Malachi’s eyes glittered in the dark alley. Within seconds he was in front of Dorian. Fiercely, he grabbed the sides of his head and kissed him full on the mouth. Releasing him, he pushed him away and laughed sarcastically.
And to think, I loved him once, Dorian thought, utterly repelled by the kiss and by him. He said nothing, nor did he move. Throwing a mental veil over his thoughts, he maintained a demeanor of total detachment. He was sickened by Malachi’s needless kills, yet he couldn’t protest or let him see how he felt about it.
He spent the night with Malachi, seeing him through new eyes now. Jennifer had shown him the kind of love he needed, the unconditionally pure kind of love he’d craved but didn’t know it until he’d lain in her arms. He knew he loved her so deeply; he’d lay down his very life for her without hesitation.
***
The next evening when Dorian arose, Ian was waiting for him. He sat stoically in one of the arm chairs. Other than Dorian, Ian had the only set of keys to the bomb shelter.
“Good evening, Mr. Taylor,” he said respectfully.
“Dorian. You need only call me Mr. Taylor at the office. There may be others watching us and we need to be careful now.”
“Now, may I speak candidly with you, Dorian?” Ian’s tone was solemn.
“You may. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
Ian hesitated as if he were gathering his thoughts. “Frankly, I’m shocked that you’d back down from Malachi and the others. The Dorian Taylor I know never backs down from a challenge, and always wins. I’ve never seen you fail at anything you put your mind to.”
Dorian stared hard at Ian. “So you know about the others? I’m not protecting myself from them, I’m protecting Jennifer. Malachi will kill her if I don’t stay away. You have no idea how vicious he and the others are. They’re brutal killers. Not that I’m much better.”
“But you are better. You’re a good and decent man even if you are a vampire. You’ve been able to do something they haven’t; keep your humanity. And they envy you and perhaps even hate you for it. Maybe the others were evil while they were alive. I don’t know. But I do know you were not.”
“How do you know all this Ian? Do you know your own life is in danger just because you’re my assistant?”
“I know because I watch what goes on and I know you. And Shane tells me things. I don’t worry about being in danger. I believe with all my heart that you’d do everything in your power to protect me. As for Shane, he’s terrified of Malachi but of course, he signed the non-disclosure and there’s no way out for him. That is, unless we help him.”
“And Jennifer? What are your thoughts about her?”
Ian looked Dorian right in the eye. “I think you should fight for her.”
Dorian glanced away. “She hates me,” he whispered.
“She doesn’t hate you. She’s hurt and angry, but she loves you. And you love her.”
“It’s not that simple,” Dorian said.
“It is that simple. You don’t belong here. You belong with her and you know it.”
“I love her more than anything in this world. I can’t just turn off a switch and stop, but what choice do I have?”
“Love is clouding your judgment Dorian. Work the problem just like you always do. For Christ sakes you’re a genius! Look at how much you’ve accomplished in life. I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Why would you put your life on the line for me, Ian?”
“Because I trust you, and . . . I’ve never seen you happy, that is, until she came into your life. You deserve to be happy and yet, you tell yourself you don’t because of the things you’ve done in the past. You think you have to suffer forever. Few people ever meet their true soul mate. I believe you’ve met yours. I guess I’m a hopeless romantic at heart.” He smiled that disarming smile of his.
“And when she finds out what I really am? I can’t keep it from her forever. I’ll have to tell her the truth eventually. She’ll think me a monster and she’d be right.”
“She loves you with all her heart, Dorian. You know she does. She’ll be shocked at first, but I think she’d accept you for who and what you are no matter what. She knows you’re keeping something from her, that you have a huge secret. She’s mentioned it to Julie many times.”
“Not a secret like this,” Dorian whispered.
Ian got up and paused before speaking. “I have an idea. It’s going to require a lot of planning but I think we can pull it off.”
“Oh?” Dorian’s interest was piqued.
“I say we kill them all.”
