Chapter 10: The Ghosts of Virginia City

And the wedding

Victor

Victor turned around to see who had screamed at him, and flew backwards as a stack of books hit him in the chest.

'You missed me Robert Duvall, just like last time!' said a voice with a southern accent.

'Not this time you ... you barbarian!' shouted a voice with a French accent in Victor's mind.

'Sticks and stones, come let's dance, ' the southern voice said.

Victor sat up and looked at the two apparitions that were fighting as the patrons screamed and ran for the door or ducked behind the exhibits. Stacks of books started flying through the room, and through the ghosts as the few remaining people in the establishment watched in horror as the two ghosts pulled out their swords and started hacking at each other. The Frenchman was wearing what looked like a coat and tails from the eighteen hundreds while the other was wearing an old confederate uniform. As they watched, the one named Robert hacked the arm off the other and what looked like blood spurted out to cover the floor in a reddish-silver color. The owner of the store stood in the corner by the register shaking in fear as the two manifestations fought in front of her.

'You unarmed me you cretin!' the confederate officer said as he started.

'I will gut you and leave you on the ground and take my liberty with your future bride! For I know she loves me more than a scallywag as yourself!' the Frenchman snarled as he twirled his mustache with his free hand.

'Never!' the soldier said and charged the Frenchman and books exploded off the shelves as the two ghosts slammed into each other.

Victor sat on the floor, his girls around him, with Sassy in his lap crying as the books, paper and dust settled around them.

"It's ok Sassy," he said as he sent his thoughts out to the ghosts that were fighting, 'STOP IT. You're scaring the children.'

Robert stepped back from his nemesis and looked at the children, and bowed, 'My humblest apologies. The last thing I wish is to scare children. This barbarian and I will retire to fight another day.'

Victor watched as the two ghosts faded away leaving a stunned patronage in the bookstore. Finally, the shop owner stepped out from behind the counter, looked at the mess in the store, and started crying. Victor stood up, helped the girls to their feet, walked over to the woman, and held her as she cried.

"My store. My store," Elizabeth Shanks cried.

"We;ll help you," Victor said, and the girls scattered and started gathering up the books and papers. Between the girls, Amber, Victor and the woman they had all the papers stacked up, the pictures straightened on the wall and the books back on the shelves in two hours.

"Thank you for all your help. The ghosts have never appeared during the day, I wonder why today?" Elizabeth said as she looked around her store and then at Victor as she continued, "It was almost as they knew you."

"I don't know how. This is the first time I have been here," Victor replied.

"I ... I don't know. But here, take this," she said and handed him a twenty and six coupons. "These coupons will get you a free waffle cone from Red's Old Fashioned Candies down the street."

"We can't..." Victor started to say and was interrupted.

"Yes you can. You helped me a lot here. Now go get a cone, you will love them," Elizabeth said.

"Come on future husband, let's go," Amber said as she pulled on his arm.

"Ok soon to be Mrs. Amber Adams," Victor replied and looked at the girls, "come on kids, let's go eat."

Elizabeth was surprised when the three identical girls replied 'Ok daddy' and was going to ask, but didn't as they were out the door.

Sixteen miles southwest of Virginia City, a Learjet was sitting on the Carson City tarmac outside a hanger. Inside the hanger, Mei Lee was in the office of the hanger manager making phone calls around the area to the local courthouses after she had learned that Adams and her daughter had left the hotel through the informants of the clan. She had no idea where they were, but she knew they had to get a license to get married.

By four pm, she still had no answer to where they could be and they headed into Carson City to get a room at one of the local motels. She had spent twenty minutes on the phone with Jung Wang and he was royally pissed off that Amber had escaped. He would be landing in Carson City at seven pm and would meet with Mei Lee and the rest of the tong crewmembers.

Victor and the girls spent the morning and afternoon examining the exhibits of the old town, stuffed themselves with ice cream, and had sarsaparilla at the Silver Queen Hotel. The girls sat and counted the silver dollars in the dress over the bar while Amber and Victor sat off to the side talking.

