He wrinkled his face and barely
hid the shiver that went across his skin. He
turned back to Sonya, “Can I go with you?
I’m bored. Kirk won’t
answer his phone, and the girls aren't gonna be here.”
“Kirk is busy right now, leave
him alone.” Beatriz said.
He looked at her, “So I
hear.” For a moment, he searched
her eyes, and considered searching her thoughts, but he decided against it.
“Why can’t you have someone else do whatever he’s doing?
It’s not like he’s the biggest, baddest vampire on the streets you
know.” He said bitterly.
Beatriz lip curled up on one
side, watching the petulant child in him make a return visit.
She cocked her head, “No, he’s not.”
She said, mocking him. She
walked over and sat next to him, “That
would be you.” She teased,
taking on a sexy tone.
He looked at Sonya beside him,
then back to Beatriz, “I have an idea…”
He said, his petulance quickly turning into perversion.
Sonya looked at him, “And what
would that be, pray tell?”
“Well,” He said, leaning
back against her and looking at Beatriz, “we could pretend that I’m a
handsome sheik and you two are a couple of my wives.”
Beatriz smiled, then ran her
hand through his hair, “Oh yes, my Lord.
All that dark hair and those burning black eyes make you seem very
sheik-like.”
He rolled his eyes, but he was
smiling, “That’s why we’re pretending.” He said.
Sonya pulled his head back so
that she was looking down into his eyes, “Are you asking for a threesome with
the Lady and I?” She said, a
glint in her green eyes.
He swallowed, “Um, yeah?”
He said.
“Well then…”
She said back, pulling him up into her lap “let’s get it on Mr.
Valentino.” And she began to
unbutton his shirt.
Beatriz clapped her hands,
“Oh, this is going to be fun!”
She said, pulling her hair from the ponytail it was in.
Taylor’s eyes were huge,
“Really?” He said, watching
Sonya’s fingers on the buttons. Then
he felt Beatriz unbuckling his belt.
Sonya covered his mouth with her own as her hands pulled open
his shirt. He could feel Beatriz
pulling the zipper down on his jeans. His
mind raced, not believing Sonya had finally given in to his advances, and
that Beatriz was playing along. It
was every man’s dream come true.
“Oh, baby…”
Beatriz said, tugging on the legs of his jeans, inching them down until
she pulled them all the way off, taking his socks with them.
He hadn’t bothered with underwear that morning so he was totally
exposed to the both of them. Beatriz
stood and pulled the tight tank she wore off over her head, leaving only the
black lacy bra she had on under it. Next
she pulled off her pants, her long legs stepping closer to him.
Sonya began to kiss his ear now and was about to move down to his neck.
Beatriz stood over him and he watched her eyes take on the shine.
The last time he’d seen that, she’d tied him to a table and blown his
mind, and then taken his blood. He
was in heaven…except, his body didn’t seem to be doing anything.
His mind was right there with them, but the part he needed in order to
perform for the two beautiful, powerful women with him, was missing in action.
He closed his eyes and envisioned himself making love to the both of
them. He could still feel Sonya’s
hands on him and the feel of her kisses on his throat.
He then felt Beatriz as she straddled him.
“Are you ready?” She
asked.
“Not yet.”
He said.
“Well, we can fix that…”
She said, and she ran her hands up his chest and did all the wonderful
things a woman can do to a man. But
still, nothing happened.
Sonya pushed his hair out of his
eyes, “Don’t worry about it. I
didn’t really have time to mess around anyway.”
She said. She kissed his
lips, then got out from under him, “I want a raincheck though.”
She said, running her hands through her hair and straightening her
clothes. She then walked out of the
room, towards her own. Taylor
watched her go, a sad glimmer in his eyes.
Beatriz wanted to laugh.
The look on his face was so sad as to be comical.
She sat down next to him and pulled her pants back over her legs.
“Oh, don’t look so sad.” She
cooed. “There will be other
nights. We have an eternity
together.” She said, pulling his
face toward her. She leaned in and
placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
He sighed, “Sonya and you will
never be in the mood at the same time ever again.”
“Never say never.”
She said, stroking his cheek. She
looked up at the clock, “Oh, I need to get going.”
She said, standing. “Have
fun tonight, and don’t get into any trouble.”
