Protector (23 page)

Marquis notices Michael’s expression and turns to see what he is smiling at. 

“Ahh
. . . Alessandro, how are you feeling on your feet?”

“I feel much better, thank you.”

“Good,” says Marquis.  “So we have all been waiting, some of us impatiently-” He looks in Michael’s direction and frowns, “-for you to heal so we can take care of this Rogue problem once and for all.”  He smiles and winks at his son. “I wouldn’t let anyone go out until you were with us.  Not even the Protectors.”

“Thank you
, father.  I appreciate that.  So what’s the plan?”

“Well, since no one has been out, we don’t know if they have moved from the old waterfront district.  I think a party needs to go out and check it out before we can begin anything.”

“Actually they haven’t,” Michael says speaking up.

Marquis
looks at Michael not even that surprised that he has been out staking out the warehouse.  He nods his head then turns his attention back to the others.  He looks around at his brothers, then back at Alessandro.

“Alessandro, with everything that has happened
, I think it would not be wise for you to go on this first mission.”

Alessandro knows better than to argue with his father, especially in front of the others, so he just nods his head.

“James and Noah can go out tonight.”  He looks at both brothers and they both nod their heads in agreement.

“This is not a raid, only a stake
-out.  Maybe we’ll get lucky and those mutt bastards will still be there.  When it is time, we will form a group and take care of this devilish nest.  Don’t linger either,” he says, looking both men in the eyes.  “It’s apparent they followed Alessandro that night, so they have eyes out there watching.  Be safe and quick.”

James walks up to Alessandro and holds out his hand.  Alessandro looks down at the outstretched hand and looks up at the most piercing blue eyes
he has ever seen.

“Alessandro, I will watch their every movement and if by the miracle of Ameretat we happen to see the girl, we will come back right away to plan our strike
,” James says in a heavy New Jersey accent.

A lump forms in Alessandro’s
throat at the thought of her still being alive.  It would definitely be a blessing in itself.  He has dreamed and prayed of nothing but that for the past three days but he knows it is impossible.  The Rogue has never kept a human alive this long, as far as anyone knows. 

“Thank you
,” is all he can manage to get out through clinched teeth and the fiery feel of sandpaper in his throat. 

Slowly people wander out of the room to prepare for their night, leaving only him and Michael in the sitting room.  The only people going out tonight are James and Noah
, so the house will be busy with anticipation until they return.

Michael stares at him from across the room with a calculating look.  Alessandro rolls his eyes and heads for the stairs to go to his quarters.

“Hey, Ales?” Michael calls.

“Yeah?”
he asks and turns around and comes face to face with Michael.

“Are you ready to stop feeling sorry for yourself?”

“Screw you Michael!  You see me out here, don’t you?”

“Oh
, I see you alright, but I also see you still feeling sorry for yourself.”

Alessandro growls deep and fierce and his already dark eyes turn even darker.

“That’s right, get angry!” Michael yells back. “Remember what happened.  Remember the hurt and anger you feel and go kill some shit!  But don’t sit around here feeling sorry for yourself.”

Deep down Alessandro knows Michael is right about feeling sorry for himself, but screw him, what does he know.  He’s never felt this loss before.

“What the hell do you know?  The only person you’ve ever loved is yourself!”

“That’s right and you know why
, my friend?  I would rather be Rogue food then to sit in a med ward for three days crying instead of fighting.”

Alessandro is livid now.  He knows he has to pull every ounce of strength he has to restrain himself before he goes off on his oldest friend.  He takes a few deep breaths through his clenched teeth and turns around to go to his quarters.

Once he is finally in his room and the door is securely shut, he takes a slow ragged breath.  Anger is stirring through him.  It is a miracle Michael is still alive right now. 

He walks deeper into his room and without thinking
, he smashes his fist into one of the railings on the bed post, making the canopy fall onto the bed. 

That pisses him off even more.  He grabs the fallen side and yanks on it as hard as he can.  With a loud crack the whole canopy top comes off and he slings it into the wall behind him. 

He knows anyone on the above ground layer of the house could hear the destruction, but he doesn’t care, and if they have enough brains they will not enter his quarters tonight. 

He drops to his knees and rocks back and forth trying hard to regain control as the once dried up tears begin to form once again. 

Within minutes it seems he is fast asleep and approaching a bitter sweet dream.

***

Alessandro opens his eyes and looks around.  He is surprised to find himself lying on the ground with hundreds, if not thousands, of the world’s most beautiful flowers all around him. 

“How the hell did I get here?”
he asks himself.

He is at the Plantation
gardens where the Brotherhood and Protectors were first created.  The same Plantation he had brought Anna-Marie to in what seems like another lifetime ago.  

He stands up and looks around at the heavenly sight.  Noticing right away where he is, he walks up to the kingly tombs and kneels in front of them to show his undying love and respect. 

