Blueblood: A Dark Southern Aristocracy - 42. Do We Trust Or Not?

When we got back to Wentworth Manor we reported what we found out to all that were there with us. We met in the dining room.

Stan shook his head. “I don’t get it. How does she know all this? About you and Devon and what holdings you have?”

Colin shrugged. “I suppose the others report to her.”

"He didn't get it from me." Mom said. "I wouldn't know what to tell him."

"Did he ever disappear in the house?" I asked to which she shook her head. Sitting beside Colin I nodded. “But are we sure that’s where she even stays?”

Colin looked at me puzzled. “She’s a vampire in every sense of the word. She can’t go outside in the daytime.”

“That house wasn’t that big.” I pointed out. “I can’t imagine spending hundreds of years down there. There was no electricity I saw. There was more beyond that room where we met them. They came from somewhere.”

“That’s my point,” Stan said. “She has information about the two of you.” He shrugged. “Even if Stephen and others were reporting to her. She claims she has contact with the other groups. How? Snail mail?”

Mark nodded as he thought. “We should do a word search.”

“A computer word search?” I asked. “Like you guys do for terrorism?”

Mark nodded. “Exactly.” He pointed a finger. “We have a great computer.” He grinned at Stan. “…and a great programmer/operator. We can monitor communication on the Internet. Do a word search. Flag messages that say things…like a vampire or other words for that. It would only have to be local search.”

Stan nodded. “I’ll do a satellite search of the area. I’ll see if there are other ways in and out of that hunting club.”

Shelly sighed and slapped Chuck on the knee. “And you thought this was a vacation?” She chuckled. “We’ll start ground surveillance and see who comes in and out.”

Chuck moaned. “Yeah.” He said weakly with no enthusiasm.

Colin chuckled. “We’ll help, guys. You know that.”

“But we’ll stay hidden.” Shelly pointed out.

Willie smiled. “I can help, too.”

I grinned glad he was ready to take a more active role. “I know you can. Are you sure you’re ready?”

Willie rolled his eyes. “I did more recon when I was in service. I haven’t forgotten how.”

Alex smiled. “Me, too. I did recon for the army in World War II.”

Mom looked at Willie. “It could be dangerous.”

Willie nodded. “I spent all of my time running from danger. I can contribute to this.” He smiled at Mom. “I won’t be alone. I can do this and we’ll be careful.”

Stan stood with a sigh. “Well, I’ll start with those scans…we’ll see what more is under that structure.” He looked at Chuck. “I know you recorded the coordinates.”

Chuck looked slightly offended having someone doubt him. “Of course, I did.”

“Just checking.” Stan grinned.

Mark nodded also standing. “It’s daylight now. Perhaps I should do a little scouting.”

“It’s private property.” I pointed out.

Mark grinned. “I’ll be private.”

“You, of course, won’t be alone,” Chuck said firmly.

“And we’ll do the surveillance.” Shelly stated looking at Willie and Alex. “Any volunteers?”

Alex stood. “I’ll start it with you.”

Colin nodded. “And we’ll relieve you in ten hours.” He frowned. “She claimed that there were others, but didn’t say how many. She was evasive about the other two vampires. I don’t believe those are the only other ones. Also, she has a lot of family that assist her and they are human. They are the danger this time of day. I believe they will do anything to be rewarded by her.”

“Rewarded?” Willie asked.

“Marissa rewards by making them vampires,” I answered.

Mom’s eyes widened. “That’s not much of a reward; living only at night, having to drink blood.”

Colin nodded. “But no certain death.” He looked at Mark and Alex. “Be careful.”

Mark nodded. He leaned into Stan kissing him quickly. “I’ll be back.”

Stan nodded. “See that you do.”

Colin and I did take a watch doing the surveillance. We were in some heavy foliage with our car parked nearly a mile away and hidden. We watched from right across from the camp’s entrance. There was not a lot of traffic in and out. It was a hunting club, but I didn’t see any car or truck go in with the means to hunt. I expected pickups with gun racks. I also didn’t notice any females go in or out.

“Marissa being female, you would think she’d want a few of her own gender there, too,” I said as I looked through a camera’s zoomed image. I would take pictures of people that came and went.

“Women in the 16^th and 17^th Century didn’t have a lot of power.” Colin pointed out. “She probably thinks like that even though she is in power.”

I nodded. “How did she rise to First Vampire?”

