Lord and Lady Tristan St. James the Forth arrived just after sunrise. Being older vampires, they were able to tolerate the sun in the early and later hours better than most, and took a leisurely ride in the limo to the estate of the MacManus’. When they arrived with much pomp and circumstance, they were led by a very impressed Duncan to a large suite of rooms in the sublevels of the mansion. Tristan, of course, knew his parents had arrived, just as they knew where he had been. They had been in constant communication since he’d found Bailey. They, too, were now a part of the plan to expose Patrice.
Tristan thought about the conversation that he and Bailey had just had before he left the other mansion. He was telling her everything he knew about the plot to kill Bradley and what people were saying about her. No one other than a select few knew that Bradley was alive, his grandda being one.
Tristan didn’t think he would ever forget the look on the older man’s face when he’d come face to face with his healthy grandson. Nor the fact that the man kept hugging his grandson to him over and over throughout the time they’d been together.
“She has to die, Tristan. I’m sorry, but that is the way of the realm. She has threatened the lives of not only humans, but non-humans as well. Mel has already imprisoned the others, the weres who helped her.” Bailey had her head resting on his chest when she spoke. “Mel is not a cruel leader and will make her death quick and as painless as she is able.”
“Yes, I know. But she’s been a friend of my family’s for centuries. What did she hope to gain from all this? I mean, why Bradley, and why you? I wonder what made her think there was anything between her and me?”
Bailey sat up and looked down at him, confusion all over her face. Shaking her head, she lay back down and held his hand. Her next words stunned him.
“She is in love with being in love with you. No, that’s not right. She wanted you. You really are a dumb ass at times, aren’t you?” She laughed when he pinched her ass. “Tristan, she thinks that you are hers and you finding me when you did just pushed her over the edge. She’s probably thought all her life that you would take her to mate.”
“I never gave her any indication that I was…why do you persist in calling me names?
Although I think I liked ‘sweetums’ better than ‘dumb ass.’ Why can’t you come up with names more appropriate? Such as…Long Dick or Sir Long Dick. Doesn’t that sound better than—”
She rolled him to his back and straddled him. He reached up and pulled her down to devour her mouth. Had she not been so weak and had he not wanted to get this over with, he’d have gone against the doctor’s advice and taken her right there.
“I…tell me you love me again. I’ve never had anyone tell me that before.” She laid her head back on his chest and felt it rumble with laughter.
“You, my love munchkins, are the love of my life and I love you very much.” She pounced on him then, smacking him hard against the shoulder.
Now he was sitting in a large room with people, and while he loved most of them, he wanted them gone.
“Earth to Tristan,” Patrice snapped at him. “Where are you? You zoned out there for so long we thought you’d gone to sleep. And what is with those ridiculous clothes?”
Patrice had sat down next to him on the large sofa. Tristan looked down at his clothes. He didn’t see anything wrong with them. He was actually beginning to like the way they felt.
“They’re my new style. Colin helped me with them. You don’t like the jeans and t-shirt. And this thing, I don’t remember what it’s called, but it really is soft and comfortable.”
The jeans were a pair he had manufactured after a pair Colin had on. Colin had assured him that he wanted to have them worn, not new as they could chaff and “rub ye raw in yer private regions.” The t-shirt was like the one Bailey had had on before he’d left her tonight. A depiction of another cartoon character from a show called SpongeBob. This guy was called SquidWorth or some other nonsense. The flannel, he remembered now, was also worn and it actually was hers.
Having been too big for her in the first place, it fit him well.
“Well, I don’t care for them at all,” Patrice told him with a raised brow. “I think you should go change to your other clothes before dinner.”
Bossy already, he thought.
“You need to put your suit back on and that lovely tie that I got you for your birthday last year. In fact,” Patrice continued. “You should just go do it now before you embarrass us with this ridiculous outfit.”
“No.” He turned from her before he burst out laughing at the expression on her face. “Mom, how was your vacation in the Everglades? The weather must have been nice.”
