by Lisa Olsen
“Our own police force?” Powell turned the idea over in his mind, not quite convinced.
“One we create with our own terms. No Order looking over our shoulders, but safety and equality and the right to dispense justice as we see fit.”
Durand’s face lit up in excitement. “This could work.”
“Not quickly enough to police our streets,” Holt said, and I was inclined to agree with him.
“And not quick enough to save my friends,” I added. “But we have to start somewhere.”
“It’s a good idea,” Cordelia nodded. “I think it merits looking into.”
Thankfully, I saw other murmurs of assent around the table. Not that I couldn’t have made it a decree, I supposed, but it was better to have the council behind it to make it work. “Great, you look into it, and I’ll see what I can do to stop the violence in the meantime.”
“What are you gonna do, boss?” Felix asked after the last of the council had filed out, each armed with specific tasks aimed at damage control.
“What’s the point in having a sugar daddy if I can’t call in a favor when I want one?”
*
“You do know where Jakob lives, right?” I asked Gunnar after he swore at the dash mounted GPS for the third time. With my limited German, it sounded like he hated pig-dogs or something equally ridiculous.
“Yes, I know the address, but not the machine. The machine keeps trying to send me on the goose chase,” he shook his head irritably.
“Turn left at the end of the block, three streets up then another left,” Rob said brusquely, head turned away from me to look out the window. We hadn’t spoken much since last night’s incident, and apart from a quick check on my guests upstairs and the addition of Frost to the party, I’d been too busy with the council to think much about it. More than anything I wanted to take him aside and see how he felt about what transpired in the attic, but we didn’t have that luxury, so I kept my head in the game and concentrated on what I’d say to Jakob.
“That’s it there, the gray building on the corner.”
Gunnar pulled up in front of the ten story building that occupied the entire corner of Pacific and Laguna.
“Which one is his?” I craned my neck to get a better look at it. Only a few sporadic windows were illuminated except for the top floor that was ablaze with light.
Rob came around to open my door. “The whole thing.”
“Holy guacamole…” I gasped. Why would anyone need so much space? There had to be room for at least four ginormous apartments or condos on each floor, probably more like six or eight. “How much do you think a place like this goes for?”
“Couldn’t say for sure,” he shrugged. “Went for nearly four mil when he bought the place in sixty-nine.”
I stopped in my tracks, making my security team a little antsy. “Shut the front door. Four million dollars?” I gaped up at the building again. The architectural details over the arched entrance were exquisite. The place had to be worth twenty times that in today’s market, easy.
“You could have a place this size if you wanted.”
“What for?” I could house everyone I knew in it and still have room to open up a bowling alley on the ground floor. “I prefer our place, it’s so much more cozy and homey.”
“I believe that was Jakob’s thinking when he bought it for you,” Rob pointed out discreetly.
For us. He’d bought it for us to share, and I wouldn’t even invite Jakob in. Something to consider when I went to see him, hat in hand to beg for help. I might have to break my own rule to get what I needed for the good of the community.
Inside the arched doors opened up to a grand entrance with twenty foot ceilings, the polished marble floors in an intricate basket weave pattern of light brown and gold. A gleaming mahogany desk waited straight ahead, reminding me of a hotel reception counter. Only instead of a concierge, two heavily armed men waited, their eyes sharp, but not overtly aggressive. Both vampires. Neither Rob nor Gunnar looked ill at ease in their presence, so I tried not to feel too nervous with all that firepower on display.
“Hello, I’m here to see Jakob, please.”
“Chip?” The one on the right held out a portable scanner and I obliged, offering my left wrist.
“Anja Gudrun,” he read off. “Welcome, your grace. Rob,” he nodded, and then held the scanner up to Gunnar, making a note on the console when he was finished.
“It’s Anja Evans,” I corrected him. Jeez, I needed to get that fixed. “Is he in?”
The guy tapped on the keys, updating my file, or maybe ordering a pizza for all I knew. “Is he expecting you?”
“No, not exactly.”
“Just a moment, please.” Raising his cuff to his lips, just like in the movies, he held a hushed conversation with another guard deeper in the building. It was easy enough to hear both sides of the conversation, and I quickly gathered that Jakob was indeed in, and delighted to receive me.
“We’ll escort you up at once,” the guard smiled more openly now, guiding us to the gilt elevator. Another guard took over once the doors slid open, conducting us to the top floor and down the hall to an enormous pair of double doors that swung open with a swish of air as we drew close, like those automatic doors at the supermarket. Cool beans.
The interior of Jakob’s living quarters were surprisingly modern, with smooth wooden floors stained a deep espresso brown and creamy white walls. The beams overhead had been treated with a metallic silver, the glow of recessed lighting stretching the entire length of the open concept room in a grid-like pattern. In contrast, the furniture was plush and overstuffed, in soft buttery leathers and velvets, designed for comfort as well as style.