Colin shrugged. “She had to be given that after something she’d done no one else could. I don’t know this hierarchy structure with those vampires in Europe, but her age is less important, I think. She may use those looks to her advantage.”

“They probably know they’re being watched,” I said.

Colin nodded. “We are, too.” He smiled. “Our advantage is we live on an island, the estate is enclosed by a wall and we have security guards.”

I nodded. “Our other advantage is that she believes in magic.”

Colin looked at me puzzled. “She does?”

“When she asked about us moving around in daylight…her first suggestion on a solution was a talisman.” I pointed out. “That means she’s open to the idea of magic.”

Colin nodded. “You know there isn’t.”

I kissed him. “I’ve never seen anything except a performance with sleight-of-hand and misdirection. Other than that, on TV.”

“So, do you believe in magic at all?”

I smiled. “I believe there are things we can’t explain. I’ve never seen a witch, wizard or ghosts. There are things we don’t have the understanding to explain.” I shrugged.

“Those shows about ghosts and those people who track them?”

I frowned. “I get the feeling those shows are a lot of hype. Is there something there? I don’t know.” I looked at a car we’d seen go in and was now coming out. “They make you excited telling the audience what they believe, wanting the audience to believe what the audience should see, but I feel it’s mostly for ratings. I’m not sure their Aunt Harriet is necessarily a ghost or the ghost in question. I don’t know that it’s even a ghost.” I shrugged. “I could be wrong, but I’d like to see it for myself.”

Colin nodded. “I grew up in a much more simpler time. We didn’t have all these discoveries and innovations. I was raised believing things were a certain way. You didn’t question it.” He chuckled. “There wasn’t a lot of talk about dinosaurs and that stuff.”

“But we know now,” I said and smiled. “So, ask me.”

Colin looked puzzled. “Ask you what?”

“If I believe in the Bible and God. We’ve never really discussed it beyond our love life.”

Colin smiled. “Do you?”

“I believe there had to be something involved,” I admitted. “We are such complicated creatures. Even lower animals are just as complicated. It’s hard to think even with millions of years or billions of years we just evolved from simple pond goo. Someone or something had to be involved. Take the Earth. If you think how old it probably is…take you as an example of the Earth and evolution. Your whole body is Earth. We’ve only really been around in time like the tips of your fingernails that need cutting. Only that small fraction of time is the human being. This world wasn’t created just for us. We’re evolved from pond goo to the point we know we’re from pond goo?” I sighed. “Personally, I think whomever or whatever involved would look down on us and laugh at the foolishness on how we explained it all.”

Colin nodded. “Probably.” He sighed. “And being a vampire doesn’t worry you?”

“We aren’t evil, Colin, if you’re worried about that,” I said to him. “I don’t think I am evil and…” I chuckled. “…I know you aren’t. We’re vampires. Yes. We just…have a condition. It’s medical, not supernatural.” I smiled. “Otherwise, you’d burn your hand holding that crucifix.” I kissed him again. “I do believe there is more after we die. When we do find out what was involved to make us who and what we are…we’ll all do a forehead slap to ourselves and wonder why the hell we hadn’t seen it before.”

Colin chuckled. “You could be right.” He thought a minute. “Marissa might have lived a long time…and she might be smart…but I wager those foundations she was raised in are still there just like mine are.”

“Meaning?”

“We might use it to deal with her,” Colin said. “I think our real threat, though, is Adrian. I just feel it.”

“Do you think he is doing what others tried to do? Take control?”

“But knowing what Marissa did to those others, he’s being careful.” He frowned. “I wish I could tell you what I felt from him.” He looked at me. “When I met you…the feeling I got was open, friendly and smart.”

“And from Adrian?”

“He’s definitely smart, I also sensed fear, hatred and…just a pit of…darkness,” Colin said quietly. “It’s hard to describe.”

Nothing happened during our watch. We were relieved by Chuck and Willie. Going back to Wentworth Manor, we met with Stan.

“Did you find anything?” Colin asked him.

Stan’s eyebrows rose. “Did I.” He quickly brought up a computer image I recognized as a satellite photo. He pointed to a heavily forested part of the area where Marissa may live, but where we met her. “This is just a photo of the area.” He typed again fast. Another image had this image…there was the house, but underneath were tunnels and chambers. “This is how we find those hidden cities and places that have overgrown by jungle or been buried. This area has a lot of area dug into rock and earth. That’s why it doesn’t leak like some areas around here would. It’s almost as big underground as this place is.” He waved at the sounding manor. “Now, there is a reading that says power is being used.”