"Victor, what's up with the ghosts? Why did they do that?" Amber asked as she took a sip of her drink.

"I don't know. I think it's one of my powers that I can see them, and you being my soul mate, can see them as well..."

"Am I?" Amber asked.

"Are you what?" Victor replied.

"Your soul mate silly," Amber said with a smile.

"Yes you are. I could never see growing old without you my love. With you at my side, and the girls to raise, we will succeed and the council can go to hell as far as I can see. From what Michelle has told me about them, they are just like the government. Greedy, money rich bastards that deserve whatever fate befalls them," he replied as the girls came over.

"Daddy, can we have some money to play the video games?" Amy asked.

"Here's a ten dollar roll of quarters, you all can play," Amber said as she pulled the roll out and broke it open. She handed each of them several dollars worth and dropped the wrapper in the ashtray.

"Thank you daddy and mommy," the girls said at the same time and came around kissing them.

"Thanks Amber," Sassy said and the four hellions ran for the arcade.

"So that's why you bought the roll," Victor said as he watched the girls.

"Yup, it is," Amber replied and leaned over and kissed Victor. As they broke apart, Amber continued what she was going to say, "So, are we still going into Reno?"

"Yes I will take you in after we see mom, and I can get the van. Why do you need to go?"

"I want to drain some more money from that bastard's account who raped the girls and me. I need you to wrench the outside cameras out of the positions and then I will go in and cream the main camera. I will get the money, and then after I rejoin you, you can put the cameras back..."

"That's stealing..." Victor hissed out at Amber.

"It's restitution. You know there is no way we can ever get what would be rightful compensation for the kids or me for what he did. This way at least we get something until he gets a new card and number for his account. Am I right?" Amber asked.

"You're correct. I will help, but we need to spot all the cameras I don't want you getting caught," Victor replied as they stood up and gathered the kids. They headed outside and walked down to Lori's house and stopped when they saw the cop car parked in front.

"Uh oh," Amber said with concern.

"I wonder what a cop is doing there," Victor said as they started walking again.

Going up to the door, they knocked and it was opened by a man wearing the uniform of the sheriff's office.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"We're looking for my mom and Mrs. Bennett," Victor said.

"You must be Victor, come on in. Lori and your mom are not back yet," he said and then added, "My name is James Bennett, I'm Lori's husband. Come on into the living room and meet some of our kids."

"Thank you Mister Bennett," Victor replied and followed him into the living room.

Seated around the TV were five kids.

"Victor, Amber, and girls these are some of my brood. They are Randle age fifteen, Jason age thirteen, Joshua age twelve, Ricky age eleven and Tommy age nine. Our youngest is sleeping right now. Boys, this is Amber and Victor. They are getting married tomorrow, and your mother wants you to stand in as bridegrooms for them since they don't have any. Victor will you introduce the girls," James said.

"But dad, I'm going fishing tomorrow with Tom, and his sister," Randle blurted out before Victor could say anything.

"You can go Saturday, your mom wants you to do this for her best friend, and you will do it. Do I make myself clear young man?" James said as he stared down his oldest until he lowered his eyes and nodded his head.

"I didn't hear you Randle."

"Ok dad, I will go call Tom and tell him I can't go," he said as he stood up.

"I will talk to him later, but for now, you interrupted Victor. What do you say," he replied.

"Sorry..." he started to say and then saw his father's look and changed what he was going to say, "Victor, Amber I am sorry I interrupted you."

"That's ok Randle. I understand you had plans. I would appreciate it if you would be my best man at my wedding," Victor replied.

"I ... thank you. It would be an honor," Randle said as his thoughts were saying, 'Not likely, I would rather be fishing with Tom's sister Rebecca. Fishing in her pants that is.'

"You're welcome," Victor replied as he read the thoughts of the boy and couldn't help but smile. "Come let's play some Mario and we can see who kicks each other's butt," Victor added as all the kids started sitting down. Victor introduced everyone and soon the girls had control of the Wii and the boys were squeezed out.

