The Rose Ransom (Girls Wearing Black: Book Three) Read online

  “Of course, the best stuff has its roots in early twentieth century Britain,” Walter boasted. “Not only delicious, but also an effective cure for malaria. Let me show you a bottle my friend Merv gave me.”

  Zack put his arm on Walter’s shoulder, preventing him from turning around. With her father’s back turned, Jill darted up the stairs. She went past the second floor landing and up to her mother’s office. She didn’t bother to knock on the door.

  Her mother was hunched over her keyboard in perfect stillness. Jill walked right next to her and she didn’t even notice. The keyring Jill wanted was dangling from a hook. Ten silver and gold keys that together unlocked all the important doors of Black Dart Enterprises, including the server room in the basement of this house. Jill lifted the ring slowly, wrapping her hand tight around the keys as soon as they were off the hook. Her mother was oblivious to Jill’s presence. Whatever was happening in Carolyn’s mind was bigger than her daughter, who was standing just three feet away.

  Jill snuck out of the study and back down the stairs to find the front room vacant, Zack and Walter having moved to the parlor. Poor Zack was stuck sampling all of Walter’s favorite gin. What a miserable night for him.

  He was so good to her. He deserved better than this.

  Put it out of your mind, Jill. You’ve got work to do.

  She went to the basement door and tried the keys one at a time. On the fourth key, she got it open. She flipped the lightswitch and went down the stairs.

  The basement was a dreary room with a white tile floor, bright fluorescent lighting, and piles of junk everywhere. Walter was a nostalgic man who couldn’t bring himself to let go of the possessions that defined his youth. Rather than keep them upstairs, where they would have to be stored in a neat and presentable way, Walter kept all his memorabilia down here. A 2nd place trophy from the National Junior Polo Championships, a framed award from the Young Businessmen of Washington, a stack of yearbooks from elementary through high school. To get at the servers, Jill had to push aside a milk crate holding framed photos of Walter on various trips with Galen Renwick and Merv Tremblay.

  What a motley crew they turned out to be.

  Jill sat at the screen to access the oldest and smallest of the servers. Whatever Carolyn was working on tonight, it wouldn’t be on this computer, which was only used when overflow processing power was needed. Jill did a hard shutdown, then brought it back up outside of the operating system so she could bypass the security. She put her thumb drive in the USB port and spoke to the machine direct through the command prompt, rewriting the bootup instructions as she went. Then she rebooted again. This time, as the computer went through its normal startup, the operating system began importing the contents of her thumb drive. A bar on the screen told her it would take six minutes.

  While she waited, she dug around in the piles of junk.

  She found a box full of papers that looked like they might be important, but turned out merely to be every essay Walter had written in college, including one titled, Embracing Our Place in the Universe: A Survey of the Evolving Relationships Between Humans and Immortals.

  In another box, Jill found papers and notebooks from Walter’s elementary school days. It appeared young Walter was fond of doodling, having created an array of cartoon characters who engaged in filthy exploits on the margins of his math homework. Tossing that box aside, Jill found a wicker basket stuffed with old porn. DVD’s with naked women on the covers, a horrid looking magazine called Back Door, even some old VHS tapes. Jill felt like she might puke. How could she possibly be related to this man?

  She threw the wicker basket across the room and porn spilled all over the floor.

  Whatever, she thought. Let him find it. Let him see that I was down here. He won’t care that I looked through his porn, but he’ll be furious once he realizes I got onto the server.

  A bell chimed on the computer, letting her know the software was loaded. Tonight when she got back to Zack’s, she would have full access to anything and everything her father had ever stored on these computers. If the command that enslaved Walter’s wife was archived somewhere in this system, Jill would find it.

  She removed the thumb drive, stepped around and over the trash, and headed to the stairs. Along the way, she stomped on every porn DVD that was in her path. She was about to stomp on a DVD case at the foot of the stairs, but something about the cover caught her eye. It was different than the rest. Instead of brightly colored pictures of naked women, this one had a blurry photo of a bride and groom underneath script lettering. She leaned in closer to get a look at the title.

