Don't Forget Me (5 page)

“So you’re Mr. No one,” Jason exclaimed threateningly.

“And you must be the ex-boyfriend that can’t face the facts.”

“I know you, you’re a member of Council!” Jason whispered incredulously.

“I sure am,” replied Donn laconically. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Council Capital Holding, also known as just “Council.” It performed the tasks of a normal Board of Directors of a company with a multimillion dollar turnover in the security sector, but it was also a body of thirteen members appointed to govern and supervise cohabitation with humans. The Council consisted of six conservative Directors, six Progressives and an independent
Chairman. Council Capital was a holding and its offices were scattered over five continents. Each office had its own Board of Directors and each Board was appointed to govern and supervise cohabitation with the humans of its zone.

“Look, you can take anything you like, as far as I’m concerned, but not Stella,” Jason said in a low voice, his eyes dark, his voice steady, resolute. Donn, amused, raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips.

“But she’s everything to me!” he exclaimed harshly and commandingly, darkening his gaze with a bold grimace.

“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over, Mr. Brooks,” replied Jason crossly. His dark eyes suddenly turned to a tenuous red. In truth, Jason had something of the werewolf in him. He was influenced by the moon when it had a halo around it or when it was pervaded by a reddish glare, and his eyes glowed with similar shades. Donn opened his eyes wide for a moment and intensified his gaze.

“There’s no doubt about that, Jason, because I’ll keep seeing her,” he exclaimed again.

Donn looked at the boy incredulously, trying to remain impassive, his mind almost bursting with a deep, dark secret that no longer affected him, but Rod Warner, an ex-member of the Council, expelled a short while ago… A surreptitious affair that could never be leaked.

The calm before the storm

T
he next morning
Stella sipped some hot coffee, her legs dangling from her kitchen stool. When she left the house to go to university, wearing her jeans, a pair of All Stars and a large t-shirt, she found Donn waiting for her, leaning against the wall just outside the door.

“Are you ready?” he asked her softly, in a husky, velvety voice.

Stella jumped and blushed when she saw him.

“Ready for what?” she murmured hesitantly. He was wearing a pair of Ray-Ban glasses, a gray tailor-made suit and the same linen shirt he’d had on when she saw him in the library and in the classroom during the lesson. His expression was impassive, but he could not stop his lips turning up into a slight smile as he gazed at the girl.

“And a good day to you, too, my little angel.” He eyes became tender and he approached her boldly. He lowered his sun glasses on his nose and threw her a sensual look with a controlled, self-confident air, then he cupped her chin with his hand and quickly placed a tender kiss on her lips as he pulled the house door shut behind her. Stella felt her whole body tremble; for a moment she felt the ground give way beneath her feet. She shivered and lowered her gaze to rest on Donn’s chest.

“What a lovely shirt…” she stuttered, enveloped in warm memories.

“It’s my favorite now,” he admitted as he ushered her towards the Bentley.

“I’ve got to give my last lesson today and I wanted to give you a lift to the university.” He slid his arm around her back and led her to the car, opening the door for her.

He walked nonchalantly around the car and slipped into the seat beside her. He switched on the stereo and turned the key; the engine gave out an untamed roar. Stella heard the voice of Bryan Adams singing
Run to You
. Donn looked at her and smiled with trembling lips. Her cupped her chin and kissed her again on the mouth. Then he put his hand back on the steering-wheel and his foot down on the accelerator, the sudden speed sending Stella flying back against her seat.

They took the I-93 and reached Boston in no time. There was less traffic than usual. Bystanders watched the car streak along the streets and studied its occupants through the darkened windows, when they were at the traffic lights.

Now it was the voice of Sting that flooded over them. He sang with passion and control. Stella was wrapped up in the words of the song. Donn looked at her and placed a hand on her thigh. The music stopped and the ringtone of Donn’s mobile sounded through the loudspeakers of the car. Donn hit a button on the steering-wheel; his face gave away his annoyance.

“Brooks,” he hissed.

“Russell here.”

“I left a message that you weren’t to bother me,” Donn exclaimed sharply.

“I know, sir. I insisted. I need your permission to go ahead with the security plant we’re working on in Delaware.”

“Go ahead. Anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“Keep me updated by e-mail.”

The call finished and the music started up again.

