Chapter Seventy-nine He hadn't been kidding about the rats. Lindy sat huddled in a shadowed corner, hiding from the light streaming in the unshuttered window. There was enough room for her to sit the corner on the same wall, curled in a tight ball, draped in a protective dark shadow. The previous night she had spent tugging at the chain on her ankle. But she was forced to stop when the sun started to rise. The corner was in reach of the chain fortunately. She was trembling, hungry. She hadn't fed before she left for work, thinking that she and Nate would share blood when she returned home. She sat quietly in the corner, praying that the shadow would be enough to cover her and keep her from burning up. And as she had become still, the rats had come out, sniffing around the room. None of them strayed close enough for her to catch and feed on, and she was almost mad with the desire for blood. The sudden thunk against the door from the outside nearly scared her out of her skin. And although the thought of escape--that someone might have discovered her captivity--made her heart race, she was well aware that she wouldn't be able to go anyway. The light prevented her from moving even a few inches. She winced, scrambling backwards as the door opened. More light flooded the room, but none was close enough to her. He made sure he didn't open the door all the way. Stepping inside, Marrok grinned at her, a paper bag in his hand, and closed the door behind him. "I trust you had a nice evening? You may not be at the Hilton, but you did get some rest, didn't you? Don't make me feel like an ungracious host." "Go to hell!" was her response. She ducked her head, rocking back and forth slightly, still hunched to avoid the sunlight. "So what are you doing here now? Come here to gloat over me? Remind me that I'm your prisoner?" "Actually, you ungrateful little bitch, I came to give you some water!" He opened the bag and tossed the plastic water bottle across the room to her, nearly hitting her in the head in the process. She knew that was on purpose and glared at him. She tucked the water close to her side but didn't drink. He didn't need to know now how thirsty she really was. "Jesus, you're a real piece of work, you know that?" He reached back into the bag, pulling out a sandwich, then slid down the wall and proceeded to eat it right in front of her. "I thought I might come down here and keep you company, but no...the vampire bitch wants to be alone. Well, what else is new? I don't even understand my own kindness--why the hell would I want to sit here and eat next to a smelly, rotting corpse? I'm sure I could find better things to do." Her mouth watered at the smell of the sandwich, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "Then why don't you go find something better to do? We both know you hate me, and that you're not going to let me go until you get what you want." She curled into a tighter ball. Memories were starting to leak back into her consciousness. Memories of being locked into the closet and taunted by her molester. Her fingers scratched into her biceps, and she shivered. He shook his head. "Exactly. Why don't I?" He stood up and walked over to her, just out of range, the let the sandwich fall on the floor with a splat. "Either you eat it, or the rats will. Either way is fine by me." Dusting his hands off, he walked back to pick up the paper sack. "I'll be out for a while. Be a good girl, now." Lindy's trembling became more pronounced. She bit her lip, squelching a whine. He had often admonished her to be a good girl, usually just before he did something unspeakable to her. She started rocking, hands fisted in her hair. She began talking in high monotone, almost a whimper. "I promise to be good. I promise to be good. I promise to be good." The mantra never had stopped her abuser before, but she always tried it. And in her mind, the lines between then and now were becoming blurred. Marrok stopped just before opening the door, looking back over his shoulder with his eyebrow arched. For a moment, he thought she was using a not-so-subtle ploy to get his sympathy--as if that might get her more food, blood to drink, or maybe even escape. But as he continued to stare at her, he realized she wasn't even aware of his presence. Not anymore. Taking a few steps towards her, he cocked his head. "What's your problem?" She didn't look at him, but winced at his words, lashing her head away from, like she'd just been slapped. "Please, don't hurt me..." He took another few steps towards her. "Wake up, damn it! I'm not hurting you!" He made a mistake then--he reached out to touch her. The second his hand made contact with her arm, she let out an earsplitting shriek that scared him out of his skin. Marrok stumbled backwards and fell on his ass, staring at her in horror. [Jesus Christ! What the hell is her problem?] Unable to help her, and reminded that he was starting to feel sorry for a vampire, he stood up and wiped his hand off in disgust. Taking one last look at her, torn between anger and pity, he turned around and walked out the door.