A Bite of the Big Apple - Chapter 2 PG 13 MickBeth

[jen]

No copywrite infringement intended and I own nothing.

Many, many thanks to the fabulous Darkstarrising for her wonderful insight and suggestions. They have made me a better writer (I hope).

A Bite of the Big Apple - Chapter 2


Mick closed the door to his suite behind him, his smile fading. Shrugging out of his duster and tossing it over a chair, he pulled out his celll.

“How was the flight?” Josef answered on the first ring.

“We’re still in New York so there wasn’t any flight." he said. "Josh is wrapping up some cases and Beth thinks she should stay out of his way while he focuses. I suggested we stay in New York then fly home with you. That OK?”

“More than OK--I’d appreciate the company. So, did you two go out for the evening or stay in?”

Mick grinned at the smirk in Josef’s voice, “I took her to Chateau le Vie for dinner and we met Gerard Nottingham. He sends his regards.”

“How is old Jerry?”

“He seemed a little put out that it wasn’t you in the restaurant. Other than that, fine. He gave me his card--that means we are under his protection, right?”

“Right. It opens a lot of doors, but beware the downside.”

“I knew it. Beth sensed a possible downside.“

“Huh. Buzzwire has instincts. I’ve been staying at the brownstone with Sarah, but I’ll find out if the penthouse at the Rothchilde or Cummings is available. Up to now, I have been successful at keeping Sarah’s existence quiet. Under the circumstances, it may be safer for her if I not stay there. In my position, I’m high profile--it comes with the territory--but I don’t want to draw any attention to Sarah, I’d suggest you and Beth pack up and move, too. There may not be anything to worry about, but paranoia can be good for you. Helps you keep your head longer. Whichever hotel is available will have better security than that flea bag you’re currently in.”

“Woah, Josef--don’t you think you’re overreacting? I only wanted to-”

“Getting Beth to stay in New York with you is messing with your instincts, Boyo. Maybe I don’t have any hard evidence to back up my feeling that you need to move, but just go with me on this. I’ll even pick up the tab. That should make Beth happy.”

“Make me happy, too.” Mick added. “Don’t get me wrong--I appreciate it, but this place is nice enough. It’s not as lavish as your choices in hotels, but it has a nice, clean freezer to sleep in. I can get my A Positive through room service and Beth hasn’t complained.”

“Maybe, but why drive a Honda when you can drive a Ferrari?”

“Gas mileage?” Mick countered. “All right, I get it--security. I’ll talk to Beth. Why didn’t Gerard Nottingham warn us himself?”

“He probably didn’t think it necessary being unaware of your shared proclivity for attracting trouble.”

“Cute. Before I forget - how's Sarah?”

“The same. The local cleaners were here earlier to take care of Martan’s body and fix the damage. You know, the lead cleaner here even looks a little like Claudia. May be a good idea to ask them to watch over the Brownstone. Cleaners are Cleaners.”

“I won’t tell Claudia you said that,” Mick quipped “I’ll call you back once I let Beth know your plans.”

“Fine. I’ll handle arrangements for the move and ask Gerard to come by and brief us on the state of the local Tribe tomorrow.”

“We’re in his territory. Don’t you think it might be better form for us to go to him?” Mick asked.

“Probably, but Jerry and I go way back. He’s one of the good guys, in case you haven’t figured that out on your own--plus he owes me one.”

“Good to know. At least that’s one less vampire to worry about. Now, how many others are there in New York?”

“You know, it isn‘t the problems that we see coming that cause the most trouble. It’s the ones that blindside us...”

A few minutes later, Mick tapped on Beth’s door.

“Change your mind about that drink?” .

“I just talked to Josef.” Beth closed the door softly behind him, your instincts may be correct that we have something to worry about. It doesn‘t look like we do, but it‘s better to be careful. Gerard Nottingham will meet with Josef and me tomorrow to discuss any local trouble we should to be aware of. In the meantime, Josef thinks we should move to one of the more security conscious vampire friendly hotels tonight. He’s moving there himself and will pick up our tabs.”

“Since he‘s paying, just tell me when.”

He pulled out his cell and called Josef back. “Beth wants to know when.”

“I’ll sent a limo to pick you up in an hour. We're going to the Cummings. Be packed and ready.”

“All right.” Mick pocketed his cell. “He’ll send a limo to pick us up in an hour. Can you be ready by then?”

“Yes.” Beth sighed. “So much for a good night’s sleep.”

“You‘ll be settled soon.” said Mick. “I’m going to pack and will be back in a few minutes to help you.”

“No need. I'll handle it.”

They were downstairs in the lobby waiting when the limo arrived. The manager of the hotel where they had been staying, was very upset about their departure and apologized profusely for any slight that may have caused it.

“If there is anything we have done to offend you in any way, I am sincerely sorry! Please, let me know what it was and I will make it right!”

