Disclaimer: CSI and Ocean’s Eleven or any other fandoms mentioned in the story are not mine. The names of the all
characters contained here-in are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer and CB and various
other producers. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and no
money is made of it.
Disclaimer 2: This story was written as a tribute to
the wonderful universe created by Beverly (Bjjones).
Her Sylum Stories and the entire world she’s created made me write this. Sylum
and the universe is hers, I just play with it.
+Chapter 10+
*Interview
Room of LVPD –
“So you just decided to walk into the bar and
shoot her.”
Brass’ voice sounded incredulous as he repeated
the cold words of the young man and Nick understood the Captain’s disbelief.
“Man, you don’t understand she ditched me for
another guy; I couldn’t let her get away with that. You have any idea what that
would mean for my reputation?”
Four weeks after the shooting, they had found
the killer of the waitress and the two other bar guests after going through the
bar several times and finally finding enough evidence to pinpoint the shooter.
It had turned out to be this man who obviously never even considered lying and
Nick once again shook his head silently. Reputation... it had all been about
the reputation, the street credibility... Three or four people dead because
this man had been afraid do lose his face in front of his buddies.
“You have to believe me though, I didn’t want
to shoot the guy at the bar, and I mean I had never seen him, he just suddenly
was there...”
Nick caught Brass’ eye and nodded silently, the
fourth man... Their invisible fourth victim, Rusty Ryan who quite possible was
still alive thanks to one Basher Tarr. He smiled as
Brass smoothly steered the interview away from the fourth victim and towards
the two other people.
Once the interview was over, Nick waited until
everyone was gone and then went to Brass’ office.
“I guess that’s kind of making it official.
Ryan was at that bar.”
Nick shrugged.
“We knew that already, what we don’t know yet
is whether he got treated somewhere illegally or died somewhere alone... Or
whether he was turned.”
Brass nodded and looked at Nick noting the dark
circles under the vampire’s eyes.
“You should go home and sleep, you look
exhausted. Is there anyone who could help us with Ryan to find out if he was
turned or not?”
Nick thought for a while and then gave him an
address. Brass looked at it and then at Nick, his look said it all. You have to
be kidding me.
“Reuben Tishkoff?”
There was more than a bit of suspicion in Jim’s
voice and Nick smiled quickly.
“He’s a chosen one for Camelot and a friend of
Basher, if anyone knows than he does.”
Brass smiled and made a shooing motion for
Nick. The vampire smiled too at the parental way that the older detective still
displayed towards him and Warrick although he knew how old they really were.
Right at the moment though, he was tired and longed for his bed.
And for Warrick’s
arms.
---
*Bellagio
Casino –
“Mr. Zerga, we're
here.”
Zerga sounded European, better yet Eastern European and with all the changes
going on in the old continent, Danny would have bet any money, that not even a
control freak such as Terry Benedict knew all the names of the wealthy people
there.
They had taught Saul how to move and act like
the cold, reckless multi-millionaire he pretended to be. Clearly enjoying his
role, the older man walked towards the VIP concierge who looked at him with a
professional glance and immediately assessed him as worthy of his attention.
“Good afternoon, sir. How can I be of service?”
Saul grinned wolfishly and wondered just how he
would have been treated if he’d appeared in his normal standard clothes from Wallmart.
“My name is Lyman Zerga.
I'd like a suite, please.”
The name clearly didn’t ring a bell and once
again Saul silently praised Danny for his resourcefulness and knowledge.
“Do you have a reservation with us?”
He had practised the glare in the mirror and on
poor young Linus, the mirror hadn’t broken, but Linus had jumped as if he had
been threatening him with a gun and started to apologize for anything from
existing to breathing. And from the look of the concierge, the glare worked on
him too.
“I don't make reservations.”
Turk and Virgil stood next to him, silently but
threatening as they stared at everyone and no one in particular. The concierge
swallowed and nodded to himself, before he then told Saul that they had a suite
for him and proceeded to hand over the key.
Saul waited until he was in the suite before he
smiled and rang Danny. It was Saturday morning, the time out had started.
---
*Crime
Lab –
“Weekend shift sucks”
Eric nodded in agreement with Speed while he
flipped through the pictures they had retrieved from their victim’s camera.
“It certainly does... hey look at this!”
Speed came over and the two CSI’s
looked at the picture and then at each other. It was a clear shot of their
victim’s wife kissing another woman.
“So, you think that’s a motive?”
Before Speed could answer, the door opened with
a bang and Eric smiled. There was only one person that made every entry into a
little explosion. Speed shook his head as he watched Riddick zero in on Eric
and drag his lover out of the lab and towards the locker room. A soft chuckle
behind him alerted him of Calleigh’s presence and
with a smile he looked at her.
“Well we were just talking about how much this
weekend shift sucks...”
Calleigh laughed and leaned over to look at the pictures.
In the locker room, Eric found himself ravished
by his mate. Once the other man lifted his head from his lips, he looked at Eric.
“I was thinking about what you said about
Basher.”
It was a couple of weeks since they had had the
discussion about Riddick’s grudge against Basher and Eric had honestly thought
that his mate had forgotten about it, now though he was proven wrong. Looking
up he saw the smile in Riddick’s face.
“You were right; it’s time I talk to him.”
He felt relieved that finally Riddick was
getting rid of another piece of his heavy past, then looked confused at the
phone that his mate handed him.
“You can call Nick; after all it’s your idea.”
Eric groaned, he should have known that there
was a twist.
---
*Reuben’s
mansion –
Danny smiled as he heard Reuben’s scream as the
older man realized that the twins were using parts of his cars to dress up the
van’s they bought. Reuben was a drama queen, but since he had been turned he
had realized that there was another side to the quirky over-the-top guy that
Reuben pretended to be. As a chosen one, Reuben was serious about his role and
had helped both him and Rusty to adapt to the changes just as much as their
‘dad’ had.
At the thought of Basher, Danny’s grin widened.
It had to been nerve-wrecking to have two kids like him and Rusty, but so far
Basher hadn’t lost his patience with them and in the last four weeks he had
taught them how to feed on volunteers, how to feed secretly while dancing in a
club and of course how to fight with a sword. It was the last part that Danny
still felt a bit uncomfortable about, he despised weapons and the thought of
having to fight with something as archaic as a sword made him shudder.
Reuben had told him about the clans and had
kept telling Basher to wait until he called a guy called Nick, who was
something like the ruling president of the local clan. All the clan things
still sounded a bit fantastic for Danny, the thought that James Bond and Lara
Croft really existed was a bit too much...
His thoughts were stopped as the false top to
the cash cart before him flew open, revealing Yen within, his arms, legs and
torso folded into a three-by-four foot space. He whipped an air hose from his
mouth and inhaled deeply. Danny checked his watch and nodded.
“29:47. Everything okay in there?”
The answer was like always intelligible for him
and for the thousandth time he wished for Rusty’s language skills, because of
course, while Danny had no idea, Rusty who appeared behind him just grinned
“But what doesn't beat the shit out of being a
circus performer?”
Ok, so Danny guessed that Yen was happy. Rusty
on the other hand wasn’t and his eyes clearly showed it. Without another word,
he walked out of the training room, Danny followed close behind feeling the
eyes of everyone like tiny little needles.
Once they were out of sight, but not out of
hearing, Rusty looked at him and grinned. Time to play the pros...
----
*Bellagio
–
Saul knew immediately, when Terry Benedict
arrived and saw him. It wasn’t only that Linus’ time plan was accurate, it was more
of a feeling that suddenly the temperature in the room had dropped by several
degrees and with a cold smile he masked the shudder that went through him as he
continued to play.
Terry on the other hand, had not yet noticed
the new high rolling customer; his mind was still on Tess
and whether or not he had just committed a faux pas by asking her to wear
something else for the fight. In the end though he concentrated on his Pit
Manager and focused his cold hard eyes on him.
“Anything for me?”
Eddie, who had worked with him since the
beginning was one of the few people that could read his moods and so he didn’t
ask anything, just pointed towards the table.
“Mr.
Zerga, sir. Lyman Zerga. In the third position. Wishes to speak with you privately.”
Benedict watched carefully and saw an elderly
man that somehow reminded him of Sam Braun, there was nothing particular about
him, but Benedict had been in the business too long to not know that the
blandest looking people often were the most exotic.
“Who is he?”
It was Eddie’s job to know such things and
promptly he got his answer.