He has always felt at peace here at this majestic place.  No matter how crazy his life got, he could always come here and all of his worries would disappear, today is no different. 

He lifts his head towards the heavens, “
Thank you, goddess.”

He is overwhelmed with relief to know his goddess hasn’t abandoned him.  She heard his prayers and knew what he needed in this time of despair.

In one instant he is kneeling down in front of the tombs feeling a sense of calm and in the next he is jumping to his feet and spinning around in high alert as he senses an unfamiliar presence. 

Pissed off, he growls and searches out the unexpected intrusion, but as he does he comes face to face with the most beautiful creature God ever created.

Alessandro drops to his knees and bends his head, “My goddess, I’m sorry.”

She smiles down at his bent head and puts her hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright, Alessandro.  Please come sit with me.”

She turns and walks towards the bench by the water’s edge
, not too far from the tombs.

Without hesitation, he follows his goddess and sits beside her.

“This place is heavenly, is it not?” Ameretat asks.

“Yes, it is.  I’ve been all over the world and nowhere else compares to here.”

“That is no surprise.  Angels created this heaven on earth.”

Ameretat smiles and turns to face Alessandro.

“Son, you look so sad.  How can that be in such a special place?”

Alessandro looks down at his lap and folds his hands together like he does when he talks serious
ly with his father, “I have lost so much in the past couple of days.”

“I know your despair.  I hear your cries.”

With her hand she strokes the side of his cheek then lifts his bent head up to look into his sad eyes.  She smiles her knowing smile at her devoted child.

“Son, not all is lost.”

“I know you are right.  There’s still so much in the world that I have to do.  I really am trying hard to get past this so I can do the job I was born to do.”

“Ahh
. . . but you must remember there is a plan for everything.  Have faith, my son, everything you ask for is closer than you think.  There are mysteries all around.  You will receive the answers you seek, but you must stay strong.”

“What do you mean?  What am I supposed to look for?”

“That, my son, is for you to find out.”

In a blink of an eye
, Ameretat disappears.

Alessandro jumps to his feet and shouts, “But I don’t understand.  Please tell me, what I am supposed to look for?”

But all is silent.  He is alone again in his favorite place.  He sits back down and stares at the water, waiting for his answer.

***

Alessandro opens his eyes to find himself on the floor in his quarters, in the same spot he slumped to after destroying his bed.  He blinks his eyes in the dark, trying hard to focus between reality and the dream world.  He looks around wondering how long he has been out. 

Suddenly, he hears
a loud commotion coming from downstairs and jumps up.

“What the hell is going on down there?”
he asks himself as he moves the broken canopy out of his way and runs down the stairs.

“
Michael was right.  The dumb bastards are still there!” he hears James yell.

He picks up his pace to join in the conversation.

Marquis turns and looks his son in the eyes as soon as he turns the corner and smiles, “Tonight we prepare for war.”

16

Anna
-Marie opens her eyes to familiar surroundings.  Surroundings she has loved most of her life.  As she sits up she finds herself encased with dozens of her favorite flowers.  She lifts a hand full of sky blue hydrangeas to her nose and deeply inhales the glorious scent.  She has smelled nothing but pure filth for God only knows how long.  It’s amazing to have the sweet floral aromas burn through her nostrils. 

She is at her beloved plantation.  It seems like another lifetime ago when she was last here with Alessandro. 

She will not allow herself to let the memory of that blessed day get her down.  Not here.  Here she is happy and carefree.  All of her sadness and pain will just have to wait for now.

She falls back down
on her back like a child in the snow and she rolls around in the flowers. 

After a few minutes she sits up and decides to get up and go walk the grounds.  There is always so much to see here.

As she looks around she notices she is close to the main house.  It’s crazy to know what really happened to the original house.  Hearing the true history makes her look at it with a whole new outlook.  The whole plantation does for that matter.  It’s bittersweet to know everything she thought she knew about this place has gone out of the window, but then again it lets her meet this majestic  place once again with all new possibilities.

“I wonder what it was like
,” she says to herself as she studies the massive white country- style house with its huge stately columns and wraparound porch. 

“I bet it was just as marvelous.”

She smiles and heads towards the waterfront.  It is so peaceful down there and it stretches along side many acres of the gardens.

She passes so many pretty flowers of all colors and sizes.  Periodically she stops to smell a few, but she is on a mission so she doesn’t linger for long.  She longs to sit before the ancient tombs of the angelic men and one female that started this heaven on earth.

It’s unbelievable to think men created this sanctuary.   Not just men, angels from heaven itself who had been cast down and cursed by God to live on earth as monsters for all of eternity. 

But these men weren’t monsters.  They chose good over evil.  They created this place to emulate their home in heaven.

As she comes upon the tombs, her eyes are drawn to the tomb of the lone female, the brave girl who loved her angel.  It’s so sad that she didn’t get to see her baby grow up and witness what good he and the other Brotherhood did for mankind.  She would like to think she’d be very proud.