Blueblood: A Dark Southern Aristocracy - 45. Confrontation

This was messing our plans up. How could we give the serum to a rapist? That’s just what I asked Colin.

“We can’t give the serum to anyone that hasn’t be cleared of this,” I said. “How can we give the serum to a rapist?”

Colin frowned as he waved his head in frustration. “The whole point was to get him to let us know what his plans are.” He turned away frustrated. “We don’t know it was anyone in particular.”

George shook his head. “I say we tell Marissa we won’t give the serum until the culprit is found.”

I shook my head. “She could give us anyone and say they were guilty. We need some kind of proof.”

Colin groaned as he held his fists to his temples. “Guys! It’s clear I don’t know what I’m doing.” He grimaced leaning forward in his chair as he put his head on the table. “We are delving in an area we’ve never been before.” He sat up again.

“I agree, but what should we do?” I asked. “We shouldn’t give whoever this is more freedom. We’ll be releasing a criminal that can kill in the day as well as night.”

George shook his head. “Yes, but he won’t be a blood-sucking monster.” He pointed out. “And he has to keep coming to keep from being a vampire again.”

“And what if this vampire doesn’t want to change?” I asked.

Shelly shook her head. “Colin, what you just said is complete utter bullshit.”

Colin’s eyebrows rose. “Excuse me!?”

“This is a new area, but you have been willing to take it on almost by yourself!” Shelly said firmly. “I wasn’t sure when I joined this group what we should do. All you’ve done is try to help others that had something horrible happen to them. The problem is that we’re doing it alone.”

“No one else is joining,” George said firmly.

Shelly sighed. “I mean, we’re doing something that really isn’t legal. It’s not legal because there are no laws to follow.” She smiled. “You need to confront her with what you know. This whole…let’s-be-careful-approach, isn’t getting rid of the threat. Quit being nice! There was a death! Who cares if we don’t know who it was who did it; we know it was from there. The killer is there.” She threw her hands up. “Whether she killed that girl or not, she turned people into vampires that did kill.”

I nodded. “Brett Marshal for one. She disciplined her nephew, but Brett still turned you because of her.” I took Colin’s hand. “You know she’s right. We should remove them now.”

Shelly sat forward a little. “My point is…there are people out there that aren’t very nice. They are often greedy and more often just plain evil. You are not.” She shook her head. “This is a world I never believed in. I can’t argue with what I’ve seen and know it’s real. I kept trying put in a human perspective all that I’ve seen, but it doesn’t fit.” She smiled. “And since there isn’t law we can go by, we’ll just do whatever’s necessary. They are a threat. We should demand answers that they will have to answer.”

Colin frowned. “Strong arm tactics? By what authority?”

“This Marissa has thought she was above the rules so long,” Shelly said. “Perhaps it’s time we showed her she isn’t above the basic morality rules of being human. Adrian, too. They need to be held accountable!” She shrugged. “Who will they complain to?” She was trying to get Colin to understand. “By whose authority? By your authority! By being human! You are more human than most regular people I know. You don’t want to be First Vampire. You don’t want to be a vampire at all! You are, but you have not killed. She has! She might not have done it herself, but she turned relatives as a reward. She’s just as guilty. They all are guilty, human and vampire!”

“To get the serum, she must comply with the rules,” George said. “We have it, they don’t. Fair or not, we’re making the rules. Shelly’s right.”

“The time we used playing nice is over. We go in, remove them and get these killers out!” Shelly said firmly. “Forget their rights, they have lost their humanity and should be treated that way.”

I squeezed Colin’s hand. “If it was a terrorist or some serial killer…or even a cult. We would go in and remove all that is in this. They are a cult.”

Colin nodded. “You’re right.” He sighed. “We have no choice.”

We kept an eye out for the Darcys. Ruben Chance would have given the go-ahead for the autopsy, but that wasn’t possible as Karen had been cremated before we could do an autopsy. We got the official report from the county coroner. The cause of death was listed as homicide, but the report was incomplete. Chuck, Mark, Colin, myself and Shelly went to the coroner’s office to confront the coroner.

After asking the man why, he really didn’t have an answer. “They needed to bury her.”

Chuck frowned. “If she had been buried, we could have the body exhumed. This case is still under investigation. Her body should still be here!”

The man waved at the room where there were only a few places to put a body for the whole county. "Do you see where there is room for that?” He sighed. “I do what I can with what I have to work with.”

Shelly walked forward. “What you did, is against the law!”

Mark nodded. “Perhaps notification to the state’s Coroner’s Office is needed.”

The man nodded. “Fine. Report me. I did what I could.”

“Was she sexually assaulted?” Chuck asked. “It’s important.”

“Yes.” The coroner said. “Her family didn’t want that to be known. That’s why they opted for cremation!”

