I'll stay here and die if I have to."

Lewis felt a tear trickle down his face. He had seriously misjudged his son because of his sexual preference. Unfortunately it took a kidnapping to make him see that.

"Edgar-I was so wrong about you...I'm so sorry. After this is over, I'll apologize in person but for now, we need to deal with this situation. You're right in that he won't release you and-it would be more dangerous to deny him what he wants than to do as he says. Just know that we'll do whatever it takes to get you out of there. Your mother would like to talk to you."

Reese let Edgar talk to his mother before reappearing and holding his hand out for the phone.

"You've been busy," Reese commented as he put the phone in his pocket. "Good."

"I tried to send a note out," Edgar confessed. "As you can see, I wasn't successful."

"I would have been disappointed if you didn't try," Reese replied. "Edgar, I have no desire to hurt you or your family. You are a means to an end-but...."

"You will hurt me if you have to, I get it," Edgar said calmly. "What do you want with us?"

"I suppose," Reese said after a brief hesitation, "you are entitled to some kind of explanation. I am looking for some people. I have been searching for them for a long time-why doesn't matter. I found one of them tonight and he no longer walks this earth..."

"Paolo Rossi... you killed him? Is that why you went to the party?"

"Yes to both questions," Reese replied. "I had every intention of letting you go but that changed when I found out that Paolo couldn't help me with the ones that I really need to reach. In other words he was useless to me. Your father on the other hand is in a perfect position to help me because of what he does for a living."

"What are you talking about?" Edgar asked. "He plans parties! He..."

Edgar began to understand what was happening.

"There are others aren't there? How many more? Do you plan to keep me here until you're done?"

"If all goes well, you will be released in a few weeks," Reese replied.

"A few weeks?" Edgar asked alarmed. "Are you serious? You can't expect me to stay in this room for a few weeks! What about companionship? What am I supposed to do with my time?" But he was talking to air. Reese was gone.

****

Marco kept looking at his phone and checking his email. Surely the party was over. He knew that Reese wasn't dead; he could feel his presence although it felt very far away. To kill time, he checked on the vampire news website to see if there was any news on Paolo's party. He wasn't surprised to see that there was nothing, it was much too early. He left that website and went to another one. This one was the equivalent to the human gossip papers. Instead of weekly updates, this ran twenty-four seven. If there was anything on the net about Paolo's party; it would be there.

After almost an hour of watching, Marco was about to log off of the site when someone who had attended the party was being interviewed.

"That was positively the worst party that Paolo has ever thrown!" A disgruntled female vampire complained. "He threw everyone out before it got interesting and we couldn't even keep the party favors!"

"What do you think the problem was?" The interviewer asked.

"Hell if I know," the vampiress replied. "All I know is that the party was substandard. I would have been better off finding my own toys and staying home."

"What about the party favors?" The interviewer asked.

"Obviously you have never been to one of Paolo's parties- there are three phases. The first phase is the tame one. The weak of heart come, pick out a party favor that they fuck and then they leave with them. The second phase which is the point where we were all kicked out is the more hard core stage. The toys come out and things become wilder. The third stage which happens to be my favorite is where everyone lets loose and lasts until the last party favor is either turned, owned or dead."

"That sounds-exciting," the interviewer said suitably impressed.

"Oh it is..." the female vampire agreed. "Just the thought of it makes me water. Too bad we couldn't take any of the party favors with us. I had my eye on several well hung males."

"Thank you for your time," the interviewer said as a way of dismissing the female. "Well there you have it..."

Marco logged off of the website and went back to planning the trip to Germany. The problem was that he didn't know how long they would be gone. Erring on the side of caution, he figured on six weeks. If Reese finished his business sooner, he would stay behind and tour the country. He thought about Edgar and wondered if he had ever been to Germany.

"Damn," he swore under his breath.

The last time they had been together, Edgar had wanted to exchange blood. Things were moving faster than Marco had wanted and he said no. The other reason for the refusal was because he was using Edgar.

"Stop lying to yourself," he grumbled.

