Chapter 32 Gimme Shelter

Gimme Shelter

Dorothy shifted restlessly in the seat of the Cayenne, but it wasn't because the ultra plush leather seats were uncomfortable. Quite the opposite she decided; the real issue was that she was a nervous wreck because Clark was coming home in the morning and it was almost like their first time together. Not that they would be making love, but she felt terribly shy about seeing him again, which was utterly ridiculous she admitted. She was a grown woman and was more than excited to be with him again. She knew that the twins were more than ready to be born, even if Vaygar hadn't told her that. No, she just knew…somehow she knew. Was Vaygar correct telling her that she would likely have his gift of psychic abilities? It seemed strange to even contemplate.

"Lani, the new car is wonderful. It's such a beautiful night as well. Could we take a drive up the beach?" It was a beautiful night, she wasn't lying about that but she also thought that a drive might distract her a bit.

"Sure, um, you're sure you're up for it?" Lani caught Rose's gaze in the rear view mirror and saw the slight nod of approval in the rear view mirror and relaxed a bit. "Ice cream first or after?"

"After, please." For some reason she wasn't sure that she actually wanted ice cream after all. It had sounded wonderful half an hour ago, but not now she decided.

"Alright then. A relaxing drive it is. Sounds good to me," Beth said, sensing her mother's restlessness. And the faintly different scent that seemed to be wrapped around her mother as well.

Rose had also picked up the change in scent; those babies were coming and soon. Still, a short drive might be good for her as a distraction tactic. She'd like to ask Dorothy if she was having any pain but decided to hold off in case it made her more nervous.

Lani headed north on the PCH and within minutes the traffic thinned a bit and the lovely moon shone brightly on the ocean. It was strangely calm tonight, looking almost glassy at times.

Dorothy took a few deep breaths and felt a little bit calmer; this was exactly what she needed she decided. She looked out the window and sighed, feeling strangely content, maybe for the first time since Clark had been turned. Tomorrow he'd be home; life seemed suddenly very promising.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Vaygar and Ryan cruised along the PCH far enough behind the girls that they were still in sight but enough to room to make them feel that they weren't being followed too closely. The men chatted amiably, also enjoying the night cruise down the highway. The ladies had picked a perfect night for it.

Vaygar admired the young vampire greatly; he had excellent manners that were displayed anytime he was around the girls. He had managed to develop a good working relationship with Josef while remaining faithfully loyal to Miss Lani, who he liked a good deal.

Vaygar knew that she was a bit of a spitfire, much like Beth and she would make an excellent vampire and a very appropriate mate for Josef.

In Vaygar's opinion, you rarely found such strong relationships among vampire mates. He noted with pride the very strong bonds between Mick and Beth, Clark and Dorothy and Josef and Lani. He wondered, only briefly if he were honest, what his life may have been like to find such a mate? Rose and Brody, even though they had never married shared that bond, and never seemed to grow tired of one another. That was purely amazing he admitted.

Vaygar occasionally hooked up Kiki, but she was like a butterfly; she'd come close enough to land briefly and then was right back soaring in the air again. She would never be tied to anyone for long. That didn't make Vaygar sad because he instinctively knew that she would never be his mate.

Nya, the beautiful Anasazi woman might have easily captured his heart he admitted. She could have and even though they had several children together, she was more content with her shamanistic life; prayers and healing pursuits suited her well and Vaygar had made a pact with himself to never try to change her.

It would incorrect to say that he was discontented with his life because he wasn't, not in the slightest. That didn't mean he couldn't admire the strong bonds of the others though.


OOOOOOOOOO


The farther north the little group caravanned the angrier Martin became. Where in the hell were they going, anyway? They couldn't go too far; Dorothy looked like an over-bloated cow. She needed to drop that calf soon so he could get rid of it. He knew she'd appreciate his gesture because she would never want that bastards offspring. He knew that for sure because she'd never even had a funeral for him. That told him more than anything else.

As he drove he fumed more and more about the delay in getting his hands on her. Yep, he had some serious business with her, the kind of business that meant her spread-legged on the bed and him finally getting some satisfaction out of the bitch. Hopefully she'd learned a few things over the years and wouldn't lay there crying like a baby.

He looked into his rearview mirror and thought he saw that big, black SUV that sometimes followed Lani around. He slowed a bit, making sure to keep the vivid red Porsche Cayenne in sight, not that if would be hard to spot. He wondered now if he could tap that rich bastard that she lived with? The idea brought a huge smile to his face.

