“You know notre mère had a hand in his death don’t you,” Laurent angrily said to Sebastian that night as they sat in the family library drinking brandy
“And your point is what?” Sebastian replied in a manner clearly indicating his absolute boredom. “A spy in enemy hands is a danger. Our father wouldn’t take action so, as usual, our mother did the necessary action.”
“He is our family’s oldest friend?” Laurent responded. “We might have …”
“Done what precisely?” his brother snapped. “Mounted a rescue effort? You surely do not think that was ever possible?”
“Maybe a trade in exchange for something?” the younger man suggested.
Sebastian shook his head in disgust. “Will you never grow up?” He sharply said. “We have nothing to trade. The man had information. If he talked to our enemies…” Sebastian paused.
“Killing him was not right.” Laurent gazed at his older brother. “And while we are talking, you do remember that Jean-Claude is our cousin. When did he truly become our family’s enemy? When did he become your personal nemesis?” He sarcastically asked. “I recall you two were so close especially during the years he stayed with us.”
Sebastian glared at his brother then as the glowing fireplace. His mind visualized his cousin’s face.
“You did everything together when you were younger,” Laurent continued. “I recall the nights you two came home arm-in-arm after partying. Two teenagers exploring a nocturnal Paris.”
His older brother remained silent. His mind again summoned up that same particularly strong memory from one of those nights. As the flames crackled, Sebastian smiled remembering the thoroughly drunken Jean-Claude in bed with the woman Sebastian had hired to take his cousin’s virginity. His imagination recreated the image of his cousin’s strong beautiful body on that bed with the tart. How easy it had been for Sebastian to slip into it to join them. Kissing his almost incoherent cousin again. Letting his hands freely roam over Jean-Claude’s body as the whore occupied his cousin’s woozy attentions.
Sebastian’s mind re-experienced everything about that event. The sensual delights of his body pressing against Jean-Claude’s leanly muscled torso. His thrills letting his fingertips explore the texture of his cousin’s skin. The joy Sebastian felt lying next to the cousin he had secretly adored for so long. In the end he had to be satisfied with masturbating while they later was screwing the giggling whore. Yes, his orgasm had been exquisite. Laurent’s droning voice faded as that night’s recreated sexual heat flowed into his senses. “I loved you and you sentenced me to death,” he mumbled. He felt himself becoming sexually aroused. The fire of desire flooded into his body. Jean-Claude had been too high to later recall what had occurred that evening but every aspect of that encounter was forever engraved into Sebastian’s psyche. Laurent’s voice broke into his reveries.
“Are you even listening to me?” Laurent’s angrily asked. “We need to reach out to end this war. Restore sanity to all our lives. Stop these deaths.”
Sebastian blinked as the images in his mind dissolved. He turned to his brother. “Enough,” he shouted as he threw his drinking glass into the fireplace. “Maman did what needs to be done. Jean-Claude and his bitch of a wife will die before this is over. That child they spawned too. I will have revenge. I do not care if all New York burns. I do not care if Paris burns. I will have him dead or at my feet begging me to love … I mean … to live.” He stopped talking and sat back in his chair.
He closed his eyes and took a series of deep breaths trying to restore his calm. When he opened them again, he saw a shocked Laurent looking at him. Sebastian smiled. “Soon we will have another lunar cycle. Thierry has a young, adopted human daughter who is now an orphan. I think a hunt is in order,” he insanely laughed. He got up and walked to the doorway leading into the hall. At the last moment he turned to face his stunned younger brother. “Get in either our maman or my way and …” he gave Laurent an icy grin then spoke. “I would hate to see you suffer an accident,” he laughed. “Ah surprised are you? Are you now afraid too perhaps? Get some balls for once,” he snickered. “I’m off to the whore house. You ought to join me once in awhile. They indulge every vice. I should know as I tried them all.” He quickly strode back to his younger brother and gently caressed the latter’s cheek. “Well all but one … yet,” he stated as he unexpectedly leaned down to kiss the sunned Laurent’s mouth. “Do not get in our way,” he whispered to a now utterly appalled Laurent. “I would kill you if you did that as fast as I will kill Jaime and her brat once I get my hands on them,” he snarled as he once more moved to leave the room. “I truly would kill you if you stood in our way but, only after I sampled your ass my brother. Incest might be a novel experience. Yes, I am putting you on my sexual bucket list,” he snorted with amusement as he left his horrified younger brother alone in the library.
