Chapter Twenty
Ramsey’s phone rang. He already knew who called and didn’t bother answering. The phone stayed on his nightstand ringing away. He blocked it out of his mind and stared at the ceiling. Nadine had contacted him multiple times first through the mind-link—he shouldn’t have told her about that. He ignored her. Then via the intercom. He unplugged that. Then on his cell phone. All the pestering was to remind him to pick up candy, flowers, and a car from the dealership before going to Dani’s house to grovel for her forgiveness. She’d wanted him to get up and go as soon as he woke. Three hours later and he hadn’t made a move to get up or head to Dani’s.
What if Nadine was wrong and Dani really didn’t want to see him? A few trinkets wouldn’t change her mind. He could get everything Nadine told him to without a problem, although he wasn’t sure about buying Dani a new car. He had the money, that wasn’t the issue, but a niggling feeling told him that Dani might appreciate a triple chocolate cake instead.
But what if Dani wants a cake and a car?
Ramsey glanced at his watch. 10 PM. Clearly too late for a stop at the dealership, and Drenda, no matter how much she liked him, wasn’t going to make a cake after hours.
Hm. He could get the cake tomorrow. But what about the car? He could have it shipped. That was always an option. That arrangement might take some time. Of course, he would have to wait until after she received the cake and car before he sank to his knees begging for her forgiveness. Or maybe just wait until after she received the cake?
Ramsey grumbled under his breath. What was he expecting anyway? He hadn’t talked to Dani in so long. She’d probably moved on with her life by now. His chest tightened with the thought.
Send her the gifts then wait to gauge her reaction. If she contacted him, she was open to forgiving him. If she didn’t… His chest tightened even more.
I am a coward.
Correction. He was a procrastinating coward. Afraid that the woman he loved didn’t love him back.
Instead of taking the chance of getting his heart ripped from his chest again he planned to stay in his room until he forgot how she looked.
How she smelled.
The sound of her voice.
The touch of her skin.
Her.
“Since when did I become a moody teenager?” Ramsey mumbled under his breath. He sighed and rolled to his side.
The ringing stopped.
Good. The noise was irking his nerves anyway.
The phone rang again.
If he had the energy he would crush it. But he’d used all his energy to turn to his side.
The ringing stopped.
He closed his eyes. He was so tired. So tired of everything, of life.
The lock on his door clicked open. That caught his attention. Marcos was the only other person who had the combination to his cellar room. He had strict instructions never to enter unless it was an emergency. In all these years Marcos had never unlocked his door.
Marcos breezed through the door with Nadine fast on his heels. Marcos turned on the switch, and even though Ramsey didn’t need the light to see, he was greeted with a very worried looking pair. “If this is a welfare check, I can assure you that I’m—”
Marcos wrung his hands together and rushed to Ramsey. “No time for your wittiness, sir.” Nadine followed so closely that she stepped on the back of Marcos’s heels.
Something is wrong.
“What’s going on?”
“Dani has been kidnapped.” Nadine held up her phone. “I-I was trying to get in touch with her to let her know that you were going to stop by, begging for forgiveness, and she didn’t answer.”
Ramsey jammed his hand through his hair. “Nadine, I don’t need you playing matchmaker.”
“I know. I know. But I couldn’t get in touch with her.”
“So how do you know that she’s been kidnapped?”
“When I couldn’t get in touch with her I reached out to her sister, Bride, on Friend Book and left her a message to have Dani call me.” Nadine frantically waved her phone in the air. “She just called and told me what happened.”
Ramsey launched himself off his bed. “Does she know who took her? Was it Angelina?” He would kill her.
Nadine shook her head. “No, Bride said that a guy she worked with—Alex—busted into her house and threatened to take Bride if Dani didn’t leave with him.”
Alex? Ramsey thought he’d seen the last of that creep. He curled his hands into fists, anger surged through him. “I’m going to LA.”
Marcos put a hand on his chest, stopping Ramsey from leaving. “That’s not all, sir. Bride said that Alex was ‘wearing freaky fake vampire teeth’ and that he possessed her mind to do whatever he told her to.”
Ramsey stared dumbfounded. “He’s a vampire?”
Both Marcos and Nadine nodded.
Since when? Alex had been human. Ramsey sank to his bed. Who’d turned him?
“What are we going to do?” Marcos asked.
“Unless I can find out who turned him, I don’t have a way to track him down.” The name of every vampire on the west coast popped in Ramsey’s head. He would have to visit them all to find out who’d sired Alex. That could take days, and by then Alex could’ve done unspeakable things to Dani.
