Angel reborn, p.22
Angel Reborn, page 22
“Indeed,” Mam said, and her gaze shifted to Graeco. “Initiate contact with each of the affected families. Express our concern and dismay, of course, and see what information they’re willing to share. For those who are amenable, I’d like to speak with them personally.”
“As you wish, Madame.”
Turning to Francesca, she said, “With our perspective broadening to such a large scale, Graeco will be taking over the investigation. You will continue managing any aspects pertaining to the break-ins at VCBI, but you need to turn over all files and details to Graeco and he will direct your efforts. He will also take over as the point person for the world outside our walls. Any reports you compile or any findings or conclusions you come to will be shared directly with Graeco, and only Graeco, and then he will relay that information to my son and myself.”
Francesca stood rigid as stone, showing no emotion as she stared at my mother, and though it appeared to take great effort based the tightness of her jaw and mouth, she managed a curt nod. “As you wish.”
“You may go,” Mam said, turning away in dismissal.
“If I may ask,” Francesca said, her eyes darting back and forth between Graeco and my mother with uncharacteristic uncertainty. “What about Mrs. VanCleave? The, uh, other Mrs. VanCleave? I was told to include her in the chain of command with any correspondence or findings for this investigation, and her residence is, of course, part of the investigation.”
“You may still report to Valentina on matters regarding her residence, as well as any developments pertaining to the confines of VCBI. And Graeco will, I’m sure, include her in his reports whenever the information is pertinent to Valentina’s interests.”
“Pardon me saying so,” Francesca said, swallowing hard as her gaze held my mother’s, “but I would assume all reports regarding this investigation are pertinent to Mrs. VanCleave’s interests. She is a member of the board at VCBI, a victim of the attack, and a member of the bloodline targeted. I think her interests go far beyond her personal residence and VCBI’s building.”
I sucked in a quiet breath at her daring as I looked to my mother for a reaction. Not only was Francesca challenging my mother, she was doing so in defense of Valentina, and everyone in the room knew Mam’s feelings regarding my stepmother.
With an unwavering gaze locked with Francesca’s, Mam replied. “Graeco is perfectly capable of determining which matters involve Valentina, so you need not concern yourself. You are the head of security for VCBI, are you not? That is where your concerns lie. If Valentina has an issue with how Graeco chooses to conduct his investigation, she is more than welcome to take it up with me.”
Francesca’s eyes flashed with anger, but her head bowed in submission. “Yes, Madame. As you wish.”
When she had gone, my mother turned back to Graeco. “Find out who her source is. I want to know exactly what Francesca shared about the night of the Blood Ball and who else it may have then been shared with.”
“Understood, Madame.” He bowed low from the waist, far more dramatically than was necessary, but it made Mam break into a hint of a smile, which I am certain was his goal.
Twenty-Three
Nick
I joined Mam at the windows once we were alone. “Those were all Old-World families. They go back for centuries upon centuries.”
“Yes, they do.” She crossed her arms, her gaze fixed on the sky. “Most can be traced back to the days of the original Fallen.”
“Who would dare provoke so many so powerful all at once?”
“Someone with a large set of balls, I presume.”
“I can’t even fathom the level of coordination and the resources it would take to hit that many places across the globe simultaneously.”
“It boggles the mind,” she said, moving back to her desk. Lifting the receiver of the antique phone on her desk, she placed one long, red, manicured nail in the zero slot and twisted the rotary dial all the way around. When the receptionist answered, she said, “Get me Demetrios Laranski.”
I stared at her, bewildered by the choice to phone him now—or at all—as she waited for the call to connect.
When it did, Mam didn’t bother with any of the customary pleasantries exchanged at the start of a call. She didn’t even say hello. Instead, she said, “What have you learned?”
My bewilderment was surpassed only by my curiosity, and I sat back down across from her and waited as he talked and she listened.
“I suspect you’re right,” she responded to whatever he’d said. “One of my staff just came to tell me she’d received a call with the same information you heard. Only she listed even more families than what you’d been told.”
Mam’s brow furrowed as she listened intently, her eyes unfocused and staring straight ahead.
I leaned forward, wishing I could make out his words, but his voice was nothing more than a murmur on the other end of the line.
“Yes, of course,” she said. “I completely agree.” She paused while he spoke. “No, no, that would probably be for the best. It’s sensible. But keep me posted.”
The call ended, and she set the receiver back down, still staring off into the distance.
“You already knew.” I said quietly.
She startled slightly, her gaze darting to me as though she’d only just remembered I was still in the room.
“You knew about the other attacks before Francesca told us,” I asserted.
Mam’s eyes held mine. “I had heard rumors that we weren’t the only family hit, yes.”
“Rumors? You were speaking with Demetrios Laranski, whose family was also targeted, and that call was obviously not the first conversation the two of you have had about this. You knew, and you didn’t tell me.”
“Demetrios and I were sharing information, yes,” she said with a shrug. “We thought it a strange coincidence and that perhaps there might be a connection, but why would there be? We live a world apart, and we have no business ties. Nothing that connects us. He’d heard rumors there were others, but he had no confirmation, so it was only that—rumors. That’s all. Nothing had been confirmed other than his experience and mine.”
