Dark Guardian Found

by I. T. Lucas

  “Just that one. It takes a lot of practice, and I hate wasting perfectly good cups of cappuccino.”

  Tessa took a sip. “It is good. I think it’s the best I had so far. Though I have to admit that the only other cappuccinos I had were from Starbucks. Not exactly gourmet.”

  Jackson pretended horror. “Don’t even mention that name in here. It’s blasphemy. Compared to ours theirs is no better than mud.”

  Gordon face lit up when he saw whose order he was delivering. “Hi, Tessa. Where is the rest of your gang?” He placed the sandwich in front of her on the counter.

  “It’s just me today. Everyone is out, doing their own thing.”

  “If I would’ve known it was you, I would’ve made the sandwich extra special and super-sized. Especially since it’s the last of the day.”

  She chuckled. “Are you kidding me? This is huge.” She lifted the plate. “I’ll eat half and take the other one to go.”

  “First take a bite and then we’ll talk. You’ll be asking for seconds.” He turned to Jackson. “Did you put up the Closed sign?”

  “Fuck. I forgot.” He straightened his arms and pushed up from the counter he’d been leaning on to get closer to Tessa.

  Gordon stopped him. “I’ll do it, and then I’ll start clearing tables so people will get the clue it’s time to go. Not you, Tessa. You can stay.”

  “Thanks,” she mumbled with a full mouth.

  As the last of the customers had said their goodbyes, Tessa was done with about a quarter of her sandwich. The girl had the appetite of a sparrow.

  “What’s the matter? You don’t like it?” Gordon put his hands on his hips and glared at her.

  Tessa wiped her mouth with a napkin. “It’s delicious, but I can’t eat that much.”

  Jackson grabbed her plate. “Come on, let’s move to a booth. I’ll make you a new cappuccino.”

  She followed him to the front booth. “I don’t want to keep you guys after closing. You probably want to go home.”

  “We are home,” Gordon said and pointed a finger at the ceiling. “We live upstairs.”

  “That’s cool. Eva and Sharon and Nick and I live in the same house the office is in too. But we don’t have any clients coming in. It’s all done online.”

  “Sweet,” Gordon said. “And there is no kitchen to clean, so it’s even better. Which reminds me that I need to go help Vlad finish up in there.”

  “Thanks,” Jackson whispered as Gordon passed him by.

  “You’re welcome.” Gordon winked.

  A cappuccino cup in each hand, Jackson sat across from Tessa. The poor girl was struggling to put a dent in what was on her plate and looking like she was choking on every bite. “You don’t have to finish. Gordon will get over it.”

  She looked at the little that was left from the half she’d been working on and dropped it on the plate. “Okay. I’m done.”

  “I’ll bring you a box to go.” Jackson got up, grabbed a box from under the counter, and was back in seconds.

  Tessa put everything that was left on her plate into the box, including the untouched potato salad. “This will be my lunch tomorrow.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

  “It’s on the house.” Jackson covered her hand with his to stop her from opening the wallet. “And tomorrow’s lunch too. This one will be soggy by then.”

  Her expression was hard to read but he sensed that he’d annoyed her. Tessa pulled her hands from under his and took out a twenty from her wallet. “I think this covers it.”

  Jackson ignored the twenty. “Did I offend you? You look pissed.”

  For a long moment she didn’t respond, pretending to focus on finding the right place for her wallet inside her purse. But Jackson wasn’t going to let Tessa hide. He was still staring at her as she lifted her head, and she had no choice but to respond.

  “You didn’t offend me. I just don’t like anyone paying for me.”

  “I’m not paying for you. I’m just not taking your money.”

  “You know what I mean. It’s the same thing. People do things like that and then expect something in return.”

  “You mean men.”

  She nodded.

  Jackson smirked. “You have no idea how happy I am that you think of me as a man.”

  “You are a man.”

  “Thank you.” He dipped his head.

  Eventually, his teasing pulled a smile out of her. “You’re so cocky and such a flirt, Jackson, it’s easy to forget you’re only eighteen.”