Ê Lindy stayed curled up, still trembling and rocking for a half hour. Eventually it started to dawn on her that she was alone, and she was being held captive by Marrok. Shaken that she had regressed, she looked around for him. [He's gone.] She picked up the water bottle in her still shaking hand and managed to undo the cap and swallow some. The rats were out again, lured by the sandwich. [Blood and food...so close and yet so far.] Her hand crept to the edge of the shadow. [Maybe if I'm fast enough...] Her hand darted out into the sunlight and she shrieked, immediately withdrawing it without either the rat or the sandwich. Whimpering in pain, she splashed water over the blisters forming on her fingers. Tears slowly started from her eyes, and then a flood. [I'm not going to get out of here.] Bryn winced again, although she wasn't sure if she was doing so because of Dr. Leah's probing, Max's wailing, or Liam's constant babbling. Probably all three. Stuck with her feet in the stirrups, she watched as Anne tried to rock Max's carrier with her foot--it was having very little effect on the sleepy and annoyed infant. Liam banged his hard cardboard book on the exam table, reaching for her. "Not right, now, Liam. I'll pick you up just as soon as I get dressed," Bryn said. She had a splitting headache in the works. With Lindy still missing, Anton was needed at work. Rather than stay at home and feel useless, Sabryn decided to take over the responsibility of watching Liam for a while. That left the werewolves time to get some rest--although, she knew it was likely that resting would be the last thing they'd do at this point. She wished she could be more helpful, but with five adults already looking for Lindy, there didn't seem to be much left for her to do. Except-- "Liam, no! Stay out of my purse, please?" Liam didn't pay attention to Bryn, but proceeded to dump the contents of Bryn's purse on the floor. Finding her lipstick, he began to color on his book. "Liam, no!" Anne pulled off her gloves and turned off the exam light. "You can sit up, Bryn." Leaning down and taking the lipstick from Liam with a firm 'no', Anne made a face. "Sorry, Bryn. Looks like he's ruined it." Bryn shrugged. "It's all right. I just didn't want him to start coloring on your walls...or the chairs." She stood up and reached for her panties and jeans, easily pulling up both beneath the gown. "It certainly does makes me wonder about coming in here, though. Maybe if I forget the pills and just have another kid now, I won't have to deal with this as long...they'll both be in their terrible twos at the same time, instead of years apart." "Are you sure you want to get pregnant again so soon, Bryn? It can be difficult on your body. But as long as you're nursing Max, I'd like you to be on some sort of birth control if you and Anton won't use condoms." She picked up Max's carrier and plucked him from it. "Now it's your turn, Max." Bryn shook her head. "I honestly don't know what I want at this point, so I guess using birth control is probably the best idea." She watched the doctor with her baby, smiling as he stopped crying to stare at the new woman in confusion. "Sometimes I just think he's so cute I want another one right now. But then I realize how much work it would be to have two," she said, picking up Liam and sitting him on her lap. "And Anton and I are already tired and crabby most evenings. Max is a good baby, but he can be a handful. He especially likes waiting until I get in the shower to demand to be fed or to have his diaper changed. I've been lucky to have Anton home, but he's back at work--" She stopped speaking when she realized she was about to say "now that Lindy's gone." Her aunt probably didn't need to be reminded of that even more than she already was. Especially with Liam still hoping his mother would walk in the door at any second. "Anyway, I think you're right. It would be better to wait." Anne put the stethoscope ear pieces in and listened for a moment to Max's lungs. She also checked his heart and pulled it off. "He looks good," Anne said, looking into his eyes and smiling. Her smile faded a little. "I take it there's been no word about...Lindy." Sabryn shook her head. "They've ruled out a few places where she could be. Unfortunately, that just means she's somewhere they don't know about. Jess said the foreman, or whoever he is, at Marrok's property didn't know anything about it. He didn't even recognize Lindy." "Marrok is the father?" Glancing down at Liam, Bryn said, "Yes. I think at this point, the only thing left to do is wait to see if Denise, Liam's aunt, will have any ideas...or wait to see if Marrok calls. Still, it's driving Nate crazy. He had Alex and Walter get in contact with some of their old friends. Somehow, I don't want to know how, they got the license plate number plus the make and model of Marrok's car. Ever since then, Nate has been stopping at gas stations and restaurants in the area to see if anyone has seen the car. He wants to eventually get the picture from Marrok's driver's license. We don't even know what he looks like." "There's no publicity shots for the winery? Nothing on the web site?" Anne sighed and shook her head. "There's got to be something we can do. I hate feeling so helpless, and I don't even want to think about what Nate, Jess, Walter, Alex and Amanda are going through." She looked down at Liam. "I'm surprised we haven't heard from him yet." Anne picked up her prescription pad and started to write on it. "I think he likes toying with us. I almost hope Lindy's family will get a chance to tear into him. Then we wouldn't even have