She looked tired again, and he didn't like it.
"Would you care to sit, Captain?"
She sat in the chair in front of his desk. “I'm worried Britt. Worried that I am the one who killed those women. After all, VNA doesn't lie."
"I think it does.” Simple statement. He meant every word.
"If I ever attack you, use the words on me, Britt."
"Not damned likely. They might kill you."
"I'd rather you kill me before I kill you."
He sighed, got up and walked around his desk. “You're being set up, Jess. I'd bet my life on it. And don't forget that vampire we've run into a couple of times. I'm willing to bet he's involved in this somehow."
"I haven't forgotten him. In fact, I think I know him. Or should I say knew him.” She shook her head and wouldn't make eye contact. “I don't know. Maybe I turned him into a vampire, too?"
"You didn't."
"Why do you always have so much faith in me?"
He looked into her eyes. “You know why."
"You're too trusting. It'll get you killed."
"Not by you, it won't. And, Jess, you may have recruited me into this job, but you didn't force me to stay. I want this. If I die, I die doing a job I want to do. We make a difference."
"What about that vampire threatening you? He'll come after you. I want to stay with you and protect you,” she said.
Britt allowed a quick grin. “That sounds like a familiar scenario. You might have to sneak a GPS tracking device into me in order to do that."
"Stop joking. This is serious."
Since she was still seated in the chair, he crouched in front of her but didn't touch her. “I know it is, Jess. I'm not making light of the seriousness of this situation. And, believe me, I realize I'm at a disadvantage with this guy. But if I can't fight him, what good am I to the team? If it's not him, then some other vampire will come along who's just as tough. This is a battle I have to win if I'm going to be capable of doing this job."
She lowered her head. “I don't want to lose you."
His heart soared. “And, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you don't. But don't take this fight away from me, Jess. If you think I can't cut it, then I'll have to quit. I can't be part of the team if I can't carry my own weight."
She didn't answer.
"Either you trust me, or you don't,” he said, tipping her chin up so she'd have to face him.
Their eyes met and held. “I trust you. And I know you're strong enough and smart enough to find ways to combat this vampire. But, Britt, even I was afraid when I was chasing him and he stopped and looked at me.” Her fingers kneaded together. “That's why I phoned, James, Britt. He scared me."
"Okay, we both admit he's stronger than anyone we've come across, and since we know that, we can come up with ways to combat him. One way for me is using the ancient text, if I have to."
Jess breathed in deeply then looked at the cross on Britt's neck. The cross she'd given him. “I can smell him right now."
Britt saw where she was looking. “Yeah.” He lifted the cross and looked at it. “It burned him, and he dropped it."
She leaned in and sniffed again. “That scent is very familiar to me,” she said scrunching her forehead into worry lines. “I'm not sure, but it might be the vampire I smelled in Vaslov's place the other night."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?” Britt said dryly. “Okay, we need a plan. Vaslov wants to hire us, and I say we go back again. This time we don't leave until we find out exactly what he's up to. Tonight."
"I agree. At least that way we'll have the advantage of surprise."
"Just give me a minute to gather a few weapons, and I'll be ready,” Britt said, going to a cabinet and extracting several canisters of holy water and shoving them into the slots on his belt.
Jess visibly shivered at the sight of the water, and he, of all people, understood her reaction. He'd never forget that night outside the church when they fought Prometheus. Britt didn't know much about vampires back then, but he'd seen enough old movies to consider bringing Holy water along. Jess had been too close when he threw it at Prometheus, and he'd burned her so badly it took several painful days for her to recover fully. If there was any chance of splash-back on Jess tonight, he wouldn't use it. He'd never burn her again.
"Before we go, is there any way I can stop him from fogging my mind?” Britt asked.
Jess looked thoughtful. “I've never heard of a way."
"Wait a minute. I broke his concentration when I distracted him with this cross. If the time comes, maybe I can do it again."