  False modesty wasn’t his thing, and Jackson wanted Tessa to know how different he was from other guys his age, mortal and immortal alike. His different genes had nothing to do with what was between his ears. “I also run a successful café and manage a band. Age is irrelevant. It’s what you do and how you do it.”

  She sighed. “True. But in my case, I’m both a kid and an ancient. I kind of jumped over the entire middle, and I’m straddling the ravine.”

  As a bitter scent of sadness reached his nostrils, Jackson wanted to ask Tessa what she’d meant by that, but he was interrupted by Gordon and Vlad who chose that moment to leave the kitchen and join Tessa and him in the booth. “Everything is done, and we are heading out. You guys want to come?”

  “Where to?” Tessa asked.

  “A new metal band is playing tonight at the club. I heard they are good,” Vlad said.

  Tessa waved a hand. “Ugh, I can’t stand metal.” She pushed up and grabbed her purse. “You guys have fun. I’m going home.”

  Jackson wasn’t going to let her flee. “I’m not going. Can you stay a little longer and keep me company until the cleaning crew arrives? I need to show them the oven. The bastards didn’t clean it in I don’t know how long.”

  Gordon lifted a brow at Jackson’s lie, but he wasn’t stupid enough to say anything. “That’s right. I forgot about the oven. Come on, Vlad, let’s go.” He slid out of the booth. “See you guys later.”

  Tessa sat back down, but kept her purse in her lap, ready to make her escape.

  “Thank you for staying. Can I make you something to drink?”

  She shook her head. “With two cups of cappuccino in me, I’ll probably stay awake until God knows when. Maybe a cup of water, or herbal tea.”

  “Coming right up.”

  As he reached the counter, Jackson heard her murmur under her breath, “It’s not as if I’m looking forward to sleeping.”

  An uncomfortable sensation settled in Jackson’s gut as he started to put together the little snippets Tessa had let loose. Something had happened to her. Something bad. She’d talked about missing childhood, and she obviously had nightmares—the only reason for her to prefer staying awake at night.

  Whatever it was, Jackson wanted to fix it. For some reason, he felt more protective of Tessa than he’d felt of other girls. As a big guy who was stronger than any human, he’d always felt like it was his job to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves, especially girls, but the need was even stronger with Tessa.

  Was it because he was attracted to her? But then he’d been attracted to plenty of other women. In fact, Tessa wasn’t even his type. Most guys would’ve said that she was pretty but far from sexy, and yet he felt an inexplicable pull toward her. Was he suffering from the knight-in-shining-armor syndrome?

  Did he want to save Tessa?”

  The answer was yes. More than that. He felt it was his duty—independent of his chances of ever getting Tessa to trust him and let him get closer. The girl seemed asexual. Which made him think that whatever had happened to her had to do with sex. After all, he was the son of a therapist and not totally clueless about things like that.

  Had she been abused as a child? Jackson needed to find out and do away with whoever had hurt her. Or at least beat the perv into a pulp. He wasn’t sure he was capable of actually killing someone, even a vile, worthless piece of shit who’d abused a child, but castrating the bastard was a different
story.

  Jackson wondered if he lacked the killer instinct because he’d grown up sheltered and loved. He was aggressive, sure, like all immortal males, but he wasn’t a killer.

  When they were younger, Gordon had dreamed of becoming a Guardian. Not Jackson, though. He wasn’t a coward and if ever the clan needed him to step up he would, but if he could help it; the only killing Jackson wanted to do was on the stock market.

  One day he would make it big in the business world.

  Chapter 33: Bhathian

  With a frown, Eva glanced around, taking in the opulent decor of By Invitation Only. “This is some fancy place. Are you sure I’m dressed for it? Elegant just doesn’t seem to cut it here.”

  Bhathian felt like a penguin and probably looked like one too, even though the suit he was wearing wasn’t a tux. It had been custom made for him for Syssi and Kian’s wedding, and the torturous garment had been uncomfortable from day one when it had supposedly fit him perfectly. How did men move in those things? He must’ve gained muscle over the past year because the seams holding the jacket together were about to give up.

