Re-Education - 12. Chapter 12

When we entered the office, I looked around and saw things in a different light than I had roughly an hour before. The first time I came in here, I was evaluating how I could execute my plan; now, I was looking at it from an operational perspective. I could find no flaws. We were still standing in the doorway when Andrew came up behind us.

“You wanted to meet with us, My Lord?” he said in his refined tone.

I turned and nodded, “I did. First, do you know where the safe is? And who might have the combination?”

“There are two, My Lord. His Lordship—”

“Please,” I interrupted, “I don’t mean to disrespect the dead, but can we refer to him as the former Baron or the late Baron? After what I witnessed, I don’t feel he deserves the title of Lord.”

Andrew showed me the first hint of emotion when he asked, “Would ‘the pervert’ be too disrespectful, My Lord?”

I laughed a bit and said, “Just a bit, Andrew. Let’s stick with Baron Evans or simply the late Baron if you prefer.”

“Thank you, My Lord. The late Baron was fastidious about keeping his personal property separate from Baronial property. The safe behind the portrait of Andrew Mellon holds personal property and papers, and the one behind this panel,” he showed me a small, brass button that let a three-foot square of wood slide aside, “contains Baronial property and papers.”

“And the combinations?” I asked.

“Are written on the note, tucked into the corner of the desk blotter, My Lord,” he said, pointing to the leather-bound pad that covered the center of the desk.

“We can check their contents when my Council is assembled,” I said as I moved from the safe to the chair behind the desk. I sat, looked up, then stood and offered my hand to the thirty-something-appearing blonde lady who was with Andrew. I said, “I apologize, ma’am. I’ve ignored you. I assume you are the Chief Cook?”

“Head Cook, My Lord, yessir,” she replied with a smile.

“My Lord, this is your Head Cook and my mate, Amy. Forgive me for not introducing you,” Andrew said, abashed.

“Nice to meet you, Amy. If you can, I prefer to be called Greg, as I have a hard time seeing myself as better than those who work to make my life easier,”

“Thank you, My, er, Greg,” Amy said as Andrew scowled. “We were just beginning to prepare breakfast. If our menu doesn’t suit you, we can prepare something else.”

I shook my head. “Unless Mr. Evans had unusual food preferences, anything you have will be fine. To my knowledge, no one in my family has picky tastes, so feel free to experiment and surprise us. If we find something we don’t like, we can simply tell you, and you can adjust. Will that work for you?”

“Certainly, My, er, Greg,” Amy stuttered, then added, “Forgive me; it will take me time to adjust to calling you by name.”

“If I may, My Lord,” Andrew interjected, “while I understand that you are a new Baron, I find it best if the staff stick to proper protocol and refer to His Lordship in a proper manner.”

“I understand, Andrew, and I will never reprimand you or your staff for sticking to that. Nor will I be upset if, in private, they relax and call me by my given name, just as I address them. Still, I won’t interfere with how you run the house,” I explained.

“We will adjust to each other, My Lord, and thank you for allowing me to offer my opinion,” Andrew said with a smile.

“If I may ask, My Lord,” Amy said, glancing at Andrew. “Do you have any particular preferences in blood?”

“I like elk and whitetail the most, Amy, but again, I am open to expanding my tastes.” I pointed over my shoulder and said, “This one… Oh, excuse my manners; this is my Lord Steward William.” Amy nodded. “This one likes sheep’s blood, though I can’t understand why.”

Billy said, “Feel free to call me Billy, Amy. So far, I’ve not found a blood I dislike, but as Greg said, my Scottish blood craves the sheep.”

Amy smiled. “I had a cousin from Edinburgh who liked sheep, My Lord. I’ll see if I can’t find a source.”

“I’ll give you my grandma’s number, Amy. She’s got a source, and thank you,” Billy said, laying on the charm.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to my kitchen,” Amy said, then waited a second. When I nodded, she curtsied and left.

I was about to ask Andrew if there was anything else I needed to address when Tommy came in, followed by James, Donna, Brian, and Josh. After introducing everyone, I looked at James.

“Where’s Samuel?” I asked.