“Even so, you should have told me! We sat here all morning going over the investigation and all the intel that has been gathered, and you knew the Laranski family was hit at the same time on the same night, and yet, you said nothing. Not to me or Francesca. Why wouldn’t you share that with her when she was conducting the investigation?”
“I told you, nothing was confirmed other than the Laranski invasion and our own. It still isn’t, really. The rumors are spreading like wildfire, so it’s hard to know what’s true and what’s not. Who knows who Francesca spoke with and how reliable they might be? She named a few families I hadn’t been told about previously, and yet she didn’t name others I had heard about, so there’s plenty of conjecture and misinformation at this point.”
“But why wouldn’t you mention any of this to me?”
“I would have, once I had concrete facts to present. Graeco has been in the process of verifying what I was told, and once we had that verification, then of course, that would be shared with you. It’s not like I was hiding it from you. If I was, I wouldn’t have called Demetrios while you were present, now, would I? I was simply delaying the information until I knew for sure. You’ve been a bit preoccupied with matters at home, and I didn’t want to add any unnecessary stress if the rumors proved unfounded.”
“Preoccupied or not, I’ve been in constant contact with both you and Graeco, and you should have told me. My family is in danger—”
“Yes, and I have done everything I can to mitigate that danger and ensure that your wife and daughter are safe, but it would appear that your family is not the only one in danger, and until we know the full scope of this and what it’s all about, we all must exercise extreme caution. Which we’re already doing, so I fail to see what decisions you would have made differently. The fact of the matter is, I was contacted by Demetrios in the strictest confidence, and I sought to verify what I was told before passing it along. I wasn’t hiding anything from you. I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Worry me?” I ran my hands through my hair in frustrated disbelief. “I’m the president of this company. If you had information about these attacks, you should have shared that with me right away.”
“Perhaps you’re right, but let’s not forget that I asked you to remain at my side and take the lead on this crisis, and you refused.” She lifted her hand to silence my protest. “I understand why you felt you needed to, and I think I’ve been more than patient with your choosing to remain at home, not to mention your assertion that Aria and Sage are your priority. So, you can either be here and be in charge, or you can be home and leave it to me, but I won’t be judged for the decisions I make in your absence. Especially not when those decisions are made in the interest of protecting you and yours.”
Anger rose hot and acidic once more, and I couldn’t tell how much of it was due to being rightfully called out and how much was in response to the realization that we were even more in the dark than we had been before. Somehow, we’d learned more and yet, we knew less.
“Is there anything else you aren’t telling me?” I asked, bracing for what the answer might be. “Is there anything else you know that I don’t regarding this investigation or the attacks the night of the ball?”
She threw up her hands, scoffing as she rolled her eyes. “Is that not what we’ve been sitting here discussing? And yet, no matter how forthcoming I am, you’re still acting like I’m trying to hide something. What else do you want me to say? Do you want me to apologize? Fine. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry I didn’t add more to your plate. Is that what you want to hear?”
“I appreciate that you’ve been forthcoming now, but you weren’t before. I want to know that moving forward, you’re going to share whatever you learn.”
“Done. Now can we please move on? I do still have a company to run, and plenty of other calls to make. Would you like to sit in on them with me?”
My phone rang, and I reached for it immediately, hoping it was Aria returning my call. I was momentarily disappointed to see it was Zeck, but at least he would be able to tell me if Aria was okay.
“I’m sorry, but I need to take this privately.” I stood and headed for the door as she retorted behind me.
“Of course you do. By all means, go.”
Ignoring the snipe, I swiped my finger across the phone screen to answer the call as I walked past the guards and across the rotunda lobby to the stairwell door.
“Hold on, Zeck. Let me get somewhere where I can talk.” I waited until I was inside the stairwell with the door closed to continue. “What’s going on?”
“Yeah, I just thought you should know Aria has a visitor.”
I tensed. “A visitor? Who?”
“Aria called her Cricket, if I understood correctly.”
“Ah, okay.” The tension immediately eased.
Zeck went on, “She showed up at the gate demanding to be let in. I told her it wasn’t a good time and offered to pass along a message, but she wasn’t having it. She went ballistic on me. Then, Aria came down to the gate in the middle of it and insisted I let the woman in.”
“That makes sense. Cricket is one of Aria’s closest friends, and she’s quite protective of Aria. She’s got a bit of a temper, that one.”
“You’re not telling me anything I didn’t see firsthand. I mean, this woman was like a pit bull in attack mode. She accused me of kidnapping Aria and holding her against her will. Threatened to call the cops. Threatened to sue me. Told me she was going to bust down the gate if I didn’t open it. Luckily, Aria arrived and intervened before she could carry through with that. I gather from the weight of the words being thrown around that this Cricket person is a lawyer?”
“She is…or…was. As far as I know, she’s no longer practicing. She works as a personal defense trainer now. So, what happened? Did you let her in?”
