“It’s the one we were going to serve at our wedding,” Joaquín reminded me.
I stiffened.
“Relax,” he kneaded the tension from my shoulders, “it’s just wine. We’ll take this slow, okay. No demands, no expectations.”
Could it really be that easy? Easy and I hadn’t been very chummy.
I started to relax as his hands smoothed the knots from my muscles. “Agreed,” I said simply and laid back into him.
His hands traveled to my temples where he rubbed slow soothing circles on them. “Had a tough night, huh?”
“Had to tell a woman her husband was dead.” I took a long gulp of my wine.
He stopped and looked into my face. “Why you? The local cops should have handled that.”
“I promised him I would,” I said softly.
“Promised who?” His brow knitted in confusion.
“The dead guy, Larry Guarden. He was an accountant for the city.”
“Wait.” Joaquín sat up. “Let me get this straight. You promised the dead guy you would personally tell his wife he died?”
I rolled my eyes in exasperation. “Joaquín,” I began, “he didn’t want his wife to see his body. He wanted her to move in with her sister and he made me promise I would tell her. So I did.” I spoke the last in my matter-of-fact voice.
“Oh baby, I’m so sorry.” He pulled me closer. I snuggled into him and for reasons I couldn’t explain I began to cry. Joaquín gently rocked me.
I shook myself out of the mood and took another long gulp of my wine. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“All right.” He shifted. “Next weekend.”
“What about next weekend?” I hedged.
“Go away with me. We’ll go up to the mountains, rent a little cabin in the woods and just be together for a couple of days.”
I gave him a skeptical look.
“Think about it,” he continued. “No work, no dead people, just the two of us. Hell, we’ll even get real crazy and turn off our cell phones.”
I laughed. “I have to admit, it sounds tempting.”
“But?” Joaquín grimaced.
“I think it’s just too soon.” I looked into his eyes and not only saw, but felt, the disappointment.
Joaquín took a deep breath and blew it out quickly. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.” He smiled. “The invitation is open. Just say the word and I’ll make the arrangements.”
My lips split in a wide grin. “Just like that? You’ll drop everything, leave the station to Aaron and go away for the weekend?” I asked doubtfully.
He gave me a light squeeze. “I told you, I’m not the same man. I know what I want the rest of my life to be like.” His voice softened. “I want you in my life, Leah. I want to make you happy, whatever it takes.” He brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes then kissed me softly.
What could I say to that?
I lay down on the couch next to him. It felt warm and familiar and I reluctantly realized just how easy it was to fall back into the comfort of being with Joaquín. Just have a normal evening at home.
“Do you remember when we first met?” He gently ran his hand through my hair.
I barked a quiet laugh. “When you were still with the city force and tried to arrest me for prostitution?”
“You did look the part.” I felt him shrug.
“It was an undercover sting operation. I was supposed to look the part.”
“It was the first time a woman ever brought me down.”
I smiled in memory of the look of shock on his face as I grabbed his thumb and maneuvered his hand behind his back and forced him to his knees. He countered fast enough to push me to a wall and pin me between his arms. I managed to squeeze my arms up between his and jammed my elbow into his eye. He had a shiner for a week. It took Wilson and another uniform to separate us.
Once Wilson verified who and what he was, he let him go.
He gently turned my face up to him. “When I found out you were a cop, all I could think of was ‘Wow, I’ve got to get her phone number.’”
“You tried.” I raised a brow. “If I remember right I turned you down.”
“That’s an understatement. You looked me up and down, shook your head and turned away without a word. Aaron razzed me for a month about that.”
“Your ego needed to be deflated a bit. You were too cocky.”
“I don’t recall being cocky.” He smiled.
“I didn’t think you would,” I retorted.
“When you finally agreed to go out with me…” he shook his head slowly and smiled, “I never met a woman like you before, haven’t met one since.”
We lay together on the sofa, drank wine, talked and laughed until I could no longer keep my eyes open.
