16

It's time to get some answers...

Mel and Klaus stood arguing about her safety while they waited for Ambrose and Nic to make an entrance.  He wanted her back in the suite at the hotel, she wanted to get to the hospital or help at the dig site.  Melania was tired of being treated like a china doll by everyone around her.  While he understood that, he couldn’t get her to understand what that drive had just felt like to him; knowing that if the asshole in the passenger seat of that SUV had been a better shot, she could have been hurt or killed.  It had felt like being on that plane when the bullet had gone through Grant and hit her during the extraction in Peru.  

Finally, tired of arguing with him and getting nowhere, she had agreed to go back to the hotel, but not for the reasons he would have wanted.  She didn’t tell him, but she planned on getting every drop of information from Andreas she could.  His final disposition she’d leave to Klaus and Eric, but she was going to make that man hurt…a lot.  Being shot at while going on archaeological expeditions was something she was seriously becoming tired of.  Ever since she’d landed in Peru last year, she felt like she’d had a gun pointed at her every damn day.  Whether it was because they were keeping her safe, or because they were considering taking her out…it mattered little to her at this point. 

Klaus was relieved that she agreed to go back, even if he didn’t trust that his thoughts and feelings on the matter had any bearing on her decision.  He could tell there was something more going on behind those crystal blue eyes of hers, but if she was out of the line of fire, he could at least focus on taking out the threat to her and their friends.  When it was all said and done, he knew there would be a reckoning to be had over this, and the incident in the hallway at the hotel.  That didn’t bother him; the possibility of her being hurt bothered him.  He could take her anger.  Seeing her in a coma in a bed again, that he wasn’t sure he could take.  Twice in less than six months was too much for him.

When they showed up in the Quonset hut, looking frustrated and ready to commit great violence, Nic and Ambrose agreed with Klaus about Mel going back to the hotel.  They hadn’t found anything of use in the SUV.  Whoever was funding this was good, very good.  Ambrose already had calls out to people who technically didn’t exist.  The word was being spread that there was a price, a high one, on the head of whoever thought to try and take out the heir to the Meyers fortune.  There was to be no expense spared in finding out who did it.  Ambrose was calling in favors in spades, and he knew that in the end he would get what he wanted.

Tossing his keys to Case, Ambrose told him to get her back to the hotel.  After seeing the man’s driving, Ambrose was sure that he could keep her safe and in one piece if there was another incident.  He considered sending Gabe back with them as well, but decided to keep him with the team for the moment.  With Cam and Erik back at the hotel in addition to Case, that should be enough. With the warning going across the wires, anyone attempting to harm his granddaughter did truly have a death wish that every man in that building would gladly grant.  From the look on Klaus’s face and the missing rear window of the SUV they had been in, he had no doubt that retribution was going to be swift and brutal from him.

Following Case and Mel out to the SUV that was parked alongside the one that they had arrived in, Klaus hated that she was going back without him but also wanted to go hunting for those responsible for what just happened and wanted her safe.  He was pissed, beyond pissed.   Cupping her face in his hands, he gave her a look that spoke volumes about the warring emotions that were inside him.  Her hands rested on his hips before she went to her toes to kiss him.  

“Go get ‘em killer.  I’ll be fine.”  Her voice was low and sexy, her lips brushing over his. There was something more in her eyes though, something feral and lethal.  Damn if it didn’t turn him on.   She was going to be the death of him someday, but damn he’d die a happy man.

He looked over to Case as she got in the vehicle and nodded.  Shutting her door, he headed back into the building and the waiting team.  His strides were long and purposeful; it was clear from his gate that this was a man on a mission.  He was going to find out who put her in danger, and eliminate them with great malice.  Maybe he’d even let the others help.

“Dez, get to the hospital.  That SUV had run flat tires.  They had expected to take fire, they were on a mission.  Alexander and Sasha aren’t safe and Cade isn’t enough backup in this situation.  I don’t want Mel leaving that hotel and the only way to keep her there is to get Alexander back there.  As soon as it’s dark, get him back to the hotel and keep his ass there.”  Nic was talking when Klaus walked back in.  He nodded over to him as he joined the others.  

“Klaus, Gabe, Donovan…you’re with us.  Grandfather just got intel.  We’ve got a visit to make to a mansion just outside of town that’s being rented by a mysterious Australian.  Seems there have been some rumors of the resident being a relics dealer.  Seeing as how we have one archaeologist down and another as a target, I think we’ve found who we’re looking for.”  Nic smirked as he looked at his men.  Damn he had a good team; he trusted every damn one of them.  

Both groups headed out to the two remaining SUV’s.  Ambrose had gotten the keys from Case for the one that was missing the back window.  Klaus took up position in the back of it as the other males got in the front.  Then they followed Case and Dez back to the main road towards town.  Just outside of the city, they turned off on another road, heading in the general direction of the manor.   They weren’t going to just roll up to the front door, they might have before someone tried to take out four of them.  Too late for being polite now.

When they were within a quarter mile, and on a road that didn’t lead directly to the house, Ambrose pulled the SUV off of the road onto a turn in that was rather overgrown.  Pulling past the tree line so that the rear of the vehicle was at least partly hidden, everyone slipped out as quietly as they could.  Doors were left slightly ajar and the tailgate was left up. Silence was the name of the game now.  The sun was up and that meant that they would stay low and in the trees as much as possible.  

That quarter mile seemed to take forever to cross.  If whoever was in the house was responsible for the attack on Sasha, and the price on Alexander, they didn’t want to give them warning that hell was about to come down on them.  They were as silent as possible, making sure to stay undetected and hidden the whole time.  Once they reached the tree line, they were no more than 50 yards from the main house.  There were no guards that could be seen, but there were people inside.  While the windows did reflect some of the surroundings, shadows moving inside could be seen.  

Each of the men took up observation positions to try and determine how many were inside and their locations.  They would wait till the cover of darkness to move in any closer.  There could be no more than two or three hours of daylight remaining.  Klaus and Donovan had shotguns, Ambrose and Nic were brandishing pistols, and Gabe had an AR.  They were ready for whatever lay inside that house.

As dusk was beginning to set, Klaus’s phone buzzed.  Pulling it out, he looked down at the number and sighed as he swiped to answer it. “Yeah?” His eyes closed tightly, then he responded curtly, “not now,” before hanging up.  Turning his phone off, he stored it in one of the pockets on his pants before returning his attention to the house.  

No one asked who it was or what they had wanted.  For him to answer it right now meant it was Mel or one of the other men on the team.  His response told them this wasn’t a good time to start a conversation on it either.  But they all did pull out their phones and turn them off.  Last thing they needed was a distraction when they were raiding the house.  

Soon darkness had fallen.  The men emerged from the tree line and headed towards the house.  Hand signals guided the entry to the house, 3 through the back and two through the front.  As Klaus, Donovan, and Nic headed around back, they were careful to avoid being seen through the large windows that each room on the bottom floor seemed to have.  While they had seen people inside the house earlier, no one was seen in any of the rooms now.  They could only hope that this meant that they hadn’t been spotted.

At the back door they paused and listened.  Seconds ticked by slowly till they heard the distinctive whistle that meant it was time for entry.  Klaus and Donovan brought boots to door at the same time to break the lock and swing it open.  Klaus took point with Nic bringing up the rear.

There were no sounds on the first floor when the teams made entry, but the sounds of the scraping of chairs could be heard upstairs.  Neither group delayed in heading up, where they were met with two armed bodyguards that were quickly dispatched.   The other men in the room looked surprised at first, and then fearful when Ambrose’s tall frame rounded the corner to enter the room they were in.

“So gentlemen, you’ve decided it was a wise thing to take out a hit on members of an expedition team on a archaeological dig that I’m financing.  You’d better have a damn good reason that you just put my granddaughter in jeopardy because I don’t take kindly to her being shot at.”

This is where the stammering started, first from one then another of the men.  All seemed to be claiming that they had no idea that Ambrose was financing the dig nor that Mel was one of the archaeologists on site.  If it hadn’t been abundantly clear they had found out who was behind the attack on Sasha and the hit on Alexander, Klaus might have found their stammering amusing.  As things were, he found it irritating and annoying.

“Boys, restrain our hosts.  I think they’ve forgotten what it means to do their homework before starting a job.  A refresher on exactly what happens to anyone who crosses me might be in order as well.”  Ambrose smirked as the color began to drain from the faces of the men who were facing him.  

Four hours later the men emerged from the house.  A little blood splatter here and there, but only the two bodyguards had ended up dead.  Now they needed to get back to the SUV and to the hotel.  Hopefully all the rest of the team would now be there with information from Andreas.

As they got to the SUV, everyone started pulling out phones and turning them on.  Most likely there would be texts or calls with updates to at least Ambrose and Nic.  Klaus knew he needed to return the call he’d gotten to, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to do that with everyone in the vehicle able to hear him.

“Shit!  How the fuck do I have over 100 missed calls.”  Nic growled as he started to flip through his call log.

“I’ve got 50,” Klaus replied, not really wanting to look through his log.

“What, did I get the jackpot with only 3?”  Gabe joked as he tried to figure out who was calling him from the 228 area code.

“FUCK!”  All heads turned to look at Ambrose.  In the dim light of his cell phone, pure anger showed on his face.  He hit a number on his phone and the soft sound of ringing could be heard in the stillness as no one else moved.  “What is so god damned important?”  His voice left no room for misunderstanding that he was pissed.  “What do you mean she’s missing?” 

Klaus’s heart dropped through the floor and Gabe almost dropped his phone.

Banner by @cafekitsune

15

Mel sat between Klaus and Gabe on the ride to the hospital.  She had to admit that Case’s driving wasn’t bad, he just had a definite love of speed. Not that she was surprised, he was a Louisiana, in this case pronounced Loo-zee-anna, boy after all.  She was pretty much lost in her thoughts though, not paying attention to what would normally be considered picturesque scenery passing outside the windows.  Klaus’s hand was on her knee, their fingers intertwined.  He kept looking over at her, trying to figure out what thoughts were going through her head, but wasn’t coming up with much.

Finally Case’s voice cut through the slightly uneasy silence that had fallen throughout the interior of the car. “Boys, we got a problem.  Mel get in the floor…NOW!”  This was not a request, it was a command, and one that Melania did without question or hesitation.  

Gabe was leaning over her a second later, his gun resting in his lap, safety off.    She could hear the engine of the SUV rev as Case accelerated and they were all thrown towards the passenger side of the vehicle as he cornered, drifting the back end through the turn.  The screech of tires behind them a few seconds later told Mel all she needed to know…they were being tailed.  “How many?” Klaus asked as he pulled body armor from behind the seat, putting one over Mel, then handing another to Gabe.  

“One SUV, at least two passengers.  Driver has a pistol, passenger has a… FUCK!” Case cornered hard again as the distinctive ping of a round hitting the body of the vehicle was heard.  “rifle.  I’d guess AR, but there’s hella reflection off of their windshield.”  It was clear he was frustrated.

Klaus slid over the back of the seat, to be in the rear of the SUV.  Donning his own body armor, he pulled out his cell as he dug through the cases of munitions and firearms that were back there.  Getting a hold of Donovan, he let him know the situation.  “Head to the dig, our boys will be waiting for these fuckers when we hit the tree line.” Another few hard turns, and they were headed out of town.  Case had the accelerator floored as the engine whined.  Of course Ambrose had secured vehicles that would surpass the limits of the normal factory models, but they were at speeds well over 100mph now.  Klaus had called Nic and after an exchange of profanity laden information, there was another SUV with Nic and Ambrose headed to back them up as well.  

“Why are they after us?  None of us were in those pictures, and Andreas had said those were his only targets.”  Gabe growled as he acted as a shield over Mel. “They don’t know we don’t have Andreas.  No doubt his employer has noticed him missing by now.” Klaus growled as an AR came over the back of the seat to rest next to Gabe.

“And, I realized what at least Sasha and Alexander have in common.” Case added from the front as another hard turn was made.  “They were on that dig that went south in Peru with Mel.  The one with the amulet of second sight.”

“Damn!  That means anyone who knows where that thing is could be a target.”  Klaus leaned against the back of the rear seat as he watched the other SUV trying to keep pace with them as they headed up towards the mountain the dig site was on. “If they’re taking out those who know, my guess is that it’s more information they’re wanting to bury.  You’ve got two of the preeminent archaeologists in Europe on that list; that can’t be coincidence.”  Gabe surmised.  “Although…Alexander and Sasha’s names were on the permits for that dig.  We all know the nice little artifact that Mel got ahold of.  If there’s more of that kind or of historical references of the dark arts, then it could be that they’re wanting to shut it down because there’s something bigger there.”  He added looking down at Mel with a tight lipped expression.  He felt sorry for her getting in the middle of this.  After what had happened in Peru, he felt the woman should have a break.  Seemed she walked back into the line of fire completely by accident.  

Another ping of a round hitting the body of the vehicle broke his thoughts as he looked back at Klaus.  The other man had almost gotten his setup complete.  Time to return fire.  Make those mother fuckers back off till they could get to where they had more cover.

“Case, you’re gonna lose the back window…now,” was all the warning anyone in the vehicle got before Klaus fired.  

The bullet took out half the back window and hit the hood of the trailing SUV.  The driver swerved, causing his passenger to be jostled about and messing up the shot he was trying to take at the time.  The bullet went far wide of the SUV, into the trees on the side of the road.   Klaus fired again, hitting one of the tires this time.  The SUV jerked again, and slowed, but didn’t give up chase.

“Fuckers are persistent.  This thing have any more power, Case?”  Gabe yelled forward, pulling on his ear to try to get rid of the ringing from the high caliber shots had caused. “We’re going to find out!”  Case yelled back and pushed the SUV even harder.  

They were pulling away from the SUV and getting closer to where Donovan and Dez had taken up sniper positions at the tree line of the dig site so they would be able to disable the SUV before it got to the actual site.  As the opening of the trees became visible, another black Mercedes SUV could be seen gaining on the one trailing the group.  Ambrose and Nic were arriving on scene and the sound of shots coming from the rear meant they were ready for a fight too. Case ignored all the sounds of shots and focused only on getting through that tree line and to the site.  He blocked out every sound and became fixed on the other black SUV that had been parked in such a way as to provide cover for the door to the Quonset hut that had been erected to protect the dig site from the elements.  Bless whichever of the guys had thought to give him that gift.  It would hopefully get Mel into the building safe while giving him and Klaus cover to hide behind.  

“HOLD ON!” Case yelled over his shoulder as the SUV cleared the tree line.  Dust and gravel flew up behind them, blocking the view of the SUV following them.  Using all of his driving skills, Case was able to brake, steer, and accelerate in the right combination to bring the SUV to a stop 3 feet from the building, running parallel alongside it.  “Gabe, get her ass inside.”  

