Twice Bitten (49 page)

“Mommy’s gonna take a quick shower and get ready to take you someplace special today, Alaia!”

The water was a little cool, which helped me stay on a mission to get ready quickly. I planned to look for something for my baby girl to eat in the plane’s kitchen area before leaving. After I dried my hair, I was only slightly surprised at the summer pants suit picked out for me. Anne Klein. Not the most expensive thing on the rack, which actually suited me better. The light burgundy top and beige pants were a closer fit for my personality than the crazy-expensive stuff that the vampires seemed to prefer. Even the low heel Hinkles looked great, and this entire outfit still worked well with the expensive handbag from Nora. But it wasn’t your typical ‘date’ thing, which only added to my intrigue about whom I’d be meeting with that afternoon.

Once I finished my makeup, we still had almost half an hour before our eleven-thirty deadline. That left plenty of time to look for something for my baby. Almost everything was locked up in the kitchen area, except for a small cooler compartment with a bottle of formula already made. Once I heated it up for thirty seconds in a nearby microwave, at least Alaia’s hunger would be satisfied for a while.

While feeding her, I turned on a small television set in the kitchen, wondering why there wasn’t a TV of some sort in the passenger cabin. Honestly, I hadn’t even thought of it until that moment, and I couldn’t believe the subject never came up during our flight. Maybe, I reasoned, this was another trick of Kazikli, to make sure this rendezvous with whomever I was supposed to meet went without a hitch. Lord knows the trick of making me fall asleep worked like a charm. I felt fine, with no ill effects from crossing two continents and the Atlantic Ocean to get to Nashville. But it seemed a little odd that no one was interested in the latest news going on—both locally and throughout the world.

My hunger was beginning to burn a bit, and I was more than a little curious as to who my mystery date could be…. And then it hit me—like a ton of bricks in my face.

Peter?

It couldn’t be. Peter had gone back to school in Knoxville. That’s what everyone told me that he’d do. That’s why he was sent back to America from France right after my Relance de sang ended…
our
Relance de sang, since he had fathered Alaia.

This suddenly made complete sense, and I felt like such an idiot for not considering it earlier. Granted, jetlagged crazy sleep could make anyone not think straight. Not to mention I had no idea I was coming back to Tennessee until it actually happened.

So, lunch was going to be with Peter…someplace in Nashville. A limousine was picking me up at 11:30 a.m., and this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce father to daughter….

The images on the television screen forced me to forget everything for a moment. A news report…talking about the President of the United States and his latest address to the nation concerning the ‘ongoing Marshall law’. The report said it would continue indefinitely until the ‘Chupacabra Menace’ was completely destroyed, and a graph on the screen showed where nearly seventy thousand people had been killed worldwide since last November, with nearly one third of the deaths coming from the U.S.A.

“No fucking way!”
I whispered in utter disbelief and dismay.

Meanwhile, images of trucks loaded with soldiers and tanks rolling through residential streets in Boston and New York paraded across the screen, and in the foreground was a soldier carrying an assault rifle. For a moment, I was hopeful that places like Richmond and Nashville had been spared, but the report went on to mention the additional deployment of troops in every American city numbering over ten thousand residents. Not only that, but the mandatory seven o’clock curfew mentioned by Chanson was reinforced on the TV screen.

I was so lost in watching this shit that I nearly forgot about my date. The clock on the wall showed the time as 11:26, which only gave me a few minutes to get Alaia and I out of the plane, and across the hangar to our appointed meeting spot with the limousine.

Chanson was right, I almost did tumble down the steps. But, I somehow managed not to break my neck or my little girl’s. From there, I hoofed it as fast as I could to the hangar door described by Chanson. Luckily, enough sunlight crept in through the high windows to illuminate my path to the door clearly enough.

A white stretch limousine—much larger than needed for a single mom and her baby in a basket—idled just outside the door. As soon as I stepped out into the bright sunshine and the mid-south’s May humidity, the driver stepped out of the car to greet me.