“I pretty much had to. Aria threatened to leave with her if I didn’t.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the flustered tone of Zeck’s voice and the mental image I’d conjured of Cricket and Aria both raging at my poor friend. “Is Cricket still there?”
“Yeah. Aria got in the car with her, and they sat there talking for a few minutes before driving up to the house. That’s where they are now. Is her name really Cricket? Seriously?”
“That’s all I’ve ever heard her called.” I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck and shifted to lean against the wall.
“Hey, she called me a bloodsucker,” Zeck said. “I’m assuming that means she knows about you?”
“That’s correct. Like I said, Cricket is one of Aria’s closest friends and confidants. She’s practically family.”
“Aria said as much when she told me to open the gate. Even so, are you sure it’s wise to have friends—more specifically, human friends—around Aria right now? You know, with things being so unpredictable and with so much unknown?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s wise, but what I would say is that Aria is going through a lot right now, and she probably appreciates having her friend around.”
“I don’t know, man. What if she sees something? What if she tells somebody?”
“She hasn’t told anyone what she knows so far. At least, not that I know of. She’s always been a loyal friend, so I don’t think she’d betray Aria. Aria trusts her, obviously, and I trust Aria’s judgment on what she shares with those closest to her.”
“I get that, but if this lady is as much of a hothead as she seems, I think it may be a mistake to trust her.”
“Look, I appreciate your concern, and I get it. Really, I do. But to Cricket’s point, my wife has not been kidnapped, and she isn’t a prisoner being held against her will. I’m not going to police what she can and cannot say about her experiences or who she can or cannot see. Aria trusts Cricket, and I trust Aria. End of story. Besides, it seems we have bigger problems.”
“Bigger problems than Aria manifesting powers out of the blue with no way to control them?”
“Okay, maybe not bigger, but pretty damn big.” I told him about the other Turpisi families being attacked the same night as the Blood Ball, and then the two of us discussed theories of who it might be and why.
Our list of possibilities was impossibly short when my phone beeped with another call coming in. Seeing that it was Noelle, I told Zeck I had to go, and he promised to keep me posted on the situation at home.
“Hi, Noelle,” I said once I’d clicked over to answer her call. “Please tell me you’re calling with good news. I could sure use some today.”
“I wish I was, Nicky. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any answers for Aria. As you know, it’s not like we have written histories or medical textbooks regarding the bloodlines, and it’s not like I can do an internet search for supernatural symptoms and find answers that way. And while I understand Aria wanting to keep this under wraps, it makes it difficult for me to consult any of my usual resources or reach out to any bloodline scholars when there’s so much I can’t reveal.”
“I know. We’ve asked you to dance with your hands and feet tied, and I’m sorry I can’t give you more freedom with what to say. Aria’s adamant that she doesn’t want her condition revealed, though, and I have to respect that.”
“No, no, I get it. I’m not asking you—or her—to change your convictions. I’m just trying to figure out how best to help under the parameters we’ve got.”
“Yeah, well, there’s more. I’ve been meaning to call you all day to let you know we’ve had a few more developments.”
I explained about the faucet shaping itself to Aria’s palm and breaking off, the vision she’d had while holding the arrow, and the way she’d used the water to form a protective shield around her and Sage.
“Have you ever heard of anyone exhibiting more than one bloodline’s abilities?” I asked once I’d told her everything. “I thought it was impossible for anyone to have more than one line’s traits.”
“I’ve learned when dealing with either human bodies or supernatural ones to never say impossible. We learn new things and see new things all the time, but I’ve never encountered anyone who had the abilities of more than one bloodline. And I’ve never heard of anyone else in my field encountering that either. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s never happened, but if it does, I think it must be extremely rare.”
Even though I’d expected her to agree with me that it was impossible, I suppose some part of me hoped she would say, Yeah, sure. Multiple abilities? That’s completely normal. Happens all the time.
I tried to cling to the hope in her qualifying that it could be possible, but I still felt deflated and defeated.
If multiple bloodline powers within one being existed, wouldn’t my father have discovered that during centuries of research on the blood of supernaturals?
But I’d seen Aria do it with my own eyes. It had to exist. And someone else had to have experienced it.
“So how else would you explain all that Aria seems able to do?” I asked Noelle.
“I don’t know, Nicky, and I’m sorry. I wish I had answers. But I promise you I won’t stop looking until we find them. I feel like you’ve given me a massive mystery to solve, so I’m invested now, and you know how determined I can be when I set my mind to something. No giving up! I will find answers. I swear it.”
“Thanks, Noelle. I appreciate all you’re doing. Really.”
“I’m happy to help, though I haven’t done anything yet. Let me know if she exhibits any more powers, or if she starts to feel any sort of way that she isn’t comfortable with. I don’t know what I’ll be able to do, but I’m here if you guys need me.”
When we ended our call, I saw that Zeck had texted.
Call me when you’re done talking with Noelle. I have news regarding the rental car.
I dialed him right away, standing from the concrete step I’d sat on while talking with Noelle.
