The probe was a foot long. They put a condom on it and did a vaginal ultrasound. Even to her untrained eye, she saw something metallic lodged in her uterus. Jesus.
Her shoulders shook and her head fell back against the table. That had to be why her last pelvic exam hurt so much. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. How, though? That was before she ran. The boat that Jack had arranged was a trap. They didn't need to tag her if that is what this was, or was the exam just painful due to the device being in place for a while? Had they tagged her since she was young as insurance? The probe retracted. Her mind spun.
She grunted when the technician jabbed her arm with a needle and she almost fell off the table. “What the fuck was that?”
“You are tagged; we need to take them out.”
Horrified, her gaze drifted to his and the world spun.
Bright light woke her. Her eyes sprung open and the world went in and out of focus until she saw a lone fluorescent bulb blinking intermittently in its socket. Nothing hurt. She made a fist and something pulled in her hand. When she looked up, she saw an IV running from her arm to a bag on a metal pole. Something moved in the corner of the room and her gaze swung that way.
Rosa Mendes stared at her, eyes moist. Isabelle blinked. She really did look like her mom. They shared the same dark brown hair. Curly, both preferred their hair long and curly. Rosa had deep set brown eyes a match to her daughter’s. Her skin was a darker olive, her cheekbones sharper, more lines around her eyes. In a few years, they could pass for sisters. Mom hadn’t aged a day since Isa last saw her, but her recollections were shaded by her youth. She seemed small, slighter. Her boobs were bigger for some reason. That she noticed her mom's breasts kind of threw her and helped her focus on the situation. Isa sat up and her belly cramped.
She glanced down at a hospital gown. Fear shot through her again. Adrenaline pumping. She pushed herself up and threw her legs over the side. When she went to stand, her legs couldn’t hold her, so she sat back down on the bed.
“What did you do to me?” Her words came out harsher than she intended yet she didn't take them back.
“The vampires tagged you. A simple barb. We did a deep internal exam to make sure. It is an old trick. You also had several trackers under your skin. You were practically riddled with communicators. We had to get rid of them.”
Riddled. Her skin went cold and she closed her eyes.
Rosa moved tentatively from her corner, closer to the bed. Her hands raised slowly to cover her mouth, fingers trembling slightly.
“Isa, baby.” Just like that, Isa was back in her childhood.
She remembered their house. Their neighbors had a ton of dogs and they were always barking. Most days, her parents slept during the day and were up all night. Isa went to school but on weekends, she tended to run wild. Her grandparents sometimes watched her during the day, until they died. She was ten when that happened, and her dad said she was grown up enough to be on her own. They pushed her to use her spare time to learn languages, coding, mechanics. She was a jack of all trades by age fourteen.
At first, it was simple and fun, but looking back now she realized none of her childhood had been a game. It had been a primer for the life she would soon lead. It wasn't bad. Just different. Knowing what she did now, it was funny she never noted it sooner. Her parents frowned on friends, on connections outside the family. They had a group of people they all hung out with, but that was all that was allowed. Her group of friends was strictly monitored and regulated. Wow, how things changed when the perspective changed.
“Mother,” Isabelle replied, stilted. “You’re alive.”
Rosa stumbled forward to stand before her with a beseeching expression. “I dreamed of this moment so long. Ever since the day I had to leave you.”
“And why was that? Why did you have to leave me? Huh?”
Rosa glanced down and smoothed her dress. “They changed me. I didn't trust myself with you. Roke told me he told you some things. I will tell you the rest. But you need to rest now, baby.”
“I don't want to rest. I want to know. Now. Tell me.”
Her mom adjusted the IV. “Rest now, then we’ll talk.”
Isabelle's world faded to black.
Chapter Twenty
The next day, Isa woke up bright and early. Rosa sat at her bedside.
Isa pushed herself back on the bed. “What the hell, Mom. You can’t just put me to sleep. I need answers. I deserve them.”
“I know, baby. I will tell you what I know but I don't know everything. Not yet.” Rosa took a deep breath and let it out slow as she stood and paced.
“Your father and I met in a vampire clan. Families were born, lived and died in those clans. I was a new microbiologist targeted to study the virus and your dad was a brilliant geneticist. God, it was love at first sight. He wore those glasses, you remember?”
“Yeah, horn-rimmed old-fashion type specs. I used to tell him he looked like a smarty pants.”
Rosa sniffled and wiped her nose. “Yeah, those. He was wearing those glasses and when he saw me they slipped down his nose. He looked stunned, his jaw was slack. It was too cute. Then this smile just washed over his face and I was done. I loved him from that day forward and those bastards killed him.” Her hands clenched.
Isa heart thumped hard once. She knew in her heart of hearts but still. “He’s dead?”
Rosa sniffed and nodded. “He was doing experiments to see how to free everyone. They must have found out. He didn't hate the vampires, but if their numbers were not controlled, the two species, humans and vampires, would never be able to coexist. The vampires had too many physical characteristics that gave them advantages. Even with our automatic weapons, the vampires had advantages. Plus, they kept abreast of all technological and military advances, so they were aware of anything that could be used against them.
