Chapter 6
The Restaurant
Tomasso's Peak was located at the top floor of the downtown Atlanta Hilton Hotel. It was a tasteful gathering place for the leaders in business and politics. As the elevator doors opened to the top floor, Caleb's view opened into a grand waiting room that could hold upwards of fifty people. The lighting was subdued and presented an aura of cultured elegance.
He was amidst the movers and shakers of the day, those he had little chance of meeting under everyday circumstances. He felt out of place dressed in his off-the-rack, yet perfectly matching, royal blue Ralph Lauren dress slacks and blazer. It was the second best outfit he owned. After interviewing in his only suit earlier that afternoon, he was too ashamed to wear it again that night for the dinner with Ms. Vargas. He sighed as he made his way to the maitre-d's podium. I need to purchase another suit, he realized.
"Good evening. May I help you?" asked a tall, middle-aged man dressed in a traditional black tuxedo with an air of superiority. He was obviously unimpressed with Ralph Lauren.
"Hello, my name is Caleb Taylor, and I'm expected at a table for Mrs. Vargas," Caleb responded politely with a friendly smile.
The man looked down his nose at him and glanced at a small LCD screen set into the facing of the elaborate walnut finished wood podium.
"Ms. Vargas' table is expecting you, Mr. Taylor," he said, placing specific emphasis on her title.
Caleb winced inwardly at the oversight and responded, "Thank you. " Great start, he thought. I can't even announce myself properly.
"Ms. Adams will escort you to Ms. Vargas' table," the stuffy gentleman added.
A young woman in black tuxedo slacks and ruffled shirt accented by a simple black bow tie appeared seemingly from nowhere to escort him into the dining room, which was not quite as dimly lit as the entrance, but equally elegant. The rich scents from a host of finely prepared foods permeated the room. Crystal flower vases filled with varieties of freshly cut flowers adorned fine white linen table cloths. The elaborately designed crystal glassware and elegant fine china on each table was impressive. The silverware was the finest he'd seen, and, of course, everyone seated at their tables were dressed very dapperly. It was the second time in less than ten minutes he felt inadequate to his surroundings.
His silent escort led him to nearly the middle of the large dining room where he saw Alondra sitting patiently in an elegant red silk dress. Her neck was adorned by an elaborate cascading platinum necklace inlaid with an array of diamonds. Her hair was elegantly raised in a style that must have taken hours to arrange. She looked completely exotic, like someone out of another time and place.
Alondra smiled at him as the escort announced simply, "Ms. Vargas, your guest has arrived," before smiling and smartly departing.
Caleb noted absently that he hadn't even earned the announcement of his name, but he smiled brightly as he greeted his employer, "Ms. Vargas, you look amazing. "
I should've rented a tuxedo, he silently lamented.
"Please, sit, Caleb," she offered with a flourish of one hand as she held a small menu in the other. "And please call me Alondra. "
As he sat, a young waiter appeared to fill one of the crystal glasses at his place setting with water. "May I offer you something more to drink, sir? Perhaps some wine or a cocktail?" asked the waiter politely.
"Iced tea would be fine, thank you," Caleb replied simply before turning his attention back to Alondra. He was once again struck with how beautiful and elegant she appeared. After perusing the options on the menu, he shook his head at all of the tasty selections. He was having a hard time deciding.
Alondra regarded him closely and asked, "May I recommend something?"
He smiled and politely nodded as she gestured by holding her hand up slightly to signal the duty waiter across the room. The man smartly nodded and gestured sharply to the waiter who had served them their drinks earlier.
Caleb sat his menu down onto the table as his cell phone vibrated. He slipped the phone out and glanced at his text message. It was from Katrina.
Call me. Now.
"Um, I really need to call my girlfriend," he explained. "Do you mind?"
He started to rise from the table, but Alondra's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly, and she inclined her head and offered, "Of course, but please stay for your call. There's no reason to leave on my account. "
He smiled at her and muttered a quick, "Thanks," as he casually scrolled down to Katrina's directory entry.
