Chapter 41 - Status Report

"Control," the distorted voice said.

"Knight," Mariah answered.

"Status report," Control requested coldly.

"Oh, I'm fine thanks," Mariah said glibly. "Classes are going really well and, hey, School Spirit day was off the hook!"

"Status report," Control repeated.

"Has anyone ever told you that you need to lighten up? Take some joy in life?" Mariah asked. 

Control was silent.

"Right, status report," Mariah chuckled. "I was right, Marco is not only taking bets on college footie, he's also fixing matches. I don't know details yet... I'm pretty sure it's tied up with the campus prostitution ring but they're still keeping me out of that."

"Mostly, he's got me running the 'store' right now," she continued. "We're running low on inventory, so he's told Carla to get more. I'll try to get details on that, so we can warn the trucking company."

"Negative," Control said tersely. "Stay on mission."

"Are you not listening to me?" Mariah snapped. "They're going to send Carla out to hijack a truck! I've told you what she's like. Someone could get hurt."

"Stay on mission."

"Madonna santa! If we're not going to try to stop any of this, what is the point?!" Mariah ranted. "Why am I doing this, risking this, if you're not going to do anything with the information I give you?"

"Ms. H is back," Mariah sighed before Control could respond to her rant.

"Are you secure?"

"I... She was... friendly... but I feel like she's keeping me at arms length," Mariah replied. "I don't know if she's still 'giving me space' or what. Merda, she can look straight into my heart but I don't know enough about her to get a good read on her."

"Can you maintain?"

"Yeah," Mariah took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm solid."

"Confirmed, Knight. Stay on mission. Make contact by secondary number if you are not secure," Control disconnected the call.

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"So now I need to take the truck hijacking," Mariah concluded filling Miranda in on her call with Control. "Marco won't argue. He knows I can do it clean."

"Are you going to tell Control?" Miranda asked, already knowing the answer.

"You know what they'd say - Stay On Mission," Mariah mimicked Control's distorted voice, "but I can't risk Carla messing up some poor trucker."

"You know," Mariah continued, "she's a classic case... an abuse victim becoming an abuser, violently lashing out in a misplaced attempted to assert control over her world."

Miranda gave her a Look.

"Madonna santa, don't say it," Mariah said. "I know. She's me or what I would have been if I'd stayed on that road... but I didn't. So I'm not the one who might put extra holes in some trucker in an expression of my own inner suffering."

"No, and you wouldn't have, either," Miranda said. "You would have done something risky and inherently self-destructive in an expression of your self-loathing."

"What, are you reading my textbooks now?" Mariah laughed.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to read mine," Miranda rolled her eyes. "I mean, seriously, I've had Vivaldi down since I was ten."

"You're amazing," Mariah smiled.

"It's just practice," Miranda sighed. "I've been playing violin since I was big enough to hold one. You're the amazing one."

"I'm not," Mariah started.

"You're going against Control, digging yourself in deeper with the Altos and generally putting yourself in harm's way to protect some random trucker," Miranda pointed out.

"That's just doing what needs to be done," Mariah insisted. "You think I shouldn't?"

"I think you're amazing," Miranda said.

"Just doing what needs to be done," Mariah repeated. "You'd do it... but, hey, don't get any ideas! I sleep at night because I know you're not part of this. You and Aadi and Genie... you're not any part of this Alto business."

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"Hi there," the young man gave Genie his most charming smile. "I'm looking for Mariah. Name's Johnny. They call me Johnny Pretty."

Chapter 40 - Queen's Gambit

"You're going out," Miranda said softly.

"I have to," Mariah insisted. "For this to work, they have to believe I'm still in. It won't be like before. Uncle Nick... Dio... I've talked to him and told him I need to focus on school. He agreed and said he'd talk to Marco. They won't question it, but I have to go back sometimes or they'll start to."

"I know," Miranda sighed. "Please, be careful."

"I'm always careful," Mariah lied.

"I'll be waiting for you," Miranda said.

-------------------

"Hey 'Riah. I thought you'd have more of a tan," Carla G grinned. Karla didn't look much like an enforcer, but Mariah knew the other woman was violent as a wild dog and cold as a snake. "Winter break in Tartosa. Have you ever even seen snow?"

"Hey G," Mariah forced herself to grin back. "What's so great about snow anyway? I'm freezing mie tette off here as it is."

"Is that why they're so small?" Carla laughed.

"Puttana," Mariah cursed her cheerfully. "Where's Pretty?" Johnny Pretty was the crew's smooth talker, an accomplished con-man and thief, when he could stay sober.