He finally got close enough to the black SUV to verify that it was two of the men that he'd seen hanging around the women. What the hell was up with that anyway? He glared into the dark windows of the SUV and cursed at them.

He didn't realize that Vaygar had recognized him immediately.


OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Vaygar shouted, infuriated by the fact that Martin was following the girls.

"WHAT?" Ryan yelled in return. "What the hell is going on?"

"That little weasel is following the ladies. Ryan, we need to take care of him once and for all."

"Agreed. Shall we just follow him and see if we can get to him? As Josef says, a trip to the tar pits are in order."

Vaygar was clearly puzzled by Ryan's words. "Really? The tar pits?"

"You bet. Lots of bones in that tar pit, supposing of course they haven't disintegrated by now." Ryan grinned, a strangely wicked grin in fact and Vaygar had to laugh for a moment.

It didn't take long for their focus to return to Martin though. Vaygar picked up his phone and called Rose, hoping that they were in range of cell service. He let out a sigh when the call went through and explained the situation to Rose who listened carefully. He heard Beth as she let out a small groan as she had heard his comments. He waited for a moment as the girls talked in vampire tones so that Lani and Dorothy couldn't hear the conversation.

The subject was debated for a moment or two and Beth finally had a solution.

Vaygar hoped it would work.


OOOOOOOOOOOO


"Hey, Lani. Since we're out this far north, how about we go out to Josef's beach house? I'm sure Mom and Rose would love to see it."

"Yes, that would be delightful," Rose agreed. She saw Lani staring at her in the rear view mirror again and nodded slightly, trying to send her a silent message. It seemed to work.

"I like that idea. And you know what? We've got ice cream in the freezer there. Is that okay with you, Dorothy?"

Dorothy laughed and quickly agreed. "I have to admit, I'm curious about the place because you all talk about it a lot. And - I have to also admit that I need to pee - again," she said with a groan.

"Well then, Malibu it is. We're about 15 minutes away. Hold on to your hats, sisters," giggled. She sped up a little, deciding that if they were pulled over by the police it wouldn't be so bad, at least she thought so but since she wasn't quite sure what was going on, she hoped that would be okay.


OOOOOOOOOOOO


Martin knew that he'd been spotted when first the girls and then the black SUV sped up. He spent a minute spewing every curse he could think of before he decided that he needed to think carefully about what he intended to do. He had to take the men out of the equation. He looked down at the gun lying beside him; he hated to do it, but he had to get a shot off and that shot needed to count.

He rolled his window down and yelled, "Hey, assholes! Hey, lookie here!" He waved the gun out the window of the Taurus and watched as the passenger window slowly receded into the door.

"Martin Parker! Pull over now," the one with long blond hair yelled in return.

Martin laughed. Who the hell did this long-haired sissy boy think he was talking to? And how the hell did he know his name? That should have set off a warning bell, but he was so caught up in the moment and his perception of feeling omnipotent that he didn't spare even a moment for alarm. Instead, he grinned at his foe and fired a shot into the vehicle.

The SUV swerved a bit and he could see the sissy boy holding his arm. GOOD! Martin's laughter sprang from him as he crowed in triumph. He took another shot, this time at the rear tire and his aim was again true. The vehicle careened madly, crossing over two lanes and hit another vehicle which spun out of control. The black SUV tried to recover but couldn't and finally flipped over before another vehicle hit it mid-section, spinning it off into the median on its roof.

Martin laughed manically as he watched to collision in the side window. That took care heof those bastards, for sure. Clear sailing ahead. Exactly what he needed. This was turning out to be a fantastic night; with the spoils of the battle still ahead he knew that nothing could stop him now.


OOOOOOOOOOOO


Both Vaygar and Ryan were okay, basically although both of them had various broken bone which would heal quickly, but they still hurt like the devil. Ryan pulled his phone out of his pocked and stated, "I'm calling Josef. Hopefully he can get to them in time."

Vaygar nodded and said, "I'm calling Rose. She and Beth might have to take on Martin. I hope they bloody well make it hurt!"

Ryan quickly got through to Josef. Their conversation was brief, with Ryan filling him on what had happened and telling him where the girls were.

"I'm calling for the helicopter; it can get us there quickly. Do you need someone to come and get you?"

