Chapter Fifteen

Jon had walked for a while. He had intended to leave the strip. It always amazed him how you didn’t have to go far from the lights of the casinos on the strip to find yourself surrounded by nothing but desert. The desert, in his mind, was a perfectly private place to end this. He didn’t make it though before his cell phone started ringing in his pocket. He glanced at the little window and flipped it open.

"Now’s not a good time, Rich," he said into the phone.

"It’s the best fucking time in the world, Jon, trust me," Richie told him anxiously. "There was a vampire named Caleb here, and he left with Mac."

"Fuck!" Jon exclaimed, then after a brief pause, "I’ll be right there, Rich."

Angrily, Jon flipped his cell phone closed. What the fuck had he been thinking to go off and leave her alone and vulnerable? Caleb was going to pay for this. Jon hurried back the way he had come. The sun was setting, but it wasn’t dark enough yet for him to fly back to the hotel. As bad as he wanted to get back there and find out what happened, he wasn’t willing to risk someone seeing a man flying above the Las Vegas strip.

When he arrived back at the hotel, Richie was waiting for him in his room. Richie quickly told him what had happened, ending with, "And you shoulda seen her Jon when he tried to use mind control on her. She knew what he was doing and told him ‘it didn’t work for Jon and it won’t work for you, so go fuck yourself’."

"How did he get her to go with him quietly?" Jon asked.

"That’s my fault," Richie said, guiltily, "he told her if she didn’t, he’d kill me. Jon, I tried to stop him, but..."

Jon interrupted him, "There wasn’t anything you could do, Rich. A vampire is ten times stronger than a human. You’re lucky he didn’t kill you."

"Still, I feel like I let ya down, bro," Richie told him.

"You were the message," Jon replied, softly, "so what did he say? Where did he take her?"

"When I asked him, all he said was ‘Toby’. He said you’d know what that meant."

"Yeah, I know," Jon answered. "Fuck," he said loudly, before he put his fist through the wall he’d been standing next to. Jon stormed into his bedroom and began to throw things in a bag.

Richie followed him. "What does it mean, Jon?"

"It means, I’m going to El Paso," Jon answered.

"Holy shit," Richie breathed, "Toby is the vampire you killed there over a hundred years ago, right?"

"Yeah," the singer replied.

"Damn, you vampires sure hold a grudge a long time," Richie told him. "I guess Caleb was a friend of Toby’s."

"They were more than friends," Jon informed him, "they were lovers."

"Whoa," Richie said in surprise, "that would mean....," he left the sentence dangling in mid-air.

"Yeah, they were gay," Jon told him, dryly, as he zipped up the bag. "That’s why I’m so damn concerned about what he’ll do to Mac. I killed his lover...," Jon couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought out loud.

"I’m sure he’s not going to hurt her," Richie tried to reassure him. "I mean, hell, if he was going to do that, he coulda just done it here."

"But then he might not’ve been able to get me," Jon replied, "this way, she’s the bait to get me where he wants me, and then once he stakes me, he’ll kill her."

"Jon, you can’t just walk into a situation, knowing it’s a trap," Richie told him.

"That’s why I have the upper hand. I know it’s a trap," Jon explained, as he grabbed the bag and walked back into the sitting room. He angrily threw himself down on the sofa. "Be quiet a few minutes," he ordered.

Jon leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. Silently, he reached out to Mac. Once he was in her head, he could feel the fear that she couldn’t hide from him. It was almost his undoing. It’s why he had put off linking up with her like this, because he knew what her fear would do to him.

Moglie mia, are you all right?

Yeah, she answered weakly.

Jon could tell she was trying to hide her fear from him. Where are you, tesoro mia?

I don’t know, Jon, she told him, I’m blindfolded, but I think I’m in the backseat of a car. My hands are tied, and he gagged me. She gave him a little laugh. I guess that’s what I get for threatening to scream my head off.

And perhaps, telling him to go fuck himself wasn’t any help, he told her, smiling.

You’re probably right, she answered.