Donn glanced at her from time to time, but mostly he seemed distracted, lost in his thoughts. They reached Commonwealth Avenue and the music was once again interrupted by the ringtone of his mobile.

“Brooks.”

“Mayers here.”

“How are the negotiations going in Nigeria?” He seemed to have a closer relationship with this caller. His tone was less harsh and peremptory.

“Just say the word and the deal will be closed.”

“Have they agreed to our conditions?”

“Yes, they’ve accepted them.”

“OK, conclude by all means.”

“The girl?”

Donn’s forehead creased and he gave a rasping sigh.

“I’m on the speakerphone and I’m not alone right now.”

“I see. I’ll keep you up to date on any developments.”

Donn closed the call and the music began again.

“Were you talking about me?” Stella asked, hesitantly.

“I sure was, baby girl,” he replied evasively, and said nothing more.

They entered a covered car lot, he took off his Ray-Ban, stopping at the barrier to take the ticket, while his hand squeezed her knee once more. It was late, lessons would start in a few minutes. He parked the car and switched off the engine. He looked at her and took her hand, drawing it slowly towards his mouth.

“Do you want to come to my lesson?” He kissed her hand again, keeping his bold eyes fixed on her.

“I can’t, I’ve got to attend another course,” she murmured. Donn put her hand tenderly back on her lap and Stella took hold of the handle to open the car door. Donn stopped her.

“Allow me to help you out, at least.” Ever the gentleman, he got out of the car and opened her door. He took her by the hand and led her out of the car lot towards the COM. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as they walked along the street. That skin-to-skin contact caused Stella to almost burst with desire, but when she saw the college building she realized it was time for them to part ways. She felt a rush of anguish and felt empty inside.

Donn and Stella entered the university and went their separate ways, each to a different classroom. As Stella watched him go, a lump came to her throat.

Stella’s concentration deserted her during the lecture. She just couldn’t stop thinking about Donn and his invitation to watch his class; getting up suddenly, she collected her things and walked out of the classroom without a word to Vuk or Jamie, who were sitting beside her. She found the classroom where Donn was teaching and slipped in silently to sit down in the last row, making sure the heads in front of her shielded her face from him.

She let herself be lulled by the velvety sound of his voice, intrigued by his graceful movements, his easy and natural charm, noting how he remained professionally detached from the crowd of pretty students gazing at him from the front, spellbound. He ignored them, not even rewarding them with a glance, despite their every effort to attract his attention.

Donn’s senses quickly alerted him to Stella’s presence. His mouth curved into a secret smile as he smelled her scent drifting in the air. He spotted her at the back. He shot her a playful smile but his focus on the lecture never wavered. Every so often, he had to stifle his emotions when he saw her expression change from innocent to knowing, as she remembered the satiny touch of his hands on her neck, the subtle yet sensual way he moved his body.

Winding down the lecture, he gave Stella a look that said ‘wait for me’ only to see her blend maddeningly into the crowd of students that started to exit the classroom as soon as he’d signaled it was over. Donn found himself once again hastily going through the motions of thanking the teacher and practically running out of the room after her. He slalomed impatiently through the groups of students chatting in the corridor, closing the distance between them, but not before she had left the building and turned the corner, where he found her.

He seized her by the shoulders and drew her towards himself, feeling her flinch.

“Were you just putting me to the test?” He examined her meticulously but coolly. Stella bit her lower lip, pressing it between her teeth and sucking it into her mouth.

“Do you insist on putting me to the test, Miss Whitely?” Donn asked dryly, tightening his jaws. Stella could not hold back from biting her lip once more.

“Don’t bite your lip,” Donn scolded her. He seized her head, pulled it to him and forced a violent, penetrating kiss onto her lips, no longer caring that they were in public. It was impossible for Stella not to return the kiss, giving way completely to his touch and abandoning her nape to Donn’s hand. Only when he slipped out of her mouth did Stella see the eyes of several students trained upon her. Embarrassed, she blushed and buried her head in Donn’s gray jacket. Donn stiffened and was almost on the point of pushing her away, but he understood Stella’s discomfort and let her remain clasped to his chest for a few seconds. He bent down to kiss her forehead and Stella looked upwards. She saw his beautiful sky-blue eyes studying her, his perfect lips slightly apart.

“Did you really think you could get rid of me so easily, Miss Whitely?”he asked, realizing she thought she’d given him the slip as he saw the startled look on her face of someone being caught out.