Ramsey clenched the side of his bed. His fingers dug through the mattress to the springs and stuffing. With a feral yell he pulled everything in his grasp and threw it. Nadine cowered against Marcos, holding tight to his arm as stuffing rained down on her. Ramsey knew what he looked like. When angry his features distorted and his muscles bulged. His fingernails resembled claws, and his canines elongated. Nadine had never seen him as he was now. Marcos had on a few occasions. But Marcos also knew that Ramsey would never turn his anger on them. Marcos brushed stuffing from his head and shoulders.
“But what if we can track her?” Nadine asked.
“How?” It took every ounce of self-control not to rip his mattress apart in frustration. This was just another example of him not fulfilling his promise to protect her. Every muscle in his body coiled, ready to spring.
Nadine held out her free hand and wiggled her fingers. It didn’t appear as if she planned to let go of Marcos anytime soon. “Give me your phone.”
Ramsey pulled one hand out and tossed Nadine his cell phone. He didn’t want to get any closer to Nadine. She was trying her best not to run away from him as it was.
She caught it with one hand. “When I set-up your phone I asked Dani to share her location via an app.” She scrunched her eyebrows as she worked on his phone. “Ah, ha!” she said, satisfied with herself. “And lucky for you she accepted.” Nadine tossed his phone back. “See?”
He grabbed the phone mid-air. There was a map, and in the center was a red dot. He studied the location. This had to be wrong. “Antarctica?”
Nadine nodded. “If she has her phone on her that’s where Alex has her.” She shivered and hugged closer to Marcos. “I’m sure she’s warmer in Antarctica than we are in here.” She rubbed her hands over her arms. “It’s freezing.”
“You can go upstairs,” Ramsey said. “I’ll handle it from here.”
Nadine blew out a cold breath. “It’s okay. I want to help any way I can.”
Marcos’s phone rang. He took it out of his jacket pocket and looked at the incoming call screen. “It’s Angelina.”
Ramsey held out his hand. “Give it to me.” He had two people on his hit list now. It didn’t matter the order that he killed them in.
Marcos handed him his phone. Ramsey accepted the call.
“Hello, honey. Is your grandfather up yet?” Angelina cooed.
“It’s me, Angelina,” Ramsey ground out. “Where are you?”
Angelina giggled. “Wouldn’t you like to know? I heard you’ve been on a rampage trying to find me.” She tsked. “We haven’t been together for a long time, love. You don’t know me like you used to. You’ve no clue where I hang out these days.”
Ramsey jumped from his bed to pace his room. “I know you,” he growled. “In fact, I know you better than I did before. Tell me where you are,” he said each word in the last sentence slowly.
“Tell me where you are,” she mocked. She giggled, high-pitched and full on crazy. “You only want me when I do something drastic to get your attention. Why do you make me behave this way?”
“What way? Like a psychotic lunatic? You attacked an innocent woman and almost killed her for no reason at all.”
“Are you really in a position to call me names? I’m the only person standing between this fragile human and my new pet, Alex.”
Ramsey skidded to a halt.
“Do you remember Alex?” she continued. “Because he remembers you. In fact, he’s holding quite the grudge against you. He wants to kill you.” She laughed again. “Children. Ah, to be young and stupid again.” Angelina let out a whimsical sigh.
“Bring her back to me. Now.”
Angelina laughed again. “I might be a little crazy, but I’m not stupid. Do you still plan on killing me, Ramsey?”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, at least you’re being honest. I think that I’ll let Alex hold onto her until you get a grip on your temper.”
He took a few deep breaths. “Let Dani go—unharmed—and I won’t kill you.”
“You’re so violent. I like that. Have you gotten into spanking? BDSM? It’s all the rage now. We should try it.”
He scrubbed his hand down his face. It was impossible to have an intelligent conversation with her. She always veered off into the nonsensical.
“Angelina. Let. Dani. Go.”
“I’m not the one holding her captive, dear.”
“You’re not fooling me. You’re the one pulling the strings here.”
“What?” She acted surprised. “You know how newbies are. They’re so unpredictable. You couldn’t think that I knew that right after changing Alex, he would kidnap your pet, did you?”
“Should I ask how you met Alex anyway? Was it a coincidence?”
“Very much so. I saw him. He saw me. It was fate.” Angelina let out a whimsical sigh.
“Take her home. Now.”
