13. Danger Zone
Chapter 13
Danger Zone
B ellagio - Las Vegas, Nevada
April 17, 2018
(4 Days Before Death)
To the furthest back area above the theater, rooms served as business offices or dressing spaces, revamped for big game streamers and private gatherings. Young and old men, in pods with headphones and controllers, competed internationally.
“They’re in here. Remember, my life depends on the way we handle this. Stick to my plan, okay?” Carmen said.
“I got it. Stick to the plan,” Charmaine repeated.
Carmen took a deep breath and stepped through the door first.
Lamont paced. He couldn’t take his eyes off his phone, which Tristan had recently given back to him. The text messages from friends and family showed disappointment over his absence from Deshawn’s funeral. Though the criticism hurt, he felt alive again and a part of that world.
“Lamont?” A sweet voice called over the blare of hip-hop music. He looked up to see Carmen, one of the entertainment managers, with Charmaine Dillon.
Lamont's eyes stretched. Charmaine was the last person he had expected to see in Vegas. Again, the world he once knew was not even close to the world where he dwelled in at the present. But she was right before him. Charmaine, who wore skinny jeans and an off-shoulder shirt, looked unbelievably beautiful. Her straightened hair framed her face and her perfumed presence filled the air. Charmaine’s amber eyes captured him and refused release. The attraction was potent.
“Hi, I hope it’s okay, but my friend…” Carmen began.
“Charmaine!” another voice yelped.
Lamont snapped out of his trance. Russell rolled his chair toward them as fast as it could move. The young man’s eyes were wide with disbelief.
“Damn, it is a small world,” Lamont mumbled over the reunion.
“Tell me about it,” Carmen said. She was now at his side.
“Hey boyfriend,” Charmaine teased. “I found you!”
Russell grinned when they reached each other. Lamont stopped her just before the two embraced.
“Whoa there, sweetheart. Slow down. You’re not supposed to be back here,” said Lamont.
“She’s family!” Russell stated.
“Still, I don’t know her. What’s up, Carmen? Why is she back here? You know the rules,” Lamont asked.
“You don’t remember me?” Charmaine asked. She stepped in closer. Lamont stepped back. It was his greatest defense to resist the urge to look into her eyes again. Something was wrong with him. He had the world’s biggest mind-fuck just being in the same room as her. Charmaine pretended surprise over his rejection of her. “We went to high school together, asshole. Now you don’t know me?”
“Get out of the way!” Russell demanded. “She’s, my family!”
Lamont glanced around. The Triad wasn’t in the room, just fans and the crew. He was in charge, and Tristan’s rules were clear: no one gets near the kid without consent.
Russell bumped Lamont’s legs with his wheelchair, forcing him to step aside. Lamont moved and glared at Carmen. He mouthed: Why did you bring her back here without checking in?
“We’re cool. Sorry,” Carmen replied.
“Shit.” Lamont couldn’t believe the coincidence. Charmaine had a connection to the kid and the boss’s girl. He worried about Tristan’s reaction. His eyes darted to the room’s cameras, which were placed strategically around. He hated fucking casinos and their cameras. Eyes were everywhere.
“How did you know where to find us?” Russell asked.
Charmaine cupped his face. Before she answered, she just stared at Russell with complete love. He was the sweetest gem in all their lives. For her, Sonya, and especially Dolly, Russell never aged. He remained their baby. “You’re all over social media. You’re famous, sweetie. Sonya and I couldn’t believe it. How did it happen? Where is Dolly?”
“This was all because of Dolly,” Russell boasted. “Lucio owns everything. He put me on. Gave me new gear, and ice,” he said and popped his diamond Cuban link chain. “And Lamont’s my man. He’s been like my manager.”
The comment made Charmaine glance back at Lamont. Their gaze held and melded. He forced himself to lower his first. A man confronted by his crush often loses his courage.
The connection was severed, which jolted Charmaine’s brain. Dizzy, she tried to stand upright but stumbled. Lamont frowned, concerned. Before she could speak, she swayed and crashed to the floor. Several people screamed. Charmaine heard them but saw only the ceiling. Paralyzed, she lay there rapidly blinking.
Lamont reached her first.
“Hey, you, okay?” he asked.