Joaquín didn’t ask to stay. I don’t know what I would have said if he did.
* * * *
Good news came the next day when my realtor confirmed that Joaquín was right and my little adobe was available. I signed a lease and spent the next few days moving in during the day, working at night. Joaquín, Ben, Aaron and Wilson moved in the heavy stuff, most of it new, but I couldn’t exactly arrange my work schedule around furniture delivery. Alli helped me organize everything. It felt good to work side by side with her again. I had been gone too long.
The owners had made some changes. All of the walls had been freshly painted and the carpet had been replaced. The new carpet was so thick and plush my feet sank into it. Every window was now equipped with solar screens. I still had a clear view to the outside, but during the day, no one could see inside and it blocked most of the heat, which would really help with the air conditioning expenses. It also darkened the rooms, which would make daytime sleep a hell of a lot easier. In my line of work, I slept every chance I got.
The kitchen was already well equipped and the master bathroom had been updated. A huge rectangular jetted tub dominated the space. It was big enough for two adults to lay side by side, not that I had anyone I planned on sharing it with. Not yet anyway. Joaquín and I had rekindled our relationship but I wasn’t ready to be intimate with him again.
A separate shower stall surrounded with nice tan-colored tile replaced the old tub and shower combo unit. A skylight had been added above the tub.
I brought in the few things I’d stored at Wilson and Alli’s house. It was a long ride between here and the stakeout house but it was definitely worth the trip. I finally felt like I was home.
Chapter Twelve
After one particularly long night, I poured myself a glass of wine and filled the tub. As I was about to ease into the rose-scented water, the bathroom light went out. I reached for the gun I had left on the counter before I realized that only the bathroom light had gone out. The hallway was still lit and I could still hear the soft music I’d left playing in the living room. The bulb had to be broken.
Making a mental note to pick up some spare light bulbs tomorrow, I pulled matches out of a drawer and lit the scented candle on the counter. I sank into the tub as the candlelight flickered and the scent of jasmine filled the room. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. That’s when I realized I was no longer alone.
“What do you want, Ian?” I asked as I blew out an exasperated breath, willing my heart not to beat out of my chest.
“How did you know it was me?” he replied softly, his voice edged with surprise.
“Lights have a way of going out whenever you’re around.” I opened my eyes to find him leaning against the sink, his ankles crossed in a look of complete relaxation.
He lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug.
“Care to explain why that is?” I asked.
“Just one of my powers, it is quite convenient for a vampire to be able to turn off annoying lights.” He pushed himself off the sink and sat on the edge of the tub.
“You can turn them on too.”
He nodded. “I can control electricity. It’s not something I do often, it can…” he raised his eyes toward the ceiling in th
ought, “get away from me when my temper is tested.”
“The lights in the restaurant,” I shook my head. “I should have known.”
“I left a most generous tip that evening. They had to replace a wine glass as well.”
“You’d think someone as old as you would know better than to throw a tantrum,” I quipped.
“Even I have my limits,” he conceded with a smile.
“So it would seem.”
“How did you know it was me?” he repeated.
“I felt you,” I answered reluctantly, knowing he would put more into that than was there.
He smiled wide, showing full fang. “The bond between us is strong, My Love.” He slid his index finger along my forehead to push a strand of hair off it.
I asked one of the questions that had been running amok in my head since the night I killed Elizabeth.
“Why did you do that to me, Ian? Why did you bind us?”
His eyes penetrated mine. “I love you.”
“Did you plan to make me your bloodslave? To control me?” I asked, shifting slightly away from him, making sure the bath bubbles still covered me.
He laughed. It was an unexpected sound that nearly echoed off the walls and made me jump. “I could no more control you than I could demand that the sun no longer rise, My Love.”
I opened my mouth to snap back at him then realized he was right and closed it again.