I shook my head. “That won’t make the fact it happened go away.”

“The Darcy family are rednecks.” The coroner said. “They were more worried about what others would think rather than finding out who did it.”

“Do the Darcy’s direct policy?” Chuck asked. “They can’t circumvent the law. You broke the law!”

“This doesn’t end with us, Doctor,” Shelly said threatening. “There may be a need to have you impeached.”

Now the man was looking a little worried. “I thought the case was closed.”

“Do we have a guilty party?” Shelly asked. “The investigation is still going on.”

Colin shook his head as we left the coroner’s office. “We need to confront the Darcys.” He said in a growl. He looked at Shelly. “There is no law about confronting vampires, so we’re just going to confront them head-on.”

Shelly nodded with a smile. “It’s about time.”

Stan had done a scan again and found where there might be alternate ways out of their complex, but first, the Darcys. The next evening, we came back to the hunting club’s entrance. There were no houses around this area except where Marissa and the club were located. This was for hunting. The rest of the area was wooded and there was the occasional passing car, but it was pretty deserted. Knowing from past encounters, we knew where the Darcys hid and watched the road. We approached them from all sides. Colin and I came at them from the street as we walked along, coming into view. Shelly and Willie came from the right, Alex and Mark from the left, Burke and Chuck from their rear. Being sneaky was not our concern as we walked toward them. It was the snap of a twig that caused the two Darcys to turn to see Burke and Chuck approaching. They rose like they were about to run.

“Freeze!” Shelly put her hand on her gun in its holster. “I’d really think about that course of action if I were you.”

Alex and Mark smiled as they also approached. “Do we talk…or make this official?” Mark asked removing his badge and showing it to them. “FBI, agent Goddard.” An agent with everyone except for Colin and me. The agents all took their badges out. “Either way, we are going to talk. Officially or unofficially, which do you prefer?”

“We’re just hunting.” The older of the two men said. That was Tucker Darcy.

Colin nodded. “Something you’ve done for what…a week now? Always in the same spot.” Colin shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“I agree you are hunting, but not for deer or rabbit…or any wild fauna,” I said.

The younger, Gavin Darcy frowned. “Wild what?”

“Animals,” Colin said sadly. “Wild animals.”

“We weren’t doing anything illegal,” Tucker said carefully.

Chuck came closer. “No, you’re just hunting for Karen’s killer.”

Tucker looked at Chuck and his eyes widened as he recognized Chuck. “You were that FBI agent that asked me those questions.”

Chuck nodded. “That’s right. Investigating what you are about to undermine by being here.”

Tucker rose pointing his thumb at the compound. “My daughter’s killer is in there!” He said urgently. “We followed him in there and he’s not come out in a week!”

I walked forward. “Tall and bald?”

Tucker turned to me. “Yes.”

“We’re here to remove that threat,” Colin said. He looked at Tucker carefully. “Do you know about him? What he is?”

Tucker nodded. “You won’t believe me if I tell you. No one does!”

Willie chuckled. “He’s a vampire.” He nodded. “We believe you and we know.”

Tucker and Gavin’s eyes grew. “You know?” Tucker asked.

“Now…” I said walked forward more. “We can leave you here and let you continue doing…whatever you’re doing.” I began. “For which you will probably die. They are well equipped to deal with you.”

“Or you can let us do what we intend to…” Shelly said with her hand still on her gun. “This is our job. What happened with Karen has happened before and we are doing our best to stop it. You can get away and let us do it, or stay and die.” She moved closer toward me and Colin. “It’s your choice, but we’re going in there tonight. We’re bringing them out to answer questions. This…” she waved at the entrance to the hunting club. “…ends tonight.”

“Do us a favor,” Mark said. “Do yourselves a favor and get to safety.” With that, the Darcys backed away with their hands raised in surrender.

Chuck jutted his head at Burke. “Let’s get the equipment.” He looked at the sky. “It will be sundown in an hour.” He looked at Alex. “Call her.”

Alex nodded and pulled up a small radio. “Gabriella, bring the van, please.”

It wasn’t long before we saw a van approach, driven by Gabriella.

“It will take an hour before the sunsets. That’s enough time.” Chuck said as he opened the van’s back doors. He began bringing out equipment. He looked at the compound’s entrance. “We might be observed.”

Shelly nodded. “But Stan is watching if someone leaves.” She put on a bulletproof vest and she passed on other things to all of us; the vests, the sun guns as well as regular guns, rifles and gas bombs, and gas masks and headgear to keep us in touch with Stan.

“Wow.” Willie grinned as he held the rifle. “There have really been some improvements.”

Mark chuckled. “Look through here.” He pointed at the scope. “This will work in pitch black dark. You’ll be able to target in the dark.”

Willie looked through the scope. “Wow.”

