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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 2803403" data-attributes="member: 63">Halloween9:20 pmThe taxi stops outside the gate of the Boudreaux mansion, and the driver says something in French to Robert as he heads off. It's a fairly long walk up the driveway to the mansion door. When he gets there he spots a strange, white-haired black man in a leather jacket (who looks something like Reginald VelJohnson, the cop who helped out Bruce Willis in Die Hard). The man is involved in some sort of argument with the guards of the party, something involving a motorcycle. Robert puts on a face of appropriate amused disdain for such a plebian dilemma, and with a simple laugh and smile to one of the guards, he manages to walk into the party without even being questioned.Robert spends some time at the coat check flirting with the woman in charge and trying to gather some information about the party, then catches a glimpse of costumed John, Scarpedin, and Nathan running out the front door toward Nathan’s car. Wondering what’s up, Robert heads onto the main dance floor and spots Mr. Lee and Belladonna standing on a double staircase at the far end of the room. Beyond them is a set of double doors, surrounded by four alert guards in white suits, as well as a few other men who look like they feel they’re important.Robert heads in the direction, trying to keep his face hidden. Eventually Mr. Lee heads inside the room at the top of the stairs, and Belladonna comes down, apparently to dance more, though her expression is troubled. Robert is about to go up to her and call out when gun shots snap from outside the tall windowsThen a moment later there is a small explosion, and people begin to shout and scream. Almost immediately, Robert spots through the window Nathan and company piling into the BMW.“Belladonna!” Robert calls out. “What the hell’s going on?”She spins at her name, then does a double-take. Before she can say anything, guards around the room start shouting orders, telling people to evacuate the dance hall with its dangerous windows, and to head deeper into the mansion where it’s safer. As Robert expected, though, men wave for Belladonna to come up the stairs to the heavily-guarded room. Robert follows.“I didn’t invite you,” Belladonna whispers as they ascend the stairs.“Your father was nicer than you,” Robert says, still keeping on his mask of fear. “I should’ve listened to you.”He sees that Mr. Lee and most of his guards have already adjourned into the room at the top of the stairs, and the guards nod for the two of them to head in. Just before they go through the doors, Belladonna sighs.“Well, we should be alright as long as Terry’s not here.”They step inside the room, some sort of board room crossed with a den. A long table sits in front of a fireplace, and massive leather-cushioned chairs surround it. The room is full of white guards in white suits, so Mr. Lee’s dark pirate costume stands out sharply. A few other elderly gentlemen in lavish Halloween costumes cower in the chairs, but the focus of Mr. Lee’s attention is on a pair of men standing near him, their backs facing Robert as they hold some sort of quiet discussion.Then they turn. The first man is an old, distinguished black man who is holding a chicken skull in one hand. The other, Robert realizes, is Terry.“Oh, hey guys,” Terry says hesitantly. “Sorry I split, Robert.”Mr. Lee finally notices Robert. He looks from his daughter to Terry and back to Belladonna. “What’s going on here? This man should not have been let into the room.”“Dada,” Belladonna says, “what’s going on? Where’s Uncle?”“We have it under control,” Mr. Lee says, his tone impatient. “Maurice and I just spoke a moment ago. His men had spotted a suspicious character, and he went to check it out. Maurice, at least, is safe. But why is Mr. Black here?”“‘Assassin,’” Robert says, “was probably a little boastful, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Lee? Looks like somebody got the drop on you. I mean,” he laughs, “I was able to get in here. Your inbred Uncle has as good taste in security guards as you do in body guards.”“Watch your tongue,” Mr. Lee snaps. “You’re in my brother-in-law’s house. Now Donna-Belle, step away from him.”“Dada,” Belladonna says, moving to her father, “Do you think we should leave?”“I do,” Terry says. He smiles with charming embarrassment. “Or, well, I want to at least. But your father brought me here, and I trust him. After he heard your story, Belladonna, he tracked me down and promised he’d look out for me tonight.”Terry’s tone is not completely convincing, and the way he keeps shifting his eyes in Robert’s direction tells him something bad is up, more than he had expected.“You are welcome to stay,” Mr. Lee says. “But Mr. Black. . . .”A pair of guards start to reach for his arms.“Whoa,” Robert says, raising his hands to calm them down.Four guards point guns at him. Robert freezes.Belladonna gasps. Terry backs away slightly, but the strange elderly black man grabs onto his wrist to hold him in place.