Not waiting for a response, Case grabbed the body armor and rifle in the back seat as he saw Klaus slipping out the tailgate and advancing towards the hood  of the other SUV.  In a flash his own body armor was on and he was doing likewise.  Both men’s rifles were trained on where the SUV should emerge from the treeline.   While the sound of the gunshots from their teammates had been obscured by the sounds of the gravel before, the sound of a large vehicle striking a tree now was unmistakable.  

Klaus and Case held position.  They didn’t know which of the SUV’s that had been behind them had wrecked and they weren’t going to give up the advantage of having good cover to hide behind.  The treeline was now unable to be seen, the dust from the way that Case had brought their SUV to a stop was still hanging in the air.    The question of which it was got answered less than a minute later when there were two shots that were unmistakable as pistol.  They didn’t need to see the scene to know that instead of being taken prisoner, the driver and passenger of the vehicle had ended their own lives.  This was going to put Nic and Ambrose in just peachy moods, they were both sure of this. 

A moment later, Donovan and Dez came walking out of the swirling dust, rifles hung against their backs.  Both were shaking their heads and obviously highly annoyed.  Klaus and Case lowered their rifles as the two drew nearer; throwing the slings over their shoulders so their rifles hung like the other two’s did.  They leaned against the SUV watching the two frustrated mercenaries.  “This ain’t gonna be pretty.”  Case said looking over to Klaus with an expression that said they both knew that Ambrose and Nic were going to go ballistic if they couldn’t find anything out from the wrecked SUV that was still near the road and a ways from the treeline. “No shit!  At least none of ours got hit or killed.  Though I’m not sure they’re going to like what I did to the back window.”  He chuckled as Case shook his head.  Dez and Donovan reached them and all four turned to head into the building.  Might as well rest where the environment was more comfortable, when the two boss men got up there it was going to be anything but.

As soon as Donovan cleared the door he came to a halt, hands up.  “For the love of God, please tell me these are from the two of you hiding somewhere.”   

Dez raised his eyebrows to look around and saw two red dots in the middle of Donovan’s chest.  “If not, you’re fucked.”

Both dots disappeared as Donovan shook his head.  “You know that’s not funny.”  He watched as Melania and Gabe came out of where they had been hidden.  He had to give them credit.  They had been pretty well hidden, until they moved he hadn’t noticed them.

“No, you know what’s not funny?  Being squished in the floor of a SUV while it’s being driven like it’s on a roller coaster track.  Oh, and being shot at, at the same time.”  Mel was pissed, and Klaus moved to intercept before she shot one of their own guys. 

“She may have made it so that if Andreas survives that he is never able to have children…with her foot.   And she quite literally threatened to shoot his dick off.  Not the day to mess with her bro.”  Case slapped Donovan on the shoulder as he passed heading to where there were some chairs setup.  

While Klaus and Mel talked in hush tones, the two obviously butting heads, the others found seats either in the folding chairs or on tables.  Dez jerked his head over towards them. “I take it that they’re….together?  Or is he just the one she wants to kill least?”  

“No, killing least would be me.”  Gabe chuckled.  “Together…” he coughed, “well, from what I walked in on at the hotel…yeah.  I think they literally kissed and made up.”  He smirked.

“Who gave her a gun?”  Donovan laughed as he watched the two arguing about something.

“She stole Gabe’s pistol and shot Andreas.  After that, no one was going to tell her no.”  Case answered with a chuckle.

“Yeah, I was the lucky bastard out of the four of us who had laid our guns down in the room with Andreas.”  Gabe said sarcastically.  “She wanted to keep it and after watching her shoot Andreas, I wasn’t going to tell her no.  I like my cock where it is.”  He chuckled.

“Wait…wait…”  Donovan laughed, “you’re telling me that little prima ballerina literally shot Andreas?  Andreas, Klaus’s cousin?”  

“Yes.”  Case and Gabe answered at the same time.  “And threatened to put a bullet through his cock before knocking his chair over and driving her heel into his groin.”  Both Case and Gabe slightly cringed at the memory before Gabe continued. “Yeah, she went all badass.  And I thought she and Klaus were going to kill each other before we could get out of the hotel.  Maybe we should go get the weapons from those two.”  He chuckled.

“Nah, Klaus could use getting shot…again…by a girl.”  They all chuckled at Dez’s quip.  “Let’s just wait till Nic and Ambrose get here.  I’m sure they’re going to kick all of our asses for not getting those two assholes alive anyway.  Might as well let the bloodshed wait a few minutes.”

14

“Whose gun was that?” Case asked looking at the rest of the team members still assembled in the room after Mel had left. All heads turned towards the table where the weapons had been laid.

“Fuck! Mine.” Gabriel growled before heading to the door to follow the petite brunette who had left the room stunned by her actions. None had ever even thought she’d do anything like she had, let alone use that kind of language. She had always been more of the quiet and reserved type of person. Now Gabe worried what she might do, and who else she might shoot, with his gun.

“Well, that was exciting!” Cam chuckled as he reached down and flipped the chair with Andreas in it back upright. Everyone was pretty much ignoring the whimpering of the man in the chair, although his groans when the front feet of the chair hit the floor again did make Cam chuckle even more.

“Come on; let’s keep her from killing someone. Erik, Cam…you two play nice with our guest here and see what he has to say. If he stops cooperating, let me know and I’ll have my granddaughter come back in.” Ambrose grinned and winked at Andreas. He was quite proud of Mel; he wouldn’t have suspected she was capable of such violence. One should never judge a book by its diminutive and graceful exterior though; it was all just a mask that hid what lay underneath. “The rest of you, come on. We have some work to do.”

Ambrose and the others left the room, leaving only Andreas and his two interrogators. The reduction of people in the room didn’t make him feel any better though. He was quite sure he wasn’t leaving the room alive and that one of his two cousins would be the one putting a bullet in his brain in the end of it all. That Mel would be back and inflict more pain also seemed to be a foregone conclusion in the man’s mind as well. He had known her for years, and never had he seen her like that. When she found the one that hired him, he did not envy what she or those around her would do.

Back in the suite, Mel had changed out of her dress and into a black tee and jeans. She was just pulling on her hiking boots when Gabe came in. “If you’re thinking of trying to stop me, I still have the gun and I’ve just proven I’ll use it.” Her eyes were hard and full of fury, but her expression also said that she didn’t really want to hurt him, which made Gabe relax some. He honestly didn’t blame her for her reaction to Andreas. She wasn’t the only one who wanted to shoot him; she was just the one that had.

“I’m not here to stop you Mel. I’m here to make sure that you don’t kill a friendly or get yourself hurt while you lash out in this anger.” Years of experience allowed Gabe to keep his voice calm as he spoke to her. Inside his heart was racing. He knew there was no way that if she went for the weapon that lay on the couch beside her that he could stop her in time for her not to get even a poor shot at him, and at this distance that meant a world of pain for him. Never had it crossed his mind while they’d been in the other room that Mel would take any of their weapons. All of his years of training and attention to detail was now nagging in his brain that he was an idiot for giving her the chance.

“I’m not going to hurt anyone. I’m going to the hospital. Alexander and Sasha are both there. I don’t know who that third man is, but someone needs to be there to keep an eye on them, and not just Caden.” Mel stood after tying the laces on her shoe. Picking up the pistol, she unscrewed the suppressor and tossed it to Gabe. “I don’t need that part. You can either come with me or stay here, but I’m not giving back the gun Gabe.”

Catching the suppressor, Gabe nodded. He wasn’t going to argue with her. “I’ll go with you, but will you give me a minute to go get another pistol. You happen to be holding mine and I don’t like being at a disadvantage.” Gabe gave her a half smile that was a little sheepish.

Nodding, Mel lifted the back of her shirt and slid the weapon into the back of her jeans, after making sure that the safety was on. As he turned to leave the room, she started to follow him. Their path was blocked by Klaus, Case, Nic, and Ambrose. The four of them looked at the pair expectantly, eyebrows raised.

“And you’re going where?” Nic asked, his eyes alternating between the two of them.

“The hospital.” Mel’s tone was flat and her gaze even.

“I’m going with her, but since she has my gun, I have to get another one.” Gabe followed up with a look of resignation on his face and a slightly sarcastic smile on his face as he held up the suppressor.

“I don’t think so.” Klaus challenged her, earning raised eyebrows and amused expressions from Nic and Ambrose. Had he just watched what they had? Did he really want to challenge her right now?

One eyebrow rose and Gabe stepped back as he saw the woman tense. “Excuse me? I don’t remember asking your permission. And what’s more…I don’t need to.” The challenge in Mel’s expression and tone of voice said that if thought he was going to stop her that he was severely mistaken.

Growling, Klaus’s jaw ticked. How had things gone so sideways? “Fine,” he ground out, clearly displeased. “But it won’t be just Gabe going with you. Case and I will be too.” It wasn’t a request, it was a statement. A flat out statement. His expression was a stubborn one and as set as hers was. It was going to be a meeting of the wills and the other four standing there weren’t sure who was going to win.

“Fine, you two can have a pissing match later. I need a gun.” Gabe sighed and started to move forward. He had a new respect for the female, but that didn’t mean he wanted to stand there and watch as she had a stare down with Klaus. He’d seen enough people do that over the years that he knew that it was better to just carry on and let them catch up later.

Ambrose reached behind him and pulled his weapon, handing it by the barrel to Gabe. “Take mine. You,” he pointed to Mel, “don’t argue and take all 3 men. You,” he pointed to Gabe, “keep them from killing each other. You,” he pointed to Case, “be the lookout, take up a sniper position when and where you can. I want you to be the ghost of the operation. And finally you,” his eyes met Klaus’s with an expression that said he was in control here and wasn’t going to be challenged. “You are going to make sure that she gets out of there exactly like she is right now. One bruise and we’ll have words. Got it?” Klaus nodded, as did the others.

Mel smirked and went to her toes to kiss Ambrose on the cheek. “You got it boss.” She gave him a wink before grabbing the front of Klaus’s shirt and started to pull him out the door to the suite. “You heard him, make sure I don’t get myself killed. Your job is to watch my ass, and I doubt you’ll have a problem with that.” She had mostly gotten her way, if she was going to have an entourage; she was going to give them hell.

Case about choked as he laughed and Gabe rolled his eyes as he followed the pair. They could both see the tick in Klaus’s jaw. Neither was exactly sure what he was restraining himself from…throttling her, or kissing her senseless. Knowing Klaus, it might be a mixture of both.

“Who’s driving?” Mel’s voice came from the front.

Case and Gabe looked at each other for a second before Gabe answered, “Case. You get to play pampered princess in the back seat with me and Klaus.” He slowed up a bit, half expecting her to come round at him.

“At least you have it down what my position is in this.” The sarcasm was thick in Mel’s voice and this brought a full on laugh from Gabe. She was going to give them hell every step of the way, he was sure of it. Not that he really expected any less of her.

“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” There was no missing the resignation in Klaus’s voice that she was not going to give an inch and be in charge.

As they waited for the elevator, Case and Gabe took up positions on each side of Klaus. They were ready to block anyone coming from the back and shield anyone coming off of the elevator. Given they were taking the entire top floor of the hotel, the first wasn’t really too great a possibility unless it was another member of the team. And since this floor required a key to get to, the same was true of the elevator, but one never knew and you always planned for contingencies.

Mel turned to face him. “I’m going to do what needs to be done. That’s what I’m going to do. They’re after Alexander, Klaus; do you really expect me to sit her on my hands and do jack shit? It’s your cousin in there, who shot one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and would have put the red dot on Alexander’s head too. So, no, I’m not going to make it easy. You’re going to tell me when you run and op that it’s always easy? Of course not…so if you can’t handle things…”

Mels’s words were cut off as she found her back against the wall and Klaus’s face in hers. His eyes were hard and even she saw his jaw tick. “If I can’t handle it, what? I can walk away. NOT.FUCKING.HAPPENING. Feel me, doll? You can try to push me away all you like, it ain’t happening again.” His breathing was heavy and it was clear she’d hit a nerve. Still her face didn’t relax, she was defiant as ever and he found it sexy as fuck. Watching her when she’d been sad and meek had broken his heart, this was the woman he had fallen in love with all the years ago. The one who was ready to take on the world.

Before she could stop him, his lips crashed into hers. One hand was next to her head, against the wall, and the other was holding the back of her neck, his thumb by her ear. His kiss was rough, demanding, and possessive. All truth, he wanted to pin her against the wall and do much more than kiss her, but he knew this wasn’t the time or the place. His cock straining against his pants wanted to argue that point though.

There had always been something about his possessiveness and dominance that was a turn on and that was no different now. The fist holding his shirt tightened, digging a small pearl button into the palm of her hand. She kissed him back with the same passion, not caring about the two other men who were standing there. They were big boys, they could deal.

Finally Klaus broke the kiss, keeping his forehead against hers and looking into those clear blue eyes he adored. “I’m not gonna back down, doll. You want to take out my cousin? So do I. He’s gone too far. And I want to make sure Alexander is safe too. But you going off half-cocked and getting yourself hurt, or worse…it isn’t going to help a damn thing. So be pissed we’re with you if you want, but it ain’t changing. So we can have the rest of this discussion later.”

As the elevator dinged, arriving at the floor. Klaus’s lips curved into a smirk and he kissed the top of her nose. “Now get that sexy ass in line and let’s do this.”

13

WARNINGS - BLOOD, VIOLENCE, GUNS, SHOOTING, PHYSICAL ATTACK

Fingers combed through her long dark hair, Klaus’s larger body pressing her smaller one back into the bar.  Her heart was racing, she could hear the blood rushing through her ears and she loved every minute of it.  There was no mistaking his passion, his restraint having come to an end when she had uttered those words.  The kiss on the plane had made her heart skip, but now she was lost in him.

One hand had slid down her back and he was getting ready to lift her up onto that bar, or maybe to find her room, he didn’t care as long as he got to feel more of her.  He had longed for this for too long and he wasn’t going to waste a minute more now.  That thought was fully interrupted when the door to the suite slammed open enough it made them both jump.  

In an instant, Mel was behind Klaus and his gun was drawn.  Nic and Ambrose burst out of the study with weapons drawn as well.  The look on Gabriel’s face when he drew up short was one of surprise and slight fear.  He had been in such a hurry to get to them all that he hadn’t thought of their reaction to his entry.  He was mentally kicking himself now for it.

“Damn it!  Sorry!  There’s…”  His eyes cut over to where he could see Mel peaking from behind Klaus.  It was kind of cute but he had to resist the urge to smile; there were three very pissed men with hairpin triggers who still had guns aimed at him. “Been an incident at the dig site, and another one here afterward.”