“There wasn’t anything wrong,” Mick said.

Beth turned on the charm. “Really, the amenities here were superb, your service exemplary and rhe only reason for this move is to be closer to an associate. We were very pleased with our accommodations and will not hesitate to recommend this hotel to our friends.”

That seemed to calm him down, but as the limo drove away, he pulled out his cell and placed a call. “Claude, this is Franz. Mick St. John and his human just left. They’re not leaving New York, just moving to another hotel. I tried to get them to stay, but they insisted. We know of all the local vampire friendly hotels. We’ll find them again.”

The penthouse at the Cummings was every bit as lavish as Josef indicated. Mick and Beth had their own suites on the floor just below it.

Before dawn, Mick was up in the penthouse with Josef waiting for their guest to arrive.

“Is Beth settled?" Josef asked. "I could tell she was not entirely happy about moving last night but liked the suites. I think heightened security is a good idea. Maybe Gerard will clue us in on something I haven‘t been able to find out from anyone else. What I’ve heard so far leads me to believe that all’s quiet.”

"Agreed. When I left her last night, she was going to unpack and go to bed. Beth worried that being under Gerard Nottingham’s protection could mean that we inherit his enemies, too. I can't give you a solid reason, but I agree the move feels right.”

“My paranoia is probably just rubbing off on you. I haven't survived this long by having bad instincts.”

Mick grinned “Want to talk about Vegas, 1968?“

“OK, OK. I never said I was perfect. Don’t tell Gerard about that when he gets here. He doesn’t need to know-”

The vampire valet opened the door it to admit the leader of the New York vampire community.

“What is it that I don’t need to know?” Gerard asked, his eyes lit with amusement.

“Nothing,” Josef replied, glaring briefly at Mick. He shook hands with the other vampire leader. “Thank you for coming, Gerard.”

“My pleasure, Josef. Now what can I do for you?”

“We’re going to be in town for a few days and I wondered if there was anything we should be aware of? Like maybe a little trouble in the Big Apple Tribe? ”

“That would have warranted a call, not a face to face meeting. What is this really about?”

“That is really it, sir,” Mick interjected. “We’ve just dealt with a man who attempted to have Josef killed, and I admit that we could be a little paranoid in the aftermath.”

“I suppose it comes with the territory for a private investigator.” Gerard said, nodding. “All right. The vampire community in New York is relatively peaceful--nothing worse than you have in L.A. We have a few bad apples, pardon the pun, but they’re aware that either they play nice or they meet the Cleaners. I’m a believer in an iron fist in a velvet glove. If the velvet glove doesn’t work…”

“You use the iron fist.” said Josef. “Wait a minute, how do you know that Mick is a private investigator? You had us checked out! Well, well, well. When we last met about five years ago, you didn’t even own a computer.”

“I still don’t, but I have a staff that handles that kind of thing. As I recall, your advice to me was that I either learn current technology or I wouldn’t survive for long. I took a page from your playbook, Josef. I hired some experts.”

“Close, Jerry, but no cigar.” said Josef. “You need to learn the technology for yourself. You may have people do it for you, but as you know very well, knowledge is power. How do you know the people you have surrounded yourself with are telling you the truth? Mick tells me that last night you likened vampire customs to learning the mores of another culture and advised Beth Turner to learn them to avoid misunderstanding. In a way, it’s the same principle. Everybody needs to adapt. I was resistant to technology for a while, but the advantages far outweigh the temporary discomfort of expanding your comfort zone. Besides, I don‘t like letting experts have too much leverage on me.”

Gerard chuckled. “Same old Josef. One of the necessities of life to us is that we learn to judge who we can trust and who we can't but let’s get back to the problem at hand--I think it likely that any trouble you encounter, you brought it with you. Your computer expert, Ryder England is his name, I believe, or Logan Griffin would tell you the same. Nevertheless, I will assign a few of security personnel to follow you around starting tomorrow. For today, this young man has my card. Any difficulties, call me.”

“Feel better now?” Josef asked after Gerard left.

“Not really. What exactly did he just say?”

“Very little. Gerard is a good politician, but I don’t think he’s deliberately misleading us. At least, he isn't aware of any major turf war.”

“Yeah, well. I’m going to catch a few hours in the freezer. Beth wants to go shopping this morning and I thought I would take her to a Broadway matinee this afternoon and out again tonight. You think I should go with her when she shops?”

“Nah. Take Gerard up on his offer. Call him and see if someone can follow her around this morning while you get some sleep.”

“OK. What are you going to do?”

“Same. A few hours of freezer time and then I want to spend some more time with Sarah. Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”

“About what?”

“Sarah. I was wondering if I should just let her go. End it for her.”

“Is that what you want to do?”

“No,“ Josef said softly. “I don’t.”

“What do you think she would want?”