She picked up after only one ring.
"Caleb?" she asked intently.
"Yep, it's me," he replied. "We're at the restaurant, and I just got your text message. "
"I'm concerned, Caleb," Katrina urged.
He heard keys being clicked furiously on a keyboard. She spends a lot of time on the computer, he noted absently. "Oh?" he asked. "Um, perhaps we could talk about this later tonight. "
"How may I serve you, madam?" the waiter queried Alondra as he appeared beside their table.
"We're ready to order. He will have the Mediterranean Chicken Pasta," she responded.
"CRE has only been around for a short time as a company," Katrina quietly muttered. Something suddenly triggered in her mind, though subtly, but she couldn't quite place it.
"Oh, and please add some garlic-sesame bread for him as well," Alondra added.
"And yet they're international already," Katrina muttered absently, and her typing fell silent. She frowned while listening to the background noise at Caleb's end.
"And for you, madam?" the waiter inquired.
"I'll have the Mandarin Jade Salad," Alondra replied. "But please, no dressing. "
"Very good, madam," the waiter replied.
"Hello?" Caleb asked as the silence drew out on the other end. Maybe the connection dropped.
"And an appropriate vintage of your best wine, please. I'm feeling particularly celebratory tonight," Alondra announced.
Katrina nearly gasped as she realized what was bothering her. It was a voice from her past. "Caleb, listen to me very closely," she stated in a hard, flat voice.
He struggled not to let his surprise show as his eyes darted to Alondra's face. His heart skipped a beat, and his mind was immediately racing. Why is she sounding so strange all of the sudden?
Alondra's eyes darted to his face for only a fleeting moment, but he noted it nevertheless.
"Yes, madam. I'll see to it immediately," the waiter replied crisply before departing.
There was prolonged silence on the phone, and Caleb pressed it to his ear so firmly he thought it might meld to his skin.
"I'm going to be very unhappy when we see each other again," Katrina informed him in a level, hard, and lethal voice. Then the line went dead.
Caleb's eyes widened with complete surprise, and Alondra's eyes momentarily narrowed before returning to a more sedate state. Could she have heard somehow? he wondered. He swallowed hard as his hand dropped away from his ear, and he almost dropped the phone as he missed the cell phone pouch at his hip trying to put it away. He glanced up at Alondra somewhat tentatively. Was there the hint of a smile on her lips?
"Everything okay?" she asked gently, but with an amused smile that didn't match the look in her eyes.
"I-I think my girlfriend is a little upset with me," he replied quietly. His mind raced for answers to numerous questions at once.
"Why? Whatever's happened?" Alondra inquired.
"Well, she's really big on rules," he mused absently with a frown.
"Really?"
"Yes," he stated simply while glancing into her eyes. "But I'm not sure which one applies in this instance. "
"Sounds a little harsh, if you ask me," she observed with amusement.
Caleb just sat there with a bewildered look on his face.
"Tell me about her," she pressed. "You haven't mentioned her yet. "
"Well, i
t started with a history class I was teaching," he began and proceeded to relate what he thought were the safe parts of his past with Katrina. He conveyed the benign aspects nearly anyone would talk about when discussing their partners or spouses. Alondra seemed to hang on his every word, which made him feel more comfortable. She smiled mildly at some points and nodded at others, portraying the consummate good listener.
The waiter returned with the garlic-sesame bread and poured the wine for them as Caleb described his teaching position at the college, as well as the way he looked forward to being a researcher for Alondra's company. Still, in the back of his mind he was mulling over Katrina's earlier reaction over the phone.
Alondra took a small sip of her wine as Caleb reached for additional bread and noted he had consumed half of it.
"Wouldn't you like some?" he asked. He felt guilty for being such a bread hog.
She merely smiled and replied, "No, thank you. I'll wait for my salad. "
Something seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of their food. His pasta smelled delicious as the plate was placed before him. He glanced over to her salad. While fruity looking, it nonetheless looked rather plain.