to worry about him anymore." She quickly fastened her bra under the gown, pulling it into place, before exchanging the ugly blue gown for her sweatshirt. "How is Michael doing?" "Not so good. He's worried too. He's had a hard time sleeping at night. In fact, we both have. He's been on the phone a lot with Jess. They've always leaned on each other a lot, but this is really bad." Not able to talk any more, she handed Bryn a slip of paper. "This is for a birth control pill that shouldn't harm Max while you're nursing. You can still get pregnant once you and your husband start having sex again, even if you are nursing." Bryn nodded, fidgeting a bit. "Um...I know it's kind of early for me to ask, but...when do you think that will be? I mean, am I healing okay?" Anne smiled a bit, shaking her head. "You're healing fine, Bryn. I'd say in about two or three weeks you should be able to resume your sex life no problem." She smiled down at Max, picking him up off he table. "That's if this little guy let's you." "True...especially since he thinks our bed is his and he's just letting us use it." Bryn laughed a bit, then wrinkled up her nose. "Peew! Is that you, Liam? I wondered why you were being so quiet." Anne laughed out loud, quickly settling Max back into his carrier and buckling him in, before grabbing her clipboard and heading for the door. "I'll see you in a couple of weeks, Bryn." "Oh sure, *now* you decide to disappear." The doctor nodded. "I'll leave the door open so you're not trapped in here with the smell." "Thanks a heap." Bryn glared at her, then smiled and shook her head. "Let's get you changed, Liam, and then we're going to go visit Uncle Anton. How does that sound? He's got a big vending machine with all sorts of cookies and crackers. Yum!" Anton sat in his office, typing away. He was logged into Lindy's email, pulling the reports that she had been working on. He raised an eyebrow at the number of emails with suggestive subjects from Nathaniel. [I'm going to have to tease her about that.] [Hopefully I'll get that chance.] Sighing, he shut down her email and began reviewing the expense reports that Chandra left for him. But his mind wasn't on it. His mind was on Lindy and Nate. The younger vampire was desperate, searching every gas station within fifty miles. Anton couldn't say when he fed last, and that was a cause for concern. Bryn knocked on the door and then peeked inside, arching an eyebrow. "You're not doing something really kinky in here, are you? 'Cause I'd hate to miss it." He grinned, setting down his pen. "No...not yet anyway. Come in, my dear." She pushed her way through the door, pushing the baby carrier in first and dragging the stroller along behind her. "I was going to come and give Max his first visit to Daddy's office, but he's been adducted by your employees. He and Liam are still downstairs. They didn't even make it past security." Setting the carrier down, she sank into a chair across from him and jutted her lower lip out to blow the hair off her forehead. "Kind of a lucky break, though, because I'm gonna have a nervous breakdown any minute now." "That bad, my dear?" Anton got up and walked around the desk. He leant down and kissed her forehead and then her lips. "How did the doctor's appointment go?" "Okay. Anne said I'm healing fine and Max is healthy as a horse." "A horse, eh? Must be from all those horsey rides I've been giving him." He perched on the arm of her chair. "Do you need some help, Bryn?" he asked, stroking her hair back from her head. "You look frazzled.Ó "I just need a little break," she said, sliding sideways to rest her head on his thigh. "Max can't seem to fall asleep with Liam around, because he always wants to see what he's doing...but with him awake all this time, he's crabby and whiny, and he had crying fits the whole way over here. Liam misses his mom and keeps jumping every time someone opens a door. I'm sure he thinks it's going to be her. So he's upset, too. Then there's clunking around all of this furniture everywhere I go, plus trying to feed them lunch--note to self, the McDonald's drive-thru is not a good idea with two screaming babies in the backseat." She sighed heavily. "But in case you're wondering, I'm on birth control now." Anton let out a little laugh. "Is that a hint, my dear?" Bryn pouted. "No, unfortunately. We have to wait at least another two weeks." "Hmmph." Anton gently rubbed her back and shoulders. "I'm sure the werewolves and Nathaniel appreciate you stepping in. But if it's too much trouble, I'm sure that they'll understand if you brought Liam back early." She groaned, reaching back for his hand and bending her arm at an odd angle to move it lower. "Rub right there. My spine hurts." She let out another moan as he hit the right spot. "I don't want to take him back early. I just need to calm down for a while, and then we'll go home. I was going to suggest I stop and get something for dinner, but I'm not sure I want to make any more stops. Unless...would you mind picking up a pizza on your way home? I can call and tell them to have it ready for you." "Place the call. I'll pick up a pizza on the way home." He kissed her forehead again. "I can't tell you how proud of you I am for stepping in and helping everyone, my dear. But I don't want you to overdo." He smiled at her. "How about we go rescue the kids from the