Jess thought about how she'd taken over Britt's mind and he was none the wiser. She suspected that the only reason he'd managed to break away from the vampire's mind control was because the vampire was enjoying the battle and didn't want to fight a mindless automaton.
Her stomach twinged. “It won't work, Britt. It only worked the last time because he didn't want it to work."
"I'd better get used to the idea of using that cyanide next time, then, before he gains total control over me. Because no way am I going to let him turn me into a vampire."
Jess felt a growing sense of panic. If this vampire wanted Britt so badly, would she even be able to stop him? He seemed to have more abilities than her. At this point, it wouldn't be at all helpful to tell that to Britt.
* * * *
When the doorman buzzed, Drago jumped out of his seat. Relief washed over him. He'd been sitting here trying to figure out a way to get Jess here tonight.
Normally, she didn't show up without a lot of effort on his part. Even the Mayor was becoming suspicious about his requests and hadn't been as cooperative as he used to be. Drago didn't have time to mollycoddle the city's elite. Not with a job like this on the line. He had to provide Jess to his client tonight. He'd promised. It wasn't smart to irritate a vampire.
He heaved a sigh. But why was John Brittain still alive? Mannie was supposed to have gotten him out of the way. Mannie had never let him down before. His heart pounded several times and he sucked in a breath. The stress of possibly losing ten million dollars was obviously getting to him. He'd never been so affected by stress before.
Drago met them at his office door, and ushered them inside.
"It's so nice to see you here tonight. I take it you've decided to work for me?"
"Yes,” Jess said. “Assuming your offer is lucrative enough, we won't pass up.” She tipped her head and eyed him.
"I guarantee it'll be well worth your while,” Drago said.
"What is it you want us to do?” Britt asked.
Vaslov ignored his question. “Did you see my assistant, Mannie, when you came in?"
Jess and Britt exchanged glances. “I'm afraid I have no idea who Mannie is,” Jess said.
Drago frowned. “You've never met him when you've been in the club?"
She made a quizzical face. “No. Why? Should I have?"
"It's just that he always greets my guests before they see me. He's sort of my front line man."
"I've been here several times, and I've never met Mannie,” Jess said.
Now that Drago thought about it, Mannie was always on break when they were here. Strange didn't begin to cover that. He pressed the button on his headphone. “Mannie, get your ass in here.” No response. Vaslov went to the door and hollered to one of his employees. “Where's Mannie?"
"He left a couple of hours ago, boss,” the employee said.
Jess put her hands on her hips. “Mr. Vaslov, if you have something more pressing to attend to we can come back another time."
"No! Tonight's the night. I must do this tonight.” Irritation welled up and he had to quash it before they got suspicious. As it was, his face felt hot and a there was a fine sheen of moisture across his forehead. If she hadn't come to him tonight, he'd planned on going after her. His client had been adamant. He got her tonight or no money.
"Okay,” she said.
Brittain didn't look a
s accommodating; his expression was thunderous.
God! How the hell was he going to do this without Mannie? He was the muscle.
Panic welled up Drago's throat and his hand went to his neck. He couldn't feel a thing in his hands. They felt lifeless, yet they were trembling. Jess noticed, too, so he lowered them instantly.
He'd never asked Carl, his doorman, to handle these kinds of issues, but it looked like he'd have to tonight. He'd have Mannie's head on a spit over this.
"Excuse me one moment,” Drago said.
He left the office and strode toward the towering brute named Carl. The guy was a monster, all muscles and brawn, and he packed a Glock under his arm.
"Carl, I need you to keep Lieutenant Brittain busy for a while. I've got some business with Captain Vandermire, and it can't happen as long and Brittain is there."
Carl looked surprised. “He's a cop, right?"
"Yes."
"He's not going to want to cooperate is he?"
Vaslov smiled at him. Carl had promise. Too bad Drago hadn't noticed that before. “No, he isn't. Will that be a problem?"