“We told him where you are and he smiled, then asked if he could stay with Craig and swim. I asked Mary to bring him to Robert’s place at noon,” James replied.

“This was all of his own free will?” I asked, emphasizing free.

James nodded, “It was Greg. He seemed like a load had been taken off his shoulders when we told him the old Baron was dead.”

I smiled. “And how long do I have before I have to inform His Highness that I have assumed the Barony?” I asked.

“You have seven days from sunrise today, My Lord, to notify Viscount Manhattan and the Baronets in your realm. It falls to the Viscount to notify the Count, and he to the prince,” James explained, becoming more formal.

“And with my being summoned to the Prince’s Court? Can I simply notify him then?”

“You must notify the Viscount, but nothing says you cannot tell the Prince if you see him within that timeframe.”

“Tommy, tell me of the security situation,” I asked.

He explained, “With Marshal Jones’ input, I have placed two armed Marshals at each of the two gates and used a vehicle to block the interior gate. I have Marshals posted under the portico and three patrols roving the grounds. Captain Vega is monitoring the situation from the control room, and once Sergeant Riva puts his three individuals in their taxis, he will be assigned to stay at your side.”

Billy asked, “Did those individuals have funds for travel?”

“They did not, My Lord. The couple asked to be sent to Mexico, and the footman asked if we could send him to Moscow. His Lordship didn’t specify a limit on their travel, so I approved the purchase of tickets,” Tommy replied. “If I overstepped you can—”

“You did as I directed, Tommy. That’s the end of it. If they request a job reference, you will consult Marshal Jones and base your response strictly on their job performance prior to today.” I turned to Andrew and added, “Same for the footman. We cannot assume their reason for leaving had anything to do with my new law, so we will not tarnish their reputation.”

They both replied, “Yes, My Lord.”

I groaned inwardly as I faced my next task. I looked at Josh and said, “Jake was injured during my fight with the previous Baron, Josh. Now that things are safe and somewhat under control, I need to see to him.”

“You left him to die while you sorted out job references?” Josh exploded.

“Mind your tone, Warden.” I snapped. In a softer tone, I said, “I evaluated his condition and decided that he would be fine with my mate while I made sure we were all safe. If his condition had changed, Scott would have summoned me, and I would have immediately gone to him.”

“I’m sorry, Greg. You’re right. Even if he was dying, you had to—”

“If he was dying,” I said, “I had several quite capable protectors who would have ensured my safety while I kept our brother alive, Josh. He hasn’t left my thoughts for a second.” I turned to Billy and asked, “Do you want to come with me? Or stay here with Brian and try to start sorting through this mess?”

“I’ll come tell Jake I’ll kill him if he doesn’t survive, then Brian, Chris, and I can get started on whatever’s in the Baronial safe,” Billy replied. “Unless you need Chris for something else?”

We all smiled at Billy’s joke, and then I stood and headed for the bedroom. When I walked in, the footmen were loading the former Baron’s body into a wheelbarrow. I was stunned at the sheer volume of blood our fight had shed. There wasn’t a surface in the room that was free of blood. Every wall, the floor, the bed, and even the ceiling had blood spatter. For a moment, I felt bad for the maids who had to clean this up, then my eyes met Scott’s, and I forgot everything.

“I was just about to call you, Greg. He’s been slowly getting worse. I think the time has come,” Scott said.

I waited so Josh could speak to his brother. He knelt and took Jake’s limp hand in his own, then leaned down and whispered something in his ear. Jake was conscious, and I saw him smile, but he couldn’t speak. I watched as Josh held him, again seeming to communicate mind-to-mind, and then Josh kissed his forehead and stood.

“Jake says it’s about time,” Josh told me. Then added, “Not that you waited today, but that you waited until today. I mean—”

“I know what you mean, Josh,” I looked at Jake. “If you would stay alive, I’d wait another week just to piss you off, asshole. You couldn’t wait? Had to get yourself hurt so I had to do this, didn’t you?” I asked with tears rolling down my face.

Jake tried to smile, and I knew he wanted to shrug. I moved Josh aside and knelt at my brother’s side. Then, a horrible thought crossed my mind. What if…

“Josh?” I asked with fear in my voice. “What if…”

“He’ll be able to tell you what he wants mind-to-mind, Greg. Just try. That’s all you can do,” Josh replied, sounding much stronger than I felt.