“Businessman of some kind, working mostly in
Arms dealer... not his most favourite breed,
but definitely not the kind of person who would take it kindly if Benedict
didn’t grant him the requested five, ten minutes and with a smile he walked
over.
---
*Bellagio,
restaurant –
Danny had seen her the moment she sat down at the
restaurant table; he had watched her and waited for the pull, for the pain.
Nothing happened and shaking his head he realized that Tess
really truly was over.
He had Rusty now and just the thought of his
lover made him feel warm and safe. They were mated, together for eternity and
not even death would part them. Danny knew that he was supposed to watch Tess and make his move, but he allowed himself a moment to
relive the final mating, the incredible feeling when he had finally sunk his
fangs into Rusty’s neck, had finally tasted Rusty’s blood.
It had been mind blowing and he had finally and
truly understood the meaning of the word bonding. He had seen it almost
tangible in the air, connecting him and Rusty.
Light laughter on the side brought him back and
he conjured his feelings for Rusty to make him look happy as he walked towards Tess’ table. Softly he put his hands on her shoulder and
heard her breathing change as she realized that he wasn’t Benedict.
“Danny...”
She was still beautiful, but he could see that
she had lost weight and silently he apologized for what he had put her through,
what he was going to put her through.
“It’s nice seeing you. You're doing a great job
curating the museum.”
She looked wary and he realized that she was
afraid he would once again steal from her work place. Putting his hand on hers,
he continued softly.
“The Vermeer is quite good. Simple but vibrant.
Although his work definitely fell off as he got older.”
Her eyes were cold as she looked at him.
“Remind you of anyone?”
Ouch that actually hurt, but then he grinned
again knowing that she couldn’t know how good he had become.
“And I still get Monet and Manet
confused. Which one married his mistress?”
She looked as if she couldn’t believe that they
had this conversation.
“Monet.”
Even through her marriage, she had taken art
too seriously and Danny had always enjoyed rattling the cage a bit. He still
did.
“Right. Manet had
syphilis.”
Her frown deepened as she answered.
“They also painted occasionally.”
He smiled but then immediately got serious, he
had to tell her the truth, had promised that to Rusty, not the truth about him
being a vampire of course, but the truth about him and Rusty. It wasn’t going
to be easy. He took a deep breath, but Tess beat him
to it.
“See, the kind of people you steal things from,
they have insurance to compensate them. They get made whole again. I had to
leave
He had known he hurt her back then, but he had
never realized how much. Danny bit his lip knowing that he was going to hurt
her even more.
“You can't. But what you can do is not throw
away another five years.”
She looked at him and shook her head.
“You don't know anything about –“
He didn’t let her finish the sentence; instead
he leaned it and looked intently at her.
“Listen, you don't love me anymore, you want to
make a life with someone else? That is ok, we are divorced and I...”
How could he tell her? How could he hurt her
even more? In the end it was the thought of Rusty that gave him strength.
“I love Rusty”
She paled at the silent declaration, but then
smiled sadly.
“Somehow I always suspected that you would one
day tell me that. So why are you here? Why can’t you let me live in peace?”
Danny knew he didn’t have much time, but he
needed to warn her, to tell her.
“You will never have peace, if you are with
him. Tess, anyone but him.”
She looked at him and removed her hand from his.
There was something in her eyes that made him want to hug her, but at the same
time, he heard steady steps coming towards the table and knew that Benedict was
on his way towards their table.
“Tess, I see you
found company.”
She blushed and introduced him, Benedict looked
at him with cold eyes and for a moment, Danny imagined that he could hear the
other man’s mental wheels turning. The cold look was quickly masked with a
false smile and then he was invited for a drink. Seeing Tess’
pleading look, Danny declined and got up to say goodbye.
“Well, then I don't imagine we'll be seeing you
again, Mr. Ocean.”
Now that was a clear message, if Danny had ever
heard one and with a quick smile he answered smoothly.
“You never know.”
The cold stare didn’t waver for a second;
instead Benedict’s eyes got just a fraction colder.
“I know everything that happens in my hotels.”
Almost everything... Danny smiled again and
looking at Tess replied quickly.
“So I should put those towels back.”
“The towels you can keep.”
There was an emphasis on the word ‘towel’, but
Danny pretended he hadn’t realized or heard as he kissed Tess’
hand and left them alone. He remembered the words he had spoken to Rusty when
they had started planning.
‘How do we start?’
His lover had asked and he had smiled and
answered.
‘By upping the stakes’
Well he had just done that...
The game was on.
---
*Bellagio
Hotel, Saul’s suite –
“Welcome to
The cheerful voice of the TV presenter didn’t
fit into the room where ten men sat and stared incredulously at the eleventh.
Livingston Dell was pale and trembling like always when he was under pressure,
but his voice was surprisingly firm.
“We have a problem.”
Rusty looked at Danny and then at the picture
that
“You've been red-flagged. It means the moment
you step on the casino floor, they'll be watching you. Like hawks. Hawks with
video cameras.”
Something in Rusty froze at that comment and he
saw that everyone looked completely shocked. The only one cool and carefree as
always was his lover.
“This is a problem.”
A problem? For a moment Rusty lost control of
the mask he always wore when he was on a job, he wanted to scream at Danny, how
could that happen? But he just stared at his mate pleading with his eyes to
tell him everything was alright. Yet all he saw in the dark depths was a plea
for forgiveness.
“You have any idea how this happened?”
Please give me an answer that makes sense,
please explain it to me. It was a silent prayer, but everything he had hoped
for was crushed when Linus spoke up.
“I do. He's been chasing Benedict's woman. Got
into a real snarl with him two nights ago.”
There was a smug look in the younger thief’s
eyes and it made Rusty almost sick.
“I was tailing you.”
Danny’s eyes were cold as he looked at the
younger man.
“Good for you”
‘He’s been chasing Benedict’s woman...’ the words
made sense, it was a normal phrase, but Rusty had a hard time understanding
them, understanding the meaning behind them. They were mates, they had bonded
only a couple of weeks ago, how could Danny betray him like this?
It was a pain like none he had ever known and
it was in this moment that Rusty understood how Basher must have felt when his
mate died before they could bond. It was like losing half of himself, like
having his soul torn out of his body. All he wanted to do was hide and cry, but
he felt nine pairs of eyes on him as the others looked at him for guidance and
pushing his pain away, he fixed his mate with a cold glare.
“You're out, Danny.”
---
+Chapter 11+
*The Sphere Hotel -
"I wish you a wonderful stay with us Mr.
Stendhal."
The manager smiled friendly as he handed over
the key and waved at a concierge, the tall blond customer nodded at his luggage
and watched as the younger man carried it towards the elevator. There was a dark
smile around his lips as he took in the slender, yet strong body.
"Do you have a map of
His request was granted immediately and
satisfied he walked over to the elevator. Once in his room he changed and left
the hotel through the back door.
Basher was in the city, it was time to hunt.
---
*Bellagio,
Saul’s suite – Las Vegas*
Rusty was preparing Linus to take Danny’s role
and during the entire time, Danny felt the pain and hurt through their bond.
Silently cursing himself he wondered why he hadn’t seen it, why he hadn’t
realized that Rusty would misunderstand.
When Linus had told him that he had seen him
and Tess, the sudden pain flaring through his body
had caught him unprepared, for a moment he had looked if he had been shot or if
someone had slapped him. And then he had realized, it wasn’t his pain that he
was feeling, it was Rusty’s. He had wanted to get up and pull his mate in his
arms, hold him close and tell him that it was all ok, but they were in a room
with nine other people and Danny had known that he had to wait.
Now three hours later, he was still waiting.
Rusty hadn’t spoken a word with him since he
had looked at him with hard, cold eyes and spoke those damning three words.
You
are out
In the other room,
Couldn’t they give him five minutes with Rusty?
Finally he heard Rusty’s litany trail off and
involuntarily he smiled at Linus’ not so cocky voice. Rusty replied sharply and
told him to get dressed.
It was five minutes to seven.
---
*
“Tell me again, why I have to go and pick them
up with you?”
Greg grinned at Grissom’s complaints and turned
towards his lover.
“Well it was us or Brass. Now do you really
want Brass to pick Riddick up?”
Grissom shivered at the thought and then a
second even worse idea struck him as he thought of the Captain.
“He probably would like him.”
Greg’s laughter did nothing to make him feel
better and wisely he decided to remain silent.
