The Rose Ransom (Girls Wearing Black: Book Three) (14 page)

“I understand,” said Zack.

Watching this play out was even
more devastating than Jill would have imagined. Without meaning to, or even
realizing it, she started to bawl.

“No, Zack, you do remember me,”
she moaned. “You can’t forget…”

She fell to the ground and cried
into her hands. She didn’t know if she was playing the part or not anymore. The
despair she felt at this moment wasn’t pretend.

“Isn’t that just so cute?”
Bernadette said. “Your girlfriend is sad that you’re about to forget her. Are
you sad?”

“I am very sad,” said Zack in
the monotone voice. “I don’t want to forget her.”

“Of course you don’t. But you
will. You don’t have a choice in the matter. You understand that, right?”

“I understand,” said Zack.

“Very good,” said Bernadette.
“Here’s how it will work. When I snap my fingers, every memory you ever had of
Jill Wentworth will disappear in an instant. Then you will realize there is no
reason for you to be here. You will walk out of this house, get in that ugly
red car you brought, and go back where you came from. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

Bernadette turned to Jill. “How
does it feel to know your boyfriend can forget you so easily?”

“How do you think it feels, you
monster!” Jill shrieked.

Bernadette turned to Jill and
yelled, “I will deal with you in a minute!”

“Ms. Paiz, if I may,” Walter
said. “What’s this all about?”

“We in the clan suspect Jill
Wentworth of treason,” Bernadette snapped. “In just a moment, I will question
her. Pray that I like the answers.”

“You said you were coming here
to discuss business,” Walter whined.

“That’s true. Clan business. Oh,
did you think I wanted to talk about your silly software company? Goodness. I
have no interest in that sort of nonsense. No, Walter, I am here to get to the
bottom of some ugly actions involving a student from Thorndike.”

“I assure you we all are
innocent in this house,” Walter said.

“And if that’s the case, you
have nothing to worry about. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to
our mutual friend, Zack.”

Bernadette ran her fingers
through Zack’s hair, briefly pushing his bangs out of his face.

“He’s a cute one, that’s for
sure,” she said. “His eyes are pretty stunning—but this whole bohemian artist
thing? I hate to tell you Zack, but I think Jill is using you in a bit of
teenage rebellion. You’re not really her type. She’s a girl of stature and
privilege. Are you ready to forget her?”

“I’m ready,” Zack said.

“No,” Jill whimpered. “Please
don’t do this.”

Bernadette raised her hand high
in the air and snapped her fingers.

The change in Zack was instant.
He was like a dog following a command. His head tilted down, his arms fell to
his sides, his shoulders slumped, and he walked away, going straight out the
front door. A few seconds later, Jill heard the Corvair start up and pull away.

Zack was gone.

“Bernadette…er…Ms. Paiz,” Walter
began.

“Sit down and shut up,”
Bernadette commanded. Walter raced to the nearest chair and planted his butt in
it. Bernadette looked him in the eyes and said, “I’m going to question your
daughter now. You’re not going to hear a word of our conversation, even though
you are right here with us. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Walter said.

“Good. Jill, let’s make this
easy. Tell me why I’m here.”

Jill was staring at the ruby on
Bernadette’s chest, wondering if there was any scenario where she got out of
this alive. She decided her best chance was to try and stall the inevitable. If
she could keep her wits about her, and stay alive long enough, maybe the SOS
signal now broadcasting from her phone would bring her a savior.

“I have no idea why you’re here,
Ms. Paiz. I swear I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“You are friends with Nicky
Bloom, are you not?”

Jill waited a few seconds before
saying, “Yes.”

“Tell me what you know about
Nicky Bloom.”

“What I know about Nicky Bloom?
Well, I’ve only known her for a few weeks.”

“Yes. You’ve only known her a
few weeks, but from what I hear, you are her most important supporter. Why is
that?”

She was still staring at the
ruby in Bernadette’s necklace, still hoping for a miracle, still stalling for
time.

“Two words,” she said. “Kim
Renwick.”