  Fucking hell.

  As they followed the hostess to their table, Bhathian was stuck doing the penguin walk instead of wrapping his arm around the most stunning woman in the room. Hell, he couldn’t even bend down to whisper in her ear. Fortunately, he didn’t need to. Eva could hear his whisper even from the other side of the room. “You’re the most beautiful woman here, and everybody is looking at you. Do you really think it matters what you have on? Besides, I may not be a big expert on fashion, but I love this dress. In fact, I don’t want you to wear it in public ever again.”

  Eva cast him an indulgent glance and ignored his comment. “When was the last time you wore that jacket? At your bar mitzvah?

  Very funny. Though it did feel like something he’d worn at thirteen.

  “Kian and Syssi’s wedding.”

  She gave him another look over. “You must’ve been working out a lot since.”

  “You have no idea.”

  The hostess brought them to the private enclave he’d requested, and pulled out a chair for Eva. Their table occupied the most private spot in the restaurant, the one clan members with memberships requested the most. No one could see inside or overhear a conversation as long as voices were kept low. It was perfect for the intimate dinner he had in mind.

  Bhathian took off his suit jacket, stifling a relieved breath as he hung it on the back of his chair. The freedom of movement only whetted his appetite for more. Loosening the tie, he took it off and stuffed it in the jacket’s pocket. Next were the gold cufflinks. He took them out, slipped them inside the same pocket, and rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt up.

  What were they going to do to him? Throw the owner’s cousin out? Not likely. Not after Bhathian paid the bloody membership fee just so that he could take Eva there tonight. It had started with the brilliant idea that he should work on getting their small family closer by taking his mate and his daughter and her husband to nice places. Bhathian wasn’t one to procrastinate. From idea to execution hadn’t taken more than one phone call and a credit card. Though this time he should’ve. With what Gerard charged members, he could’ve bought the entire restaurant.

  Bhathian had never thrown away so much money on something so frivolous. But what was done was done, and if he paid for the fucking membership, he should at least be able to enjoy it.

  But when the hostess turned to him, her eyes were far from critical. She was looking him up and down and up again as if she were in a trance.

  Bhathian wanted to snap his fingers and wake her up from whatever daydream she was having when he heard Eva clear her throat. “Darlene, could you be a doll and bring us something to drink?”

  A professional, Darlene plastered an amiable expression on her face and turned to Eva. “Certainly. What would you like?”

  “A Moscow Mule. And you, darling?” Eva’s smile was all sugar, but hey, he wasn’t complaining, she’d called him darling.

  Bhathian waved a hand and sat down. “Snake’s Venom.” Very few places carried the brand, but Gerard should have it. No other beer could give an immortal a buzz.

  “Well, that was embarrassing. For her,” Eva said as soon as Darlene was out of earshot. “You are probably used to it.”

  Bhathian shrugged. “Not really. My bushy brows and permanent scowl scare most people off. I don’t look friendly.”

  She frowned. “That’s not true. You don’t scowl that much.”

  “Not at you, and not at Nathalie, but everyone else gets the ogre look.” He pointed at his face.

  Eva laughed. “You’re not scary at all.”

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  Their drinks were brought by a waiter, not Darlene.

  “Thank you,” Eva said.

  Bhathian palmed the beer before the guy had a chance to pour it into a glass. “That will be all.” He shooed the waiter away.

  “Now I see what you mean about the angry scowl. You were so grouchy to him. Why?”

  Bhathian finished a long gulp and put the bottle down. “I like doing things my way, and I don’t care what some snooty waiter thinks is the proper way to drink beer.”

  Eva raised her glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

  When the food was all eaten, and a flurry of waiters had cleared the table, Bhathian ordered coffee instead of another beer and so did Eva. They hadn’t talked much during dinner and now that it was over Bhathian was searching for a topic to start a conversation. Would Eva care to hear about his job?

