The Pride

by Patricia Morse

  “I’m sorry,” was all I could manage to say.

  Link swiftly got up from his seat and walked around the mammoth desk. He stood in front of me like an angry principal and leaned against the front of the desk. He put his finger under my chin to tilt my face toward his. “That is all I needed to hear kitten. The flesh is weak, so I can forgive you this time. I’m certain you will not let it happen again.”

  Thank goodness he didn’t know about the beach yet. I couldn’t even imagine what my punishment would be for that. I shivered again from the fear.

  “Now for the second matter we need to clear up.”

  Oh God! He knows about the beach. He turned on the television once again. This time there was a grainy picture of what seemed to be a basement. Tied up, blindfolded, and badly beaten sitting on the cold cement floor were Cam, Brent, Paul, and Lenny. My heart nearly exploded from the pain of seeing them like that.

  “Do you know these men my pet?”

  “No.” I could see their bodies convulse as volts of electricity pounded through them.

  “I’ll ask again. Do you know these men?”

  Thane had ratted me out. I told him about my family, and he passed the information on to Link. “If I do, will you release them?”

  His laugh sent chills up and down my spine.

  “Of course not kitten, but their deaths will be much less painful as my gift to you.”

  “You already know who they are, so why are you asking me?” Once again the fellas were zapped with electricity. “Stop! Please stop it!! I can’t bear to watch this!”

  “Tell me their names!”

  “You already know!” Tears were flowing freely down my cheeks as my heart ached with every zap of electricity my brothers had to endure. Again electrical currents sent their bodies into convulsions. I gave in. “The one on the left is Lance Cameron, and the big one next to him is Paul Nicholas. Brent Nicholas is next to him, and Lenny Banicek is on the right. Now please stop hurting them! Please!”

  “Thank you kitten. They will be spared harm for now, provided you are a good girl.”

  I caught a quick glance of Fallon as she rolled her eyes. If I ever got my hands on her, I’d squish the smirk straight off of her face. Link showed me to my new living quarters. They were just as opulent as my former quarters. I chose to stay in my new living space. I took my meals in there and kept myself busy with books and television. He visited me frequently throughout the day hoping I would be ready to reciprocate his affections for me. I grew increasingly nauseated every time he placed his hands or his lips on my body. As his frustrations grew, his beatings and punishments grew harder and grander with each passing day. Each day was longer than the last. Weeks must have passed, but I no longer had any sense of time. I was becoming numb to it all; the beatings and punishments were the only break from the monotony of isolation. Every once in a great while, I would catch a glimpse of Thane rowing on the lake. He was always staring up at my window. I knew he was never coming for me. I was merely a pawn in his little game to destroy my family. Then a week went by and I no longer saw him. I assumed he left on another mission for Link. The new moon of October came and went. It had been a lunar month since my encounter on the beach with Thane, one lunar month that I had been trapped here in this lavish room, visited daily by my worst nightmares. The sick thing was that I actually began to look forward to his visits. Link was my only form of human contact. Then it happened. One day when he placed his lips to mine, I imagined that he was Thane and I kissed him back. The next morning I woke with a wedding dress that would make any other girl in the world sick with envy, placed carefully on my bed. He was planning our wedding. I was back where I’d started. I’d come full circle; only the next orbit would not be with the man of my dreams, rather the man from my worst nightmares come true.