“Eric, Riddick we’re over here.”
Greg had spotted the pair that walked through
the arrival hall with fast long strides. Great, Grissom thought, it’s fight
night in Vegas and Detective Riddick is in town.
---
*Bellagio,
Saul’s suite – Las Vegas*
Rusty didn’t know how he managed to explain the
necessary moves and words to Linus so calmly. Everything in him hurt and as
soon as the younger thief disappeared to get changed he left the room. He
needed to catch some fresh air, needed to be alone for a moment. Slipping out
on the balcony he felt his legs give in as he slid down the wall.
Two strong arms enclosed him from behind and he
felt himself being drawn against Danny’s chest.
“I never betrayed you Rusty, I could never do
this to you.”
The soft words were whispered against his skin
and although he struggled against the pull that drew him towards his mate, he
leaned in.
“You went to see Tess”
Somehow he had been sure that speaking her name
would cause Danny to tense, but his lover just caressed his arms, nuzzled in
his neck. For a long time Danny was silent yet Rusty felt the emotions he was
pouring through the bond. Love and devotion for eternity.
“I had to tell her, Rusty, she needed to know
the truth. I hurt her and I want her to be able to go on with her life. I don’t
want her to end up dead because she wasn’t perfect enough for Benedict.”
Rusty’s brain had shut down after the first
five words.
I
had to tell her
“What did you tell her?”
Danny placed a soft kiss at his neck and smiled
against the soft skin.
“That I love you, that you are my everything
now.”
He could feel the truth through the bond and
suddenly he felt bad for doubting his mate, yet as soon as he had thought that,
Danny tightened his arms around him.
“Don’t Rusty, don’t blame yourself. I should
have told you, but I thought you knew what I meant when I was talking about
upping the stakes.”
The words rang a bell and Rusty suddenly
remembered the conversation they had had early in the morning after Danny had
returned to find him as a vampire. His mind went back to that morning, the
planning session they had had, the way Danny had looked at him constantly, how
his lover had barely let go of his hand. And with a sigh, he turned around
facing his lover.
“I’m still sorry, I should have trusted you.”
Danny’s eyes were full of love and with a smile
he answered.
“Doesn’t matter, you would still have had to
take me out of the game.”
A cheeky grin crossed his face as he moved his
head towards the bathroom.
“Besides the kid is a better gaming commission
member than I am.”
For a short moment Rusty wondered if Danny had
just silently manipulated him and the entire team into turning Linus into the
gaming man and the spark in the dark eyes proved him right.
“Sorry for playing you too, but I... I really
thought we’d talked this through.”
Rusty felt himself blush and he realized that
maybe he had to tell his mate that the entire planning morning was a bit hazy.
“Hazy?”
Danny smirked and Rusty had the feeling his
face were burning.
“Well, I was a bit preoccupied with your smell
and taste and...”
The rest of the confession was lost in the kiss
that Danny now bestowed on him and Rusty gladly lost himself in the taste and
texture of his lover’s lips and mouth. When they finally stopped, Danny gazed
intently at him.
“Never doubt my love for you ok!”
Mentally reaching out for the bond, Rusty felt
the emotions holding them together and with a happy sigh he leaned his head
against Danny’s.
“Never again”
When Linus got back into the room, Rusty was
standing next to the mirror, his face once again a mask, but inside he was once
again feeling whole.
---
*Crime
Lab –
Riddick watched as Nick and Warrick walked
inside the lab, both looking flushed and definitely in a hurry, he smirked and
pointed towards them.
“Looks like the great leader is a bit late.”
Eric shook his head and grinning too answered
his mate.
“Most likely cause he got laid.”
It seemed as if Warrick had heard those words
cause he growled as he came around to welcome them.
“Not very likely, it’s fight night, we’ve
already been out at two crime scenes and...”
He trailed off as Catherine came over her phone
in her hand.
“... it looks like we’re off already again.”
Nick shrugged after he’d hugged the two men,
gave them the key to his and Warrick’s house and in
the blink of an eye the two men were gone again.
“What’s so special about fight night?”
Greg who’d silently watched the brief exchange
shrugged.
“I don’t know, but it’s like everyone is going
crazy... or even crazier.”
Eric brightened at the explanation.
“Like with the hurricanes in
Riddick looked between his mate and the young CSI
and shook his head. Why did he have the impression to be surrounded by kids
sometimes?
---
*Reuben’s
mansion –
Basher stood next to the garage when the white
van pulled up next to him. The twins were still arguing while they jumped out
and Basher silently groaned. For a moment he listened to their bickering, then
clapped his hands once, twice getting there attention.
“Great guys, let’s move the pinch and let’s get
this show on the road.”
Loading the technical device up onto the truck
took Virgil and Turk no time at all and not even a minute after the van had
appeared it sped out of the driveway and back towards
---
*Bellagio,
Saul’s suite – Las Vegas*
Rusty watched from the commando room
“Shit there’s Danny”
Next up was Danny who was moving into the
restaurant constantly followed by two goons in suits. He smiled as he saw Tess and felt reassuring love pouring through their bond.
“I trust you Danny”
He whispered the words silently enough so that
“Room service”
The twins grinned as they walked into the room
wearing proper uniforms and pushing a cart in front of them. Yen walked up to
them and talked to them. Rusty grinned and explained.
“If you end up displacing him, he will haunt
you as a ghost.”
They didn’t look too impressed and as soon as
the young artist was folded inside the mock vault cart, they left the room again.
Rusty just shook his head wondering what it was about
“Rusty showdown for you”
He took a deep breath and straightened.
“Wish me luck and give Basher the go”
It was 11:19.
---
*Bellagio
Security Centre –
Lyman Zerga was
watching his suitcase carefully on the monitor, his eyes hard and cold as he
obviously contemplated whether or not his delivery was safe or not. Walsh the
casino manager watched him silently; he couldn’t say that he felt comfortable
around the older man. There was something about him, something cold and cruel
that it made even Benedict look like Father Christmas.
On the monitors the briefcase was now placed
upon one of the vault carts and to his concern Walsh heard a groan from the
wealthy European. His eyes flickered around to the two guards that moved closer
silently.
“Are you alright Mr. Zerga?”
The man looked up and shot him a glare that was
enough to make the manager freeze and pray for his life, still he couldn’t help
but seeing the sweat on the older man’s suddenly pale face. Concern turned into
fear as he contemplated what Benedict would tell him, if the wealthy client
were about to collapse in his security centre.
---
*Bellagio,
Saul’s suite – Las Vegas*
Frank had joined
“I just hope Saul is up to the task”
Frank mumbled silently and
“Of course he is. He’s the best for this job.”
Frank only growled silently.
“Well, didn’t we think that of Danny too?”
The shock on Walsh’s face was priceless as he
realized that he had a valued customer and arms dealer dying in his boss’
security center. The two security guys jumped up immediately and started CPR not
noticing how Linus quietly opened the elevator door and got into the cabin.
“Going to video now”
---
*Bellagio
Vault Elevator – Las Vegas*
Danny heard Linus’ almost frantic heart beat
and grinned lightly, the boy had better get some nerves or he would die of a
heart attack before he’d reached the age of thirty.
With a muted thud the elevator trap doors
opened and he saw Linus trying to jump high enough to get a hold. He let him
try three times before he caught him and lifted him up easily. The boy’s eyes
were huge as he stared at Danny and Danny could hear that the heart rate had
just accelerated once more. Shaking his head he easily looked at the younger
man and grinned.
“You didn’t really think, I was gonna sit this
one out, did you?”
Linus looked at him with distrust and contempt
in his eyes and Danny silently wondered what he had done to antagonize the
younger thief that much. The emotions were gone within a second though and
although he still felt ill at ease, Danny forced himself to push those feelings
aside for the moment.
“What? You didn’t trust me?”
Looking at the young face, Danny thought.
‘I still don’t.’
Out loud though he said.
“I do now”
Linus stared at him for a moment, and then
coldly asked if Rusty knew about this. It clicked then and Danny almost smiled
as he understood that Linus was jealous, but he knew that the green eyed
monster was a dangerous friend and so he just nodded.
“What do we do now?”
Handing Linus three glow-sticks Danny shrugged.
“We wait for Basher to work his magic.”
And silently he spoke in his mic.
“
---
*Bellagio,
Saul’s suite –
There was so much going on...