I’m so proud of the way you stood up to him, Jon said. Don’t worry, Mac, I’m coming to get you.

Do you know where he’s taking me? she asked him.

Yeah, ragazza mia, I know. He’s had a grudge against me for a long time and it all started in El Paso. That’s where he’s taking you.

You’re sure? she asked him, He told Richie ‘Toby’. What does that mean?

Toby was a vamp I staked, and the reason Caleb hates me so much, he informed her. He didn’t want to tell her about the relationship between the two vampires and make her fear any worse. Lord knew, his was bad enough for both of them.

Knowing that with their minds linked she wasn’t hiding anything from him, she finally admitted, I’m scared, Jon.

I know, Bambina, he said huskily, but know this, I won’t rest until you’re back in my arms. I will come for you.

That’s what he’s counting on, Jon, she said, her fear suddenly stronger, don’t walk into a trap for me.

I can’t do anything less, Bambina, he told her. He withdrew from her mind then, before she could try to dissuade him.

He sat there for several minutes with his eyes closed. Jon was grateful for Richie’s continued silence, while he worked everything out in his head. Jon realized for the first time that he loved Mac. He wasn’t sure how she had taken control of his heart so quickly, but he wasn’t going to question it anymore. The thought of anything happening to her hurt him so badly, it was almost a physical ache. He knew it wasn’t just the knowledge that if anything happened to her he might as well let Kristoff use the stake now rather than later, once he’d gone insane with bloodlust. He knew he’d want to be staked rather than go on without her in his life.

How had this happened? Better yet, when had this happened? He wanted to tell her, but what if she didn’t feel the same way? Could he live with that? Could he live with the fact that she didn’t want to be a vampire? So many questions. No answers.

He opened his eyes, and realized Richie had left. That was odd. His friend usually had his back in every situation, even if it was just metaphorically. Where had Richie gone?

Slowly, Jon stood up and picked up his bag, heading for the door with grim determination. He would go to El Paso, kill Caleb, and bring back his life mate. He’d work out the answers for those questions later.

He opened the door, and was not as surprised as he should’ve been. Richie stood there with bag in hand.

"Where do you think you’re going?" he asked the guitarist.

"I’m going with you," Richie informed him. "You might need my occasional flashes of brilliance."

********************


A car was waiting on the street to take Jon and Richie to the airport. There was a minor delay while the pilot filed a flight plan, but soon they were in the air. Richie had been watching Jon for several minutes as he sat in silence staring out the window. The look in his friends eyes could only be described as cold fury, but really it went beyond that. Even a wordsmith of Richie’s caliber couldn’t find the words to accurately depict the emotion exactly, but the guitarist certainly didn’t want to be in Caleb’s shoes when Jon finally got his hands on him. The ironic thing was Jon seemed calm. Too calm.

Richie knew that Jon was like that often mentioned perfect calm that came before the storm. When the air was so still that not even a blade of grass twitched. It’s when the feeling of approaching doom is so heavy in the atmosphere that the hair on the back of your neck and on your arms stands up at perfect attention. When it’s so silent, that the first crack of thunder and flash of lightening makes you jump out of your skin, even though you knew it was coming. The guitarist was sure that he would jump when the lightening finally struck.

"She’ll be fine, ya know," he tried to reassure Jon.

"Of course she will. I won’t accept anything less," Jon answered, his gaze never wavering from the window.

"Maybe you should talk to her again, give her some reassurance," Richie suggested.

"I don’t know, Rich," Jon replied, finally looking at his friend, "I can feel her fear when I link up with her. It’s just too much; it makes me want to kill someone."

"Have you told her yet?"

"Told her what?" Jon asked, puzzled.

"That you love her," Richie answered, grinning.

"No."

"You should," the guitarist told him.

"Rich, I’m not in the mood to deal with your wise jackass persona," Jon told him, smiling to lessen the blow.

"But I thought of all my multiple personalities that one was your favorite?"

"I’ll plea the fifth," Jon grinned.

