#15 - Mistaken Identity "What do you mean I cannot go down there?" Isabel's voice rose in anger and frustration. "It's been almost five days and I must get into my home." She glared at the police officers that were keeping the main centre of the Rialto cordoned off from the survivors of the city's demise. "Time is precious and you are squandering it."
"It is not safe," the weary man replied, again. "I know how you all must feel, but it is just not safe for you to return at the moment."
"I don't care!" Her voice rose further in agitation. Looking out over the lagoon, there were no welcoming lights, but Isabel hardly cared about that. Her vision in the night was still better than any mortal could hope for and she had planned to take full advantage of this.
"None of you care," the officer exploded, gesturing to the gathered families that were watching the stabilisation project from the hotel balcony. "That's the trouble, and you should be glad that we care about your safety."
"You only care about the paperwork that you'd need to fill out," someone jeered from the crowd.
Isabel rubbed her forehead as the crowd laughed. "Who must I call to get any sort of useful information?" she demanded. "I'll also ask after the one I will sue for damages. There are valuable papers I need to retrieve."
The crowd behind her made noises of agreement, further agitating the police officers. "We have your contact information," the spokesman said, "and as soon as it is safe for you to return, you will be contacted."
Giving a grunt of disgust and annoyance, Isabel turned from the scene and walked back into the shadows of the hotel. "Bastardi," she spat out the word, "None of them know anything and none of them will admit it. I will be glad when I find out what is happening here."
"So will I," a voice said behind her.
"What?" Isabel turned to see the man speaking to her. Her eyes remained cool seeing him, and she hoped that she'd not betrayed her emotions. "I'm afraid you're mistaken."
"Mistaken? No, Isabel, I don't think that I am," Yuri answered her. Reaching out, he took her arm and walked with her to the lift. "What the hell is going on?"
"I don't know what you mean," she said trying to pull her arm free. "I think that you have me confused with someone else."
Yuri put his head back and laughed. "Nice try, Isabel," he said. "Now, why don't you tell me what's going on? I think that I deserve that much." Looking up at the uniformed man that was watching them, Yuri smiled and gave a friendly wave. "Lover's tiff," he laughed while he lied, "I forgot our anniversary."
Isabel glowered at him and frowned when the policeman laughed and turned away. "Things are different, and you are mistaken if you think that I am who you knew. Let go of me."
"Get in the elevator first," he answered. "I know things are different, and I want to know what the hell is going on. I don't like being double crossed, Isabel."
"Double crossed? I told you, Yuri, to stop taking the cocaine. It will kill you," she dismissed him with a shake of her head.
"Which is your floor?" he ignored her accusations that he'd been indulging in coke again.
"You tell me," Isabel replied coldly.
Yuri punched in the number five and smirked at Isabel. "Think I wouldn't know?"
Isabel frowned as the number lit up on the lift panel. "No one said you were not clever at discovering common knowledge. What do you want from me, Yuri?"
"Clever?" his eyes went wide in disbelief. "Clever? Is that what you call shipping arms into the depths of Kenya and Zimbabwe? Clever, Isabel? FUCK! It was damn clever getting out of there without a bullet in my back after your people disintegrated into dust before my fucking eyes and I lost all of the extra strength I'd gained from you."
"What the hell happened?" he hissed into her ear.
"I don't know," Isabel answered honestly. Who could say why the ancients had decided to awaken and end the existence of Caine. That was God's business, and she was content to let God take care of the details. "You might wish to let go of me, lover," she said with false sweetness as the lift doors opened and an older couple looked into the car.
"Evening," Isabel said cheerily as she exited the lift. A grimace crossed her face as Yuri grabbed her arm again once they were alone in the corridor. "Are you going to open the door or shall I?" An amused look crossed her face seeing him fume and Isabel took out her room card to unlock the door. "I suppose that I shall, then."
"You seem to think this is a game, Isabel," his words were underscored by the door closing.
Isabel raised her hand and slapped him, "How dare you stand there and accuse me of playing games. I told you that you were mistaken in who you think I am and instead of allowing me the time to explain, you come in with heavy handed tactics. What are you trying to do, goad into into anger hoping that I'll stop pretending that life's changed?" Grabbing his hand, she put it on her chest. "Here. If this doesn't convince you, then nothing else will."
"Fuck," he said in surprise, "your heart. It's beating."
"Yes," she said watching his eyes widen, "the only thing you will have if you taste my blood now is a fetish."
"Fuck," he swore again. "So, I guess that explains my loss, but it doesn't explain why you acted as if you didn't know me in the lobby."
Isabel looked at him and shook her head. "You've seen the chaos that is out there. I was supposed to smile and say that I was sorry you were upset that your supernatural abilities were lost while shipping arms to rebel government factions, and that, by-the-by, I'm not a vampire any longer? Yes, that would have gone over well with the police presence here."
"Very well, indeed," she sighed in resignation and went to sit down on the bed. "I have things I need from the loggia before I can go to Boston next week and am not allowed into my home. In addition to that, I have to get used to being alive again. Jesus, I have been undead longer than I've been alive. That is doing nothing for my sense of self."
Yuri sat down next to Isabel. "Cigarette?" he offered. "Fortunately for you, I've got some good practice in being alive without any supernatural advantages. You don't have to adjust to this alone," he held out a lit cigarette for her. "If that's what you want."
Isabel took a deep drag and nodded her thanks. "Heh, well, not everything is lost. Only the Curse of Caine failed, thankfully necromancy is still viable, even if I need to work harder at it." Isabel snapped out of her thoughts. "Are you offering to continue our business association? Giovanni plans in Africa are moot now that there aren't any rival clans that we need eliminated."
"The profits are good, and it hasn't been so long that I don't remember how to avoid trouble without the added benefits of your blood, sorry," he gave her an apologetic look. "Besides, the perks are nothing to sneeze at."
Isabel looked at him and raised a brow. "What perks?"
"The same perks as usual," he smiled putting the cigarettes into an ashtray. "Although," he said leaning into kiss her neck, "any association with me could be hazardous to your health."
"I think you are mistaken," Isabel smiled at his reference to the words he'd first spoken to her when she had met him, "any association with me could be hazardous to your health."
Yuri smiled once before leaning in to kiss Isabel deeply on the mouth. "That's a risk I'm willing to take," he said and unzipped her dress.
after Gehenna // warnings: TV-14 for language // 1361 words