"Yes; this vehicle won't be drivable. I do see red lights heading for us though. Just worry about the ladies."

"You got it," Ryan heard right before the call ended. He heard Vaygar still speaking to Rose and interrupted long enough to state that Josef and the men were meeting them at the house, via helicopter.

As she hung up the phone she felt a bit of fear. This wasn't going to help Dorothy a bit. She knew that between her and Beth they wouldn't have any trouble with Martin, but it was still going to be hard on Dorothy. She startled a bit as she heard Beth's phone ring and thought it was probably Mick. By Mick's greeting she knew she was right.

She heard him speaking, his voice a bit agitated. "Beth, get into the safe room as soon as you are there. Don't hesitate!"

"Mick, don't you think it's more important for Rose and I to, uh, take care of the problem first?"

"No, baby. We'll be there pretty quickly. I hear the 'copter now. Just keep them safe, Beth."

"Okay. I love you."

"Love you too, Beth. Forever, baby."

Dorothy turned around in the front seat, as much as she could that is. "What is going on? Don't tell me that everything is alright because I know it isn't."

Beth looked at Rose, not sure what to do. Sometimes knowing there is trouble, but not know exactly what it is was much worse than knowing; a person's imagination always seemed to take the scariest route available. Rose nodded to her and so she decided to just tell them.

Lani knew that they were only minutes away from the beach house. She was driving with an acutely tense feeling in the pit of her stomach. She seemed to know instinctively that she needed to get them there as quickly as possible. Two minutes she intoned to herself, over and over as she listened to Beth.

After Beth explained it all she looked at her mom who seemed to be handling it well. "Mom, are you okay?"

Dorothy was okay, but she also knew that she was in labor. At first just a few tiny flutterings, now the pain was becoming more intense. She could only hope they were close to the beach house. When she voiced the question she left out the part about her labor.

"We're maybe a minute away, Mom. In the house Josef has a safe room; it's a completely safe contained level of the house. There is no way that Martin is getting into it. We'll be safe."

Rose had been watching out the rear window. "I can see headlights back there, maybe a half a mile or so." She frowned at how close he was and became edgy as she realized that Dorothy really was in labor.

At Rose's words Lani turned the lights off, leaving only the nearly full moon to guide her on the road, but she knew it well and never hesitated for a moment until she quickly slowed and turned into the drive. She pushed the button on garage and it lifted obligingly, but not nearly fast enough for her comfort.

As soon as they were in she pushed the button again and the door swung slowly shut. Her hopes were that Martin was far enough behind them that he wasn't sure whether she had turned or just gone around the curve that was a few hundred feet ahead of them. Either way, they were safely inside of the house and as she opened the door into the house and led them in. By then Rose and Beth had heard Martin's car pull into the drive.

"Come on, Mom. Let's get downstairs. How are you doing?"

Dorothy gave a weak smile and uttered, "I'm in labor."

Beth felt a sick feeling in her stomach. What else could go wrong?


OOOOOOOOOOOO


Clark and Logan listened as Josef spoke urgently into the phone. Both of them heard that the helicopter would be here in about five minutes and then take about 12 minutes to get to the beach house. Logan immediately got up and started putting blood into a canvas bag, to take with them. He knew that there was no way that Clark would stay home. He knew if it were him, nothing would be able to stop him.

Clark looked at Josef and Mick and stated, "I'm going with you. That bastard is MINE!"

Mick pursed his lips for a moment and then nodded. "I agree, he's yours to take care of. But if we have to, we'll keep you away from Dorothy if you show any signs of being out of control. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Josef nodded, satisfied with what was happening. Let's get out to the helipad gentlemen. It's time that bastard was put out of our misery."

They all nodded in agreement. Yes, it way past time for that.


To be continued...


Hi everyone! Sorry to have missed last week but we're back on schedule now. Real life was kicking my behind last week for sure. The good news is that my daughter is doing much better now. The bad news is that most of us in the house have had the flu and it is still got 3 grandsons down. They are going to the doc this morning - yeah, they are SO looking forward to that! NOT...

Thank all of you who take the time to read and comment as well. I am behind on answering comments, but will hopefully get to them soon.

By the way, I often post messages on Face Book about what is going on. If you would like to friend me on there, you'll usually find out if the post will be delayed. You can find me at Cyndy Klein Hodge.

Cyndy