“Txema?”

He had a gorgeous smile, but with enough devilishness to let any woman paying close attention know that his opinion of himself was more than ours would be. Not bad looking…average height and body. Eyes shaded by mirrored sunglasses and hard to say what his hairline looked like beneath his driver cap.

“Yes, that’s me,” I said.

“She’s absolutely stunning…just like her mom,” he said, motioning to Alaia. Without waiting for my ‘why thank you!’, he opened the middle door and motioned for me to climb inside. “My name’s Mitch, and obviously I’m your driver today. You’ll want to strap your baby into the car seat set up for you. It’s fairly easy to use, but if you need my help, I’ll gladly show you how it’s done!”

Ah, there it was…the lecherous nature I sensed hiding behind his sunglasses. Wrong lady, mister.

“I believe I can handle it just fine,” I said, sliding past him and gently setting the basket in the car before climbing in after it.

I half expected him to pinch my butt, or worse, but he waited politely for me to secure my baby in her car seat. Fortunately, I have a niece that I baby-sat in high school, so finding my way around any standard car seat was a snap. I efficiently moved Alaia to her seat and strapped her in, and then fastened my own seatbelt. I offered the driver named ‘Mitch’ a smug smile with a sweet ‘got it done!’ added for good measure.

“When I spoke to your friend Nora early this morning, she said y’all were going to the Cascades Restaurant at the Opryland Hotel,” he said, as he prepared to shut our door. “Have you ever been there before?”

“No, I haven’t.” I was ready to get this show on the road. “First time to Nashville for me and my baby.”

“Now that I think of it, that’s also what Nora said. Well, I’ll get you there right away.” He closed the door. But then he reopened it again. “Sorry about this, but do you have your passport with you? I won’t need to see it, but the soldiers at the airport exit will need to see some sort of I.D. Nora told me that you don’t have your driver’s license with you, so the passport will do. You’ll also need it to get through security at the hotel.”

“I’ve got it right here,” I said, fishing through my purse, and trying not to feel panicked when I didn’t see it at first. Nora had stashed it inside a hidden compartment for safekeeping. I pulled it out so he could see it, and then he finally closed the door.

“We should arrive at the hotel in about twenty minutes, if there ain’t a line waiting to get out of here,” said Mitch, once he returned to the driver’s seat.

I could tell he really wanted to strike up a conversation with me, but I wasn’t comfortable doing it. I’m rarely one to bullshit with someone else, and I usually speak my mind plainly. But what would we talk about anyway? Only things on his mind—which would normally be fine with me. I just didn’t like the vibe he gave me. We sure as hell weren’t going to talk about my world. That thought brought a wry smile to my face.
‘What brings you to Nashville, Txema?’ ‘Oh, my vampire friends decided to fly me from Nepal to the States for a little visit with an old flame. Hey, and those evil vampires that are killing everybody and are the reason for the military’s presence? That’s partly because lil’ ole me has really pissed off their king….’

Mitch glanced back at me after a slight snicker escaped my mouth. I avoided his mirrored eyes and looked down at my baby girl. Although so young, I had the queer feeling she was somehow listening to the odd assortment of thoughts rolling around in my head. Her mirthful expression that was years beyond her tender age told me as much.

Before long we reached the exit from Nashville International Airport, and the military checkpoint described by Mitch. A pair of army jeeps sat nearby, and a dozen soldiers guarded the area. All were carrying the same assault rifles I saw on TV a short while earlier.

I feared being detained. The thought of having my daughter taken away from me while I went to jail for having a false I.D. on my person was enough to make small beads of sweat form along my forehead and my back, despite the limousine’s cold air circulating around me. It didn’t help matters when the guard gruffly demanded to see my passport while studying me suspiciously.

“Make sure you abide by the seven o’clock curfew, ma’am,” he said, and handed my passport back to me. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, I do,” I assured him, adding an exaggerated nod to emphasize my agreement.

