by Janice Jones
Jason looked at the pictures and books as he checked her expression from time to time.
When he sat back down, his long legs crossed toward hers. He threw an arm over the back of the couch as he tapped her foot with his playfully.
“When Coop told me who his contact was, I was just as surprised as you are now. But this is just a simple request really.”
“I’m not surprised Coop stooped to calling in the big guns to get me to listen to him. And I don’t do requests.”
“How about orders, do you do those?”
“Not from you,” she laughed.
He smiled and loosened his tie slightly. A look of nervousness passed over his face then he was back in control. Like something he hadn’t thought about just crossed his mind.
“You’re right,” he apologized. “But that may change soon.”
“Right,” she smiled, “In your dreams.”
“Fine, call it a business proposition then. I’d like to propose a joint venture of sorts. We can discuss it in Vegas, you know, on neutral ground.”
“What kind of business?”
“A young man was killed in Vegas last night,” Jason said, “I’m offering my assistance with finding the responsible party. Coop says you were interested in helping with the investigation.”
Alex smiled and shook her head. She eased forward on the chair, placed her elbows on her knees and sighed.
“Coop’s wrong,” she grinned. “As he so often is. I’m not getting involved in the investigation.”
Jason nodded and matched her posture. “He says you are,” he grinned, then waved her open mouth shut. “We can split hairs about it later.”
“If they’re on your head when I get to split them, I’m in.”
Jason laughed full and long as she stared at his hands. Although they were soft, she was sure he had used them for pleasure and pain many times during his existence.
“Don’t get yourself all excited,” he chuckled, “I may surprise you before this is all said and done.”
“There is nothing you can do that would ever surprise me,” Alex smiled. “But, I am curious why the death of a human would interest you.”
“Why wouldn’t it?” Jason purred. “If we’re being set up, we’d like to find out why.”
“Of course you would,” Alex replied as she tried to stand and get him out of her office. “But this has nothing to do with me. If you’d bothered to call first, I could have saved you a trip.”
He jerked her back down then slid his thumbs over the veins on the back of her hands. As he studied them, Alex could feel warmth crawl up her arms. He wanted her to relax so that he could connect to her mind more easily. His tone was almost hypnotic as he spoke.
“I’m sorry for showing up unannounced,” he replied. “We didn’t have the luxury of going through proper channels.”
Alex had forgotten how vampires could be, especially male ones. With healthy appetites for power, wealth, and sex, this man had a reputation that rivaled the most popular of athletes in the human world. And Jason’s exploits were both well-documented and publicized.
Alex knew the public persona as well as anyone else in the free world.
“It’s called a telephone,” she answered as she eased her hands free. “And I couldn’t care less about Coop’s problems right now. Why would I help them?”
_______________
Jason pulled her gently to her feet, then led the way to the windows.
“For their survival, of course,” he replied close to her ear. “Theirs and the rest of the human race.” He pointed to the crowded streets below. “If there’s a rogue element working its way back into human society, you’d want to bring it down as quickly as you could, wouldn’t you?” He brought up his smart phone, then tapped the screen with his thumb. Pictures of Alex and a young woman at the window of an apartment popped up, one after another. “And then there’s her.” He cleared his throat then put his lips to her other ear. “She’s pretty, but I didn’t get that vibe from you.”
“Maybe I’m bi.”
“How trendy,” Jason chuckled. “What happened to the basketball player, what’s his name?” Her scent tingled deep as it went from his nose straight to his brain. And her body chemistry changed in a matter of seconds. He couldn’t help but feel slightly aroused even though it took his focus away from why he was here for just a second or two.
“Football, actually,” she responded as she faced him. “What’s this gonna cost me?”
Her closeness sent him backward two steps. He didn’t expect that and from the look on her face, neither did she.
“Not much,” Jason answered. “If you agree to come to Vegas, those pictures will disappear forever. I’ll send you the file to destroy yourself.”
“What else?”
“Are you always this paranoid?”
“Occupational hazard,” Alex stated as she pushed past him and stopped at the door.
“The Council of Pure Blood Vampires would like a face to face with you too.”
“Why?”
“To ask you for a favor in exchange for my help with finding this killer.”
“When?”
“The main conference is set in Romania for the week before Thanksgiving,” Jason grinned as he pushed his hands into his pockets on his way toward her.
“Will I meet with the Council before then?” Alex smirked at him.
He laughed, “I don’t know.”
As hard as he tried to keep it down, desire crept up as he closed the small distance to her again. She just stared into his eyes, but her pupils betrayed her. They dilated when he reached her personal space and she took a deep breath, then her hand landed on the doorknob before she spoke again.
“When you know, call me.”
Jason was a little annoyed at Alex’s dismissal. As the door began to open, he pushed it shut and leaned on it with a grin.
“Right now, they’re asking nicely, Alexa,” he purred as his left arm wrapped around her waist to pull her into his body, “don’t make them insist.” When he placed his back against the door, his lips stopped a few inches from hers.
