Page 73 of Death Dance

TWENTY-TWO

My brothers will likely leave you to your fate.

In a swampy meadow within the Amazon, the Columbian military brought seven helicopters to rendezvous with us. Someone worked magic to provide us with safe walkways, preventing us from disturbing the local wildlife more than necessary. A few curious snakes observed us from nearby, as did a rather large reptile with a mouth full of sharp, pointy teeth.

It left us alone, and as such, we left it alone.

My father spoke to the leader of the Columbian force in yet another language while I spluttered. Alheen laughed at my reaction and said, “Your father has always been the best of us at languages, and the Americas are his domain. I mean, he has operations all around the world, but he was the first in our family to come to the New World. Some days, I think he did it to get away from us.”

“I did no such thing,” my father replied before resuming his conversation with the Columbian.

Diego laughed. “They are speaking in Wayuunaiki, from the northeast of Columbia. You father knows numerous Amerindian languages, and the governments he works with tend to make certain someone fluent in one of them is in a leadership role. I was selected to represent Mexico as I speak numerous Amerindian languages across three different countries. I speak one Columbian Amerindian language, but not Wayuunaiki. This helps preserve secrecy. Once you’re in good hands with the Columbians, my team will be returning to your casa and making certain everyone is able to settle, has the appropriate diet, and is registered as part of your father’s operations. Your father is having you registered as the heiress of his operations, which puts you at almost the same social standing as him.”

As my father had turned his back to me, I waved my fist at him. “Alheen, control your nephew.”

He laughed. “Alas, that is beyond even me. But I will discuss the matter with my brothers and see if we can calm him down a little so your sanity is not as cruelly tested.” After a moment, he shrugged. “My brothers will likely leave you to your fate.”

I stared at the majority of the brothers in question, who huddled together and schemed, likely about how best to embarrass me when the time for the ball did come around. “You’re right. How foolish of me to hope for mercy.” I broke down, laughed, and shook my head. “Emerick, I require consoling later.”

“I’m sure I can assist you with that. I’ll admit, the more I see your father in action, the more worried I become. I was really going to take him and his entire empire on for you.”

Alheen reached over and patted my husband’s shoulder. “Your determination in the face of impossibility was rather cute, and to handle my little great-niece, you will need a great deal of determination and spunk. With Clarke’s help, you may have inconvenienced us briefly, which is better than most. I’ll allow it.”

My husband sighed while I snickered. “Poor Mr. Lowrance, bested by your in-laws.”

“Poor Mrs. Lowrance, forced to accept gifts from your in-laws,” he countered, and he raised a brow my way.

How rude. “You will pay for that, sir.”

“I am prepared to issue payments in the privacy of our bedroom.”

While the rest of my day was about to suck, my evening plans were worth the hassle. “Alheen, please get this party started. I have people to rescue, a jungle to conquer, and a spouse to receive payments from.”

“I recommend conquering the jungle before rescuing the people,” Alheen replied. “Emerick, do make sure she actually gets proper sleep tomorrow during the day. We should, if all goes well, be done here by the middle of the night. That will give you sufficient time to tame her before tucking her into bed. And Pepper? Just because you have figured out the trick to staying awake during the day does not mean you should skip out on sleeping. While this is important, your health matters, and in vampire terms, you are still a baby. Go home and be babied.”

Diego snickered and left us, joining my father and the Columbians before saying something in Spanish. The whole lot of them looked my way, and they laughed.

“Women who are babied get hot turkey sandwiches,” Emerick reminded me.

“I’m holding you to that. After this? I’m going to need an entire turkey to myself and an entire loaf of bread to crush between my volcano ambitions. Let’s just get this show on the road. I’m worried about those women. What if Breckenan has turned them? He’s clearly figured out how to turn children and men, and he’s turned at least one woman. What if he’s been turning numerous women here successfully?”

“Experimenting on the women of his enemies while building his empire is something he would do,” Alheen conceded while Emerick grimaced at my question. “I suspect you are correct. The Columbians have brought plenty of blood with them if that is the case; I overheard Diego making the request while we were boarding. He made the request in Spanish, so I understood him.”

“Spanish is on our to-do list, Emerick.”

“I’m fluent in Spanish, and I can help teach it to you.” My husband paused long enough to kiss my cheek before joining the fray.

Alheen listened before saying, “He is suggesting that we get a move on before you give us a demonstration of why it is wise to be wary of women on a warpath. I will suggest to Diego that he work with the Columbians in case the women have been turned. We will need a great deal of help if they are—and more helicopters. There are at least thirty missing women from the casa in Oaxaca.”

I sighed at that. “Killing him a thousand times would not be even close to sufficient justice and retribution for his crimes.”

“Alas, little one, we will have to be satisfied with his sole but permanent demise. Soon enough, his ambitions will be fully tattered, and we will have to accept that is all we are getting out of him. Focus on what is important, which is reuniting the families Breckenan broke. I cannot promise we will find any happy endings at the end of this road, but at least we can say we tried.”

“For the sake of those at the casa, we need to.” I’d recognized the look in their eyes.

They held on by a frayed thread of hope.

I also wanted to return to the twins with their parents and give them the joy they deserved.