Rusty treating Saul or pardon Mr. Zerga on one camera, giving an award winning performance as
an ER doctor all the way to the final and honestly a bit pathetic claim that
‘he is gone’.
Turk and Virgil came around both dressed as
paramedics this time and while they wheeled Saul away,
Rusty’s voice came through the communication
unit.
“
“Why don’t you get some more chairs? I’m sure
we’ll have three more guys staring at the computer soonish.”
While his order was executed, his eyes were
once again glued to the screen now though towards the vault, where Yen had just
managed to escape the cart without throwing Mr. Zerga’s
briefcase down and causing an alarm.
Smiling lightly
“
He reached for another line and radioed Basher.
“Basher we’re set”
---
*Reuben’s
mansion –
“Mr. Tishkoff? This
is Captain Brass from the
Brass knocked once again, then shrugged there was
no urgent need to talk to this guy, just his curiosity, and if he were honest,
the wish to take some of the load from Nick’s shoulders. He’d just wanted to
find out if Basher was staying with Tishkoff and if
yes, if he had turned Rusty Ryan, but it seemed...
His trail of thoughts was broken, when the door
opened. A tall blond man stood in front of him dressed in nothing but a pair of
boxers.
“Can I help you?”
For a second Brass was surprised at the slight
Scandinavian accent, then he shrugged and flashed his batch again.
“I wanted to speak to Mr. Tishkoff.”
The blond guy grinned slightly,
“He’s at the fight”
Slapping his head Brass smiled apologetically
and shortly after drove off again.
Stendhal watched him leave. Why was a police
captain looking for Reuben? A thought came to him and he narrowed his eyes. He
closed the door and went to his hiding place. Once there he called his sponsor.
“Can you look someone up for me? Captain Jim
Brass from
Closing his phone he leaned back.
A chosen one... Sylum’s chosen one...
----
*Bellagio
parking lot top level –
Basher hooked up the two wires to his car’s
engine and started to count.
“One, two...”
On two a green light appeared around the pinch,
got stronger and stronger until it hurt to look at it. Basher hid behind the
van and continued counting. When he was at six, the light seemingly exploded
and a light boom was heard. For a moment nothing happened then, Basher got up
and started to watch from his rooftop view how one by one the casino’s vanished
in darkness. Every pink light around the Flamingo disappeared, the fountain in
front of the Bellagio went flaccid, then the roller coaster next to the
Basher smiled and started counting again.
“One, two...”
They had ten seconds before the light would be
back on, by then Linus had to be inside down the elevator and inside the vault
corridor.
---
*Crime
Scene –
“What the fuck?”
Nick cursed loud when the room he was
processing went dark, taking out his mag-lite he
looked around and then at Catherine. Every single light in the street had gone
out. Catherine looked at Nick and Nick looked at her.
“Oh shit, this is going to be one hell of a
long night.”
---
*Bellagio
parking lot top level –
Basher grinned and pure joy was filling his
eyes as he got back into the van and left the parking lot.
“Job finished”
Rusty’s voice was slightly distorted over the mic, but Basher didn’t care.
“That was fun, can we do that again?”
He heard Rusty’s laugh and smiled too.
“Sorry Bash, but for the next steps we need
light.”
He smiled again as he drove the van towards the
designated spot where the twins took it into their care. Only minutes later he
knocked at Saul’s suite.
“Spoilsport”
Rusty grinned and got him a chair.
---
*Nick
and Warrick’s house –
They had been watching the build up for the
fight, when suddenly all the lights went out. Riddick jumped up immediately
almost dislodging Eric in the process of doing so.
“Hey what’s gotten into you?”
Riddick had his sword in his hand within
seconds while Eric just shook his head.
“Catch”
Easily catching the sword, Eric watched as his
mate just stood there, poised and ready to face any danger coming there way.
The entire thing lasted not longer than ten seconds and suddenly the room was
bright again. Eric put his sword aside and held his hand out for his mate.
“Come and lay with me ok?”
Riddick stood where he was, his eyes small
slits for a long time before he relaxed again and took the offered hand.
“That was Basher’s work”
Eric sighed but remained silent.
---
*Bellagio
Vault Corridor – Las Vegas*
The vault door was beautiful, Danny grinned at
that thought and yet it was true. It was stainless, sleek, immense and
impregnable. Turning towards Linus he smiled.
“There is a Chinese man with a hundred and
sixty millions behind that door. Let’s get him out.”
Gently they placed the explosives at the door
before giving Yen the signal. For a long time there was nothing but silence and
Danny tensed up slightly at the thought of what could have gone wrong. He
knocked once more and waited...
Knock, knock... Yen responded with his sign and
Danny exhaled.
“Okay”
He saw Linus watching him as he knocked once
next to each sensor indicating the Chinese where he had to put the counterpart.
“You would be no where without Rusty”
The words came out of nowhere and made him stop
for a moment. Then without missing a beat he continued knocking until Yen
knocked back three times. There was nothing he could reply and although the
words hurt for a moment, Danny knew that they were the truth, just not the
whole truth. He connected the wires and looked at Linus.
“Counting down from twenty... starting now.”
He ran to the end of the corridor and hunched
down. Linus did the same and just before he hit the trigger, Danny looked at
the younger man.
“You’re right, I would be nowhere without him,
but the same goes the other way. It’s the reason why we are who we are Linus.
We are Danny and Rusty.”
His finger hit the trigger and as if to
underline the statement the explosion sounded through the hall.
---
*Bellagio,
Saul’s suite – Las Vegas*
They were seven now in the suite staring at the
monitors, Rusty could feel the tension as they all saw the vault doors open
slowly. Danny and Linus stepped inside and grinned at Yen. For a moment Danny
looked up at one of the security cameras and smiled gently, Rusty’s heart
clenched and he wished he’d have a way to tell Danny right now how much he
loved him.
He couldn’t cause they were only half-way done
and for a moment Rusty went back four weeks to the very beginning, Saul’s
question and Danny’s answer.
“Say
we do all that. We’re just supposed to walk outta
there with a hundred million dollars in cash on us without getting stopped?”
“Yeah”
Well, not that easy, but almost... He looked up
and at the twins who immediately got up and left. Saul turned to Frank and
grinned at the other man.
“Ever been in love Frank?”
Frank looked a bit suspicious but answered
nonetheless.
“No, guess not, not really. Why?”
Saul just smiled easily.
“Cause this is much better.”
Rusty smiled too at the odd conversation but
when he left the suite with his phone in his hand a sudden wave of love from
Danny through their bond made him stop and he shook his head.
“You’re wrong Saul, you’re wrong.”
---
*MGM
Grand, Garden Area –
Benedict lead Tess
through the back, he didn’t want her exposed to the suddenly violent crowd on
the casino floors. The night had turned into a nightmare, several tables had
announced emergencies, the fight had ended in chaos and to top it all Walsh had
just informed him of Mr. Zerga’s death. The constant
ringing of a mobile phone was the last thing he needed in this moment and so
his comment to Tess was harder than normal.
“Don’t you want to pick up?”
She looked surprised.
“I don’t have a phone.”
They stopped and looked around. Benedict
watched his lover and saw the vibrations in her coat pocket. Without another
word he pointed towards it and when she got the phone out he looked coldly.
“Answer it”
He had wondered what else could go wrong in
this night, but when he took the phone from Tess at
her request he had never dreamed of the next words he heard.
“Who the hell is this?”
“The man who’s robbing you”
---
+Chapter 12+
*Bellagio
Security Centre –
When Terry Benedict strode into the security
centre, he immediately brought fear with him. Walsh swallowed hard as he saw
the furious glint in his boss’ eyes as he leaned over the various computer
screens and then snarled into the phone.
“I’m afraid you are mistaken.”
How a person could put so much venom into such
a short sentence was beyond Walsh’ comprehension, but at the next moment he
tensed, his eyes glued to the screen that had suddenly changed completely.
Instead of the quiet vault, he was looking at three men dressed in black that
were packing money into large bags.
Benedict moved his eyes towards a phone and
held up a hand; so far he hadn’t decided yet whether or not to call the SWAT
team. Walsh waited, standing close enough to Benedict so that he could hear
what the person on the other side of the phone was saying.
“In this city, your luck can change so much in
just one second, it’s amazing isn’t it?”
At the same time, the computer finished
calculating the amount in the vault and Walsh handed the print out to his boss.
“Do you believe I'll simply allow you to parade
bags full of my money out my casino doors?”