Shelly looked at everyone. “I’m issuing guns to those that have a military background.” She said smiling at Colin. “I’m sorry, but that isn’t you.” She jutted her head toward me. “Devon is certified.”

Colin frowned. “I’ve fired guns before and never missed a target These veterans...there are two that haven't served in the military in a nearly a century! ”

"With records I can confirm. Give me that and I'd gladly hand you a firearm." Shelly said. "They had to for carrying a gun in New York. You didn't."

"I can't do that." Colin said.

Shelly nodded. “I’m sorry, but that’s the way it goes.” She handed him a vest. “You can have a vest. We don’t want you hurt. And the gas mask; and you can have a sun gun.”

Colin grinned. “Gee, thanks.”

As the sun was getting lower, we drove up to the entrance. Using a heavy battering ram Chuck and Mark swung it at the front door and the door crashed open. A man I’d seen before was walking toward the stairs that would take us down, he looked up startled and dropped the blood he was bringing down to Marissa and Adrian.

“FBI!” Chuck shouted holding his badge up. “Freeze!”

The man was reaching for a decorative rope to pull. I figured it was something they had as a warning to those below. I fired at his hand, grazing his skin, making him withdraw his hand in pain. “Freeze means freeze!”

We hurried down the stairs to the ornate room where others were gathered and startled. No one had done this to them before, they were not ready to be confronted. They weren’t prepared!

Willie came down with his rifle aimed. “Over there!” He motioned with his rifle toward a wall. “All of you, over there against the wall. Face it with your hands behind your heads.”

Alex came up beside him as the men were moving slowly. “Faster, gentlemen.” Chuck was next to him, also with a gun pointed at them.

Mark led the way down the hall that we’d seen Marissa come out of. “I remember the images Stan showed me. The biggest chamber is at the end. Make sure they remain still, Stan said there may be ways out he didn’t detect.” He listened to his earpiece. “I just said I remember, Stan.” He groused to the voice he was hearing directing us where to go. “The chamber is right through there.” He pointed but stopped at a door. “But in here first.” He opened the door and there was a computer with a screen saver activated. He hit a button to activate the screen. He frowned. “This is very elementary, Stan.” He typed quickly and pulled up the dos files and typed again. “I’m linking you with this computer…” he said typing. “…now.” We watched as the screen changed and now someone else was adding things. “That’s Stan. He’s downloading the computer to ours.” He reached in his pocket and inserted a disc in the CD Rom. Mark grinned. “Just in case they have a way of purging data. This will stop it.”

We heard a scream from farther in. Now that we were getting what files they had, we were back in the hall and saw Shelly and Burke were having Marissa and Adrian cower as they both pointed sun guns at them.

“What are you doing?” Marissa asked in shock. “I thought we were becoming friends.”

Colin nodded. “That was before a person died! I tried to make friends, but I’ve been shown what you really are!”

“Who died?” Marissa screeched trying to shield herself from the sun gun.

Colin looked at Adrian. “Do you even know her name?” He asked. “The waitress in Holly Hill?”

Marissa looked at Adrian. “What!?” She asked surprised.

“A young woman on her way home from work was killed; drained of blood and sexually assaulted,” I said. “It was clear it was from a vampire. There were men watching that tracked the killer here.”

“Whether or not you did this…” Colin said. “This has to stop. Your reign as First Vampire is now over.”

Marissa looked at Adrian in pure fury. “Why??” She screeched. “Why did you do this?” She waved at the complex. “We have blood given to us. We don’t need to hunt!”

Adrian was also cowering to keep the sun guns off him. “She was prey! I followed my hunger.”

Colin frowned. “And the sexual assault?”

“She was going to die. She was aroused.” Adrian said simply.

“Because the venom does that!” Colin shouted at Adrian. “That’s part of the process when we bite a human! She wasn’t aroused by you as a person, but raped by a vampire!”

Marissa’s hands were raised as she came at Adrian fast. “You stupid idiot!” She screeched hitting Adrian, her fingernails cutting in his skin as she scratched. “You destroyed us! You destroyed ME!!”

Shelly walked closer to Marissa. “Back off, girly!” Shelly pointed the gun more directly at Marissa.

“I will take care of this,” Marissa said as she was cowering again from the light.

Colin shook his head. “Not enough and it won’t bring Karen Darcy back.” He looked at Marissa. “I meant it when I said you’re not First Vampire anymore. You and Adrian will be taken back and held.”

“But I didn’t kill anyone!” Marissa cried.

“And?” I said. “He came from you. They all came from you!”

“For all those that have been killed,” Colin said. “For turning a man, even though you disciplined him, but Brett, who bit me and my daughter! I’m taking care of this. I am a vampire because of you!!! No more will you reward a person by making them a vampire!! This ends now!”