Family Business Part 7: Unprepared

 The latest in the life of Em De Mone... 

Unprepared

I stood in front of the large bay window, cradling a cup of cold coffee in my hands. It was a gorgeous November day, and I tried to admire the view from my grandparents' vast compound in the northwestern area of Las Vegas. 

Their backyard was a 600-foot mountain. Lone Mountain. I could see people at the top. It was a good hike. On a normal day, I may have joined them.  However, today was anything but the usual. 

Overnight, a close human friend of mine was attacked, and she was still in surgery. Then Granny’s dear friend Rose was in a car accident this morning. Granny fainted when she’d gotten the call and was resting on the couch now.

We didn’t know much other than Nikki Chambers was trying to run my Demon Peace Keeper Family out of town. He was responsible for Renee’s attack, but we were still waiting on news about Rose. 

After hastily preparing myself for whatever hell and mayhem the rest of today held. I stared out at the scenery. Catching a glimpse of my reflection in the window, I straightened a few short spikes of hair and tried not to let my imagination run wild.  

“Lovie…” Granny’s voice was a mere whisper.

As I turned, she blinked her eyes open and sat up. 

“Hey,” I said, glad to have something other than my thoughts to focus on, “how are you feeling?”

She took a deep breath and pushed herself into a sitting position. After fluffing her short silver hair, she rubbed her hands together, “I’m ready to get to the hospital and check on Rose and your friend. Plus, we need to be there for Violet.”

“Huh?” I said. Was she kidding?

She waved her hand at me and glanced over her shoulder, “I’m fine, just a bit of low blood pressure. I took my pill and laid down. It’s time to get back to business.” 

“A second ago, you were on your back snoring…”

She cut me off. Standing, she walked to the counter and grabbed her purse and keys to the Cadillac, “Well, I’m not anymore, and this is our opportunity. Neither Sarah nor Paddy will let us out of here. You and I both know that.”

Before I could answer, we heard the stomp of her boots as she came down the hall. Sarah. Secretly I was thrilled to see her. 

 My aunt stood in the archway with her hands on her hips. Her naturally stoic face showed genuine interest, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Granny said, tucking her keys into her purse.

“What have you got there?” Sarah walked into the kitchen, manhandled Granny, and pocketed the keys to the Cadillac, “Do you think you’re going someplace?”

“I do. Give me the keys,” Granny said, holding out her hand. “Em and I are going to the hospital. I need to check on Rosie and poor Violet. She must be so scared.”

“Ma, you’re not going anywhere,”  Sarah said, her voice softening, “and besides, I have news, and it’s not good.”

There was more bad news? What happened now? Then I knew. I saw a flash of her face somewhere in my subconscious: Violet. 

Sarah’s head twisted, and she held my gaze. She knew I knew. How did I know? I had no idea, but that wasn’t the pressing issue. 

Returning to focus, Sarah rested a gentle hand on Granny’s shoulder, “Violet’s missing. She never made it to the hospital. The men at her place had to be imposters. I spoke to police dispatch, and the legit Las Vegas Metro PD went to the house and found no one home.  Violet still hasn’t appeared at the hospital, and she’s not answering her phone.” her voice trailed off, “We don’t know where she is.”

I slumped into the chair and hung my head in my hands. The details made it so much worse. What the hell was happening?  

“We need to get to the hospital,” Granny said, standing firm. 

“You’re right about that, but you are not going anywhere. You’re staying put. On lockdown.”

“By who’s orders?” Granny fumed. “You can tell Paddy…”

 “I’m not telling dad anything,” Sarah said, “Besides, it’s your doctor’s orders. She’s going to be here in 20 minutes to check you out. Today was your second fainting spell in the last three days, Ma.” Sarah gave her mother a pointed look, then met my gaze, “But Em, you’re welcome to come with me if you like.”

She was right. We needed to find Violet. I was terrified, but my witch powers were growing daily. I had to help if I could. 