She said, softly. He just
watched her with his sad eyes.
Sonya came out within moments and walked toward the elevator, “I’ll
see you later my little hunny bunny…” She
said with a smile, and she stepped into the little room, leaving Taylor watching
the numbers as she went down.
Beatriz
followed in much the same way with a “Be back before dawn.
You know what happens.” And
then he was alone. He checked to
see if Mr. Jones were around, but his room was empty.
He checked for the girls, but he knew they weren’t there either.
He went in his own room and put on some music, played some video games,
and then turned on the television. Of
course, nothing was on of interest. When
the CD ended, the quietness of the place became stifling.
Grabbing a jacket and a hat, he went to the elevator himself, deciding
he’d at least go and get himself something to stop the nagging hunger that was
eating away at his stomach.
As
usual, Central Park served him up a number of victims from which to choose.
The city was still in shock, so it wasn’t the smorgasbord he was
accustomed to, but he managed all the same.
A man in his thirties, in good physical shape, obviously due to running,
made him an easy and filling meal. He’d
left him sitting on a bench, his head in his hands, but in no way damaged beyond
repair. It would just take him a
little longer to get back, than it had taken him to get there.
Taylor
walked back to the building he lived in. As
he put his hand on the door, he just couldn’t bear to open it and go inside.
It was just too quiet. He
was longing for the voices of his family; for the music that would pour from one
of his brothers’ rooms, or the sound of his sisters arguing over a sweater or
the incessant chatter of his littlest brother trying to get someone to play
video games with him. He shook his
head, hoping he’d had more luck lately than he himself had had getting someone
to play. He’d played with Beatriz
in the basement, but it had been more like work as she pushed him harder and
harder physically and mentally. He
actually thought he’d hurt her that afternoon, but she hadn’t let on.
But he’d felt the blow he’d thrown and he’d felt it connect.
He walked back onto the street, shaking his head and thinking about just
how tough she really was.
~~~~~
Beatriz
stretched her arms in front of her, “You know, he pounded me tonight.”
She said.
Sonya
looked over at her, and smiled, “Yeah, I thought I saw a bruise on your
shoulder.”
Beatriz
looked down at her own arm, “You probably did.”
She looked back over at her, “Oh well, it’s just a little internal
bleeding.” She joked.
“He’s
getting better, isn’t he?” Sonya
said seriously. They’d stopped in
front of The Living End.
Beatriz
sighed, “Yes, he is.” She said.
“Be careful in there tonight. We
can’t make any mistakes. If you
have any doubts, don’t include them. Melanie
and Camille can sense power, but not control.
And as you know, one without the other is useless.”
Sonya
nodded. “Yes, I think we all
understand that, don’t we?” She
said.
“Oh
yes, we do.” Beatriz answered.
She looked up, “Sometimes, I wish we lived somewhere
besides the city. I remember trees
and stars and rocks and forests and corn fields…”
She looked back at Sonya, “I’m sure you do, too.
How did we find ourselves here?” She
said.
“A
lot of hard work.” Sonya replied
wistfully. “Well, I guess I’d
better get in there.” She said,
opening the door to the place.
“Here.”
Beatriz said, handing her a tiny rock with a feather tied to
it. “For good luck.”
Sonya
raised an eyebrow, but put the thing in the pocket of her jeans, “Thanks,
I’ll take it…”
~~~~~
Taylor
walked on toward the hotel. Gone
were the girls who’d haunted the place for years, waiting for he and his
brothers to make an appearance on the steps, smiling and waving.
The wind blew cool against his face.
Fall was coming and it was welcome.
The city still burned and people still cried and hoped against hope that
their loved ones would be found. Pictures
of missing sons and daughters and mothers and fathers had sprung up, reminding
him all the more that his home was hundreds of miles away from there.
He looked down at the ground as a paper blew and caught his attention.
He picked it up from amid dried flowers and a few other notes and
ribbons. It was a place that had
turned into a memorial for him in the months following his “death” and even
now, fans still stopped by when they were in the area.
“Dear Taylor, I hope that wherever you are, you’re still singing.
Love, Amanda”.
With a sigh, he stuffed it in his pocket and walked on.
~~~~~
When
Kirk put the key in his door, he was alarmed to find it already open.