She smiled at him and insisted, "Go ahead. Try it. "
He smiled back and eagerly sampled his entree. It tasted as amazing as he hoped. He must have been hungry because he suddenly realized he'd taken numerous bites before looking up to reach for some more bread.
"How's your salad?" he politely inquired.
She regarded him with an amused expression. "Actually, I'm more excited about dessert. "
His eyes glanced down at her salad. It had barely been touched. He frowned, and the waiter interrupted the silence by suddenly appearing at the table. Alondra looked up with a displeased expression, apparently not welcoming the interruption.
"Ms. Vargas," began the head waiter apologetically. "There's someone waiting at the front desk who seems insistent to see you. "
Katrina, wearing a pressed black pantsuit, appeared to stand beside Caleb, and his head whipped to the right to stare up at her with surprise. Her long red hair cascaded around her shoulders like a mantle. But most notably, her face looked particularly displeased, almost stony. Her left hand fell firmly onto his right shoulder and gripped it like a vice. His eyes widened with alarm from the anger her strong grip implied.
"Kat?" he asked dumbfounded.
Alondra's eyes narrowed to slits, and she glared up at Katrina while muttering to the waiter, "That's fine. She won't be any trouble at all. "
The head waiter observed the exchange with a note of surprise. "Of course, madam. I'll set another place. " He retreated in an almost eager manner.
"Hello. . . Katrina, isn't it now?" Alondra offered with a narrow-eyed expression. "It's been a long time. "
"Not long enough," Katrina muttered through clenched jaws.
Caleb was confused. "You two know each other?"
Katrina growled slightly and ordered, "Later, Caleb. "
"Still possessive about your pets, I see," Alondra observed pointedly. "You haven't taken one in for a while, and I'd almost grown tired of waiting. . . almost. "
His eyes shot up to look at Alondra with a startled expression, but her eyes remained focused on Katrina's face. The woman's manner had changed completely from a few minutes ago.
"The last one committed suicide, as I recall," Alondra said absently. "He preferred not to betray you. And something tells me this one has a similar quality about him. "
Caleb's eyes widened at Alondra and darted to look at Katrina's face, which displayed a momentary expression of pain before turning stony again.
"So. . . Alondra, isn't it? You've been doing a lot of international traveling lately," Katrina noted. The explanation for what had happened to other vampires around the globe was suddenly becoming clear to her. Unfortunately, the common thread among all the missing vampires was also clear, and Katrina was part of that commonality.
"Just visiting old friends," Alondra said.
A different waiter appeared with a chair while another held items for a new place setting, but Katrina waved them away with her right hand while ordering, "Take it away. We're not staying. "
The waiters exchanged confused glances and withdrew. Nearby patrons observed the exchange with curiosity.
Caleb felt Katrina's grip shift to his upper right arm and barely had time to engage his legs before he was being hauled upwards out of his chair.
"Caleb is tendering his resignation, effective immediately," Katrina stated flatly.
Alondra's eyes were filled with amusement. "Fine, but such a shame. " She looked at Caleb with an empty stare and added in the same quiet, flat manner Katrina had used, "Don't worry about your severance. I always square my debts in the end. "
A shiver went up Caleb's spine at her threatening tone. Alondra didn't seem to be the same person he had met that afternoon, or this evening, for that matter. His mind was racing, and his pulse quickened noticeably.
"Leave the city tonight," Katrina ordered in a lethal voice. "While you still can. "
"Forget about me," Alondra demanded quietly. "Keep an eye on your pet. "
The threat was implicit, but Katrina didn't reply. Instead, she turned Caleb around by the upper arm, and they quick-stepped out of the dining room and to the lobby elevator. For the time being, she needed to secure Caleb.
For Caleb, everything was happening too quickly to process. He had no idea what was going on and had never heard Katrina sound so lethal before. His mind swam with chaotic thoughts.