Richie thought his friend had been about to laugh. That’s what he’d been aiming for, hoping to lighten the mood a little. As a mere human, he didn’t think he’d be much help to Jon in the coming confrontation, but he had hoped to at least keep Jon from getting all dark and depressed.

Jon interrupted his thoughts, "I guess...maybe...you’re right. I should check on her."

Richie grabbed his chest in mock surprise. "Did ya hear that, Elizabeth? I think it’s the big one. I’m coming to join ya, honey," Richie laughed.

"Don’t let it go to your head," Jon joked, before closing his eyes and leaning back in the seat.

He reached out for Mac. How are you holdin’ up, Bambina? he asked her.

Oh, I’m just peachy, she answered with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

Jon had expected fear, not this emotion that was bordering on anger. I’m on my way, tesoro mia. Please don’t be angry.

I can’t help it, Jon, she replied, this guy’s startin’ to really piss me off.

I was afraid you were angry at me, he told her.

Now why would I be angry at you? she asked.

This is all my fault, he answered.

Oh, so you’re the one that drug me outta my hotel room, tied me up, gagged me and blindfolded me, and is now takin’ me God-only-knows-where in a fuckin’ helicopter?

I told you where he’s taking you, Mac, he reminded her.

Yeah, well, what if you’re wrong? she asked.

I’m not, he answered. Are you okay, ragazza mia? Has he hurt you?

Only my pride, she replied, but let me tell you one thing, if this son-of-a-bitch ever takes this blindfold and gag off, I’m fixin’ to start rhyming shit on his ass. He won’t know what hit him.

Jon panicked, afraid that if she provoked Caleb, he would seriously hurt her. Bambina, I beg you, don’t do something that will make him angry enough to hurt you.

Jon, if you think I’m gonna just sit on my hands and wait for you to rescue me, you’re sadly mistaken, she informed him.

Jon knew it was useless to argue with her. You said you were in a helicopter?

Well, it’s not like I can see it, but it sounds like a helicopter, she answered. Can’t you hear it?

No, moglie mia, I can’t. I can only feel what you feel and hear what you think, he told her.

What good is this link, then? she asked.

He didn’t know how to answer her. Right now, it might not seem like much, but it’s all they had.

I heard that, she answered softly.

I don’t know about you, but I’m happy just to hear your voice and know that you’re okay, he told her. And, isn’t it reassuring to know that I’m on my way to you?

I would know that without the link, Jon, she told him.

He was happy that she had that much faith in him.

Of course, I have faith in you, she told him, besides I know that you know I’d kick your ass if you didn’t come get me.

He laughed out loud. Bambina, stay safe. I’ll see you soon.

Don’t go yet, Jon, she pleaded. Finally, he felt her fear.

Bambina, I’m not going anywhere, he told her. All you have to do is reach out, and I’ll be there.

Promise?

I promise, tesoro mia, he answered. Just reach out for me, if you need me.

Okay, she replied, you can go now, then. If you answer one question for me.

Anything, Mac.

What does moglie mia mean? she asked.

Once again, Jon laughed out loud. It means, my wife, he told her. Leave it to you to ask about that now, when I can’t not give you the answer.

Yeah, she answered sheepishly, I figured ya’d answer now.

Reach out for me, Mac, he told her before he withdrew from her mind.

"It’s nice to hear you laughing," Richie told him.

"She’s such a spit fire," Jon replied. "Mac’s promising that she’s gonna ‘bewitch’ Caleb, if he ever takes of the blindfold and gag."

"Somehow, I bet that’s not how she put it," Richie laughed.

"Actually, no," Jon said, beaming with pride, "what she actually said was that she was going to start ‘rhyming shit on his ass’."

"I hope not. She really shouldn’t provoke him," the guitarist replied.

"That’s what I told her." Jon shook his head. "But, she refuses to just ‘sit on her hands and wait on me to rescue her’."

"Is that a direct quote?" Richie asked.

"Yeah, didn’t it sound like one?"

"It most certainly sounded like Mac," Richie answered. "Do you have a plan?"

"The beginning of one," Jon replied, and began to tell the guitarist all about it.