by Emily Bex
He led the two officers to the living room where he asked them to be seated. "May I get you some wine?"
Both officers shook their head and gave him a weak smile. "No, thanks. On duty, you know. Maybe another time."
Gi nodded. "Make yourself comfortable and I will get Mrs. Medici." Gi walked to the foot of the stairs, and saw Kate standing at the top, waiting for him to summon her.
She had quickly run a brush through her hair but left her light sundress and sandals on. The loose fit of the dress skimmed over her belly, exposing her pregnancy. As Kate entered the living room, both officers stood.
Kate greeted them. "Officers? How can I help you? Please, have a seat."
The two men glanced at each other as they sat down. A petite pregnant woman didn’t make a very good suspect in a missing person’s case where the missing person was a six-foot man and foul play was suspected. The one officer cleared his throat.
"Sorry to intrude, ma’am, but we have a few questions we thought maybe you could help us with."
Kate sat down across from them. “Of course, whatever you need?"
The second officer threw a question at her. "You know Ethan Young?"
Kate nodded. "I do, yes. Ethan and I were engaged. I got a call from a friend a few days ago telling me he was missing."
The first officer asked her, "When was the last time you saw him?"
Kate scrunched up her face. "Last summer? We broke it off in August, so a little over a year ago."
The officer referred to his notes. They had been interviewing Ethan's friends. All of them said Kate was the one who broke off the engagement, and all of his buddies stated they’d never seen or heard anything from Kate after the break-up. Both officers took in her pregnant state.
The first officer nodded at her. "And you’re married now?"
Kate smiled at them. "Yes, and expecting."
The second officer said, "That was quick."
Kate laughed. "Yes, it was. I met him in September, and well, everything happened really fast."
The second officer inquired, "Is your husband at home, Mrs. Medici?"
Kate nodded. "He should be working in his office. We have the vineyards here, plus more vineyards in California, as well as in Italy and Greece. Would you like to meet him?"
Both officers nodded. “If it wouldn't be any trouble."
Shade could hear them coming and had been listening to their conversation. He knew they had nothing on him, so it was just a matter of providing an alibi for them both and sending them on their way. As the door opened and Kate introduced the officers, he quickly stood. Shaking their hands, he offered them a seat. "Shade Medici. Welcome to Bel Rosso Vineyards. How may I assist you this evening?"
Shade played it cool. This wasn’t his first encounter with mortal law enforcement, and manipulating mortals was second hand to him.
The lead officer shook his hand before sitting. "Sorry for the intrusion on your evening, Mr. Medici."
The officer looked at his partner as they exchanged glances. This guy was huge, over six feet, and looked like he trained for the Navy Seals. Could he have experienced a little jealous rage over the old boyfriend?
"So, you must be aware of the missing person’s report on your wife's ex, Ethan Young. You two know each other?"
Shade could feel their trepidation over his size, and he didn’t miss their eye contact and the silent exchange between them.
"I am sorry, but I had never heard of Ethan Young before a few days ago when my wife told me about his disappearance." Looking to Kate, he smiled. "When I met my wife, it was through mutual friends. As you can well see, we fell in love at first site and are expecting our first child. She mentioned a breakup when I met her, but never mentioned his name. But I am sorry to hear he is missing."
The lead officer was flipping through his notes. All of Ethan's buddies said to the best of their knowledge, Ethan had never met Shade Medici. They’d heard through mutual friends Kate had hooked up with some Italian guy, but none of them knew him personally.
"Hmm. So, you never met him then? He never made any attempts to contact your wife?"
Chuckling, Shade made direct eye contact with the cop asking the questions. "I had no desire to meet him. He was not someone I ever cared to know. I am not aware of him ever trying to contact Kate after we were together. I feel she would have mentioned it. But I understand you must investigate all avenues of his disappearance, so I am more than willing to help in any capacity, as, I’m sure, will my wife."