Nic growled as he holstered his weapon, Ambrose and Klaus doing likewise. “What?  What the fuck has happened NOW!?”  Annoyance and aggravation was clear in his voice.

“Sasha Dominko has been shot.”  Gabe paused as he heard Mel’s gasp.  Another mental kick for not thinking of a better way to state that.  “And…Andreas is here.  It’s not a friendly visit.  Erik and Case have him in one of the rooms…talking.”  The look Gabe shot to the three men said talking was the least of what they were doing.

“Wait…Andreas…no!” Klaus’s face became a mask of anger as Cam entered the room.

“Uh, Gabe.”  Cam cleared his throat and looked tired. “You might want to come back in there.  Like…NOW!”   He turned and left after nodding at all the others.

Gabe turned and hurried out of the room, followed by everyone else.  Mel had to almost jog to keep up with the men.  She was several inches shorter and while she had long, dancer’s legs...she still had a hard time keeping up.  Pissed off men seemed to move far faster than they should have.  When they got in the room, they found out that Alexander and Caden had headed to the hospital when they’d heard of  the shooting and before Andreas had arrived.  Donovan and Dez had headed to the dig site.  Both pairs of men had been made aware of the latest development and were on guard for any associates that Andreas might have.

“Situation update,” Ambrose barked out as soon as they were all in the room.  He was handed several photos, which he looked at and then passed them to Nic.  

Erik, Klaus, and Ambrose went off to the side to talk in hushed tones.  Mel’s eyes swept over the man gagged and tied to the chair.  How could this man she knew have done this?  Sasha had never hurt anyone.  She was a kind, peaceful woman who lived to dig up artifacts.  She didn’t have a cruel bone in her body and never said a harsh word.  How dare he hurt her like this, there was no reason.  Well, sure…there was money…but who the hell would want to hurt her?  Then again, she would have thought the same thing about herself before Peru.  Now she knew that greed and ambition drove people to do stupid and deadly things.

Nic and Gabe tried to keep between Mel and Andreas, as if they expected him to somehow slip his bonds and attack the petite brunette.  This wasn’t a part of their jobs they necessarily wanted her to see.  The condition that Andreas was in wasn’t pretty.  One ear and his nose were bleeding.  There were bruises in various shades of purple adorning his face, and some on his neck that resembled finger marks.  His shirt was torn and there was what looked like dried blood in a few places there as well.  Cerebrally Mel knew what business the Parte’ Defensionis branch of the Meyers conglomerate did, and it was more than just providing bodyguards and private investigators.  Still, knowing exactly who had inflicted those injuries hit a part of her deep inside.  What had Andreas done that his own cousin would beat him bloody?

Cam and Case were behind and slightly to each side of the chair, the looks on their faces spoke to supreme and very finely veiled rage.  Whatever had gone down, it was bad.  The fact she had been allowed in the room with Andreas told her only one thing:  she wasn’t the target this time.   Still Mel’s mind couldn’t come to grips with what was happening.  Who?  Who had ordered this?

Finally the grouping off to the side broke up and the males started to come back before Andreas.  As they did, the pictures Nic had been holding were laid on a table off to the side where several weapons lay as well, from Erik, Case, Cam and Gabriel from Mel’s guess.  You didn’t want to give your prisoner an opportunity to get your weapon if he broke the restraints, this much she knew from listening to her cousin and grandfather.  As Cam delivered a few blows to Andreas when he spit on Ambrose rather than answer the elder man’s questions regarding who had hired him, causing Andreas to be gagged once more, Mel moved the photos aside.  In addition to Sasha there was a male who she didn’t recognize as anyone on the dig.  Then she slid those two pictures aside…

“Andreas, you can either tell us what we want to know or we will continue to inflict pain till you are of no use to us.  You know this.”  Ambrose’s words were spit out with venom.  The man had tired of being even the semblance of polite. “So are you going to cooperate?”

Before Andreas could answer there was the very loud and dull thunk of a high tech suppressed gunshot and a muffled howl of pain from Andreas as blood began to stain his shirt on his right shoulder.  All heads turned to behind them and slowly a path was made as Mel moved forward, gun still held very steadily in front of her.  Her fine features were covered in a mask of rage and hatred.  She stopped right in front of Andreas and his eyes widened in fear.  Never had he seen her this way and he knew instinctively it was a very bad thing to be seeing.

Nic, Ambrose, Klaus, and Erik all exchanged glances.  Their eyes said that someone should probably do something, but the fact none of them moved said that none of them were going to be that someone.  They knew why she was pissed, and from the look on Andreas’s face she was making quite an impression that none of the rest of them would be able to quite match.  “You, absolute cocksucking son of a bitch.  How fucking dare you show up here!  You see this face?”  She held up Alexander’s picture less than an inch from the tip of  Andrea’s nose.  “If a single hair on this man’s head is damaged I will kill you.  I will make your last moments so painful that you will pray for death to a god that doesn’t fucking exist.”  Now her face was in his and her eyes bored holes into him.  True fear began to show in his eyes, Mel had finally lost it and he was about to feel the full weight of it, he was sure.

“So, you’re going to tell all these nice men what the fuck they want to know, or I’m going to start causing you pain that they won’t.”  The muzzle of the gun pressed into his cock, slowly the pressure increasing.  “Oh, and I won’t just shoot you…I told you I’m going to make it painful.  And, see, I know where they keep the drugs that will keep your ass awake through every damn second of it.  They’re all pissed, but I’m fucking crazy and none of them are going to stop me.  I’ll give you a minute to think about it.”  Placing her hand in the middle of his chest, she shoved him backwards, causing the chair to tip over, Case and Cam stepping back and looking at each other with raised eyebrows.  Nope, neither of them was going to get in her way.

Stepping between the legs of the chair, Mel brought her foot up and then slammed it down into Andreas’s groin.  All of the other men groaned, some shifting uncomfortably as Andreas howled.  “That was a love tap asshole.  Next time it’ll really hurt.”  Turning quickly, Mel headed out of the room with the gun still held in her hand, safety off, and hammer back.  Anyone got in her way of finding her best friend, she’d shoot them too.  First she was going back to the suite to get changed and then she was going to find Alexander.  He was going to be with Sasha, and she wasn’t going to let either of them be hurt.  She was done with people being hunted and taken out like animals.  The lamb was becoming the lion, and may all the gods in the heavens help whomever got in her way.

12

Nic stood at the door from the office into the living room, quietly watching.  He couldn’t hear it all; the voices of Mel and Klaus were too quiet.  However, he did see the tear on Mel’s face when she had turned around.  The only reason that Klaus was still standing and Nic was in the doorway was because she hadn’t slapped Klaus.   Nothing of what he’d been able to discern was anything new to him.  He really doubted that any of it was new to Mel.  Maybe Klaus hadn’t said it out loud since he’d left two years ago, but one would have to be very dense to miss how the other man felt.  Then again, Mel had been so hurt when Klaus left the first time that she may not have been paying attention.  Nic couldn’t judge her for that; he knew what she went through at the time…and all that came after. 

A hand landed on Nic’s shoulder, almost making him jump.  Turning, he saw Ambrose looking at him with an eyebrow raised.  Their grandfather was as on guard for any upset to Mel as Nic was.  The days in the hospital after Mel’s fall had been rough on the whole team, but none more so than the two men now facing each other.  More than once, Ambrose had to step between Nic and either Erik or Klaus.  While the elder Meyers male understood Nic’s protective nature, he also knew that infighting would help nothing.  It had to be her decision to hear Klaus out or not; they couldn’t deprive her of that.  

Both Meyers men turned to look across the room.  From where they stood and the position of the couple over by the bar, all they could really see was Klaus’s back.  Giving them some privacy, Ambrose pulled Nic back into the office and shut the door behind them.   The suite wasn’t so large that they wouldn’t hear if something happened.

Mel gazed up into the clear blue eyes that she had long adored and missed.   Words were failing her.  She wanted to tell him so much, but nothing came forth from her.  Her heart ached, old wounds ripped open by his words.  There was so much regret, so much heartache that had transpired because she had given up on his return and tried to move on with her life.  But had she really?  It’s not like it worked out for her; she had still ended up as she had been for most of her life…alone save Alexander, her cousin, and her grandfather.   They were the only ones she knew that she could depend on, a fact that made her heart ache often.

How many times had she wondered what was wrong with her that she was so often relegated to the shadows and the corners, to second place behind others when all she wanted was to be everything to someone.  Never had she dreamed that there in someone’s heart she had been paramount even if she never knew it, never suspected it.  In truth, she guessed that she had never gotten over him either; there had always been a part of her that loved him from their first kiss and through all that came after.

For Klaus the seconds ticking by on the clock on the wall over the wet bar seemed to take eternity to tick by.  His heart was thundering in his chest as he stood there, those gorgeous blue eyes of hers looking up at him, but the room remained silent.  The scene in the hospital room played through his mind as he waited, the words that had sliced through him like razor blades.  They had cut him to the core because he knew so much of her pain had been started when he walked away.  How much could he have stopped if he had never ended things?

“Klaus…I…”Her hands slid up his chest from where they had come to softly lay when she turned around.  One on each side of the row of buttons, they slid smoothly over the fine fabric.  Her voice and her hands stopped when she came to a lump, one Klaus had felt every day since the chain that held it had been put around his neck.  The day that he had walked away full of rage and bloodthirst, making the greatest mistake of his life.

Klaus was sure his heart was going to pound out of his chest as her eyes first held confusion then dropped to look at the small bulge in his shirt.  He didn’t move to stop her as lithe fingers undid the small button that was the only thing keeping it concealed from her, that didn’t mean that he wasn’t almost shaking with nerves waiting to see her reaction.  His hands on her lower back were almost vibrating, ready to hold her still to him should she pull back.  The last time he’d felt so nervous was when he’d bought it.

Nimble fingers made short work of the button and then slowly reached in to retrieve what she seemingly already knew was there.  However, instead of what she expected to be his mother’s wedding ring, another greeted her eyes, one that she knew.  Tears sprang to her eyes, and she choked back an almost sob looking at it.  Searching for answers, her eyes again met his, “ is this…”

His head nodded softly, “yes.”

“From that store…” her voice was choked with emotion, and it was playing out over her face.

Again, his head nodded, “yes.”  He was barely keeping his own voice from breaking.  How he had planned the way she would eventually see the ring over and over in his head.  This scenario, it wasn’t even close to what he had wanted.  But he knew he had to stop hiding things from her; maybe this is one he shouldn’t have hidden so long.

Once again, her eyes dropped to the ring as she slowly moved it between her thumb and finger.  She couldn’t look at him, it hurt too much.  She was an idiot.  A complete and total idiot not to have known, not to have had an inkling, not to have waited.  “When?”  Her voice was quieter, still filled with so much emotion that it caused Klaus’s heart to almost ache.  

He’d been a fool to walk away those years ago.  Did he regret hunting down those who had killed his parents? No.  Should he have let her know he’d be back?  Yes.  His eyes closed as he now fought back tears. He could hear the heartbreak in her voice, and it was killing him. “The day after you saw it, fell in love with it.”  There was a strain in his voice. The fact he was fighting to control his emotions was crystal clear.  His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer to him.  How had things gone so sideways?  He knew the answer, his own temper and stubbornness.

Mel’s head tipped forward to lay against his chest, tears freely flowing.  The Alexandrite ring slid over the tip of her index finger, and she curled it slightly as she clung to his shirt.  “How long have you….”  Her ability to finish sentences was missing at the moment, but it wasn’t even necessary.  He knew her so well that he had anticipated every word she was saying and every question that she would have.  

“Since the day I was a fool and left you heartbroken.  I’ve never taken it off.”  His hands softly caressed her back as his head dipped to press a kiss to the top of her head.    He stilled there, closing his eyes and still fighting back tears.    At any moment, he expected her hurt and anger; to be pushed away like he deserved for being a fool and a pig headed man.  He had hurt the one person he’d sworn never to, and he deserved whatever she had to throw at him.

As they stood there, she could feel it.  His heart was pounding, his breaths ragged, and it was only his iron will that had kept his voice from cracking.  Visions of the day that she had first seen the ring in that little antique and estate jewelry shop on Royal Street in the Quarter danced in her mind.  They had been in and out of shops all along the street as they searched for presents for Nic’s birthday.  She never liked the mundane things, and they had looked everywhere.  It had started by looking at an elegantly engraved fountain pen, which she did end up buying, but then her eyes had landed on the ring.  Instantly, she fell in love with it.  They had spent a long time looking at it before Mel said she’d wait and just got the pen.  When she’d gone back a couple of days later, the distinguished man behind the counter had told her a man had bought it as an engagement ring because his wife-to-be had so loved it.  Never had she suspected that he was referring to Klaus.  

Slowly, Mel began to pull her head, then her shoulders, back.  Klaus fought the urge to hold her tighter, not let her move.  Part of him was preparing for her rejection, that once again, he was too late.  Large hands slid down her back to her waist as he tilted his face down to look at her.  Even with tears streaking her cheeks and her eyes red, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.  As he waited for her to speak, he was memorizing her face, sure that it was to be the last time he got to see it.  At that thought, his jaw clenched, and finally, one tear began to make its slow journey down his cheek.  

She could see it written plainly on his face, he thought she was going to reject him.  Maybe another woman might have after all that had gone on, all the deception, knowing what he truly was now…Nic having explained everything while she was in the hospital…but not Mel.  Nic had told her a lot…a lot…and what she could now see in those blue orbs of his spoke even louder and more deeply than any of the words that Nic had used.  They spoke of regret, remorse, fear, but most of all they spoke of a deep and unbridled love.

Letting the ring slide off of her finger, she raised her hand to slowly wipe the one tear away with her thumb as she cupped his cheek.  Her heart ached for him…for them…for all that had gone on between them.  “Klaus, I…” her voice cracked and failed her, and he visibly winced.  God, why did this hurt?  Shouldn’t this be a happy moment, and her heart lurched beneath her ribs instead of souring with the eagles.  Her hand pressed more against his cheek as she swallowed before trying again.  This time, her voice came out broken, hoarse, but clear, “it’s not too late this time.”  

The words hit him straight in the chest, and for a second, he forgot to breathe.  His eyes searched her face, looking for any clue that he’d misheard.  Then his hands almost seemed to move instantly from her lower back to be cupping her face as his lips crashed into hers.  It was the farthest thing from a gentle kiss. It was one borne of passion, desire, and most of all, love for the woman before him.  His larger body pressed her back into the bar behind her as he relished the feeling of her once again against him.  Her fingers were in his hair, her lips pressing back to his as he drank her in.  Tasting first her lips and then her mouth, he was insatiable.  Too long had he been required to bottle up all he felt, and in this moment, he was going to show her exactly how walled off he’d been.  All facades, all the masks that he’d been wearing for the last two years, shattered around them, and he never wanted them back on again.