Bernadette nodded her head, and
Jill wondered if this was it. Had she convinced her? Was the interrogation
over?

Before she even knew what was
happening, Bernadette’s face was inches away from her own and their eyes were
locked together. It was as if the room had contracted and Jill had no choice
but to be right in front of her, looking into her eyes, letting her see….

No. Don’t let her see. This
is how they do it. This is how it ends.

But she couldn’t stop it. Even
as she told herself to look away, to fight, she felt her own mind rebelling
against her. Bernadette was in control.

“There is something you aren’t
telling me,” Bernadette said. “There is something I’d really like to know about
Nicky Bloom and you’re choosing to leave it out. Tell it to me, Jill.”

Chatter broke out in Jill’s
brain. Her own voice, yammering away in her mind with everything Bernadette
wanted to hear.

She’s in the Network. I am
too. I hacked the admissions database to put her here. We want to win the
Coronation contest. We built a mansion so when Sergio comes to change Nicky
into a vampire we can kill him.

It was as if time had come to a
stop while this voice spun in her head, preparing the words that Jill was
destined to spill for Bernadette.

Everything went wrong.
Melissa Mayhew found us out. She came to the mansion. She killed everyone
there. I saw the footage from the security cameras.

The realization was slow to come
to Jill, but eventually it did. This voice was talking in her mind, but it was
not coming out of her mouth. It wanted to be spoken aloud, but it hadn’t found
its way out of Jill’s head. Why was that?

Then Renata showed up and killed
Melissa. We don’t know what the hell is going on. I can’t get hold of Nicky.
I’m worried she and Ryan are in trouble. The mission is over. Everyone has
fled. The only reason I’m still here is because of my mother.

The voice was trapped in her
mind. Bernadette’s eyes were begging it to come out, but it wasn’t going.

Melissa Mayhew programmed my
mother to be an obedient wife. I want to end the programming and spring her
loose. I want to take her with me.

The voice couldn’t break out
because Bernadette didn’t have complete control. As far in as the vampire
reached with her eyes, she wasn’t deep enough to violate the law of the land.

I choose to do what’s right.

The law of the land, written
deep inside the fortress. The hypnosis session with Gordon. It was protecting
her. Her will to do the right thing was stronger than Bernadette’s attempt to
make her talk.

She was beating her. She could
do this.

When she opened her mouth to
speak, the words that came out were so confident, so fluent, they surprised
even her.

“I am part of a secret
consortium whose purpose is to ensure Kim Renwick does not become the immortal
from our class.”

“Really?” Bernadette said. “Tell
me more, please.”

Jill wished Nicky was here to
see her. Backed against the sharpest of corners, with everything at stake, Jill
delivered the performance of her life.

“We formed the consortium three
years ago,” she began, and then she was off, reciting the cover story the
Network had created for her. All the details Gia had made her memorize, all the
phony history about Nicky Bloom, the consortium, the plan—it came gushing out
with so much rhythm and fluency Jill almost believed her own lies. Meanwhile,
the voice in her mind that wanted to tell the truth was circling around,
growing more and more quiet, like water going down the drain.

When she was done speaking,
Bernadette backed away. She looked satisfied with what Jill had told her.

“That is quite a story,”
Bernadette said. “And that’s all you have to tell me, is it?”

Jill felt in complete control as
she answered.

“That’s all I have to say about
Nicky Bloom.”

Bernadette walked over to
Walter, who was sitting perfectly still in his chair. She lowered her hand so
it was right in front of his face, and snapped her fingers. He jumped, as if
waking from sleep.

“Good news, Walt,” she said.
“Turns out your daughter is innocent, just like you thought.”

“Well, yes...I mean, may I ask,
if you don’t mind. Innocent of what? What’s happening that brought you here?”

Bernadette smiled.

“Nothing that concerns you now
that I know Jill isn’t involved,” she said. “Stand up, please. I have something
I need to say to the both of you.”

Walter struggled to stand. He
had been sitting so still his legs weren’t quite working yet.

“Eyes on me, please. Both of
you. This will be quick and painless.”