At six pm, Lori and Annabelle returned and the boys went out and helped unpack everything from the van and bring it inside. There was enough food to feed an army, or that's what Victor thought as he and Randle laid the food out on the table. There were several buckets of KFC, canisters of mashed potatoes, gravy, beans, corn, mac and cheese, biscuits and for desert there was strawberry shortcake. Lori's dad Raymond pulled in behind his son-in-laws car. He was still in his sheriffs uniform as they sat down to dinner.

By nine o'clock, all the kids were in bed except for Amber and Victor. Amber came downstairs with her black carrying bag, and wearing her Goth outfit, Victor was wearing his black Levis and his black knight T-shirt. They walked into the living room to check on the girls. The couch had been folded out and their three kids were sound asleep. They leaned down and kissed their daughters goodnight and went into the kitchen. Annabelle, James, Lori and Lori's dad were playing pinochle and they stopped and watched for a few second.

"Where you kids off to?" Raymond Thomas asked as he looked up from his cards.

"We are driving in to Reno, and should be back in a few hours. There is a Goth club, which we want to check out. We should be back by midnight. We don't want to stay out to late," Amber said.

"Good because you both have to be up and ready by nine am and at the church by ten so you can be married by eleven. Amber, Raymond has agreed to walk you down the aisle since your dad is gone, if that's ok with you?" Annabelle asked.

Amber started crying and before Victor could get to her, Annabelle had her in her arms as she muttered, "Thank you Mister Thomas, thank you very much."

"You're welcome lass." Handing her the box of tissues, he continued, "Now blow your nose and go have some fun. For you become grownups tomorrow and your world will revolve around those three girls out there."

Wiping her eyes, she smiled, leaned down and kissed his weathered cheek, and replied, "Thank you."

They picked up two bottles of water, and walked out the door and climbed into the van. Driving out of town, they headed down the mountains and thirty minutes later were entering the outskirts of Reno. Victor found a bank that had several security cameras. Using his power he found all six of the cameras. He then wrenched them up to point at the sky as Amber slid out of the van, pulled her mask on and ran to the bank wall. Walking down the length of the bank, she stepped out into the drive through to the back of the ATM lane.

Stepping around, she had the can of shaving cream in her hand and she covered the glass plate with the cream until it was solid white. She then pulled the card out and had the machine spitting out all the money she could out of the account. The door opened and she pulled the stacks of twenties out and shoved them in her bag. She did this five times, each time she added more shaving cream to the glass to keep her identity hidden. Finally the machine flashed 'out of money' and she pulled the card, gathered the last of the money and ran back to the van.

They hit nine banks on the outskirts of the cities and then headed back to Virginia City. As they drove, Amber counted the money into one thousand dollar bundles and banded them with rubber bands she had swiped from Mister Bennett's desk. When she was finished she had one hundred and eighty bundles of one thousand dollars each.

"We have one hundred and eighty thousand dollars," Amber said.

"WHAT!" Victor said and almost went off the road, but recovered.

"You heard me, several more times, and I think we shall be even for what that bastard did to us," Amber stated as she packed the money back into her bags.

"We can't do this anymore," Victor said.

"Just a few more times. I promise that will be all. I don't want all his money, but for what he did to the girls, he deserves to pay. Doesn't he?" Amber replied as she looked over at her future husband.

"Yes, you're right, but ... damn I wish there was a better way to get even," he replied as they pulled into Virginia City.

It was ten minutes until midnight when they parked the van and walked into the house. Annabelle was sitting at the kitchen table writing on a pad that she turned over as they walked up.

"Have fun?" she asked.

"It was interesting, night mom," Amber said and kissed Victor and Annabelle. She then went into the living room and climbed into bed with the girls after stripping to her underwear.

"Interesting, huh?" Annabelle asked.

"Yes it was mom. Night," he said as he kissed his moms cheek and went up stairs to Randle's bedroom and climbed up onto the top bunk. He was asleep the second his head hit the pillow. He hadn't even bothered getting undressed.