Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 5] PG13
Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:11 am
Author’s note: Apologies for the delay in posting this chapter, but at least it wasn’t as long as the delay for WAY,MSJ? …right? And more good news, the chapter after this one is ready to be sent to my beta as well… Anyway, I’ll shut up and just post the chapter.
Beta: The ever-wonderful Barb (Bank1115)!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) — Chapter 5
“So, where do millionaire vampires hang out? Is there, like, a big gilded clubhouse with fountains of blood?”
Beth shot him a look. “No.”
Josh rested his forearms on the steering wheel. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Then where to?”
Beth stared at him. “I didn’t think of that. I was so excited to have a lead.” She fell silent for a moment. “I guess all we can do is try calling.”
“You’re going to call first?” Josh exclaimed, but Beth’s fingers were already shakily dialing the number. With a sigh, she held the phone up to her ear. A warm male voice answered on the third ring.
“Hello? J-J-Josef Kostan?” Beth stammered.
“Just Josef, actually—only one J. Now, who is this? And—more importantly—how did you get my private number?”
“I’m a friend of…of Mick St. John’s.”
“Mick St. John would not give out my phone number without my permission, even to sexy blondes. Are you blonde? You sound blonde.”
“Um…”
“Beth…what’s going on?” Josh hissed beside her. “What’s he saying?
She shook her head and motioned for him to be quiet.
“Is this one of those ‘ prank’ calls? Is Mister St. John there, too? Tell him I’m so going to key his Mercedes for this.”
“No, Mick’s…not here, but this is about him. We really need to talk to you—in person. Will you see us?”
“Well, I don’t know; define ‘us’.”
“Um, me—Beth Turner—and Josh Lindsey, the Assistant District Attorney.”
“A reporter and a lawyer meet a hedge fund trader? This sounds like the beginning of a joke I once heard.”
She took a deep breath. “Will you see us?”
“Are you going to tell me a joke?”
“What?”
“Fine,” the voice on the other end sighed. “I’m curious as a cat. I can be found at the Kostan Industries office—I trust you have the resources to locate it.”
Beth heard a click in her ear. She put the phone down into her lap. Josh looked at her expectantly.
She shook her head. “Start heading downtown; I’ll call Sam and get the address for Kostan Industries.”
But he didn’t move. “So…what did he sound like?”
“You mean, did he sound like a vampire?” She glared at him.
**********************************************************************************************************************
Mick stood in front of the crack in the blinds and gazed into the dark. “Night has fallen—it is time. We should go.”
“Well,” Leni snickered, “that was a very vampire-ish thing to say.”
He looked at her over his shoulder.
“I mean, Great! Let’s go steal a cop car!” She threw an underhanded punch to the air, which was swiftly followed by a loud growl from her stomach. “Oops,” she said and gripped her abdomen.
He frowned. “You need more food.”
Leni poked at her stomach. “Yeah, with your ears that was probably something like a bomb exploding.”
Mick turned back to the window and pulled the slats of blinds wider apart with two fingers. “Not quite.”
“Hey, how would you describe the sound of a bomb exploding? Like when the cop car blew up—what was that like for you?”
“Loud.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Forget I asked…”
“Okay.” He stared out the window for another minute, then turned and said, “We can’t leave yet. You need your strength. I’m gonna go see if I can find another mini-bar. Do you think you’ll be all right alone for a minute?”
“Yeah, you’re only going to the next room—I think I can handle it. If I can’t, I’ll start to scream, and you’ll be here before I’ve stopped.”
Mick stared at her for a moment. “Okay,” he finally said. The door opened and shut.
Leni sighed and slid back down onto the pillow. The next thing she knew, Mick was shaking her awake. “Hey—I found chocolate.”