There was a cold, tamed anger and rage in
Benedict’s voice and Walsh couldn’t help but fear for the man on the phone and for
himself.
“No. You're gonna carry it out for us.”
The voice was laughing, cocky and Walsh could
see how that attitude riled Benedict up even more. At that comment though he
almost laughed.
“And why would I do that?”
“Take a closer look at your monitor... As your
manager's probably reporting to you by now, you have a little over a hundred
sixty million in your vault tonight. You may notice: we're only packing up
about half that. The other half we're leaving in your vault, booby-trapped, as
a hostage.”
Walsh sent a glance at the paper in front of
him; the thug had it pretty much right. They had a little over hundred sixty
million in the vault, he shivered when he thought of the amount of money and of
the jewels they safeguarded for the arms dealer.
“You let our eighty million go, and you get to
keep your eighty. That's the deal. You try and stop us; we'll blow both cash
loads. Mr. Benedict: you can lose eighty million dollars secretly tonight or
you can lose a hundred sixty million dollars publicly. It's your decision.”
Benedict was seething and looked at him. Nodded
once and Walsh picked up the phone, dialled a number and was relieved when he
heard the familiar answer.
“911 Emergency response”
----
*Bellagio,
Saul’s suite –
“This is Mr. Walsh at the Bellagio. We have an
incident here... “
There were grinning faces all around the suite
as
“We have a SWAT team with you in ten minutes.”
It was the code word the crew needed and immediately
a flurry of attention started at the suite, one by one the men left, some in
casino uniforms, some in other disguises. Five minutes later they met up at the
car, they changed and drove off with the non-descript white van.
Turk met them at the designated spot and they
changed from the van to the dark, huge SWAT replica car, their drive back to
the Bellagio wasn’t as secret as their leaving. They had sirens up and lights
on full.
Basher led them on as they walked in and he could
hear everyone’s heart beat escalate. This was it, he knew, five, ten minutes
and they would walk out with hundred and sixty million dollars.
Ten more minutes and Danny’s crazy plan was
finished.
---
*Crime
Lab –
“I tell you Nick, that black out was not just
because your electrical system is on overload that was Basher’s doing!”
Nick groaned and looked from Riddick to Eric
and finally to his mate.
“Riddick, even if you are right, we can’t do
much, cause we have no idea where he is. Why do you think, that he would want
to create such a black out?”
Warrick snickered and Nick glowered at his
mate, but before either could say anything, a new voice interrupted them.
“Well where ever he is, he’s probably not at Tishkoff’s place. I went there and of course Tishkoff is at the fight, but a Scandinavian dude was
there, so I guess unless your guy has changed colour and nationality then he’s
not the one you’re looking for.”
Nick nodded thanks to Brass, yet something
about the Captain’s words seemed to have triggered Riddick’s instinct and he
turned around facing the older man.
“How did he look like?”
Confused and a slight bit annoyed Brass looked
at Nick.
“That Riddick?”
Warrick chuckled as he nodded and then outright
laughed as Brass raised his eyebrows.
“Well, now I get it why you wanted to keep him
away from Vegas.”
Riddick growled his body tense and his stance
one of a fighter, Brass looked at him and then started to describe the man he
had met. He didn’t get farther than the scar on the left cheek before Riddick
howled.
“Stendhal, it’s the bastard”
---
*MGM
Grand, Garden Area –
Tess stared shocked at Rusty as he gave her his phone. There was so much she
wanted to ask, to say, but he just motioned to her to be quiet and listen.
Confused she listened and paled at the words she heard.
“Run and hide. If you get picked up next week
buying a $100,000 sports car in
She knew that voice, but she had never heard it
with so much venom in it, had never considered Terry Benedict, her lover to be
capable of such threats. Yet what was even worse, she knew that those threats
were not empty threats.
Like a film she flashed back to some newspaper
articles she had read, articles that had connected Benedict with organized
crime, articles that had spoken of his ruthlessness when it came to
competitors... Tess had never believed them, now she
did.
Hand trembling she gave the phone back to Rusty
who threw it into a waste basket and took her hand. He guided her through the
gardens towards a darker spot, darker and less populated and sat down next to
her.
“Rusty”
“Tess”
They both spoke at the same time and with a
forced laughter she let him speak first.
“I know that you probably hate me right now.”
She should, but somehow she couldn’t and as she
looked at the blond man next to her, her ex husband’s lover she realised the
truth that she had never wanted to see.
“No Rusty, I don’t hate you... You didn’t steal
Danny from me... it was the other way round wasn’t it?”
He tried to mask the shock in his eyes, but she
had seen it and smilingly took his hand into his for a moment.
“You know, when we were married there were
times when something was missing, when I felt that Danny was holding something
back from me. And he was... but until I saw him again three days ago, I never
realized how much of him I had never seen.
He looked so happy, so incredibly happy. Not
even on our wedding day have I seen him like this, he was glowing with love.
Love for you...”
Rusty swallowed and she saw the same emotions
mirrored in his blue eyes. For a moment he sat there silently and then
swallowed again.
“This is an envelope with some money, a flight
ticket to
A dark shiver ran over her back and she nodded.
She had seen the dark side of Terry Benedict and she didn’t want to be close.
Shivering lightly she looked at the address.
‘Mina Harker,
Rusty stood up silently and leaned down to kiss
her quickly.
“You will be safe there, don’t worry.”
He left without a sound as if he were a ghost;
a creature of the night and Tess shook her head at
that weird thought.
‘Creature of the night’
Next thing is that I will start believing in
vampires.
----
*Bellagio
Vault Corridor – Las Vegas*
Terry Benedict had just had the worst night of
his life. The SWAT team had, of course, encountered resistance and blown up the
money in the vault, eighty million dollar were lost. He concentrated on his
anger as he stepped over the scattered remains of his vault. It had been the
safest vault on Earth. Shaking his head he refused to think of the consequences
as he picked up a fragment of a cash cart, burnt to a crisp, then let it drop.
“Mr. Benedict... “
Walsh with the news about the van, but if he
was honest he didn’t think that they would be able to safe that money either.
“They took the van.”
There was fear in Walsh’ voice and Benedict
braced himself.
“And they blew up the bags, sir.”
He had prepared himself for it, and yet the walkie talkie slipped from his fingers as he realized how
large his loss was, but some part of his brain was happy that at least the
thugs hadn’t gotten any money either.
“Sir, sir? They say it doesn't look like there
was any money in the bags, sir. “
What?
“They say the bags were filled with fliers. For
hookers.”
It couldn’t be.
“What do you mean there was no money in the
bags?”
Yet even as he asked he kneeled down and
looked, really looked at the paper lying around in his destroyed vault. What
had Walsh said?
‘the bags were filled with fliers... for
hookers’
Impotent rage filled him as he looked around
him and saw the same naked woman printed on little fliers all around him.
“Walsh, cue up the tape of the robbery. Does it
say 'Bellagio' on the south wall of the vault?”
He stood on the sign that he had installed only
last week and suddenly knew what had looked odd on the picture he had seen.
“No, sir. It doesn't. I -- I don't
understand...”
How could he have been so blind?
“We had that installed on Tuesday. The image we
saw of the men robbing us was a tape; someone built a double of my vault, and
then made a tape of them robbing it. When we saw them putting money in those
bags, that wasn't actually happening.”
He could hear the light gasp as Walsh
understood, then slightly tentatively his manager asked.
“But what happened to the money?”
Benedict kicked the empty box in the destroyed
vault.
“The SWAT team carried it out.”
Walsh didn’t reply; there was nothing he could
have said. The entire job had been planned perfectly and both he and Benedict
had fallen for it. He stared at the tape with the fake vault and shook his head.
He would have never said it out loud, but the thought was there.
‘These guys are fucking geniuses’
---
*Bellagio
fountain –
Few people seemed to notice them and Rusty smiled
as he felt the warm presence of his mate next to him. They hadn’t spoken since
the entire thing had started, hadn’t seen each other and the knowledge that
Danny was alright washed over him like warm honey.
“Tess is on her way
to the airport”
Danny didn’t say anything, just quickly grabbed
his hand and pressed it, but Rusty felt the love and thanks flowing through
their bond. He smiled again and continued to look into the fountain as the
colours changed in the fancy interplay that drew dozens of tourists every time
it played.
