49: Someone Else’s War

The night was dark and the two lovers sat in the dimly lit room teary eyed. Neither could make a sound. Mike Rosenberg still waited patiently for them to gather themselves and speak. Sophie hadn’t spoken a word to her father on the entire long journey. As soon as she was free, she couldn’t help but think that the enemies just might have reached Aaron as well. She had forced her father to get her to Aaron’s house without explaining why and her father had happily agreed. Mike’s fears had turned into reality but he was not as shocked as he had thought he would be. He had time to prepare this time around, thanks to the blatant display of arrogance from the man he had just killed. It took Aaron a while but he was finally back in control of his emotions. He hadn’t even realized that he had let a stranger man in his house. He looked at Mike and Mike smiled back at him. Aaron abruptly got up to his feet. Sophie saw him staring at Mike. She stepped in to make introductions.

“Aaron Crawley, Mike Rosenberg. Mike Rosenberg, Aaron Crawley”, she spoke pointing at them. Aaron recognized the face and the name from the news. The man was often seen sitting in some talk show discussing business and stock market. Then the realization hit.

“Rosenberg? As in Sophie Rosenberg?”, Aaron inquired, looking bewildered. The father and daughter smiled in unison.

“You aren’t the only one with secrets, sweetie”, she spoke with a smirk. Aaron felt starstruck and Mike looked a bit shy. Mike felt a slight urge to talk more about each other but the image of Ronald’s bloodied face flashed in front of his eyes and he was reminded of what he was there to do.

“I’m sorry honey but you need to tell me what’s going on. And why were you being kept hostage by those armed men?”, Mike inquired, letting go of all the pleasantries. The words ran a shiver through Aaron.

“Hostage?”, Aaron asked looking genuinely concerned and looked at Sophie for answers. She wasn’t sure how she was going to tell it to Aaron.

“My men saw her get abducted from the subway station. They tracked the kidnappers down and hit me up. I joined them before they ambushed the kidnappers’ hideout”, Mike stepped in and explained. Aaron’s eyes were red with rage. He stood up and started to pace back and forth in his room. His disappointment in his elders was immeasurable. Apparently they couldn't be trusted to protect a girl with all their resources and eyes everywhere. Aaron kicked his bed with anger. Sophie stood up and put a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. Aaron stopped and slowly shook his head in disappointment as he looked down. He slowly exhaled, trying to smother his anger. Sophie wasn't sure how she was going to explain it all to his father.

“It’s my fault. They were trying to get to me through her. I apologize”, Aaron spoke as soon as he got control over his anger and eased it for Sophie. Sophie happily let him take the reins of the hard conversation. Aaron’s response gave birth to even more questions in Mike’s mind. Mike stared at him sternly, trying to focus.

“Who’s ‘they’?”, Mike gravely asked. Aaron was ready to explain it all to him.

“I don’t know if it’s worth anything to you but the ‘they’ is Rick Hudson”, Aaron explained. Mike cringed as soon as he heard that name. Aaron caught the hint that the name meant something to the man. “Do you know him?”, he asked curiously. Mike reluctantly and slowly nodded in affirmation. He didn’t look too proud to know that name. He looked at her daughter if she had got the hint but she looked just as stupefied as Aaron.

“We used to work together”, Mike spoke. Both Sophie and Aaron stared at him in disbelief. Then Aaron realized that it was no end of the world for one billionaire to work alongside another. “I decided to try my luck in real estate and my contacts introduced us to each other. Business was fine for a while but then we had some disagreements that led me to part ways with him”, he added. Aaron didn’t look too content with the statement. Mike decided to explain further. “We jointly submitted an offer to buy an old house in Boston. Most of the town had developed beyond recognition except that one house. It was owned by an old retiree who lived alone. The land was invaluable and our offer was more than appropriate but the offer was politely declined. The old man told us that he saw his deceased wife in every wall of that house. That was enough to keep me from persuading him further but not Rick. That man had a bad habit of taking whatever he wanted. A week later the old guy got stabbed in an attempted robbery in his house. Some valuables were also missing from the house that proved that it was just for money. A day after his death, Rick calls and tells me that the house was now ours. When I asked further, he invited me to his mansion and showed me the papers. They were signed by the deceased old man just like we wanted. I examined the papers because the situation just smelled fishy to me. The sign looked rushed and there were smudge marks on the ink. I instinctively flipped the page to see if there was something on the other side and caught a dried drop of blood on the back. Rick immediately snatched the paper from my hands and tried to change subject. It didn’t sit right with me and I gave up my share. Rick didn't mind at all”, Mike continued. Aaron and Sophie listened intently about the man who was out for their blood. “A week later, they found the stolen valuables in a drain nearby”, Mike concluded.

“But what does he want with you?”, Mike asked Aaron. Aaron didn't know where to start. He decided to keep it brief and to the point.

“Long story, short, I am a werewolf, he is a vampire and I killed his son”, Aaron briefly summed it up for Mike. Mike stared at him for a while, waiting for the punchline. It never came. Then he looked to his daughter for some help. She nodded.

“I saw it for myself dad”, she softly said. Mike closed his eyes and exhaled.

“So, can you show me?”, Mike asked Aaron. Aaron expected that question but he had more strongly expected an insult.

“I can't turn on command yet. I can only turn during full moons but I can’t control myself during those transformations”, Aaron explained. Mike tried his best to process it. “Sophie also witnessed my other form on a full moon”, he added.

“What’s the plan?”, Mike asked. Aaron and Sophie were amazed that he had believed them so easily. Sophie’s vote was enough for Mike to believe anything and the way Mike had known Hudson, he wouldn’t have been surprised if the man had turned out to be the devil himself.