staff?" She peered up at him out of theÊcorner of one eye. "If I get in the stroller, will you push me down there?" Anton grinned. "Yes, my dear. Or would you prefer I carried you?" He looked back at the pile of paperwork on his desk and sighed. "I take it there's been no word about Lindy." "No. Unless they've heard something since I left home. They didn't call anyway. It must be really hard to get in contact with that Denise lady. I would've thought she would call back by now." She maneuvered on to her back, so she could look up at him. "How are you doing, sugar? This must be really hard on you." "Yes, but not as hard as it is on Nathaniel or her parents." Anton leaned against Bryn. "I'm worried about her. I'm worried about what Nathaniel will do if she's been hurt, or worse." He shook his head. "She's always pretended that she's stronger than she is. I'm worried that if we get her back physically, she may not be back mentally for a long time." She sat up straight, loosely wrapping her arms around him. "I know. And I know this isn't nearly the same situation, but I wasn't all right for years after my abduction...but that's mostly because of the way I was treated. I wasn't allowed to voice my needs or to be afraid. But I know that all of us will know better. We'll help her in any way we can. And we'll do the same for Nate. I'm sure he will be just as haunted by it as she will, only from the opposite perspective. I--I think that's why my parents never wanted to hear about what happened to me. My fear only compounded their guilt." She swallowed heavily. "I mean...I never really thought about it, but I guess in some ways their pain was probably worse than mine." "I think you were all hurting, Bryn, and none of you knew how to help each other." He tightened the arm around her. "And sometimes I think you still are. I want to be able to help you, Bryn. Don't ever feel that you can't tell me anything." She gave him a small smile, squeezing him tightly. "Thank you, sugar. I appreciate that. But we weren't talking about me. I was talking about you and your feelings about Lindy. There are so many reminders around here, constantly. Both here and at home. And you're best friends with her. I know you must be feeling much more than just worry." "Yeah," Anton admitted. "I want to find the bastard who did this to her and tear out his throat. And I feel helpless. I want to find her, to help Nathaniel somehow, just to *do* something to make it better. And there's nothing I can do." He waived off her protest. "I know, I know. I can be supportive of everyone. But to me it still doesn't feel like I'm getting anything done." "I wasn't going to say that." She sighed, standing up to walk around his desk. She sat down in his chair and gestured to his computer and various documents. "You're a business man, Anton. You run a competitive company with many connections both local and abroad. So does Marrok Deschamps.ÊÊWho does he deal with--restaurants, imports stores, specialty shops, grocers? I'm sure there's a bunch more I'm not even thinking of. Now what are the chances that your business and his business intertwine? And maybe, a few of the people you both deal with know Marrok on a slightly more personal level? And if just one of those people knows where he might vacation or might have another residence...well, that would be helping, wouldn't it?" "Yes it would. I'll start placing some calls and digging around later tonight." He pulled Bryn closer, kissing her forehead. "When did you become so wise, my dear?" She wrinkled her nose in thought. "You say that like it's a new thing." Anton chuckled. "I stand corrected, my dear." he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Think we may want to go rescue the kids from the staff?" She chewed on the side of her lip and crossed her arms over her chest. "And what are you going to do for me, hotshot? I just came up with this really great idea to help you, and now you want to take me downstairs, back to the kids I've been listening to whine and cry all night long. No wonder everyone says the modern housewife is under-appreciated." She sniffed. "I think you owe me a candy bar from the vending machine." "Far be it from me to not show you my appreciation, Bryn. And I think can get you that candy bar without breaking the bank. Would that be a regular or a king sized bar?" He stood up and walked to the office door, holding it open for her. "After you, my dear." "I think a regular will do." She followed him into the break room, tapping on the glass to the 100 Grand bar. "Actually, I really shouldn't be complaining about the kids at all. They're little angels. And I'm lucky to be with them. I'm sure Lindy would love to be in my shoes." "I'm sure she would." Anton fished in his pockets for some change. Finding a dollar in quarters and dimes, he fed it to the machine and handed Bryn the candy. "I'm worried. I doubt Marrok is supplying her with blood, and the longer she goes without, the harder it's going to be for her to recover." She nodded, remaining quiet as she toyed with the plastic package in her hand. Her ignorance about vampire physiology only served to remind her about the bond Anton, Nate, and Lindy shared. She could only try to imagine what it would be like to recover from blood starvation. He knew first-hand. And now, maybe Max had the same bond as well. She