Deal or No Deal

I caught up on sleep on the drive north, resting my head on Mom’s shoulder. We stopped only for gas and food, and two men waited outside the bathroom at Arby’s while Mom and I used the facilities. We got our food to go as one of the guards filled the tank, and we were back on the road. A couple of beef, bacon and cheddar roast beef sandwiches, curly fries, and a vanilla shake was my lunch.

The guys did their best to keep my mind off things, drawing me into conversations about my diving, my training, and food. There were far worse places to be stuck than Baxter’s expansive lands in the summer.

We were almost there when I got a call. “Hi, Daddy,” I said to Brent as he came on the video screen.

“Hey, baby. It’s good to see you. You got a lot of sun out on the water,” he said.

“I did, but with the time in the wetsuit and shirts, I’ll need to even things out before my next shoot,” I said. “I can’t pose in a bikini with a farmer’s tan.”

“The tortures you have to deal with for your job,” he chuckled. “There’s plenty of sun at Baxter’s beach for you. Take a few days to rest while we untangle this mess you’ve found yourself in.”

“I didn’t do anything,” I complained.

“I know. Things just happen because of you and what you are. Adrienne explained what happened at the meeting, and I understand your reasoning for going ahead with it. In the end, the proof Alexander traded you is going nowhere. Our trackers could not pick out a werewolf scent, and we found no fingerprints or DNA on the package. His ‘proof’ proves nothing, and I don’t trust him. No more offering yourself as a midnight snack for vampires, Vicki. He’s dangerous.”

“I had to find out,” I said. “I couldn’t live with myself if Amy or the twins are hurt because they are around me.”

“We’re going to find Timothy and Traci. The Council can sort this crap out, and you can go back to your work. Hopefully, this is only a few days.”

I didn’t want to be stuck here. “I have commitments, Dad. Bodyglove has me doing appearances at surf shops in Virginia Beach on Saturday, and Myrtle Beach on Sunday. I don’t want to back out when I’m negotiating to make even more appearances with Amy in the future. It’s important, Dad.”

“I know it is. Your Uncle and I freaked out a bit when we found out what was going on, but we feel a little better now. Since the contract is still in play, but the Vampires won’t act on it, putting you on total lockdown isn’t required. To be safe, Mom’s going to stay with you, and we’re going to add some female security. Colleen Underwood has volunteered, and Three Sisters will send a warrior to meet you in Virginia. If you can let Mercedes know you’ll need an adjoining room for them, you can keep your appearance commitments.”

That was a relief. “Thanks, Dad. I’m more worried about human stalkers than Traci Lords, you know.”

“I’m worried about your blind dates.” I laughed at that, as my history with those was well-documented on Youtube. “I’ve got to get back. Have a safe drive, and I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye, Dad.” I hung up and looked out the window at the trees passing by. Dad was right; I needed to rest after two weeks of hard work on the boat. Laying out on the beach and running in my wolf sounded damn good right now. “Any beach parties coming up?”

The driver just chuckled. “The boys started planning it as soon as they found out you were coming back,” he said. “We’re going straight to the lake. Alpha Anthony asked his Mom what you’d want for dinner, and she told him ‘ribs.’ They’ve been over the coals for an hour already.”

Mmmm…. Ribs.

We arrived on Pack lands about three in the afternoon. I swam for an hour to get my exercise in, then spent a few hours laying out with the girls on the beach as we waited for the food to be ready. I was wearing my tan-through bikini, which didn’t cover much, and there was no shortage of volunteers to help with the lotion. We watched the unmated males posturing to the girls as they played beach football, all of them trying to impress us. The girls mercilessly dissected their looks, personality, and equipment in the whispered commentary that had me laughing my ass off. The mated girls teased us virgins until our faces were red as beets.

As the dinner approached, I got up and went to the bathhouse to shower and change for dinner. I came back out in jean shorts, flip-flops, and a Bodyglove crop-top. The cooks were finishing up the ribs, and I had to know what they were doing. “No early pickings, even for you,” Bonnie warned as I approached the massive charcoal-fired smoker. I could see a motor and chain on the outside, telling me there was a rotisserie system in the smokebox.

“I just wanted to know how you make it. I love barbecue, and I can’t help comparing the regional differences,” I replied.

“It’s tough to barbecue this far north because all we have for wood is pine and poplar,” Bonnie said. “I have to buy charcoal and add smoked hardwood chunks to make it right, and there aren’t any pig farms nearby, so we don’t do ribs often. The sauce is my secret recipe.”

I tasted it; it was similar to a Kansas City sauce, but the sweetness was slightly different. Brown sugar was there, but there was more to it. I sorted through the flavors before I figured it out. “Is that maple syrup?”

“Got it in one,” she said with a smile. “The rest of it is pretty standard; I go light on the seasonings, and the rub is just paprika and salt.”

“I’d love the recipe. I’m sure Adrienne would love a taste of home.”

“What part of SECRET RECIPE did you fail to understand, girl? Come on, then. If you’re that much of a fan, you can help me slather them up.”