“Chocolate?” She sat up. “Yum! Gimme.” She was reaching for the chocolate bar in his hand until he cocked his head suddenly. She froze with her hand still outstretched. “What? What is it? —Mick?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“It didn’t look like ‘nothing,’ Mick! Do you hear something?” she demanded. He didn’t answer, and soon she heard the sound for herself. Her heart began to pound. “A car? Do you think it’s after…us?”
“I doubt it. It drove past—never slowed. It’s not looking for us.”
“Well, run after it, then!”
“And what, become The Hitchhiker from Hell?” Mick snorted. “I’m still a danger to humans, Leni—I’m not going to risk putting any other innocents in my way.”
“Fine,” Leni crossed her arms and slumped back against the headboard. “But just for the record, I think you’re underestimating your strength. And I really wanna get out of here!”
The corner of his mouth quirked up. “I know you do.” He sighed and sat down on the bed. “So do I—we really need to get you and the baby checked out.”
“And you need more blood.” She leaned over and plucked the candy bar from his hand. “I have chocolate. I’m okay for now.”
A moment later he reached over and touched the towel still wrapped around her arm. “I took too much—I know it. I knew I shouldn’t have fed from you.”
Leni laid a hand on his. “Jack Junior and I will be fine, Mick. You saved our lives—we saved yours.” She ripped the chocolate bar open with her teeth. “Now get over it!”
**********************************************************************************************************************
Beth frowned at the amount shown on the meter as she swiped her credit card.
Josh leaned over her shoulder. “Do you think he’ll still validate our parking after we accuse him of being a vampire?”
His position behind her didn’t enable him to see the roll of her eyes, but he heard her short expulsion of breath and saw the tension in her shoulders. He held up his hands. “All right, all right—I’m sorry. I’ll stop.”
She said nothing, but he caught her giving him a dark glare from underneath her lashes as she began to walk toward the elevator. Josh glanced around at the shadows of the parking garage over his shoulder before he followed.
In the elevator, he took Beth’s hand and squeezed it with a slight smile. She returned the gesture after a moment. He sighed. “Look, I’m still trying to—”
“I know, Josh. It’s okay.”
“As weird as this is, though—I have to say, being on the hunt with you is kind of fun.” He scrunched his nose playfully in an attempt to loosen her up, but she only smiled tremulously and looked away. He frowned, but before he could speak the elevator reached the lobby and the doors opened.
Beth dropped his hand and marched up to the security desk. “Beth Turner and Josh Lindsey to see Josef Kostan.”
“Mr. Kostan is in a dinner meeting.”
A furrow appeared on Beth’s forehead. “But he’s expecting us—we just called.”
The guard stared at her a moment before picking up the receiver and pressing a button on the phone. “Er—my apologies for the interruption, sir—but there’s a Beth Turner and Joshua Lindsey who seem to think you’re expecting them.” He smirked at something said on the other end. “Yes, sir.” He hung up. “Your escort will be down in a moment.”
“Escort?” Beth mouthed to Josh.
The elevator doors opened with a ding and a dark-haired man stepped out. He stood in front of the elevator and stared at them.
“Go with him,” the guard pointed.
Beth and Josh exchanged a look and walked over to the elevator. The man nodded for them to enter, then followed them in and pressed the button for the top floor. He stood facing them as the elevator ascended, but stared straight at the wall as if they were not even there.
Beth let her eyes drift over to Josh. He stood tall, head straight, arms folded over his chest, eyes locked on their escort. She lifted her chin and, with a quick glance at the man, stared at the panel in front of her. Her heart beat slightly faster as the numbers lighting up went higher and higher.
On the twenty-fifth floor, the doors opened and their escort turned swiftly on his heel and exited the car. Beth began to move after him, but Josh laid a hand on her arm and stepped out into the corridor ahead of her.
The escort led them into a large, high-ceilinged room with a large desk in front of an expanse of windows. “Your guests, sir,” he said to a young man sitting behind the desk, and left. They heard the elevator ding in the corridor a moment later.
The young man rose and came around to stand before the desk, crossing one hand over the other in front of him. He said nothing, but his eyes followed the movements of Beth, and then Josh, as they moved slowly toward him.