 “Good,” Sarah said and then paused, “it might go without saying, but I need to be sure you know what you’re walking into. Grab a potion and a weapon or two. Nikki is sure to have men lurking, and we’ve seen what they’re capable of.”

 I let out an uncomfortable laugh, “I’ve got a potion case with a handy little variety and an athame strapped to my side. At all times. It’s how I live now.”

“Good girl,” Sarah nodded, then looked to her mother, “You need to go lay down.”

“I’m fine right now, and I can see you two off,” Granny said. 

Sarah studied her, “I’ll be ready in 10 minutes.”

Granny turned toward me the moment she was gone, “There’s no way I’m staying here, Lovie. Rosie’s my best friend. I have a 10-minute escape window. Are you coming?” Granny said, grabbing her purse and the keys to Sarah’s hellcat off the wall, “I’m not kidding or waiting.” And she was gone, already out the door.

Fear and adrenaline took over, and I knew I should call for my aunt, but I heard the engine roar. Man, she could move for an old gal. I grabbed my bag, exhaled, said a prayer to the universe, and ran after her. What kind of granddaughter would I be if I let her go all alone?

She reversed the sleek black car and screeched to a stop in front of me, “Get in, Lovie. We’ve no time to waste.”

I hesitated and shook my head, “Man, Sarah’s gonna be pissed.”

“It’ll be fine,”  She said, “Now get your ass in the car, child.” 

She hit the gas and squealed down the driveway as I slid in before my door was closed. 

We zoomed down Highway 95 at a speed far greater than I was comfortable with. My leg bounced, and I gripped the oh-shit handle for dear life.  For the first time since leaving foster care, I thought about lighting up a cigarette. I rifled through my bag with one hand and found some gum instead. I unwrapped two pieces, chomped loudly while I exhaled, and concentrated on not hyperventilating or dying. Thankfully the drive to the hospital wasn’t too long.

Granny didn’t even break as she roared into the parking lot. Two people jumped out of the way as she slammed on the brakes and skidded into an open spot. I put my hands together in a prayer of gratitude and catapulted myself out of the front seat. Thankful for safe passage and the solid ground beneath my feet, I leaned against the car and gave her a pat. 

We felt the vibration of motorcycles off in the distance, and Granny looked and me and smiled. “See, Lovie,’ I told you everything would be fine. I know Paddy and Sarah will be angry, but the club will be here soon enough,” Granny said, “Let’s go check on our girls.”

“Granny, they are going to be so pissed, but yes, I supposed we should, since we’re here…” I said as relief washed over me. I was just about to tell her about the lipstick smeared all over her teeth, but I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Too fast for a human. Too creepy for a hospital. One hand dove into my purse, while the other went to my athame, but I wasn’t fast enough. 

And they were on top of us. A Masked Goon swung a tire iron at Granny. THWACK. And she slumped into a huddle in the parking lot.

“Granny!” I screamed as several other men grabbed me by the arms. My athame and potion dropped to the ground and skittered out of my reach. I kicked, swung, and growled, anything I could think of to get free. A needle pricked the back of my shoulder and I felt the rush of fluid. I was utterly unprepared for the body numbness that followed, “Gran…”

It wasn’t long before I started to drown in the darkness. My mind was fuzzy and lost. The world weebled and wobbled.  Then I sank further, and it all went black.

To Be Continued

Family Business Part 6: So it Begins

 The latest in the life of Em De Mone... 

So It Begins

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, settling into the lull of the tide. The sun was warm. The breeze was light. I dipped a toe into the lake and smiled. It was perfect. Right here. Right now. The stillness. The peace. I wanted to stay here forever. 

Then I heard it. Way off in the distance. A ringing. I pushed it away. There shouldn’t be any sounds out here except wildlife and the lapping of the water. But there was, and it grew louder and louder until…

I bolted upright, blinked, and looked around. What was happening? I stumbled out of bed and looked for the source of the noise. I grabbed my phone off the dresser. “Hello?”

