Dentelle (27 page)

Wondering if James thought Ash was my boyfriend,
I said, “Yeah, Ash is very protective.”

“Well, he’s not overly bright. We’ve just
kidnapped his girlfriend and a little girl right under his nose, and he doesn’t
even suspect anything is up. In my opinion, he’s just a playboy who doesn’t
work and has nothing better to do than drive around town on that fancy
motorcycle of his.”

Pushing the call button above me, I had to laugh
to myself. Yep, that was a good description of Ash. My heart soared momentarily
because they thought Ash, not Jason, was my boyfriend. That was a good thing.
At no point should I underestimate James, though. I wondered if he’d been some
kind of Secret Operative before he’d hooked up with Kieran. I noticed James’
facial muscles tense when I pushed the call button. “So, is Ava Rose okay?” I
asked.

“She’s fine. What are you doing?”

“Getting a drink. What is Ava doing?”

“Kieran has plenty of amenities to keep her
entertained.”

Good, I thought. I just wanted assurance from
someone other than Kieran that Ava Rose was safe. She’d sounded happy and
excited on the phone, but…? I sighed. It looked like I was in for another round
of charades.

 
All at
once, a friendly flight attendant leaned over the seat. “How can I help you,
Ms. Peterson?”

For the briefest of seconds, a confused look
crossed my face. Remembering my alias, I quickly recovered. “Yes, I would love
a bottled water. Two. No, three actually. I’m very thirsty. Would you like one,
James?” I asked wide-eyed.

He narrowed his brows. I could tell he was
racking his brain, trying to determine if I was sincere or had some ulterior
motive. “Sure.” He smiled pleasantly at the flight attendant. Turning abruptly,
he glared at me as she walked away.

I held my hands in the air innocently. “Just
thirsty. I drink a lot of water. But you probably already know that about me,
don’t you?” With that comment, I closed my eyes, hoping to signal the end of
our conversation. If there was a chance that eventually Jason became suspicious
or tried to track me down, I figured there weren’t many people who asked for
three water bottles on their flight. And even if James wasn’t James’ real name,
at least the flight attendant had looked at him. She might remember us – the
girl with the messy hair who wanted three water bottles and the brown-haired,
average-looking guy sitting next to her.

Our four hour flight was uneventful. My
conversation with James was limited. I tried to read but couldn’t focus, so I
spent most of the time deep in reflection. I felt a little less guilty about
how none of the Bellingham Guardians had experienced a premonition in relation
to Ava Rose’s disappearance. While, yes, she’d been kidnapped, there had been
no harm intended, and she hadn’t been in any imminent danger; although, that
was still a possibility in the near future. Hopefully, I’d be there to stop it
if that happened. The real question remained, though. What did he intend to do
with me? And what would he do with Ava Rose after he had me?

Thoughts of how I would kill him ran through my
head a mile a minute. In each scenario, my methods were painful, and they were
merciless. This time, one way or another, one of us was going to have to kill
the other one. And it was going to be brutal. He’d pushed me to the brink too
many times…eventually, I’d have to become a monster, too. If I didn’t, neither
myself, nor Ava Rose would survive.

“How’s the
flight?”

Surprised at the interruption into my thoughts,
I flinched. Sneaking a peek at James, I decided he hadn’t noticed my sudden
movement. Happy to hear Ash’s voice, I relaxed and said,
“Long.”

“At least
you’re in good company. Nice to spend a little time with your parents even if
it isn’t under the best of circumstances.”

“True,”
was all I could muster
. “Thanks for
checking in, Ash. I’ll make sure to keep you updated. If
something…anything…happens in Bellingham you think I should know about it,
please let me know.”

“Will do.
Best of luck with your Uncle. And if you need me…or Jason, or any of us, I
mean, then let me know, and I’ll pass it on.”

“You’ll be
the first to know,”
I said, smiling inwardly.

“Good.
Take care, Lexi.”

“You too,
Ash.”

Before long, we landed at Dallas International
Airport, disembarked, and boarded a plane bound for Oklahoma City. Chalk it up
to nerves or whatever, but that was the fastest one hour flight I’d ever
experienced. James was none too happy when I asked for two water bottles, but I
told him I was parched. I managed to drink both of them on the plane, hopefully
eliminating whatever suspicions he’d envisaged. At 10:00 p.m. we exited the
plane and stepped into the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.

