Love Is Never-Ending, ch. 17
Chapter Seventeen
Either every single cop in Los Angeles was on vacation or Mick was very lucky. He was driving like a man possessed, running red lights, speeding and taking dangerous chances. Josef didn’t argue; if anything he didn’t think Mick was driving fast enough. He kept trying to reach the penthouse, but none of the calls went through. Frustrated, Josef threw his phone down on the floor of the Mercedes.
“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Josef asked.
“Not if we want to get there in one piece, Josef. Now shut up and let me drive.”
Mick’s voice betrayed the tension and fear he was feeling. How could they be so stupid? Of course Thomas would want to lure them away to make his move. If anything happened to Beth and Erin, he’d never forgive himself. An image of a bloody and battered Beth swam across his vision. No! Beth’s fine. She has to be.
The closer they got to Josef’s the slower Mick was forced to drive. It was no wonder. All of the traffic lights were out. Mick glanced up at the surrounding buildings. They were dark. What the hell?
“Does it seem dark to you?” Josef asked, unnecessarily.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Mick chuckled. “Yeah. I wonder who turned out the lights?”
Josef looked askance at Mick. “And I thought I was paranoid.”
Mick ignored him and concentrated on winding their way through the congestion. It was everything he could do not to vamp out on his fellow drivers; road rage in the extreme. The only indication Mick gave was the whiteness of his knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel. Josef’s building was also dark when the arrived. The garage door was down and refused to open due to the power outage. Mick shoved the Mercedes in park and ran toward the door, Josef hot on his heels. The door, of course, was electronically locked.
“God damn it,” Mick growled in frustration.
“Mick, calm down. You’re not gonna get anywhere by smashing. Let me.”
Mick didn’t know if Josef was aware of the irony of his statement, considering his performance at Thomas’s townhouse, but he was guessing not. He watched impatiently as Josef pulled out a single key and unlocked the door. Mick practically ran Josef over as he bolted for the staircase. Josef was right behind him as they tore up the stairs. Panting, they reached the penthouse, where Josef again unlocked the door. What they found inside made both of their jaws drop.
Ryder, Beth, Erin and a couple of Josef’s security guys were seated around the table playing cards. The rest of Josef’s team was on watch at every window. The room was lit softly by a few dozen candles. Everyone appeared to be unharmed. Beth looked up from the game when she heard the door click open. When she saw the shocked look on Josef and Mick’s faces, she dropped her cards and ran over to Mick. Beth threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Dumbfounded, Mick was slow to return her hug, but just as she was about to pull away his arms tightened around her in relief. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent, thankful that she was alright.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Beth mumbled against Mick’s chest.
“We were about to ask you the same thing,” said Josef in a droll voice. Before Beth could reply, Josef wandered over to his head of security to find out why no one had answered the phones.
Mick gave Beth one final squeeze before he answered her. “We found some…things at Thomas’s townhouse. Then we tried to call here and no one answered. We were worried.”
Beth pulled away, took Mick’s hand and led him to the couch. Erin and Ryder joined them, each anxious to find out what the boys found. Once everyone was settled, Mick told them what he and Josef had found at Thomas’s. When he got to the part with the photographs, Beth’s hand flew up and covered her mouth as she gasped. Erin reached out and placed a comforting hand on her knee. Josef returned from his conference looking grim.
“What’s wrong, Josef?” Mick asked.
“Well, the reason no one answered the phones? The power outage took out most of the cell towers.”
“And?”
“With the power out the freezers are out too.”
“Don’t you have a backup generator?”
“Somehow, it got fried. No juice. I don’t know about you, but I sure could use some serious freezer time.”
Mick looked at his friend guiltily. He was the reason Josef had been up for nearly two days straight. Even at four hundred, a vampire like Josef couldn’t run indefinitely. He needed rest. Neither one of them would be able to handle Thomas by running on fumes.
Mick turned to Beth. “Is the power at our place still on?”
“I think so.”
“There you go. You can use mine. I’ll stay here and watch the girls until you get back.”
“Mick, after what we saw, do you really think any of us should be wandering off alone right now? What about that safety in numbers thing?”
Mick chuckled. “Don’t tell me big bad Josef Konstantin is afraid of a vamp one quarter his age?”
Josef scowled. “No! Of course not! I just don’t want to eat your nonfat soy vegan blood when I wake up, that’s all.”
Mick decided to tease Josef some other time, like when they didn’t have a mortal enemy after them. “OK, Josef. So what’s the plan then?”
“I just sent one of my guys out to get us some ice. It should be here within the hour.”
“You do realize there are three vampires here, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So where are all of us going to sleep? I don’t think you have three freezers here, Josef.”
“Two actually. I figured Ryder wouldn’t mind using the bath tub. Would you, Ryder?”
“Me? No, the bath tub’s fine,” Ryder said.
Mick still wasn’t convinced. “What about Beth and Erin?”
“What about them? They can stay in the freshie quarters.”
“Are you insane? I’m not letting my fiancé and aunt stay in the freshie quarters! There’s got to be another way.”
“Mick -“ Beth said at the same time Erin said, “Sport -“
“Mick, relax. The quarters are practically empty. They’re all off one some retreat,” Josef said matter-of-factly.
Mick sat back in surprise. “Oh.”
One of Josef’s security team tapped him on the shoulder. “Mr. Konstantin, your delivery is here.”
“Thank god.”
Josef spent the next half hour directing traffic. Soon everyone’s sleeping quarters were ready. Josef reappeared in the living room. “Shall we, ladies?”
Josef took Erin’s arm and led her to her room. Mick followed with Beth in tow. Ryder bid them all good night and wandered off to his bath tub. Mick paused outside Beth’s door. She smiled up at him.
“I guess you won’t be collecting on that rain check anytime soon,” she said.
“I guess not.” Mick paused. “Are you sure this is OK?”
“It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re here.”
Mick gave her one of those famous half smiles. “So am I. I’ll see you in a few hours, OK?”
“OK.” Beth stood up on her toes and kissed him gently. Then she turned and headed into her room. Mick stood outside until he heard her get into bed. When he was sure she was asleep, he headed for Josef’s guest freezer, which was now full of ice. He stripped off his clothes and settled into the ice. It was an awkward fit, but he managed. In a few minutes, he was asleep.
Mick woke up to the sound of someone pounding on the door of the penthouse. He threw open the freezer door and sloshed out of the half melted ice. He grabbed a towel and slung it around his hips as he left the guest room and walked down the hall.
In the living room he found two members of the LAPD arresting a wet and snarling Josef. Beth and Erin stood off to the side looking on in disbelief. Mick started to make his way toward Josef, but he saw Josef shake his head in warning. Josef inclined his head toward Beth and Erin. Josef clearly didn’t want them caught in any potential crossfire. Mick balled his fists in fury as Josef was led out of the penthouse. The squad car door opened and Josef was pressed into the backseat. The silver coated cuffs sapped his strength. The man in the driver’s seat turned to face him. Josef snarled in fury.
“Hello, Josef. Long time, no see.”
“Hello, Thomas.”
To be continued…