by Carol Roi
"I don't know, Dee. Jim might have been just thinking out loud. Maybe he wants to be, but isn't sure. I mean, he hardly knows her either." He tightened his arms around her. "Man, I'm so glad we're past that point. I can remember being so scared when I realized I was in love with you."
"Scared?"
"Weren't you? I was so afraid I'd walk out of the bathroom at Joe's, and you would see how I felt written on my face, and--I don't know, laugh at me or something."
"That's when you knew? The first time we went to Joe's?"
"Yeah. It kind of snuck up on me. I mean, I knew I wanted you from the moment we met, but I was so pitiful, making all those passes at you, and you just politely ignoring them, like you didn't know what I was talking about."
She smiled. "Oh, I knew. The time just wasn't right. You want to know when I knew I was in love with you?"
"Sure."
"When you showed up on my doorstep with breakfast the morning after we'd met. You were so concerned and so sincere, and a little bit nervous. You were just so--real. I needed that in my life. And I knew I could trust you with my secrets when the time came for us to take that next step beyond friendship."
"I knew I could trust you, too." Thinking of trust turned his thoughts back to the talk he'd had with Mark Haverill that afternoon. Involuntarily, his grip on her tightened.
She moved in the water, tilting her head back to look up at him. "Lobo, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, forget it. I don't want to spoil the mood."
"I'm not going to let you just drop it. You know you can talk to me about anything." Her hand came up to stroke his cheek, and she kissed the line of his jaw softly.
He shivered, amazed at how loved those simple gestures made him feel. And she was right, he could talk to her about anything, but…"I don't know. It just feels kind of weird talking 'shop' in the bathtub." He felt her fingers tickling along his ribs and he squirmed, splashing water and suds over the side.
Rising out of the water, Dee turned around and sat down again, straddling his legs so that she was facing him. "And anywhere else isn't going to be weird? You have my total attention now, so spill it."
Blair smiled at her. "Okay. I went to the station today and was going over the files from Friday and Saturday's incidents involving Eolia. I found a note Megan had stuck to one of the files, about how Lee's description of her attacker in the alley matched the general description of Brad Ventriss."
"That kid you were telling me about? The one who had you beat up? The one who's dead?"
Nodding, he continued. "That's the one. I thought Megan might be on to something, so I went digging. I found there was a mix-up at the morgue while Brad's body was there. They had one go missing. So just for kicks, I sent a copy of Brad's picture to Joe. He called me back to tell me the photo fits the description of a new Immortal who was last seen hanging with an older Immortal, one Reggie Kinney. Kinney lost his head a couple months ago, and the general consensus is this new Immortal took it. So Joe tells me where to find Kinney's Watcher. Guess where he is?"
Dee shrugged. "I don't know. But I think I can guess where this is heading."
"He's working for Cascade PD, in robbery. But before that, he was a guard at the city/county detention center, where Reggie Kinney was an inmate until his release four months ago, right after Brad's death."
"So did Kinney's Watcher confirm that Brad was the guy with Kinney?"
"Well, yes and no. Haverill, that's Kinney's Watcher, didn't work Brad's cell block, so he never met him up close. But he said there's a resemblance between the photo of Brad I showed him, and the guy Kinney was training. But he never really got a close look at him either. Since Kinney knew him from prison, Haverill had to keep his surveillance long distance once Kinney was out. But I'm wondering if Brad and this new Immortal are one and the same. Which answers a lot of questions, but also raises new ones." He paused, waiting for Dee to catch up with his train of thought.
"You're thinking Brad was the thief at QuestScape, and the shooter in the alley?" At his nod, Dee swore. "Damn it! Then that means Eolia lied to me." Getting to her feet, she climbed out of the tub, snagging a towel angrily off the rack.
Pulling the drain, Blair followed her. "You've got that look in your eye. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking Lia is playing games with me, and I don't like it." She slipped into her robe and walked into the bedroom.
Hastily wrapping a towel around his waist, Blair followed her. "You don't think Jim's in any danger, do you?"
Dee was pacing back and forth across the floor, chewing on her thumb. "Hmm, Jim? No, I don't think so. At least not from Lia. Whoever's after her, mortal or immortal, is the person we should be worried about." Sighing, she flopped down on the bed. "But we don't know anything for certain. Maybe Lia's telling the truth; maybe this guy is mortal. What we need is to show her the photo of Brad, see if she thinks it's him."
Blair sat down next to her. "We'd have to do it by the book. Stick his photo in with a bunch of similar ones and see if she can pick him out. I can pick up some other mug shots at the station tomorrow, or have Jim do it."
"Okay, sounds like a plan. Now I seem to remember you mentioning something about food earlier?"
He dove for the telephone. "I'm on it. You want Chinese or Italian? Or we could be really decadent and make someone from that new French place deliver in this weather."
She grinned at him, reaching for his towel. "Make it French, and promise them a big tip if it's here within the hour. That should be long enough for what I have in mind."
The staff of the Dragon Pearl had outdone itself on their behalf. The chef had prepared a special 'Pu-Pu' platter for an appetizer, then the main course had arrived. The first dish was a mild, meatless, Mou-Shou Tofu platter, which was immediately followed by the restaurant's infamous "Dragon's Crown" -- a mix of chicken, beef, pork and seafood in a black bean and garlic sauce. Through out the dinner, the couple seated next to the waterfall kept their conversation on 'safe' subjects: politics, weather and their jobs.