My heart pounded frantically, and I stopped
breathing when I caught sight of Kieran. With gleaming amber eyes and that
chillingly depraved smile, he advanced towards me with quick, confident
strides. Oh my! The monster from my nightmares was alive and well!

Thinking of Ava Rose, I drew a deep breath,
stood tall, and inebriated myself with Essence. I would not cower in front of
him. The only way to maintain his respect and beat him in the end was to remain
calm and unbreakable. But also important, I had to believe it myself.

“Hello, Lexi,” Kieran said, his exultant voice
resonating with mirth.

He stopped directly in front of me, so close I could feel his
breath upon my face. In preparation for the stench of cigarette smoke and wet
dog that always accompanied him, I held my breath. Unable to hold it any
longer, I expelled a large breath and placed a hand over my nose. Almost
instantly I was struck by a strong aromatic smell. Spicy
like a trendy cologne – similar to something Ash might wear. I
dropped my hand and glanced at Kieran in disbelief.

He raised his eyebrows and chuckled. “Good that you like my scent.
We’ll be in close contact during your stay. Real close.” The eagerness in his
tone made my skin crawl. Regardless of his newly refined hygiene habits, my
anger bubbled to the surface. He might be cocky like Ash, but that’s where the
similarities ended. Kieran would always be a repulsive, ruthless fiend in my
eyes.

Not wasting any more time, I raised my hand and slapped him across
the face with the full force of my fury. “How dare you kidnap an innocent
child,” I seethed.

Rage flashed briefly in his eyes but disappeared in an instant.
Rubbing his face and shaking his head, he said bitterly, “Watch yourself,
Lexi.” He glanced around, but no one was paying any attention to our exchange.
We were just past the seating area, standing in the middle of the terminal.
“This is the only time I will allow you to hit me without a consequence. Next
time the backlash will be severe.” He tilted his head sideways, his eyes
gleaming. “By now you must realize I will do what is necessary to get what I
want.” He waved a finger before my eyes. “And you can see that by bringing Ava
Rose here, I was successful – because here you are.” The smile that crossed his
face was feral. With a nod, he turned and looked at James and then pointed at
his wrist. Apparently understanding Kieran’s directive, James dipped his head
once, turned and said a couple words to Vincent, and then the two of them
headed down the terminal. They disappeared into the crowd of other passengers –
all who seemed eager to be on their way.

During all this time, I sized up Kieran. He was the same but
different. The biggest change was his overall physical appearance. He’d cleaned
himself up. Absent was his goatee and the clumps of facial hair that had always
seemed so bizarre and creepy. Now his face was smooth-skinned like the top of
his head. He wasn’t a tall person, but what he lacked in height,
he made up for in thickness. Broad and muscular, his biceps had to be the size
of my waist. Dressed casually in shorts and a t-shirt, he
almost
looked like a normal guy. But I knew better. Looks could be
deceiving, and in this case that was an understatement.

I say
“almost” because his unnatural amber eyes hadn’t changed a bit.
Bottomless pits filled with dark secrets, his dilated pupils signaled his
excitement. They bore into mine with that sick, predatory hunger that was
ominously familiar. His irises glowed with
what I can only describe as flames of unholy light. If, as people say,
the eyes are really windows to the soul, then Kieran didn’t possess one.

Turning back towards me, he puckered his lips,
made a smacking sound, and then smiled, baring all his teeth.

I’d been glaring and biting my tongue, but when
he smiled, my jaw fell, and I stared at his mouth. His previously yellowish and
dingy teeth were now brilliantly white – flawless, making him the perfect
candidate for a toothpaste commercial.

Observing my surprise, his grin broadened. “Oh,
I’m so glad you noticed.” He ran his tongue along his teeth. “A nice smile is
important, don’t you think? I did my research beforehand, of course, and found
a highly recommended dentist, implantologist actually, who offered laser teeth
whitening…”

My body froze, and my blood ran cold.
Automatically, I raised my arm again, but his expression hardened, so I dropped
my hands and cracked my fingers instead. “You better not have hurt –”

“Oh, don’t worry,” he interjected, slicing his
hand through the air. “Your dad is perfectly fine. Besides, that was months
ago. A quick, simple treatment. Fly in for the day, endure the painless
procedure while gaining compelling insight into your background, and fly out
again a few hours later.” With a bemused expression he added, “Sociable guy,
your dad, especially after I got him talking about his family. He’s quite proud
of his only daughter, by the way.” He shrugged, “Learned a lot that day – the
most interesting being that he doesn’t know a thing about your…hidden talents,
shall we say.” His eyes darkened. “Amazing what you can get done all in one day
– the day of a full moon – when links are broken and Ray-pacs go undetected.”