"Nope.” The big guy patted his armpit, and stretched his broad shoulders to the point of nearly splitting the seams on his jacket.
"Thank you. I'll make sure you're handsomely reimbursed for this Carl. And...” He patted the doorman's bicep, because he couldn't reach his shoulder. “...I think it's time you were promoted."
Carl winked. “I'm your man, boss."
"I'll send Brittain out to you. Keep him out of the way. Permanently, if you can handle it."
Drago returned to his office and tried to keep his outward demeanor unreadable. In reality, he felt as if he was about to implode inside.
* * * *
Even with her diminished vampiric abilities, Jess heard Vaslov's thundering heart. His face was pinched and moist, and he didn't seem to know what to do with his hands.
"Lieutenant Brittain, it seems my doorman has a phone call for you."
Britt frowned and moved toward Drago's desk to take the call on his phone. Jess knew as well as he did that there was no call. He wanted Britt out of the way.
Drago held up a hand to stop him. “Sorry, it's a different line. You'll have to take it at the doorman's desk."
Britt looked at Jess and she nodded. He rolled his eyes just for her and left the room. She stifled a grin. Even with her problems, she could handle a human without his help.
But the minute Britt left the room, Vaslov lowered his head and took a deep breath and she felt the room spin. What the hell?
She opened her mouth to scream for Britt when she started to black out. She heard Vaslov's blood pulsing in his veins, smelled the scent of his humanity. A coppery fragrance that all vampires recognized.
When she opened her eyes she was in the alley again.
"I'd hoped you'd come back."
She whirled toward the voice and saw the same face she'd seen in this alley before.
With wavering vision, she tried to focus on the waxy face. Her head felt hollow and light. He didn't approach her. Just watched her.
"Who are you?"
"Can't you feel me? I'm becoming more a part of you. In our thoughts and in our minds."
She took a step closer to him, but when she did she felt even dizzier, when she moved away the dizziness subsided.
She tried to sense if he was a vampire. Wait. He was in her head. She felt him. Vaslov?
"How have you managed to do this?” she asked.
"What do you mean? You shouldn't be this aware."
"You're in my mind. How and why?"
She couldn't see any facial movement, but the eyes narrowed behind the waxy mask. She knew she was right, and he wasn't happy that she'd figured out at least that part of it.
"I have something to offer you. Something you'll never experience in your life as a vampire.” He spread out his hands as if giving a liturgy. She watched him closely, making sure she stayed back because the closer she got to him, the dizzier she got.
"You're going to be very sorry you messed with me, Vaslov.” she told him
"He laughed. “No, I won't because you won't remember.” His voice began to fade away, and Jess felt as if she were falling through space. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and found herself still in Vaslov's office. She'd never really been in the alley.
Unaware she'd fallen, but flat on her back on the floor, she tried to focus. Her mind warred against whatever was trying to incapacitate her. She stared at the walls covered with leather and mirrors—lots of mirrors. She remembered telling Britt vampires couldn't see themselves in mirrors, and he'd actually believed her until she laughed. Was Vaslov naïve enough to think the same thing?
Suddenly, she realized Vaslov was gone. Why had he left her alone? What had happened to Britt? A faint heartbeat echoed through the mirrored wall. Was that him? Torn between finding Britt to make sure he was okay, and finding out who was behind the wall, she gambled that Britt could hold his own against that mountain of a doorman she'd seen earlier in the outer office.
Sluggishly, she got to her feet and stared at one section of mirror with joining lines that were a little wider than the rest. Could this be a door?
She pushed it. Nothing happened.
Staggering to the desk, she searched the drawers, then looked beneath the desk and found a button. When she pressed it the mirrored door swung open.
Odors from inside began to waft into the office, and she felt funny again. If she went inside would she risk total incapacitation?
At this point, she didn't have a choice. She had to find out what Drago was doing to her.
