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 

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Read ahead.
Part 7: Unprepared

Go back.
Part 1: Mystics and Mechanics
Part 2: Séance in the Shop
Part 3: Manny's Old Town Saloon and Gambling Hall
Part 4: The Foundation Room

Part 5: Reinforcements

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Part 1: The Intro