only hoped he didn't know the same fear. Walking back to the elevator, she glanced over at Lindy's office. "You have a lot of best friends, don't you?" "I'm sorry, my dear?" Anton asked, not quite understanding. "You've had a lot of best friends." She ticked them off on her fingers. "There's me, Lindy, and Mack. Those are the only ones I know of." "Oh, I see." Anton nodded. "I guess you could say I have. Unlike some vampires who shun humanity except when necessary, I've never been able to do so. Almost like when I'd get married, there was usually a mortal I made friends with, revealed myself to, and inevitably mourned when they passed on. For a while, there was a vampire..." Anton paused. "Gabriel was more of a mentor and a father figure after Ivan was killed. And then I lost him too." "I'm sorry. I never knew that." She shook her head, wondering what could've happened. There were only three ways, that she knew of, that a vampire could perish. "What happened? Why didn't you ever tell me about him?" "It's difficult for me to think about...I wasn't able to save him." Anton's voice became troubled. "I found out that some of his servants were plotting to destroy both him and his wife." Anton took a shuddering breath. "I got there in time to save Samara, but it was too late for Gabriel. He died in my arms, a stake through his heart." "Oh my God..." She reached out for his hand, gently gripping his palm. "I'm sorry, sugar." She closed her eyes briefly. It was the same way his father had died. First his father's death, then Gabriel's...now, the possibility of Lindy's...she squeezed his hand, unsure of what to say. "That had to have been awful for you. It reminded you of Ivan, didn't it?" "Yes," Anton said softly, squeezing her hand. "I still think I should have been able to do something to prevent what happened somehow. And his last request was for me to look after his wife. And that did not go well." Anton sighed and shook his head. "I failed Gabriel, I failed Ivan, and I don't want to fail Nate and Lindy." The elevator stopped on the first floor, but she stopped him before he could open the grate. Holding on to both of his hands, she said, "You didn't fail anyone, Anton. You did the best you could." Releasing his hands, she stood up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Hugging him tightly. "I'll help you however I can to search for Lindy. But if we don't find her...or if it's too late, it's not your fault." She could feel her eyes tear up a bit. "You may be a vampire, but that doesn't make you a superhero. You can't fix everything. And I know you love Lindy very much, and you'll do whatever you can to find her. She knows you love her, too. Everyone does. No matter what happens, you won't fail her." Anton held her tight. "Remind me of that often, Bryn. Because I'm going to need to hear it." He kissed her forehead. She continued to hold on to him, pressing her face against his neck. "Everyone should be so lucky to have you. You're a great friend. You're the best friend anyone could ever have." "Thank you, Bryn." Anton kissed her hair again. "Let's go find the kids." They walked down to the front security desk to find Max and Liam being cooed over by an assortment of employees. Liam, sitting on the table next to one of the women, looked to be completely happy with his peanut butter and cheese crackers. Max, however, looked a little petrified as he was held by complete strangers, not sure if he should cry or what. Max saw his parents standing there and leaned towards them. Anton stepped forward, holding out his arms. "I think he wants to be with us, Marla." "He's a sweet boy," Marla said. "Takes after both of you, I bet. I can see a lot of both of you in him." She handed him over to Anton. "How's Lindy doing? I hear that the flu going around is pretty nasty." "Hopefully she'll be back soon," Anton said. The story they were using was that Lindy was home sick. Hopefully that cover would hold for a few more days until they found her or until they were contacted. "Well, I hope she doesn't get the babies sick," Marla said. "I'd hate to see the little ones suffering." "Besides, she probably deserves a little break after covering for Anton for two weeks," Bryn said, quietly. "True, but that's not all that unusual," Marla said. "The boss covered for Lindy when she was sick before...until Chandra was hired. No offense to Chandra, but the place sure runs smoother when you and Lindy are both here, Boss." Bryn nodded. "They both do much better together." Anton shrugged. "Hopefully she'll be feeling better soon." He bounced Max a little higher on his shoulder. "Until then, I'll be covering most of her work." He glanced at Bryn and smiled. "Bryn will also be rejoining us once Max is older." "Maybe. It's actually not very likely," she told Marla and the others. "Chandra likes her job a lot, and as soon as Lindy's back, everything will be more than taken care of. I'm sure I could find somewhere else where I'm really needed. Not sure where that would be, but we'll see I guess." Anton glanced at her, a bit surprised by her announcement. "I guess we will," he said, deciding not to press now. Not in front of the people she might be working with. "Well, I hate to say hello and run, but we should probably take these two back upstairs so I can get Max fed. It was nice seeing everyone." Bryn smiled, thanking