“Fuck me!” He said.
“If I got ripped off again—“ He
started, but when he went in, he saw Taylor sitting on his couch, a dark look in
his eyes.
“Dude! You
scared the crap out of me! What are
you doing here?” He asked.
For
a moment, Taylor just looked at him, then he sighed. “I
don’t know. I think I’m just
feeling homesick or something.” He
pulled his foot up on the couch, “And I’m trapped
up there with all those females!!! It’s
enough to drive a guy crazy!” He
complained.
Kirk
smiled. “Yeah, well, that could
be bad, or it could be good.” He
said, with a wink.
“Does
yours work all the time?” Taylor
blurted out, “Cuz, mine just comes
and goes whenever it feels like it!”
Kirk
laughed, “Is that why you’re here? You
need some sex advice?” He threw
his keys over on the table. He was
relieved actually. He’d been
afraid that Taylor had picked up something from his thoughts when they’d run
into each other last.
Taylor
picked up the pillow from beside him and picked at a loose thread, “No, not
really. But, that does suck.”
He said softly.
“I just…I feel like I don’t belong here, y’know?
I don’t want to be depended on by people that I don’t even know.
I don’t know what they want from me.”
He said.
“You
probably should be talking to Beatriz about this, man.
I’m just a grunt. I just
do what I’m told.” Kirk said.
He was sensing something about the boy now and he wasn’t sure what it
was. But, he decided to try and
shield his thoughts from him as best he could.
“Hey, do you want something to drink?”
He asked, walking towards the kitchen.
“No,
I drank already.” Taylor said,
putting the pillow back.
When
Kirk turned to go back to the living room, Taylor was standing right behind him.
“Shit, Tay! Quit
sneaking up on me!” He said,
shaking the water off his hand.
“I’m
sorry.” Taylor said, looking into
his dark eyes. “I guess I’m
just missing my brothers and stuff. Hey,
you don’t wanna play, do ya?” He
asked, his eyes losing their sadness for a moment.
“Um,
well, what time is it? You don’t
want it to get too late on ya.” Kirk
said, pushing passed him.
“It’s
still pretty early. I don’t even
think it’s midnight yet.” Taylor
answered.
Kirk
sat the water down on the coffee table and wiped his hands on his shirt.
“Um, well, I don’t know…” He
said, not looking at him.
“Have
I done something wrong?” Taylor
said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I
mean, are you mad at me for something? I
didn’t know about that whole Nikki thing, I swear it.”
Taylor said.
Kirk
rubbed his forehead. “No, man.
You didn’t do anything, okay? I
just…I just have a lot of stuff to do right now.
I’d love to play with you, dude.
You’re the best frickin’ singer I’ve ever heard and I love your
tunes.” He said.
He could hardly bear the look on Taylor’s face.
“But, I just really can’t right now.
I was just coming here to pick up a jacket, and then I needed to head
back out.” He said, walking over
to his closet. When he turned,
Taylor was looking at him.
“You can stay if you want.”
He said, walking towards the door. The lock clicked and Kirk stopped,
closing his eyes.
Taylor’s
voice was serious, “I need to know what’s going on.”
Slowly,
Kirk turned back around, “Nothin’s going on, man.
I’m just doing some stuff for the Lady that she didn’t want everyone
to know about.”
“Well,
I need you to tell me what it is.” Taylor
said, his eyes glinting in the dim light.
“I
can’t.” Kirk said.
“That’s
bullshit. You’re hiding something
from me. So is Sonya, and if Sonya
is in on it, I’m sure Beatriz is too. You
can tell me, or I can take it from you. So,
what’s it gonna be, easy or hard?” Taylor
asked.
Kirk
sighed, “It’s something you really don’t need to know, okay?
Do yourself a favor, Taylor, and let it go.”
Now
Taylor’s voice had softened, “Is it about my family?
You went to Tulsa. Why?”
“Your
family is fine. Everybody’s good.
It was just something…Beatriz wanted to make sure
everything was okay there, so I went there to check out stuff.
It was a good thing, okay?”
Taylor
walked over to him and the lock clicked open again.
His eyes still held the light in an odd way and Kirk was a little
surprised not to see his elongated canines.
He stood very close to him. “How
were they?” He asked.