“Em? Hey…” the frantic voice of my friend Maria blared through the receiver. “Are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here.” I rubbed my temples, longing for the tranquility of my dream and not the still lingering whiskey hangover from Saturday night. What time was it? What day was it? My eyes met the clock on the nightstand. It was just past noon on Monday. “Slow down and tell me what’s going on.” 

A big sigh came from the other end of the phone and Maria choked out her words, “Em, it’s Renee.” 

Every fiber of my being froze and my blood ran cold. This was bad. I took a deep breath, “What happened?”

“I don’t know all the details. She was attacked at the gym last night. It’s pretty bad. Her sister called me. She’s in surgery. Can you come to the hospital?”

“Ummm,” I wanted to say yes, but I had to face the facts. This happened to Renee because she is a human friend of mine. A man named Niklaus Chambers was trying to run my family out of town. Humans were by far an easier target than a demon motorcycle with the Wiccan friends. But I couldn’t share any of that with my only other human friend. Plus I was on lockdown, “I’m with my grandparents, and just woke up. Let me figure some things out.”

“Okay. See you soon,” she said half-heartedly, “I hope.”

Before I could respond, the phone clicked and the line went dead. She hung up on me. I dropped the phone, gathered my thoughts, threw on my robe, and hurried downstairs. 

I wound my way through the halls of my grandparents' house to a little den off the kitchen. Granny’s office. There was no door, only a curtain and it was closed. I didn’t care. Renee was supposed to have been safe. Sarah had promised me.

Without announcement, I flung back the mandala covering. Granny and my Aunt Sarah sat at the table. Each had a cup of something in front of them. They’d been expecting me. Granny held my gaze, but Sarah looked away.  As well she should, she had assured me everything would be okay. 

“Lovie,” Granny said her voice gentle confirming my fears, “Come sit.”

Sinking into a chair, I tucked my legs underneath me and braced for the gory details. 

“Em,” Sarah said, her voice the gentlest I’d ever heard, “I don’t even know how to start…”

“Renee was attacked, yeah I know!” I blurted. I couldn’t help myself. Forget my stoicism; I was pissed and I wanted everyone to know, “And I had to find out from my friend Maria.” 

 “I’ll make some fresh coffee,” she said with a sigh before she got up and walked into the kitchen. 

As soon as we were alone, Sarah leaned toward me. I could see the pain on her face. This attack had sent her reeling.

“There’s nothing to say, except I’m sorry. I really didn’t think…” she let a sardonic laugh escape, “...never in a million years did I think Little Nikki Chambers would ever be able to pull something like this off.”

“Like what?” I asked. All of a sudden we were talking about much more than Renee’s attack.

“He’s got people in his pocket everywhere, including inside this family.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s the only explanation for the way your friend was attacked. She was in the shower.” Sarah looked at me point blank. The time for tip-toeing around was over.

My gasp of horror didn’t even slow my aunt down. She kept going.

“After they beat her and cut her up, they stuffed her into the janitorial and threw dirty towels over her to keep her hidden and out of sight.”

“How…” I wanted to ask how she was found, but I also didn’t want to know.

“Her guard never checked in. We found him dumped in a bush stabbed in the back. He died on the way to the hospital.” Sarah stopped and took a sip. 

I had no idea what to say.

“Sarah, this isn’t all on you,” Granny returned with a tray of coffee and all the fixings. “We have to sift through all this carefully. The time for underestimating this sleaze bag or his reach is over.”

I didn’t think he had it in him. My mind is blown,” said Sarah, “I can’t believe I missed this. 

Granny crossed her arms, “Sure would help if we had a fresh perspective. Have you heard from your brother?”

“No,” Sarah said without an ounce of warmth in her voice, “he’s not returning my calls either.”

The room fell silent as I made my coffee. Letting it all sink in, I began to absorb Sarah’s fear and frustration. I also couldn’t shake the feeling this was only the beginning. And where in the hell was my dad?

The phone rang. Granny hurried off to the wall mount on the other side of the kitchen, “Hello?” 

I honed my Intentional Hearing to eavesdrop appropriately as I sipped my coffee.