the woman who had bought Liam his crackers before lifting him up into her arms. She still felt slightly self-conscious around the warehouse employees. It wasn't her imagination that they became a bit more quiet whenever she walked in the room. Waiting for Anton to join her as she walked to the elevator, she said, "I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have brought it up that way. I meant to talk to you first." "Okay, Bryn. I don't want to pressure you into working here if you don't want to." He opened the gate with one hand and ushered her inside. "Is there something else you would like to do?" "I don't know." She stared out the wooden grate, watching the floors slowly pass by. "It just seems to me that you already have more help than you need. Just a few months ago, you were worried about having to lay off workers. Besides, I don't really feel that comfortable here. You and Lindy are here during the night, and everyone respects her so much. She's the mistress of this place and I'd feel like an intruder if I interrupted that. I guess I could work during the day with Chandra, but that would mean I'd only see you in passing. You're just...you don't need me, so I'd be better off finding someone who did." "Bryn," Anton said softly. He put his arm around her shoulder, holding Max tighter in his other. "You are not an intruder here. I was the one who invited you here. Now if you don't want to work here, that is fine. But I don't want you to think that you are not welcome here. This is your place now, more so than Lindy's. She's not married to the owner; you are." He squeezed her a little tighter against him. "I'm sorry that I put you in an awkward spot back there. I just want you to be happy. And I don't want you to think that I don't need you." He paused a moment. "You started to say that 'I just' and trailed off. What were you going to say?" She bit her lip, sighing softly. "I was going to say that you're just hiring me because I'm your wife. You don't really have a *job* for me to do. I would like to be here, to learn the business, but only if that means I'm not sitting around taking up space." Anton looked like he was about to protest, but changed his mind. "You're partially right, Bryn. I don't have a *specific* job for you, yet. That was something I wanted to discuss with you, because I do have a need, but I'm not sure if it was what you wanted to do." "Which would be?" "I need someone to work with the paintings and artwork that comes in. It would be part time to start. Not assaying to start, but cleaning and some restoration at this point." When the elevator stopped, he opened the gate one handed. "There's no pressure for you to take this, Bryn. But if you want it, it's yours." She was quiet for a moment, following him down the hallway with Liam on her hip. "Well, it...I think it would make me very nervous at first. I've never done cleaning on finished professional pieces before. But you'd be able to find someone to train me, right?" "Of course." "And the restorations would just be minimal?" "Right." She licked her lips, trying to sound completely casual as she said, "I'd like that idea very much. Would I still get my own office?" "Yes, if you want it. Or if you'd feel more comfortable, a cubicle in the bullpen with the others." He opened the door to his office. "It's what you can handle. This can be in a few months when Max is older. Plus, it would be a way for you to get to know the employees here." She sat down in one of the chairs, letting Liam slip to the floor where he quickly crawled over to play with the diaper bag. "This would be a daytime job, wouldn't it? With the need for natural light and everything. I guess I would be here at the same time as Chandra." "Unfortunately, yes" Anton gave a small sigh. "Which means it will cut somewhat into the time we can spend together. And once you're Transformed, you'd have to transition to a different job. I'm not sure we can justify rigging the same lighting system here that we have at home for you." He put Max down in his carrier. "But it may be a while, given Max is still so little." "I'm not sure I like that," she said, visibly deflated. "Half the reason I wanted to move to California was so we'd be on the same schedule. But if you need me to do the job, I will." She licked her lips, reaching for his hand. "I missed you tonight, Anton. I noticed that more than anything the kids did. I just missed being with you, seeing you smile. I couldn't wait to get here, to see you." "I've missed you too, Bryn." Anton squeezed her hand and then rubbed his thumb over hers. "I want to be home, but I can't. Not with Lindy missing." He paused for a moment. "If you don't want to work days, you don't have to take this job. Or any job here." She sighed, lowering her gaze. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound like I was ungrateful. I'll take the job. I'll help you however I can." She pulled her hand out of his grip, folding her hands in her lap. "And I didn't mean to sound insensitive about Lindy. I just have a hard time believing she's gone. That doesn't mean I'm not just as worried as everyone else. I'm in denial, I guess." "It's okay, Bryn. Everyone shows it a different way." He squeezed her hand again. "I know that you're worried about her. And I appreciate that you're helping by taking care of Liam for the night. I'm sure that Nathaniel and her parents appreciate that too." He reached over and raised her chin. "Bryn, listen to me for a moment. If you want this job, we can arrange it so our schedules are the same. But I want you to take it because it will make you happy. Not because you feel you should because I am offering it." She shook her head. "We couldn't have the same schedule. Not if I needed daylight to work. And you're not going to spend a bunch of money on a new lighting system just so I can work here. I do think I'd like the job. I wouldn't want to be away from you so much, but I guess we'd have to work around it. I mean, I don't know, maybe it would be good for us. Not so much...dependence." Anton nodded. "We could wait for things to settle down here some. Wait until Max is a little older and Lindy...is found." He didn't want to think about the alternative. "You know, I'm a bit hungry. I've got most of Lindy's work here finished. What do you say that I close down early, we get a pizza and take it home? I can finish my report from there." She nodded, standing up to walk around the desk and retrieve Liam. "I think we'd feel better at home. I feel like putting on a warm pair of sweats, some big fluffy socks and curling up with my baby." She smiled down at Max as she passed by his carrier, tickling him under his chin. "And I'm sure you'd like to see your Daddy, too, wouldn't you, Liam?" Liam, hearing the word 'daddy' looked around, trying to find him. "I think he would, my dear." Anton grabbed the phone. "Hopefully, they'll have heard something by now." He looked over at Bryn. "Anything special you want on your pizza, my dear?" She shook her head. She wasn't all that hungry. "Get whatever sounds good, Anton." Buckling both boys back into their seats, she murmured, "Let's go home, sweeties." He hoped two jumbo pizzas would be enough. At the last minute, Anton and Bryn had the idea of getting food for the entire group, since no one probably felt like doing much cooking. Calling ahead to speak with the werewolves and invite them over, Anton had spoken with Walter. The man sounded tired as he agreed and told them he'd see that Chandra and Nathaniel would come as well. After tying Liam's bib in place, Bryn got him settled in the high chair...then thought better of it. Nate would want to hug his son, she was sure. Setting him down on the couch instead, she sat next to him and picked up Max. She was about to ask Anton if he needed help getting the dishes when Nate wandered in from the tunnel entrance. He looked like hell. His cheeks were shaded black with stubble, hair a mess and eyes bloodshot. His clothes were wrinkled in a way that told her he'd slept in them. Or tried to, anyway. He looked jittery and restless...if she hadn't known him, she might've thought he was on a drunken bender. "H--Hello, Nate. Are you okay?" "Do I look okay, Bryn? Should I be? Would you be?" he snapped, before snagging Liam off the couch. He looked his son in the eyes, his lips twitching as a wave of sadness covered his face. "Of course I'm okay. I'm just peachy." Anton steeped out of the kitchen, carrying plates, silverware and napkins for everyone. His eyebrows shot up at the sight of his brother. "Nathaniel? You look like death warmed over." He put down the plates, noticing the deeper pallor to Nathaniel's normally pale skin. "When's the last time you fed?" Nate shrugged, sinking down in a plush arm chair and hugging Liam. The little boy had brightened immensely since his daddy walked in the room, but he still seemed to be looking around for his mother. Fully aware of the fact, Nate kissed Liam's cheek. "Was he good tonight?" Bryn nodded. "He always is. But Anton is right to worry about you, Nate. You don't look well." He fixed her with a twitching stare. "I'm not well. Lindy's gone. I haven't been well for days. I may never be well again. Get over it." "Nathaniel, there is no need to talk to Bryn like that," Anton snapped. He was going to say more when he saw the werewolves coming through the tunnel as well. The whole pack paused, noses wrinkled. Jess shook her head and walked over to stand in front of Nate, hands on her hips. "Nate, we need to talk." Se waited until he sullenly looked at her. "You haven't changed your clothes or shaved, or bathed from the smell of it for the last few days. If you think this is helping Lindy, you're horribly wrong. So the way I see it, we've got a couple of options. You can go home and take a shower and get fresh clothes. You can ask Anton if you can use his bathroom while one of us get some clothing for you. Or Alex, Walter and I can forcibly hose you down so that we can stand to be in the same room. So which is it going to be?" Nate sighed heavily. "Why don't you just stand upwind?" "Because there is no wind...everywhere in this room is downwind from you." He lazily rolled his eyes in Anton's direction. "Can I use your bathroom?" Feeling grateful for Jess's demand, Anton nodded. "Of course. There are fresh towels in the master bath upstairs." Annoyed but unwilling to argue, Nate kissed Liam one more time before handing him over to Jess. "There better be clothes here by the time I get out." "Take your time." They watched as Nate headed upstairs. "I'll be back in a few minutes," Walter said before heading back into the tunnel. "Thanks, Walter," Jess called after him. She