Jakob reclined by the gas fireplace, wearing a pair of ancient blue jeans, as supple as the couch he lounged on. His white button up shirt was open at the throat, exposing an expanse of deeply tanned skin and a kiss of golden hair to match the locks that fell across his shoulders. His feet were bare, sunk into the deep pile of lambskin that served as a rug. Despite his casual wear I felt underdressed in my simple black swing dress and kitten heels, but he didn’t seem to mind.
Instead of rising to greet me, Jakob stayed right where he was, an arm stretched across the back of the sofa. “This is a pleasant surprise, petal. Welcome to my home.”
“Thanks for having me,” I smiled back, moving deeper into the living room, noticing for the first time that Gunnar had stayed back in the hallway with the other security guy. Jakob’s blue eyes flashed with amusement, and I realized he found my response titillating. “I, um… this is a nice place you have here.”
“It suits my needs,” he said with a self-deprecating shrug. “Come and sit by the fire with me.” Jakob patted the seat beside him, and I started forward, Rob taking up a post by one of the many arched windows. “Rob, you may go,” he added, but Rob stood his ground.
“I don’t leave her side, that’s the rule,” he said stubbornly. What did he think was going to happen? It wasn’t like he’d be able to do much if Jakob tried something.
“Very amusing, Rob,” Jakob chuckled. “You may find a sense of humor yet. You may wait in the lounge, I’ll ring for you when I have need of you.”
I nodded in agreement, what I had to talk about would probably go smoother without him present.
“As you wish.” Rob gave a half bow, leaving without another word.
“And now, älskling, you will tell me what has changed your mind since we last spoke. Have you come to apologize?”
I bit down on my tongue to keep from saying something suicidal. Hard. Smiling against the sting as I tasted my own blood, I nodded, blinking rapidly until the indignant anger faded enough to respond. I’d been prepared to eat crow on the subject, I just hadn’t expected him to be such a jerkwad about it.
“Yes,” I nodded. “Yes, I do apologize. It was wrong of me to criticize your addition to the ceremony. I should’ve been honored by your sacrifice.” Eewh, eewh, ick! Inside I choked over th
e words, but I delivered them without stumbling.
“I knew you would come to see it my way,” he flashed white teeth, wrapping his arm around my shoulders to pull me close for a kiss to the temple. “I forgive you your impertinence.”
“Thank you,” I responded with another thin smile, my teeth clamping down again. If this kept up, my tongue was going to look like tenderized beef by the time the night was over.
“I am glad to hear you say these things. In truth, I do not like it when we fight.”
“Neither do I.” Not a lie. “All I’ve ever wanted was for us to be friends.”
His smile dimmed somewhat at the last word. “Then you have not come to seek a deepening of our friendship to what it was before?”
“Actually, I was hoping to get your advice on a problem that’s come up. I knew someone of your vast experience would be the best person to come to, and I admit, I’m at the end of my rope. Without your help, I have no idea how to fix this.” Okay, so I was laying it on thick, but my morals felt a lot better about flattering him than seducing him to get what I needed.
Good thing he bought it, his brow creasing with concern. “You have only to tell me your troubles, älskling, and I will move Heaven and Earth to resolve them for you.”
“Thank you for being so kind,” I said with a genuine smile, going on to explain the circumstances with the escalating violence and the attack on the Order. I described our efforts to both track Byrne and establish a new police force, but my concern that both would take too long to implement. Jakob listened attentively, offering no comment until I mentioned offering Sanctuary to Frost, Mason and Corazon.
“Already you have disregarded your promise to me? This is unforgiveable!” he bellowed, and I imagined Rob tensing out in the hallway.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know how else to fix it at the time. Besides, you said not to invite any more strangers into the house. I already know these guys.”
“I never said strangers,” he scowled.
“But they’re my friends. I had to do something. You didn’t object when you found out I was offering Sanctuary to other vampires.”
“That was before.”
“Before what?” I couldn’t imagine what the difference might be.
“It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head in irritation. “This is easily remedied. The people simply need a strong ruler to tell them what to do.”
I let out an inelegant snort. “Easy for you to say, I can’t order them to all get along.”
“I can.”
“I don’t see how. First of all, how would you even put the word out? It’s not like we can put you on the news for a press conference.” Though maybe he was onto something? I resolved to talk to Cordelia about considering our own public access channel.
“Leave that to me. I can make my wishes known very efficiently if need be.”
“Okay then, second – even if you make a proclamation like that, you can’t expect everyone to do it because you said so.”
“Why not?” His tone made it clear he had confidence in his ability to do so.
“These people are lawbreakers. By definition they don’t do what they’re supposed to.”
“Leave that to me. I will make this declaration for you and save your people from ruination on one condition.”
Why did that make my stomach flop over like a pancake? “What would that be?” I asked with some hesitation.
“All I ask is one favor of you. Not the council, not the Order, not the people of the West, of you.”
Yep, flip flops galore. “What do you want?”
Jakob leaned forward, his blue gaze holding mine and I felt a stab of panic that he might be using his compulsion on me, but I was too chicken to try and look away in case it might be true. “Give us another chance.”
Was he asking me to trade my body for peace? “You want me to…”
He held up his hand, cutting off my flow of words. “I merely ask to renew our courtship. Instead of acting as my consort in public only, you will agree to accept my attentions and perhaps in time you may find a place for me in your heart again.”