The voice on the other end of the phone was frantic and familiar. It was Violet. She talked super soft and very fast. I couldn’t make out the details, but none of it was good.

Granny screamed, “Nooooo!”

Jumping out of our seats, Sarah and I rushed to the kitchen. My aunt slid underneath Granny as the little woman slumped to the ground. 

“Paddy!” Sarah called through the house, “Paddy, come quick!”

I picked up the dropped phone, “Violet? What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“It’s my Grandma. She was hit by a car. The cops are here now. They’re taking me to the hospital,” she sobbed, choking out the words. 

“Sshhh, Violet, it’s gonna be okay. We’ll be there as soon as we can,” I didn’t know what else to say, because I wasn’t sure everything was going to be okay. Was this really just an accident? 

“I know,” she said, then clicked off the call. 

I hung the phone up and leaned against the wall. 

Sarah cradled Granny in her arms. Was she dead? Had she fainted? Had a stroke?

I had no idea and I didn’t want to ask. Life was suddenly moving quickly through slow motion, and I was frozen in this second. My chest tightened. I couldn’t see beyond this moment. How could all this be happening? I closed my eyes and exhaled. When I opened them, Paddy walked into the kitchen.

A myriad of emotions passed through him, like an animated character when you flip the pages of a comic. At first, his face turned white and dropped, then the veins in his neck bulged and he turned red. He gritted his, bunched his fists, and found his calm, “Is she…”

“She’s breathing. I’m pretty sure she just fainted,” said Sarah, not a moment too soon. “That was Violet, Rose…”

Granny blinked her eyes open. A lone tear rolled out of one, “Poor Rosie. Paddy, what’s happening?”

“That’s a great question, Letti,” he said, kneeling down and picking her up in his arms, “but that’s not a worry for you at the moment. You need to rest.”

“Why Paddington Bear that is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard. I need to get to the hospital to support Rosie and her family,” Granny squirmed. “Put me down this instant.”

“I will do no such thing,” He held her tight. Her small frame was no match for his giantness and strength, “No, you’re resting on the couch for the rest of the afternoon.”

She glared at him.

“For at least an hour,” he conceded, and then we’ll see what’s going on. 

She gave him a soft nod, closed her eyes, and melted into his arms. I had no doubt she could’ve gotten up and handled everything, but she didn’t need to. 

As Paddy carried her out, he looked to Sarah, “Find your brother.”

Sarah pursed her lips and nodded. She said nothing, just watched them walk off.

I was afraid, but I asked anyway, “Where is my dad?”

“That’s the question of the hour, kiddo,” she said.

“Soooooo…” I stretched out the word.

She looked at me. Hard and unfeeling. “You want the truth, don’t you?”

I nodded even though I wasn’t 100% sure. 

“I have no idea where your dad is, or if he’s even alive. Nikki Chambers may have gotten to him already. At this point, I am more worried about him than I’ve ever been,” she crossed her arms and continued, “But we have work to do. So…get that coffee and get cleaned up. This day could go just about any which way, and none of them are pretty.” 

I was dismissed. That wasn’t the truth I was looking for, but she wasn’t wrong. I could feel it. Nothing good loomed ahead. 

 

To Be Continued 

Family Business Part 5: Reinforcements

 The latest in the life of Em De Mone... 

Reinforcements

Sixty-three stories above the Las Vegas Strip, the beady eyes of Niklaus Chambers bore into me. I knew he was not quite human but not quite supernatural either. Not knowing what I was dealing with terrified me more than I cared to admit. For lack of a better plan, I just stood and stared at him.

Shifting his weight, he ran a hand through his greasy hair and licked his lips. 

        I unnerved him. Good. I needed any advantage I could get. 

When he couldn’t take the silence any longer, he smiled like he knew things I didn’t,  “I’ll be damned if you aren’t the spitting image of Sarah. I know she’s a bit trampy, but I didn’t think she had any daughters, just a bunch of unruly sons. So tell me, what De Mone did you come from?”