“I
told you, they were fine.” Kirk
said, getting very uncomfortable under the boy’s gaze.
Taylor
cocked his head, “Yeah, you did.” He
said. He put his hand on the knob,
“You didn’t see me here, Kirk, right?”
He asked, but it was more of a statement.
Kirk
swallowed, “Okay.” He said, and
Taylor walked out of the apartment and down the stairs.
~~~~~
Sonya
stepped from The Living End and rubbed her temples.
Sometimes, if she used her psychic abilities too much, it gave her a
headache. And while speaking to a
roomful of female vampires was taxing enough, she spoke to them all silently, as
well. Some heard better than
others. Her thoughts were
interrupted by Camille.
“I’m
hungry.” She said.
“You’re
always hungry.” Melanie replied,
her red hair blowing across her face.
“We
should all be hungry after that.” Sonya
replied. “There were a lot of
crazy women in there.” She said.
“Yeah,
some I’m hoping are gonna be on our side.”
Camille added.
Melanie
shook her head, “I wonder what made the terrible trio show up?”
She asked.
“I’m
taking that as a sign.” Sonya
said, stepping off the curb and into the street.
She pulled her backpack further up her shoulder, “They’re pretty
picky about who they’ll pledge their allegiance to.”
Melanie
snorted, “No shit. I don’t
think they’re totally loyal to Robert, even.
Or Beatriz.”
Camille
nodded, “Yep. Taylor must have
swayed them somehow.” She said.
“Maybe
it was when he kicked their ass.” Melanie
reasoned.
Sonya
laughed, “You’re probably right.” She
said, and they headed on down the street, hoping to run into their dinner for
the evening.
~~~~~
Beatriz
was trying not to nod off. She had
enough of the petty squabbles and demands of the vampires of New York, without
having to deal with the Elders’ views on it as well.
“If Maria wants to prey on drug addicts and—“She heard, but in her
mind she was hearing “blah blah blah…”
“Yes,
I agree.” She said.
“Very
good. I was certain you would.”
Victor said. “So,
how is life with your protégé?” He
asked her.
“Which
one?” She replied.
“The
male.” He said, narrowing his
eyes.
“He’s
alright.” She replied.
“A little upset by recent events…”
He
laughed. “I’m sure.
He seems a little sensitive for you, Beatriz.”
“What
can I say? Opposites attract.”
She answered, crossing her legs.
He
smiled back, “So, are you close?” He
asked.
“Very.”
She said with a sexy smile.
“It’s
almost a shame, isn’t it? He
seemed to have some mental powers uncommon to males until you went and killed
him, but I suppose as his physical prowess improves, those lessen?”
Now
she uncrossed her legs, knowingly giving him a peek at her barely there
undergarments. “I’d think if
you asked him, he’d say it was a fair trade.”
She licked her lips, “At least, I
certainly think so.”
He
shook his head, “You women are so easily pleased.”
He said smugly. “I’d
think you’d be more impressed with the powers of one of us than a young buck
with a hard on.”
She
stood, “I’ve had your kind, thank you.”
She said, smoothing her hair. “I
prefer a young one who thinks of me as a queen.
My powers impress him—why
would I want it any other way?” She
poured herself a glass of water and turned to face him.
“Because
we are like you.” He answered.
“But,
he is handsome.” She smiled.
“Because
he is weak.” He countered.
“But,
he’s lucky.” She said.
“Because
we could rule. You could bring the
females around to our way of thinking.” He
said.
She
raised an eyebrow. “Are you
inviting me to become one of you? An
elder, with no petty responsibilities and power to laud over all the others?”
He
laughed, “Is that what you think of us?”
She
shrugged, “Well, that’s a small part of what I think of you.”
“Fair
enough.” He said.
“So, is that something you would consider?”
He asked, his blue eyes watching her closely.
“Hmmm…well,
of course I’d consider it. But
frankly, I remember what happened to Marie Claire not so very long ago and I
believe in the end, I would prefer to stay right where I am at in this
kingdom.”
She looked around the room, “Was this something you came up
with on your own? Or was it a group
decision to question me about it?” She
asked, seeing that the others had left the room.
He
crossed his arms over his chest, “A little of both, I suppose. Marie Claire
got out of hand, I’m sure you understand.”