“He was such a crusader, your father. And he loved us both so much. He only wanted to take care of us. When you were young, you were sick a lot and he did so much to take care of you. Do you remember that? You were in the hospital time after time in those first few years. We thought we would lose you after everything we had done to have you. It was horrible, but you proved us all wrong. You survived.”
Isabelle jolted “What do you mean? Went through so much to have me?”
“I couldn't get pregnant no matter what we tried. We went through IVF no less than six times, but I kept losing the babies, until you. You were our miracle child. The vampires knew this and used it against us. Their doctors were the ones who saved you when you came three months early.
“Wait, I was premature?”
“Yes—”
“All those stories, about how you and dad met. About how I was conceived on your wedding night. Those were all bullshit. “
Rosa squirmed. “Well, yes. We told you how we would have liked to meet instead of in the clans. It was necessary to protect you. Our children, unless raised in clan borders, are not allowed to know about the vampires unless turned. To be honest, the vampires didn’t even show much interest in you until after the Madness. Most vamps think The Madness was the work of another clan for exactly what happened. To gain control of the world and their food source. No one saw it coming and you saw what happened, just like me. I truly had no idea and we lost your dad.”
Her lips quivered. “He was my rock. Everything we did, we did together. I was bereft when he died. He never made it to the cities. By the time I realized he wasn’t there, we were established in the tenements. It seemed like it would be worse to move you and... Do you remember how you were? You were practically comatose when we first got there, like me. The only one you talked to was Jack.”
Jack, his name made her heart ache. Isa grabbed her chest. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“My job remained in the labs and you were safe in the building. Before, your dad had some pull, but I didn’t rock the boat. I should have done more sooner. You were so close to your period, and we wer
e all still adjusting to what was going on. When they came to take you after your period started and enforce a mating, I was attacked.”
Again, Isa flashed to the past. The slurping noises as the vampires fed rang in her ears. “Yes, I remember. I thought you died.”
“I did. I also changed. The clan, Mara specifically, saw an opportunity. She would keep you safe from the vamps, but they wanted me working on the virus full time. I wasn't allowed to be a mother anymore.” Rosa’s jaw clenched, and she took a deep breath to calm down.
“You see, after the Madness, the vamps went a little nuts. Most of them were separated from humans most of their lives. They lived in their enclaves. After the Madness, well, they were in close proximity, dangerous proximity. They couldn't control some of the lowers, and the vampire clans are built on control. Fear. Power. The loss would make them lose face with the other clans, and they couldn't have that. The vampires wanted me to figure out if the @Inmortalus virus that made them had changed, find a way to control the blood lust.”
“So, they forced you to work for them non-stop.”
She nodded. “Yes, and Jack helped me. He—”
Isa jumped all over that one. “What? Jack knew you were alive? And he never told me?”
“He protected you all along.”
She scoffed. “How?”
“He was my eyes and ears. He set up those cameras at my request.” Rosa teared up. “He got caught up with the vampires. He did what he needed to do, but he lost himself along the way.”
“He whored himself for me?” Is that why they drifted apart? All the times he told her he did it for her. She didn’t believe him. She told him it was horseshit. And now he was dead. She felt her own tears threatening.
“He did more than that. He killed for you. Anybody who showed too much interest. Your place was guarded. I insisted on it. And he followed you to and from work though you never saw him. He would go underground when you were home on lockdown and get information on what might be coming for me and you. Roke told me he... Roke never understood how he could, well, do the things he did, but I know why he did them. I will miss Jack. He protected you when I could not, and I owe him everything.”
Isa's mind whirled. Jack used to say all the time to trust him. She didn’t. In fact, she barely ever saw him in the last year. Yet, he followed her to and from work? He went to those clubs to get information to help. “Why did he do it?”
“He loved you, baby. He always did.”
Her chest hurt. She couldn’t take this anymore and they were off topic. She sniffed. “Why did you leave me after you got free?”
Rosa took a deep breath and paced to the door, looking out the window to hallway. “Your dad was a brilliant man. He was working on a way to improve the marker, to make vampires stronger, or so they thought. He was working to make humans immune to the virus. Limit the population even more. Limit what the virus did. Change the target of the virus. Together both of us came up with chemicals that are vampire specific. I made a virus that combats the Inmortalus virus and can makes the vampires sick, incapacitating them. It can be spread throughout a city. But with enough blood, the vampires can fight it, and if the objective is to keep humans alive, that is not helpful.
“I know he came up with something big right before everything went down. That is why I think he didn't come home, if he didn't die straight out. He was locked down in the labs. That first week. I expected him to come walking in the door to find us. I still do sometimes.” Her mom’s voice trailed off and her shoulders sagged, her mouth tilted downward.
“I miss Dad, too,” Isabelle admitted.
Rosa rushed to her and hugged her. At first, Isa held herself stiff but then let her body relax. Rosa's tears soaked Isa's shoulder as they rocked.
“I missed you, baby. So much. I’m so sorry I wasn't there for you. I didn't know how to get you free.”
