#60: Truce
“I can’t believe you made a truce with him,” Foster said. “We should just kill them all and be done with it. That’ll send a message to their little club.”
“Then what?” Ivan waited for Foster to answer.
“The message is sent, they learn to fear you.”
“The only message they receive is that you will kill a single captured enemy. They learn to send a larger squad in the future and they learn to show you no mercy. Would you throw away a valuable ally? Even the oldest of vampires is wise to fear a shaman. And what do you suppose will happen if you kill Gabe?”
“The whole pack comes after me for revenge,” Foster said with a long, drawn out sigh. “I was… hasty.”
“Yes you were,” Ivan said, flicking the fairy on the forehead. “Your decision would have guaranteed us three powerful enemies. Trifecta’s head office, a shaman, and a pack of werewolves. What has my course of action done?”
“Guaranteed us three powerful allies,” Foster huffed.
“There are no guarantees,” Ivan said. He bellowed in laughter at Foster’s scowl. “Crush your enemies with the power of your allies and save your own strength for when it counts most.”
“We’ll play it your way.” Foster released the spell binding Gabe. “But I still don’t trust them.”
“Now that is very, very wise.”
“He’s free to go. If that dog scampers back to his pack and rounds them up against us, I’m going to tell you I told you so.”
“I’m certain that will not happen,” Ivan said. “But if it does, then I shall revel in glorious battle! Aha! None shall stand against the might of the king!”
Foster let slip an evil little chuckle.
“Dare I even ask?” Ivan raised a single brow.
“Well, I was thinking…”
Meanwhile…
“He was stabbed? Not my Micah!”
“Don’t cry,” Patrick said.
“He’ll be okay,” Lee said. “Micah’s a tough guy.”
“I’ll get the car,” Jim said. “Ryan, pull yourself together. We’re leaving.”
“Yeah… I’m coming.”
Later that Evening….
“Okay, this is the third hospital we’ve been to and they say he’s not here either,” Patrick said with a yawn. His slow, Georgian drawl was more pronounced when he was tired. "Come on guys, let's go to the next one."
"Ryan, you sure you're remembering everything correctly?"
“Jillian called an ambulance and she left with him.”
“And who is Jillian?”
“My cousin. Do you think she’d have taken him to a military hospital?”
“Why would this cousin of yours take Micah to a military hospital?”
“Well, um… his mom was in the army. Maybe he’s got like, army insurance or something like that.”
“Dammit Ryan, you think you could have mentioned that sooner?”
After a long wait at the fourth hospital Patrick appeared to the group and said, “He’s not here either. There’s one more VA hospital with an ER within driving distance.”
“Y’all stay put while I check with the nurses’ station. Seriously, this is the last time I’m pulling this stunt. My nose is getting stuffy.”
“Maybe I should try a locator spell,” Ina said.
“Why don’t any of you knuckleheads ever think of this stuff before we drive all over the known universe?” Lee fumed under his breath.
*sigh*
“He’s been gone an awful long time,” Ryan whispered. “What if… what if he’s…”
“DON’T,” Lee hissed. “Don’t even say it.”
“That nurse is a battle-axe, no lie. Seriously, it took ten minutes of blubbering and another five minutes of frantic ranting about discrimination and lawsuits before she got desperate enough to shut me up and look in her computer. If anyone asks, it was a spring wedding in the Hamptons this time.” Patrick rubbed his stuffy nose. "Stupid HIPPA rules."
“But this is the last hospital with an emergency room,” Jim said. “There’s nowhere else he could be.”
“Between heartbroken sobs I managed to tell her what happened and she got all pale n’ stuff and checked every mortuary in town for me. That’s what took so long. So good news is he ain’t on a slab somewhere. Bad news is that we’re out of options.”
“What if Jillian took him to some top secret military installation? What if they’re keeping him captive and are running bizarre tests on him? WHAT IF…” Lee punched his brother to shut him up.
Jim said, “Ryan, you keep trying to reach this cousin of yours. Ina, you might want to…” Jim dropped his voice to a whisper. “She’s asleep.”
“Let’s go home,” Jim whispered. “We’ll figure out what to do in the morning.”
At Patrick and Jim’s epic condo in the sky…
“Make yourselves at home,” Patrick said.
“Kitchen’s got whatever the maid stocked so good luck, she’s been on another health-food spree. Jim's gonna put Ina downstairs so she’ll have her own kitchen and bathroom. You losers are gonna have to share mine. Sweet view, huh? There’s a perv with a telescope in that building over there, no lie.” Lee and Ryan burst out laughing. “You can use the binoculars over there to wave at ‘em.”
Lee snorted, “Who’s the perv now, Patrick?”
Jim tucked Ina into the guest bed and left a note by the nightstand.
In Eolande...
“Not too late to back out…”
“The Regent will see you now.”
Tee Bee See