I wanted to tilt my head and give him a quizzical look, but I just stared. It was a busy Saturday night at the Foundation Room nightclub. Everything appeared normal, except that some creepy guy, who wanted to gossip about my family, had me and tonight's headlining performer cornered in a section of the club. Who did this guy think he was? 

Poor Renee sat on a nearby couch with her hands clasped in her lap, looking nowhere in particular. It was clear she’d rather crawl into a hole and disappear. If I was going to get us out of this, I needed a better plan than staring. 

I had two tiny bottles of potion in my apron. One could wipe a memory and one could cause a distraction, but neither of those was a viable option with so many humans around, so I took the customer service route.

My lips twisted into an award-winning congenial smile, “Before we get to know each other, Mr. Chambers, the star of our show is needed in the back as intermission is nearing its end. I’m sure you can appreciate the business that’s in full swing here. ”

“Of course,” he said, grudgingly stepping out of the way. 

Renee got up, wringing her hands together, and mouthed thank you before she hurried off.

“I’ll find you later if I need to, darling,” Nicklaus Chambers called after her. 

Some of his spittle landed on my cheek and I resisted the urge to wipe my face and run screaming, “I’m sure we can work everything out and there won’t be any reason to bother Miss Renee again,” I said, palming the distraction potion in my apron. Just in case. “Now, please take a seat. We don’t want to attract any unwanted attention.”

“Of course not,” He conceded and sat on one of the surrounding couches.

“Thank you,” I said. My public persona shining. “It seems you have me at a disadvantage. You know an awful lot about me, but I don’t know much about you. How about you fill me in?” 

“Now we’re talking. I knew it was just a matter of time before you saw it my way. But please understand, I know everything about your friend…Renee…from the car she drives to the gym she frequents. I even know when she takes her cat shit to the trash, so you fuck with me and I fuck with her. Are we clear?” He licked his lips again and studied me like prey.

“Um…” But I couldn’t finish my thought.

Without warning, there was a void and my head throbbed. A dark chasm filled the room. Coolness seeped in and coated everything, even the people, with a thickness. The entire vibe of the room changed and shifted as if a storm rolled in. I’d never felt anything like it. And my life had been filled with strange and unusual happenings. 

Suddenly, I knew it was my family’s power, and it was connected to me. The reinforcements my grandpa Paddy promised to send. Idly I wondered if it was my dad. Had he finally returned? Would I meet him for the first time, right now? 

But it wasn’t him. 

It was her. My aunt and doppelganger. Sarah De Mone. 

Dressed and all black, she was sleek and sliced through the darkness, clearing an unseen path around her. Her chiseled features were expressionless, but her dark eyes flashed with power.

“Well well, if it isn’t Little Nikki Chambers,” she said upon arrival, “I didn’t know you frequented such places.” 

“Ah…Sarah,” He sat back, steepled his hands, and leered at her like she was dessert, “You’re not the De Mone I wanted, but an exquisite happenchance for sure. And I know it’s been a long time, so you may not know I go by Niklaus now.”

“It hasn’t been nearly long enough, and you’ll always be Little Nikki Chambers to me.” Her frosty words cut through the air, “What are you doing here? Harassing two young women? It’s a big no-no.” 

“Are you still fucking Richard?” He spat. She unnerved him much more than I did. 

Sarah’s expression never changed, but she took a seat across from him, sat back, and sighed. “See, this crass immature nonsense is exactly why you’re still, and always will be, Little Nikki Chambers. Now I’m going to ask you again, why in the fuck are you here harassing my niece and her very human friend?” 

The two stared at each other for a minute, and I had no idea what to do. I sort of swayed a bit. Most of me wanted to run and hide, but family and power kept me rooted. 

Sarah gave me a tired smile and broke the silence first, “Em, would you please bring me a glass of pinot noir and my companion another of whatever he’s drinking? Clearly, this is going to take longer than I thought, and it’s ready been a long day.” 

