Chapter 48

February 7th, 2007, Wednesday

Eddie

“Karen’s crazy, y’all, crazy as a shithouse rat...”

“But you’re going to support her decision anyway,” Shaun said.

“Yeah ... eventually. She’s agreed to wait. The crew is still working on surveilling those bastards’ little love nest. I want as much information on them as I can possibly get before Karen makes her move. If things go completely tits up, I’d love to have some leverage on them.”

“On that front,” Kendry said, “we found three subs here, men of course, that have the qualifications to apply for jobs at their company ... two of them aren’t as skilled at programming as I’d like, but they’ll all apply between now and the end of next week. If we’re lucky at least one will be hired and we’ll have eyes inside the Karg’s game company.”

“God know they have openings ... female employees are leaving in a flood,” Shaun said. “Of course, given mainstream Karg, can you blame them?”

“Here’s hoping we get someone inside. Have things been settled with Pascal, Kendry?” Eddie said.

“Eddie ... we’’re paying him a lot of money...”

“He and Salome both, Kendry. But they stay bought. They’re nothing without their reputations and both of them are obsessive about those reputations.”

“Yes sir, things have been settled. He’s passed our list of targets along, says he’s expecting her first report in about a week. Pascal mentioned something I hadn’t thought of.

“He has a lot of contacts in the local cab companies and that includes the pedi-cabs. He says since a lot of our list of interests are clubs and such, those should be useful.”

“Every information source helps,” Shaun said. “Eddie, are you sure there’s no way to talk Ms. Pinard out of her plan? If she’s wrong ... I expect Anson will kill her.”

“You wanna try talkin’ her out of it, be my guest,” Eddie replied. “You won’t succeed, but if ya push her too hard, could be gawddamned entertainin’...”

“Yeah,” Kendry said. “I’m sure the Grimes won’t mind springing for another fancy hospital bed.”

Yan

“I’m sorry for demanding you come here,” Yan said.

The two of them were sitting in the kitchen of West, sipping tea, and had both been silent for quite some time.

“It’s quite alright, Yan. At worst, it amuses me. I’m proud of you for doing so, it supports my belief in your ability to manage your House. Something else that has happened since I arrived gives me hope.”

Yan waited for Beebee to speak ... after a minute or so, she realized her grandmother was playing one of her favorite games – making such a statement and then waiting for her audience to ask what she meant.

“And that ‘something else’ is...”

“Your husband-to-be ... enough of that nonsense – your husband asked that you be tattooed by Li Biming.”

Beebee held up her hand to forestall Yan’s reaction.

“More, Donna and Abby approached me on their knees, begging my pardon before begging me to have Li Biming tattoo you.”

The old woman’s hand fell.

“I am so blessed,” Yan said, tears in her eyes.

“Yes you are, my dear. Every time I see you and your family together, I am more and more pleased how events have led to your situation.

“Do not be mistaken,” Madam Gao continued. “I am heartsick over the events themselves. But out of the trauma, you have found the husband I have always wished for you.

“Of course, I’d imagined he’d be a bit older...”

“Me too,” Yan replied, laughing. “But as it’s worked out, he’s ... well, Jason’s not perfect, but who is? He’s a younger version of everything I could ever want in a man.”

“He and your co-wives love you very much, and Jason made a good case for you being tattooed for your services now and in the future to your House and mine.

“So Li Biming will tattoo you. You and he will work on your design.”

Yan was up and then kneeling beside her grandmother’s tiny form, hugging her.

“Xiexie ni, Zumu! Thank you so much...”

“Nonsense, child. You are happy and loved. That’s all I have ever wanted for you.

“Now get up off your knees, silly child, finish your tea.”

Parker

“Yan, if I might speak with you?”

“Sure ... I’m betting it’s about a memorial service for Drag ... and if it isn’t, that service is still something we need to tend to.”

“No ma’am, that’s it,” Parker replied. “I realize all of you’re being hammered by a lot right now and I ... we in security don’t want it lost in the shuffle.”
“I understand completely. Would Friday night be suitable? I think that would give me enough time to gather my thoughts...”

“Yes ma’am, that should be good. Uh, we’ll organize a service, you don’t need to worry about anything except ... uh, gathering your thoughts, deciding what you want to say...”

“Parker, it’s fine. That will be just fine. I’ll need ... well, I have no idea how much time I’ll need.”

“Ma’am, you don’t worry, you can have as much or as little time as you want.”

“Thank you, Parker.”

As she slowly walked away, Parker wore a sad smile.

He was pretty sure she’d been actively avoiding thinking about Drag. He couldn’t blame her, he had done the same.

