A Hidden Fire: Elemental Mysteries Book 1 (34 page)

“So, what about Lorenzo?  What should we do now?  We know he’s still alive, right?  Are my grandma and I going to be safe?”

They all seemed to start talking at once. 

Carwyn shook his head.  “I really don’t like the idea of you going to Los Angeles when he’s still out there.  We don’t know—”

“It wouldn’t be that hard to systematically assassinate his allies,” Tenzin mused.  “I’m sure between Gio and me, we could kill them all within a few years and then—”

“And
I
don’t really feel like getting embroiled in more vendettas, Tenzin, no matter how easy it would be to kill them all,” Giovanni said from across the room.

Carwyn snorted.  “Besides the moral implications of killing immortals who may have no greater crime than being sired by someone who has allied themselves with Lorenzo a hundred years ago, Tenzin.  I know you have your own notions about fate and—”

“It’s not fate I’m talking about, I’m talking about protecting our own interests and—”

Beatrice rolled her eyes as she listened to the three old friends argue.  Each had their own ideas about what she should do.  Carwyn proposed going to some safe ground until the danger was eliminated, even offering his own isolated home in Wales.  Giovanni believed that the political steps he had already taken would protect her until he could hunt down and kill Lorenzo himself; and Tenzin seemed to be suggesting eliminating anyone who’d ever had any sort of alliance with Giovanni’s son—just to be on the safe side.

She watched the three arguing for a few moments and tried to remember what Giovanni had told her months ago about the loose organization of the immortal world.

“The strongest, smartest, and wealthiest have the most power.  And power is the only law.”

Vampires didn’t have laws or governments.  From what she could tell, their world ran on physical strength, wealth, and a tangled web of long term alliances.  Beatrice began to think about how all this applied to Lorenzo.

Giovanni seemed to think he had neutralized Lorenzo’s alliances.  Tenzin and Giovanni had taken his strength by turning him into a crispy critter who would take years to recover.  She couldn’t attack his brains; that was impossible.

But, she
could
attack his money.

Suddenly smirking, Beatrice walked silently over to her desk and turned to the one place she knew she had the upper hand on any vampire in the world.  She may have been helpless to defend herself in the face of supernatural strength, and she sure didn’t have much money…

At least not yet.

She closed her eyes, delving into her memories of captivity, and running through the list of accounts she memorized in the hours she sat in Lorenzo’s library.  The pitiful assistant had been sloppy, never noticing her careful study of the numerous account codes, passwords, and security questions she’d observed as she sat in the corner, pretending to read.

“Gio?” she called quietly as she turned on the equipment.

He glanced at her as he argued with Carwyn about the merits of meeting with the leader of a clan of water vampires that controlled London.

“Yes?”

“All these computers have security, don’t they?  Lots of firewalls?”

“Of course, tesoro,” he said before he was distracted by Tenzin and something she was saying about a council of eight immortals that sounded like they controlled most of China.

“Good,” she muttered as she dove online to access Lorenzo’s accounts scattered over the globe. 

The debate swirled around her for hours as she hunted, systematically eliminating Lorenzo’s ability to access the money she had observed his lackey moving around.  Beatrice searched, isolating each account that poor, addled Tom had set up for his master.  She shifted and diverted, putting some of it in her own name and transferring other parts into overseas accounts she would have access to.  For some banks, it was as simple as changing a password and electronically transferring funds into other, newly created accounts at the same institution.  It was all completely illegal.

And she didn’t care one bit.

As her fingers raced over the keys, she thought more about the clues Lorenzo had lain at her feet, no doubt thinking that she would never be out from under his thumb.

Her father had taken something from him.

“…not before taking some books he knew I valued.”

And Lorenzo needed them for something.

“Soon, I will fool them all.  All the silly, trusting fools with their delusions of grandeur.”

Lorenzo had plans…big plans.

“I have dreams, too.  But they’re not small in the least.  They’re positively…world changing.”