  Holy Matrimony of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Wentworth.

  “Oh my God it’s their wedding,” she muttered.

  Her father kept a DVD of his own wedding stored in a basket of porn in the basement. What a truly sick and heinous man.

  Her first thought was to smash this DVD like the rest. But then she thought about her father roaming this basement by himself some day, his wife and daughter gone, the truth about Jill’s activities these past four years coming to light, and she decided to leave the DVD exactly where it was.

  Maybe he’ll pick it up and think about what he did. If there’s even a shred of decency in him, he’ll weep when he watches this.

  She was at the top of the stairs, turning off the light and stepping into the hallway, when the doorbell rang.

  From another room she heard Walter clap once and say, “It’s time, my boy, it’s time!”

  “Time for what?” Zack said.

  “Oh, you’re in for a treat tonight!” Walter said. “Of course, you might not remember the treat when it’s done, but it’s a real treat nonetheless!”

  What did he mean Zack might not remember?

  Jill ran down the hall. “Dad, what’s going on? Who’s at the door?”

  She was too late. Walter, who moments before could barely muster the energy to stand up straight while he walked, was now prancing through the house, and was already at the front door by the time Jill reached the foyer.

  Jill watched as he opened the door. Her father’s girthy shape blocked her view at first, but then he stepped aside, allowing a slim woman with long, curly hair to step into the house.

  “Good evening, everyone,” the woman said.

  Jill recognized her face immediately.

  The woman who had just stepped into the house was Bernadette Paiz, an immortal from the Samarin clan.

  Chapter 11

  “Welcome, Ms. Paiz,” said Walter. “Welcome to my home.”

  The old superstition that a vampire loses her powers unless you invite her inside was rubbish, of course, but still it was tradition in Washington that you made a great show of it when you invited a vampire into your house. As Walter stepped aside to make way for Bernadette, he bowed his head low and extended his arm, like a servant showing the way for his master.

  Bernadette stepped into the foyer. She was gorgeous. Her dark brown hair fell over her shoulders and deep down her back, its thick curls bouncing as she moved. She wore a black shirt and black pants, both of them skin tight, showing off extraordinary muscles underneath. Her face was perfectly shaped. Her makeup, perfectly done.

  She had a naughty look to her that was enticing to Jill somehow. Even as Jill felt weak with fear, she also felt drawn to the vampire. Bernadette hadn’t said a word to her yet and already Jill wanted to run up to her and tell her everything.

  Their seduction starts long before most people recognize it.

  Jill heard Gia’s voice from a training session three years back.

  To truly take hold of your mind, a vampire must get your attention first. They have ways of doing that. Their mere presence can take over a room. They have an energy about them and most people will drop their inhibitions when a vampire is close. They are masters of controlling how they are seen. If they want to remain hidden, you won’t notice them. If they want to talk to you, you’ll notice nothing else. When you speak with a vampire, you must force your
full attention on something other than the vampire’s face.

  “And there is Jill,” Bernadette said. Quickly, Jill found something to look at. A silver cross that hung high on Bernadette’s neck. There was a single ruby in the center of the cross. Jill aimed her eyes at that ruby and made herself think about it. She spelled out the word in her mind. R-U-B-Y. She thought about where rubies came from, imagining a raw stone pulled from some mine in the earth. She imagined a gemologist chipping away at the stone with a grinding machine. She demanded that her mind think of a ruby even though it desperately wanted to think about Bernadette.

  “I’m so pleased to find you all at home,” Bernadette said.

  Her voice was light. It bounced through the air like a song. Jill felt a tickle in her chest just listening to it.

  Focus on the necklace, she told herself. Think about that ruby.

  “Of course, of course,” said Walter. “When I heard you were coming, well, as you can imagine, I took the first plane back to town.”

  “You knew she was coming, Dad?”

  Bernadette smiled. “Is my arrival a surprise to you, Jill?”

  No, it isn’t a surprise at all, she thought. I was careless and stupid and should have known this would happen.