“Like I said. This isn’t my doing. I just so happened to be in the middle. A neutral party. Like Switzerland. But, what I can do for you is try to persuade Alex to release your pet.”
“Do it.”
“Nuh-uh. Not until I get some assurances that you won’t try to hurt me anymore.”
There was no way that Angelina was innocent in this, but his options were limited. “I give you my word.” He wouldn’t harm her, but Alex was a different matter entirely. Ramsey planned to stake him in the front yard and let the sun greet him.
“You always were good at keeping your word. Now, if you want her to return home unharmed we’ll have more negotiating to do.”
“Angelina,” he ground out. “I already said that I wouldn’t hurt you if you made sure that she got home.”
“Yes, I can make sure that Alex sends her home. But what time frame are we talking about? Tomorrow night? Next month? Next year?”
Ramsey growled low with irritation.
“And what condition will she be in, hm?”
“What. Do. You. Want?”
“I want to rule at your side.”
“Rule at my side? What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re an Original—a leader, and you’ve been shirking your duties for far too long. You need a strong vampire mate by your side, and I want that position. I should have that position. You owe me.”
“Angelina, remember we talked about this. Sometimes you don’t understand things correctly.”
“Oh, shut up. I understand just right. It’s you who doesn’t understand. I think that it’s high time that you took a mate. You have all that power and yet you don’t do anything to access it. You need me, Ramsey. With me by your side we could be a formidable team.”
“Is this why you called me to your house?”
“Of course. Why else would I need you?”
Even after all these centuries she hadn’t changed a bit. “And if I let you become my mate again?”
“I’ll send your pet home.”
“Unharmed?”
“Well, partly unharmed. I did promise Alex that he could have his fun with her first. I do have to keep my promises. You understand, don’t you?”
He bit his tongue to stop himself from threatening her again. That wouldn’t get him anything. “Send her home and I’ll think about it.”
“No. No. No. That’s not how this is going to work. I have something that you want, and you have something I want. We are exchanging.”
“You’ll never get what you want if Dani is harmed.”
“Dani this. Dani that,” she whined. “I’m so sick of hearing that name. I should just kill her right now and get it over with. Then you won’t say her name anymore.”
“Angelina,” he said slowly. “We are negotiating her release. That’s why we’re talking about her.”
“But you act like you love her more than you love me,” Angelina whined. Ramsey didn’t want to point out that he didn’t love her anymore. That would definitely get Dani killed.
“I could never love anyone more than I love you, Valicinia. You know that.”
“Actually, I don’t. You’re so enamored with her. Why?”
“You’re not thinking clearly. She’s just another human fling. Nothing special. Something to pass my time. In a few years her looks will fade. I’ll be able to smell the decaying of her body and tire of her. She’s not like us and never will be.”
“Then why are you so worried about her? You never worried about me like you are with her.”
“She’s an innocent. You know how I feel about protecting the innocents.”
She humphed. “That always was your flaw.”
“I know. But Dani isn’t like you, strong and independent. She’s weak. Fragile.”
“Right?” Angelina giggled, and the sound of her voice irritated his ears. After all these years, the simple sound of her voice made him cringe.
“After you take Dani home we’ll meet to discuss our reunion and figure out the best way to move forward. I’ll have to give you access to my wards. Just drop her off at home and come to New Orleans.”
“Wait. What’s to stop you from reneging once this idiot is home safely? You aren’t thinking about luring me into a trap, are you?”
“What good would that do me? You would just grab her again and this time even kill her.”
Angelina let out a cackling laugh. “So very true. I would give her to my hounds. They sure do like human flesh.”
“So what time are you coming over?”
Angelina went silent.
“Angelina?”
“I’ll have to think about it some more. I want to believe you, but I’m getting the feeling that you’re lying and planning on killing me after I let this pest go.”
Ramsey cursed under his breath.
“Maybe I’ll keep this human pet of yours hidden away for a few years. You know, just to make sure that you keep your promise of making me your mate again. Oh, and to make sure that you don’t kill me at the first chance you get.”
Ramsey threw his head back, letting out a ferocious growl.
“Temper, temper, temper,” Angelina sang. “I see you need some time to calm down. I’ll call you back when you’re more open to negotiate properly.”
“Angelina, I will kill you!”
She giggled. “Kill me and your pet will spend the rest of her days on her knees, pleasuring Alex.”
Ramsey’s vision turned red.
“I’ll give you time to think about that,” Angelina said.
The line went silent, and Ramsey destroyed everything in his room.