Beth and Josh swallowed in tandem.
To be continued…
Beta: The ever-wonderful Barb (Bank1115)!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) — Chapter 5
“So, where do millionaire vampires hang out? Is there, like, a big gilded clubhouse with fountains of blood?”
Beth shot him a look. “No.”
Josh rested his forearms on the steering wheel. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Then where to?”
Beth stared at him. “I didn’t think of that. I was so excited to have a lead.” She fell silent for a moment. “I guess all we can do is try calling.”
“You’re going to call first?” Josh exclaimed, but Beth’s fingers were already shakily dialing the number. With a sigh, she held the phone up to her ear. A warm male voice answered on the third ring.
“Hello? J-J-Josef Kostan?” Beth stammered.
“Just Josef, actually—only one J. Now, who is this? And—more importantly—how did you get my private number?”
“I’m a friend of…of Mick St. John’s.”
“Mick St. John would not give out my phone number without my permission, even to sexy blondes. Are you blonde? You sound blonde.”
“Um…”
“Beth…what’s going on?” Josh hissed beside her. “What’s he saying?
She shook her head and motioned for him to be quiet.
“Is this one of those ‘ prank’ calls? Is Mister St. John there, too? Tell him I’m so going to key his Mercedes for this.”
“No, Mick’s…not here, but this is about him. We really need to talk to you—in person. Will you see us?”
“Well, I don’t know; define ‘us’.”
“Um, me—Beth Turner—and Josh Lindsey, the Assistant District Attorney.”
“A reporter and a lawyer meet a hedge fund trader? This sounds like the beginning of a joke I once heard.”
She took a deep breath. “Will you see us?”
“Are you going to tell me a joke?”
“What?”
“Fine,” the voice on the other end sighed. “I’m curious as a cat. I can be found at the Kostan Industries office—I trust you have the resources to locate it.”
Beth heard a click in her ear. She put the phone down into her lap. Josh looked at her expectantly.
She shook her head. “Start heading downtown; I’ll call Sam and get the address for Kostan Industries.”
But he didn’t move. “So…what did he sound like?”
“You mean, did he sound like a vampire?” She glared at him.
**********************************************************************************************************************
Mick stood in front of the crack in the blinds and gazed into the dark. “Night has fallen—it is time. We should go.”
“Well,” Leni snickered, “that was a very vampire-ish thing to say.”
He looked at her over his shoulder.
“I mean, Great! Let’s go steal a cop car!” She threw an underhanded punch to the air, which was swiftly followed by a loud growl from her stomach. “Oops,” she said and gripped her abdomen.
He frowned. “You need more food.”
Leni poked at her stomach. “Yeah, with your ears that was probably something like a bomb exploding.”
Mick turned back to the window and pulled the slats of blinds wider apart with two fingers. “Not quite.”
“Hey, how would you describe the sound of a bomb exploding? Like when the cop car blew up—what was that like for you?”
“Loud.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Forget I asked…”
“Okay.” He stared out the window for another minute, then turned and said, “We can’t leave yet. You need your strength. I’m gonna go see if I can find another mini-bar. Do you think you’ll be all right alone for a minute?”
“Yeah, you’re only going to the next room—I think I can handle it. If I can’t, I’ll start to scream, and you’ll be here before I’ve stopped.”
Mick stared at her for a moment. “Okay,” he finally said. The door opened and shut.
Leni sighed and slid back down onto the pillow. The next thing she knew, Mick was shaking her awake. “Hey—I found chocolate.”
“Chocolate?” She sat up. “Yum! Gimme.” She was reaching for the chocolate bar in his hand until he cocked his head suddenly. She froze with her hand still outstretched. “What? What is it? —Mick?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“It didn’t look like ‘nothing,’ Mick! Do you hear something?” she demanded. He didn’t answer, and soon she heard the sound for herself. Her heart began to pound. “A car? Do you think it’s after…us?”
