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Nicholas is worried, no doubt about it, and he finds he can't return to sleep after she has left, though he tries. He stares at the ceiling listening to Constance's even breathing. Wondering what reason for the late visit, the change of schedule, trying to trust Lucille as Mason would, for the sake of his family, but unable to, lying there, speculation and memory tangling together, conditioning for which the memory has been erased, working on a deeper level yet.
Mason gets up, gets dressed, sleepy, but happy at the thought of showing off her successful efforts to her employer. Normally going out this late she would take Brutis but she can't bring him to a meeting with Lucille. Down the stairs and she meets Lucille at her car, riding as Lucille drives her to the shelter. Mason tells the Ventrue all about the latest improvements in the finances backing the shelters, so that she will be prepared for the substantial ones she will be seeing shortly.
They arrive, and Lucille seems very pleased. Walking through the public areas and the offices, Mason takes the opportunity to show off many of her updates and renovations. Though most are asleep, Mason tells Lucille of the few who remain up and about, demonstrating a little of her understanding of her charges. She does actually know most of their names, faces, and at least a bit of the stories. She has a remarkable memory for people she feels she is taking care of.
As they head out again, Lucille invites Mason to a boutique. The owner is a particular friend of a friend and Lucille has asked her to open specially for them to pick out maternity clothes for Mason. Mason protests that she won't be needing them for a while but what is six months to an elder vampire? Not much time. She assents, quite pleased at yet another sign of her employer's regard, despite her protests, and they head to the car. Once inside they are ambushed by a pair of anarchs assisted by the speed and strength of powerful Brujah.
A bag is clapped over Lucille's head making most of the powers of her charm and mind control temporarily unavailable. Lucille mentally summons Victoria, while the handsome Brujah Geeves claps a hand fast over Mason's mouth, preventing her from screaming an alarm. The anarchs threaten Mason, and Lucille protests that Mason is an innocent party and should be let go. The tattooed anarch Roderick responds by thrusting a stake into Lucille's heart, which takes him quite a while even with his vast supernatural strength - as an elder she is very strong, her flesh as tough as stone. Finally he manages and she goes inert and immobile, the stake's penetrance preventing any use of power or speech or even volitional motion. She lies as though dead, though Mason knows she is not, just suspended unnaturally.
Mason feels very ill, horribly frightened, which is made both better and worse by the taunts of the handsome anarch. He makes outrageously colorful threats to skin her alive, paint pictures with her blood, and so on, threats she finds too baroque to be credible. Still she does not know what they intend, and fears more for Lucille than for herself. She also worries about Nick and Constance, but there is nothing she can do. She clings to her purse rather hoping futilely that she will be able to call for help.
Lucille and Mason are locked in a room in the warehouse with one vampire inside to guard them. Mason thinks this is risky, she watches constantly for an opening to pull the stake from Lucille's heart. The first watcher, Roderick, is stolid but does nothing offensive; Mason feels almost sorry for vomiting on his watch. She feels even worse when he leaves, replaced by a stranger and more malevolent watcher, who gazes into Lucille's eyes and then Lucille begins to thrash, and cry blood tears. Mason wipes them gently from her employer's eyes with her sleeves, her heart twisted in fear and love. There is no chance yet for pulling out the stake, and Lucille seems to have gone into some kind of state from which, if Mason awakes her now, she might not even be able to react immediately to handle the anarchs anyway. So Mason waits, fearful, patient, anxious, to see what will happen next...