Reining In (The Network) (2 page)

I finally got control of my emotions, and immediately felt horrible, because I had ruined what was supposed to be a perfect day! There would be less and less of these days with Raymond, and I didn’t want anything to spoil them; especially my lack of control. I pulled myself together and walked back to the car. Quickly, I unloaded everything I had prepared for the day, and spread the picnic out over a clearing near the river. As Raymond sat down to eat, I ran back and grabbed the small present from the glove box. I sat down, and watched as he ate, alone.

“I still cannot get used to eating alone while you watch.” He said, grinning.

“You really don’t want to be there when I eat!” I laughed. Raymond laughed to, and then spied the box in my hand.

“What is that?” he asked, suspiciously. I looked down, grinning. Truly, he had forgotten. It was a rare thing for me to be able to surprise him.

“You don’t know what today is?” I asked, smiling when the look on his face told me that he truly didn’t. He shook his head, and waited for me to continue. “Raymond, it’s your birthday! How could you forget?” I laughed and tossed the small box to him.

He laughed too, embarrassed for only a short second. He quickly opened the box and the look in his eye told me that I had gotten it right. He slowly pulled out the tiny gold object tucked inside the padding of the box. It was one of the few things from my past that I had kept. A small figure carved out of gold. It was given to me thousands of years earlier, at the foot of a pyramid in Ancient Egypt.

“It was something I knew you wouldn’t already have,” I said, when he looked at me, questioningly. We both laughed, and I went on to explain where it had come from, as I knew he would ask anyway.

We spent several more hours there, in that meadow, mostly talking about our own past. When the sun began to dip into the horizon, I decided I had better get him home. We packed up our things, and climbed back into my car. Turning back towards the highway, I heard his breath start to slow, as he soon fell asleep.

It suddenly occurred to me that I had not hunted in several days. I contemplated taking Raymond home, then heading out for the hunt, but the small forest area here provided the perfect place for hunting. Small animals were plenty here, as there were very few predators in the area. With Raymond sleeping already, there was really no hurry for us to get back home.

I shook his arm gently. “Raymond, I need to stop for a minute. Will you be ok in the car?” He nodded his head and grumbled something I couldn’t quite make out. He fell back asleep before I even pulled my hand away from his arm. Less than a mile away, I could make out a private drive that went pack into the woods.

I decided to pull over there. No need to have some curious passerby stop to find out why there was a car pulled over on the side of the road, with no driver, and an old man sleeping in the passenger seat. It was just easier if I didn’t have to explain myself. So I pulled into the drive, and went back far enough so that my car couldn’t be seen off the highway.

I sprinted off into the woods, after making sure the doors were locked, and Raymond was safely sleeping away the excitement of the afternoon. I ran quickly, testing the air for any scent that might entice my appetite. “Not much here.” I thought to myself. But suddenly, there was a scent that caught my attention. Not an animal, though. Blood. Lots of it, and human. My pulse quickened, and suddenly, I felt the need to get back to Raymond. Something bad had happened here; I could feel it. I needed to get Raymond far away from whatever danger might still be lurking.

Making my way through the trees, I was careful to skirt around the strong smell. If there was danger, that was where it was sure to be, and I certainly didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention. Soon I could make out my car, and quickened my pace. But what I saw next made my heart stop. Several men were walking towards my car, guns in hand. I could see Raymond slumped over in the front seat, still sleeping, and completely unaware that he was in grave danger.

The scene unfolded in front of me, like something out of a horror movie. One of the men was yelling something about trespassers and witnesses. Before I could move, one of the men had broke in the window and started to pull Raymond through the window opening. Seconds seemed like hours as I ran towards the men, catching one off guard and taking him down like the predator I was.

I could hear the gunfire all around me, occasionally feeling a sharp twinge as one of the bullets would pierce through my body. I crouched over the body of the fallen man, and looked around at the others, my eyes ablaze. I could see the fear in their eyes, as they realized that their weapons were of no use on me. All of them slowly backed away. All but one; the one still holding onto Raymond.