Laurent Roué finished his brandy, poured himself another, and downed that too. He had seen into his brother’s eyes. “He has gone off the rails. He is totally insane,” he rasped. Suddenly a squat powerfully built werewolf entered the room.
“I have been asked by your mother and brother to watch over you,” the middle-aged man said gruffly. ”These are dangerous times and, if one does not take care, bad things can happen.” He gave Laurent a grim smile that spoke volumes.
So I’d better toe the line or else, Laurent thought. It was at that moment he finally came to a decision that he realized would have a great impact on events.
****
Mark and Julio arrived at the headquarters of New York City’s supernatural headquarters and proceeded directly to Jean-Claude’s offices. A very happy Anole informed Mark that she would announce them at once. “He has been a whirl of energy today,” she told the two men as she reached for the button on her intercom. “But in a good way. He is his old self or will soon be thanks to you Mark.” She brushed a tear from her cheek and buzzed Jean-Claude.
Within seconds the two men were shown into the werewolf’s offices. They found Jean-Claude busy at his desk going over paperwork. Various reports were scattered on his desktop. “I cannot believe what I did over these last months,” he grunted as he picked up a pen and signed his name to one document. “The people I put into office under his guidance. Tortego will have much to answer for when I can finally move on him.” The werewolf looked at Julio and handed him the paper he had just signed. “I have to slowly remove his people to avoid disruptions during this conflict but this order will remove your second in command at once.” He grinned at the look of relief that appeared on his security chief’s face. “I assume you have a replacement in mind Julio?” Jean-Claude asked with a grin. The werewolf had an idea but wanted to hear it confirmed by his head of security.
“I do,” Julio replied. “I think Brian Petronius would be a good choice. I know he is young but he is smart and it’s time a werewolf held a powerful slot among my forces upper ranks.”
Jean-Claude’s grin grew wider. “I’m sure that his father will be proud that his son will be the first werewolf in such a position. I fear the old man will boast so often to us all about this fact that there will be no living with him on the council.” The werewolf’s face grew somber. “I know you spoke with that prisoner. Now what have you learned?” He asked staring now at Mark.
“We spoke at length with Paris’ agent. We think something he heard the local contact say be a vital clue as to the latter’s identity. It would appear that our local traitor,” Mark paused and glanced at Julio before continuing, “well it seems the local contact might have a thing for you,” Mark stated trying to think of how to say what needed to be told to his friend. He took another second and then dove into the issue before giving up on that concept. “Okay to be crudely blunt, our mole made a continued reference to fucking you over. The strong implication of his words was that he might have even tried and failed to get it on in a sexual way with you.” Mark noticed Julio had glanced at the floor. “This strike any chord about wh
o might have attempted … damn it Jean-Claude did some guy makes an actual physical sexual advance upon you that you rebuffed. Like Tortego’s slimy aide perhaps?”
As Jean-Claude listened an image of Tortego’s aide flashed into his mind. The werewolf felt the same queasiness that he once experienced when the Strega had molested him. He began to feel physically ill by these thoughts. Deep inside his brain something finally connected the dots. He opened his mouth to speak as suddenly he remembered flashes of what had happened in his office not so long ago. He could mentally see the aide fondling him while he was helpless to resist. He relived his attempts to stop the man’s actions. His brain recreated his parts of his struggles to regain control of his body then the darkness that engulfed him from a hard blow to his head. As more scattered memories cascaded into his consciousness he just sat at his desk staring into space. He was not even aware that by now his silence had Mark and Julio highly concerned about him.