When the elevator doors opened to an empty car, Katrina half-pushed him into the elevator and quickly turned to depress the button before anyone else could enter. She pressed the parking garage button so quickly that all he saw was a blur of movement.
After a moment, he reached up to remove her left hand from his shoulder because the pressure from her grip was becoming uncomfortable. She removed her hand with an irritated expression, but said nothing.
"Kat, what's going on?" he asked as the elevator descended.
"Later," she insisted firmly.
"No, I want to know now!" he demanded, but her eyes flashed bright green as she glared down at him. He jumped slightly and fell silent beside her. His mind was still racing furiously at what had just taken place, and now he felt a little wary of Katrina's mood.
The elevator doors opened to reveal the parking garage. Though it was full of cars, he managed to recall where he had parked. He started to turn left, but she grabbed his right arm, pulling him in the opposite direction.
"Kat, my car's this way," he insisted as he tried pulling from her vice-like grip. He was momentarily pleased nobody else was nearby because he felt embarrassed by the way she was manhandling him.
"Forget it," she replied evenly. "You're riding with me. "
"But -" he tried to object, but she jerked his arm while walking away. It seemed like his arm was destined to be elsewhere, so he tagged along with it.
"We'll retrieve your car later," she offered after a lengthy pause.
Within moments, they were standing beside her Audi. She clicked the remote and pulled the passenger door open at nearly the same time with her free hand, while tugging at him and practically pressing him into the passenger seat with the other.
"Buckle up," she ordered before slamming the door shut.
He was stunned as he buckled himself in. She was already in the driver's seat beside him before he had even latched the buckle.
She backed out of her spot and whipped through the parking garage far quicker than seemed safe. They were at the exit booth in what seemed like a blur. Her window was already rolled down to present a larger bill to the attendant than was necessary.
"Keep it," she stated flatly while revving the engine.
"Thanks," the attendant muttered as the gate began to rise. B
ut their car was already pulling away, the top of the car barely missing the bottom edge of the rising wooden gate. Katrina found an immediate opening in traffic and gunned the motor as they sped forward.
"Kat!" he exclaimed in a worried tone. He had never seen her act in such a reckless manner before. She was normally such a cautious driver.
"Hush, I'm thinking," she insisted without even glancing at him as she weaved in and out of traffic. She swiftly reached over to the radio and initiated a CD selection. "Map of the Problematique," by Muse, began playing loudly. Hopefully that will distract him from asking too many questions right now, she thought fleetingly. She was trying to think steps ahead of Alondra Vargas, although she knew her by a more ancient name.
Caleb thought it was simultaneously breathtaking and terrifying watching cars and lights flash by them. He glanced at the speedometer, which reflected nearly twice the legal speed. He was surprised the police hadn't already fallen into a pursuit behind them. Within minutes, they were on the I-20 heading across town.
"Am I going home?" he asked tentatively.
"Briefly," she suggested. "You have to pack. "
"For what?" he insisted. "Where are we going?" At least he was finally getting her to talk to him.
"You'll be staying with me for a time," she answered.
"Because of Alondra?" he asked simply.
"Yes. "
His mind raced with his adrenaline rush. He paused briefly before asking, "You heard her voice over the cell phone, didn't you?"
"Yes," she replied.
"She's a vampire?"
Katrina didn't answer.
He replayed the interview with Alondra Vargas that afternoon. She was in an office with the window open to the sunlight streaming in, wasn't she? He recalled the window was covered with a filter of some kind. Perhaps an ultraviolet filter?
His mind quickly reflected on the exchange between Alondra and Katrina. He recalled Alondra's comment regarding anticipating dessert, and a chilling thought ran through his mind.
"She intended to kill me tonight," he ventured as tightness formed in his throat.
"Probably," Katrina replied between clenched teeth as she tightly gripped the steering wheel.
He recalled something Alondra said about one of Katrina's previous mates. "Was she responsible for one of your mate's deaths?" he asked over the loud music.
"Not now, Caleb," she barked harshly.