He said.
“Yes,
well, thank you for thinking of me.” She
said suspiciously. “Be sure and
let me know if the offer ever becomes official, and I shall give it some
thought.”
She set the glass of water down and glanced down at her
watch, “Well, it’s getting late. I’d
better go see what my children have been up to this evening, before it’s too
late.” She said, her eyes
widening in mock horror.
“Yes,”
he said, walking towards her, “we wouldn’t want any of them to get into
trouble, now would we?” He said,
his accent giving a hardness to his words.
“No,
I guess we wouldn’t.” She said.
She walked toward the elevator and he followed.
Pressing
the down button for her, he then leaned up against the cool dark wall, “So,
this child you harbor, is just a plaything for you?”
He asked. Before she could
answer, he went on, “You know, he is an odd one.
He’s like a scared little bird, and yet somehow, he seems to be
brimming over with something…I can nearly feel it without even being near
him.”
“He’s
young.” She said.
“His beginning was a bit fantastic and I think it’s made
him…different.” She answered.
“How
so?”
He asked.
Out
of the corner of her eye, she watched the lights on the wall, wishing the
elevator were faster. “He just
is.
He’s very sensitive to those around him, he knows if
someone is upset or angry. He feels
for the humans he feeds on and it makes it difficult for him at times.”
She smiled, “It’s actually rather endearing.”
“So,
he is an empath?” He asked.
The
elevator door slid open, “I guess you could call it that.”
She said. She then stepped
into the welcome solitude of the elevator.
“Have a good evening.” She
said as the doors closed. Though
she knew they could still see her, she was now free to let her thoughts flow
freely, and she was thankful that she’d managed to get away before he dug any
farther into her impressions of Taylor. They
may not have had the same abilities that she and the boy shared, but they
weren’t stupid. Anyone with half
a brain could tell Taylor was special. She
just prayed they didn’t find out how
special until she wanted them to.
~~~~~
It
wasn’t easy, but Taylor came into the building without being seen.
He went straight up to the Penthouse and went from room to room, seeing
if he was alone. When he found no
one, he went to his room, pulled open the bottom drawer of his dresser and
grabbed a handful of t-shirts, tossing them onto the bed.
Next, a few pair of socks, some underwear, and two old, soft
pair of blue jeans. He went to the
bathroom and grabbed a large towel, came back, wrapped the clothes in it and
went out into the living room. He
looked around the room, trying to remember where he’d seen Beatriz put her car
keys. He looked in the lidded box
on the coffee table, then went to the desk.
Opening the drawer, he found them right where she’d thrown them the
last time she’d used it. Picking
up the keys, he smiled sadly. He’d
have loved to have had a car like that before.
Now, it was just a means to an end.
As he closed the drawer, the glint of red caught his eye.
Pulling it open again, he saw the pendant she’d given him, its ruby red
drop catching the light of the lamp on the desk.
He picked it up, and pulled it over his head, then shut the
drawer. Instead of taking the
elevator back down, he went to the stairs; the same stairs he’d used when he
and Michelle had left the building the night he’d made love to her.
When he got to the window, he eased it open and tossed the bag down into
the alley. He then made his way
carefully out onto the sill and closed the window behind him.
Soundlessly, he dropped down onto the pavement, picked up his pack and
disappeared into the garage where a black jaguar, seldom used, sat waiting for
its passenger.
~~~~~
Melanie
walked in, threw off her shoes and hurried to grab the couch.
“Butthole must not be home yet, or he’d have his big ass parked
here.” She smirked, flipping on
the television.
“Maybe
he’s already asleep.” Camille
said.
Sonya
dropped her backpack next to the chair before sitting down in it, “It’s
awfully early for him to go to bed.” She
mused, twisting her hair up into a bun. “I
mean, even Taylor waits for the sun to warm the sky a little.”
Melanie
shrugged. “Well, that’s still
hours away. He’s probably out at
a gay bar, getting hit on. That’s
easy money for him.”
Sonya
picked her backpack up and placed it in her lap and began to go through its
contents, “Oh, I don’t think he was in the mood for men tonight…”
She muttered, pulling a dog eared book out of her bag.
“I’m
gonna see if he’s in there.” Camille
said, and she went down the hall and looked into his room.
