Plans never go perfect

Quinn rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I said to keep her sedated. You can play with her if you want, but keep her sedated. All I require is that she be ready when I am able to arrive. Little pleasures like her will have to wait. I have more important things to deal with right now. Besides, nobody knows her location so we have the luxury of time."

He hung up the phone and shook his head. At least he had picked the right guard. The man actually enjoyed watching her. Let him do what he wanted to her, it would only add to her suffering and degradation. Quinn would get the information that he wanted. He could be very patient when it was called for. He picked up the radio and called Tolvin for an update. There was a lot of static but he could make out most of it.

*..are resuming the search, Sir..*
*light-tight not....we left it*
*..probably used by Ms. Jackson for...day*
*Miss Trillo is....and going to lead her team to sector....*

He sighed and put the radio on the charger on his desk. Stupid short range garbage. He never expected to need to search his own property. They had to find her. What could have set her off like this? He did not like keeping secrets from her, but how could he tell her what he was capable of doing?

After his night with Kiara in the cemetery he could not help but smile at the memory. Kiara had excused herself to go and get showered and changed as he promised to spend the night with her. Nothing work related for tonight. But for things to carry on the way that he wanted them to, he needed to clear things up with John Quinn.

Closing the door to his office to ensure that he was not disturbed he sat behind his desk as he quickly dialled the home phone of the one person that had made his blood boil in these last few days. Hearing the dialling tone as he relaxed in his chair as he heard someone pick up on the other end.

"Quinn. Bill Compton. I require a little of your time" he told him, not requested.

Damn...Why now of all times? He knew he had to play the game though. Anything else would be foolish. He keyed on the speaker.

"Quinn. Bill Compton. I require a little of your time"

"Of course. What can I help you with?"

"Of course. What can I help you with?"

Bill leaned forward in his chair as he could sense something in his voice but pushed it to the back of his mind.

"As you are aware there has been a spy in my Kingdom, Roxanne. She is working with Texas and since my discovery she has gone missing. And since you are the only other one with the capabilities of sourcing her out. I want to know where she is" he blatantly asked him.

He needed to hear it from the horses mouth, there was no other that had the strength to hold down a vampire such as Roxanne.

Quinn actually laughed.

"Oh interesting. Bluntness. A novel approach, William, but I do not have her."

He paused for a minute.

"You are welcome to inspect any property I own. I will, however, do my utmost to locate her. I have a few things I would like to discuss with her myself. I was unsure when you first visited me but now, with you confirming my suspicions...Once I have laid my hands on her, I will ask you only a day. Then she will be delivered to a place of your choosing. This is the price for my assistance. I assure you she will survive our conversation."

Quinn needed to get Compton off the phone. Was he fishing or did someone let something slip? Impossible. Only Quinn and Paladin knew of the safehouse. He had to be fishing for something else. Quinn's head snapped around as he heard the radio crackle to life...

*...spotted someone in *Static* near the lakeshore....*
*...could be *Static* Jackson. Move to Sector three and we'll...*

Quinn snapped off the battery and shook his head. He had to wonder how much of that went over the phone line.

"I am sorry to keep this so brief, but I have to attend to something. I will contact you as soon as she is in my custody."

Bill knew that he was lying.

Although he could not prove it, but right now he was not in no mood to argue over the phone. He preferred his arguments with the Tiger to be face to face.

"Very well. Should you come across her I want her delivered to my home. Without the comic nature of funny business that I know you are well known for Quinn. Any knowledge that you discover I want on my desk upon her arrival "when" and "if" you find her" he growled down the phone.

The Tiger and his games, he was not in the mood for.

*...spotted someone in *Static* near the lakeshore....*
*...could be *Static* Jackson. Move to Sector three and we'll...*

Bill had heard it, clear as he could hear. With the interference of static in the background he could not be fully sure of what was said. But there was a few things that he picked up.

"Brianna! I want to know what is going on with my progeny Quinn. I wish to speak with her immediately" he growled.

Quinn rolled his eyes. Why the hell had he put Compton on speaker?

"Immediately is not a possibility, William. She and Arabella went to the lakeside for some fresh air. The guard with them had a faulty radio and the transponder went out. When we realized this, I sent a team to locate them. I had a general idea where they were headed so it has not taken long. From the sound of things, they have been located. I will be happy to have her call as soon as they get back to the house."

He wondered if Compton would buy that explanation. It was a reasonable and believable one, but this was Compton. He tended to be overly protective when it came to his progeny.

"I assure you there is no threat. The property has been on lock-down with about three dozen extra men since your progeny arrived. I am sure you noticed that when you visited. She is in no danger, and will be told to contact you as soon as she gets back here."

Bill could hear the lame ass excuse that Quinn was giving him and he did not believe for one thing. The static message that he had heard in the background did not indicate that he knew exactly where Brianna was, and it was something that he would be speaking about with Arabella.

"Quinn. I would appreciate that you do not. Lie. To. Me! I heard the radio's in the background. Now put Brianna on the line now or I shall be sending my own team to collect her this evening. I gave you a chance with Roxanne, but with Brianna I do not appreciate being lied to. Now put her on immediately" he growled.

There was a lot of things that you could mess Bill about with, but not when it came to his progeny.