“Even you cannot disagree with that, My Love.” Ian’s smile faded, his expression became serious and … heated. “I love you. I knew what Elizabeth would do to you if she found that out. I wouldn’t take that risk. You had a better chance at survival with the bond. I did it to protect you from the wrath I had mistakenly brought upon you.”
“Why didn’t you ask me first?” I struggled to keep my voice from breaking.
“What would you have replied?” he asked with eyebrows raised.
I thought about that for a minute. I wanted to say my sense of self-preservation would have made me accept the bond. I wanted to say it, but knew it would be a lie. I would have fought her on my own terms. Period.
“I would have told you to go to hell.”
“Precisely.” Ian inched closer. “I will apologize for causing you to believe I had betrayed you, for bringing your attention to Elizabeth. I will not apologize for protecting your life, protecting what is mine.”
“I am not yours, Ian.”
“Then I am yours.” He spoke against my lips. I leaned into him, fanning the desire to kiss him.
Wet tendrils of soapy water fell from my hand as I put it on his chest and pushed him away. “You used me to get to Elizabeth.”
“I’m sorry,” he replied with more sincerity than I’d ever seen.
“Yes.” I sighed deeply. “You are.” My head reeled with questions but there was only one I could voice. “What do you want from me, Ian? Why me?”
“I have existed for more than a century without love.”
I raised a doubtful eye toward him and he continued, “There have been women, I will not deny that.” His eyes met mine. “There has not been love, not until you.”
My words were so soft I could barely whisper them. “Are you telling me that you haven’t been in love since…”
“She was the only woman I ever truly loved, until you,” he interrupted me, “and my love for her pales in comparison to the way my heart yearns for yours.”
He walked toward the door then turned back to me just before he left.
“You love me, Leah Wolfe. You know it, and I know it.”
I threw a soapy bath sponge at him. He dodged it and walked away laughing.
Chapter Thirteen
Ben and I arrived to take the night watch. The last of the sun dipped below the Estrella Mountains, swallowing the light. Ramirez was filling us in on the day’s events, how many people went in, went out, what time etc. Ramirez was his usual shitty self. The end of my probationary period meant that I was now the lead investigator on this mission. He didn’t like it one little bit and took advantage of the moment to glare at me for a couple of minutes.
The silence was broken by the click of the automatic camera shutter positioned by the window.
“Woman and two children,” Ben answered my unspoken question. “Cute little kids, too,” he added with an admiring smile.
I walked toward the window as the woman dug into her purse and pulled out her keys while the two little girls in ponytails bounced around her. The woman stuck the key home and started to enter. As they moved into the doorway I turned to see Ramirez activate the recording devices we each wore during missions.
The first scream rang out.
The woman backed out of the doorway with her arms protecting her daughters behind her back. She disappeared into the building, as if snatched inside, leaving the screaming girls huddled outside together.
I ran toward the door. “Come with me, Ben,” I ordered. “Ramirez, you stay here unless I signal you.”
Ramirez grabbed my arm. He flashed me a look that said “be careful”. I didn’t know if the sentiment came from him or the knowledge that Wilson would kick his ass if anything happened to me.
Once we reached the girls, I told Ben to stay with them and remain outside the building until I cleared it. I heard Ben comforting the girls as I walked into the darkened hallway. There was a complete absence of light, a sure sign of a vampire in residence. Footsteps echoed through the stairway in front of me. I flicked on the light attached to the barrel of my gun and climbed the stairs, one at a time. I didn’t want whoever or whatever had the woman to use the dark as an advantage to ambush me. I quickened my steps when I heard the muffled cries, and discovered her lying limp on the floor, a trail of blood oozing from her.I let the flashlight glide around the immediate area and once I was sure there was nothing lurking in the shadows I bent and checked her pulse. She groaned a little when I touched her neck and I let out a sigh of relief. I’d gotten to her in time. She wasn’t dead. Yet.