“That’s the second time you’ve scared me to death today! Are you trying to kill me softly by any chance, Mr Brooks?!” she exclaimed smiling.

“Not at all. Quick and painless is my usual approach…” he replied, putting his arms around her.

“Ah, that’s a relief… How did you know where to find me?” she quizzed him, piqued. “You were still standing next to the lectern, hemmed in by your groupies, when I left the room.”

“Stella, I’d find you anywhere. Did you think the halls of the university would give me a problem?”. He smiled confidently, hearing a call come in on his cell phone. He saw it was Graham Bristol, the conservative member of Council to whom Donn had promised the girl, simply as a personal favor. The Council member had just come back from a business trip and he wanted to speak to him that same day, now that he’d discovered that Jason was in reality a half-vampire, a feature he could have inherited only from Rod Warner, the conservative member of the Council who had nearly killed him. It was really Warner himself who wanted the girl, using Bristol as a go-between: the idea was to lure Jason into his trap. The aim was to get him to withdraw his account of the facts, using the girl as collateral. He wanted to show that he had nothing to do with the matter: this business had cost him his position in the Board of Directors of Council Capital Holding. Then he would kill the boy. Jason was living proof that council member Warner was a vampire of impure blood. According to Council law, the punishment for a council member of impure blood was immediate death.

Donn’s eyes darkened. He asked Stella to excuse him for a moment and withdrew to take the call.

“Brooks,” he said.

“Donn, progress report?”.

“Everything’s going according to plan,” Donn lied, smoothly.

“
That’s not what Warner told me. No indeedie, at least according to
a certain informant of ours.”

“And who would that be? Is Warner having me followed?” Donn asked angrily, his tone threatening.

“Uh-huh… Drake Wolf.”

“How dare he, damn it? I’m a Council member, his equal, for chrissakes!” Stella watched him warily, her intutition telling her that there was something deeper behind the one-sided conversation she was hearing.

“It’s just business, no need to take it personally, Donn. We need the girl to be there at the election at Madison Square Garden… ”

“She’ll be there… I met Jason, I know everything about Warner now, and the reason why he wants to kill Jason… Did
you
know?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Let’s meet at the Council Capital… In my office, an hour from now.”

“Fine.” murmured Bristol.

Donn cut the connection and jammed the cell into his pocket, a somber expression on his face as he walked back to the girl.

“I’m sorry, Stella, I have to go…”

“Why?”

“A business matter, I’m afraid. Would you like me to drive you home before I go?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll ask Jamie to take me.”

“One last thing, Stella: are you acquainted with a man called Drake?”

“No, I don’t think so…” she replied, confused.

“Just as well… Goodbye then.” He stroked her face one last time then forced himself to turn and walk away from her.

At the same time, Graham called Drake who sat in a Starbucks next to the university.

“Councilor Bristol…”

“I’m reassigning the job to you, Mr. Wolf. I want you to finish the work councilor Brooks started, as of this evening. Bring me the girl as soon as possible… And don’t make me regret placing my trust in you.”

“You ok with me getting some other werewolves as backup? She’s always with Vuk or Bryan…”

“I’m not interested in the finer details, Mr. Wolf, just the result. Oh, and a word of warning: don’t let her soften you up.”

“There’s no chance of that, Councilor Bristol, don’t sweat it.” He ended the conversation and immediately called Ian Ward, another Boston werewolf, who happened to work behind the counter of a firearms store.

“Hey man, what’s the word?” He knew that Drake was working on something very delicate.

“Want to share some of the loot with me?” Drake asked temptingly, but dead serious.

“Count me in. Should I bring Nathan Aiden along? I know he’s looking to get experience in the industry.” Nathan was a young werewolf who repped for a well-known brand of firearms, although his personal specialty was knives.

“I dunno, Ian, he’s a little young, he’s not yet found his mojo.”

“Come on, give him a chance, Drake. You said yourself the job’s a piece of cake.”

“Whatever, Ian, but if he does come, he’s your responsibility. Make sure he doesn’t mess up. I’ll meet you in Medford at 11 o’clock tonight, in front of The Pats, the bar where the girl works. And don’t be late.”

“Sure, Drake, later.”

While Ian called Nathan, Drake sent a message to Vuk, his brother:
Hey, I’m in town… Call me if you feel up for a beer…just like old times!