Eight heart beats were slowly calming down as
each of the men they had worked with realized that they had done it, they had
really succeeded and Rusty wondered if he would see them again. Maybe Saul, the
others maybe not. They didn’t talk, didn’t break the silence and to an observer
it would seem as if they didn’t know each other and yet they would be bound
together forever through this.
One by one they left. Saul first with a grunt
that could pass as good-bye, then the twins already bickering about some car,
Reuben walked away with the grandeur of a gentleman while
“Rusty...”
Rusty knew what Linus was about to say, but he
didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to be forced to hurt the kid and so he turned
away himself and walked towards the car that where Reuben was waiting for him.
“The boy is in love”
Rusty growled and looked at the older man, but
Reuben just smiled.
“Don’t you worry...? He will be fine”
And yet Rusty worried, worried until he saw Danny
and Basher stand in front of Reuben’s garage and he finally knew that he was
with his mate again. Not looking at any of the others, he walked up to Danny
and sighed when he felt familiar arms around him.
“Missed you”
He nodded against his mate’s chest.
“Missed you too.”
In Danny’s arms all the tension just flowed out
of Rusty and he leaned stronger against his lover knowing that Danny would
support him. There was much to do before they would fly to
“What a touching scene”
---
*Crime
Lab –
“How can you say you love me, if you don’t
trust me to have your back?”
Eric felt as if he was running against a wall
and although he knew that his last words were unfair, he still couldn’t hold
them back. His mate promptly turned around and looked at him, there were many
emotions in Riddick’s eyes but fear and remembered pain were the strongest.
“I do trust you; it’s me I don’t trust.”
The quiet admission was enough to break Eric’s
resolve and he gently caressed his lover’s face as he looked at him.
“I know love, but you can’t keep me out of all
your fights. You showed me how to fight, you trained me... Riddick I am your
product as a fighter, don’t you think I...”
His words ended in a gasp as Riddick’s lips
covered his and his mate’s kiss robbed him of his power to speak. It seemed to
last forever but then suddenly Riddick looked at him.
“Stay behind me ok”
Eric smiled and nodded. He knew how much it had
cost his lover to agree to this, but he also knew that their relationship would
only work for the next couple of millennia if Riddick learned that he was
capable of defending himself.
Quickly he covered his mate’s hand as they
drove towards Thiskoff’s house.
“Thanks”
---
*Reuben’s
mansion –
Danny reacted instinctively as he pushed Rusty behind
his back before he fixed the other vampire.
“What do you want?”
There was a cold hatred in those blue eyes and
it made Danny shiver lightly, but he never thought of backing down even though
he wasn’t armed and could feel the power and age of his opponent.
“Basher”
He said it clearly and deadly. Danny swallowed
as the blond man suddenly drew his sword and advanced towards him. No, his mind
screamed, this cannot happen not now, not after just bonding with Rusty, after
finishing this job... and deep within his heart Danny felt a change that scared
him and yet reminded him of something Basher had told him after his turning.
‘Deep within us there is a vampire and no
matter how much you despise weapons and violence, you will fight to protect
your mate, your family, and your clan’
He hadn’t understood then, he did now.
“You won’t get him”
The other vampire laughed hauntingly.
“And you think you can stop me? You’re too
young, too weak to stand against me.”
Danny saw the watering hose that some gardener
had forgotten and before his attacker could do anything, he grabbed it and
whirled the lose end against the tall blond vampire.
“How pathetic, do you think you can stop me
like this?”
The sword glinted in the low lights of the drive-way
and cut through the hose without any effort. The vampire came closer and closer
until he had Danny backed up against the wall.
“Now what do you think will Basher feel, when I
kill you?”
He raised his sword and Danny suddenly wished
that he and Rusty hadn’t bonded yet, and then maybe his lover would have been
able to continue living.
“I don’t think so”
The clinging of steel against steel made him
open his eyes and he saw Rusty standing between him and the other vampire. His
lover’s arms were straining against the pressure, but his eyes were fierce and
full of hatred.
“You will die for attacking my mate.”
Danny felt something cold pressing against his
hand and grasped the sword handle. Relief and fear flooded him as he raised the
weapon and moved against their attacker who was trading hard blows with Rusty
making the younger vampire scream with pain as he cut him at his leg.
“I never thought I could do this, but you’ve
just proven me wrong.”
Sword raised Danny approached the blond vampire
ready to take his head. In the same moment Basher ran out of the house and a
large car drove up the drive way in high speed. Distracted Danny looked over
for a moment and before he could turn back his sword was ripped from his hand.
He felt cold steel cut at his flesh, heard Rusty’s anguished cry and then
everything went dark.
---
*Crime
Lab –
“What?”
Sara looked up as Nick screamed into the phone.
They were processing articles from a robbery that had taken place during the
black and four more crime scenes were waiting to be processed. It was amazing
how much damage people could do in just ten, twenty seconds.
“Sara, I have to leave”
It wasn’t Nick that told her that, it was Nico, the Roman general and clan leader and instinctively
she nodded.
“I’ll continue and if anyone asks you’re back
at the scene.”
Nick looked grateful at her before he left the
lab and called his mate.
“Warrick, I meet you outside Tishkoff’s mansion in ten”
For a moment he listened to the answer before
he continued explaining.
“Eric just called; when they arrived Stendhal
was already attacking Ryan and Ocean... I didn’t understand everything, but it
seems as if at least one of them is seriously injured...”
Warrick’s reply made him laugh harsh.
“No, it actually seems as if the bastard could
escape, although Eric said that Riddick is on his trail.”
*Reuben’s
mansion Danny and Rusty’s room –
“He’s alright, he will wake up again”
Eric watched as the dark-skinned vampire tried
to calm other down. Ever since the dark haired guy had been almost beheaded,
the blond had refused to part from him. Eric had seen the anguish in the blue
eyes, the horror and fear and had immediately known that those two were mated.
He had seen this look in Horatio’s eyes after Speed had gone missing during the
war. For a moment he tried to imagine how it would be if it were Riddick lying
there and he gasped as pain tore through him.
The dark skinned vampire looked up at the sound
and murmured something to the blond, before he came over and softly took Eric’s
arm leading him out of the room.
“Rusty needs time alone with Danny”
Standing outside, he held out his hand.
“I’m Basher, but since you’re Richard’s mate, I
guess you already know.”
Eric smiled and at the same time was confused. From
his mate’s tales he had expected the other vampire to be a cold son of a bitch,
but now he saw different. There was a deep pain in the dark eyes and at the
same time a deep caring and acting out of instinct, he grasped the hand in a
firm grip.
“Eric”
They had reached the pool room where another
man was pacing agitatedly.
“We have to call Nick Stokes, it wasn’t an
attack on Sylum, but Stendhal is a lose canon and by God with his hatred
for...”
He stopped as he realized that there was
someone with Basher and Eric smiled.
“It’s ok, I’m with Sylum... I already called
Nick; he should be here in a few minutes.”
The older man grinned and clasped his hand.
“Well done boy, by the way I’m Reuben, a chosen
one for Camelot.”
Eric looked at the two men in the room and then
asked what he had wanted to know ever since Riddick had jumped out of the car
growling.
“Who was the one that attacked you?”
Basher sighed and sat down.
“How much of our history did Riddick tell you?”
Eric stared at him as the name Reuben had said
only minutes ago suddenly connected with the story Riddick had told him.
“Stendhal”
A bitter smile crossed Basher’s face and he
nodded.
“My personal nemesis”
---
Linus didn’t know what had possessed him to follow
Rusty back to Reuben’s mansion, maybe he had hoped for another chance with the
man who had captured his heart at the moment he had seen him.
What he did see was the opposite, Rusty was not
waiting for him to show up and declare his undying love, instead the blond con
man was enclosed in Ocean’s arms, kissing the other man as if there was no
tomorrow. Linus felt his hatred for
And now? Now he had stolen Rusty from him.
He was about to reverse and leave when the
fight suddenly started and with some kind of a weird fascination he watched as
a tall Scandinavian looking man stalked over to Danny, his sword raised to
kill. Linus was too far away to understand what was spoken, but he didn’t need
to hear it.
He had grown up in the streets of
He watched with some kind of sick hope as the
sword crashed down at Danny’s head, heard Rusty’s scream and saw another man,
tall, bald, muscled jump out of a moving car and towards the fighting pair.
Linus wondered if
“Drive or I kill you”
He looked at the Scandinavian and drove off
without a word. Then once they were in traffic he looked at the blond man.