The bed was made and the lights were off.
She came back to join them again for a moment, “Nope, he’s still
out.” She reported.
“I’m gonna go take a shower. I’m
worn out after dealing with all those freaky-deeks tonight.”
“You
picked ‘em.” Sonya said, her
eyes not looking up from the book.
“I
know.”
Camille conceded, then her eyes brightened, “There were
some pretty good ones though, wasn’t there?”
“Yes,
I believe there were.” Sonya
said, still reading.
“Alright,
see y’all in a bit.” The girl
said, walking down the hallway to her own room, leaving the others to clear
their heads in the ways they saw fit.
~~~~~
Beatriz
walked into The Living End. Looking
from table to table, she saw no one she knew to be untrustworthy.
“Hello, Sam.” She said,
walking up to the bar. “How did
things go this evening?”
“Nothing
too interesting.” He stated,
wiping the counter in front of her. “Water,
Lady?” He asked.
“Yes,
please.” She said, turning to
face the crowd. There were more
females than usual she noted.
Placing
a glass on the counter, the man filled it from a bottle, then tossed the empty
into the container in the corner. She
raised an eyebrow as she took the glass. “Master
Taylor asks that we start recycling.” He
said.
Smiling,
she took a drink, then set the glass down.
“That sounds like him.” She
said. “Has he been here this
evening?” She asked.
“No,
ma’am,” He said, “just your girls.”
“Yes,
my girls…” She
mused. “I suppose all went well
for their little get-together?”
He
shrugged, “Well, nothin’ bad happened, so I guess it did.
Hard to tell when they don’t talk out loud.”
He said, placing clean glasses under the counter.
“No
news is good news.” She said.
She sighed, “I guess I’ll go home.”
Standing, she waved at a couple of women she knew.
“If you see Taylor, tell him we’ll just see him later.”
“Will
do, Lady.” He answered, and she
went out the door.
~~~~~
Mr.
Jones had returned from his date at 1:30 and had gone to bed.
Beatriz had come home right after that and joined the rest watching
television. New York City was still
on every channel. The rest of the
country was pulling together for them and it was news.
At 4:30, Taylor still hadn’t returned.
“Melanie, call some of those friends of yours and see who’s seen him
this evening.” Beatriz said.
“If I have to go rescue him from the sunrise, I’d like to get on
it.” She groused.
Melanie
did as she was told, but had no luck finding anyone who’d seen him that
evening, except for one boy who’d seen him at the Trump for a moment.
“Ian saw him early over by the freak show, but that’s all anybody
knows.” She said, setting her
phone on the table.
“Alright.”
Beatriz said.
“Hmmm…I wonder of those three witches have seen him.
That’s where I had to get him the last time.”
Beatriz said. “If
they’re up to something, I’ll have them drawn and quartered.”
She said, picking up her own phone.
“I probably should have done it a long time ago…”
She said to herself. “Yes,
this is Beatriz.” She said into
the receiver. “I’m looking for my little lambie, have you seen him this
evening?” Sonya watched her roll
her eyes. “Very well, if you do
see him, please call me. He
sometimes lets time get away from him, and that’s not a good thing for our
kind, as you know.” She said.
“Yes, thank you.” She turned
the phone off and tossed it in the seat next to her.
“I shall wring his beautiful neck when I see him.”
She said. “Camille!”
She called. A moment later,
the girl appeared in a tank and boxers, covered with red cherries on a blue
background.
“Yeah?”
She said.
“Do
you know anyone, other than Melanie’s friends who’d have seen Taylor this
evening?” Beatriz asked.
Camille
looked up and placed her finger on her lips, “Ummm…lemme think.”
She said. “Not really. Melanie knows all the nosy people anyway.
Did you try Kirk?
We saw him the other day and he told Taylor he’d call him
or something.”
“Ah,
very good.” Beatriz said, picking
the phone up again. She looked at
the caller ID, but Kirk’s name wasn’t on it.
“Well, Kirk didn’t call here,” She said, punching buttons, “but
that doesn’t mean Taylor didn’t call him.”
She waited. The phone rang
eight times before it was picked up by a groggy sounding man.
“Kirk, what are you doing?” Beatriz
asked.