“How did you get free?”
“The rebels. There are strongholds of preppers and humans that hide out. That’s where we are now. They lived off the grid and organized the humans left outside the cities. The vamps have focused on their walled cities. Most people can travel freely except for the raiders. It is a free for all out here. But if we organize, this world could be livable again. Not like it was, but safe, at least. That is what I want. To change the world. That is what your dad wanted as well. In fact, he used to say you would change the world.”
“What do you mean?”
“I never thought we would have kids. Then we had you.” Her hands bracketed her face. “We were so happy. Your dad was obsessed with making sure you lived. He would stay up at night and rock you. He loved you so much.” She kissed Isa's nose lightly.
“I never knew that. I never knew any of this.”
“We couldn't tell you the full truth. You know that. You wouldn't have understood, not then. Then when the cities went up, I was lost soon after that. Jack and Roke took care of you.”
“Roke, too?”
“Yes, he was assigned to you when you were sixteen. Jack's explorations had been noticed and his addiction, well, you were being left alone longer periods of time. Roke stood guard whenever he could. I was pretty sure he fancied you. Even when he was not on guard, he went to your apartment and watched out for you. He was such a severe boy, no fun, no life unless we talked about you. He carries your picture on him—”
Her heart thumped. “What? Why?”
“He sat there and listened to you talk. You remember how you sat in your bay window and held your cat and wondered out loud about life? You mused about how you felt about Jack, about me, about vamps, about life. He would sit at the computer and answer, as would I. We wanted you to know that we were there and that we loved you.”
Isabelle ignored the “we” part and focused on her mom. “I knew you loved me. I didn’t know you were alive, but I knew you loved me.”
Rosa's tears soaked her shoulder as they embraced. “I’m so glad to have you back.”
“I missed you, Mom.”
“I missed you, Isa baby.”
The next day, resolve filled Isabelle. She needed the information her father had discovered, whatever it was. It was vital. They had to be the reason they killed him. The day Mom came home prior to the Madness swam through her mind. All the little things she missed glared at her. Her mother walked in with blood on her scrubs. Virologist rarely dealt with that much blood. Her eyes were red and cheeks splotchy. Her voice was high and she kept hugging her. Isabelle thought at the time it was because her mom was worried about her health with the GI virus and felt loved. Now she knew what it was about. The vampires took her dad even before disease spread. Grief choked her anew as she remembered her mom's bleak expression. Now she knew her mom didn't know what to do, what direction to take, and so she hugged her over and over. She would occasionally raise her head and just run her fingers over her cheeks. Not checking her temperature like she'd believed. Reassuring herself Isabelle was still there.
They needed to know what her dad found that got him killed.
That meant she had to get into the Louisville walled city. She could hack the computer there and get copies of his work and his last set of notes. She helped design the current vampire networks. Her entire job had been in IT and maintaining information, fixing things. She was really good at her job.
The problem was the city covered so much more area than Pittsburgh. There was less of a downtown and readily walled off area. More walls meant more area to patrol and more ways to sneak inside.
Alex thought they could get in fairly easily but getting out would be another story. Of course, it would be.
Roke headed into town. As a vampire, he would blend well. He also, as it turned out, was an exceptional liar. He mapped the city as Isa and Rosa bonded. After all these years, it was hard to think of her mother still alive, to see her looking so young.
The question of her mother’s vampireyness never came up. Not yet.
Chapter Twenty-One
Now tha
t Roke had mapped the city, he made a direct route for a team to take to the labs. Contact was made with local operatives. Rebs helped make their IDs.
The plan was simple. Isa and Roke were going in alone. Any larger a group would be noticed. Alex really hated this part to. For Isa’s part, well, she needed time to talk to Roke. Her mother’s revelations made her understand him more.
Their target was a processing station for the monthly tithe. They would enter the city in the morning, early, before people woke, hide during the day and watch the campus. Their goal was to study entryways and exits. Roke had already scouted out where to go to lay low. A spy would meet up with them that night and accompany them inside to their destination where a lone computer awaited in a lab with access to all the valuable information.
So far, everything went smoothly. They got into the city right at sunrise without challenge. She almost wished they had difficulty so they could whip out the IDs of Reb so she could tell him if them worked. Roke's choice of accommodations during the day was a Planned Parenthood clinic in a local neighborhood. The corridors were bare and echoing, the air full of dust.
“We should rest. Tonight, will be long,” Roke stated as he stood at the door keeping watch.
“Are there any beds?”
“No. There are some exam tables, if you want.”
“Well, that would be a no.”
He snickered at that and held out his hand. “Rest over here with me. There is a break room and I stockpiled some blankets and supplies for you the past few days while scoping the place out.”
Isa took his hand, feeling a tingle go up her arm. It felt right. Her fingers tightened. “Is there only one couch?”
“Yes.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Even if there were two couches, the answer would be yes wouldn't it?”
“Yes.” He grinned. “I won’t lie. I’ve been anticipating getting some time alone with you.”
Blood Will Tell: The Blood is the Key (The Blood series Book 1) Page 12