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Josephine
"Josephine?" David called jumping out of his chair. "Are you alright? Where are you?"
"I'm fine." Josephine replied, "They haven't hurt me."
"Can you tell me where you are?"
Josephine looked at Freddie who stood ready to snatch the phone out of her hands if she said too much. She closed her eyes and sent a mental picture of the last street sign that she remembered seeing and waited for confirmation that he had received it.
"I love you and I'm coming for you." David said letting her know that he had gotten her message. "Let me talk to one of them." he said his voice intense and businesslike.
"He wants to talk to you." Josephine said handing Freddie the phone with a small smile on her face.
Freddie took the phone from her not liking the way that Josephine was smiling at him. He put the phone to his ear but didn't say anything. A few minutes later, he put the phone away, his color considerably paler than it had been.
"What did he say?" Josephine asked already having a good idea of what David said to him.
Freddie didn't answer her but walked away.
****************************
As soon as David hung up, his cell phone rang.
"Sheffield." he said his tone curt. He listened as Maurice gave him the information that he had requested.
"The vampires that have your mate have done this before. The difference is that this kidnapping is one of opportunity; Josephine was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The kidnappings are always very well planned out and the mates are returned unharmed. The vampires involved are cousins named Joshua and Frank Archer and until now haven't even been close to being apprehended. Word has it that the new queen has a list of criminals that she has plans to apprehend and I'm sure that these two are near the top of the list.
As far as the wards go, Joshua Archer learned to construct them from a friend, relative or someone that he worked for named Walter Abercrombe and we're still trying to locate him so that we can find out how to break the wards. As soon as we find him, we'll go see him and call you with the information. Have you heard from them yet?"
"I just talked with Josephine." David replied, "She managed to send me a mental picture of the last street sign that she saw. She's somewhere in the warehouse district and although she could be anywhere down there, it narrows down the search."
"Are you sure that you don't want us to come? My mate says that my hovering is driving her crazy." Maurice said.
David chuckled and then had another thought.
"I'm sure and I thank you for the offer but could I ask you for yet another favor?"
"Of course."
David gave Maurice a quick synopsis of how he found Josephine.
"I want to start the search for her family. It will in no way change what has already transpired but I want to do something. Once this is over, I'll take over."
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone and David could only imagine what Maurice was thinking.
"I'll email any information that I find to you, where did they live?" he asked, his tone cool.
David felt Maurice's displeasure at what he had done and it didn't surprise him. The Maurice Delgado he knew would never have done what he did. He would have laid the cards on the table as soon as possible and then let the chips fall where they may. If his mate had been angry, he would have wooed her until he won her over and would have helped her find her child.
"Thank you again for your help." David said.
"You're welcome and I'll let you know as soon as we find Walter Abercrombe."
David made a few calls to vampires from his personal security team that he knew weren't mated and instructed them to meet him in the warehouse district that evening. His hope was that now that he and Josephine had communicated with him, that she might find a way to tell him exactly where she was. He also wanted to be there when he got the call from Maurice.
Although he wasn't hungry, David made himself eat and feed just in case it would be a few days before he could do so again. He could only hope that Josephine was being fed blood at least. She could do without human food as long as they were giving her blood. Guilt and anger at himself washed over him but he pushed it aside and focused on Josephine.
"I am so sorry." he murmured under his breath as he made several more phone calls.
*****************************
Jeremiah found it hard to believe that his reprieve was almost over. In the two days that had passed, he hadn't seen anyone other than the guards with whom he didn't speak. One more day of peace but it really wouldn't be peaceful, the anxiety of what was to come was already growing and by the next evening, he would be a nervous wreck.
As he lay on his cot looking up at the ceiling, he thought about the night that he took Josephine Graves. He remembered how much it had taken to compel her to drive to his house and then how quickly he had lost control of the situation once they reached the bedroom.
He cursed himself for his shortsightedness in not asking Malcolm for information about where he took Josephine but how in the hell was he supposed to know that she was the mother of the future queen? Had he known that, he would have kept her alive and raised the brat as his own. He would have been in the inner circle just because he was married to her mother.... Maybe.
There was too much about the stories that he didn't know or remember. It was entirely possible that he would still be exactly where he was, alone and waiting for the next woman to dole out her punishment. Now Mikhail was looking for Josephine and that told him something, Justine believed that her mother was alive.
The thought of being alone with Josephine terrified him almost more than facing the thousands of women that wanted a piece of him. He closed his eyes and tried to think about something else. Nevertheless, the more he tried the more certain he became that Josephine Graves was indeed alive and well.
*****************************
Mikhail hung up after talking to Dante. The house was still there and remained in Jeremiah's name even though it was no longer his. In a few weeks, it would be redone, any of Jeremiah's victims who had no place to go or simply because they wanted to could live there rent free until they decided to leave.
Justine had already taken control of Jeremiah's law offices and placed Zoe and Pam in charge. Their primary job would be to do all of the legal work that would ensure that the women got what was coming to them financially, medically and psychologically, even those who chose to stay with the vampires who bough them. Anyone who had knowledge about and was involved in Jeremiah's other business was sent to Justine.
As it turned out, half of those involved were other women.
"I don't understand." Justine said to one woman, "why would you do something like this?"
It was a question that she asked every woman who stood before her and Quinn. Some of the reasons were understandable. Malcolm turned a few of the women for his and Jeremiah's use and they felt as though they had no choice but to comply.
"Who could we have gone to?" one of the women asked, "we were always watched and our phone calls monitored. One woman did try to get away and we never saw her again."
These ten women were considered victims and offered a chance to face their rapist and to punish him. Almost all of them said no saying that they never wanted to see Jeremiah Mather's again. The remaining three wanted to see and talk to him but had no desire to hurt him. Each of these women was given enough money that they never had to work another day in their lives and knew that help would always be available.
The women who willingly helped Jeremiah and Malcolm were an entirely different story. They had no good reason for helping other than monetary gain. Justine took control of all of these women's assets and put them toward the care of the women who were in need of psychological and physical help. The women themselves would be sent to prison. Their release would be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Of everything that she had been through, Justine found the day that she confronted the women to be the most difficult. It had always been her belief that all women regardless of race, nationality, religion, age or size were sisters that needed and were supposed to help and protect each other against the likes of Jeremiah Mathers and Napoleon. It hurt her to realize for the first time that not everyone felt as she did. Her anger was evident as she pronounced sentence on Jeremiah's conspirators.
Each of the women had the sense to cringe as they looked into Justine's black, red-flamed rimmed eyes as she spoke.
"You are not women. I don't know what to call you except traitors to your sisters and for what? Money? You will all be imprisoned until I deem that a sufficient amount of time has passed, now get the fuck out of my sight!"
Quinn put an arm around Justine's waist and pulled her tight into his side.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he kissed her temple.
"I will be." she replied. "But I just don't get it. Maybe I was naïve to think that women couldn't do what these women have done but damn it Quinn! They betrayed their sisters!"
"I know but sweetheart, not everyone believes as you do and money is a powerful tool."
Justine didn't reply, she knew that there would be more women who had helped Jeremiah and she would deal with those as she had just dealt with these women, one case at a time.
Quinn had given some thought to telling her about the conversation that he had with Edward and decided to hold off. As formidable as she was, she still needed a respite from their new world and roles. He also knew how deeply it had hurt her to punish the women even though she knew that it had to be done.