Jill looked at Bernadette,
wondering what was left.

“Neither of you will remember my
visit or anything about this night,” Bernadette said. “Do you understand?”

The voice in Jill’s head wanted
to say yes, but it was Jill’s choice whether or not her mouth said the word.

“Yes,” she and Walter spoke at
once.

The word meant nothing to Jill.
The memory was secure. Bernadette had no power over her.

“Good night,” Bernadette said.
“I’ll see myself out.”

The mountain behind Falkon
Dillinger’s estate housed an abandoned gold mine. Long boarded off and
condemned by the humans who built it, the mine was the perfect playground for a
vampire, with endless tunnels of darkness, long shafts leading to nowhere, and
surprises that continued to turn up a century after Falkon first discovered the
place.

Not only was the mine a great
place to get away from the noise and confusion of modern life, it was also an
ideal hiding spot for Falkon’s many treasures, including an astounding prize he
had recently collected in America.

On this night, as Falkon entered
the mine, he had an eighteen-year-old boy at his side. The boy, Michael, was a
handsome lad, with a mind that was easy to control, and blood that smelled
sweet.

They were only a few steps into
the mine when Falkon’s phone rang.

“Oh, listen to that, Michael,”
he said. “The world wishes to grab hold of us before we disappear into the
depths.”

He held up the phone so Michael
could see it.

“Renata Sullivan,” Michael said,
reading the name on the screen.

“Yes, Renata Sullivan, our
partner and financier on this journey, eager to learn more about that girl you
picked up at the airport. Do you think we should answer it Michael?”

“You should do whatever pleases
you, Master.”

“And I will. But what pleases
me? I certainly don’t want to talk to Renata. You and I were about to go see
our prisoner, which is a far more enjoyable use of my time. Alas, Renata is
important too. We need money and she has a knack for providing it.”

“How many times will the phone
ring before it stops?” Michael said.

“Oh, I don’t know. They change
these things so fast. Seems like it was only a few years ago that phones could
ring and ring and ring until you answered them. Now it’s a race to see whose
patience runs out first. I suppose we’ll talk to her.” He pressed the answer
button. “Good evening, Renata.”

“I found your precious research
file.”

“What wonderful news. Where was
it?”

“In a locked drawer in a locked
room in a locked building of this god-forsaken place.”

Falkon laughed. “I always hated
that farm your family kept in Florida. It isn’t right. We are meant to hunt,
not have our meat delivered to our doorsteps.”

“I don’t even want to talk about
it. I just want to get out of here. The things I’ve had to do in the past
twenty-four hours…”

“That bad, huh?”

“Worse. Dominic sabotaged the
whole operation as a parting gift to the world. I’ve had to reprogram hundreds
of slaves just to get this place up and running again. Deliveries weren’t going
out, chores weren’t being done—the whole place was ready to come unhinged, and
unfortunately, we need the Farm up and running for a little while longer.”

“How much longer?” Falkon asked.
“When can we get more cash?”

“I can get us a million or so in
the next week, and a much larger amount in three months.”

Falkon sighed. Money was such
hassle, and so utterly confusing to him these days. It used to be when a
vampire needed money he killed a rich man and took his gold. Now it was much
more difficult. Central banks and hedge funds and digital transfers and giant
bureaucracies overseeing all of it.

He grunted in frustration. Talk
of money put him in a sour mood.

“Let’s speak about the girl for
a minute,” Renata said. “Do you have her?”

“I have everyone who was on the
plane,” Falkon said. “They are yours to do with as you wish.”

“Good. I’m getting on a plane
right now. You haven’t looked in her mind yet, have you?”

“No. We agreed that you would
look first.”

“Was the Jenson boy with her?”

“There were several people on
the plane. We took them all. I have no idea who they are. That is for you to
sort out. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a chore to complete before you
arrive.”

“You’re going to feed her,
aren’t you?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I
am.”

“Let her die, Falkon.”

“I will, eventually.”

“Let her die now. It makes me
nervous that she’s just sitting down there in that hidey hole of yours.”