“I can’t just call up the head of the Council and say ‘Hey! Mind if I drop by with a six pack for a little chat?’” he continued. “We do treat him with some respect you know.”
He tightened his grip around her when he felt her try to move away. To his surprise, instead of a slap to the face, she placed her hand on the door at his ear and let her finger tease the edge just a little. That’s more like it! When she moved closer he thought he might get that taste after all.
“Well, be a good little lap dog and tell the head bloodsucker I’d like some respect too. When he decides on a date and time, he can call me,” she whispered. “You can even use my phone if you want.”
Jason swallowed his rage and kissed her. The growl coming from deep inside him escaped before he could stop it, but it did cause a strange reaction from her. She trembled, very slightly, but she did tremble and her fear pleased him.
“I’ll do that from the car if you don’t mind,” he said as he released Alex from his grip.
He opened the door and his bodyguards stood straight and tall waiting for him to exit.
He turned to her again, stepped close and breathed into her ear one last time. “We can help you with your little problem. Coop and his sidekicks are in over their heads, that’s why they came here for you,” he grinned and scratched at his cheek like a child as he took her hand. “Oh, and if you ever refer to me as anyone’s lap dog again, I’ll make you wish you hadn’t. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” Alex replied with an arrogant grin.
Jason kissed the beautifully brown skin of her hand and left her office with a smile on his face.
He would like to say his incisors burned to drop in response to the anger he
was feeling, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. Yes, he did want to rip out Alex’s throat for the ‘lap dog’ jab, but he also wanted to pin her to the door, push himself deep inside her and take his fill. And he was fairly sure she wanted that too, for a few minutes anyway.
Jason felt claustrophobic all of a sudden as the elevator seemed to take its sweet time to get to the bottom floor. A heat rose inside him and it threatened to erupt. The sweet smell of fresh air rushed inside when the doors finally opened. He practically ran out the sliding doors with his bodyguards on his heels welcoming more fresh air in his face. His driver appeared at the backdoor in a flash. Jason slipped inside the dark, cool space and took a deep breath. Alex Stone was definitely the right person for this job. She might have been trembling, but it wasn’t from fear. It was from an energy she kept bottled inside her. An energy Jason wanted to unleash.
Chapter 7
“Mr. Ramsey is expecting you, Ms. Stone,” the steward greeted her. Handing her jacket to the coat-check, the steward led the way down the foyer. “He’s taking drinks in the main conservatory. Please follow me.”
His steps seemed measured. As if he would forget how to walk if he didn’t keep the exact same pace every time. She found herself keeping up with him, step for step. A large gold placard hung on the wall of the first room they passed through. The Grand Hall was just that, grand. Every few feet were expensive Persian rugs covering the dark wooden floors. Fine leather furnishings sat in perfect conversation circles throughout the entire space. She was sure the paintings were originals and the marble statues were probably on loan from some museum that didn’t have room for them anymore.
“The Geller was first opened in 1901 by Francis H. Geller,” her escort began.
Alex tuned him out after ‘drinks in the conservatory’ came out of his pinched lips. Who knew places like this still existed? A bastion to the white male ego that should have died a long time ago, The Geller seemed to be thriving, tucked away in a quiet corner of downtown. Everywhere she looked, men sat or stood in tailored suits smoking Cubans and drinking insanely expensive liquor from crystal glasses. No one seemed too surprised to see her. There were the occasional odd glances in their direction, mostly from the old money types.
“Who do you have to kill to get into this place,” she thought she said under her breath.
“I could get you a list, if you’d like,” he replied with a weird grin.
Alex felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize, Ms. Stone,” he replied. “I understood you were just being facetious.” When they finally came to a stop, they were in the doorway of a slightly less grand room. Its golden placard said simply ‘Conservatory’. The steward pointed to the small group of men in the center of the room. “May I have someone bring you a drink?”
“No thanks,” she replied. “This won’t take long.”
“As you wish,” he stated, then turned and walked away.
The air inside was cool and smelled of cigars. The excess reminded her she was just a guest and, even if she wanted, she would never be allowed here unless it was at someone’s request. The man she was meeting, seated in the small group the steward pointed out to her, looked up and smiled. The three young men around him glanced in her direction, but continued their conversation. She moved inside. Masculine laughter filled the space as she stood outside the semicircle waiting for her host to acknowledge her presence.
Like the gentleman he pretended to be, Leland Ramsey stood, buttoned his jacket and extended his enormous hand out to her. His bulky body looked almost stuffed inside the expensive suit. But it was tailor-made for his build. His salt and pepper waves were professionally cut. His manicured nails and everything else about him screamed success. Even the dark honey tone of his skin announced that money really could buy anything, even a perfect complexion.