"William, I have no reason to lie to you. Did you ever thing that maybe I am telling the truth? I know it may shock you, but it does happen. You can send someone if you want. She will be back and have called you by the time they get here though. With her training with Arabella progressing so well, I imagine she is going to have issues with being removed, but that is your battle to fight, not mine. I have already offered to have her call you as soon as she is here. I cannot hand the phone to someone who is not present, and do not have the means to teleport her here from the lake."

He paused and thought of a way to distract Compton for at least a bit.

"Do what you must, William. I can understand as I would do no less for Arabella. One thing more I will reveal to you though. Mind your own house when you consider throwing veiled accusations, William. My people were contacted by one of your own security men, someone names Issac, who claimed to have Roxanne. I was going to be arranging to meet with him to see if there is truth to it when the guard's radio went out. Once your progeny is here, I can move forward with locating your little bitch of an assistant."

He paused to let that sink in , and moved on.

"As to what you heard, I told you I knew where they were headed. I did not know where they were at on that trip, hence the search. If I knew they were at the lake, proper, I would just have sent someone out with a new radio, but I was not going to take any chances when it came to your daughter, or mine. It would not hurt things, William, if once in a while you attempted civility. I respect you, more than I respect most vampires. Royalty or not matters little to me and you and I both know that. I have known my share of vampire royals and have had little respect for most of them, but you have consistently been the exception to that rule. I am enjoying the truce we have forged and would not endanger it foolishly by trying to play games with your trust."

He picked up the receiver.

"Did you ever think that I might actually value this alliance? I am not a vampire, but I know my Arabella is. You have given her a great responsibility and I gain honor from your gift. The gratitude I have for that is that I would not do something stupid to screw things up for Arabella or for the truce we have. Keep that in mind next time you think of accusing me, William. I am not a vampire who will bow down to a crown. Do not forget who you speak to. I have remained civil while in your domain as a courtesy and custom. I have gone out of my way to show kindness, supplying you with clean blood when you were in need. I have looked after your progeny when you had to be elsewhere, and in return you show me nothing but mistrust. I thought better of you, Compton."

Bill heard all of the Tiger's gibberish and that angered him at the mere thought as he let everything that the Tiger had said. Kiara was right, he did not take orders from a vampire in a crown. But he knew and believed himself to be more than that. But this was not the time to air all of the Tiger's grievances over the phone. That was something he would save for their next meeting.

"While I do not appreciate your sarcasm in these times, let me get one thing straight John. How you deal with Arabella is your own doing and how I deal with my own progeny is my own doing. I entrusted Brianna to your progeny for her safe keeping at these times of war. But I do not appreciate being spoken down to as a young child, I have far more years and experience that you would care to believe. But I will not risk the safety of Jessica nor Brianna. It seems my judgement was clouded upon my last visit so I am going to make this plain and simple in words that you will understand!" he growled.

Quickly taking a sip of his blood as he slid the glass onto his desk and turned back to his phone call with the Tiger.

"Upon Brianna's return from her training, I will have a car waiting for her to bring her home. I want to hear exactly everything that has been happening from her mouth. I will not tolerate lies from you nor your progeny. And if I see fit that she shall return then she shall, and if not then she shall return here and I shall find a more appropriate teacher for her. Our alliance will rest on what she says and I will find out everything that has been going on there. One way or another" he ended abruptly leaving his response from the Tiger.

"No sarcasm was meant. William, you piecemeal my words and take only what you wish. I have already said I respect you and would not speak to you as a child. You brought bluntness to the table, so to speak, so I did the same. I understand you have time and experience behind you and that is one of the reasons that I respect you as much as I do. You seek reasons to see me as an enemy but I am in truth a far more valuable ally than you could imagine. Once the current issues have been resolved, I would be more than happy to explain what I mean. After all, who else could smuggle a 'bug' into Isabel's private chambers? Or her throne room? But you are right, we must resolve current things first."

He paused and took a breath before continuing.

"Do not bother sending a car. I will send Arabella with her in the armored Lexus. It is only right that her instructor be on hand as well, in case you have questions for her or simply to be there in case she is needed. I trust Brianna's safety in her hands more than I would a dozen guards. Besides, once I tell them what we have discussed, I imagine Arabella will insist on going with her in either stead. Once you have your truth, perhaps we can discuss being more understanding of the differences we have in the way we do things. Once Arabella and Brianna have departed, I will contact this 'Issac', and seek out the truth of the matter. I wish you a good evening, William, and will send them as soon as they are here."

"Very well. But do not underestimate what I am capable of John....And if Arabella wishes to accompany Brianna that is all well. But she will remain outside until I see fit that I require her. I do not want my progeny's mind tainted with fabrications of the truth" he growled.

He had said all that needed to be said, as he had promised himself that his anger was buried along with a lot of other things.

"I want Brianna here tomorrow evening. An hour after sunset. Not a minute late. Do I make myself clear?" he barked.

Not waiting for a response, he ended the call straight away. There was a lot of questions that needed answering, and he would get them one way or another.

Quinn sat there for a few minutes, running over things in his head. He pulled out home phone and updated Arabella. Hopefully they would find Brianna soon. There was so much to be done and said by tomorrow night.