Raymond was awake now, and looked terrified and confused. I wasn’t sure if it was the guns that had brought such fear, or if it was me, covered in blood, snarling at the men who threatened him. The fear in his eyes brought a sickening feeling to my stomach. I had never wanted him to see me this way. I looked at the man holding him hostage, and slowly stood up.

“Let him go,” I whispered, calmly. I took a small step forward, carefully, so as not to excite the men any more than they already were. Oddly, he looked unafraid, as if it were perfectly natural to come across a vampire in the middle of nowhere. He almost looked as though he wanted to challenge me. I could feel the anger burning in my gut. But I had to try to remain calm. I had to get to Raymond.

“We’re not here to start trouble. Let him go, and I will let you all live.” This time, the man flinched a little, but still stood his ground. The other men, looked nervous, and still stood back. They knew their weapons had no effect on me, and weren’t sure what, if anything, would protect them.

“I don’t think you understand,” the man finally answered me. “You see, our privacy is very important. Discretion is absolutely necessary. I can’t just let you and your friend walk away. I don’t know what you’ve seen. I do know that you have just killed one of my best men, however, and that is enough reason for me to make sure you two never leave here.” The smug look on his face brought a deep growl from my throat.

He smiled, then, and raised his gun. But it wasn’t me that he pointed it at this time. I lurched forward, sinking my teeth into his throat. At the same instant, I heard the gun go off.

Chapter Two

“Mack, I need your help!” It was all I could spit out! Tears streamed down my face as I held my foot to the floor. Raymond lay beside me, his breathing shallow and unsteady. He had lost a lot of blood, and I knew that I had very little time to get him the help he needed.

“Khallie, slow down! What’s going on?”

“He’s dying, Mack. Raymond’s been shot!” I groaned as I said the words. Raymond was dying, and it was my fault!

“Shot? What do you mean shot? Khallie, where the hell are you?” Mack’s voice began to take on a hysterical edge as he rattled more questions than I had time to answer.

“Mack, get the helicopter! Pick us up NOW!” I yelled! I could hear him barking orders in the background, as I tried giving him the directions on how to get to us. I wanted to be relieved, as I heard the commotion in the background, because I knew Mack would come get us; and if he got here quickly enough, Raymond might have a chance. I stole a quick glance at him, and my heart sank. He was so pale. I could hear his heart barely beating. I squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him.

“Hang in there Raymond! Mack’s coming for us!” If anyone could help us now, it was Mack. Mackenzie Shaw was one of the oldest members of the network. He was in fact, the founding member. It was his idea to create a dummy corporation in order to hide the network of people I had created in an effort to hide my existence. Made up of some of the most resourceful people in the world, it was like a well oiled machine, once Mack took charge. Mack was also an attorney, which made him quite useful in getting things done.

Amazingly enough, taking care of me proved to be an easy job for Mack. He took to it like a natural, and once he got the network in place, I knew that I would always be able to rely on him. That is why I knew that the only person that I could count on now was Mack.

As I pulled into the clearing where I had instructed him to meet me, I could already see the helicopter heading our way. I raced around the car and gently picked Raymond up. He seemed so fragile. Even with my vampire strength, he seemed too light. He was so pale. Another wave of guilt flooded me. Why didn’t I take him home first?

I heard the helicopter landing behind me, and turned to run towards it, slowing only when I realized that the men getting out weren’t people I knew. It took me a moment to comprehend. Mack had brought EMT’s with him. Of course he had. It wasn’t enough to get Raymond to the hospital quickly; he needed help immediately.

The two men looked a little surprised to see me carrying Raymond, so I pretended to struggle with his weight as I handed him over to them. They loaded him into the helicopter and started working on him right away. Mack ran over to me, and explained that there wasn’t room for me to ride back with them.

“I’ll drive your car, if you want, Khallie! Don’t worry; they’ll take good care of him.” Mack put his arm around me and walked me back to my car. I heard the helicopter take off, but I didn’t look back. I should’ve been relieved that Raymond was going to be ok. But I couldn’t help the dread that was welling up inside of me. I knew that nothing would ever be the same again. Something told me that I would never Raymond’s smiling face again.