11

One slow tear started its trek down her cheek.  How long she had wanted to hear those words after he had left the first time, yet they had never come.  It had never been spoken, but she knew what he’d done with Nic after Preston and Peru.  She was not a stupid woman, nor was she ignorant of the type of life her cousin and his friends led.  This tenderness though, this is what she had craved since she had seen him on the plane and while she had been livid in the hospital it would have destroyed her if he’d turned and left once again.  That’s what people did in her life, they left…or tried to kill her.

Words seemed to fail her; the silence that stretched on in the room was all encompassing.  She knew Klaus was waiting for her to say something, anything, but her heart and mind were at war with one another.  A broken heart is a delicate thing and she was not sure that she could take another blow to it from him after the last time.  On the outside she may have appeared to have shrugged off the pains of the past, but that was just a mask she wore so that no one would feel sorry for her.  Inside she was a mess.  Her trust was destroyed, her heart shattered, and the loneliness so overwhelming at times she felt as if she was drowning.  On the outside she was a self assured business woman, professor, and archaeologist; that’s what masks do, they hide the truth of the matter.

Still, the honesty and emotion in Klaus’s voice could not have been missed.  He wasn’t a man who asked, he was a man who took what he wanted and it had always been something that had drawn her to him.  Now he was asking, which meant that he was as broken as she was; unsure of his footing in this dance they’d been doing since the plane.  For him to have put voice to that, it spoke louder than any words he could have used.  Gently her hand lay upon the one that was at her waist, her fingers softly sliding between his as they stood there.

Her voice was choked with emotion when finally she found the words, “you never came back.”  The emotions changed in those four words.  Bitterness, hurt, anger and pain.  Each word held a different one and they all were meant to cut the one they were aimed at. 

Her breath caught at the last word, the name she wished to truly never hear again.  Anger flared anew within her at the man, as if he had not done enough destruction, it was his coming into her life that had destroyed one more thing.   A second tear formed and began to fall, this one born of anger and regret.  “I didn’t know…”  Her voice was soft, achingly so and Klaus longed to be able to see her face and dry the tears he could hear laced through her voice.  He wasn’t sure that she’d allow him to though.

The words were a knife to Klaus; the emotion she had put into them having accomplished their mission.  She didn’t know reality, but in her eyes this was the truth.  “I did.  I was just too late.  Preston had already…” He couldn’t even finish what he was going to say, guilt and regret that had been eating at him for over two years was now ripping him apart again.  Damn it, this wasn’t like him but there was only so much he could hide, and he was never good at hiding things from her.  His arm tightened around her slightly, his head pressing against the side of hers; there were no words to express what he was thinking and feeling.  He could only hope that she had some clue; as well as she knew him, he thought she would.

“I told Nic not to tell you.  I didn’t want to ruin your happiness, or what I thought at the time was at least.  Then there was Peru…and that plane….”  His voice broke and he hated himself.  Hated that he couldn’t control his own damn emotions.  He was a fucking trained killer and at the moment he was a mess.  This wasn’t like him, but damn it he couldn’t…wouldn’t hide shit from her anymore, but it didn’t mean he had to like it one bit.  Could he have backed up and closed the world off, hiding everything behind a mask of anger and hate?  Yes.  He’d done it before, fuck he’d been doing it since he’d found out she was married to someone else.  And that had been part of what led to them being in this situation now.

Mel felt as if her heart stopped.  Klaus had been in Peru?  Nic had never told her, nor had her grandfather.  Why had they never mentioned it?  They knew her ache…   Slowly sliding her fingers from his, she turned to face him.  Blue eyes, wide and slightly shocked, searched his face for some sign that he was lying.  That what he had just said had been to evoke emotion and was not reality.  Every emotion he was feeling was etched there, reading him was as easy as a written page.  The only time she’d ever seen him like this was when they were in private, only she could open him up like this.  What she saw there stole her breath.  “You were there?”  Barely more than a whisper, her voice still held so much emotion, but this time it was not accusatory.

His eyes dropped and a thumb ran over the scar on her neck where the assassin’s bullet had gone through Grant and grazed her.  His eyes closed as the memories of that day flooded his mind.  The fear and anger once again palpable to him.  His jaw clenched before he got control of himself and his eyes once again opened to look softly down at her.  “I’m the one that kept Nic from getting himself killed going after the bastard who hit you.  I was in that plane Mel.  Every single moment from when Nic pulled you in till you were in the hospital.  Then we went hunting…”  He didn’t need to finish that thought, she knew what they did.  That was how she knew who most of the men on the team were, they’d been in and out of her family’s mansions around New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and even deep in the Bayou at a couple of the hidden ones.  “But again, I was too late when I got back…”  His eyes darkened and his jaw clenched, he didn’t regret hunting down the ones who hurt her but he hated that he hadn’t waited for those eyes of hers to be open before he had.  He should have done something, said something, to let her know…which is why he would lay his soul bare now.  At least then she’d know, even if she hated him for all of it.

10

Out of the hospital and back in the hotel, Klaus visits the Meirs' suite...

He may have been in the suite to talk to Nic and Ambrose about some disconcerting news regarding the dig site, but Klaus’ eyes never left the brunette lounging on the couch as he waited for both of them to be ready.  Since the day in the hospital, he hadn’t seen her, no one other than Alexander, Nic, Ambrose, and Marie had.   His heart ached as he saw her lounging there, reading some kind of book and completely ignoring him.  He wanted to go to her, to talk to her, to get some kind of sign from her what she was thinking.  Tensions had been high in the room when last they spoke and he knew he hadn’t handled things well.  

When Nic and Ambrose approached him, he had to stop looking at Melania and move farther away in the large living room of the grand suite that Ambrose had rented.   He could swear that Nic positioned himself just perfectly to block Klaus’s view of Mel afterwards.  Still, it was almost as if he could feel the beautiful brunette’s eyes on the three of them, even without being able to see her.    

The discussion seemed to take longer than necessary.  Still Klaus kept his composure and tamped down his internal feelings, regardless of what else was going on, he still had a job to do.  That job was to protect Mel and the dig, who he had found out that morning had all of their heaters sabotaged so that they failed.  There were contractors out working on them now, but that meant more people had access to the site and that didn’t make Klaus or the others too comfortable.  Cam, Dez, Case, and Cade had all gone out to the site to supervise the work.  None wanted there to be any danger when Mel was ready to return out there.  So far, their reports were that at least the contractors seemed on the level.  Now to figure out who sabotaged the heaters to begin with.

When the men were done talking, Ambrose headed into the office portion of the suite; and before Nic followed him he grasped the collar of Klaus’s shirt to pull him in close.  Keeping his voice low, but a feral growl still being laced through it, “watch yourself VanDakken.  I will end you if she so much as pouts.  You feel me?”  Nic’s eyes bored into Klaus’s  before he released the man and headed into the office following his grandfather.  There was no mistaking exactly how serious Nic was about this subject.

Klaus turned to look where Mel had been sitting and found the couch now empty.  Motion off to his side caught his attention though, and he found the object of his affection standing at the small wet bar that was next to the large windows that looked down on the quaint street that ran in front of the hotel.  Her hair was down, tumbling down her back in soft curls and waves, it made him want to run his fingers through it.  The olive green shirt…dress…jacket?...whatever it was had been pulled up on her shoulders now from where it earlier had been allowed to slide down her arms to expose her dark camisole underneath,  and the way it was cut highlighted her perfect curves.  The way it cupped her ass had him starting to harden and strain against his jeans. This was not helpful in the least.  He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out as he started to cross the room.

Less than a minute had him standing right behind her, her scent wafting to him on the slight breeze that seemed to be in the suite.  His clothes suddenly felt too tight and overly hot.  The voice of reason in his head was screaming for him to turn around and walk out, to forget the insanity he was about to embark on and save his ass from the beating that Nic was sure to give him.   His hands that were at his sides clenched to fists and released before he moved till his torso gently brushed against her back.  When her head came up quickly, he was glad he’d waited to bend his head down or she would have got him square in the face.

One hand slid around her slim waist to rest against her flat abdomen as he gently pulled her back against him, his heart thundering in his chest as he waited for her to either stop him or hit him.  Instead, she leaned back into him.  After the hospital he almost dared not to breathe, afraid he’d break whatever spell she was under that had her so close to him.  His free hand gently traced along the outside of her upper arm, then shoulder, before moving  her hair on that side to away from her ear.  It was then that his head began to dip to be near hers.  

What he could not know was how hard and fast her own heart was beating.  She had heard him coming across the room to where she had been standing.  When he stopped, she had expected him to talk.  So when he’d drawn closer to her, pulling her to him she had gone along.  His words in the hospital had echoed in her ears for days afterward.   There was something about the fact he had come to her, even knowing that Nic had said something to him before leaving, that tugged at her heart.   The feel of his hot breath on her neck sent a chill down her spine, her mind wanted to replay the last time that she had felt that and all the emotions of that long ago time wanted to well up.  Even after all these years, Klaus had that effect on her.

For a moment he just breathed in her scent, letting the memories of the past well up and his emotions calm before he would trust his voice.   His hand gently caressed her neck before cupping the other side of her face.  His eyes closed as he spoke low in her ear, “Please don’t pull away.  God Mel, I need you…I love you…and fuck if even after all this time I still want you more than I’ve ever wanted another.  There could never be another you, not ever, not for me.”   As his voice trailed off, his lips found the sensitive skin just behind her ear.   If she rejected him, he’d be shattered; he could only pray that she in some small way felt the same.

9

Things go from tense in the room to downright explosive...

A tick began in Nic’s jaw as he looked at the way Klaus was holding Mel.  He had heard what had been said and it was all he could do to restrain himself from taking the man out.  Mel was now saying something, he couldn’t hear what, her voice was low but the look on her face wasn’t happy.  He looked over to his grandfather and he saw the same look of displeasure painted across Ambrose’s face.  “Catch Mel,” was all he said before he started to move forward.

Ambrose saw Nic start to move, then heard what he said.  It took a second for it to register what his grandson’s intention was; but once it had, he was firmly behind him.  While he held Nic partially responsible for the situation they all found themselves in, that didn’t mean he didn’t support him and wanted to protect his granddaughter just as much.  It also didn’t mean that he liked Klaus in the slightest.  For the rest of this expedition, he would be on site and overseeing everything.  It was clear to him that someone who knew what they were doing was required.

Klaus had barely registered the movement off to the side before his jaw exploded in pain, pinpricks of light danced in front of his eyes as he released his hold on Mel and staggered back a couple feet.  Before his head had a chance to clear, he felt hands grab both of his arms and he was quite roughly dragged to the door.  He could hear Ambrose’s voice in the background talking to Mel in a soothing tone.  That meant that the blow had come from Nic or Alexander.  He wasn’t sure which one he should look forward to kicking their ass, or maybe it was both.

As soon as Klaus had let go of Mel, she stumbled backwards in shock and because she had been pushing hard against his chest to try to get free of his hold, so when it was suddenly gone she was in motion.  Strong hands grabbed her from behind and she was gently supported.  Her head turned quickly to meet the kind eyes of her grandfather, who swept her up in his arms to put her back into the bed.  “You, young lady are going to end up hurting yourself more than you already have been.  No more getting out of this bed till the doctor tells you that you can.  Do not make me breakout the restraints, I did bring them with me.”  He grinned and winked down at her, which elicited an amused smile and laugh.  He had been teasing….mostly.  No matter what those knuckleheads that were heading down the hall had in mind, he would ensure that his granddaughter was well taken care of.  She and Nic were the jewels of the family; he would protect either of them at all costs.  That included having to do cleanup on an international disappearance of one of his grandson’s men.

“I promise, no more getting up.”  Mel smiled up at him, then a movement to his side caught her attention.  She looked over to see the kind smile of her mother.   A soft hand took Mel’s in hers.  “I’m glad to see you mama; you look as beautiful as always.”  Mel smiled, but the wheels in her mind were turning quickly.  When had her grandfather and mother shown up?  How long exactly had she been out?  Now that she had time to think more on everything that had just happened, anxiety began to creep in.  She could feel a tremble start in her hands and watched the color drain from Marie and Ambrose’s faces.  Her grandfather’s hand smoothed over her hair and down onto her cheek.  “Sleep princess, rest.  Nic and I will fill you in when you are better.”  Mel’s eyes closed but she wasn’t sure how much sleep she’d get.  A calming feeling began to emanate from her mother, and soon Mel had drifted off.

Meanwhile down the hall, the door to the waiting room where the team and Nic had gone was now locked.  Cam and Dez leaned against the door; arms crossed and pissed looks on their faces.  They had no real dogs in this fight, but they would back Nic till the end.  One thing that they knew was that Nic’s cousin was the only thing he really cared about.  When she had been taken hostage in Peru, he had left a trail of blood getting out of the operation that they were in to be able to be part of the rescue team.  Then when she’d been shot, it was all they could do to keep him on the damn plane and not going after the shooter and ripping him to shreds with his bare hands.  There were few in the room that had that kind of dedication to anyone.  

Once they had gotten into the room, Klaus discovered it had been Nic that hit him and Alexander that had dragged him down the hall.  Now the two men faced Klaus with pissed off expressions, arms crossed and feet spread wide.  Gabriel sat in one of the chairs, fingers steepled and looking up at him with a look that spoke of barely restrained violence that was itching to come out.  Cade was leaning up against a wall, in much the same position as Nic and Alexander.  Donovan and Case were sitting on the backs of chairs that were up against the wall,feet in the seat of it as if they were ready to be in motion at any second.  Only Erik stood by him, but the look on his brother’s face said that even Erik was none the too happy with Klaus.

“Proud of yourself asshole?  What did you think you’d accomplish deciding to pull that stunt NOW, after what just went down?”  Nic’s voice held a growl to it that was nie on feral.  If Klaus didn’t know better he’d swear that the man had grown taller and more broad shouldered since they’d been in the room down the hall.  Maybe being furious beyond all reason did that to someone, made them seem larger than they were.  Klaus wasn’t sure, but he knew that he really didn’t want to tangle with Nic in the state he was in.  Not that he ever really wanted to be on the receiving end of Nic’s fury.   He, along with many others, had seen that over the years and he was one of the most brutal men any of them knew.

“I thought…” Klaus started.

“You thought?  You THOUGHT?  No the fuck you didn’t!  If we had all left, grandfather and I could have gone back in there and gotten her calmed down.  But no, you just had to go and amp up the stress she’s under.  Were you really thinking of anyone other than yourself Klaus?  I mean, I know you’re damn good at that, but fuck I thought you had more sense than this.” Nic’s finger was pointed at Klaus, but he didn’t move forward.  Several of the men around him tensed.