looked back to Anton and Bryn, bouncing Liam higher in her arms. "I didn't have any idea that he was that bad." "Neither did I." And Anton felt guilty for that. "Has there been any new developments?" Alex took Liam from Jess. "Not yet. I've been talking to some old contacts. They're looking into aliases and property held under other names he might have. And we're waiting to hear from Denise as well." Bryn closed her eyes briefly, turning her head to kiss Max's ear as he rested against her shoulder. "I thought for sure you would've gotten a phone call or some sort of demand by now. I'm so sorry. This waiting is worse than anything." Both Jess and Alex nodded. "He's got to have her alive. He must know that Nate won't agree to anything if she's dead," Jess said. The buzzer to the front gate rang. Anton picked up the intercom. "Yes?" After a moment he punched in the unlock code. "We're all at the last house you'll come to on the road. We'll see you in a few minutes." Hanging up the intercom, he turned to everyone. "That was Denise. She'll be here in a few minutes." "Wow," Bryn said. She looked over at Alex. "What should we do about Liam? Is it going to be okay if he stays here, or should he be in another room?Ó "No, he should be okay here. Denise has explicitly said that she has no interest in taking Liam from us. I just hope she can give us a little more direction." Bryn nodded, scooting over so Anton could sit down. They all seemed to stare at each other uncomfortably for a moment, until they heard the car pulling to a stop in front of the house. Looking at the werewolves, she said, "One of you should probably get the door, just in case." Alex nodded. He walked over to the door and waited for the knock before opening it. "Come in, Denise." The werewolf was dressed in faded jeans and an old white T-shirt. "I'm sorry," she said without preamble as she walked in. "I had no idea that Marrok would resort to kidnapping your daughter. I thought he'd make another try for Liam and I'd be able to stop him." "Stop him how?" Jess asked, turning her head slightly as Walter came out of the library and hurried up the staircase. "Any way I could," Denise said. "I've been talking to friends--my pack and our allies. Liam is one of our own, no matter who raises him. I'd planned to organize surveillance of Marrok...and if we saw him making any sort of move towards your family, we'd do whatever we could to prevent that. To protect Liam. But it's only been a short while, and obviously I didn't move fast enough. I'm so sorry." Jess nodded. "We should have been more alert also. But the important thing is to get her back safely." "Do you have any idea where he might be holding her?" Alex asked. "There was no sign of her at the vineyard." "He has a home down in Carmel and a few storage spaces in Santa Clara and Napa. He could be using any of them." "Could you provide us with addresses?" She shook her head. "Not specifically, no. I could tell you the area, maybe even directions to one of them. But I don't know the exact addresses." "What about aliases?" Anton asked. "Matthew. Marrok was born Matthew Deschamps. HeÊrarely uses that name, though. Sometimes if he wants to be left alone, he'll use Matthew Dylan." Jess took a deep breath. "You said last time that Marrok has a hatred of vampires. Is there a chance that he..." She trailed off and bit her lip. "He hasn't contacted us yet about her. We don't know if he's done something, or if he's trying to mess with us." Denise shook her head. "To be honest, I'm not sure what he's doing, either. He's never been this...desperate before. I'd like to think that he knows he'd lose any chance of getting to Liam if he hurts Lindy. But..." She sighed heavily. "I just hope there's some sort of sanity left in him." Anton heard the water shut off upstairs. "Can he be bargained with, bribed, convinced somehow that it's in his best interests to let her go unharmed?" "If she were a werewolf or a human, I'd say that there'd be no problems. But because she's a vampire..." Denise sighed, shaking her head again. "I'm not sure why he hates vampires so. As far as I'm aware, he's had no direct contact with any." "What do you suggest we do?" Bryn asked her. "There's a chance that he will still call. If he does, listen to his demands and then work out a deal. Before you go through with it, let me know and I'll do everything I can to help you. But until he does contact you, use whatever police resources you can. Try to find him first. If you can pull the rug from under him, you'll take away any power he has over you." Alex nodded. "We can't just sit around and do nothing for much longer. Give us the directions that you have, and we'll discretely start checking up on those locations. And if we find he's hurt her..." Alex trailed off as he heard two sets of footfalls coming down the stairs. Nate paused when he saw Denise sitting on the couch. He gripped the iron railing tightly before hurrying the rest of the way down the stairs. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you," he said, running his hand over his wet hair. "I--we...we need your help so much. Please, anything you can do for us. We need to find her before it's too late. You can help us find Lindy, can't you?" Denise swallowed heavily. "I'm going to try." End Chapter Seventy-nine <- Previous Chapter | Home | Next Chapter ->