Oh, hell yeah. Bonnie handed me a bowl and a sauce mop, then opened the door on the front of the smokebox. The inside had trays holding the ribs, the rotisserie system moving them in a circle through the smoke. The rotisserie ensured the ribs cooked evenly despite any hot spots in the smokebox. It was the same setup I’d seen back home at the Smokin’ Oak. We each took a side, spreading fresh sauce on the ribs as they rotated past. It smelled amazing, and I couldn’t wait to eat.

She closed the door as I put the stuff on the small table by the smoker. Other cooks were making dozens of ears of corn on the cob, a cauldron of baked beans, and a table full of Texas toast. “You guys went all out,” I said with a smile to her.

“You were worth it,” Luna Pamela said as she snuck up behind me and gave me a big hug.

I relaxed into my cousin's embrace. “I’m sorry I made you send people to rescue me.”

“Are you kidding? Bored warriors cause problems. I got to send them on a real mission, into the lair of a vampire! It was a great training experience, and no one got hurt. Unlike this football game,” she grumbled as she looked over to the sideline. A warrior was bleeding from a cut on his eyebrow as the Doctor sewed him up. “Tonight’s party is a good thing because I’m sending thirty wolves down to Boston in the morning. Your father has rustled up a few hundred volunteers to search the suburbs for Traci and Timothy. Our assigned region is everything east of Route 1 up to Salem. We’ll have wolves driving and walking through them until we locate their hideout.”

Damn. That was a HUGE search area with hundreds of thousands of people in it. “Can’t you narrow the search down?”

“We’re trying that too. In the meantime, we will keep looking. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky.” The search was the proverbial needle in a haystack. Regions made sense; all the wolves would recognize a scent that wasn’t Pack, even if they didn’t know the target’s smell.

The food, the company, and the setting were perfect, and I relaxed and had fun until well after dark. I was walking back to the Pack House when my phone rang. It was Unky Leo. “Hi, Unky,” I said as I answered.

“Sorry to bother you so late, Sharkbait, but the Council just ended its session. My mate presented the facts, and it didn’t go well.”

“What do you mean?”

“They were furious that the Master Vampire fed directly from you. Did you know that a vampire’s bite creates a link between him and the victim?”

Oh, shit. “What do you mean, a link?”

“Adrienne didn’t know either; it’s not like either of us had to deal with this before. The saliva acts on you physically and mentally. Physically, it stimulates the production of blood cells so the vampire can feed more often without weakening you.”

“Is that bad?”

“It doesn’t cause any harm. Mentally is a different thing. Werewolves still cannot be compelled, but it removes mental blocks and makes you more compliant to their wishes. I’m sure you felt the pleasurable part of the bite. The effect is cumulative; the more bites, the stronger the desire to please the vampire. Often, the subject will become sexually involved with the vampire. The change allows the vampire to feed when endorphins are released, making the blood even better for their tastes. The wolves who returned after the treaty was signed had difficulties adjusting to life away from their Vampire masters, like a drug addict going cold turkey. Some even killed themselves, although we don’t know if that was out of shame or loss.”

Crap. “So, biting is out.”

“Yes. We can’t risk placing you around Master Corvinus again.”

“That was part of the deal; Alexander said it wasn’t negotiable.” He needed me in October.

“It doesn’t matter. The Council rejected the request to allow Traci and Timothy to be kept by Vampires, even if he catches them. It’s cruel punishment to make them the slaves of a coven. No, they will face Pack justice when we catch them.”

“Why didn’t Adrienne know about this?”

“After the Treaty, the knowledge wasn’t that important anymore, as we separated our kind from vampires. I didn’t know either. You’re the first known werewolf to be bitten by a vampire in over a century.”

Wow. I wish I’d known more. I touched the spot on my neck where his fangs had entered. I shivered at the thought of being connected somehow to that bloodsucker. I couldn’t imagine being kept in his prison, fed on time after time by him until I willingly gave him the rest of my body. “What now?”

“Adrienne is returning to Boston to give him our answer. After that, we will join the search with the other Pack volunteers that are flying in today. You will fly back home with your Mom tomorrow; there’s no point in keeping you here now. We aren’t going to trust your safety to a vampire.”

It was a relief to hear this, as I wasn’t keen on the idea of faking my death anyway. “If we refuse his deal, Emily rejects the contract. Another assassin could take it,” I said.

“That’s the choice we are left,” Leo said. “The Council is fully supporting the search. All Packs will assist, and teams of investigators and hackers are forming to search for clues. We find those two and finish this.”

“If those two are really behind it,” I said.

“Yeah. You’ll have extra security, just in case, but it will take a few days for a new contract to go out.”

“And my work? Mercedes wants Amy and me to do a lot more photo-shoots and appearances this year into next.”

“I’m sure we can find volunteers to accompany you to all those exotic locations Amy told Steven about. We won’t stand in your way of working as long as you accept the security required to do it safely,” Leo said.

“I will. Thank you, Unky.”

“A lot of people love you, Sharkbait, and we will keep you safe. Get some sleep.”

“I will. I love you.” I ended the call and walked back to the guest room. We were playing a risky hand by potentially allowing a new contract to go out, but we didn’t have a choice. We couldn’t go through with it.

If I’d known the ‘proof’ was going to be useless, I never would have offered my neck. I just hoped it wore off quickly.