“Now wait Nic…” Erik started to defend his brother.

“Fuck off Erick.  Suck his dick later; this is between him and I.”  Nic growled at Erik.

“No, fuck you Nic.  You think you’re the only one in there that gave a damn what was going on?  Seriously, FUCK.YOU!”  Erik turned and advanced on Nic.  There was no way this wasn’t going to turn into a brawl if something wasn’t done, there was no doubt of that in the mind of anyone in the room. Instantly Donovan and Gabriel were on their feet and moving towards the two men who had come till they were in each other’s faces.  They weren’t the two that anyone had expected to go at it, but none truly wanted violence.

“Maybe you should put that brother of yours on a leash Erik.  He obviously isn’t house trained yet and not able to be let around sane people.  I mean, we all knew Klaus could be one narcissistic motherfucker, but this took the cake.”  Nic spit out.

“Look who’s talking asshole.  I think I’m looking at one of the most egotistical men on the planet, so that takes a lot of balls to say about someone else.  You forget how many bullets you’ve put in someone just because they fucking pissed you off.  Bet each one of them had someone that cared about them too.” Erik sneered at Nic.  “I think Mel was handling herself back there pretty damn well till you decided to handle it for her.  I didn’t realize she was a princess in need of your saving.”

Erik had hit low and hard with his comments.  Yes, Nic had killed a lot of people…a lot.  He never denied that, but only Mel knew how the ghosts of what he had done haunted him on a daily and nightly basis.  How many nights he had gone without sleep because he was unable to silence them.  How often he had turned to booze and sometimes herbal remedies from her brothers to silence them so he could have some tranquility.  Only when he was with his family did Nic feel he could finally relax.  Now to have what he had done thrown in his face sent his blood to a full rolling boil with anger.  His hands came up to grab Erik’s neck as he pushed him back, strangling him.

The sounds of chairs scraping the floor and grunts of men struggling filled the air and everyone tried to separate the two men.  The grip that Nic had on Erik was solid and it seemed when a few fingers were loosened, the others tightened.   Erik’s face had turned bright red and his lips were starting to turn purple, the fight for consciousness was about to be lost.  Suddenly a deep voice boomed in the room and brought everyone to a halt. “What the fuck do you idiots think you are doing in here?  This is a goddamned hospital not a wrestling ring.  If I have to kick every damn one of you out of the building I will, and that includes you too Nic.  I’ve had enough of the bullshit for one day.  Go to your corners or go back to the hotel, but I will not have this.  Anyone wants to argue will find themselves in a hospital bed with a bullet in his foot. AM.I.CLEAR?”  All heads nodded as they felt the weight of Ambrose’s eyes boring into them.

@saltysupercomputer @blind-the-winds @late-to-the-fandom @writingmaidenwarrior

@aziz-reads

8

Melania has had enough...

As everyone came through the door, Alexander’s eyes swept from Nic to Klaus, then to Erik.  He moved out of the doorway with deliberate steps and an expression of supreme annoyance.  What had one of the others done that had upset Mel to the point they could hear her down the hall?  It was clear that she was enraged, to a point he had never seen her before.  She was normally the calm and composed one in all situations but now she looked as if she might well explode at any minute.  He was glad she didn’t have a weapon, or someone would probably be shot.  “What have you done to upset her?”  His voice held accusation for the other three men.  He was quite sure that it was not Marie or Ambrose who had upset her, which left only them to be held accountable for her current mood.  “Well?  Would you care to explain?”  His patience was wearing thin and he DID have a weapon, one he was currently considering using if someone didn’t answer and soon.

“Done?  We haven’t DONE anything!  She woke up like this!”  Erik responded, obviously distressed.  He had no clue why Mel was so mad, but it was clear that something had enraged her instantly upon awakening.

“Haven’t done anything?  Haven’t done ANYTHING?!  Are you fucking kidding me?”  Mel was growing more enraged, if that was at all possible.  Her hands had fisted in the sheets and she was all but trembling with rage.  Max moved back on Alexander’s head, sensing his mummy was about to explode.  “You!  ALL OF YOU!  You have hidden the truth of who and what you are from the first moment I met any of you, and for some of you that means years.  You’ve lied repeatedly.  So you can stop pointing fingers at each other, I’m incensed at you all!”

“Mel,” Gabriel started as he stepped slightly forward of the rest of them.  He kept his tone calm even though he knew she was most likely beyond reason, and he couldn’t really blame her.  He wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about, and from the confused look on Alexander’s face it was a good bet he didn’t either.  “Sweetheart, you’re not making sense.  I think for your own good, you need to calm down and maybe tell us what you’re referring to?” His brows were raised as he looked at the others.  What the fuck had gone on in this room while the rest of them had been down the hall?

“For my own good?  For MY own good?  Oh, cut the bullshit Gabe!  Do you even want to know how much I’ve heard that before?  How many lies I’ve been told by people who claimed to have my best interest at heart?  Who claimed to even love me and then turned out to do anything but?  Would you like to hazard a guess?”  Her neck was now stained with a bright pink that was creeping up into her face, the blue of her eyes seemed colder and harder as she leaned forward and started to get out of the bed.

“Let’s start with the bastard that I called a husband for a year.  He hid his intentions and who he truly was for the entire time.  Everything he told me was a fucking lie, and supposedly so he wouldn’t hurt me.  No, he didn’t tell the truth because he was a fucking selfish asshole.  Where he was and what he was doing when he wasn’t with me was a lie, every single damn word of it.  He never did admit the truth, even when fucking confronted with it.  But everyone including you,” her gaze swept to Klaus, then Erik, and finally her accusatory gaze fell on Alexander.  “You all told me that I was better off without him, encouraged the anger, but ignored the pain.  The pain of having everything you believed you knew destroyed and the person who did it not giving one single damn about any of the fallout from it.  The pain of realizing that I never meant a damn in any way, shape or form to him.   In his eyes I didn’t even deserve a modicum of the truth and until the very end he denied lying, he continued to lie, and then he got mad I wouldn’t buy them anymore.  I honestly never knew who the fuck he really was in any way because not one word of anything he said was true.   But I was just supposed to fucking suck that up because my pain made everyone around me uncomfortable.  So I did, I sucked it up, tamped it down and pretended it wasn’t there.  I’ve worn nothing but a mask of being okay ever since because quite frankly not a damn one of you wanted to hear any different.“  Tears welled in her eyes and began to spill down her cheeks as she exited the bed and shoved Erik away from her.  Klaus was on the other side of the bed, trying to make his way to her while the rest of the team stepped back slightly to give her more room.   Remorse and regret were etched on the features of every one of them.  None had expected quite this outpouring of truths and were not sure what had caused it.  Nervous glances were cast over to Ambrose and Marie.

“Do you really want to go into what came after…who came after?  Should we really go into that?”  Most of their eyes fell at this point; all knowing what she was referring to and none being easy with it.  All had been there in some form or another for not only what happened, but the aftermath.  The cleanup of Peru had involved them all, and they had watched personally what she’d gone through.  The room echoed with the shuffling of uneasy feet.  “Once again I was just supposed to act like none of it bothered me, like being abandoned was the easiest thing in the world to move forward from.  Get up, get dressed, put on my makeup, my mask against the world ever knowing I hadn’t slept the night before and could barely face the outside world because of how bad it all hurt.  None of you wanted to hear about that or deal with that.  It was easier to pretend it didn’t exist because it didn’t involve you.”  She was shaking now and the monitors attached to her were starting to beep.  Erik had moved to the side and was trying to stretch the cord of the IV machine out so she didn’t end up unplugging it or pulling it out of her hand.  

“So I don’t want your excuses, I just want you to leave.  Shut up with all your reasoning and get the hell out!”  She pointed to the door and there were none in the room that doubted the sincerity of her words or actions.  Her face alone spoke of the upset and anger she felt.

Nic touched Marie’s arm and nodded towards the door.   Maybe it was best that they left and let Mel calm down.  She had enough of an upset at the dig site, then falling into the hole and getting a serious concussion, the last thing she needed now was for things to continue to escalate.  Ambrose followed Nic and Marie, touching the shoulder of Cam as he headed towards the door.  His granddaughter would calm and then maybe they could talk some reason, but all they would do now was continue to upset her and get themselves thrown out of the hospital.  That was not a good situation for anyone.

Just as Cade was beginning to turn towards Cam and the others leaving, another voice broke the uneasy silence that had only been punctuated by the beep of the machines behind Mel.  “NO!  You can be mad at me, you can hate me, you can curse me to all sorts of fates in Hell but I’m not fucking leaving Mel!  Not this time, not again!”  It was Klaus and he was now face to face with the svelt female who he now had by the upper arms as she tried to push against his chest.  “You are making no sense.  Not one lick of it.  They’re all afraid of upsetting you more, but I’m not going to let that fact make me do what the others have done because unlike them I fucking give a damn.  You want me out of this room; you’re going to have to hurt me bad enough that they have to put me in one like it.” His eyes bored into hers and his voice conveyed the seriousness of his words.  He’d take her anger and whatever came along with it but it was clear that she’d been hurt enough by those who left and he wasn’t going to be another one to do the same thing.  

Those who had been preparing to leave stopped.  For a minute the room was silent as Mel and Klaus stared each other down.  Neither of them was really moving, although it was clear that if she could that Mel just might claw Klaus’s eyes out.  In truth he would have let her if it could have eased some of the pain it was clear she had kept buried for so long.  She had points about how all of them, even Nic and Alexander had kept telling her she just needing to move on and move forward to heal.  Obviously that had been the wrong thing to do.  Whatever had started her upset now just dug more of that out.  He had meant what he said though, she’d have to injure him to get him out of the room.

8

Melania has had enough...

As everyone came through the door, Alexander’s eyes swept from Nic to Klaus, then to Erik.  He moved out of the doorway with deliberate steps and an expression of supreme annoyance.  What had one of the others done that had upset Mel to the point they could hear her down the hall?  It was clear that she was enraged, to a point he had never seen her before.  She was normally the calm and composed one in all situations but now she looked as if she might well explode at any minute.  He was glad she didn’t have a weapon, or someone would probably be shot.  “What have you done to upset her?”  His voice held accusation for the other three men.  He was quite sure that it was not Marie or Ambrose who had upset her, which left only them to be held accountable for her current mood.  “Well?  Would you care to explain?”  His patience was wearing thin and he DID have a weapon, one he was currently considering using if someone didn’t answer and soon.

“Done?  We haven’t DONE anything!  She woke up like this!”  Erik responded, obviously distressed.  He had no clue why Mel was so mad, but it was clear that something had enraged her instantly upon awakening.

“Haven’t done anything?  Haven’t done ANYTHING?!  Are you fucking kidding me?”  Mel was growing more enraged, if that was at all possible.  Her hands had fisted in the sheets and she was all but trembling with rage.  Max moved back on Alexander’s head, sensing his mummy was about to explode.  “You!  ALL OF YOU!  You have hidden the truth of who and what you are from the first moment I met any of you, and for some of you that means years.  You’ve lied repeatedly.  So you can stop pointing fingers at each other, I’m incensed at you all!”

“Mel,” Gabriel started as he stepped slightly forward of the rest of them.  He kept his tone calm even though he knew she was most likely beyond reason, and he couldn’t really blame her.  He wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about, and from the confused look on Alexander’s face it was a good bet he didn’t either.  “Sweetheart, you’re not making sense.  I think for your own good, you need to calm down and maybe tell us what you’re referring to?” His brows were raised as he looked at the others.  What the fuck had gone on in this room while the rest of them had been down the hall?

“For my own good?  For MY own good?  Oh, cut the bullshit Gabe!  Do you even want to know how much I’ve heard that before?  How many lies I’ve been told by people who claimed to have my best interest at heart?  Who claimed to even love me and then turned out to do anything but?  Would you like to hazard a guess?”  Her neck was now stained with a bright pink that was creeping up into her face, the blue of her eyes seemed colder and harder as she leaned forward and started to get out of the bed.

“Let’s start with the bastard that I called a husband for a year.  He hid his intentions and who he truly was for the entire time.  Everything he told me was a fucking lie, and supposedly so he wouldn’t hurt me.  No, he didn’t tell the truth because he was a fucking selfish asshole.  Where he was and what he was doing when he wasn’t with me was a lie, every single damn word of it.  He never did admit the truth, even when fucking confronted with it.  But everyone including you,” her gaze swept to Klaus, then Erik, and finally her accusatory gaze fell on Alexander.  “You all told me that I was better off without him, encouraged the anger, but ignored the pain.  The pain of having everything you believed you knew destroyed and the person who did it not giving one single damn about any of the fallout from it.  The pain of realizing that I never meant a damn in any way, shape or form to him.   In his eyes I didn’t even deserve a modicum of the truth and until the very end he denied lying, he continued to lie, and then he got mad I wouldn’t buy them anymore.  I honestly never knew who the fuck he really was in any way because not one word of anything he said was true.   But I was just supposed to fucking suck that up because my pain made everyone around me uncomfortable.  So I did, I sucked it up, tamped it down and pretended it wasn’t there.  I’ve worn nothing but a mask of being okay ever since because quite frankly not a damn one of you wanted to hear any different.“  Tears welled in her eyes and began to spill down her cheeks as she exited the bed and shoved Erik away from her.  Klaus was on the other side of the bed, trying to make his way to her while the rest of the team stepped back slightly to give her more room.   Remorse and regret were etched on the features of every one of them.  None had expected quite this outpouring of truths and were not sure what had caused it.  Nervous glances were cast over to Ambrose and Marie.

“Do you really want to go into what came after…who came after?  Should we really go into that?”  Most of their eyes fell at this point; all knowing what she was referring to and none being easy with it.  All had been there in some form or another for not only what happened, but the aftermath.  The cleanup of Peru had involved them all, and they had watched personally what she’d gone through.  The room echoed with the shuffling of uneasy feet.  “Once again I was just supposed to act like none of it bothered me, like being abandoned was the easiest thing in the world to move forward from.  Get up, get dressed, put on my makeup, my mask against the world ever knowing I hadn’t slept the night before and could barely face the outside world because of how bad it all hurt.  None of you wanted to hear about that or deal with that.  It was easier to pretend it didn’t exist because it didn’t involve you.”  She was shaking now and the monitors attached to her were starting to beep.  Erik had moved to the side and was trying to stretch the cord of the IV machine out so she didn’t end up unplugging it or pulling it out of her hand.  