  Aware that even those thoughts were betraying her, Jill closed her eyes and tried to get control of herself.

  There was protocol for situations like this. If a Network agent knew she was about to lose her mind to a vampire, she had a few choices. 1) Send out an SOS. 2) Kill herself.

  Unlike Gia, Jill had no cyanide capsule hidden away in her cheek for this moment. There was no getting out of this with a quick and painless death. Her only choice was an SOS.

  Her phone was in her pocket. She had to find a way to get to it without drawing Bernadette’s attention.

  “Yes, I suppose it is a surprise,” Jill said. She turned across the room, sharing a look with Zack. With her eyes, she told him not to do anything. He got the message.

  If they tried to run, Bernadette would catch them. If they tried to fight, Bernadette would kill them.

  But if they cooperated, if Jill kept her wits about her, perhaps Bernadette would send Zack on his way before the ugly part began.

  Perhaps Jill could still save Zack’s life, if not her own.

  “Who are you looking at, Jill?” Bernadette said.

  She stepped further inside and caught sight of Zack.

  “Hello there,” she said. “Who are you?”

  Zack stood perfectly still. His shoulders were oddly relaxed. He didn’t look frightened at all.

  “My name is Zack.”

  While Bernadette was distracted with Zack, Jill reached into her pocket and quickly dialed three zeroes on her phone. Triple-zero was a routine that turned Jill’s cell into a wide direction microphone that recorded everything it heard and broadcasted an emergency line to the Network.

  If anyone out there was listening, they would know Jill was in trouble, and they would hear whatever happened next.

  “Are you on the staff at the Wentworth home?” Bernadette asked Zack.

  Say yes, Jill thought. Please say yes and get the hell out of here.

  “Heavens no!” said Walter. “This young lad is Jill’s boyfriend. He came over tonight to meet me. Fine young man, despite the silly paint all over his arms. He has just been sampling my best bottles of gin and he showed excellent taste.”

  “Is that so?” said Bernadette, approaching Zack with a smooth, cat-like gait. She grabbed one of his wrists and lifted his arm to look at it. “I had a tattoo once myself. Can you believe that?”

  “Yes ma’am, I believe it,” said Zack.

  Zack’s voice was cool, his face stoic. Jill hoped he didn’t try anything stupid.

  “Yes, I did, right above my ankle,” said Bernadette. “A big heart.”

  Her voice was sultry and inviting. Jill felt herself growing angry. This bitch was putting the moves on her boyfriend. If she had a weapon in her hands, Jill might have attacked then and there.

  Hell, who needs a weapon she thought, and was already on her heels, about to make a move, when she got control of herself.

  This is what they do. Bernadette is toying with me. She’s the cat, I’m the mouse, and she’s having fun with me before she bites my head off.

  “Can you guess what happened to my tattoo?” Bernadette said.

  “No,” said Zack.

  “I’ll show you.”

  Bernadette lifted her leg up in the air, slowly, placing her heel on Zack’s shoulder. Zack stood still, giving Bernadette no reaction at all.

  “Have a look,” Bernadette said. She grabbed her pantleg and pulled it up so her ankle was fully exposed. Zack turned his head and glanced at the ankle.

  “There’s nothing there,” he said.

  “That’s right,” said Bernadette. “The tattoo’s gone.”

  She pulled her leg back to the ground and inched closer to Zack. “The minute I became immortal my body recognized the tattoo as an imperfection and rejected it. I grew new skin almost immediately. That’s what happens you know. Every scar, every cut, every bruise, every blemish—my body fixes them, leaving me absolutely perfect. I am perfect, don’t you think?”

  Fuming, Jill forced herself to take a deep breath. She’s doing this for my benefit. She’s putting me in my place, letting me know that even my boyfriend is hers if she wants him.

  “I asked you a question, Zack. Do you agree that I’m perfect?”

  “I agree that your tattoo is gone.”

  Laughing, Bernadette turned to Jill. “He’s cute,” she said. “So saucy. I like that.”