I leaned down and gave Jake a gentle kiss, dropped my fangs, and began to drain the life from my closest friend as my tears dripped onto his cheek. Once again, I saw an infant staring back at me, but this time, I was seeing Josh through Jake’s eyes. I watched as Josh grew, as they fought and made up. I felt Jake’s inner conflict when he started having sexual feelings toward his brother. His fears the night he told his parents he was gay. I was stunned when I felt the depth of his love for me. I relived, through his eyes, the night he watched me drain his brother and felt his terror as he pushed his hands inside his brother’s leg as we tried to save Josh’s leg and his life in a twisted combination of medical knowledge and pure guesses. I felt his relief when Josh stood for the first time. I felt a mixture of fear and curiosity the first time he offered his vampire twin his wrist to feed on. I watched my fight with Baron Evans through Jake’s eyes. Even as he lay dying, he watched with pride as I fought for what we thought was right. His thoughts slowly faded and finally went black as his heart beat for the last time. The last time as a human.

When his heart stopped, I stopped. I pulled back and looked at his lifeless body for a second, then leaned down and gave him another kiss. I put my wrist to a fang, opened my veins, and held my wrist to his mouth. Unlike his brother, Jake didn’t hesitate to draw in my life-giving blood. He couldn’t hold my wrist to his face like his brother had, so I held it for him, doing my best to keep his lips sealed so he could get every drop his body desired.

As he and Josh headed for the office, I heard Scott ask Andrew to bring some blood. I laughed to myself. Unlike Josh, who had lost a lot of blood, Jake had barely lost a drop. I was bloated on his blood, blood drunk like a newborn, even though I’d been feeding from my friends for months. I didn’t need more blood; I simply needed to process it into my body, changing it from human to vampire, changing him from human to vampire. I was lost in these thoughts when I realized that Jake had stopped feeding. For a moment, I thought I had failed, but as I watched him, I heard his heartbeat. He was sated and was simply sleeping as his body changed and, hopefully, healed his broken neck.

As I watched him sleep, I thought about how frantic things had been as we tried to change Josh and Chris at the same time. I remembered sitting between them with both wrists open, feeding them. Watching as Scott fed one while Billy fed the other. Watching Josh’s face as he tasted the tea. Suddenly, I panicked. The tea; we’d forgotten the tea. Frantic, I looked around. I was alone. As soon as Jake started to feed, everyone had relaxed, and Chris, Brian, Scott, and Billy were in the office, sorting through papers. Josh was being shown around the house, getting a feel for what he might need to change.

I screamed Billy’s name, shouting for him to call his grandmother and get the tea. I was going to lose Jake because we had missed a stupid mixture known to humans for centuries. I took a breath to scream for Billy again when someone placed a thermos in my hand. I looked up to see Donna’s smiling face.

“You didn’t think I’d let your brother come into such a dangerous situation without having some tea ready, did you?” she asked.

I was so relieved I was crying as I smiled and said, “I knew you’d have it, Mom. Thank you.”

She just shook her head, knowing I was full of something. She nodded toward Jake. “I think it’s time.”

I took the top off the thermos and held it to his lips, gently letting it flow. Like his brother, he made a face, but having watched Josh, Jake knew he needed this, so he swallowed. When the thermos was empty, I opened my wrist and let him sate himself on my blood. Summoned by my screams, my entire family was at my side as Jake fell asleep and let the tea work its magic.

I felt like an idiot as I explained my screams. Scott insisted I take a break, saying that he would stay and feed Jake when he woke. In a daze, I followed Billy, Chris, and Brian to the office and sank into the chair. As my eyes wandered over the papers spread on top of the desk, my mind began to focus. Jake’s future was in the hands of the fates and those of my mate. I had a Barony to run.

Andrew had politely insisted I eat after Jake’s first feeding, so I sat at his side, holding a plate of eggs, sausage, bacon, and hash browns. Now, at my desk, there sat a plate with a simple turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich with potato chips. I took a bite or munched a few chips as Chris examined documents and discussed their content with me. When I saw the time, I realized I had to go downtown.