The lead officer scribbled away in his notepad. This looked like a dead end. Kate Medici was too small and too pregnant to have dragged Ethan Young off. Plus, he couldn’t think of why she’d want to. She’d clearly moved on. This Medici guy had a lot of money and looked like the guy who always got what he wanted, including the girl. He couldn’t imagine he’d be intimidated by the likes of Ethan Young. He and his partner would continue to look for anyone that might have seen Kate and Ethan together, although that looked unlikely. But Mr. Medici didn’t look like a husband who’d share his toys, so to speak. Any hint of old Ethan sniffing around his wife might be enough to push his buttons.
“One last question, if I may? Could you both verify your whereabouts for the night of Ethan’s disappearance?”
Shade smiled. “Well, I don’t think I even know the night of Ethan’s disappearance, but I don’t have to check the calendar. I’m afraid we live a very boring life. We are always here in the evenings, both of us. Feel free to interview the staff, our butler, or our housekeeper. I manage the vineyards from here, and both of them can verify that we’re always home.”
The two officers stood up. "Thank you for your time. Again, sorry to bother you."
Turning to Kate the lead officer asked her, "If you should by any chance hear from Ethan, you'll let us know?"
Kate nodded quickly. "Of course!"
Gi appeared at the study door, ready to escort the two police officers out. Kate and Shade followed along with them, saying goodbye to them at the door. They listened as the cars pulled around the driveway and headed away from the house.
Kate turned to Shade. "Please tell me they’ll find nothing."
Shade took her in his arms, rubbing her back. "Relax, I do not need you upset. There is nothing to find. It is done now. And I am pretty sure he will not contact you. But trust me, if he did, I will deal with it."
Kate looked up at him. "Lover, we both know Ethan won’t be contacting me. You have no secrets from your mate."
Leaning down, kissing her forehead, he smiled. "Si, none. So, let it go please? This is over and done with. No more."
Kate should ask why, but it didn’t matter. Whatever the trigger, she’d forgive him anything. She’d seen his beast and knew that whatever happened to Ethan no mortal would ever discover. She stared back into those blue eyes and he revealed nothing.
She nodded her head. "Done. We won't speak of it again."
78
Gi sorted through the daily mail, tossing the nonessential mailers and sorting the mail for master and my lady. Among the day's deliveries was a very elaborately wrapped small flat box from the Canton's. Gi climbed the stairs to the nursery where my lady had been working with the designers on setting up the new baby's room.
"Excuse me, my lady, but this package arrived in the mail. It is addressed to both of you, but master is in the camp and I thought you might want to see this right away."
Kate looked up from the fabric swatches she’d been matching to the blue-grey paint on the wall. "Thank you Gi."
She stood up straight, placing both hands on the small of her back as she stretched, the swell of her belly prominent now. "I could use a break anyway."
Kate took a seat in the rocking chair as Gi brought her the small package.
"You look well today, my lady."
Kate laughed, placing her hand on her belly. "We feel well Gi, thank you."
She took the package and slid the satin ribbon from the box and lifted
the lid, exposing the hand written invitation with a diamond broach affixed. Kate raised an eyebrow. "Well, it certainly has Rissa's style."
She read the invitation to the wedding, four months out. She leaned her head back against the rocker, closing her eyes as she gently rocked in the chair.
"Looks like I’ll be going to a wedding, Lorenzo."
As she rocked in the chair she heard the clamor of boots on the tiles on the floor below and knew he was home.
Shade came in from camp. The nights had been long, but the new warriors were learning what they needed. The instruction had been intense and was becoming more so every night. He knew there was still much to be done, but he was pleased with their progress. The smell of roses wafted in every corner of their home and he headed up the staircase, letting his nose lead him. Peering around the corner, he found her sitting in the nursery, rocking in the huge chair. His smile was wide as he watched her belly grow every single day. In her lap was a small box, and she held a card in her hand.
"You look beautiful, mi amore."