“So I don’t want your excuses, I just want you to leave.  Shut up with all your reasoning and get the hell out!”  She pointed to the door and there were none in the room that doubted the sincerity of her words or actions.  Her face alone spoke of the upset and anger she felt.

Nic touched Marie’s arm and nodded towards the door.   Maybe it was best that they left and let Mel calm down.  She had enough of an upset at the dig site, then falling into the hole and getting a serious concussion, the last thing she needed now was for things to continue to escalate.  Ambrose followed Nic and Marie, touching the shoulder of Cam as he headed towards the door.  His granddaughter would calm and then maybe they could talk some reason, but all they would do now was continue to upset her and get themselves thrown out of the hospital.  That was not a good situation for anyone.

Just as Cade was beginning to turn towards Cam and the others leaving, another voice broke the uneasy silence that had only been punctuated by the beep of the machines behind Mel.  “NO!  You can be mad at me, you can hate me, you can curse me to all sorts of fates in Hell but I’m not fucking leaving Mel!  Not this time, not again!”  It was Klaus and he was now face to face with the svelt female who he now had by the upper arms as she tried to push against his chest.  “You are making no sense.  Not one lick of it.  They’re all afraid of upsetting you more, but I’m not going to let that fact make me do what the others have done because unlike them I fucking give a damn.  You want me out of this room; you’re going to have to hurt me bad enough that they have to put me in one like it.” His eyes bored into hers and his voice conveyed the seriousness of his words.  He’d take her anger and whatever came along with it but it was clear that she’d been hurt enough by those who left and he wasn’t going to be another one to do the same thing.  

Those who had been preparing to leave stopped.  For a minute the room was silent as Mel and Klaus stared each other down.  Neither of them was really moving, although it was clear that if she could that Mel just might claw Klaus’s eyes out.  In truth he would have let her if it could have eased some of the pain it was clear she had kept buried for so long.  She had points about how all of them, even Nic and Alexander had kept telling her she just needing to move on and move forward to heal.  Obviously that had been the wrong thing to do.  Whatever had started her upset now just dug more of that out.  He had meant what he said though, she’d have to injure him to get him out of the room.

7

Melania is at the hospital, and her grandfather, Ambrose, and mother, Marie, have arrived. Things are about to get interesting...

It had been three days.  Nothing much had changed except the men had started to take shifts staying at the hospital and Mel had been moved out of ICU and into a normal room.  She was stable, her brain waves were normal, but for some reason she was just not waking up.  The doctors seemed mystified as to why she was still unconscious, but the prognosis was good.  She would wake up, it was just now a matter of WHEN she would wake up.

Klaus was sitting in the room in the chair next to the bed.  Mel’s hand rested lightly in his as the rough pad of his thumb gently stroked across the ridge of her knuckles.  As he looked over at Eric, who was asleep in the other chair he wondered how things could have gone south so damn fast.  If only one of them had been faster, if Alexander had grabbed her arm tighter, if…something…anything…had been different.  Nothing could be done now, he knew that.  Still he couldn’t stop his mind from analyzing every second of what had transpired at the dig site.  This type of analysis is what made him good at what he did; normally it helped him avoid repeating any accidents.  Now, now it just frustrated him and reminded him of every single thing he could have done to prevent them being where they were now.  

Looking down at his watch, he knew dawn would soon be approaching.  That would bring Nic back to the hospital along with the elder Mr. Meirs.  He had shown up the day after Mel had fallen and for a man in his 70’s was damn intimidating.  None of the men on the team wanted to cross him, especially after hearing how he’d killed his own son to save Mel years before.  None of them had met him before except Alexander, but they all had a healthy respect for him now.  When he was at the hospital, all others cleared the room to give him time with his granddaughter.  Klaus had to admit he wasn’t looking forward to that part of the day, but he would not argue with a man who had seen and done enough to earn his respect.

Slowly the light filtered into the room through the thin drapes that covered the window.  It bathed the walls and all within in a soft golden glow.  As he looked over to where Mel still rested, the corner of his lips turned up in a wry smile.  There in the golden light, she looked almost ethereal, something he found ironic when compared with her fiery temper and her headstrong personality.  She only looked weak and fragile, especially when dancing.  The truth was that she was tough and had the respect of the entire team.  They knew what had gone on in Peru, how she had stood up to the guerilla forces who had taken her team there hostage, how she had kept the entire team alive until their rescue could come, and they had also watched her when she came back and fought to find normalcy.  

During the time that there had been a price on her head, he had been one of the snipers who guarded her dance studio and the mansion in Gulfport where she resided while those responsible for what happened in Peru were hunted down and eliminated.  He had never seen her cower, and for that he was proud of her.  Even when the asshole assassin showed up that had tried to fucking kill her, which he still believed no matter what anyone else said, she hadn’t backed down and gone into a corner.  It’s what bothered him about the scene at the dig site.  While he had seen fear in her eyes before, never had he seen the sheer terror that had resided there when the artifact had affected her.  He could only hope that when those sky blues opened again that she wouldn’t try to run away again.  He still didn’t know what had happened, she hadn’t said anything, and that bothered him.

Klaus was so lost in thought that at first the slight flutter of Mel’s fingers barely registered.  It wasn’t till the second time that her fingertips danced across his palm that he was fully aware of it.  Sitting up quickly, he tried not to grab her hand too tightly. “Erik!”  He grit out between clenched teeth not to yell at his still sleeping brother.  

Groggy eyes and a popping back came as an answer when the other man sat up after hearing his brother’s voice, trying to figure out why his brother was agitated.  Their friend was still unconscious, but it was clear that something had caught Klaus’s attention.  “What the fuck you want Klaus?  I know my snoring wasn’t that damn bad.”  Erik grumbled as he ran a hand over his face a couple times.   He was sure there was SOMETHING that had his brother all worked up, but what it was hadn’t been seen yet.  

“I think she’s waking up.  Her hand moved.”  Klaus had barely finished answering when Erik was over next to the bed opposite his brother.  Both men stared at her face, almost as if they were willing her eyes to open once more.  The room seemed almost too silent as both men were perfectly still.  It was the opening of the door behind them that had them almost jumping out of their skin.

Erik spun around taking almost a defensive stature as Klaus came to his feet quickly, leaning over Mel protectively.  A very startled Nic, Ambrose, and Marie stood staring back at them.  For a moment, no one moved, not one word was spoken.  Slowly, the two males next to Mel began to relax and Marie let out a shaky breath that turned into a laugh.  “Morning chere’s.  Twas not our intention to startle you.  Ambrose and Dominic wanted me to come straight away to see my daughter.   Seems she is in a bad way and won’t wake up.”  A broad smile spread across the face of the woman who looked to be in her 30’s, yet almost needed another zero added to the end of that to reflect her true age.  

Erik moved from in front of Mel as Marie walked over, he had heard Nic speak highly of her and knew if she was there it was to help things.  He didn’t go far though, standing at the end of the bed and keeping a keen eye on the diminutive, yet obviously powerful woman.  Marie laid her hand on Mel’s forehead.  “She is choosing not to come out of this.  Pain, pain is buried deep within.”  The elegant and beautiful woman’s chocolate brown eyes closed, her brows furrowing just slightly as she was in deep concentration.  It was also clear from her countenance that she was troubled by whatever she was detecting.  “Fear and confusion is clouding her way out of the darkness.” She sighed softly and her hand gently caressed her daughter’s forehead.

Marie drew her hand back, opening her eyes and shaking her head softly.  “I have looked at the figurine that she had ahold of when this happened.  It distorted her view of reality, and I think that is what has her trapped in her mind.  She does not know what to believe.”  Marie looked at all of those gathered in the room, her gaze resting on each one for a couple of beats before moving onto the next.  “It holds a great amount of power all these many years later.  Melania’s latent powers flared it to life and she was not prepared for its effects.  I do not know the original purpose of the item, it is hard for me to imagine why someone would create something that would do this.  The images I saw when I held it were frightening, but I am more used to such magic.” Her voice held a great deal of concern and as she spoke her face became more and more troubled.  She was truly worried about her daughter.  

“I can awaken her, but I cannot predict how she will react to seeing you all.  It will take some time for her to come back to reality most likely.  Her brothers are on their way, they should be able to help, as will I.  None of you that were there can force anything.”  Marie’s back straightened, her chin lifted, and she looked again at each of them in turn.  “If you try, I will make sure you don’t try again and you will not like my methods.  I am a mother and I WILL protect my child.  Whether what happened was your fault, I care not.  What I do care about is if you further traumatize her.”

“We understand Mama Marie.”  Nic’s voice sounded strained, almost harsh, as he spoke from the back of the room.  He was trying to keep emotion from bleeding in, which made him sound cold and distant.  If there were any in the room who knew what the last year of Mel’s life had been like, it was Nic.  He had been there through it all, and could well understand why it would be that Mel would not want to come back from a blissful darkness in which she now kept herself.  One betrayal after another, false hopes that someone could be trusted.  If she ever fully trusted another human being again, he would be shocked.  The only thing keeping him from ending up on his knees was that she had survived the blow to the head from the pottery she’d landed on.  When he’d seen the blood his heart had stopped.

Marie nodded slowly before turning back to where Mel lay.  One hand went to her forehead while the other rested over her heart, a soft chant emanating from the powerful woman.  No one in the room could understand the language the words flowing from Marie’s lips were from, so all they could do was wait and hope whatever gods she was calling upon would respond, and respond the way they hoped.  A soft breeze started to swirl around the room, just barely brushing over the skin of all those assembled.  No windows were open and the door was closed, so there was no doubt where it was coming from.  It was another reminder how much true power the small woman before them held.

Seconds seemed to be minutes and minutes were hours until slowly Mel’s hands began to twitch again.  Marie stopped her chanting and slowly backed up to where Ambrose was standing.  Nic pushed off from the wall to stand on the other side of her, taking her hand in his.  He could not imagine how she had to feel seeing her daughter once more in such a state.  The look in her eyes was wary, and her expression grim as she slowly looked at Erik and Klaus.  Both felt as if they had stones in the pit of their stomachs as they waited.  Finally Melania’s eyes fluttered and opened.  

Long slow blinks seemed to take forever as Mel’s eyes adjusted to the low light that was in the room.  Slowly everything moved from being a swimming vision to clarity.  When her eyes landed on Erik and Klaus, her expression changed from the confusion that had been in place since her eyes opened.  Her breathing quickened, her eyes becoming hard, jaw setting and the blanket becoming entrapped in closed fists as she pressed herself against the bed.  Her eyes did not stray from Klaus and Erik who were standing next to one another at the end of the bed.  “GET.THE.FUCK.OUT!!”

6

An artifact is found, not the one they're looking for, and it has some interesting properties....

As the wind howled outside the structure that had been erected by Serge and Katiana, the lead archaeologists on the project, all those inside were very glad for the domed ‘tent’ that had been setup and the kerosene heaters that kept the interior at a “balmy” 68 degrees.  All were reticent to step outside at the end of the day, the wind biting at any exposed skin.  Thankfully the vehicles all had remote starts, so at least they were warm after the mad dash from the opening of the structure to their doors.

So far there had been many discoveries of pottery and other stoneware.  There were some evidence of fires within the interiors of the buildings that they had found the walls to still intact in the layers of earth that now covered them.  At the edges of the current site, the ground was approximately 8 feet below the normal ground level.  Towards the middle it got up to about four feet below.  The differences were accounted for in that they were trying to find the edges of structures and not move too quickly as they descended through the centuries of earth.  Going too fast was how you broke things, made mistakes, and/or missed things you should not.`

For the most part Mel, Klaus, Eric, and Alexander did the excavation of the relics with the others taking turns providing security and assisting all of the graduate students who were there with removing the buckets and buckets of dirt that had to be sifted through then disposed of.  This was a site of significant cultural heritage to the people of Serbia, so they would not be filling back in the areas they were excavating.  They would become just additional structures in the current historical site on the mountain.

It was shortly after they had broken for lunch on their sixth day there when Alexander brought a curious artifact over to Mel, who was standing up at the top of the site cleaning off a piece of pottery in a basin of distilled water.   “Look at this piece Mel, it appears to be some sort of figurine.  Human it would look like.  Maybe a doll?”  He handed the small artifact to her after she had set the pottery piece on a screen to dry.

The small carved person was about 4 inches tall and about two inches from the end of one arm to the other.  Dirt was tightly packed into each of the carved lines and a crack that ran through the middle of it.  As Mel looked at it, she had to admit that it did in fact look like a little person.  From the amount of dirt on it though, it was hard to see the fine details.  “I’m not sure what it is, Alexander.  As far as I know, there have been no other discoveries like this at the site.  Everything else has just been pottery shards of some sort.  Let’s clean it up and see what we’ve got.”  She gave a shrug.

Turning back to the table that the water basin was sitting on, she dipped it a couple of times in.  There was a soft bristled brush that sat to the side of the basin.  Mel carefully used that to remove the dirt and debris that were stuck onto and into the details of the artifact.  As the details emerged, Mel couldn’t help but agree that it did look more and more like a small person.  There were little holes that went through each “arm”, her initial thought being that the small carving had been a pendant or sewn onto something, but she would have to evaluate it further later to be sure.  It would not be unheard of for a culture to use something similar as an amulet.

Once she had cleaned it as best she could in the rudimentary facilities of the dig site, she picked up a small cloth near the basin and dried the item.  Turning back around she took a few steps and called for Erik and Klaus to come look at it.  Maybe one of them had seen something similar since they had done more excavations in Europe than she had.  As she waited for them to come up from the main dig, she examined the carving more closely and weighed it in her hand.  The others from her team also started coming over to see what Alexander had found, forming a loose semi-circle around Alexander and Mel as Erik and Klaus approached.

They could not have been more than three or four yards away when Mel started to close her fingers around the carving.  For some reason she could not determine, it seemed to be heating up.  At first she had assumed that it was her body heat making the stone feel warmer, but then she noted that when she turned it over, the side away from her almost seemed hotter than the side in her hand.  Could it be some stone that held properties she was not familiar with?  Again, she would have to research it more later to determine what it could be.  

When Mel’s eyes opened, she let out a startled gasp and backed up, away from all of them.   Her eyes scanned their faces as her heart raced like a thoroughbred just out of the gate.  “What…what the fuck is going on?”  Her eyes scanned all of their faces, only three now remaining looking human:  Nic, Donovan, and Case.  Klaus and Erik looked to be some sort of Elven creatures, their features finer and their eyes a bright blue that mimicked the Caribbean Sea with the noonday sun shining down on it.  Cam and Dez looked Lupine, their eyes glowing a darker blue, more the color of Lapis, with the same golden flecks in them as the stone held.  Gabriel had fangs like a Vampeer, so when he reached out and stepped towards her made her back up faster.   Caden was covered in white fur and had features strongly resembling the Irish Puca.  And then there was Alexander who had been standing next to her.  His skin was now an iridescent blue and he had what looked like gills on his neck.  