We must go, Charmaine. Now. Close your eyes and listen, said a voice. Charmaine gasped; she tried to breathe. She blinked up at Lamont. There was also Carmen and Russell, who stared down at her. Everything went dark as she slipped into an abyss.
When she opened her eyes, she couldn’t see or hear anything. Battling anxiety and claustrophobia, she hyperventilated and screamed in her head in fear.
It’s okay. It’s okay, the voice said.
The black void dissolved as a beautiful version of herself walked out of the fog. The woman smiled. She wore a white sarong and a wrap of white fabric around her chest and over her breasts, with gold strands woven into the material. There were gold cuffs on her bare arms and wrists. Her hair was reminiscent of the ancient Egyptians in dark and blunt cut style.
Hi Charmaine. I’m Liora, the woman said.
“Lee-or-ah, hi?” Charmaine stammered.
I wouldn’t hurry us this way, but we’re out of time. The twins are in trouble. They’ve breached the realm through a connection they found in Domenico. Soon, Don Vittorio will find them, and they’ll be lost to us.
“Dolly? Darlene?” Charmaine asked.
Yes. They’re using power they shouldn’t. It’s like giving a baby who had just taken its first steps a knife and telling it not to run. We must get to them first.
“Where? How? Where is she?”
They’re in the penthouse suite. Lamont can take us, but he won’t agree. I must take control to get us there. The Master vampire Lucio cannot meet me. He can never know of me. Do you understand? I’ll give you back your body when we are in his presence, and you must follow Russell’s lead.
“Why Russell? He doesn’t know what’s going on. Dolly wouldn’t want him involved.”
He understands the relationship between Darlene and Dolly. He’s always restored balance when Darlene escaped the mental shackles Dolly imprisoned her in. Since he was three years old, he has maintained the balance between the sisters. It is a heavy toll on a mortal, let alone someone like Russell, but he is the true Guardian when it comes to the sisters. No one loves or trusts him more than the sisters do.
“That’s not what the First People told us,” said Charmaine.
Those women you met, who filled you with fear and knowledge, aren’t the First People. I can’t explain further. With each passing minute, the sick and demented Vittorio slithers closer to the girls. Even in his diminished state, he could detect them. If he does, it is game over.
“I understand. What is it that we need to do? How do you take me over? What happens? That’s what I don’t understand,” Charmaine said.
Before we join, there is a sadness I have to give you.
“Sadness? What do you mean?” Charmaine asked.
I must leave you here in this realm.
“Realm? Here?” Charmaine glanced around at the darkness. “No! I can’t stay here! I’m claustrophobic!”
Shhh…
Charmaine stopped retreating, unable to move. She was frozen to the spot against her will.
This is why Kaida and I haven’t been present. We don’t want to force this on you or Sonya. If there is harmony between us, then there is no darkness or sadness, we exist as one. But you reject that harmony, you fear it. Only you can determine when you’re ready to accept me fully.
“Can you put me to sleep? Like before?” Charmaine voice quivered.
There’s no time. I’m sorry. When Russell helps heal the sisters, and they wake you will need to be their friend. No matter who wakes, pretend not to know the truth. Don’t leave their side, no matter what Lucio says to you.
“I’m staying at the hotel with Nzinga and Sonya. We agreed to plan our next move together,” Charmaine reasoned.
You can’t go back to the hotel once you meet the master vampire. Lucio will sense something different about you immediately. Focus on Tristan to keep Lucio from discovering me. Let him be the distraction even if he doesn’t mean to be.
“But what about Sonya? She’s alone,” Charmaine said.
Sonya will be fine. She’ll learn her lessons and join you.
“And Nzinga? She’s hurt and alone,” Charmaine stalled.
We don’t need Nzinga anymore. Her healing will be slow, but it’s a lesson. Now, time is up.
“Wait! I’m not ready?—”
Yes, you are. You are Charmaine, daughter of Clifford and Stacey Dillon, sister of Amelia, Carrie, and Celeste. You are a healer, a friend. I believe in you.
Charmaine relaxed, and tears slipped from her eyes. Liora embraced her, and Charmaine felt warmth and care as she had never before. It was a fleeting feeling when the floor beneath her opened and she sank into the darkness, screaming.