I knew he was trying to scare me; sadly, it was
working. I was terrified. But I couldn’t react, because that’s exactly what he
wanted me to do. Nauseated at the idea of Kieran being that close to my dad, I
took a deep breath and reminded myself that I’d just seen my parents and they
were both fine. Nevertheless, this latest bit of news from Kieran reminded me
how dangerous he was. His evil knew no bounds. Having added more fuel to my
fire, he’d given me yet another reason to make sure I destroyed him this time.

A woman’s voice came over the intercom system,
announcing it was time to begin boarding at one of the gates. “Where is Ava
Rose?” I demanded, choosing to ignore his scare tactics.

He sighed as if disappointed by my lack of a
reaction. Then, as if placating a child, he said, “When I left, she was
anxiously awaiting your arrival.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket
and glanced at it. “I did promise I’d have you wake her up if she fell asleep;
however, I’m not impressed with your hostile reception. Which has been, shall I
say…rather abusive.” He paused and rubbed his cheek where I’d hit him, and his
jawline hardened. “And while I’d hate to break a promise to her; it’s probably
time she learned the harsher realities of life.”

“Don’t you dare threaten her,” I said lividly.

“I’m not. I’m threatening you, Lexi. Lucky for
you, I’m of a forgiving nature this evening. I’d even be willing to give you
another chance.” Narrowing his eyes, he said bluntly, “Do you want to know what
it’s going to take to please me?”

 
I didn’t
want to, but I wasn’t about to lose my chance at seeing Ava Rose tonight.
“Yes,” I said in a tone as neutral and nice as I could muster.

He grinned triumphantly. “I want…a hug – a nice
warm embrace like people give when they’re reunited with a loved one. Someone
they haven’t seen for a long time. And while you’re at it, I’ll take a nice
long hit of your Essence, too.”

I recoiled, trying desperately to hold back the
bile rising in the back of my throat. The last thing in the world I wanted to
do was touch him – be exposed to his Essence.

“I’m waiting, Lexi.” His voice was stern and his
eyes cold, indicating I had no leverage if I wanted to see Ava.

Stepping forward, I gritted my teeth and wrapped
my arms around his waist. He inhaled sharply and then moaned. A crooked smile
crossed his face. “Your Essence is everything I remember and more. Satisfying.
Pleasurable. And even more powerful than before.” His words were a murmur; he
sounded completely enraptured. “And even though your hair is a mess, those dark
brown eyes of yours are still bewitching. And you smell,” he paused and took a
deep breath, “vanilla-sweet…and…edible.”

My feet buckled beneath me. I actually had to
grip him a little tighter so I didn’t crumble to the floor. The horrific
impurities I sensed within him overwhelmed me. It was impossible to ignore the
contamination coming off him – everything evil, painful, and depraved. I felt
like I was standing in the middle of a nuclear wasteland and would never be
able to escape its horrors. I started to pull away.

“No,” Kieran demanded. “Not yet. I want more. I
need more. I’ve been awaiting for this for a long, long time.”

So we stood there for several minutes. I used
all my power to keep my Essence flowing directly into him, doing my best not to
allow any of his to seep into me. But it was exhausting. I went as long as I
could until I could take it no more. Crying out, I let go, stepped back, and
crashed to the floor. Landing smack on my butt on a hard surface had never felt
so good. I would endure any number of painful circumstances in order to be away
from him.

He wobbled a little bit and smiled down at me.
“I do wish I could help you up. But as I remember it, you are quite hot to the
touch. And I wouldn’t want to spoil the rush of power and energy you’ve just
given me.”

Slowly, I regained my feet, relieved he couldn’t
touch me. “I want to see Ava Rose now.”

“Yes, let’s go,” he murmured blissfully, a
bemused expression on his face. He grabbed my suitcase, which I thought was
odd, and started off down the terminal. As we weaved in between people, he was
notably quiet. He looked dazed, drugged almost. And while I knew blasting him
with Essence gave him more power, I wondered if it temporarily disabled his
brain. He seemed less aggressive and more agreeable. I’d have to keep that in
mind. See if I could use it to my advantage sometime.