  Chapter 14

  Nashville

  Evie

  It was the wee hours of the morning when I arrived at the Nashville airport. I gathered my luggage and headed to the car rental kiosks. I was able to rent a new black Chevy Camaro. It was stunning. It was just what I needed to get my mind off of the Pride. I hopped on I-65 and headed south. The car was fast. I needed to buy one of these babies! I drove to my condo in Brentwood, an affluent suburb just south of Nashville. It felt good to be home. I’d always loved the feel of this place. I plopped my suitcase down on the black lacquer floors and plunked down onto my cushy white leather sofa. This room always reminded me of a thunderstorm. I loved the light grey paint contrasted with the white mantled gas fireplace. The shiny black floors reflected the flames from the fireplace perfectly when I turned it on in the winter. It was always very calming to me. I actually purchased black and white pictures of thunderstorms and had them framed to put up on the wall. I grabbed the remote from the glass top coffee table and clicked on the television. It was already on The Weather Channel, which was perfect. I needed something to numb my mind. It was going to be a scorcher in Nashville today, hot and humid with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Aah, I always love a good thunderstorm. A hurricane was brewing in the Atlantic, and the talking heads on the weather channel were all abuzz about where the hurricane would make landfall. I assumed that hurricanes making landfall in the U.S. caused major spikes in their ratings. I switched to the local news. Traffic was picking up on 65. Normal people were heading off to their mundane nine to five lives. Regis and Kelly came on at eight. I was bored with television. For the first time in a long time I actually felt like I needed sleep. I didn’t know if it was stress, exhaustion, or boredom, but my eyelids were getting heavy. I walked down the hallway to my spacious bedroom suite. It had a modern feel just like the living room. The black lacquer floors extended into this room as well. I had a light blue shag carpet on the floor underneath the antique black walnut and wrought iron bed I’d purchased from an antiques dealer in Spring Hill. The bed looked inviting, but I chose to play around on the internet instead. I punched up Chevy’s website and looked at the Camaros. A dealer here in Nashville had one identical to the car I had rented. They opened at eight, so I decided to head over. I needed to own this car. Matthew, the dealer was more than excited when he heard my request. He was even willing to follow me back to the airport to return my rental so I could drive off with my new Camaro today. While enroute I phoned Robert, my banker at Chase to have the funds wire transferred directly to the dealer. Matthew and I made small talk, mostly about the weather and impending hurricane, while driving back to the dealership. I sat in his small office while the deal was finalized. He even phoned a friend at a local insurance agency to get my auto insurance set up. The agent arrived just before I signed the papers with an insurance rider for the dealership and myself. I paid him cash for the year long policy. I sped away from the dealership at nearly ten in the morning feeling like a new woman. I drove up and down 65, weaving in and out of traffic. This car was just what I needed to forget my past. The days passsed quickly in Nashville. I was really enjoying my new mundane lifestyle. I made daily trips to the grocer, and cooked lovely meals every night. Cool Springs Galleria became a favorite hangout of mine. I became obsessed with people watching. Not because I was lonely, it was just interesting to see normal human behavior. Even when I was one hundred per cent human, I was not normal. My parents came to America from France shortly before I was born. My mother was a beauty queen turned housewife, and my father was a brilliant doctor. He became the youngest chief of surgery at Vanderbilt shortly after arriving to this country. Because of their successes, they had always pushed me to excel at everything. I never had time to go to the mall. I was a star gymnast, and I would have competed in the Olympics, but I broke my ankle on the balance beam at nationals, and couldn’t continue the competition. I could play piano and violin better than Chopin before I was seven years old. I was valedictorian of my graduating class in both high school and college. I went on to obtain a masters in psychology from Harvard, where I had disappointed them by graduating second in my class. I joined the Air Force righ
t after graduation where I excelled and became a pilot relatively quickly. Female Air Force pilots are still a rarity these days. I guess that’s why I piqued the interest of the higher-ups at the CIA. I always stood out, and I was willing to take risks to succeed. Hanging out at the mall was never a risk. It was a place to hide from grief and forget about trying to succeed. At the tender age of twenty-eight, I was a highly decorated female pilot, half- breed human with no family or friends, and a mad man hunting me down. I guess success must be subjective. Some consider falling in love, getting married, and buying a house a success, while others consider just making it through one day a success. I’m at that one day at a time stage. Every day I’m still alive is a success with Link still at large. I checked in frequently with the Las Vegas bureau chief. We were still waiting for DNA results to come back on the blood. The chief felt as if the fellas had been ambushed due to the fact that most of the blood was in the main living room just off the entrance. The chief promised he would call me as soon as he knew something and couldn’t apologize enough for the delays. The call took almost six weeks to come. I’ll never forget it. I was home layering noodles into a pan for lasagna when my cell phone rang. It was nearly ten o’clock at night, and Ghost Hunters was on the television. I looked at the number on the cell phone and prepared myself for the worst. I could barely form words as the chief spoke. It was pigs’ blood. Hugh Heffner’s Sky Villa at the Palms had been doused with pigs’ blood. I went numb. For six weeks I’d fallen into a mundane routine here in Nashville, selfishly protecting myself while my family was probably being tortured somewhere. The chief offered his assistance if I ever needed it, and I promised to keep him informed. I tossed my cell into my purse and, raced down the hallway. I began throwing clothes into a new suitcase I’d found at the mall. I tore off my pajamas and changed into the only thing left in my closet; a white denim miniskirt and a blue and white argyle sweater. I booked a flight to Las Vegas. It was probably the best place to start. I hoped the trail was still there. Why did I not pick up on this when I was there? Was it the shock of seeing all the blood that threw off my senses. I should have been able to tell the difference. I tried to remember all the different smells in the suite, but there were so many different aromas, that they must have just intermingled. I lost my focus, a mistake I wouldn’t make again, if they were still alive. The maid would have to clean up the mess I made in the condo when she arrived later in the week. I flicked off the television. I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my suitcase, and slung my laptop case and carryon over my shoulder. It was then that I heard a faint knock at the door. I assumed that it was one of the neighbors below coming to complain about my running around the condo, instead, there he stood in all his handsome glory. I immediately went into a defensive stance, a snarl ripped from my throat.

  “Thane Ganyon!” I roared

  He held his hands up in front of his chest. He was shaking. He was not ready to attack.

  “Please, Eveliene, I need your help.” His voice was soft and gentle. Not at all like that of a killer.

  I relaxed. His eyes looked pained, and I couldn’t help but be intrigued. Maybe it was the guilt I was feeling for abandoning the mission, or maybe I had a death wish. I had so many questions that needed to be answered. I might die this night, but I calmly stepped aside and allowed him to come in.

  “Please have a seat.” I muttered coldly at him.

  “I am not seeking your hospitality, Eveliene. May I call you Eveliene?” he asked calmly as he glided past me into my living room.