His eyes scanned the room, taking in the details of the décor she was creating for their son. Walking to her, he leaned down and kissed her softly before crouching down beside her.
"I love coming home to you."
"And I love when you come home." She ran her hand through his dark locks. "Your son has been active today. I think he knows I’m getting this room ready for him."
Shade placed his hand over her belly, looking up and smiling at her. "Active is a good sign. But you will tell me if it takes its toll, si? Do not overdo. Others can be told how and what you need done. I have a feeling our son will become more active as his time to be with us nears."
Kate held up the elaborate invitation. "We have an invitation to Alec and Rissa's wedding. Lorenzo will be a few weeks old, still too young to be among mortals. Typical Rissa, she’s pulled out all the stops. The wedding is at the National Cathedral, and the reception is in the Old Post Office building. I can't imagine what this wedding is going to cost, but I assume our attendance is pretty much mandatory, especially since they came to Florence for the coronation."
Shade looked at the extravagance of the invitation and laughed. "I am sorry, mi amore, but I find it amusing she is spending Alec's money as if it is endless. And yes, to answer your question, attending will be mandatory and there will be a lot of work on my part. Medici warriors will be providing security for the biggest event in Washington since the last inauguration. This city is hard enough to control, but this wedding will bring in many outside dignitaries. Most will be mortal, but there will be a few immortals as well. It will be very different than your coronation. Council is not keen on his antics of portraying himself as mortal. And they are not exactly happy with my participation in such.”
Shade took the invitation and read the detail. “December, it is not far off. I have been preparing the new warriors to oversee the security of Bel Rosso while the experienced warriors will be assigned to D.C. I need to talk to Alec about this. It will be here before we know it.”
Kate ran her hand over the swell of her belly. "I can't believe how fast the time is flying by. Luca will stay here, right? He’ll be here with Lorenzo, along with Theresa?"
Shade let his hand slide along her cheek. He knew she’d be protective over their babies. “Si, Luca will stay here. There will be times, even when he is small that you will need to leave him to do other things. Leaving him in the hands of others to protect, si?"
Kate locked eyes with him. He knew her heart and how tightly she’d cling to this baby. "I understand, lover...and I know Luca will protect him, but it’s still hard for me to let go."
Never taking his eyes from hers, he took her hand in his, placing it over his heart. "We will always protect our prince. No matter what comes, we are both immortal and he will be much stronger than any mortal bambino."
His words poured over her like honey, and she knew she could trust him, with her life and the life of their children to come. There was nothing he’d guard more closely. "Of course, I’ll follow your lead, but you know I’ll never really let go. Not completely."
Shade kissed her gently, sliding his tongue over her lips, nipping them softly. "Si, I expected nothing less. I need to speak with Alec, so I will be down in my office, is there something you need?"
"No, I’m fine, and I still have some things to finish here before your slumber. Go finish up your work and come find me when you’re ready for bed."
"Si." Kissing her once more, then leaning down he kissed her tummy, talking to Lorenzo in a soft but stern voice. "As for you, figlio, lay off the warrior activities, your madre is tired, she has much to accomplish! You know I love you, and your time will come soon enough, but for now, give your madre a break!"
Standing, he kissed the top of Kate’s head, her crimson locks soft against his face and he inhaled deeply. "I will try not to be too long, si?"
Walking downstairs, he went into his office, closing the door.
***
It was early morning, before sunrise, and Alec slept lightly, feeling Rissa curled tightly against him. He rarely required deep sleep, and the older he got the less sleep he required. He was lying still, waiting for the alarm when he heard the soft vibration of his cell phone. He reached across her to the nightstand and picked up the phone to see Shade on the ID. Slipping from beneath the covers, he threw his feet to the floor, seated on the side of the bed, running one hand through his hair. He answered the call as he reached for a cigarette, lighting up, the red glow of the cigarette bright in the dark room. He exhaled before speaking.
"Hello, Shade. What's up?"