They had all decided to act as though Bradley was dead until tonight and that there was still a massive manhunt out for Bailey…The Printer. Tristan couldn’t wait for the show to begin and loathed acting the happy couple with this person until then. But he was cautioned that she could still be innocent. Without real evidence, they couldn’t prove Patrice had anything to do with the plot to kill the alpha even though in his heart, he knew she had.
Tristan looked over at Patrice and winked at her. Her frown at him turned into a smile and she took his hand in hers. With a “we’ll talk later about your attire,” she settled in next to him.
“Yes, we had a grand time,” his mother said with a laugh. “Your father went deep sea fishing. He didn’t catch anything, but he had fun, didn’t you, dear?”
Tristan was waiting for Aaron’s cue. He was tense and ready for this to be over.
“Yes, I had a good time. Tristan,” his father said to set things up to capture Patrice, “what can you tell us about the young Bailey we’ve heard so much about? Someone said that she killed the alpha hereabouts.”
~CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE~
Tristan waited for Aaron. And waited. Tristan looked over at him and wasn’t really surprised to see him wrapped up in his mate. Sara and he couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. Tristan couldn’t wait to get to Bailey and do the same thing.
He reached out to him and, none too gently, reminded him of his part in this play. “Would you mind paying attention? I would very much like to go to Bailey and do what you’re doing to Sara, but I CAN’T IF YOU DON’T HELP!” He grinned when Aaron jumped slightly.
“I’m sorry. Did you say something about Bailey? She’s supposed to come by later and we’re going to talk about what happened at the pack house the other day.” He looked around the room in general as he spoke.
“She’s coming here?” Patrice squeaked out. “But I thought…here? Are you sure about that?
I mean, there isn’t any reason for her to come here, is there? Why? Isn’t she, like, wanted for murder or something?”
“Well, she said that she had proof that she was tricked into killing him and she was going to share it with me. I can’t imagine what it could be, but she has a good reputation as a hired killer and I, for one, am willing to see what she has. The queen said that I should give her a listen and for as much as Mel can be an irritant, she is the queen. Bailey may have something that would clear her name. Proof is all it takes and she said she had plenty of it.” Aaron coolly sat back in his chair.
“Proof. She doesn’t have any proof.” Patrice looked around the room. “I mean, what kind of proof could she have? And besides, someone said that she’d been shot. Maybe she’s already dead like that poor wolf. I don’t think this is such a good idea, Aaron. You should tell the authorities that she’s…can’t you get into trouble for harboring a criminal?”
Tristan sitting next to her and saw her fidget and tense up. She was nervous, he thought.
Good. When she started to pace, he watched her closely. He didn’t trust her not to do something stupid. He’d go along with this to a point, but he didn’t want anyone else hurt either.
“Oh, didn’t you hear?” Aaron grinned hugely as he continued. “Bradley isn’t dead. Bailey turned him over to the queen this morning. She had only made it look like he was dead so she could expose whoever set up the hit on him. He is in very good health, if only a little tired.
Bailey had him hidden somewhere and now she’s ready to come forward. I would think that alone is proof enough. Can you image what she would have had to have gone through to fake his death? Scary to think about.”
“No, no that’s not right. He’s dead. He has to be. We had a deal. I would let the others live, but she had to die. No, you’re wrong.” Patrice started pacing the floor. “She reneged on her end of our bargain. I told her he had to die or I would expose her. This wasn’t a part of the deal.”
“What kind of deal? What are you talking about?” Sara asked. “What do you know about this whole thing, Patrice?”
Tristan leaned back and let her go. He could sense the others in the room now, many men and Mel. They were there to keep the others safe in case Patrice tried something else.
“I have information that says she’s killed others. Many others, and not just our kind but humans too, cold blooded murder. She’s taken money. Why, she even had her brother killed to make more money. You should just kill her as soon as she gets here, Mr. MacManus. She’s dangerous. I…I know, I’ve seen the paperwork myself.” Everyone watched her. Patrice was unraveling the more she spoke.
“Information? What sort of information? She mentioned that she had paperwork too.” Aaron stood in front of her now. “What is it you know, Patrice? Something about this plot you’re not telling me? As master of this realm, I must insist that you tell me all you know about Bailey.”
Tristan had never heard Aaron use that tone before. It was a compelling tone, one that any vampire who wasn’t as strong as him must obey.