Beatrice had the feeling that those kind of plans wouldn’t be derailed forever, but without the financial resources she was stealing from him, it would take Lorenzo a lot longer to get them back on track.  She knew it wouldn’t stop him, but she was buying herself time; and she hoped, giving her father the chance to find her.  As for Giovanni…

“Beatrice?” Carwyn called over to her.  “What are you doing over there?  You’re looking like the cat that just ate the canary.”

She smirked and hit ‘return,’ typing the final, electronic nail in Lorenzo’s coffin, and netting herself a hefty payday, though she had a feeling much of it would remain out of reach until she’d found a way to explain it to the IRS.

“Carwyn, the creepy blond canary is dead.  Mangled by all of you, and finished by me.”

Giovanni rose and walked toward her.  “What did you do?  If you’ve put yourself in more danger—”

“He’s done, Gio, at least for a while.”  She sat back and kicked her feet up, resting her combat boots on the edge of the desk.

“What did you do?”

She stared into his worried eyes.  “He’s wiped out.  Any easy money he had is mine now.  He won’t be able to access any electronic funds unless he had a whole lot his pitiful little accountant didn’t know about, and I’m doubting that.  They’re mine.  Safely tucked away where he can’t get them.”

Carwyn’s face split into a giant grin.  “Nicely done, darling girl.  Very nicely done.”

Tenzin walked over and peeked around Carwyn.  “I like her.”

Beatrice glanced at Tenzin and smiled, but quickly looked back to Giovanni, who had not taken his eyes off her.  His face had shut down, and his expression was impossible for her to read.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Carwyn tug on Tenzin’s arm, and they both left the library.  Giovanni walked to the table, leaning against it as he stared into the fire that crackled in the grate.

“I have to agree with Carwyn,” he said, “that was very well done.  Very smart.  You’ll have to talk to Caspar.  He can help you clean the money…if you need any help, that is.”  The corner of his mouth lifted in a rueful smile.

Beatrice walked over to him, standing before him and lifting a hand to stroke his cheek.  His smile fell, and he closed his eyes, leaning into her palm.  She felt the ever-present crackling heat that ran along his skin as she held her hand to his face.  Finally, he looked at her, and the stoic soldier met her gaze.

She took a deep breath.  “I’m going to L.A.”

“Yes,” he murmured, “I know.”  He closed his eyes, and rubbed his face into the palm of her hand.

“Gio—”

“You have a wonderful life in front of you, Beatrice De Novo.”

She felt the tears come to her eyes. 
Ask me to stay
,
she thought. 
Ask to come with me!  Tell me you love me as much as I love you.
 She swallowed the lump in her throat.  “Are you staying in Houston?”

He shrugged and took her hand from his face, threading their fingers together and holding them to his chest.  “For now.  Caspar seems to be very attached to this house,” he smirked, “and this city.”

“And you?”

He dropped her hand, and pulled her toward him.  His fingers traced her cheek, his arms encircled her, and his warm lips met her own.  They kissed slowly in the flickering light that filled the room.  She could feel his energy hum along her skin, and she pressed closer, drawn to the hidden fire that burned between them.

After a few lingering minutes, his lips slowed and he trailed kisses across her cheek.  She closed her eyes, and held him close as he whispered in her ear.

“Ubi amo, ibi patria.”

Epilogue

Los Angeles, California

February 2005

T
he man walked under the shadow of the arch and into the flickering lights of the courtyard.  He examined the bungalow-style apartments that surrounded him, and smiled at the calico cat perched near a bubbling fountain.  It was an old complex, and brilliant red bougainvillea climbed the stucco walls.  He could smell the scent of the ocean as the evening fog rolled up the Southern California hills.

The cheerful lamps near each door lit up the numbers of the apartments, and he scanned them until he found the one he was looking for.  As he approached, he examined the windows, smiling when he noted the heavy bolts which secured her home.

“Excuse me?  Can I help you?”

He smiled and turned to face the old woman who held the cat in her arms.  Listening carefully to the surrounding apartments, he noted the lack of activity, and the faint sounds of sleep that issued from most.  He held out his hand with a smile and the woman took it, opening her mind to him.

“Where is Beatrice tonight?”

“She went out with some friends from school,” she said with a soft smile.  “I heard them leaving earlier.  Such a nice group of girls.”