“Jean-Claude are you alright?” a worried Mark lightly said as he looked at the pain that flooded into his friend’s face. He realized his remarks had triggered something in the werewolf’s mind. Mark’s newly created blood bond with Jean-Claude made him dimly aware of the powerful conflicting emotions his friend was now experiencing.
“I remember,” Jean-Claude softly rasped as a growing rage came over him. He recalled what the aide had tried to do to him. “I remember it all now,” he unexpectedly yelled in a voice so loud the other two men were startled. Then another image fired inside the werewolf’s mind. He saw the face of an agitated Tortego yelling at the aide about what the latter had discovered when he entered the room. Jean-Claude had only hazy pieces of that later event. Still, there were enough of them to let him know the prelate had thwarted the aide’s rape attempt. Jean-Claude felt another unsettling sensation combined with the anger and disgust about the aide and his actions. He knew he had to thank Tortego for his deliverance from a sexual assault and that concept horrified him. His fury grew until he was barely aware of his surroundings. His hand gripped his pen so hard it snapped.
“Jean-Claude,” Mark repeated in a louder voice. “Are you okay?”
The flickering pictures of that past event slowly faded at the sound of Mark’s voice. Jean-Claude blinked to find he was looking into the highly concerned faces of the two men. “The aide,” he hoarsely replied. “Yes he tried something sexual with me but it was stopped.”
Mark instinctively knew there was more to this matter but he said nothing. When his friend needed to unburden himself with that tale he would do it. For now it was best to let Jean-Claude first privately come to grips with whatever he had recalled.
“I knew it was him!” an excited Julio exclaimed. “It has to be him. Now we have what we need to at least bring him in for an interrogation!” as he spoke his cellphone rang. The security chief quickly answered it.
As Julio talked with the party at the other end of the connection, Mark went up closer to his friend. “When and if, you want to talk about it just know I’m here for you,” he said while making sure to keep his voice low so Julio did not overhear him.
Jean-Claude gave Mark a quick nod. “Later yes, when we are alone. I would like that very much,” he replied as he took control of his emotions. He now understood the cause of his nightmares. Knowing that fact he would be able to deal with the past once more and get on with his life.
“Bastards!” Julio yelled as he slammed his cell phone shut.
Mark and Jean-Claude gazed at the security chef. Julio’s eyes had grown dark and his face flushed with rage.
“What happened,” Mark quickly asked knowing whatever it was Julio was told was not going to be good.
“Thierry is dead,” Julio somberly replied. “He was poisoned.”
“How could that happen?” Jean-Claude shouted. “He was in our custody.”
Julio shook his head in disgust. “An young elf boy from our food services brought Thierry his meal. There was nothing unusual in that fact. It’s normal procedure. The boy has done it for the last two years. Today someone got to that meal. When Brian heard the news he started a search for the boy. The poor kid was found with his throat cut. His body was jammed into one of the garbage disposal units. He was dead obviously.” Julio’s right made a fist. He slammed it into the palm of his other hand. “The kid was only thirteen!”
“Jupiter Best and Greatest,” Mark growled.
Julio looked at the two men. “We caught a break. A witness saw the boy and Tortego’s aide talking just before the boy brought the food to our prisoner. By sheer accident, our eyewitness heard that bastard ask the kid to get something for him from the kitchen. The boy left the tray with the aide when he went to go do it. There was nothing strange about the incident and the person who saw this happen simply went about his duties. The aide must have dosed the food while the boy was occupied on that errand. Then the son-of-a-bitch cleaned up any loose ends by murdering the only person that he thought could tie him to his treason. Unfortunately for him this time someone else was around to observe it all.”
“Then bring the aide in at once,” Jean-Claude muttered as he contemplated getting his hands on the man for reasons of his own.
“Well where do we find him?” Mark replied.
“Brian ordered a search. I will leave you two to help in that search,” Julio replied. “We will get him.” He turned to go “He was only a fucking kid. I have to call his family,” he muttered in anger as he left Mark and Jean-Claude.