Once outside the airport, James and Vincent
picked us up in a black SUV with tinted windows. Our drive was fairly short,
about 30 minutes. I tried drilling Kieran for answers. I asked him what he
wanted from me and when he was going to release Ava Rose. But he just laughed
and told me all that could wait. He wanted me to get settled in comfortably,
because we were “going to be spending a lot of quality time together.” I
pressed for further details, but the smile disappeared from his face. Scolding
me like I was a child, he said, “That will be enough. Sit back, relax, and
enjoy the ride.”

Worried about awakening his temper, I gave up.
He was in rare form, but I only half listened to his animated voice as he
described the passing sights. While I found that he was still extremely
disturbing, I also felt like he was doing his best to be more normal. As the
city lights flashed by our windows, he pointed and laughed, talking like a tour
guide who loved his home town. I racked my brain, trying to remember if there
was an Oklahoma City Circle of Guardians, but I didn’t think there was. At the
Ranch, I’d met a girl from the Tulsa Circle, though. That city was probably
about 90 minutes away; although, when that distance was traveled by Guardians
it could be done in half the time.

Before I knew it, we’d stopped in front of what
looked like a mid-rise condominium building. Waiting for the automatic gate to
open, I noted scaffolding at one end and wondered if a renovation was in
progress or if the place was still under construction. A chill swept over me as
we pulled into an almost empty parking garage. There were only four other cars.
If this was a condo building, I had a feeling Kieran was the only tenant.

We left James and Vincent behind and took an
elevator to the top, twelfth floor. I noted a video cam in the upper corner.
Kieran used a key card, explaining I would be given one the next day when he
gave me an official tour. He also clarified that the outside of the building
had surveillance in the form of security cameras and guards. Under no circumstances
should I even attempt to leave or I’d be sorry. Only he said it wouldn’t be me
enduring the physical punishment; it would be Ava Rose. He certainly knew where
to strike. With a threat like that, I wouldn’t even consider going against his
wishes. Not yet, anyways. Not until I was certain I held the upper hand.
Dejectedly, I squeezed my hands together. That might not happen for days.

I couldn’t help but gasp when we stepped into a
swanky, expensively-outfitted penthouse. Spacious and contemporary, the main
living area boasted polished gray concrete floors, vaulted ceilings, and
expansive, tall windows that offered a panoramic skyline of Oklahoma City.
Showcasing space rather than things, the room was sparsely furnished. The two
neutral-colored leather couches and the chair with ottoman took center stage.
Only the throw pillows, along with a couple of very strange almost
disturbing-looking paintings on the wall, added a shot of color and texture.
While modern and bold, I found the room cold – lacking in feeling and warmth.
Just like Kieran.

Off the living room to the left, I followed him
down a hallway where he pointed out my room, but I didn’t bother entering it. I
asked him to take me directly to Ava Rose. Luckily, her room was next to mine.
He opened the door, and because of an amazing nightlight that projected a
rainbow across the wall and ceiling, I could see her small body curled up in a
monstrous bed. Actually, it wasn’t a bed; it was a mattress situated in the
center of a concrete slab, which was only about a foot off the stone floors.

“See, she’s sound asleep. Perfectly safe…and
happy, I might add.”

I gave him a dirty look, and said, “You can go
now, I’ll be sleeping in here with Ava Rose.”

He laughed softly. “Why am I not surprised?
Bathroom’s over there,” he said, pointing to a door in the corner of the room.
“I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast. And Lexi,” his voice chilled,
“Unless you want to alarm Ava Rose, I suggest you treat me as you would a close
friend. Remember, you brought her here on a surprise vacation. I’d hate to see
you spoil that for her.” With that, he turned and left the room, closing the
door behind him.

Sighing in relief, I dropped my things and ran
over to the bed. I hugged Ava Rose, taking in her sweet scent of innocence along
with a little Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. The last time I’d smelled that was a few
weeks before on sweet little Thomas Jason. A memory of Jason doting on his
little nephew had me close to tears as I wondered if I’d ever see either of
them again.

“Ava Rose, I’m here now, sweetie. You’re safe,”
I whispered, running a hand along her forehead.