  He should ask her about hers. Then she’d do all the talking, and he could relax. “Any interesting cases you’re working on?”

  A shadow passed over her eyes, but she was quick about banishing it. If Bhathian weren’t so focused on every nuance in her expression, he would’ve missed it. “I’m working on getting more jobs locally. I want to be here for Nathalie when the baby comes.”

  “I’m sure she’d appreciate it. She misses you, by the way. You didn’t come visit for the past week.”

  “I’ve been so incredibly busy. It’s not easy moving a business to a new location. So many things needed to be done. But we spoke on the phone.” Eva chuckled. “Every time I asked her about you, she said you were in the gym. How many hours a day do you train?”

  That was a nice surprise. Nathalie hadn’t told him that Eva asked about him. “I teach several self-defense classes and train two groups of wannabe Guardians. My own workouts don’t take more than a couple of hours a day.”

  “That’s a lot. Do the other Guardians train as hard? The ones that I met were not as muscular as you.”

  He shook his head.

  “Why do you do it? Is it for looks? I’m just curious.”

  Eva’s bluntness was aggravating but also refreshing. Although he didn’t want to expose what motivated him to push himself so hard, Bhathian liked that she was direct and didn’t beat around the bush. Besides, by forcing him to talk about himself, Eva was opening the way for him to do the same to her.

  Bhathian shifted in his seat and opened another button at the top of his dress shirt. The food and the beer and Eva’s questions had made him sweat. Or maybe it was the prospect of answering her truthfully. He’d already told her how losing her had affected him, and her response hadn’t been encouraging.

  “Ever since I hit puberty, I had this simmering disquiet in my gut. It went away only during training, and the harder I worked, the more I exerted myself, the longer the reprieve lasted. It got worse after I lost you the first time. I had to train even harder, and after I lost your trail in Brazil, I pushed myself to the limit. And still it wasn’t enough.”

  “Why? Was it the guilt?”

  “Maybe. Or maybe I’m just a grouch.” He’d already said enough. The first time he’d hinted at his feelings for her, she’d retreated into her shell like a scared turtle. Telling her the real reason again would send her running faster than a bomb exploding in the rest
aurant.

  Chapter 34: Tessa

  “I’m taking my new car out for a spin,” Nick said as he headed for the door.

  “When are you coming back?” Tessa asked. With Eva gone on a dinner date with Bhathian, Nathalie’s cousin, and Sharon out shopping, Tessa and Nick were the only ones left at the house, and now he was leaving too.

  Tessa didn’t like being left alone in the new place. Frankly, she didn’t like being alone anywhere. But admitting that she was scared would’ve embarrassed her.

  “I don’t know. A couple of hours. Maybe more. Why? Do you want me to stay home with you?”

  Yes.

  “No, of course not. Go, have fun.”

  Relieved, Nick didn’t ask again. He was out the door before she had a chance to change her mind.

  Tessa sighed as the door banged shut behind him.

  They had spent the morning shopping for cars, and all four ended up getting identical Priuses, just in different colors. It had been a no-brainer. The lease was reasonable, and they’d gotten a discount for getting a mini-fleet. In addition, given how big Los Angeles was, the Priuses’ incredibly low fuel consumption meant big savings.

  Eva was financing everything, including the new fleet, and as the one in charge of accounting, Tessa had warned Nick and Sharon to choose something inexpensive. After the huge splurge on the house in Venice, there wasn’t much budget left over for transportation.

  Her boss was good at many things, but handling money wasn’t one of them. Eva’s philosophy was that she could always take on another job to pay for the extra spending.

  Not as long as Tessa had a say in it.

  Eva was already working long hours and taking on odd jobs she wasn’t telling the crew about. God only knew what those were about.

  They must’ve been pro bono because those jobs weren’t bringing in any money. Unless Eva had a bank account Tessa wasn’t aware of.

  Why keep it a secret, though?

  Tessa shrugged. Eva was like a vault. As much as their boss loved the three of them, showering them with affection as well as material things, she didn’t share much of herself. Probably came with the territory of being a detective.