Mark looked at his friend. “If you want me to stay I can. Do you feel a need to talk now or later?” he asked. “No pressure just re-asking.”
Jean-Claude gazed at his friend. A wry grin came to his face. “Yeah I do need to talk this out if you can spare time right now,” he replied.
Mark could see his friend’s eyes were filled with the immense hurt he was experiencing over this newest revelation. “Hey Jean-Claude,” Mark huskily said to his friend as he tried to keep his deep emotional feelings in check. “I am always here whenever you want me to be here. I care very deeply about you and Jaime. Remember too,” he lightly stated to the werewolf, “we are pretty much tightly bound together now by that blood exchange I did before with you.”
“Yeah,” Jean-Claude replied. “I experience that same new connection with you too. Okay,” he continued saying as he let out a deep breath. “Time to confront this inner demon.” Quietly he informed Mark of everything he could recall about the sexual assault. “I tried to fight,” Jean-Claude confessed to his friend in a voice filled with pain. “I can’t help thinking about his slimy hands on me. The things he was doing to me. How my own body physically responded while I concentrated on fighting through the drugs inside me.” His voice drifted off.
“Hey buddy,” Mark quickly replied. “You were the victim in this thing. You did the best anyone could in those circumstances. Stop beating yourself up on it or second guessing how you should have behaved during it.” The vampire felt the powerful waves of Jean-Claude’s inner emotional turmoil engulf him. As he spoke with his friend, he desperately wanted to help Jean-Claude come to grips with this event and move onward.
“Intellectually I know this but inside of me I feel so violated. I keep trying to argue that sensation away but I … I,” Jean-Claude sputtered before finally simply lapsing into silence. His eyes grew red.
Mark knew that the giving way to this inner pain would ultimately help ease everything the werewolf was experiencing. His friend had gone through an emotional roller coaster these last months. First, he had been overwhelmed with grief over his role in his cousin’s death. Then he had been mercilessly taken advantage of and drugged by an unscrupulous Tortego. Now came the shock and horror of discovering he had been violated in a foully intimate way. A lesser man would have broken into pieces. The fact that Jean-Claude had held it all together this long was nothing less than amazing. “Go on let it all out,” Mark lightly said as he embraced his friend. “It is just us here,” Mark gently stated while also co
ntinually reminding Jean-Claude that nothing was his fault. As he did this he made a vow to his gods that after they were done interrogating the aide, he would rip that man to pieces.
Two hours later, a much more composed Jean-Claude and Mark received the news that the search for the man had yet to turn up any results.
“When find Tortego I’m positive that we will find that man with him. Once the aide is questioned we will have enough proof against Tortego to have him executed for treason,” Mark snarled.
****
Mark and Jean-Claude decided to go to their respective homes to await further developments in the search for the missing aide. Jean-Claude told the vampire it was better if Vinnie heard about the sexual assault involving the aide and Jean-Claude directly from Mark.
“When the aide is captured everything concerning this entire incident will come out. I think it would be easier if those we love hear about all of this from us rather than someone else.” Jean-Claude somberly stated. “I don’t relish the reaction from the council when they hear about me letting myself become a drug addict. I’m sure the gossips will have a field day when they relate the story concerning the sexual incident between the aide and myself.” He cringed at the thought of how it would become colorized in their retellings.
“You are right that it’s best we inform those we love first about all of this,” Mark replied. “As for the dirt mongers well screw them to Hades. Just know I admire you so much. You are my best friend. No matter how this all falls into place you know that I and mine have your back.”
“Same here,” Jean-Claude responded. They hugged one last time before heading off to be with their spouses.
The hardest part for Jean-Claude was informing Jaime about the encounter with Tortego’s aide. He knew it had to be done but it did not make his task any easier. Throughout his recitation, Jaime sat silently in a chair in their living room.
The Case of the Parisian Vendetta: A Mark Julian Vampire PI Mystery #10 (Mark Julian Vampire PI Mysteries) Page 14