“Billy, please go take over for Scott. He and I need to take Josh and meet Robert,” I said as I stood. Deciding to test the acoustics in this massive building, I slightly raised my voice and said, “Sergeant Riva, I need you and Joshua in my office, please.”

Mere minutes later, they walked through the door just as Scott came in from the bedroom. I explained what I needed, and Riva used his radio to call Tommy, who quickly joined us.

“I would prefer you not leave the grounds today, Greg, but I know better than to argue, so I insist on going along,” he said.

“You need to stay here and get a feel for these new Marshals, as well as getting to know your daughter,” I replied. “Speaking of which, when does Leonard arrive?”

“Everyone from West Virginia wanted to stay until you notified David and Wanda, Greg,” Scott answered first. “Leonard wants to drive them.”

This was not a call I wanted to make, but it had to be done. I pulled out my phone and paused to look at Tommy. “You are not to leave the grounds until Leonard arrives. That is an order, Chief Marshal. Sergeant Riva can drive us, and you can send Jones to assist or anyone else you choose, but you are on house arrest, understood? Where is the girl anyway? And what’s her name?”

“Yes, I understand, Greg, and she’s asleep. Amy mixed up some valerian root tea to help her rest, and her name is Mandy,” Tommy replied with more than a little snark. “Anything else before I go babysit video monitors?”

I just smirked and waved him away with my hand. “Chris, while we’re gone, put this stuff back in the safe and see if you and Brian can get a start on the personal stuff. I’d like to know who his heir is and try to determine how much of this furniture I’m going to have to replace.”

I hit ‘Jacksons’ on my contacts list and heard the line ring once before David answered. From his tone, he was expecting the worst.

“I’m sending a car to get you and Wanda and bring you up to my new home,” I said, hoping to distract him with the news.

“And will Jake survive the change?” David asked, understanding that if Jake were fine, he would have called.

“He’ll survive the change, David, but… I don’t want to tell you this over the phone, but you’re not going to let me go until I tell you everything, are you?” I asked.

“Not everything, Greg. Just the part that you’re trying to ease me into,” he replied.

I sighed and swallowed the bullet. “Jake’s neck was broken when one of the late Baron’s guards tried to intervene in our fight. Until he wakes up, we have no way of knowing if the change will heal his spine or if he’ll be a vampire quadriplegic.”

“And what does your gut tell you?”

“My gut has no idea, David,” I replied as my tears started again. “But my heart says he’ll be perfect.”

“Well, your heart lies, Greg, 'cause Jake was never perfect,” David said, helping both of us to ease our tension. “We’ll be waiting for the car, Greg. If anything changes, you’ll call us?”

“I’ll call, David. He’ll still be sleeping and feeding when you get here, but I knew you’d want to come.” He didn’t reply, and I was at a loss for words until he disconnected. Then I turned to Scott and said, “Let’s go.”

We headed through the hall to the foyer, and as we approached the door, the footmen opened it for us. As we approached the Denali, the Marshals opened the doors for Billy, Josh, and me. Jones was already in the driver's seat, and as soon as Riva got in, we started moving. Seeing the black Suburban back away from the gate so it could be opened made me think of the scene in ‘The Godfather,’ and I laughed. Of course, I then had to explain to everyone why I laughed, which made them laugh. It helped because Jones was on edge. He and I both understood that he was just doing his job, but we had been adversaries, and now we weren’t. There was also the unspoken fact that I had enthralled him, something that was supposed to be impossible, but we both knew it happened. I would have to address that at some point, but not today.

As we sped up the interstate, I noticed that traffic seemed to be moving aside, allowing us to pass. When I mentioned this, Jones said, “Baron Evans insisted we always use the lights, My Lord.”

“Lights?” I asked.

“As the Baron of Pittsburgh, your vehicle is designated as an emergency vehicle, My Lord. Blue lights are standard in all Dracul vehicles,” he replied.

“I think, unless I say otherwise, we can do without them,” I said. “I’m open to opinions, but I feel we endanger the other vehicles if we use them too much.”

“It’s a common debate, My Lord,” Riva said. “I’m not convinced either way.”