“And just how do we do that, Ian?”
“We get them all in one place and blow them off the fucking planet with blocks of C-4 explosives.”
Dorian felt hopeful for the first time in days. “Interesting idea. Where did you come up with that?”
Ian shrugged and smiled. “I never miss an episode of Burn Notice.”
“I like it. It’s bloody brilliant. Why didn’t I think of it?”
“Because you’re in love, that’s why. You can’t see past her. You’ll have to take your emotions out of the equation and together, we will do this thing.”
Dorian thought about it before answering. “Yes we will. I’ll start working out the logistics tonight. Meet me here tomorrow night at the same time. It’ll take a few weeks to get everything in place. This must be done right. You cannot speak of what has passed between us tonight to anyone, not even Julie. Give me your word.” Dorian extended his hand to Ian.
Ian took Dorian’s outstretched hand. The two men shook on it. For some reason, Dorian trusted Ian’s word more than Malachi’s. He had a sinking feeling that Malachi planned to kill Jennifer anyway. The only question was when.
“Ian, make sure the men you hired to watch Jennifer continue to do so. We need to keep her safe until we kill every last fucking one of them.”
Chapter 30
It had been almost two weeks since Dorian Taylor had unceremoniously dumped her. She’d barely eaten except when Julie, Mary-Lou and Suzanne came over and forced her to. The nights were unbearably lonely and her mind went over every single thing they’d said and done with one another. She couldn’t find any reason for what he’d done to her, unless he was an incredibly talented liar.
The DVD, all she had left of him, lay half in and out of the player. She’d tried to watch it, but never got past the first minute or so without breaking down and crying. What was the point of looking at his beautiful face when she couldn’t have him? It was too painful.
She forced herself to start thinking about her future. She should get a job. It might take her mind off him. Oh, who am I kidding, I’ll never stop thinking of him as long as I live, never stop wanting him. He was a part of her very being now. How can I forget him? I know I’ll never love like that again.
She’d met with the landlord that morning to find out how long the lease on the apartment was. The woman told her it was a two year lease and Mr. Taylor had paid for the entire period. Two years. Was that what she was worth to him? Did he have women all over Miami, perhaps even the world living in apartments he’d paid for? The thought made her feel downright dirty.
Julie was taking her to lunch today. She’d been a wonderful friend through it all. Her cousin, Tina had called from Maine to check in during the week. Jennifer hadn’t told her about the break up. She couldn’t bear to go over it again and hear the sympathy in her voice.
Jen knew Julie wouldn’t talk about Dorian unless she brought it up. She listened and provided her a shoulder to cry on. Although she and Julie were very different, they’d become best friends.
She heard Julie beep, grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
A wave of dizziness swept over her. “What the hell?” she mumbled, holding onto the door frame to steady herself. It passed in a minute or so. She chalked it up to stress and went down to meet Julie, glancing at the Mercedes still parked exactly where she’d left it. She hadn’t driven it in a while and never
would. She’d talk to Julie today about having Ian remove it and give it back to Dorian.
“Hey, Jen. I thought we’d go somewhere inside today.”
“Sounds good. God, it’s hot out! Hard to believe it’s November. I’m not really all that hungry.”
“I was thinking salads and a liquid lunch. I don’t have to go back to work today. The new boss is awesome. He gave us the afternoon off. You really should think about coming back to work. It’s not healthy for you to lock yourself away from the world and think about him non-stop.”
“Okay on the salad, but I’m not drinking. I’ll just get a sweet tea. I’ve been drinking too much lately. I want to get a job, but not in the legal field. I think I’m going to work with animals. I have a lot of decisions to make now that he’s . . .” She couldn’t even finish the sentence. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Animals? You know what, Jen. I think that’s great. You should do what you want to do with your life. If that’s what will make you happy, I say go for it.”
Julie drove to the posh, dimly lit restaurant.
When they’re drinks came, Julie held her up her glass and toasted to “New beginnings.”