Nic had felt the ‘thump’ but didn’t know what it meant; neither did the anyone else on the team.   What he could see and did know was that Mel was terrified and quickly backing towards the edge of the dig.  It was a straight eight foot drop if she didn’t stop, and the thought of her falling had him moving towards her.  What was scaring her could be figured out later, the first priority was keeping her away from the damn edge. 

“Alexander, do you want to keep my cousin before she decides to back over that edge, please?” Nic called out as he tried to come at her from the side.  Something told him that whatever she had in her hand was one of the enchanted artifacts that they were there to find.  It didn’t look like anything that had been in the dossiers that Alexander and Mel had put together before, but he also knew that meant little.   What about it was causing her to look at her team like they were about to murder her concerned him.  Once they got it away from her, they were going to need to put that thing behind glass before someone got hurt.

Tears were streaming down Mel’s face as she kept moving backwards, she had to get away but wasn’t sure they’d allow her to.  Part of her kept telling herself that she was losing her mind and was hallucinating what she was seeing.  There was no way that the men before her could be anything but human, yet she could see them clearly and in most cases it appeared that they all knew that she could see them.  It wasn’t like she didn’t know about enchantments and enhancements from her brothers and mother.  Could they be something more?   Could she trust any of them?  Maybe there had been something on the artifact that caused her to hallucinate.  That could be a logical explanation, right?  

Her grip on the artifact tightened and it almost seemed to be searing into her palm and fingers now.  Her eyes and head were sweeping back and forth between all of the men as she came perilously close to falling over the edge.  In a moment of pure instinctual response, Alexander lunged forward and grabbed her arm to keep her from toppling over the edge and down the eight feet to the bottom. He’d been moving slowly to not spook her, but his actions did just that.  Not realizing what she was doing, Mel let out a scream and brought her free hand around, balled into a fist, to connect with his temple with all of her strength, yanking backwards as she did.

Nic was a fraction of a second too slow and mere centimeters too far away to keep her from falling.  His fingertips brushed Mel’s inner wrist before she fell backward over the edge of the dig.  Everyone froze in that instant and it seemed like an eternity before the sound of her landing on her back, followed a fraction of a second later by a sickening thud of her head hitting a barely unearthed pottery jar were heard.  It was another moment before anyone moved again, this time Erik and Klaus being the first two over the edge and down into the pit with her.  The other teams of archaeologists and students all came running as the rest of Nic’s team descended into the pit over the side as well, all forgoing the ladders they normally would have used.  It was only eight feet and they were willing to risk it after watching Mel fall.

As the brothers knelt over Mel’s stilled body, Klaus noticed the scent of blood.  Without thinking his shirt was over his head in an instant and he had Erik helping to find where it was coming from.  Hushed tones were used as they first attended to the bleeding wound and then tried to determine where and how else she was injured.  Her hand was still tightly wrapped around the small figurine, an idol really.  Nic took his shirt and used it to get it out of her hand and deposited it into one of his pockets for the time being.  Someone had to find out what that damn thing was.

All of that was of little concern to the men who were now gathered around the one person that they were supposed to protect but had instead scared the shit out of to the point that she was now gravely injured.  With many of them having had combat experience, they quickly devised a plan to get her out of the dig site and to one of the SUV’s.  Then they could get her to the town and get real medical attention.  How they would deal with the rest of what had happened, that would have to wait.  Right now, keeping her from dying on the top of the mountain was their paramount concern.  If she didn’t make it, all of their lives would become forfeit and they knew Nic well enough to know who it was that would be behind the bullet that would take them out one by one till they were all dead.

5

Back in New Orleans, something is going on....

There was a knock on the heavy wooden door to Etienne Gautier’s office in the Meir Enterprises office in the Central Business District of New Orleans.  He had just returned from a meeting in Baton Rouge, so it was no surprise when shortly afterwards Ambrose Meir opened the door and entered. Not only his boss and the CEO of the company, but his best friend’s grandfather, there were few days that he did not see Ambrose at one point or the other.

“And what do I owe the pleasure of today’s visit Ambrose?” Etienne asked as he slid off his suit jacket to drape it across the back of his leather desk chair.

“I assume your meeting with the trustees in Baton Rouge went well?  Financing for Melania’s affairs are all in order?” One of Ambrose’s brows rose as he shut the door behind him and walked to one of the two black leather wingback chairs opposite Etienne’s large mahogany desk.

“Of course, did you doubt me?  Nic left very explicit instructions before they left to make sure that there were no hiccups regarding this trip.  What is it over there they are looking for?” Etienne had been curious, but his friend had been evasive. Often when it came to Melania he was.  Of course he was, there was history there and Nic had to walk a fine line.  Ambrose walked fine lines like a frat boy during Mardi Gras. 

“There is an artifact there, a very powerful one.  Maybe more than one.  Beau Davenport is also after it, and Nic doesn’t want him to get to it first.  Of course if my granddaughter knew Beau was involved, she’d work with the bastard.  So, we may have used a little subterfuge to make her think it’s someone who would use it against her mother.” A devious smirk started to form on Ambrose’s debonair features.  “This could be just what I need to finally eliminate Davenport and his family from meddling in our affairs and from competition in the business arena for good.”

“Beau is certainly not the man his father is.” While this was true, it was not quite the statement that Ambrose might think it to be.  In some ways, Beau was more ruthless than his father, who did not have the loyalty to Ambrose that his father had due to a former friendship.  Beau would not do anything to harm Melania, who he considered a friend, but to Ambrose he had no such loyalty. It was one of the few things that Etienne could respect the other man for.  

“I doubt, dear Melania would be as fond of him as she is, if he were.” Ambrose scoffed. Truly he did not know that to be true.  Often times he wondered if his granddaughter did things just to spite him.  Why couldn’t she be more like Nic?

Etienne bit his tongue.  It was not for him to say what his ex would or would not like.  He had managed to fuck that up situation long ago on his own, or had it been all on his own?  The ghosts of that experience oft haunted him, taunting him that there was more than met the eye.  It had only been since her divorce from Preston in the last year that they had started to even develop a friendship again, the woman she was now was not the girl he had dated, but he loved her no less.

Ambrose sensed Etienne’s reticence to say more and understood it on some level.  The man was still like a lovelorn lost puppy around Melania, even if he was one of the best corporate attorney’s on the Gulf Coast, a man he was glad was in his pocket and not someone else’s.  “Enough on that.  Have you started the contracts I asked about?” Ambrose inquired, a brow raising.

“Of course.  I don’t understand what you’re wanting to do with these though, you know what will happen if you put these in place?” There was a touch of trepidation in Etienne’s voice as he looked up at the man he’d looked at like a father since he’d first become best friends with Nic as a small child.  There could be no way that Ambrose didn’t know what would happen if these contracts were executed.  War might be a nice way of putting it, there was no way around it.

“These are contingency, son.  Nothing more.  Hopefully they won’t be needed.  However, there was Peru…” Ambrose allowed the last word to draw out there, then the statement to hang in the air, swirling around like cigarette smoke without the dissipation.  He saw the stutter inhalation from Etienne and knew that his point had been made. “If war is what is required to maintain an empire, never has an emperor flinched in the face of it.  Nor will I.” There was something in Ambrose’s voice and countenance that sent a dagger of ice through Etienne’s heart.  These contracts were not contingencies; they were plans, just waiting for the perfect moment for execution.  He could only hope that the woman he had been in love with for over two and half decades was not in the crossfire when the war started.  If she was, he’d have to remind all of them that he was no less lethal than the rest of them.

4

It appears that there are some difference in opinions on how things are being handled, and again Mel and Nic are at odds.....

The hotel that Nic had chosen was quaint, old world style, ridiculously expensive, and exclusive.  He had rented out all the suites on the top floor and all the regular rooms on the two floors below it too.  While they would be staying in the suites, he preferred not to have nosy neighbors wondering who and what the team were.  Having extra rooms and floors meant there was enough space to send people to “separate corners” should there be need due to someone getting on someone else’s nerves.  Not that it ever happened, never.  The less attention they garnered while in town, the better.  

On the second day when Mel stopped and stared at them all in the lobby as they sat waiting for her…again…he realized that there may have been a slight miscalculation in that plan somewhere just based upon the look on her face.  “What?  Just spit it out.” He sighed, she would anyway, but he could at least pretend he was with the program.  It made it less grating on his nerves.

“Is it supposed to look like we’re planning a military coup of some small nation or an insurrection?  You guys do realize that’s what you look like…right?”  Her eyes scanned each man in turn, brows raised and lips pressed together in a thin line.  Each had on some manner of black shirt, black tactical pants, and boots.  If not for the subtle variations in shirts, they would have all looked pretty much identical, just like a military unit.

Nic looked around at the others before casting his gaze back to his cousin and coughing softly. “No, that was not the intention.  But we have a job to do here and it seemed prudent that we do look like a team.”  His voice was slightly annoyed at her analysis of their looks.

“Have you happened to look around at all?  Or are you all so engrossed in whatever the topic of conversation just was that you failed to notice that even the front desk clerk seems a bit nervous with you guys sitting there.”  Mel tipped her head towards the front desk as a smug smile formed on her lush lips.  For the first time all of them looked around and noticed that there did seem to be an air of trepidation about all of those passing through the lobby.  Furtive glances lead to hastened steps as they were passed by patrons of the hotel.  The front desk clerk looked about ready to faint from fright. So much for the idea of keeping things low key and blending in.  They blended about as well as snakes in a mouse convention. “A group of muscled, tall, men in paramilitary gear, in a semi-unstable area of Europe, why ever could they be concerned?” Her gaze was now dialed in like a laser on Nic.

Clearing his throat, her cousin looked at her with a droll stare.  He was not amused, nor was he pleased that she was correct in her assertion that they were most obviously being paid attention to and simultaneously scaring those around them.  This was not what he had intended when they had discussed attire for the trip and what they would need for all situations.   “Then what would you propose we do?  We’ve already packed and arrived now, and we are NOT going shopping.”  His teeth fought not to grind as he stared at her.  He hated being wrong, even more so he hated that his plan had somehow backfired.

“How about either don’t sit in one large group taking up half the lobby or wait in the cars.  It might help if you all weren’t down here over a half hour early.  If I had been on time, you all would have been here another 20 minutes.”  She let her eyes sweep the group who now looked almost as uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the other hotel patrons as the patrons themselves did in their presence.  If her brother was unable to obtain additional clothing for them men then they would have to avoid being quite so obvious in their movements.  Right now it was as if there was a huge blinking arrow that was pointing down at all of them, drawing attention of all around.  “And please tell me that for the entire trip you’re all not going to look like this.”  Her brows rose as she once again looked them over. Rubbing the back of his neck, Erik finally decided to take the spotlight off of Nic who seemed to be becoming more and more frustrated as the seconds ticked by. “No, we have other clothes for when we’re in town.  However, everything we brought for the expedition does look like this.”  Now that she had pointed out what should have been obvious, he was feeling none too comfortable either.  He would wager a bet that none of them were.  This was not typical of any of them.  Normally they blended in so well that their presence would have been barely noted.  Nic had been put in charge of this mission though, and Erik couldn’t help but wonder if that had been a bad idea.

“Guys, the longer we sit here the more we’re going to be noticed.  Let’s get moving.”  Finally Donovan said as he stood.  Gabriel was close behind him, which caused a couple women who were walking near them to make a wide berth around the group.  Mel sighed and shook her head slightly.  Alexander groaned and rubbed a hand over his face as he too stood. 

“This cannot stand Nic.  While it is not the most desirable situation, we must acquire new clothing if we are not to scare all within this establishment.  I do not fancy the Serbian military or Cacak Police raiding our rooms and evaluating the other items of interest we have stored there.”  As the tall archaeologist’s eyes met Nic’s there was an understanding that passed between the two of them.  Coughing, Nic nodded in agreement as the rest of them rose to join the others.  

“Right.  Let’s hit the site, evaluate our situation, and then I guess we get to go shopping.”  Nic almost groaned out the last words as they all headed for where the SUV’s were parked.  He was quite sure as they walked that Mel was never going to let him live this down.  Shit, the other men would never let him live this down.  At least no one had been shot or hurt…yet.

3

One more familiar face joins the fold when they land...

For the rest of the way to Serbia Mel didn’t leave the bedroom at the back of the plane and Klaus kept to the front. That didn’t mean, however, that they both didn’t have a lot on their minds.  Not only was there the past that was shared between them, what had just happened in those brief few minutes they were face to face was now a complication, and then there was also the dig that they were preparing for to keep in mind.  Mel knew all too well that if she allowed herself to be too distracted that it could lead to disaster since the artifact that was rumored to be in the temple they would be excavating held a great deal of supernatural power.  How many relics over the years had been lost to carelessness and inattentiveness?  She wasn’t sure, but she had seen more than one archaeologist drop a one-of-a-kind artifact and for it to turn into dust.  And those were just the artifacts that were of normal, historical value; that was to say nothing of the relics that were of the kind they were going after.  She, herself, had almost done it more than once and had damaged at least one by being in a hurry.  It was not intentional; it was just not having your mind fully in the game of protecting and preserving these brief and delicate glimpses into history and respecting the power of some of the things that they would pull out of the ground, or retrieve from structures of the past.  If you destroyed something, there was no way to get it back, and sometimes it caused repercussions you could not anticipate.  So, for this expedition, she would need to be on her game, they all would.

There was no doubt that to be flying a plane with all of them on it that Klaus had to be a skilled pilot, but when they touched down and there was hardly even a bump, his skill shined like a diamond.  When he stepped back into the cabin, there was a smug smirk on his face as he looked at the other men.  A few he knew, and those he didn’t now knew he wasn’t there to play.  Soon they’d all shake their positions in the team out, and he’d just made a point of where he considered himself.  No doubt Nic would have his own idea, on everyone.

As Mel looked out the window once they came to a full stop, she realized that they were at a private airstrip.  There was no terminal or any other buildings that would have indicated a major or even regional airport, so she had to wonder where exactly they had touched down at.  She trusted Klaus and Nic too much to assume that there had been a problem that had caused them to have changed their final destination.  A knock and a call from Nic had Mel returning to the cabin and the members of the team that were assembled there.  It was clear from the looks on their faces that some had been asleep upon landing and the rest were just about to jump off the plane to get started.  There seemed to be some feeling out of one another of a few of them, she was sure it wouldn’t be the last of that they’d all see.