“Power for what?” I asked.

“It’s done by a generator. There is no power line from anywhere else, but it is being produced. My thinking was that Marissa knew things that only a computer would know about. She had too much information about you guys.” He folded his arms. “Even if Stephen had spoken with your mother about you…she wouldn’t have known about Holm’s Laboratories or your holdings to tell Stephen about. Even if he went to his home and used his own computer…I don’t think there is too much about you, Colin or George Holm online for a simple computer.” He nodded at the screen. “Someone has been specifically looking at you, Colin. Even I would have to look carefully to know you started the business in 1972.” He pulled up a file. “This was your first venture into the financial world with investments.” He chuckled. “And that was only working at night, but you made a profit. That was by C. Wentworth.”

Colin nodded. “That was when George had worked out some serum, but not perfected it. The first serum did work a little. It only kept us from burning but didn’t last but a few hours. The real serum took another twenty years to come up with.” He sighed. “That sensation of tingling? You had that while out in sunlight. It lasted a few hours, and then you had to come back inside.”

“I still say…” I began. “There is a threat with that serum. A person…or vampire…with that serum, if they used it for reasons less than lawful, could do some real damage.”

Colin frowned. “Adrian would be the one to do just that.” He grimaced as he paced slowly. “His caution to Marissa was real, that I got, but about her not taking the serum? He felt…threatened.”

“By her taking the serum?” I asked.

“He was interested in the serum, but it would give her too much freedom,” Colin said and he shrugged. “I think.” He threw his hands up in frustration. “I’m guessing!”

“Your guesses are usually right,” I groaned.

“She’s old and has been First Vampire a while. Say what you will, she’s still part human and believes she is Queen.” Colin said. “We should capitalize on that assumption. I don’t know what she’s capable of. What talents she has except her appearance of feminine youth. She may not know Adrian is a possible threat, but I do.”

“We need to come up with a plan.”

Colin smiled. “I wonder if we can see her without all those…others.”

“She’s pretty heavily guarded,” I said. “I doubt it.”

Colin’s mind was working again in more effort. “I guarantee, Adrian’s planning something now, but he needs the serum and formula.” He looked at Stan and me. “We need to come up with something quickly.”

I smiled. “I wonder…” I stopped as something was forming in my head. “George would administer the serum, right?”

Colin nodded. “Of course.”

“Maybe we should insist they take it here.” I began.

“Here? At the manor?” Stan asked.

I nodded. “We start the serum, they go through the pain and get to stay up a day or two.” I grinned. “Would George be capable of making a disc that’s a placebo?”

“A disc that isn’t serum?” Colin smiled and nodded. “He could.”

I nodded. “Once Adrian thinks he’s got what he needs, he will move forward on whatever he has in mind. Once Adrian makes his move, if he’s going to do something to Marissa or us, we don’t give him the serum anymore. He becomes a full vampire again.” I smiled. “We have the power; not them. If we see what they’re up to and don’t like it. The serum stops.”

Colin nodded. “We’ll have to protect the formula and serum more, but…” he smiled. “…that could work.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to end anyone’s life, but if she thinks she’s my First Vampire or Queen. This will be the beginning of a second American Revolution. She either gets with the program or goes on the way she is, without the serum. Her little group of vampires will die eventually anyway. She’s been First Vampire a long time and it may be hard for her to accept. She’s not in charge.”

“Does this mean we’re in charge instead?” I asked.

“We ask people what they want. We try to integrate them if possible. Like Willie, he could have chosen to remain a vampire and not take the surgery. Amanda didn’t have to get with the program at all.” Colin said. “No one is making absolute decisions for anyone else.”

“Aren’t we?” I asked quietly. “The criminal that was turned and still wants to steal; we would deny him serum, wouldn’t we? It’s either comply or remain what they are, but not in public.”

“What should we do?” Colin asked.

“We need to have rules,” I said. “Rules that are followed by everyone to get the serum. We’ve been lucky so far. We might get one like Adrian who may or not be nice. We are in charge. Who are we to decide to give or deny the serum?”

Colin nodded. “In case we turn into a Marissa?”

“To keep from becoming like Marissa.” I nodded.

Colin smiled. “I guess we do need to make some rules and guidelines to get the serum.” He nodded.

“After we deal with Marissa and Adrian.”

Colin nodded. “At least we now have the beginnings of a plan.”