“You want to date me, is that it?”
“If that is acceptable to you,” he nodded. “In exchange, I will put an end to the aggression and make sure the Order is welcomed back with open arms.”
I still didn’t see how he could pull it off, but how could I say no? Besides, I wasn’t promising to sleep with him, only date him again – which we were already doing as far as the public was concerned anyway.
“Thank you, Jakob, I accept your generous offer,” I said formally, and he gathered me into his arms for a bone crushing hug.
“You will not regret this, you will see,” he whispered fervently into my hair. “I will make you love me.”
‘Cause that didn’t sound as scary as Reavers. Ugh, Rob was going to kill me.
*
I didn’t speak from the time I stepped out into the hall until we reached the street, not wanting to see the look on Rob’s face after I’d been in the apartment with Jakob for over two hours. When we got to the cars, I stopped Gunnar from reaching for the driver’s side door.
“Ride in the other car, Gunnar, I need to speak to Rob alone,” I declared.
He hesitated, duty warring with protocol. “I am not so sure this is a good idea, boss. I am to stay with you always.” Gunnar looked to Rob, but I don’t know what kind of a sign he gave him, because I still wasn’t looking at Rob.
“We’re not going to try to ditch you guys. You can follow us the whole way back, I promise.” I went around to the front seat without waiting for an answer, letting them figure it out while I waited in the car. Rob climbed in beside me, starting up the dark sedan without a word as Gunnar joined the other team in the identical car behind us.
“That wasn’t very smart,” he said finally. “Alls you’re doing is drawing attention to us spending alone time together. Plus, you’re going to give Gunnar a complex, keeping secrets from him.”
“I needed to talk to you.”
“Why, what happened up there?”
Now I did look at him, drawn by the worry I heard in his voice. “It’s not what you think.” Not yet, anyway. “Jakob agreed to help. He said he can make the violence go away.”
“As easy as that?”
“Yep, pretty much.”
“So what you want to talk to me about then?”
I sucked in a long breath, getting the words out as quickly as possible. “In exchange for his help I promised to date him again, give things another chance.” There was breath left over and it left in a rush as I waited for his response. Rob looked straight ahead, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.
“Come on, say something,” I prompted when we’d gone several blocks without a peep.
“Is this something you want?” he said finally.
“No, of course not. But it’s the right thing to do to stop the bloodshed. Don’t you think?”
“How far are you willing to take this? To his bed?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I’ll do what I have to for now. Once things are more stable… then maybe I can break things off with him.”
His voice lowered to a growl. “Is that what you were doing up there for so long? Sealing the deal?”
“What? No… he wanted me to stay and visit for a while. What was I supposed to do? Say – hey, thanks for agreeing to help me out, gotta go! He promised not to pressure me into doing anything I don’t want to.”
“Seems to me he already is.”
“I meant more than that,” I said quietly. “I’m already stuck acting like his consort in public anyway. You know more than anyone he’s got the right to make me do this one way or another. He’s claimed me whether I like it or not.”
Rob nodded, flexing his fingers against the steering wheel as if they ached. “Jakob always gets what he wants. Always has, always will as long as he draws breath.”
We rode along in silence f
or the rest of the way, the gray drizzle outside matching my mood. When we pulled up in front of the house, neither one of us made a move to leave the car. I felt the hesitation of the security team watching us, waiting for me to appear, but I wasn’t eager to leave the warm cocoon.
“You know it’s not like I want it this way,” I said softly. “It doesn’t seem like I get much I want these days.” My fingers inched toward his in the darkness, but his were stiff and unmoving.
“I don’t like what he’s doing to you.”
“It’s like you said before. You don’t refuse an Ellri when he orders you to do something. He may seem like he’s asking, but there’s no saying no to him, not ever. All I can do is bide my time and hope he gets obsessed with some other project and then moves on when I don’t reciprocate his feelings.”
“Don’t seem likely,” Rob said with a puff of air.
“Forever is a long time. I just have to out-stubborn him until he gives up.”
“Or until he loses patience and takes what he wants.”
I will make you love me. Jakob’s fervent words came back to me again.
“Or we could always run away together.” I kept my voice light, but there was nothing light about the expression on his face when he finally turned to look at me.
“Anja…”
“Time to go inside,” I announced with false cheer, not wanting to hear his argument why that was the stupidest idea since designing a Death Star that could be taken out by an X-wing starfighter. I’d made my bed, now I had to lie in it and hope Jakob didn’t climb in beside me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jakob’s offer of help manifested in the form of a grand ball to be held in a week’s time. He sent the invitation along with an elaborate gown of pink chiffon. It must be how he saw me, soft and delicate, in need of protection. What chafed was the fact that it was true. I wouldn’t be in this mess if I hadn’t gone to him for help.
Courting to him meant plying me with gifts again, and each night I woke to find some new trinket or baskets of flowers on my doorstep. I would call him and thank him for the gift, claiming I had too much work to do to sneak away, but I was looking forward to his party.