Soon they had all hopped down the few steps and wound up next to the large hangar that Klaus had brought them close to, but not into per Nic’s instructions.  There were several blacked out Land Rover’s inside waiting for them.  Melania groaned as she stepped up next to her cousin, could he not have picked another color?  Black was not only cliche’ but it was going to constantly look a mess with all the dirt they were going to kick up at the expedition.  White.  White or grey were the colors you picked.  Obviously her cousin should never be left in charge of these details again.

“You are not going to wash them daily to get the dust off, we’re not going to have time for that.  So say goodbye to that showroom shine, cuz.  It is the last you’re going to see of it, right there.”  She leaned her head towards Nic’s shoulder as she waved her hand, fingers spread, in front of them.  “They are pretty, but they won’t be again.  I pick the vehicles next time.”  Shaking her head, she picked up her duffle she’d dropped at her feet and headed toward one. 

“Well, some things never change.” Alexander laughed as he shouldered past Nic, who just shook his head and then jogged the couple steps till he was even with Alexander.

“No, some things never change, but some things do.”  A voice that Mel, Alexander, Nic, and Klaus all recognized rang out from the other side of all of the SUV’s.  Mel drew up short, almost making the two men behind her run over the poor woman. “You know, if we’re all supposed to be guarding her ass, you might not want to be the first one to injure her, Nic.” Klaus’s brother, Erik stepped around the front of the middle SUV with a smirk just as smug and cocky as the one his brother had worn earlier.  His swagger matched as well.  There was no missing that they were brothers either.

“Not that you don’t have a point, but why do I feel there is some kind of conspiracy going on to keep my chaos contained with you and your brother both here?”  Her voice filled with tease, Mel’s eyes narrowed in fake suspicion as she eyed Erik as he walked over to her to lift her off of her feet in a tight and warm hug.

“I have absolutely no idea what you could be talking about.  I am merely here as a chauffeur at your whim, Ms. LaVeau.” Erik stepped back and did a fake bow.

“Ok, before I lose my lunch from this display, I’ll ride from Grande Dame of the ball.”  Alexander rolled his eyes and pushed Mel towards the SUV Erik had been near while giving the man an amused wink.  Not that he didn’t like Erik, but he knew that if they got started that several of them could keep them there for hours and that would probably annoy the newcomers.  Time enough for getting reacquainted later.

“I’m with Alexander and Mel.  Klaus, you drive the one behind your brother.  Cam, you drive the one in front…..” Nic started pointing to his men and taking charge of the rest of them.  He would not give direction to Alexander, he knew better, but the rest of them truly did work for him and he would make sure they didn’t forget it.  At least not at the actual excavation site, there they’d better listen to Mel or they might find a spade or trowel planted in their forehead.  Even he wouldn’t challenge her there or at any location they were actively hunting a relic or artifact.  Long ago he had learned better.

2

It's time for the trip to get started, for the men to meet the woman they're going to be working for and with, and one new face to show up...

TW - MENTIONS ONLY OF: DEATH, DYING, MURDER, KILLING INJURY, KIDNAPPING, RANSOM

In the intervening days since Nic had the meeting with the mercenaries who would be accompanying he and his cousin to Serbia for the excavation of a new underground cavern at the site at Gradina at the top of Jelica Mountain, their grandfather had intervene and insisted that they travel in one of the Meyers family jets rather than commercial.  He felt it would be safer for all involved and draw less attention than a large group of men escorting Mel through an airport.  Not to mention that it would be easier to get weapons into the foreign country. 

So, on the appointed day, Mel’s car pulled up to the tarmac next to the private jet of her grandfather’s that had been allocated for the trip to Serbia.  At her grandfather’s insistence, Mel had allowed Nic to make all of the arrangements and fully vet her entire team that would be accompanying her on the dig.  Normally she would have protested, but after the way the trip to Peru had gone, she was not really in the mood to take any chances nor to argue with either of the Meyers men.  Stubborn was not even strong enough of a word to describe either of them; brick wall came close, but even bricks gave more than they did.  Getting out of the car, Mel sighed softly as she headed up the stairs into the plane while the driver unloaded her bags. The next few minutes would determine how big of a disaster or success this trip would be.  Here went nothing!  

When she had reached the top of the stairs, she had just made the turn to look into the cabin of the plane when a deep male voice with a distinctly Germanic accent sounded behind her.  “Now that all have arrived, are we ready to go Nic?”  Mel knew that voice and spun around to face him with her eyes wide with surprise.  “Hey gorgeous,” he grinned slyly as he looked down at her. “Surprised to see me?  Turn around, you got another one coming.”  Chuckling he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, unable to hide his pleasure at seeing her.  It had been far too long, something that he had regretted and should have prevented, but now was not the time for regrets and apologies.  That could be later.  He’d just have to find the time and place to talk to her where there weren’t 9 other sets of ears listening in. That might be a little hard for the foreseeable future.

 “Klaus!  What the hell?!  How did you...”  She started as she hugged him tight.  Klaus and Mel had gone on several expeditions in the past, and they had a far less than professional history as well.  While he was an amazing archaeologist, his ‘other side’ was not unknown to her nor was his association with her cousin.  It had been that association that had caused him to disappear from her life shortly before she had met her ex-husband.  Things had happened strangely back then and she still couldn’t help but wonder ‘what if’.  She should have known that her cousin might call him in, and based on his comment there was probably at least one other face that she would recognize on the team. She had a feeling it would be far less surprising than Klaus, however.

Stepping back, she turned to face the rest of the team that had gathered around her.  Her eyes met each of the eight faces that were seated there.  Nic was the first face that she recognized, it was not the last. “Alexander?  Seriously?  Nic, how?  Why?” Now she was laughing as Nic stuck his tongue out at her while she looked at him confused. Alexander took that opportunity to stand and make his way to her, ducking slightly to keep from bumping his head on the roof of the cabin.  His head was also shaking, sometimes Mel and Nic truly were like siblings more than cousins.  A broad and amused smile was painted across his face and it was clear he was restraining himself fromfull on laughing as he made his way to her.  Standing a good foot taller than her, his eyes danced with amusement as he bent over to hug her.

“Surprise Mel!”  Alexander’s thick British accent boomed around the interior of the plane as Klaus pressed the button that would raise the stairs and seal the door.  “Not only do you have a top notch team of trained killers escorting you to your dig, but you have two of the best archaeologists on the planet.”  He looked over at Klaus and winked.  “You did tell Nic that you wanted only the best, or at least that’s what I hear.”  He laughed as she looked now between the three men, a bemused smile on her face accompanied by an eye roll that had them all laughing.

Nic stood and made his way to Mel now, enveloping her in a tight hug as much to make sure she didn’t hit him (playfully) as anything.  Then he introduced the rest of the team to her.  A warm and engaging smile met each of them.  Once introductions were done, everyone took their seats and Klaus went to the cockpit to pilot the flight from New Orleans to Serbia, with a few stops for refueling in between.   As they taxied to the runway, Mel looked about the plane and realized that it was not one that she recognized from her previous travels with her grandfather.  The interior was far more lavish than she had expected and it seemed made to fit the tall and broad males that were accompanying her. 

Once they were in the air, Nic came to sit by her and explain all that was transpiring.  When she had told him of her intent to go to Serbia, Nic had a sense of dread that came over him.  It wasn’t something that he could explain, but it was like a sixth sense that she would once again be thrust into danger.  After what had transpired in Peru, he couldn’t allow anything to happen again to his little cousin.  Since the assassin that had seemed to be in love with her had disappeared without word, which was far from a good sign, it was to him only that the responsibility fell to keep her alive.

Each of the men on her detail had been hand selected, including Klaus and Alexander.  While they were both highly skilled and trained archaeologists, they were also highly skilled killers. The fact that they both had personal relationships with Mel only helped.  It meant they had more reasons than money to keep her alive, and it was why Klaus had been allowed to skip all the briefings.  The others were all ex-military and just as skilled as Nic was at killing, in some cases more so.  The plane was also Nic’s, which explained why all of them men looked so comfortable.  It was built for him, and at over 6 feet tall, he had made sure that it would not be as cramped as a normal private plane.  

The more than Nic told her, the more pieces of the puzzle that Mel was putting together regarding exactly what was going on regarding the expedition.  She had assumed that it was her grandfather that had wanted Nic to do everything and take the lead; but the more that Nic talked she was realizing that it was her cousin who had put everything in motion.   After Peru, she knew that he had felt responsible for how wrong it had all gone when they had been surprised by tomb raiders that had killed part of their team, taken the rest hostage, and had to try to extract huge amounts of money by threatening harm if their demands were not met. Nic had not responded in his normal manner of being in control of everything, instead he had allowed the assassin they’d hired to protect her to take the lead in their extraction, and more people had died.  This time, he would trust no one else with her safety, which is why only those he trusted implicitly were involved in this trip. He also would not hesitate to remove them from the trip if he started to doubt them.

After the first three hours of the trip and hearing all of the details from Nic, then having the team introduced in much greater detail from their own mouths, Mel started to feel tired and her head ached right behind her eyes.  Night was falling and the cabin lights had been dimmed significantly, so Mel was simply going to lay her plush leather seat back and try to get some rest before her head exploded.  Before she was able to do that, Nic told her to go to the back of the plane.  There was an actual bed there and she’d be more comfortable.  The guys would ‘rough it’ in the main cabin and leave her alone unless they had to use the bathroom since there was only one and it was through the bedroom.  So no sleeping naked!  A comment that turned Mel’s cheeks red, made Alexander (who thought of her like a sister) choke, and the other men stifle laughs and not meet her gaze so she wasn’t more mortified.

As Mel closed the door to the cabin, the thrum of the jet engines and the voices of the males who  were debating security strategy once they arrived at base camp was lessened.  Kicking off her boots and pulling back the covers, she slid into the bed and tried to relax.  Soon she was drifting in and out of consciousness, her dreams and reality slowly mixing.  She had flown so often, that sleeping when that comfortable was very easy.

About an hour after she had lain down, she heard the door to the room open.  It brought her more awake from the only semi-lucid state that she had been in.  Knowing it was simply one of the males going to use the bathroom; Mel remained still and waited for him to return to the cabin when his business was done.  Just as the door to the bathroom was closing, a scent wafted through the room and to Mel’s nose.  Cloves, sandalwood, and gun oil.  A combination that she knew well and her eyes flew open.  When the door to the bathroom opened again, Mel was sitting on the edge of the bed, a wry smile on her face as she looked up at Klaus.

“I was trying not to wake you, you know.  Your cousin will have my head if he finds out.”  A deep chuckle rumbled from Klaus’s chest as Mel stood to walk over to him.  His eyes never left her, memories of the past swirling behind them.  

“Well then we won’t tell him, will we?”  An amused and slightly cocky smile formed on Mel’s face as she looked up at the tall and deadly male.  As was his normal, about a two days of reddish blonde stubble with just the sexiest hint of brown in it was on his face; his hair cut short like most of the other males in the main cabin.  She often wondered if they all went to the same place to have it done.  It had always seemed to Mel that it went well with his features to make him dangerously handsome in a rugged way.   “But this may be our only chance to talk privately till this is all over.  Assuming you wanted to talk to me, I thought I recognized that look when I boarded, but I could have been mistaken. It has been a while.”  She was curious, but hesitant as well.  A while was an understatement.

“I think you know me well enough from our years working together, and,” he coughed, “otherwise, to have been mistaken, Mel.  That doesn’t mean I have the words right now to tell you what’s going on in my head.  It’s not like I was ever good at that to begin with.  I never meant for things to happen the way they did Mel, you have to know that.”  Klaus cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck as he moved closer to her.  “And if I’d known what was going on I wouldn’t have stayed away.  I kick myself daily for that doll.” He sighed, looking deep into her eyes as one hand came up to rub the rough pad of his thumb over the still pink scar on her neck from where the bullet had grazed her in Peru. “And this…this should never have happened.  That I wasn’t there to stop it is something I’ll never forgive myself for.”  He had spent the previous months tracking down, torturing, and putting an end to those who had sought to hurt her without any hesitation; but now that she was in front of him, he seemed at a loss for words.  

“I’m not sure that even you could have stopped it Klaus. Those who had tried to ended up not breathing, as I’m sure you’re not aware.  The people that were after me…” her voice trailed off.  He knew about the people that were after her.  Her cousin had already informed her that everyone that would be on the expedition had taken part in eliminating the threat from the traffickers and government moles that had set her up.  Knowing Klaus, he had been very ‘hands on’ with the operation.

“Are dead now.” He finished.  “As will anyone else who thinks to do that again.  I may have slacked in the past when I shouldn’t have, but I won’t again.  And I certainly wouldn’t go taking off in the middle of the night to parts unknown with no word of where I was or when I’d be back.”  Klaus immediately regretted his words as he saw Mel visibly wince.  He was furious that once again it seemed that Mel was abandoned by one who claimed to love her.  Those words had never passed his lips, even if they had been in his thoughts and he still had fought to keep in contact till he had heard about her ex.  Then he stayed away so as to not make problems for her.   He cared too much for her to do that to her, but Nic had filled him in on all that had transpired and how she’d felt when he was gone, he wouldn’t be making that mistake again. Ever.  

Mel’s head tipped to the side slightly, which only served to reposition Klaus’s thumb from her neck, to right along her jaw.  “I see.”  She wasn’t sure what his angle was.  Then again, Klaus had done a few things that had confused her after the last time they saw one another.  Trying to get off that line of thought, “So let me guess…any tiny threat and there’ll be nine pissed off killers eradicating it?” 

“Ten, you have one more to meet.  But the others will have to compete with me to get to the motherfuckers first.  That includes the missing assassin.”  His eyes looked into hers and his anger was almost palpable in the room around him, something that confused Mel after his own actions.  The brilliant blue of his eyes almost swirled with the emotions that he was feeling and Mel could read them all…or almost all.  “I fucked up in the past doll, not going to do that again.”  He knew he was signing his death warrant if she ever opened her mouth about what he did next, but he didn’t give a damn.  It had been what was on his mind since Nic had called him from the private hospital in Peru where they took care of Mel.  Now he moved fast and with purpose, before he could think better of it and stop himself.  His fingers slid back in her hair till they cupped the back of her neck, his thumb now right before her ear as he bent down and captured those perfect lips with his.

Mel was caught completely off guard and by the time she started to react he was pulling back and looking down at her.  “We’ll talk about this later doll,” was all he said before he turned to head back into the cabin.  He had to get away from her before he lost his self-control and totally fucked everything up.  Never had his memory faded of the feel of her skin, her soft and feminine scent, or the taste of her lips; but that one brief kiss had only served to remind him that sometimes memories do not come anywhere close to reality.  Now they just had to make it through the expedition together without him losing his mind or getting taken out by another sniper, especially one he was piloting the plane carrying.