“No, I can’t…stop. Please stop. Don’t make me.” Her voice had turned pleading now, begging and whinny.
“Patrice Skidmore, Lady Skidmore of the Royal House of Vampirism, I command that you speak the truth. You will tell me all you know about the woman Bailey Morrison St. James, also known as the Printer. Now!”
Tristan watched the entire room shift in their seats. Patrice couldn’t disobey the compulsion now. It lay heavy in the room. Curiously, he didn’t feel it, and looked around the room. Even his father seemed to be feeling the effects of it.
“She’s not his mate. I am. I’m his mate. Tristan is mine. She is supposed to be dead. They were to kill her. I had that stupid cop show up with his gun loaded with silver to kill her. And he couldn’t even do that right, stupid Barney Fife fool. I’ve watched for years, waiting and collecting. Gathering information so she would have to kill him. I’d give her no choice. What good is a single wolf anyway, not even mated? How is he…he can’t pass on his little kingdom without an heir. They should be thanking me. Thanking me.” Spittle flew from Patrice’s mouth as she ranted. No one said a word when she started to pace again.
“She wouldn’t even kill those brats of yours.” She screamed at Sara. “I told her to, told her to take them both out or else. What did she do? She told me that she’d hunt me down and make my death slow and painful if I touched them. I believed her, too. She is just crazy enough to try and kill me. Like she could even get close to me once Tristan and I mated. He’ll protect me, won’t you? You’d never let her hurt me, would you?”
When she came toward him, Tristan backed away. Patrice was insane. Not only that, but had been for a long while. Why hadn’t anyone ever seen it before?
“She’s a nothing anyway, not even able to get with child. We’d bred that right out of her when she was in our lab. I told them that she needed to be destroyed, all those failures. She was as useless then as she is now. We never did figure out how she got the others out. Sneaky little bitch. And then that fool stepped in front of my bullet when I tried to kill her myself. She actually blew my lab up, her and those others. Well, I took something from her too, didn’t I? had that Salvatore kill that fag brother of hers.”
No one moved when she sat back down. No one said a word. Patrice had just admitted to more than planning the plot to kill Bradley and destroy Bailey. She had admitted to killing perhaps hundreds of others inside the lab, where horrific things had been done in the name of science and technology.
“So you were a part of the lab,” Bailey said in a soft voice. “Griff said you were, but I didn’t want to believe him. You’re quite mad, do you know that? And if the queen doesn’t kill you, I will take great pleasure in it.”
Tristan looked over to where Bailey was standing. He hadn’t even felt her come in the room.
Mel was just behind her, as were Colin, Dominic, and Bradley.
“You’re supposed to be dead,” Patrice said softly to Bailey. “I’m going to make sure that once I’m married to Tristan, you are hung from our front door until the crows pick you clean.
Aren’t we, love? We will make sure that she never bothers us again.”
Patrice leaned over and put her head on Tristan’s shoulder. He felt a shudder of complete revulsion slam through his body. He decided that he couldn’t let this…animal touch him again.
He stood and walked over to his beloved.
Bailey looked pale and drawn. She shouldn’t be here, he thought, but then maybe she should, too. She deserved knowing as much as the rest of the people in the room.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You were the one who bred us, the egg used to make me. That’s why I couldn’t read you in the building, why I couldn’t harm you that day. You fixed it so that I couldn’t harm you.” Bailey staggered slightly and would have fallen had Tristan not grabbed her.
Tristan turned to stare at Patrice again with her in his arms. He laid her gently on the couch well away from Patrice.
“Yes, I’m your mommy. Don’t you just love a happy ending?” Patrice pulled out a gun and shot Abby St. James.
“Mother!” Tristan ran to his mother and clutched her body to his.
His father had grabbed Patrice and snapped her neck before she could take her next breath.
He looked over at Aaron and they all watched as he pulled a sword from off the fireplace mantel and while Trey held her up by the hair, Aaron sliced her head from her shoulders. Patrice Skidmore was truly dead.
“Move,” Bailey said with authority in her voice. “Let me have her. Tristan, remove your hand.”