It was easy, natural even, to run away from pain.

What mattered was what you did once you realized you couldn’t run away.

He walked into East’s kitchen area, surprised to see Nocturnia ... Sue ... sitting at the table.

“The Hedonist Horde don’t need you right now?” he said.

“Nah, they’re good for the time being and I’m avoiding that cow, Bethany, before I kill and eat her. What have you been up to?”

“Talked to Yan about a service for Drag. That’ll be Friday evening.”

“Good. Needs to be done as soon as possible,” she said.

“Sue ... can I ask you a question?”

“You already are, so sure.”

“Uh, I don’t want to upset you or anything ... but ... uh ... just how crazy are you?”

She smiled.

“Well, I’m not a sociopath ... my family was worried I might be for awhile during my teenage years. Not a psychopath either, in spite of my more violent tendencies. Sadistic? Oh yeah, I’m sadistic. I’ve been diagnosed with a form of sadism termed ‘enforcing’ ... but while I meet some of the criteria for that diagnosis, the three shrinks who examined me agreed I don’t fit all of them. They noted I can control my impulses, if given sufficient reason to ... and while it took some time for me to find it, our Society and its training got me to the stability I have now.”

“So...”

“So, I’ll never turn down an opportunity to hurt someone I’m free to hurt. But the kids have absolutely nothing to fear from me. I would die for them. I do, however, get overloaded at times ... where for whatever reason I can’t be anything close to dispassionate, and then it’s very easy for me to lose control of my impulses. That’s why I can’t be around Bethany right now.”

“And you’re also a cannibal?”

“Yeah, when it’s useful to be one. You like steak tartare?”

“Uh, it’s okay...”

“Eating someone’s flesh raw is vaguely like that. It’s not a taste I like, but if you want to put absolute and unquestioning fear into someone ... bite off a chunk of them, chew it up, and swallow it.”

“And the guy you took seven bites out of?”

“My Doms needed a question answered. He refused. He kept refusing until the seventh bite ... it helps he was losing blood ever more quickly as things progressed. That last bite I chewed and swallowed more out of spite than necessity.”

“Why didn’t you use normal ... or more normal torture methods?”

“Those hadn’t worked. I’d been at him for a week, pretty much fourteen, fifteen hours a day. I was tired, I was frustrated ... so I bit him.

“You got anymore questions, Parker, or do you want to fuck?”

Donna

“Uh, is there a doctor on staff here?” Lori asked.

“Good question ... Benedetta!” Donna replied, calling one of the staff over.

“Yes, Milady?”

Donna had rarely seen anyone hit their knees so quickly.

“Get up, Benedetta ... that’s better. Do you have a doctor on staff here?”

“No, Milady. There is a doctor in town we use should we need one. Shall I summon him?”

Donna looked to Lori, who was shaking her head.

“No, not now, thank you. You’ll attend us this evening.”

“Yes Milady! Thank you, Milady!”

The young woman went back to cleaning, a smile on her face.

“There’s Madam Gao’s doctor ... you feeling okay?”

“Yes ... okay, after you visited us before the wedding ... my period was late, my period arrived, so I’m not pregnant, now it’s late again and I’m usually very regular, Mama used to say she could set her calendar by my cycles, sometimes I’d swear I feel pregnant, even though I know that’s really not likely this early in things, I was going to have one of Chorale South’s shoppers grab a pregnancy test next shopping trip into Waterloo-”

“Whoa, Lori ... take a breath. Calm down. Okay, we’ll have a test picked up next shopping trip.”

Donna thought for a moment.

“Still, even if you aren’t, that’s two pregnant women here for a long stay ... let’s go talk to Madam Gao.”

“Magda and Abby?”

“Yeah, and God knows how many others in the near future.”

“You?” Lori asked as they headed to the kitchen – which to no one’s surprise had become West’s gathering spot.

“No, not yet. He and I talked about it and agreed. With Abby pregnant and Yan wanting a baby soonest, I’m back on birth control. Shit, I’m going to need that prescription refilled. Quite a few of us are...”

“Something else to ask Madam Gao about.”

“I should have considered this earlier...” Madam Gao said. “Normally I would use our doctor in town but that’s not practical in this case.”

“Are you sure we can’t trust him, Madam?” Magda asked.

“No, but with fifteen million on your heads I’m not sure I can trust him either,” Madam Gao replied. “I’ll have to assign someone here for the duration, and ship in enough equipment for pre-natal care that’s not serious enough to require a trip to the hospital in Florence.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, Grandmother,” Donna said, “but would it be easier to move us somewhere else, closer to doctors you can trust, closer to a hospital able to handle any emergencies?”