I nodded; happy for even a moment of reprieve. Part of me hoped she handled all this while I was gone. I put the drink order in and I pawned all my tables off on others. Baffled and completely distracted by this evening, there was no way I could focus on anything but the Chambers guy and this family business. I stood at the bar waiting. Instead of biting my nails, I watched from afar and honed my Intentional Hearing.

“Look…Niklaus,” Sarah leaned forward, her eyes shot daggers at the man in front of her, “Not only are you messing with my niece and a human, a prominent well-known human in this town, but your demon energy is off the charts. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I will find out. And when I do, you’d better hope you’re on the right side of the Demon Codes. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire.”

He mirrored her, only he didn’t hold a candle to her confidence. “Look Sarah, I like you and don’t want to see you get hurt, at least not unless I’m the one doing the hurting,” he licked his lips. Even I shuddered from the bar, “but heed my warning. It’s been a long time since the De Mones ran things around here, and they aren’t the main act in town anymore. 

In case you haven’t noticed, the town has evolved over the last decade. While you and your family have been enjoying the sunny side of the suburbs, the city people have had to resort to drastic measures to survive. I’ve been the one to help them, and I can assure you, that my Demon Codes are up-to-date and all within the confines of your bylaws. It would serve you best if you got out of my way. This town doesn’t belong to your family anymore.”

Sarah paused, her icy expression unwavering, “That’s the message you want me to relay to my family? Those are the exact words and phrases you want me to use when Paddy asks? Or Bass calls? And he will be calling.”

I couldn’t stop my mind from racing. My dad would be calling? I thought he was coming home. I thought I would meet him soon. 

I blinked and my drinks were ready. Thoughts of my dad disappeared as I grabbed my tray and headed back. 

 As I returned to the table, two men from my family’s motorcycle club, flanked me on either side. I set the drinks down, gave a smile-nod, and inched away from whatever volatile situation was about to take place.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I want you to tell them,” Niklaus Chambers said, “Now I suggest you take your niece with you and go.”

Sarah’s eyes pierced into her adversary and her voice hissed, “I would think long and hard about your position and how you intend to act going forward.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but she shook her head ‘no’ and raised her glass, “I will be taking Em with me, and you will agree to stand down without harming anyone, human or otherwise.”

He broke into a toothy grin and gave an uneasy laugh, “You know what, Sarah, as of this moment, I will agree to not cause physical harm to any member of your family. Today.” He stood and adjusted his suit coat. “If things do not change drastically in 24 hours, I will not make any promises about our future interactions,”  He threw several hundred dollar bills on the table, “That should cover all expenses. The rest goes to the staff.”

We watched as he stalked off. All his low-life goons, in and out of the shadows, followed him.

“I’m sorry this came to your place of work tonight,” Sarah said, patting the seat next to her, “But you’re safe now.”

I sat as Renee stepped back on stage, clearly, she’d overcome her nerves and was ready to shine again. 

“What about her?” I asked.

 “Your friend will be fine. I spoke with her and told her some of our guys would be keeping an eye on her.”

“Thank you,” I said, “I hate that she got dragged into this.”

Sarah studied me. I wanted to fidget, but I didn’t.

“You know Renee, told me you kept your cool and got her out of there first. That’s impressive,” she said and paused to take a sip of her wine, then leaned closer, “And a very De Mone thing to do. We are known for our stoicism. Never let them know what you’re really thinking. Let them guess. It’s much scarier.” 

I held her gaze and nodded. She was letting me in, and all of a sudden, I belonged. For a short spell, we sat engrossed in our own company and the music. When the melody stopped, she leaned toward me,  “I wasn’t kidding. I’m taking you with me. I’ve already cleared it with your boss. You’re off the rest of the night and the next few days. What do you say we get outta this stuffy joint, belly up to a bar, drink whiskey and talk shit about your dad?” She grinned at me, something I’d yet to see her do. 

“First round’s on me,” I beamed back at her and jumped up. Not only, was I long overdue for some answers, but I could use a whiskey after tonight’s hassle, “Let’s go.” 

 

To Be Continued