I slumped down into the passenger seat of my car, as Mack slid into the driver’s seat. I couldn’t even cry. I couldn’t breath. It felt like I was drowning, and I had no desire to fight for air. I was barely aware of the passing trees and towns. Mack didn’t say anything on the way there. Occasionally, he squeezed my hand, trying to reassure me. We arrived at the hospital fairly quickly. I hadn’t really noticed how fast Mack had been driving. I was a little surprised, because Mack was a stickler for driving the speed limit. “No undue attention,” he would always say.

Heading straight for the door, the minute his tires hit the hospital driveway, I practically ran over some old lady standing outside her car. Mack quickly parked the car and ran after me.

“Khallie, WAIT!” I didn’t want to wait, but I stopped, turning around. He tossed me his jacket, demanding I put it on before I go inside. I looked down at myself. I was covered in blood; Raymond’s blood, my blood, and the blood of the gunman I had just killed. Bullet holes riddled my blouse.

I looked back up at Mack sheepishly and quickly slipped into his jacket. I then turned and ran into the hospital as quickly as I could, without being too conspicuous, only to realize I had no idea where I was going. Mack quickly caught up with me, and started asking around. We were soon escorted to another part of the hospital, where we were met by one of the doctors.

“Ms. Darling, my name is Dr. Carter,” he said as he took my hand. When I didn’t answer, he kept talking. “We are doing everything we can for your grandfather, but I won’t lie to you. Things look bad.”

I closed my eyes, holding my breath so I wouldn’t lose it. Mack squeezed my shoulders, and started asking the doctor questions. I didn’t hear anything they said. I just kept thinking about how I had let Raymond down. Here I was, worried about him dying of old age, when in fact it was me that I should’ve been worried about. Of course I had been the most dangerous aspect of Raymond’s entire life, and more than once, I had put him in some pretty sticky situations. What was I thinking?

I barely noticed as Mack walked me to the waiting area and made me sit down. We sat there, for what seemed like hours; Mack making dozens of phone calls, and me, just sitting there, staring at the floor. Eventually, I nodded off to sleep. My dreams were tormented of images of Raymond’s attackers, Raymond bleeding in my arms, a look of accusation on his face. I heard him whisper angrily “Why?” I woke with a start. Sleeping was definitely not the answer.

Finally, another doctor came out to talk to us. Raymond was out of surgery and awake. He wanted to see me. They had tried to talk him out of it, so he could rest, but he insisted. I heard the edge in the doctor’s voice as he talked to me. He knew as well as I did, this would be the last time I talked to Raymond.

I hesitated outside the door, trying to postpone the inevitable, I suppose. I closed my eyes and sighed as I turned the doorknob. Inside the room it was dark and quiet, except for the hum from all the monitors and equipment hooked up to Raymond. He looked like a shell of himself, lying there in that hospital bed. He smiled weakly when he saw me. The tears came then. I couldn’t control myself. I didn’t realize Mack had been right behind me until he caught me in his arms as my legs gave out beneath me.

“You have to be strong for him,” he whispered in my ear. I knew he was right. All this crying and making a scene was not going to help.

“I’m ok,” I whispered back to him, as he pulled me to my feet and walked me over to the bed. Raymond grabbed my hand, and tried to pull me closer. I leaned over him, so he wouldn’t have to exert himself too much as he spoke.

“Khalida, I have to tell you something, before it’s too late!” His voice was so weak. I could feel my knees weakening as he spoke.

“I saw her, “ he said, this time with more strength. “I saw her, and she spoke to me, Khalida.”

“Who, Raymond? What are you talking about?” and then it suddenly hit me. “Lillian?”

“She said to tell you something. Are you listening? This is important Khalida”

I nodded my head, afraid if he stopped talking that everything else would stop as well.

“She said to tell you ‘Thank You!’”

“Thank you? For what? For getting you shot? Raymond, stop. I already feel…” He cut me off before I could finish.

“No. Stop it. She said to tell you thank you for saving me all those years ago; for keeping me safe all these years; for being my family, when she couldn’t be here.” Raymond stopped, trying to catch his breath. I motioned for him to take a break. He really should’ve been resting. But he shooed me, mumbling something about not being a child, and he didn’t need me or Mack to tell him what to do. So I backed off and let him finish.