He waved us on through, and we were soon on the highway heading for the hotel. The Opryland Hotel apparently is among the most celebrated hotels in Nashville, and once had an amusement park attached to it. That’s what Tyreen had told me about the place last fall. She and her beau, Johnny Ayers wanted to spend a weekend together there, but found the price too exorbitant for their college allowances.

I’m sure she wishes now they had splurged and pony’d up the cash for a stay at the five star resort. For those unaware, Johnny is now crippled for life after one of Ralu’s warriors threw him down a stairwell at Massey Hall—the University of Tennessee dorm where Tyreen and me were roommates at the time. Not to mention Tyreen will forever be a full-fledged vampire incapable of sustaining a passionate relationship with a mortal human. I’m sure this was part of what had her so upset when our plane arrived in Nashville.

Once the limousine arrived at the Opryland Hotel, I went through the same verification process as I did at the airport. Mitch advised that he’d return for me by 5:30 p.m., which would give him plenty of time to return me to the hangar in the airport before curfew. It would also allow him time to drop off the limousine, and return to his home in nearby Antioch before curfew time, as well.

After I got directions on how to find the Cascades Restaurant from the hotel’s front desk, I moved through what looked like a sprawling botanical garden, complete with ponds and fountains galore. The restaurant was located in the midst of this enchanting place.

As I stepped up to the hostess station, I saw him. I had no idea how I’d react or respond to this moment. He didn’t see me at first, so I had the first opportunity to gaze at him unnoticed. He was beautiful. Perfect. Dressed in a casual navy blue business suit sans a tie, he looked like a movie star talking to an older gentleman who seemed also to be waiting for someone. Even from where I stood, I could see the outline of Peter’s athletic build, his flawless smile and the magical twinkle in his deep brown eyes. And for those who haven’t read my previous journal, Peter is blessed with a regal hairline and thick brown hair that reminds everyone of a young JFK Jr.

I can hear it now…why did you let this one get away? It’s complicated, and yet who’s to say that it truly was over between us? Chance and circumstance had pushed us apart…. But, depending on what happened right then—in the few hours before I was forced to return to the plane where my vampire guardians presently slept—maybe a love light that had grown dim could be fully rekindled again. Perhaps?

Anything is possible, as they say.

“T-Txema??” he stammered when he finally noticed me standing by the hostess stand. “You’re really here—
oh, my God!!”

Peter quietly excused himself from the older gentleman’s presence and rushed over to me. He was about to throw his arms around me when he noticed the baby girl I carried with me.

“Is she….” He couldn’t finish his words, and I watched his eyes tear up.

“Yes, Peter, this is our daughter, Alaia,” I said, feeling my own eyes become misty. I had hoped he would love her as much as I do.

“Alaia,” he repeated, tenderly. “She’s so,
so
beautiful.”

“She’s got your eyes…your hair.” I giggled nervously.

I watched him gently lift her from her basket, and the smile she already had on her face grew brighter.

“Alaia…you are amazing!” he said, matching the brightness of her countenance with his own. “Just like your mother is amazing!”

He looked at me, and for the first time since before our shared crisis last November, I saw the look of desire in his eyes. Yet, there was also incredible sadness, along with profound pain of some sort.

I didn’t like that combination, and wanted desperately to steel my heart against the onslaught of emotions that were flooding my entire being. But I couldn’t close the gate upon my heart fast enough. In that instant, I realized I still loved him. Whether that meant ‘in love’ or some other level of desire would remain to be seen. But, there was a definite stir that sent chills throughout my body.

I believe our thoughts followed the same line, and it got a tad awkward for a moment.

“I’m Peter Worley, and my guest has arrived,” he told the hostess. As she moved to seat us at a small table close to one of the pond fountains I heard him tell the girl that he would like to also order something for his infant daughter, if that were possible. The hostess smiled at both of us and said she’d talk to the kitchen staff and see what they could come up with.