“Did you kill Ocean?”
The vampire studied him for a long time, then a
smile crossed his face and he put his weapon away.
“No, not yet”
Linus smiled.
“Linus”
For a moment their eyes met and locked, and then
Stendhal reached over and clasped Linus’ shoulder.
“Stendhal”
----
*Reuben’s
mansion Danny and Rusty’s room –
“Please wake up”
Rusty shivered as he caressed the pale skin of
his lover, the cold sweat making him tremble and cry. Basher had told him that
his mate was going to be alright and he believed his sire and yet he couldn’t
get the images out of his head.
Stendhal
raising his sword, Danny standing there his own sword high up to kill the
vampire who had attacked his mate, his family and then suddenly blinding lights
as another car raced up the driveway, Basher shouting frantically Danny’s
name...
Stendhal
using the moment of distraction, knocking Danny’s sword from his hand, the
glinting weapon flying through the air while the attacker’s own sword came down
to take his mate’s head.
He had thought he knew what fear was, but he had never
ever felt such a terror such a complete panic as he had felt then. Seeing the
sword come down poised to kill the one person who was his other half, Rusty had
suddenly understood why mates could not live without each other, the pain in
his chest had been too great.
And then suddenly like a blurry lightning
someone had pushed Danny away and had jumped at Stendhal. Rusty didn’t remember
much of it after; he had sunken down next to his injured mate and frantically
cried Danny’s name.
He didn’t remember how he had gotten from the
driveway to their room or how he had gotten all this blood on his shirt, all
his memories were of Danny lying so incredibly still on the bed.
“Please, Danny please listen to me... come back
to me”
His entire body was shaking with fear as he
whispered those words again and again.
“Please love”
A shiver went through his mate’s body and for a
moment Rusty dared to hope, but Danny still didn’t open his eyes.
“Come back to me”
He was exhausted and although he fought it, he
fell asleep holding his mate close to him, shielding the vulnerable vampire
with his body.
---
*Reuben’s
mansion – Game room,
“He escaped, he had help”
Basher tensed when he heard the low, dark
growl, he had seen Riddick when Rusty had helped him escape, but had not been
prepared for the memories that seeing the other vampire rose.
“Basher”
“Riddick”
The larger hunter looked at him and then sighed
as he felt Eric’s disapproving glance on his back.
“We need to talk”
Basher swallowed harshly and nodded before he
looked over at Reuben, who drama queen that he was, raised his hands in an
exaggerated way and left the room. Basher sat down and pointed at the large
couch next to his chair.
“I didn’t know that Stendhal had Thomas when I
left. I had gotten word that he was in town and left, hoping to draw him away
from you and Thomas... It wasn’t until I met up with Sharpe that he told me
what had happened and that...”
For a moment Basher’s voice trembled and
faltered, but he recovered and continued to speak.
“... that Thomas had died.”
He his mind flashed back to the moment he had
found out that the young vampire had died, that he had essentially killed
him... that he had been the reason his mate had been killed...
“He was my mate...”
Riddick gasped at the silent words and Basher
tensed as he realized that he had spoken out loudly. He got up, the large room
suddenly confining him, he wanted to get out, to get away, but his life had
changed in the past few weeks and he wasn’t free to come and go anymore. He had
two children and thinking back on how close he had come to lose them he
shivered. Staring over the large garden with the illuminated pool, he didn’t
care about the tears that flowed over his cheeks.
“I wanted to find you then; I was sure I would
be able to trick you into taking my head, but Sharpe wouldn’t let me, told me
that others had found and lost their mates and lived on...”
Riddick grinned a bit, then tentatively got up
and put a hand on the distraught vampire’s shoulder.
“When Sharpe is in military mode you don’t say
no to him, do you?”
Basher understood a peace offering if he saw
one and the fact that Riddick tried to comfort him by changing topic was
equivalent with a shiny white flag for normal people. He turned around and
smiled lightly, thankfully at the bald hunter and his dark haired mate.
“I never apologized for leaving, but...”
One look at Riddick and he fell silent.
“It’s ok, believe me, I know how it is to be
afraid of losing the one person you love.”
Basher saw the love between Eric and Riddick
and deep in his heart he felt the pain of being alone, the pain of knowing that
his mate was alive, but also knowing that he would never ever bond with her. He
swallowed hard and pushed the hurt aside with an ease that was born from habit.
“I fear for Danny and Rusty, they are
vulnerable and I cannot protect them, worse being with me, could probably prove
fatal for them... It already almost did. They will have to grow up fast.”
Basher’s eyes were dark and full of pain and
with a shiver they reminded Eric of Tony’s eyes after he had lost Tom and Huck
in the war. It was a father’s pain for his children and he swallowed hard.
“There might be another solution, but first you
need to explain why we just got a phone call from the Bellagio.”
Basher, Eric and Riddick all turned around at
the new voice and Nick just shook his head grinning as he walked into the room
closely followed by Warrick and a third man. Basher looked at the stranger and
paled.
“Danny?”
The stranger only shook his head.
“Seth”
---
*Reuben’s
mansion Danny and Rusty’s room –
The first thing Danny felt when he woke slowly
was Rusty’s body next to his and for a moment he wondered if he had died or
not. He stirred as he felt hunger attack him and the little movement was enough
to wake his mate.
“Danny?”
The fear and anguish in Rusty’s voice rose him
immediately and he looked up to meet concerned blue eyes and softly caressed
the soft skin of his lover’s face.
“I’m alright Rusty, hungry actually, but apart
from that I am fine.”
A shiver went through the lean body next to his
and again he reacted instinctively as he reached out and pressed Rusty against
him.
“I thought I had lost you”
In the same moment a hesitant knock on the door
drove them apart and Rusty called out to come in. A young man stood at the door
with Reuben and smiled.
“I’m John, Reuben called me, and he said that
after tonight you would need some fresh blood and that you probably wouldn’t
want to feed on him.”
Danny and Rusty looked at each other and
shivered at the thought of feeding from Reuben; John laughed while Reuben
grumbled something and sat down on the chair next to the bed. John on the other
hand hopped straight onto the bed and sat down between the two vampires.
“You’ve done that before, haven’t you?”
Danny nodded still a bit confused about everything,
especially the carefree way of this young guy.
“You too I assume”
The younger man grinned and nodded, then moved
the long black hair from one side of his neck to the other and leaned over,
stabilizing himself on Rusty’s shoulder.
“Yeah, grew up in
Danny had listened to the life story of the man
whose blood he was currently feeding on and somehow it felt as if some of
John’s exuberance got transferred as well. He closed the wound gently and drew
back from John.
“Thanks”
John laughed and caught the candy bar that
Reuben threw at him.
“No worries, I guess I better go now, see you
around”
And just like that he was gone. Reuben smiled and
looked at the two mates on the bed.
“You better get dressed and come down, Sylum is
here”
Rusty and Danny looked at the older man, their
apprehension clearly visible in their eyes and Reuben laughed.
“Hey, they’re just like you and me... well
actually Warrick’s a bit more like you, he’s an
Ex-Pirate, and so you’ll like him.”
He left chuckling and Danny looked at his
lover.
“Pirate?”
Rusty shrugged and moved towards the bathroom.
“Join me?”
Danny didn’t need to be told twice and soon
enough their laughter and moans filled the little bathroom.
---
*Reuben’s
mansion, Game room –
Nick hadn’t really known what to expect when
they arrived at Tishkoff’s mansion, but to see Basher
being comforted by Riddick had definitely not been on his list. For a moment he
stood there and watched, then though Basher spoke again and what he said made
Nick freeze with remembered pain.
“I fear for Danny and Rusty, they are
vulnerable and I cannot protect them, worse being with me, could probably prove
fatal for them... It already almost did. They will have to grow up fast.”
Basher’s voice was tight with fear and guilt
and Nick shivered as both emotions were only too familiar for him, he stood
there for a moment as if in a daze, when suddenly the warmth of his mate’s love
flooded over him and he felt Warrick stand close behind him. It brought him
back to reality and quickly pressing his lover’s hand in thanks he spoke
quietly, authoritatively.
“There might be another solution, but first you
need to explain why we just got a phone call from the Bellagio.”
Basher turned around and looked a bit
surprised, a bit sheepish and then suddenly paled. Shit, Nick had forgotten
about Seth.
“Danny?”
Seth grinned and shook his head.