“I owe you an apology, Julie.”
“Oh, why’s that?”
“We always talk about Dorian and me. I never ask you how things are going with Ian.”
Julie shrugged. “No prob. Ian is a pretty straightforward guy. Dorian on the other hand is, well, hard to figure out. I think Ian may just be the one. He’s nice, decent and really attentive to me. He actually listens to what I have to say, unlike most guys who are just interested in my body.”
“Do you love him Julie?” Jen asked seriously.
Julie didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I think I do.”
“Has he ever told you he loved you?”
Julie balked at the question. She looked guilty. “Yes, he’s told me he loved me.” She sighed and put down her drink. “Look, Jen. As far as I’m concerned Dorian Taylor made the biggest mistake of his life when he let you go. He doesn’t know what he’s giving up. And if he does know then he’s an even bigger fool.”
“Do you think he ever loved me Julie or was I a plaything to him? Was it just a fling? I know I’m not the most sophisticated girl in the world and Miami is a totally different world than I’ve ever known, but how could I have been so wrong about him?” Her voice cracked with emotion.
Julie answered quietly. “I don’t know, Jen. I thought he loved you, I really did. From what Ian told me about how happy Dorian was I don’t get it either. I’m at a loss as to why he just broke up with you without even telling you he was going to. She looked down, toying with her napkin. “Unless there’s more to it than we know. Maybe he had to do it for some reason.”
Jennifer thought of what he’d said just before he’d walked out that door and out of her life.
“Listen to me, Jennifer. Whatever I do now, I have my reasons.” Now that she had time to think about it and heard what Julie just said, she thought he might’ve been trying to warn her about something, but what? And he’d sounded miserable when he’d told her he wasn’t a hero, that he was a bad guy surrounded by those who were just as bad if not downright evil.
She’d been so blinded by anger and hurt, she hadn’t thought about it and as usual she was clueless when it came to hidden subtext. Unless someone spoke plain, it took her a while to figure things out and even then, she could be dense.
She wasn’t chastising herself for it. It was the way she was and always had been. Still, she didn’t dare hope he’d come back to her because if he didn’t, she’d be more devastated than she already was. Hope was dangerous.
An overwhelming dizziness and nausea struck her out of no-where. She felt the color drain from her face and beads of sweat broke out all over her body.
“Jen? Are you alright?”
She shook her head. “No. I… don’t feel so good. Please take me home, Julie.”
“Okay. Let’s get out of here.” Julie got up quickly.
“I can’t get up Julie!”
Julie helped her, wrapping her arm around her waist, trying to hold her up. Her legs trembled; she couldn’t feel them at all. The last thing she remembered was going down toward the floor and Julie’s voice coming as if from a great distance yelling for help.
When she awoke everything was blurry. She saw Julie’s face. It was a mask of concern and fear.
“Where am I?”
“You’re in the emergency room at Miami Central.” Julie said. “You fainted.”
Jennifer groaned. “I fainted in front of all those people. Good God, how embarrassing.”
“Who cares about those people? They’re just strangers. What’s more important is how you feel Jen.”
“I feel funny. My whole body hurts like I have the flu or something.”
“Is it possible you might be pregnant? Did Dorian use any protection?”
Jennifer stared at Julie, dumbfounded. Dorian had never used a condom.
Thankfully, she’d been on birth control as a matter of precaution for a few years now. Why hadn’t he used protection? What if she’d caught a sexually transmitted disease from him? The thought made her sick because it meant he had little regard for her safety. And yet, it didn’t make sense. He was safety conscious about everything else.
“Um . . . yeah, he did,” Jennifer lied. “Besides, I’m on birth control.” Why the hell did she think she still had to defend him? She’d just lied to her best friend.
A young female doctor entered the room, interrupting their conversation. She had a warm, soothing smile.