He flinched as if she had slapped him. "Really, I'm sorry," he muttered somberly, his meaning two-fold. Her right hand reached out and caressed the side of his face as her left hand gripped the steering wheel.
He took a deep, even breath as she reached over and turned up the volume, continuing to blare music as they sped along the highway. Obviously, he was going to have to wait before pressing her for additional information.
Katrina hovered over him like a second shadow in his building's parking garage. Inside his apartment, she seemed very impatient as he shoved a variety of clothes and toiletries into the small suitcase he kept in the coat closet. He added shirts and pants into a hanging garment bag. To him, the whole situation was unfolding in a preposterous manner, but Katrina didn't seem in the mood to entertain any disagreements.
"Kat, how long am I packing for?" he asked. He tried focusing on immediate tasks to avoid dwelling on his growing sense of anxiety. He'd never seen her so agitated and distracted before. And if she were that agitated, then he was scared as hell.
She seemed deep in thought as she stood like a statue in his living room staring at the window leading out to the fire escape. "Just fill your suitcase," she replied absently.
He stared back at her as he tried to make sense of everything. "Look, Kat, I don't appreciate the way you're treating me right now," he insisted irritably.
Her head whipped around to look at him with a piercing stare, and he froze where he stood, transfixed by her predatory gaze. It wasn't a very pleasant visage.
"I'm sorry," she offered in a milder tone of voice as she realized that he was unnerved by her behavior. "I'm merely trying to put a plan together while also making sure I take you somewhere safe until we can sort this out properly. Please, try to trust me, my love. "
He sighed. "Okay, I can do that. "
"And please, try to pack more quickly," she urged after only a moment's pause.
He nodded while grabbing whatever seemed logical, including his laptop and a couple of books he had purchased recently. He marveled at how hard it was to pack accurately under stress and on a moment's notice.
A few minutes later, Katrina appeared in his bedroom doorway. He stopped and glanced into her green eyes. At least they aren't glowing at me, he noted.
"Ready?" she pressed.
He nodded, and she raced in a blur to his bed to grab his suitcase. He gaped at the speed of her movements, but grabbed his laptop case and the hanging garment bag and followed her out the front door. He wondered when he would see his apartment again as he turned the key to lock the deadbolt. He turned around, and she gestured with her head for him to lead the way back down the quiet hallway to the elevator.
The elevator doors opened to reveal Harry Maddox standing inside holding a silenced automatic pistol. Caleb's eyes nearly popped out of his head as Katrina's body thrust past him while pushing him backwards.
Caleb's body impacted the wall with a thud, and the suitcase Katrina was carrying hadn't even hit the floor before she slammed into Maddox like a speeding train, knocking him backwards against the far side of the elevator. Maddox's handgun silently discharged multiple times as the elevator doors slid shut behind them.
"Oh, God!" Caleb exclaimed as he rushed forward to punch frantically at the elevator door button. He felt stunned and watched in horror as the elevator descended despite his efforts. He ran back to his apartment, fumbled frantically with the door lock, and grabbed the metal baseball bat that he kept in the coat closet.
Racing to the stairwell door, he noticed the elevator was returning to his floor. He positioned himself to the side of the elevator doors so he could swing onto the person exiting. He prayed silently it would be Katrina, but was ready in case it wasn't.
"Oh please, Katrina," he muttered as the doors swished open.
He glanced inside to emptiness. The faint scent of gunpowder played in the air. "What the -" he whispered.
The stairwell door behind him burst open, and he whirled in horror to face the sound as he raised the bat overhead to strike.
Katrina towered before him and neatly jerked the bat from his grasp, her eyes blazing green. "Miss me?" she asked with an almost devilish grimace.
He was speechless, but so grateful to see her.
"What is it with you and batting at people?" she demanded.
He nearly fell over with relief and joy as he gasped, "Kat! I thought -"
"I know," she interrupted him as she grasped him by the arm and dragged him back to his open apartment door. The painful realization solidified that if she had moved a second slower, he might be lying dead in the hallway. She tossed the baseball bat into his apartment and closed the door.