Jones explained, “If we’re going to speed it—"

I quietly interrupted, “You don’t have to stick to the speed limit, Marshal Jones, but we’re in no rush. Let’s just match the flow of traffic.”

“As you wish, My Lord,” he replied as he turned off the lights and slowed to match the surrounding vehicles.

Josh leaned forward and, in a stage whisper, said, “I thought it was cool, Jones.”

We all laughed as Jones said, “Thank you, My Lord.”

As we were laughing, we approached one of my favorite views in Pittsburgh. When you travel east on Interstate 376 from the south hills, you go through the Fort Pitt Tunnel to get to downtown. As you emerge from the tunnel, you are suddenly presented with the skyline of Pittsburgh. An image framed by the two rivers that merge to become the Ohio; an image centered on the ‘Glass Castle,’ properly known as the PPG Tower. The tallest building in the skyline; shrouded in glass, with towers on each corner, giving the appearance of a medieval castle.

We crossed the Fort Pitt Bridge, dropped down and followed the Monongahela River, took the Grant Street exit, and parked. As we exited the Denali, I looked around at the incredible location. Across the street was a block-long park filled with grass and trees, perfect for a springtime lunch. Across the corner was the PNC Bank building, creating foot traffic for the right tenants. Unless Josh declared the building a wreck, I was sold.

The north half of the west face of the building had been refurbished at some point and had fresh brick with square-topped windows and door openings, while the south half had the original arched openings on the street level and high-arched windows on the third floor. The icing on top of this wonderful cake was the 40-spot parking lot that was currently leased to one of the rental parking companies to provide steady, low-expense income. It could easily be converted to give tenants free parking for their employees or clients.

When we passed under the green canopy and entered Robert’s shop, we were greeted by the smiles of Robert, Samuel, and Mary as they sat at a small table enjoying bear claws and blood. I sniffed. Oh, elk. I happily accepted the offered warm elk blood and sticky bear claw, dripping with warm chocolate.

“You’re trying to sweeten the deal,” I said to Robert with a grin.

“Not another one,” Samuel groaned.

“Another what?” I asked.

“Another guy who thinks that dad jokes are funny,” Robert explained. “He’s threatened to stitch me into a bag after some of my best.”

I shrugged and laughed with him, then said, “I don’t mean to rush things, Robert, but—”

“But after this morning, you have a Barony to run, My Lord?” Robert interjected.

“That, and my brother is at home, sleeping between feedings, going through the change,” I added.

Mary looked at Josh and asked, “And how are you doing, Josh?”

“I’m better than I should be, Mary,” he replied. “I’m more concerned about his injury than the change itself.”

Mary asked, so we had to explain about Jake’s broken neck and our concern that he would come through the change to find himself a vampire in a motorized wheelchair. Mary and Robert both assured us that the change could heal almost any injury suffered in the hours just prior to death, but until we saw it for ourselves, we held tight to our worries.

“Then let’s get this tour over with,” Robert said once we were done talking about Jake. “Where would you like to start, My Lord?”

I assumed he was addressing Josh, so I waited. It seems that Josh assumed he was addressing me because the silence seemed to drag on. Finally, Samuel said, “Well, since I’m the one giving the tour, let’s start with the basement, My Lords.”

As Joshua examined the heating, cooling, electrical, and plumbing in the basement, Scott and I started our conversation with Samuel. “If you had your choice, would you be a tailor’s apprentice?” I asked

He shrugged and said, “I don’t mind the work, My Lord, and Robert treats me as if I was his own blood, but…”

“But you don’t love it like he does, and you’ve been afraid of the Baron?”

He nodded. “That, and afraid to leave Robert with no help in the shop.”

Josh finished with the basement, so we skipped the ground floor and moved to the second floor. Samuel and I continued.

“Well, now that I’m your Baron, if I could make it so you don’t have to worry about Robert, what would you like to do?” I pressed.

“I never gave it much thought, My Lord,” Samuel said.

“Has anyone told you about the school we built?” Scott asked.

“I’m too old to start school, My Lord. I love to read, and I can do basic math, but that algebra stuff Miss Amy tried to teach me just never made sense,” he replied.