The doctor checked her vital signs and took a seat by Jennifer’s bed. She was writing on a chart, her smile replaced with a deep frown. From the small bandage on her arm, Jennifer knew they’d already taken blood. She hoped the doctor was signing her discharge papers. She hated hospitals with good reason. Jennifer had spent so much time in them toward the end of her mother’s life, they gave her the creeps.
“Do I have the flu?” she asked the doctor, whose name tag read Dr. Ellen Jacobs.
The doctor looked up, a sympathetic look on her face. Jennifer recognized that look. Her heart felt as if it would explode.
“We’d like to keep you here and run some tests.”
“What kind of tests?” Julie asked.
Jennifer said nothing.
“We found some abnormalities in the blood work. Could be nothing. Still, we should do further testing. At least another blood test and an MRI.”
“What exactly are you looking for?” Julie demanded. “She has the right to know why you’re keeping her here.”
Jennifer gazed out the window. She listened to the two of them as if they were talking about someone else. She didn’t need to be told what they were looking for, not with her family history.
Dr. Jacobs hesitated. “We’re testing for Leukemia, Lymphoma and germ based cancers. Those are the most likely types of the disease found in someone so young. But, don’t jump to conclusions. We don’t know anything yet. I didn’t want to scare you Jennifer, but since your sister insisted on knowing, I had to tell you.”
Neither Julie nor Jennifer corrected the doctor. Let them believe Julie was her sister. She’d be able to come and go without the whole “you’re not a relative” bullshit.
After the doctor left, Julie and Jennifer were silent. Jennifer stared at the clock ticking on the wall. It was the only sound in the room.
“You don’t have cancer, Jen. You’ve never been sick a day since I’ve known you. It’s impossible. That doctor’s a fucking idiot,” Julie said with angry conviction.
But Jennifer knew. Her greatest fear, the one she’d confided in only one person about, Dorian, was about to come true.
It took everything she had to keep her voice calm and even. “I’m not going to worry about it right now. Let’s wait and see what the tests say. Why don’t you go home and come back tomorrow? I’m sure we’ll know more than.”
“Jesus Ch
rist, Jennifer! Aren’t you scared? Because you seem, well . . .”
“I’m fine. I just need to be alone. Thank you for all your help. I want you to know I love you like a sister, Julie. I really do.”
Julie had tears in her eyes. “I love you like a sister too. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“Yes, I’m sure. The best thing you can do for me is go home. Please.”
Julie finally left after much cajoling. The hospital staff moved Jennifer to a private room. She lay awake all night long, her mind swirling with fear, anger and sorrow. And of course, she thought of him.
The following day the doctor’s ran their tests until Jennifer was completely exhausted. Julie waited all day in the hospital room.
In the early evening hours, Dr. Jacobs came into the room.
Jennifer held her breath waiting to hear what she’d found. Were her words going to change her life forever? Or did she even have much of a life left to change?
Dr. Jacobs sat on the Jennifer’s bed. “I’m sorry. You have Lymphoma.”
Julie spoke vehemently. “But you caught it early right?”
Dr. Jacobs sighed. “Cancer in this age group often shows no symptoms until it’s advanced.”
“Just say it.” Jennifer’s eyes were clear, her words matter of fact.
“The cancer is in stage 4. That means . . .”
“I know what it means.” Jennifer held the doctor’s eyes until she finally looked away.
“There are treatments. We should begin chemo right away.” Dr. Jacobs touched Jennifer’s hand gently.
“How long?” Jennifer showed no emotion.
Julie looked shocked and upset at both the diagnosis and Jennifer’s lack of a reaction to it.
“With treatment a year or so. Without it, probably 4 months. But there’s always hope. There are new drugs coming out all the time.”
“I won’t consent to chemo or any other treatment while I wait for some miracle cure that will never be.”
The doctor and Julie looked completely stunned.
“Jen, my God! Why would you refuse treatment? It could save your life or at least keep you alive longer. Maybe they’ll be a cure by then!”
e.Vampire.com Page 23