"Hey, I might need that," he retorted.
"You won't need it where I'm taking you," she countered darkly.
He didn't care for the way she said that.
"Keys," she insisted. He dutifully handed her his house keys. She hadn't considered grabbing his spare apartment key before leaving her house, being more worried about getting to him in time.
They gathered up his belongings and got back into the elevator just as one of his neighbors peeked out of their front door to see what the commotion was about.
"What happened?" Caleb demanded anxiously once the elevator doors shut.
"That guy," she began.
"Maddox, Harry Maddox," he explained. "He's Alondra's personal aide. "
Katrina gritted her teeth and growled, "It figures. "
"
What did you do -" he began before letting his words trail off.
They exited the elevator into the nearly deserted parking garage and headed to Katrina's car. "He's not going to be a problem anymore. He went dumpster diving," she seethed.
Caleb was taken aback at the level of anger in Katrina's reply as she quickly and effortlessly propelled each piece of his luggage into the back of her car. He almost felt her warm breath on the back of his neck as he opened the passenger door. She hovered over him until he was buckled into the passenger seat, after which she rushed around the car and into the driver's seat with blinding speed.
Moments later, they were accelerating out of the parking garage and onto the city streets. Once on the highway, they headed in the direction of Mableton.
Caleb was either going into shock or starting to feel the adrenaline abate slightly in his system. In fact, he felt an intense weariness spread throughout his body. It was then that his stomach growled with hunger. He realized that he had only managed a few bites of his food and some of the bread before the evening went to hell.
He glanced over to Katrina who merely sighed and demanded, "You're hungry? Now?"
"I'm sorry! It wasn't my idea!" he exclaimed as the stress of the evening began to fray the edges of his nerves. His body was placing metabolic demands upon him that weren't necessarily his invention.
She considered her available options. They were very close to the estate where she could secure Caleb, but she realized there was little if any food in the house. Yet another variable I'll have to contend with soon, she realized. The situation was ludicrous, but she was committed to meeting his needs, no matter the circumstance.
She shook her head with frustration as she exited the freeway near her estate. Fortunately, there was a fast food restaurant nearby, and she quickly pulled up to the drive-thru speaker. Turning to stare at him with only a slightly exasperated expression, she gestured silently but sharply with a pointed finger towards the menu sign.
He leaned across her lap to stare at the sign for mere moments before she growled, "Faster, please. "
"Double cheeseburger, large fries, and Coke?" he asked tentatively with an upraised eyebrow.
She winced at his horribly unhealthy selection, but he merely shrugged in response. She used her hand to press him back to his side of the car and relayed the order to the disembodied voice at the other end of the speaker. She ordered a Coke for herself as well. After paying and handing the food off to him, she revved the engine and swiftly proceeded down the road to her estate as "Angry Johnny," by Poe, played on the stereo.
Katrina activated the driveway gate before reaching the actual entrance, and she sped up to the garage as Caleb shut his eyes tightly. The door no sooner opened just enough for the car to clear before the vehicle screeched to a halt inside as the door closed behind them. Caleb opened one eye as he heard the driver's side door open. A split second later, his door opened and he handed Katrina's Coke to her. He followed with his own drink and bag of food.
"Inside the house, please," she ushered while leading the way into the sprawling house and deactivating the alarm system.
He entered the large kitchen and laid his food on the nearby counter. He turned to go back out to the car for his luggage when Katrina reappeared carrying all of his items. She sped past him and disappeared somewhere into the house.
He began to make his way through the kitchen to follow her when he heard her shout from somewhere in the house, "Eat your burger!"
Caleb sighed, shrugged out of his sport jacket, and sat down at the counter to eat. His hands didn't manage to stop shaking for some time, and his mind was reeling from everything. Worst of all, he had never seen Katrina so angry and upset before. And despite the fact she was very protective of him, her behavior still unnerved him.