As Josh explored the third floor, I got a sense of who Samuel was.

“I’ll make you a deal,” I offered. He looked at me, unsure but waiting. “I’ll take care of Robert, so you won’t be letting him down, and you go to our school for six months. If you hate it, you can stop, and we’ll find a job that you enjoy. If you like it, you can do anything you want.”

“Does your taking care of Robert depend on my answer?” he asked, demonstrating his feelings for his adoptive father.

I shook my head, “Nope, I’m going to do that no matter what you do.”

Josh quickly looked at the fourth and fifth floors, and then we inspected the roof.

“Can I call you next week? I wanna think about it,” he said, totally forgetting that I was his Baron and could literally remove him from existence on a whim.

“How about we plan on you coming to visit the boys? We have to go to New York next weekend, and I’m sure they’d love to see you again,” Scott said.

His smile glowed in the dim basement as he nodded, “I’d like that, My Lord.”

We returned to the ground floor, where I paid a bit more attention. “Robert, may we see the apartment you have?”

“Of course, My Lord,” he said, leading us through a door at the rear of his shop. We entered a small, four-room apartment that was smaller than our bedroom at the farm. It consisted of a living area, a bedroom, a kitchen with a small table, and a bathroom that showed signs of several leaky pipes. We then went back to Robert’s shop and sat at the table.

As soon as we sat, Robert stunned me by saying, “With all due respect, My Lord, you can cut the shit.”

“Would you care to explain?” I asked, shocked by his brash statement.

“The only reason you wanted to buy my business was so you could allow my Kate and me to renew. Now you’re the Baron, so you don’t need to do that; just grant us permission,” he explained, forgetting the honorific for the first time.

Joshua jumped in with, “While that might be true, will you be just as honest with me?” Robert eyed him for a second, then nodded. “Your life’s savings is tied up in this building. You can barely afford the upkeep, and you can’t afford to renovate in order to pull in the bigger money tenants. Every penny you collect in rent goes back into the building, so you and your wife live like paupers, even though you own a four-million-dollar nest egg. And your tailor shop hardly has enough income to qualify as more than a hobby.”

Robert got defensive and said, “That’s bloody harsh, that is, My Lord.”

“And while you can talk like a gentleman, your roots are those of a tradesman. It shows when you get upset,” Josh said.

Robert started to reply, but I cut him off. “I think I see the cause of our misunderstanding. I want to be clear, Robert. You have my blessing to renew and for your wife to renew whenever you want. That is a done deal. It has nothing to do with my buying your building or business.”

Stunned, Robert stared at me for a long moment, then he asked, “Then why do you want to buy me out?”

“Let’s remember how we met. James tells me that you’re the finest bespoke tailor he’s ever found. Considering his age, that says something, doesn’t it?” Robert gave a shy nod. “And this building, with the right backing, could pull in twice the rents you can ask due to your lack of funding.”

“That’s true, My Lord. I’ve tried, but—”

“I’m not saying these things as a judgment, simply saying them because they’re facts,” I explained.

“Then what about all those conditions? Me making suits for you for years and such?”

I smirked. “I’m not going to let you play stupid now, Robert. You know damned well those were done so I could claim you as my subject so I could grant your request. Now, you’re my subject without all that bull, so I don’t need them. I still plan on coming to you for suits until one of us passes on. Unless that is,” I slowly added, “you’re not as good as James says.”

Robert laughed a belly laugh and said, “You’re evil, you are. Trying to draw me out by insulting my work without ever having seen it.” He thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll sell you my building on one condition.” I just waited. He smirked and said, “You get your asses out of here so I can get your suits done before you leave tomorrow."

We all laughed as Josh and I quickly jumped to our feet and ran toward the door, where I paused, “Here’s a check for three million. We can agree on a price and figure out who owes whom in a week or two. Samuel, I expect to see you at my house on Friday afternoon. That’s the Baron’s old house, if that’s okay.”

Samuel nodded. “It’s a beautiful house that had an ugly master, My Lord. I’m thinking it’s a lot nicer now.”

We were exiting the shop when my phone rang; it was Billy.

“Get here now, Greg, it’s Jake.”