“Seth”
Nick saw Basher look at the older vampire and
shake his head, then a smile crossed the handsome face and the glint in the
dark eyes told Nick, that Basher had understood what solution they were talking
about.
“The casino job... well I think we better wait
for Danny and Rusty. They might be my children, but that job was their baby.”
Nick felt Warrick’s
amusement and true to his feelings, his mate was chuckling obviously finding it
highly amusing that the clan had just acquired two con men in their midst.
Although with Basher being from Camelot and Seth from Sanctuary...
“They will be part of Sylum”
Basher was either a mind reader or had really
thought it all through. Nick guessed that the latter was the case and the
English vampire’s next words confirmed it.
“I talked with them about the clans and their
rules. It was their choice to join Sylum although I am not sure what the real
selling point was. I think it was either Warrick being an ex-pirate or Lara and
Indy being a part of it.”
Nick groaned at the thought of Warrick pairing
up with two men that had managed to rob three casinos at one night and glared
at his chuckling mate.
“Don’t even think of it”
Seth had followed all of it in silence and
grinned at the two vampires who after three hundred years were still as much in
love as at the first day.
“So, I guess I will train them and if Sylum is
in need of them, we will fly up and help.”
Basher nodded at Seth, but Nick saw that
leaving his ‘kids’ wouldn’t be easy. He held up his hand to intervene before a
fight could break out between the soon-to-be sire and the real one, but another
voice beat him to it.
“I can’t believe it Bash, you’ve turned us what
three weeks ago and already you’ve become a real parent talking about us while
we’re not in the room.”
Basher turned around quickly and a large smile
grew on his face as he looked at two men standing there. Nick watched too and
for a moment he was stunned by several facts.
There were two men standing at the door and
Nick had to admit that they both were devastatingly handsome. The one who had
spoken had dark hair, dark eyes twinkling with humour, broad yet slender body
and an attitude which made the expensive dark suit look perfect, Nick knew
immediately that he was looking at Daniel Ocean, con man, daredevil, vampire
and obviously somehow related to Seth. He had known that though and so it
wasn’t Danny’s appearance that made him gasp silently but Rusty Ryan’s.
More slender than Danny, but just as tall the
younger looking vampire had blond hair, blue eyes filled with mischief and a
terrible dress sense. Yet despite the god awful shirt he was wearing he
couldn’t hide the strong, muscled body and for a moment Nick shivered. He had
never met Achilles, the Greek mate of
“I think we need to call Hector”
Warrick’s murmur was only heard by him and absently Nick nodded.
"Considering how he reacted when he saw
Tristan the first time, yeah we should."
Warrick shivered and Nick understood his mate's
reaction. Hector had been unprepared when he had met Tristan and it had been
the first time, that Nick had seen the ancient vampire in tears. He quickly
sought strenght in Warrick's
love before he got up and introduced himself, Warrick and finally Seth.
“Holy shit”
Danny’s comment when he shook hands with the
other man made the rest of them laugh and now that the two were standing
together small differences were visible. Danny was older, less muscular, but to
Nick it was something else that separated them completely. It were their eyes,
of course they had the same colour but Danny’s eyes were full of happiness and
love, there was a look that Nick knew from his own eyes, the look of someone
who had found their mate. Seth on the other hand... well Seth was still waiting
and it showed in the loneliness in those dark eyes.
Finally every one had been introduced to
everyone and Rusty brought the topic back to where it had been before.
“So we’re going to train with you?”
Seth nodded and looked at the younger looking
vampire; Nick could already see the wheels turning in Seth’s mind as he tried
to figure out which fighting technique would be perfect for them. Then he saw
Danny nod slowly.
“It’s probably better anyway, might be less suspicious
if we three don’t stay together.”
Rusty paled and Nick grinned as he saw how he
elbowed Danny. The dark haired vampire only shrugged and looked at Nick
directly and openly.
“I guess Basher already told you that we would
like to swear loyalty to Sylum, however if you have an issue with what we do,
then all I ask is for you to not mention it to the authorities until we have
left the country.”
“I’m not sure if you are aware, but Nick is the
authority here.”
Seth’s quiet words made Danny frown, but Nick
just shook his head and got up to hug both Danny and Rusty.
“I was aware who and what you are from the
moment we found Rusty’s blood in the bar. Now, I’ve asked Basher before to fill
me in on the casino robbery, but I won’t ask you again because it is better if
I don’t know. I can live with what you are, but know this: If you get caught
and sentenced Sylum is not going to help you getting out of it, ok?”
Danny grinned and nodded.
“Got that...”
Rusty and he traded a look and then the pair
shifted their attention at Reuben.
“You lost, mate”
Warrick cracked up at those words and although
Nick glared at him, he couldn’t help himself.
“Seems like betting within the clan is going to
get more interesting again.”
Danny’s head turned at those words and with a
glint in his eyes he sat down next to Warrick.
“You play poker?”
Nick saw Rusty look at him and they both traded
a look that spoke volumes before they spoke at the same time.
“No”
Basher and Seth grinned at each other as Nick silently
started to wonder how long it would be until Danny and Rusty would leave with
the other hunter.
“Don’t worry Nick, we’ll leave tomorrow. Your
pirate won’t get corrupted.”
Nick glanced at his mate and smiled.
“Not much left to corrupt anyway...”
He yelped when his lover slapped his head
lightly and immediately kissed his lips eagerly. For a moment Nick forgot about
the others and only when they separated did he notice the grins around the
room.
“Got to remember that tactic”
---
+ Epilogue +
*Seth’s
Training ground –
There were some things that you couldn’t teach
someone. Shrewdness was one of those things, street smartness another, wearing
masks so perfectly that no one would see behind them... Ethan smiled as he
watched Danny fight Vachon. Seth had trained him and
Rusty for three weeks had driven the two young vampires relentlessly before the
call from Sylum had come and he had gone to
The two swords clashed heavily as the opponents
fought, both vampires looking for an opening to finish the attack while at the
same time trying to keep them protected. Their movements were fast, their steps
light despite the fact that their fight had been going on for a while now. Vachon blocked Danny’s blows easily as he brought his blade
up in an inverted position to catch the blow that was descending onto the left
side of his neck. With a strong push, he made the taller vampire stumble, and
almost simultaneously, he swung up with his left arm, catching his opponent in
a numbing back handed blow to the inside of his outstretched forearm. The clash
of two steel swords rang through the hall. Blow after blow the blades met,
clashed and tested each other, just as their owners tested themselves.
Ethan watched from the side as Vachon matched
each blow Danny dealt and waited for the moment the con man would use those
things that Seth had not been able to teach him. A small movement to the side
and there it was, Vachon, who had underestimated
Danny’s strength from the display before had left one small opening and Danny
dove for it.
And felt the cold wood of the practice blade at his neck. Danny was
good, but not good enough to beat Vachon yet.
Ethan chuckled as he walked over to the pair.
“You sure you never fought before you were turned?”
Danny grinned and shook his head.
“No, but I’ve realized something essential that night when Stendhal
attacked us.”
The two older vampires looked at the suddenly serious man, Danny however
turned over to the other side of the hall where Rusty was practicing with
Luther.
“I don’t fight for myself; I fight for my mate, my family and my clan.”
It was then that Ethan remembered something
Rusty had told him. They had talked quite a bit since Seth had left and had
become good friends.
“When
we started in this business, we had three rules. We weren't gonna hurt anybody.
We weren't gonna steal from anybody didn't have it coming. And we were gonna
play the game like we had nothing to lose And you know it was the truth, we
really didn’t have anything we could lose..”
It had been a night for memories and they had
sat around the fireplace and for a moment the two mates had locked eyes. Then
Danny had looked at Ethan and shrugged.
“Now
we do”
---
*Aubonne - Lake Geneva
“What are you saying? “
Odysseus saw his mate paling and felt the shock
and pain that swept through the dark haired vampire. Immediately he rushed to
his lover’s side and held him close. Hector leaned back for support before he
shakily answered whoever was on the other end.
“I appreciate this, thanks Nick”
When he turned around there were tears in the
dark eyes, he slipped from Odysseus’ arms and walked towards the window,
staring outside over the dark lake.
“Nick called; there is another descendant of
Achilles”
Odysseus shivered slightly, he had heard the
muted hope and joy in Hector’s silent words, but as
his mate turned around and their eyes met, and there was fear too. Many people
had loved Achilles, but there had been some that had hated him.
And some of them were still around.
THE END for
now…