"A lot. I know it is damn early for you to be up, apologies, but we need to have a serious conversation on a few key things coming up in the future. One of them being this mortal wedding you plan on pulling off. Tell me when you can meet to talk with me, Alec. Both of us are going to get busier and the planning needs to start now. I have a son arriving and I want this down pat before that happens."
Alec took a deep drag on the cigarette and exhaled again. "Ah yes, the wedding. The President will be there, as will most of Congress, so the place will be crawling with Secret Service as well as the D.C. police. But there will be immortals there as well. It was scheduled for evening, so we could accommodate the immortals, and because Rissa wanted formal. So yes, we'll need your warriors out in full force. God forbid we have an incident in full view of all the press. We can wipe memories, but not photos and video coverage."
Shade threw his booted feet up on the desk, leaning back in his chair, thinking about the nightmare this could end up being.
"We can handle this. I need you to relax. My warriors know their shit. I am having everyone out in full force. I will work with Raven and we can coordinate everything we will need once we get closer. Secret Service can handle almost any mortal threat. We will focus on the immortals, and remove any problem long before the mortals know they are there. How is Hyde working out with Rissa? I will need to have him on the inside, brother. He will be at her side before the ceremony, close at hand during and then it’s up to you how you want to handle things with her once this show is over. Tell me they are getting along, because I have no damn time to come up with another protector beforehand."
Alec chuckled. "Oh, Hyde is working out fine. Rissa is quite enamored with him, in fact. He’s played it cool, and remains very professional, much to her dismay, I think. But they’re getting along fine. So, have him in a tux if he’s working inside, and you may want a few others on the inside, just in case. You’ll have to clean them up to look civilized and stick them in a tux. I’ll inform the Secret Service that I’ll have private security as well, so maybe if your goon squad could tone down the leathers for one evening and look a little more mortal."
Shade smirked, always the fucking prancy-ass. "Those goons keep your ass alive, remember that. I have a few I will put on the inside. Fiamma will be one of them. They never look for female warriors. We will have rooftop
to ground coverage brother. Just curious, did you give Rissa full reign of your damn bank accounts? We got the invitation tonight, she went all out. You would fucking think you were the damn president already!”
Alec flicked the ash of his cigarette in the ashtray. “As for my bank account, I’ve found it’s easier to let Rissa have her way. She was quite jealous of the coronation, so I was prepared to see her go all out on this wedding. You know Rissa. She’ll have the last word."
Shade smirked, he knew Rissa all too well. "At least she has accepted Hyde. He seems fine with the arrangement as well. Once the event gets closer we will coordinate and make sure there is nothing we have missed. I’ve been busy as hell out here. Have the feeder compound up and running now as well, camp is doing fine. The new recruits are working their asses off. We need to get this potion business settled as well brother. I have talked to Kate about it.”
Alec took a drag on the cigarette. "Does this mean you’re accepting my offer on the potion?"
Shade's feet hit the floor, he walked to the side door, lighting up a smoke once outside, the sun almost ready to break out for the day.
"Look, Alec, I want this potion, I want everything that comes with it. This is a weapon that is vital and can make my services the most elite in the world. I’m building. I have big plans, and the potion could be part of those plans. But we need to talk seriously about what you expect out of me in exchange. Protecting you and yours for all of eternity is out of the question. Who the hell knows what is ahead for us. We both have enough enemies to ignite a war like no immortals have ever seen."
Shade stubbed out his smoke and waited for Alec’s response.
Alec lay back on the bed, turning his head slightly to see Rissa still sleeping soundly. He knew when he asked that the potion was a powerful tool, and requesting Shade to accept it for payment for all services in the future was a stretch, but he had to at least ask.
"So how long then? How many years does the potion buy me? It's another year before I start actively campaigning, and if I win, then we’re looking at a minimum of four years in the Presidency, and hopefully, I’ll win a second term and go for eight. So, ten years? Certainly, you can give me ten years. After that, who knows where I’ll go anyway."