“Alex! You look wonderful, as always,” he stated in a polished timbre. His parents were old Southern folks. Hard working and polite, Leland Ramsey grew up not too far from where they sat now. You wouldn’t know it from his manner though.
He gave her a firm, but not too friendly handshake. This wasn’t a friendly meeting. Maybe the handshake was to remind her of that fact. After quick introductions, the young men left them alone. Leland waved at the chair next to his and motioned for a waiter.
“I’ll have another Dalmore,” Leland stated.
“And for the lady?” the young man asked Leland.
“Nothing,” Alex interrupted before Leland answered for her. She hated scotch and pretense. Both of which Leland seemed to revel in.
“Are you sure?” Leland said. “They have the best selection in the city.”
“I’m good,” she replied and the young man left.
“So how have you been?” Leland began the conversation in a cheery tone. “Last I heard, you were in London introducing your new line.”
“That was a year ago, Leland,” Alex sighed.
“Really?” he smiled as he took the drink from the silver tray the young man held out to him. “How time flies.”
When she crossed her legs toward him, it was unintentional—habit, really. She didn’t want to give the impression she was interested in small talk. She wanted Leland to get to the point so she could get out of this place.
“You might run the hybrid program, but you don’t run me,” Alex said. “So, get to the point so I can get back to my real job.”
He cleared his throat and placed the glass down with hardly a sound. “I do run you. At least until the contract is fulfilled, so get over yourself.” The silver cufflinks blinked in the artificial lighting overhead as he adjusted them absently. “Now, I’m sure you’ve heard about the body found in Las Vegas last night?”
“Yes.” A sharp pain stabbed at the back of her left eye. The body had a name, but that wasn’t important, was it?
“You don’t seem very surprised.”
Alex turned toward him. “What do you want?”
“We’d like you to accept Mr. Stavros’s offer to help us find out what happened,” he replied.
Alex moved to the edge of her uncomfortable chair. “How did you find out . . . never mind.”
Leland adjusted his posture, turning his head toward her. There was meanness in his brown eyes as he looked at her. It seemed to belong there—in the eyes of a man who wouldn’t give anyone the time of day unless there was profit in it.
As with most people in this business, the money he threw around was made the old fashioned way, by somewhat nefarious means. He thought since he’d made a new life for himself, he could treat most people like the help. What it made him, to Alex anyway, was a gigantic douche and as outdated as this club.
“We don’t need their help with this,” Alex replied. “Just have another team assigned to the investigation.”
“No,” Leland sighed as he tapped his phone. “You are hardly in any position to make assignments or turn down a direct order.”
“I’m done cleaning up my father’s messes,” she stated.
Leland turned slightly in the chair, uncrossed his legs and glared at her. She felt like she was in the principal’s office.
“Ms. Stone, we have an agreement. If you renege, the consequences would be dire.” He tapped the screen of his phone then held it up for her to see. She was getting kind of tired of people doing that. “As the contract dictates, you are to locate all six hybrids. You’ve only found three and two of them are dead now. That makes this assignment even more important, don’t you agree?”
The little grin on his lips dripped with hatred and superiority. She hated it and him.
“Dire,” she repeated. “That sounded like a threat, Mr. Ramsey.” She laughed at him because she could see how angry it made him. “If I disappear, the consequences for you and Strategic will be more than just dire.”
“You may bring us dow
n, but what happens to you will be much more personal,” he snapped at her. “The mental institution we put you in won’t be as nice as the last one, I promise you that.”
“Try it,” she hissed.
His chuckle always irritated her. “Let’s not get into a pissing contest over this. This isn’t just our mess, it’s yours too and you know that. We have to get in front of this before it gets out of control.”
“It’s already out of control,” Alex said. “We should have left them where they were, living their lives without our interference.”
“And we would have if someone hadn’t started picking them off,” he replied. “If Mr. Stavros has been given instruction to help us find out who and why, we should take advantage of this opportunity.”
Alex pushed away the urge to grab him by the neck and squeeze until his eyes popped out of his head with every muscle in her body. From the moment she found out Dr. Carlisle was experimenting with human and vampire DNA, she knew it would only bring trouble. How he kept it off the books and funded was a mystery until she hacked his data files. Leland Ramsey was the money behind the project. It was Leland who provided Dr. Carlisle with the volunteers too. Where those women came from and where they disappeared to was still a mystery.
The six newborn babies, all male, were subjected to various procedures in an effort to create a being that would be immune to the bite. A creature that could not be turned and did not need to feed on blood to survive. And they didn’t need to be on the supplement either. In short, a creature like her, only created in a lab, not born, as she was. Dr. Carlisle perfected the process in the six and then placed them with childless families in the real world. But then something went wrong with one of the hybrids, prompting Dr. Carlisle to order her to bring them all in for testing.
Alex knew returning those hybrids to the program was a bad idea, but she wanted out. She had successfully tracked down the strongest of the hybrids—the ones who survived through their teenage years anyway.