The truth was that Edgar was too clingy. At first he had liked it, but it soon grew old. In retrospect, Marco realized that Edgar didn't know that he was bothered by the clinginess. The fact that he was using him was an excuse as well. Had he been honest with Edgar before he told Reese about him, he may have willingly helped him. Had he exchanged blood with him, Reese may not have taken him. Part of Edgar's being taken was his fault.

"Some protector I am," he muttered under his breath.

The laptop dinged indicating that he had a message. His eyes closed in relief when he saw that it was from Reese.

"Marco,

All is well. Paolo Rossi is in whatever version of the afterlife that one such as him goes to. I know that you are concerned about Edgar-he is well and actually helped me... that is something that will not be forgotten. Before I killed Paolo, I found out that he is connected to the people that are at the top of my list. Once I figured out that he would not be able to help me, my plans for Edgar changed. I will need to keep him for the next several weeks. I can imagine your anger, but it cannot be helped. I give you my word that I have no plans to harm him unless I am given no choice.

I am sure you are wondering why I am not calling you to tell you about this development. I plan to within the hour. I want to give you time to get over your anger and then we can proceed. I am aware that I promised you that you would be able to speak with Edgar- that will happen during our phone call. Also, I want to hear what plans you have made for the trip to Germany and of any news regarding Paolo's death.

Reese"

Marco reread the email three times becoming angrier with each reading while asking why he was so angry. It wasn't as if Edgar had been anything more than a casual fling he thought completely forgetting his earlier musings.

By the time Reese called, he was relatively calm and ready to accept what Edgar was to him.

"Why did I make that so hard?" he asked out loud.

"Reese," he said as soon as he answered the phone.

"Dante? I mean Marco?"

"Edgar? Are you alright?"

"I'm ok... are you? Does he have you captive somewhere too?"

"Uh no, listen Edgar; we need to talk. We don't have much time but I know the vampire who has you. Just do as he says and you'll be fine."

"What? You know him? How? Are you lovers or something?"

"No we're not lovers-he's my maker. I'm the reason why you're there. It's too much to explain now, but Edgar, I'm sorry and I hope that you can forgive me for that amongst other things."

"I don't understand... why is it your fault that I'm here?"

"I... I gave him the information that led him to your father-I wanted to warn you but it was safer for you if I didn't."

"You knew about this and you didn't tell me?" Edgar asked in disbelief. "You're working with him?"

"Edgar..."

"He's gone," Reese's calm, deep voice said.

"Put him back on! I need to explain things to him."

"He isn't ready to listen..."

"This is your fucking fault!" Marco screamed at him.

"Is it?" Reese asked his tone cool. "Was I the one who denied what he was?"

"But you knew!" Marco replied. "You knew..."

"Yes, I knew but you were the one in denial. I specifically asked you about your feelings for him and you lied. Be that as it may, I kept my word and I haven't harmed him. In fact, I think that he would tell you that I have been treating him better than his own father has. Now we have things to discuss."

"You really are a bastard," Marco said bitterly.

"The sooner we begin planning, the sooner this will be over," Reese replied nonplussed. "What have you found out?"

"News of Paolo's demise haven't hit the net yet but word that his party was a flop has," Marco said his anger still evident. "As far as the trip goes, I planned for six weeks. The guest list for the gala still isn't up and neither is the date and time for the party. The guest list and the details of the party won't be announced until just before it happens. I booked our flight for tomorrow night-Reese what about Edgar? Are you just going to leave him there?"

"What is he to you?" Reese asked.

"He is mine," Marco replied.

"I will call you back."

Reese hung up, looked at Edgar and vanished to the kitchen of the house to think. Marco's claiming of Edgar changed things. As focused as he was on his goals, not even he would keep mates apart. He would just have to find another way to keep Lewis on board.

****

Elena for the most part had been successful in making her mate and owner forgive her for her insolence- she thought. She catered to his every sexual whim eagerly and without complaint. Not once did she beg for permission to come even though her body screamed for it. She was so sure that she had gained forgiveness... so certain-until he spoke.

"Why do you think that you have been forgiven?" he asked as he shoved her away from him. "Do you think that because you did what you are supposed to do is reason enough?"

"No... yes my lord," she replied amending her answer in the hopes that he would reward her for her honesty.

"How many times have I punished you for thinking of him?"

"I... I don't know my lord," she replied. Again; it was an honest answer.