“Okay,” Robert says. He gulps. “‘Whoa’ again. Can we calm down here? Is does us no good to point guns at each other, does it?”Mr. Lee scowls. “You have been hostile to me, offensive to my daughter, and capriciously uncaring for Mr. Abrams’ safety.”It takes Robert a moment to realize he’s talking about Terry. He smiles casually to Terry, but Terry looks nervous.“Look,” Robert says, “Terry, are you sure you feel comfortable here? We should go link up with that Balthazaar guy.”Terry gulps. Robert can tell Mr. Lee has had a chance to talk to Terry, to deceive him. Terry looks worried and confused, which is how Robert usually tries to make his enemies feel. He realizes, though, that he doesn’t know how to actually fix the confusion. He’s never had to before, but he can’t help but feeling leaving the only man able to go to Gaia in the hands of Adrien Lee would be a mistake.Part of him, though, doesn’t care. That part of him realizes this whole situation is risking his ability to keep his record clean, and that the smart thing to do is leave.Belladonna steps into the middle of the group, shaking her head at the tense expressions on the men’s faces. “Now boys.”Guns lower, but the tension is still high.Belladonna continues. “Terry, you know you’re safer here. Robert, I’ll be polite to you, since you did help protect me a bit. My father told me about your conversation, so I’ll just say, you sound like you got a bit of the wrong idea.”Robert has to bite his tongue. He can’t help but feel that Belladonna really doesn’t know what her father is up to, but he can’t risk saying anything here. He realizes a bit too late that he’s not good at keeping quiet, and he can already feel his control of the situation fading.Terry says, “Sorry Robert. I mean, thanks for watching out for me earlier, but, well, you don’t have bodyguards. I think I’ll stay here. You can stay too, though, right? That’s half the reason we came to New Orleans, right? To get others to protect us from the crazy sh*t going on?” He grins.Belladonna quietly ‘hmphs.’ “Actually, Terry, I think it’d be best if Robert were to leave.”“No.” The interruption comes from the elderly black man standing next to Adrien Lee, the man who looks like Nelson Mandela. His voice is thick with an almost African Louisianan accent. “He has a role to play here. He is touch by voodoo.”Mr. Lee glances at his personal voodoo bodyguard and nods cooly. “Yes, Mr. Black should stay. We wouldn’t want to deny the man . . . protection, at a time like this.”A confusing mess of looks are exchanged around the room, from Mr. Lee to and among his bodyguards. In the back of his mind, Robert hear’s the deep, disembodied voice of a woman with a cajun accent whisper, “Run, child. You in grave danger.”Suddenly the room feels like a mass of white pressing in around him. Robert can sense the tension, the energy of the guards, all poised to take him down if he makes a move. Across the room, separated by too many foes, Robert sees understanding dawn on Terry’s face. They are not meant to get out of this room alive. A hum seems to fill Robert’s ears, and he realizes he is holding his breath.“Well,” he nearly shouts. He is smiling and completely relaxed, in a dramatic shift of moods. “It’s very generous of you, Mr. Lee, but I’m afraid I have to follow the, ah, ‘lady’s’ wishes. Belladonna, Terry, I think it’s time we part ways here. I probably won’t ever see you two again. And Mr. Lee, . . . well, y’know.”Robert sees in Terry’s eyes betrayal. Robert doesn’t even flinch. He beams and turns confidently for the exit. He’s doing everything he can to project the complete certainty that he’s supposed to leave now, and though the guards look like they don’t completely buy it, he can tell they are confused, and even Mr. Lee looks uncertain how to handle it. It only takes him a few seconds to pull open the double doors and step outside.Robert hates turning his back on an enemy, especially twice in one night, but he knows when to run. Just before the door slams shut behind him, he hears Adrien Lee speak.“Well, now that he’s gone,” Mr. Lee says, “Belladonna, I have a question to ask you.”Robert descends the stairs to the dance floor. When he’s on the last step, a gunshot rings out behind him, muffled by the double doors of the meeting room. Robert hesitates for a moment, looking back up. The guards blocking the door are impassive. The building is eerily quiet, even though he can see chaos outside as guards scramble to lock down the mansion before the police arrive.Robert looks away from the doors and shrugs. He justifies it to himself as he heads out of the mansion, convincing himself he doesn’t care what the gunshot meant, or who it was for.Once he has managed to sneak off the mansion grounds, Robert pulls out his cel phone and calls Scarpedin. He gets the man’s voicemail, and waits for the beep.“Scarpedin,” Robert says. “You guys meet me at the margarita place across from the cemetery. We have things to talk about. Terry’s dead.” End of Sixth and Seventh SessionI wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy Halloween.</blockquote>

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