"We're in front of a bar full of drunk co-eds," Carla sneered. "Where do you think Pretty-boy is? Hey, Marco wanted to talk to you."

"Figo. I'll catch you inside," Mariah nodded.

"Ciao, Marco," Mariah greeted the Alto underboss with forced cheer. "You have a good holiday?"

"No rest for the wicked, 'Riah," Marco grinned back. "Nick wanted me to check in with you. He heard about that thing with your moms... the crazy fan."

"Oh," Mariah was momentarily thrown. "Yeah, that was... scary... but Danielle's doing OK."

"That's good," Marco nodded. "I gather she's got a family friend looking out for her now."

Mariah's blood turned to ice. By long practice, she forced her voice to stay level, to stay in control. "Don't dance around, Marco. You got something you want to ask me, ask me!"

"OK," Marco nodded. "You talked with Liberty Lee-Rossi and she's Agency."

"You got people watching me, Marco?" Mariah demanded.

"Mr. Grey watches everyone," Marco replied, "on Nick's orders. So now I'm asking - what did you talk about with Lee-Rossi?"

"Vafancullo!" Mariah let her anger rise. "We had a fucking screaming match and I told the puttana to stay the fuck out of my business. You questioning my loyalty, Marco?"

"No," Marco replied with a grin. "I'm asking, 'cause Nick told me to ask. Now I can tell him what you said and he can tell Grey to shut the fuck up about it already."

"Good," Mariah said taking a steadying breath.

"Head on in," Marco said. "Ms. H is waiting for you. I guess she wants to welcome you back."

"Figo," Mariah said. Merda, she thought, now for the dangerous part.

-------------------

"Mariah," Ms. H purred. "It's so good to see you. I hope you had a nice holiday."

"Hey, H. It was interesting," Mariah said. With brutal will, she forced down the urge to throw herself, screaming, at the vampire and drive the leg of a convenient bar-stool through the monster's black heart.

"That's good," Ms. H smiled, a hint of her fangs visible, and leaned in to kiss Mariah's cheek. "Come, sit and tell me everything. It's been years since I've been to Tartosa."

"... so, Danielle's doing alright," Mariah said, concluding the story of the 'crazy fan' and Danielle's collapse. It has seemed to her the safest story to tell. "Londyn got her to agree to putting on some extra security and she was fussing over her when I left. All in all, little more excitement than I'd wanted for the holidays."

"Mariah, Mariah," Ms. H purred. "You're lying to me."

"What, no I'm..." Mariah blinked, genuinely startled. Where had she slipped up, she wondered. What had she given away?

"Don't lie to me," Ms. H snarled, her fangs openly visible. "I know what really happened and so do you. You know the truth."

Merda, Mariah's thoughts ran quickly. Can I fight her? Can I escape? Am I going to die here? Miranda, I'm so sorry.

"I see it in your heart... the anger, the fear," Ms H. continued. "It was no 'crazy fan.' This lady in white... she was vampira, like me. She is one of my rivals... she wants to turn you against me."

"I... no... you... what?" Mariah stammered.

"You knew, didn't you?" Ms. H continued. "You guessed my secret."

"I... I wasn't sure," Mariah replied, grasping at the chance fate was offering her. "I mean... Miranda's told me about... things... so I knew it was possible."

"I knew you would figure it out," Ms. H smiled. "Yes, I am Vampir. Unfortunately, I have enemies... the White Lady... she is a mean, petty creature. She hurt Danielle out of spite... to turn you against me."

"Well, that won't do it," Mariah replied, burying the thought that she had her own reasons to hate the monster across from her.

"You say that, but I see the anger in your heart," Ms. H replied. "I see the fear."

"OK, yes," Mariah admitted honestly. "I mean, it's scary for someone like me... vampires, witches... all of it, but if you see my heart, you see I'm working on handling it."

"Yes, you are," Ms. H smiled. "Oh, this is wonderful."

"I... I just need a little time," Mariah said. "To really get a handle on things. Can you give me that?"

"Of course, dear," Ms. H agreed. "I can be patient... after all, I have lots of time."

-------------------

Madonna santa, Mariah thought. I pulled it off.

Standing in the quiet spot not far from the pub, she could admit to herself that she hadn't been sure she was going to. Now, the crew's suspicions allayed for the moment, there was one more thing she had to do.

She dialed the number Liberty had made her memorize.

"Control," the distorted voice answered.

"Pawn to Queen Four," Mariah replied, amazed and a little embarrassed to be using a real spy pass phase.

"Report," Control said curtly.

"I'm in," Mariah said.

"Confirmed," Control's distorted voice betrayed nothing. "Queen's Gambit is a go."