Josef took a deep breath. “Sarah would trust me to do everything I could to bring her out of this. Not just leave her languishing in that bed.”

“When Beth and I were at the Brownstone, you said you hoped medicine or a miracle would bring her back. You have a lot of power, Josef and I‘ve seen you work some miracles of you own with your money. Why not use it to find out why she is this way and do what you can to fix it…or have you tried that already?”

“Some. I’ve been telling myself that I keep Sarah’s existence a secret to protect her, but maybe it’s as much to protect myself. Most of my enemies wouldn’t think twice about using her against me. You know there are vampire physicians but medical advances--human and vampire--move quickly these days. There wasn’t anything we could discover about Sarah’s condition a few years ago but things may have changed. I guess it’s worth revisiting.” Josef took another deep breath. “Thanks, man. I appreciate you letting me use you for a sounding board.”

“I do it to you often enough.”

Mick called Gerald Nottingham’s cell and arrangements were made for a vampire bodyguard team to watch over her while shopping. He didn’t expect Beth to spot the surveillance following her. Of course, she did.

Mick was up by mid-afternoon and they took in a Broadway matinee after which they returned to the hotel to change for dinner and dancing. The Midnight Garden had an airy elegance that contrasted with the historic chic of Chateau le Vie. Once Mick explained about the afternoon’s surveillance, Beth relaxed and began to enjoy herself. As she chatted casually about the afternoon’s activities, Mick slowly looked around the room and the faces of the diners until his eyes met those of a man who had been watching them for some time, a faint smile on his lips. As Mick recognized him, his eyes widened slightly. The other man’s smile grew wider and he raised the glass he was holding slightly.

Crap.

Sensing Mick’s tension, Beth asked, “what’s the matter?”

“Many years ago, I left a vampire who had killed a number of peaceful members of our community in an abandoned silver mine. Before I staked him, he went into graphic detail of how he intended to kill me slowly the next time he saw me. He is sitting right over there watching us.”

“Do we need to leave?”

“I think it would be safer to stay right here. He won‘t do anything in a crowd--I think.”

“Do we have a security detail following us tonight?”

“No. Our assigned surveillance starts tomorrow. He said to call if we ran into trouble. I think this qualifies.” Mick took out the card and his cell. Nottingham himself answered the call.

“Mr. Nottingham, this is Mick St. John. Ms. Turner and I are currently at the Moonlight Garden having dinner and Claude Renault is sitting across the room watching us. Mr. Renault and I have had…dealings in the past, and frankly, I am concerned.”

“As well you should be. He has been a thorn in my side for over a century and can assure you no one would miss him were you to rid us of his presence.”

“I understand this is not your problem-”

“Young man, I wish that were true, but it is precisely my problem.” Nottingham sighed. “Sit tight and a security contingent will be there to extract you and the lovely Ms. Turner within the hour. In the meantime, I advise you not to leave the premises. Do you still see him?”

Mick looked at the table where he had been sitting. It was empty.

“No, he’s gone.”

“Merde. Stay where you are. We can protect you there. Does Josef know the history of your quarrel with him and will he tell me?”

“I think so.”

“Then just relax and we will be there soon. You were correct to call me.”

“Thank you.”

Beth looked down at her half finished chicken Florentine, no longer hungry. "Just so I'll know how much trouble I'm in, tell me about this guy."

“He was in the British cavalry in the 1800's. He was good with a sword and found reasons to pull it out frequently. Josef has had skirmishes with him for decades. Apparently, there was a time when he was a highly placed Enforcer for the vampire council in Europe, but got booted." Mick didn't elaborate on the reason for his expulsion--Beth didn't need to know about that. "Josef thought he should have lost his head, too, but that is another story." One he didn't intend to tell her. "I really hoped he was still in that mine, staked. I‘m sorry to have put you in danger.”

“How does that old saying go? ‘some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you‘” Beth said, trying to take the tension out of the moment. “You have to admit there is a type of symmetry to this: You. Me. Possible impending death.”

“I should have taken him out when I had the chance. A lot of people--vampire and human--would still be alive if I had.”

Beth reached across the table and placed her hand on Mick’s. “I must admit, L.A. is looking a lot better right now. For the moment, let’s wait for the cavalry to arrive and get us out of here.”

They recognized the extraction squad easily. Josef was with them. Once back at the hotel, Beth immediately retreated to her suite.

“I can’t take you anywhere,” complained Josef. “You sure it was Renault?”

“Positive. Complete with the saber scar on his face. He was just sitting there watching us.”

“Maybe he doesn’t intend to follow through on all the colorful threats. I wonder if he still remembers why he was pissed at me. We can assume that he is still pissed at you.”