  We stood staring at each other for a brief intense moment before I finally closed the door. “You may call me Evie.” I nodded in agreement never taking my eyes from his. “Now, why have you come here?” I tried to muster some authority in my voice but it was futile. I was frazzled about news of the fellas, and now my enemy stood staring at me in my only safe haven on earth. It was very unsettling.

  “As I stated, I need your help.” He looked pained once again.

  “Why should I help you?” I asked smugly. “I have my own troubles.” I shot him a glowering glance hoping my icy blue eyes would smolder him to death.

  “Really? It looks to me like you’ve been running from your troubles, Eveliene.” His voice was cold.

  “I don’t have time for this. I have a plane to catch.”

  “Why waste your time running in circles when I can take you to them?” He was being coy. I leapt at him, landing inches from him. He never flinched. He stood at least two heads taller than me, but I wasn’t about to cower.

  “I’d rather die, than be taken prisoner by you.”

  He placed my wrists in a steel grip and bent down to look me straight in the eyes. “I want you to help me get them out…get her out. Eveliene, I need you to help me free Lexie and the others.” He was sincere. “He’s a mad-man, Eveliene! I can’t stand by and watch him hurt her any longer. I’ve got to get her out, and you are the only one who knows him well enough to help me.”

  The sincerity and the pain in his eyes were enough to tell me that he was being truthful. I began to relax. He loosened his grip on my wrists and slid his hands down to take hold of my hands.

  “I know you’ve been hurt. I was a guest at your wedding to him. Eveliene, I know you loved him, but Jacks is dead. All that remains is his shell filled with the soul of a demonic power hungry tiger named Link. I was dead inside too. I spent way too many years in the dark, following orders, forgetting the rules of decency and integrity. Lexie made me come alive again. She is my soul, my daylight, and he is slowly strangling her luminosity.”

  He was pleading with me. A tear rolled down his cheek. I felt a strange compassion for this man who I’d once hated with every grain of fiber in my tiny body.

  “I trust you no further than I can throw you, but right now, I need you?” I exhaled loudly.

  Chapter 15

  The Fellas

  Evie

  Thane’s excitement at my acceptance was obvious. His smile was intoxicating. I could see why he and Lexie were perfect together. Both were more beautiful than any human or hybrid. Brad and Angelina didn’t hold a candle to their impeccable attractiveness. It was obvious that they would have been drawn to each other. Looking at him I wondered about Jacks. I wondered what he had transformed into. Was he a gorgeous, angelic specimen like Thane and Lexie, or did he turn into a hideous monster? Was that why he refused to show himself?

  “Thane?” I was apprehensive.

  “Yes, Eveliene?”

  “Why does Jacks stay hidden? Did the transformation change more than his soul?”

  Thane was laughing at me.

  “No, Eveliene. He still looks like Jacks. He just has more to hide than you or I.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well for one, he had to hide from you.”

  Those words felt like they hit me square in the chest. Thane could tell by the look on my face that he’d said the wrong thing. He approached me tentatively and placed his hands on my shoulders and looked directly into my eyes.

  “Eveliene, trust me, you won’t like what you see. It was never part of his plan to hurt you, and perhaps in the last good deed he did, he chose not to involve you. This is not the kind of life you would have wanted.”

  I turned from him and picked my bags up from the floor. He reached to grab them from me. I jerked them away from him. “I am perfectly capable of carrying my own bags!” I probably had too much edge to my voice, but I didn’t care. I was angry. I was angry at Jacks for abandoning me only three short days after our honeymoon. I was practically bounced out onto the streets by his attorneys. At least they left me enough money for ten lifetimes to make up for the heartache. Thane looked at me with the compassion of an old friend. It made me uneasy.

  “Eveliene, he is Link now. Not Jacks. Please allow me to carry your bags. What kind of gentleman would I be if I allowed such a lovely lady to carry her own bags?”

  He gently reached out for my suitcase. I relaxed and gave him the bag. “
Thank you for being such a gentleman, but remember I am just as strong as you and quite possibly more capable.”

  He laughed again. “I know Eveliene, it’s just what would the neighbors think if I allowed you to carry your own bags.”

  This thought made me chuckle as we exited my condo. We walked in silence as he followed me to the parking garage where my new baby was parked and waiting for me. I used the remote to disarm the alarm and unlock the Camaro. We placed the bags in the trunk. “Thane, if you’re going to get into my car, you must start calling me Evie. Oh, and where are we going anyways?”

  This man had some sort of a gift, because I was ready to drive away with him, my mortal enemy, to anywhere he wanted without even knowing where we were going.

  “Evie it is then. And we’ll be travelling to Kentucky”

  “Why?”

  “To get your friends.”

  “They’re in Kentucky? Where?”

  “Link is keeping them at his horse farm near Bowling Green. They’re tied up in a cave at the northern edge of the property.”

  “You mean they’ve been a couple of hours away this whole time? It’s as if he’s been dangling them in front of me, and I’ve been ignoring them. He’s playing a game isn’t he?”

  “Of course he is. Every day you don’t find them is a victory for him.”