“No ... I don’t think it would be easier,” Madam Gao replied.

“Thank God,” Jason sighed.

“Have the joys of travel already lost their charm, grandson?” Madam Gao said, smiling.

“No, the joys of very long flights no matter how comfortable the plane have lost their charm.”

“I also imagine not being to leave the estate has lost some of its allure,” Madam Gao said, chuckling.

“Well grandmother, that not so much. I’m blessed with an overabundance of beautiful distractions. Sometimes I feel like this is the honeymoon that never ends.”

“We are doing our best, grandmother, to keep things from becoming too onerous,” Donna said, smiling. “It’s a horribly depressing task, but I think we wear our suffering well.”

“I can see how scarred and weary you are, my dear. You’re truly heroic in your efforts,” Madam Gao replied, chuckling.

“Oh,” Yan said, “on the subject of health care ... I’ve been doing some reading and a lot of doctors don’t advise pregnant women flying after 28 weeks. Now, that’s roughly 7 months, and Magda and Abby should hit that in late July. What if the house at Canglang isn’t ready?”

“Well, certainly I hope the house will be finished by then,” Madam Gao replied. “However, I’m not willing to gamble on it. This plan is based on my belief your Nelson problems will be resolved by then. If the house isn’t finished, in late June, you’ll fly home and temporarily reside in my guest houses. It may be a little tight, but I think it’s doable.”

“Madam...” Abby said, “and if the Nelson problem is still an issue?”

“Then your House will have a choice. Stay here until the babies can travel, or come home and go into hiding at one of Plum Blossom’s California holdings. That would have risks, and if you can come up with an alternate plan please let me know. I think, given this much advance notice, we can prepare a place for you in time ... a place I’ll feel my great-grandchildren will be safe.”

Galena

“Jason ... what you said earlier, about wanting all the Nelsons dead...”

They were bundled up warmly, sitting in Santa Sofia’s courtyard.

“You didn’t like it. It disturbed you.”

“Yeah ... but maybe not quite for the reasons you think.”

Jason turned to look at her.

“So, why Mama G?”

“Well, these fuckers deserve so much worse than a clean death. And realizing I felt that way disturbed me a little.”

“Yeah,” Jason sighed. “It disturbed me when I said it but I said it anyway. If their actions had stopped at the New Year’s Eve incident, that would have been one thing. But with everything after? And after every attack, I hate myself for what I’m feeling. How I want them all dead. And that wish keeps growing into some really horrible scenarios and I’m fine with it but it revolts me at the same time.

“At the end of the day, all of the Nelsons dead is the kindest fate I wish for them,” Jason said. “If I ever need evidence of my own dark side, I think about the Nelson family...

“But, enough of this. Giada!”

In less than a minute the scantily clad servant was kneeling before Jason.

“Yes Sir?”

“Bring us my pipe and weed. They’re upstairs, don’t forget the lighter.”

“Yes Sir!”

She was up and running indoors before Galena could blink.

“Jason, she looked cold...”

“Why don’t you and yours warm her up this evening?”

“It’s what, mid-fifties out here? Do you think the staff might dress more warmly if it was colder?”

“Dunno ... ask her when she gets back.”

“As to the whole warming up thing...”

“Yeeeesss?” Jason drawled.

“I think we will.”

“Good decision,” Jason replied. “She’s delightful and actually gets turned on by light tickling...”

“Does she?” Galena said.

“Oh yeah ... Lizzy and I played her like a harp. She’s a squealer too.”

“Very vocal?”

“Almost musical.”

“Your smoking equipment, Sir.”

“Up off your knees, Giada.”

“Yes Sir,” she replied, getting to her feet. “Will there be anything else?”
“Mistress Galena has a question for you.”

“Yes Mistress?”

“Do you dress more warmly than that thin tunic when it gets colder?”

“Mistress, it doesn’t often get colder than this. But if it does, yes, we wear slippers and thick robes.”

“I and my family are going to warm you up this evening, Giada,” Galena said.

Giada’s face beamed with delight.

“Thank you Mistress!”

“Run along, get warm.”

“Yes Mistress!”

“I think we’re in for a fun evening...”

“You are,” Jason said.

“And the fourteen and fifteen-year-olds would’ve been fun too.”

“Yeah, they would have ... but...” Jason said. “I just wasn’t comfortable with using them.”

“Why? I would’ve been ears deep in them.”

“I don’t know ... but I gotta say Mama G, you’re a little more ... I don’t know... ‘piratical’ than me?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I am ... I’ve been a scared good girl most of my life. I’m through with that shit. If I want something, and it’s available, I’m taking it.