“Josef-”

“I know, I know. You were following my instructions when you put him there. Gerard wants us out of his town and I don‘t blame him. Actually, I think he is hoping your friend follows us back to L.A., but I don’t want him anywhere near my territory. Tell Beth to pack and we’ll fly back to L.A. tonight. I’m sorry that this hasn’t been a very positive introduction to vampire society for her.”

“Maybe it’s for the best. Vampire/human relationships are more complicated than even I thought. I’ve been worrying about her being in danger from me, when that’s only a small part of it. It is me, plus my friends, and my enemies and-”

“You are really depressing to be around, you know that?”

“Yeah.” Mick sighed, leaving the penthouse.

The door to Beth's suite was ajar when he arrived. He pushed it open and walked in slowly, looking around. Beth was nowhere to be seen.

“Beth?“ A window was open to the terrace and the drapes blew softly in the icy winter wind. Walking to the door of her bedroom, he saw her suitcase laying on the bed with a few items placed inside and a note beside it on the bed.

‘Mick

Not fast enough.

You have shown remarkable restraint with this one. I have no reason to show such control.

We have business to conclude.

Claude Renault’

[LadyAilith]

Oh no! Renault has Beth! This is gonna be some smack down...I'm sure that Mick and Joseph will do everything in their power to get her back. However, I'm equally sure that Renault is going to treat Beth badly. I wonder if Nottingham will lend a hand?

[maggatha3]

Oh my god, Jenna, are you going to make me wish for the first time that they never had this night for themselves in New York and that I should be careful what I wish for?

I really liked the Josef-Mick interaction, how they are always there for each other, especially when they are troubled. I also loved Beth's reaction to danger, she is so much more used to it than Mick..

“You have to admit there is a type of symmetry to this: You. Me. Possible impending death.”

But, that ajar door...now I cannot even rest!!

[jen]

Ladyalith

Renault has his plans for revenge.

Gerard Nottingham's protection, the more secure hotel, and all the other precautions haven't been much help so far.

At this point, I'm betting Beth wishes she hadn't gotten out of that taxi in Chapter 1.

Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to leave a comment!

Jenna

[jen]

Maggatha

Beth Turner is absolutely in a very bad situation!

While it is true that she is bright, resourceful and keeps her wits about her in most situations, she is dealing with a vampire who specializes in NOT playing well with others. As I said in an earlier post, I'll bet Beth wishes she had not decided to get out of that taxi that was going to take her to the hotel and then the airport for the flight back to L.A.

Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

Jenna

[MoonlitRose]

Holy Crap, Jen!

No waiting around on your part to have the complicated, difficult and dangerous stuff latch right on to our little trouble magnet, Beth Turner!

I just hope Josef and Mick can get ahead of this before any permanent damage is done to them or to Beth!

Great chapter! Looking forward to more!

[jen]

Moonlitrose

Agreed. Mick was so worried about the danger Beth was in from him that he didn't stop to think about the danger she could be in from any vampire that was pissed with him?

Come on, Mick. Did Donnie Sheppard teach you nothing??

I still remember the look on Beth's face when she faced Sheppard in Mick's loft. Beth is no shrinking violet, that's for sure. Now, can she fare as well at the hands of Claude Renault?

Only time will tell...

Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

Jenna

[darkstarrising]

So, a part of Mick and Josef's past has come back to haunt them. Renault promised he'd kill Mick slowly the next time he saw, and by taking Beth, he's started the process

Great second chapter, Jenna

[jen]

Darkstarrising

Renault has survived as long as he has by being able to turn things to his advantage. I think that is what he did in taking Beth.

Thank you so much for reading and leaving a comment and also for your wise counsel!

Jenna

[MickLifeCrisis]

The security team who extracted them couldn't have stuck around for awhile??

In that case, I'll be right here waiting for the next chapter...

[jen]

Micklifecrisis

Good point!

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Jenna

[allegrita]

Ooooh, and now you're gonna torture us, as we wonder how Beth will get out of this horrible mess! I know she must be wondering why she got out of that taxi... but I think that she really knows why. She thrives on danger and intrigue. She just needs to learn enough to avoid getting herself into real trouble. Mick has a couple of jobs to do: rescue Beth, and then teach her enough to make her safer from vampire problems!

[jen]

Alle

Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

Beth is in a bad spot, for sure, and while Mick is totally committed to rescuing her, with the support of Josef and the head of the New York vampire community, for the present she is in it alone.

As for Claude Renault, his intent is clear. Hopefully, Beth can get away from him before he does any serious damage.

Jenna

[choccyterri]

Gah! I can't put this one down Jen! A friend once told me about 'evil cliffies' This is a fantastic one! I love how you've almost got us comfortable with the arrangements and then Bam! Our Beth's been whipped away. I must read on! I love it when Mick goes into hero mode. Thank you!

[jen]

Choccyterri

Thank you!!!! Nothing makes a writer feel better than having a reader caught up in the story, enjoying the ride along with you!

Jenna