“Um,
nothing. Sleeping.
Why?” He said.
“It
just seems early for you to have retired for the night.”
She said.
“What
time is it?” He asked, his voice
still deep from sleep.
“Going
on 5.” She replied.
“Huh.
I don’t know, I musta fallen asleep or something.”
He said.
“Whatever.
I’m looking for Taylor.”
“Taylor?”
“Yes,
Taylor.” She said, getting
impatient. “You know, that tall,
blondish pain in the ass?”
“Ah,
he’s not here.” Kirk said.
“What happened? Is he
alright?” He asked.
“Probably,
but until I find him, I won’t know that for sure, will I?”
She said. “So, he’s not
there with you?”
“No.”
He said.
“Alright,
if you see him, have him call me.” She
said.
“Okay.”
He yawned and he hung up.
Beatriz
looked at Sonya, “He says he hasn’t seen him either.”
“Hmmm…”
Sonya raised an eyebrow.
“You’re
his sire, see if you can reach out to him somehow.
I don’t care if he’s wanting to stay with someone, I’d just like to
know he hasn’t been run over by a florist truck or something.”
Beatriz groused.
Sonya
chuckled, “I’ll try, but you’ve pounded it into his head so often to
shield his thoughts, that it’s gotten harder to find him like that.”
“I
guess that’s a double edged sword, eh?”
Beatriz commented. She
leaned back in the chair, watching Sonya.
Sonya
had closed her eyes, but when she opened them, she shook her head.
“I couldn’t really get anything out of him.”
She said.
Beatriz
huffed, “He’s going to give me gray hair.”
Then she stood and turned to Sonya.
“What should I do?” She
asked.
“What
can you do? This is New
York City, he’s a good looking guy, he could be anywhere.
Anybody could have let him stay with them.
I assume you’ve called his cell phone?”
Beatriz nodded.
“Well, I just don’t know what else we can do then.
I mean, I guess you could call the elders—“
Sonya started.
“Oh,
no.
That is not an option.”
Beatriz said, emphatically.
“But,
they have all the feelers out there, that’s one of the only things they do.”
Sonya reasoned.
Beatriz
looked at her, “I’m afraid they’d love nothing better than to be given
permission to tail him. And I’m
also certain they’d love to catch him doing something he shouldn’t be
doing.” She put her hand on her
hip, “And while I know it’s unbelievable to think that Taylor would ever do
anything against the rules…” She
said, sarcastically. She crossed
her arms over her chest, “Damn him…”
~~~~~
The
sun was behind him, and it gave Taylor a little more time to get to where he was
going. He looked at the clock in
the smooth wooden dash of the car. It
was nearing 6 a.m. at home in New York, but he was pretty certain he’d passed
at least one time zone. Still, he
could feel his eyes getting heavy and he knew he didn’t have long to get
someplace dark and private. In his
pocket was $137.00 he’d gotten off a trucker back in Harrisburg.
He was usually a little more picky choosing victims, but a search of
minds and seeing a bit of cash in the man’s wallet had made his decision an
easy one. He welcomed the sign for
a Budget Inn coming up ahead and quickly turned into the driveway. He figured it
would be better to grab one now before he got to Pittsburgh. Once
inside, his feet moved across the carpet like lead, and the woman behind the
counter was on the phone. “I need
a room.”
He said. She
held up a finger to him and it was all he could do to not snap it off her hand.
“Oh,
I’ll be there.” She said
brightly.
“And I’ll bring my kids because I know how much you love
them!” She laughed.
Taylor
looked at the phone and mentally gave her two seconds to end her call.
When she didn’t, he threw whatever power he had left to his mind at it.
He knew nothing about the workings of a phone, so he just tried to
scramble it however he could.
“Miss—“
“Well,
that’s funny…” She said,
looking at the receiver, “It’s like it just went dead.”
“I’m
sorry, but please, I just need to sleep, can you help me?”
He asked, turning on the charm.
Finally,
she looked up from the phone and was immediately taken by the blue eyed boy in
front of her, “Oh, well, of course I can help you.”
She smiled.
“Thank
you.” He said putting a wad of
cash up on the counter. Later, he
wasn’t sure how he’d made it up to the room, and he made a mental note to
find a hotel no later than 5:30 the next time…