  With so much speed Jill could barely make out the movement, Bernadette put herself right in Zack’s face, grabbing his cheeks and holding his eyes right up to hers.

  “I’m perfect Zack, don’t you agree?”

  A brief pause, then Zack spoke in a monotone voice, “I agree.”

  “Stop it,” Jill said.

  “Excuse me?” said Bernadette.

  Bernadette’s tone reminded Jill of a playground bully she dealt with in second grade.

  “I asked you to stop it.”

  “Jill, control yourself,” Walter muttered.

  “No, this is good,” Bernadette said. “Your daughter has been defiant towards me since I arrived. I sensed her displeasure at my presence the minute I stepped in the door. Let’s see how far she’s willing to take it.”

  Bernadette turned back to Zack, catching his eyes with her gaze.

  “What do you think I should tell him, Jill? At this moment, I am in complete control of his mind. Shall I tell him he’s in love with me? Maybe I should tell him that you repulse him. Would you like that Jill? What if I told Zack that the very thought of you made him want to throw up?”

  Don’t take the bait, Jill told herself. It will only make things worse.

  “Maybe I should have Zack get in a car and go away,” said Bernadette. “What do you think, Zack? Would you like it if I told you to hop in your car and drive to Alaska?”

  “Whatever you want,” Zack said.

  “Maybe Alaska is too nice,” Bernadette said. “Maybe I should send him somewhere more remote. Deepest Africa. The Amazon. Antarctica. Do any of those sound interesting, Jill?”

  She said nothing.

  “Or maybe sending him away isn’t the answer. Maybe it would sting more if Zack was carrying on just fine without you.”

  Yes, Jill thought. That would sting the most. That would…

  That would mean he was safe.

  If Bernadette hypnotized Zack to forget all about Jill, the vampires would have no reason to find and kill him later.

  “No, please don’t do that,” Jill whimpered.

  “A-ha! Now we get a reaction. Do you hear that, Zack? Your girlfriend says nothing when I talk about sending you off on some adventure to a remote part of the world where you’d probably die, but as soon as I talk about making you forget her she freaks. I think she likes you.”<
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  “I do like him,” Jill cried out. A tear streamed down her cheek. She was allowing herself to cry for Bernadette’s benefit, but the tear was quite real.

  “Oh, how sweet this all is,” said Bernadette. “If you like him so much Jill, won’t it just be so sad when he forgets you?”

  “Yes, it will be very sad,” Jill whispered.

  Bernadette pushed her forehead against Zack’s.

  “Listen to me, Zack. I’m going to make you forget everything you ever knew about Jill Wentworth. All the good times, all the bad times, all the fun times—when I am done with you, you won’t remember a thing of them. If you see a picture of her, you won’t know who she is. If you see her on the street, she will be a stranger to you. If you find a letter she wrote to you, you will throw it away because it will be nothing but nonsense to your mind. Do you understand?”

  “I understand,” said Zack.

  Watching this play out was even more devastating than Jill would have imagined. Without meaning to, or even realizing it, she started to bawl.

  “No, Zack, you do remember me,” she moaned. “You can’t forget…”

  She fell to the ground and cried into her hands. She didn’t know if she was playing the part or not anymore. The despair she felt at this moment wasn’t pretend.

  “Isn’t that just so cute?” Bernadette said. “Your girlfriend is sad that you’re about to forget her. Are you sad?”

  “I am very sad,” said Zack in the monotone voice. “I don’t want to forget her.”

  “Of course you don’t. But you will. You don’t have a choice in the matter. You understand that, right?”

  “I understand,” said Zack.

  “Very good,” said Bernadette. “Here’s how it will work. When I snap my fingers, every memory you ever had of Jill Wentworth will disappear in an instant. Then you will realize there is no reason for you to be here. You will walk out of this house, get in that ugly red car you brought, and go back where you came from. Do you understand?”

  “I understand.”

  Bernadette turned to Jill. “How does it feel to know your boyfriend can forget you so easily?”