Hanging on to the door casing, she stumbled into a smaller room. Completely decorated in some sort of South American motif. An ancient clay pot sat in the middle of the room. She stood over it and peered inside. It was half full of something that looked like beeswax. Made sense the South Americans used beeswax in their daily lives, but why would Vaslov have it?
"I'm so glad you decided to accept my offer, Jess."
She knew that scent. She turned slowly to face familiar, cold eyes. How'd he get in this small room without her seeing him?
"We meet again,” she said to the vampire who'd been stalking her. “You gave me quite a run the other night before you destroyed our vehicle. Quite a parlor trick.” She still pressed her hand against the wall to hold her weight.
Britt might be in more danger than she'd previously expected.
How long had she been unconscious this time? Her heart rate elevated in a way a vampire's rarely does.
The massive, tattooed vampire grinned at her, his black eyes boring into hers and his long teeth a vicious reminder that he would be an impressive enemy.
What had this room, this urn, to do with anything? Why had Vaslov wanted her inside here so badly? “What is this about?"
He pointed long fingernails at the urn. “That, my dearest, is the key to illumination."
"Is it a drug?"
He laughed, his soulless eyes taking in every nuance of her body. “Not exactly. But it has the ability to open your mind to new things."
Jess widened her feet into a fighting stance. “Sounds like a drug to me.” She scanned the room and noticed Drago Vaslov slumped in the corner. He still had a faint heartbeat, but there were two puncture holes in his neck. He was dying.
"It's merely an herb mixed into the beeswax. Something that comes from the jungles of South America. Quite common really, but its special abilities have been forgotten over the centuries. Vaslov found it quite by accident."
Jess stared at the oversized monster with a dragon tattoo on his bald head. Why would he bother to tell her so much?
When he dipped two fingers into the wax, she felt a buzzing at the back of her brain. She tried to block out that scent. Bizarre, yet somehow familiar.
Was it the cologne that Vaslov wore?
"Why do I know you?” Jess asked.
He gave her a patronizing smile. “That's why we had to m
eet this way. You've been able to disconnect from me. When I found Vaslov's little niche market years ago, I realized, when the time was right, this paste could help reunite us once again—with or without your brother."
She put her hands on her hips, fear spreading throughout her chest. “What are you talking about?"
"Don't pretend you can't sense who I am. Even though you've been able to disassociate yourself from your own kind, you have to know deep down exactly who I am.” His face contorted, and his lips curled back to display his feral grin. “I've been leaving gifts for you. Hints so you could find me, so you could come to me without prejudice."
Jess frowned. “Gifts? What gifts?"
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “I paid homage to you in Central Park—several times."
Those dead women! “You're crazy.” Jess backed away. The truth of who he was threatened to choke her.
"I've been satisfying myself with women who have physical similarities to you while waiting for your brother to die. He kept us apart, kept your mind from letting me in,” He laughed. “I was willing to wait as long as you remained celibate. For me.” His eyes closed for a second and then flashed open. Anger burning behind his bloodshot orbs.
"If you were waiting for my brother to die, why are you here now?” Fear clotted inside her.
The vampire made an angry, throaty noise. “Why? Because you nearly broke your vow of chastity with a human. Worse, this human is planning on becoming your protector, taking over for your brother.” He reached one hand out, tried to touch her face, but she backed away as he continued, “He had the ability to keep you from becoming mine for another fifty years. I'm not willing to wait that long for you to become a full-blooded vampire with all the urges and carnal needs that come with it. I want you now, Jess. I can wait no longer."
She swallowed. “I'll never be yours. No matter what you do to me."
"Never say never. Vaslov was on to something. Too bad he was human and incapable of knowing the full potential of this paste.” The vampire closed his eyes, and she felt dizziness rising up like a tsunami inside her. She tried to fight it, but it was beyond her ability. Damn it! She needed Britt. Where was he?
Beyond the Grave Page 19