I bent and lifted her over my shoulder, grateful that she was a petite woman. I pressed my back to the wall as much as I was able and eased us both down the stairwell. Once I reached the bottom, I handed her over to Ben, told him to stay with them and under no circumstances was he to enter the building without my direct order. Vampires had unique abilities and among them was the power to jump a great distance without injury. I didn’t want to leave the woman and girls vulnerable to an attack from the rooftop.
I went up the stairs faster this time. The vamp had abandoned her as his meal on the third floor, and had not followed us back down. There were two rental units on each floor, one entrance on the left, the other on the right. I mentally flipped a coin and went right. The door was locked securely so I went across the hall and tried door number two.
The door nudged open before I ever touched the knob.
I directed the small flashlight around the room. I reached for the light switch and flicked it several times.
No lights.
Just fucking perfect.
I kept my back tight against the wall and eased to the next doorway, lighting the apartment as much as my small flashlight was able. A dingy mattress lay on the floor, covered neatly with a pathetically thin blanket. I moved on to the next room, a small kitchenette. As my light streamed a thin line around the tiny room I saw the refrigerator door slightly open. I moved cautiously toward it and reached my hand to open it further when it flung wide, knocking me to the floor. I felt a rush of air as the vampire moved past me, out of the room. I fired one shot blindly, pulled myself to my feet and took off running after him. I fired two more shots into the stairwell and heard a resounding thud. The light came to life in the stairway and I had to give myself a second to let my eyes adjust to it. I hurried down the steps and rounded the last corner just in time to see Ben lean over the body of the vampire.
“No!” I shouted but it was already too late.
The next few moments went by in a slow-motion haze. I saw the
vampire reach toward Ben.
I fired the first shot, grazing the vampire and giving Ben a moment to twist out of his way.
The little girls screamed and Ben instinctively turned toward them, pushing them further out of the way.
The vampire grasped the back of Ben’s head and in one fluid motion ran his mouth across Ben’s neck, then disappeared in a blur of speed. From my vantage point it looked like nothing more than a slight twist of the vamps head but it had been enough to tear Ben’s throat out. I saw the shock register on Ben’s boyish features, then his eyes glazed over. I ran to Ben, fell to my knees, pulled off my outer shirt and pressed it to his neck. Blood pumped out of him with each beat of his heart in long crimson spurts. I heard screaming from a distance and realized it was coming from me. I held the police radio in my hand and was calling for assistance.
“Officer down! Officer down!” I yelled the two words I had hoped never to need to say in my life.
An ambulance arrived and one medic checked on the woman while the other rushed into the small hallway with Ramirez right behind him. With grim expressions the medic made preliminary checks while I held my blood-covered shirt over Ben’s neck.
I felt hands on my shoulder and was vaguely aware of Ramirez standing behind me. I shrugged off his grip and kept my hands firmly on Ben’s neck. The blood was thickening. Its scent permeated the air, my fingers stuck together. I heard words, soft words, and the faint sounds of sirens. More and more police officers crowded into the tiny hall. Ramirez tried to ease me away again.
Chapter Fourteen
I let Ramirez help me to stand as the medics furiously performed CPR on Ben’s still body. They put Ben’s body on a gurney and lifted it into the ambulance. A flurry of uniforms surrounded the area with yellow police tape as Ramirez walked me to my car.
“You sure you want to drive?” Ramirez’s normally cocky smirk had been replaced with a worn, tired expression.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you there.”
He nodded. “I’ll follow you.”
I fought off the sorrow—there would be time for that later—and ran the events over and over in my mind as we followed the ambulance to the hospital. I prayed that Ben would survive. Please God, let him survive. I held on to that prayer as Ramirez and I followed the ambulance to the hospital. They wheeled the gurney into a room, stopping us outside. Ramirez led me to a private waiting area. We had to show our badges to the two uniforms at the door. It wasn’t standard practice but I was in no condition to complain. Ramirez led me to a seat and put a cup of coffee in my hand.
The Order of Chaos Page 5