“I doubt it. It drove past—never slowed. It’s not looking for us.”
“Well, run after it, then!”
“And what, become The Hitchhiker from Hell?” Mick snorted. “I’m still a danger to humans, Leni—I’m not going to risk putting any other innocents in my way.”
“Fine,” Leni crossed her arms and slumped back against the headboard. “But just for the record, I think you’re underestimating your strength. And I really wanna get out of here!”
The corner of his mouth quirked up. “I know you do.” He sighed and sat down on the bed. “So do I—we really need to get you and the baby checked out.”
“And you need more blood.” She leaned over and plucked the candy bar from his hand. “I have chocolate. I’m okay for now.”
A moment later he reached over and touched the towel still wrapped around her arm. “I took too much—I know it. I knew I shouldn’t have fed from you.”
Leni laid a hand on his. “Jack Junior and I will be fine, Mick. You saved our lives—we saved yours.” She ripped the chocolate bar open with her teeth. “Now get over it!”
**********************************************************************************************************************
Beth frowned at the amount shown on the meter as she swiped her credit card.
Josh leaned over her shoulder. “Do you think he’ll still validate our parking after we accuse him of being a vampire?”
His position behind her didn’t enable him to see the roll of her eyes, but he heard her short expulsion of breath and saw the tension in her shoulders. He held up his hands. “All right, all right—I’m sorry. I’ll stop.”
She said nothing, but he caught her giving him a dark glare from underneath her lashes as she began to walk toward the elevator. Josh glanced around at the shadows of the parking garage over his shoulder before he followed.
In the elevator, he took Beth’s hand and squeezed it with a slight smile. She returned the gesture after a moment. He sighed. “Look, I’m still trying to—”
“I know, Josh. It’s okay.”
“As weird as this is, though—I have to say, being on the hunt with you is kind of fun.” He scrunched his nose playfully in an attempt to loosen her up, but she only smiled tremulously and looked away. He frowned, but before he could speak the elevator reached the lobby and the doors opened.
Beth dropped his hand and marched up to the security desk. “Beth Turner and Josh Lindsey to see Josef Kostan.”
“Mr. Kostan is in a dinner meeting.”
A furrow appeared on Beth’s forehead. “But he’s expecting us—we just called.”
The guard stared at her a moment before picking up the receiver and pressing a button on the phone. “Er—my apologies for the interruption, sir—but there’s a Beth Turner and Joshua Lindsey who seem to think you’re expecting them.” He smirked at something said on the other end. “Yes, sir.” He hung up. “Your escort will be down in a moment.”
“Escort?” Beth mouthed to Josh.
The elevator doors opened with a ding and a dark-haired man stepped out. He stood in front of the elevator and stared at them.
“Go with him,” the guard pointed.
Beth and Josh exchanged a look and walked over to the elevator. The man nodded for them to enter, then followed them in and pressed the button for the top floor. He stood facing them as the elevator ascended, but stared straight at the wall as if they were not even there.
Beth let her eyes drift over to Josh. He stood tall, head straight, arms folded over his chest, eyes locked on their escort. She lifted her chin and, with a quick glance at the man, stared at the panel in front of her. Her heart beat slightly faster as the numbers lighting up went higher and higher.
On the twenty-fifth floor, the doors opened and their escort turned swiftly on his heel and exited the car. Beth began to move after him, but Josh laid a hand on her arm and stepped out into the corridor ahead of her.
The escort led them into a large, high-ceilinged room with a large desk in front of an expanse of windows. “Your guests, sir,” he said to a young man sitting behind the desk, and left. They heard the elevator ding in the corridor a moment later.
The young man rose and came around to stand before the desk, crossing one hand over the other in front of him. He said nothing, but his eyes followed the movements of Beth, and then Josh, as they moved slowly toward him.
Beth and Josh swallowed in tandem.
To be continued…