He smiled and led the woman over to the bench near the fountain, still holding her hand.  “Do you know her well?”

“She comes over for coffee in the morning sometimes; I think she misses her grandmother.  And she takes care of Miss Tabby for me when I go see my daughter.  I’m glad she moved next door.”

He smiled at the old woman.  “Does she have many friends?”

“Not many.  But the friends that do come by seem very nice.  There are two other young ladies, and a young man I see.”

He paused.  “Are they dating?  Beatrice and the young man?”

The woman tugged on her cardigan, but leaned toward him, as if telling a secret.  “I asked her if she had a boyfriend, but she just looked sad.  I think she left someone behind in Texas.”

“I think she did, too,” he murmured, before he cleared his throat.  “Do you have a key to her apartment, Mrs. …”

“I’m Mrs. Hanson, dear.  You seem like a nice young man.  Are you a friend of Beatrice’s?”

He smiled softly. “Something like that, yes.” 

“That’s lovely.  You’re very handsome.”

He smiled, his green eyes lit in amusement.  “Thank you.”

“You should take Beatrice on a date.  She’s very pretty, you know.”

“Yes, she is.”  He smiled.  “She’s beautiful.”

“Are you going to wait for her?  Would you like some hot chocolate?”

He reached over to pet the cat the old woman held.  It purred under his hands and made Mrs. Hanson smile.

“I can’t stay, but I was hoping to leave something for Beatrice.  Do you have a key to her apartment?”

She smiled and nodded.  “Oh, yes.  Do you want to wait here?”

Planting the suggestion for her to bring him the key and then go to bed, forgetting his presence entirely, he let her go.  She took the cat inside her small apartment, and returned a few minutes later bearing a small brass key.

“I’ll leave this under your door before I go.”

“That’s fine.”

Standing, he took her hand again.  “Thank you, Mrs. Hanson.  Time for you to go to sleep.”

She waved absently and walked to her door.  He watched her walk inside, before he turned to Beatrice’s apartment, noticing the familiar fragrance that lingered near the entrance.  He opened the door and slipped inside, making sure to leave the lights off.

He almost staggered when he entered the small room.  Her scent infused the air, and he took a deep breath as his gaze traveled around the living area.  There was a small armchair, a plush sofa, and stack of books piled on the coffee table.  Following the honeysuckle trail, he lowered himself onto the opposite the end of the sofa where she must have sat.

He sank into the couch, imagining her across from him and lifting her small feet into his lap as she had so many months ago.  He lingered only a few minutes before he peeked into the bedroom, smiling when he saw the tall, black boots that stood by the closet doors.

There was an old dressing table in the corner, and he walked to it, taking special note of the pictures tucked into the frame of the mirror.

A postcard from Dublin.

A picture of her grandmother from the previous Christmas.

A blurry shot of Beatrice with a group of girls at what looked like a night club.

A small picture of her sitting on a horse in a damp meadow, the sun glinting off her dark brown hair as she smiled.

In a corner of the mirror, he saw a small phrase written on a worn index card.

Ubi amo, ibi patria—Where I love, there is my homeland.

The man touched the card tucked into the mirror, noting its worn edges and smudged letters. He traced the edges for a moment before he stepped away.

He took the picture of her on the horse and tucked it into his pocket before he walked to her bed and sat on the side where he knew she rested.  Hesitating for only a moment, he reached into his coat and withdrew two items.  The man looked at the small, leather-bound volume of sonnets in his hand, and gently traced the gold lettering on the front.

I sonetti di Giuliana

Tucking the plane ticket to Santiago under the small book, he placed both on her pillow where she would find them.  He looked longingly around the room for a moment, before he stood and walked out the front door, carefully locking it behind him.

He tucked the brass key under Mrs. Hanson’s doormat and walked over to the fountain.  Sitting on the bench, he looked around the old courtyard, trying to imagine her laughter echoing off the walls. 

The man lingered for a few moments, letting her faint scent swirl around him along with his memories.  Then he stood, walked back under the arch, and disappeared into the night.

The End