Jim settled back in his chair, a cup of hot jasmine tea in his hands, as he watched Lee. She had finished up her meal, allowing the waiter to clear the table, and surprised him by thanking the man for his services in his own language. Waiting until the happy young man had left, Jim smiled at his date. "You speak Vietnamese?"
Picking up her own cup of tea, she nodded. "A little. Just enough to be polite."
"How many other talents do you have hidden in that head of yours?" His probing question was met with a smile and a tinkling of laughter. "And where did you learn to move like you did earlier?"
"Earlier? Oh, the gymnastics." Lee set her cup down on the table and leaned forward, her elbows braced on the arms of her chair. "I trained as a gymnast when I was younger, even had my hopes set on the Nationals, until a lousy dismount from the uneven bars blew my knee out and ruined that for me."
"Bad break. Does it bother you very often?"
"Only when I forget and try to relive the glory that was once my dream."
A stench suddenly assaulted Jim's nose. The rank odor of overindulgence in alcohol caused Jim to look away from his date and scan the restaurant. Lee, seeing his movements as someone who suspected he was being watched, did her own covert surveillance. But neither one caught sight of their target until the man was practically looming over their table.
"Well, well. Isn't this just too special for words? Nice to see my tax dollars at work, Detective Ellison. Is this some new interrogation technique that the PD is using?"
Jim stood up, carefully placing the teacup on the table, and turned to face the clearly drunken man. "Mr. Ventriss, nice to see you again."
"Bullshit. Has there been anything done about the break in at my company, or are you just schmoozing with the lead suspect for the hell of it?"
"Ms. Eolia is not a suspect, Ventriss. She's been cleared of that."
Lee moved away from the man as he leaned over her, his smile gloating. "How ver
y nice. Looks like you might actually get away with it, my dear. All you have to do now is fuck the detective here and you're home free."
No one could say, later, who moved first against Mr. Norman Ventriss, Jim Ellison, his lady friend or the man's own bodyguard. However it happened, the man ended up on the floor, only to be helped to his feet by the detective and his driver.
Jim moved aside as Lee moved in, leaning on her cane, confronting the man who had slandered her in public. "Mr. Ventriss, any and all future contracts between my company and yours are now terminated. And just to make sure that you know just who in the hell it is you're dealing with, I'll be calling the DOD with my suspicions that they look deeper into your contracts with them as well."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Try me." Lee's voice was as cold as liquid nitrogen.
Mr. Singh hurried forward and broke into the group. "You leave now, Mr. V. Don't come back. You no longer welcome here. Go. GO!" Four of his waiters stepped forward as well and they, plus Mr. Ventriss' driver/bodyguard, escorted the man out of the restaurant. "Damn drunken fool. I apologize for his actions and his words, Mr. Ellison. I neglected to tell my bartender to keep tabs on him, to limit his intake." The Asian man's broken English dropped in favor of the more educated words now coming from his mouth.
"Mr. Singh, no need to apologize for him." Jim moved to Lee's side and handed her back into her chair. "Lee? You okay?" He'd felt her arm trembling when he'd touched her.
"I'll be fine." She grabbed up her tea and swallowed the last of it while muttering under her breath, "See if he can get any security company to work for him after this…"
"Let it go, Lee. Vendettas have a nasty way of coming back to haunt you," Jim admonished her as he resumed his seat across the table.
"This isn't about vendettas, Jim." She looked up at Mr. Singh, who nodded his understanding and left them alone. "Jan-Michel was able to dig up some interesting information about QuestScape from his sources." She told him about the findings that her bodyguard had managed to dig up, omitting only that his contact was also a Watcher.
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"I didn't even find out myself until this morning. Jan was a little pissed off, in more ways than one, Saturday night. And Sunday we had too much company and I had too much to think about to recall that he'd gone in search of the information."
Leaning back into his chair again, hands steepled in front of him, Jim digested everything he'd been told. "One question, Lee. When were you going to tell me about this?"
"Today. Tonight, in fact. I just didn't think you'd want to hear it in such a public setting." The sensual look in her eyes was almost a challenge.
Nodding his acceptance of the woman's unspoken suggestion, Jim caught the attention of their waiter and requested their check. The total was ridiculously low and after haggling about it with Mr. Singh, he paid the bill and added a very generous tip. Helping Lee into her coat, then slipping into his, Jim escorted her out of the restaurant and into a true snowfall.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" Lee exclaimed as she took in the sight of the city slowly being shrouded in a blanket of snow.
"It can be. Unless you're a cop, then all you see is the potential traffic nightmares." They walked to his truck in silence, Lee leaning on Jim's arm instead of using her cane. The drive back to their homes took a little longer as Jim was overcautious about his driving on the slick pavement.
When Jim turned into the small parking lot by his building, he noted that the Lexus was gone and wondered if LaFollet had lied to Lee. But he shook his head as he realized that he'd not seen anything out of the ordinary while at the Dragon Pearl.
"I wonder where Jan-Michel got off to?"
Jim snorted in laughter. "Maybe he decided that sticking around Dee's place wasn't a good idea."
"Oh?" Lee looked at him, then it dawned on her. "Oh! I asked her if we were imposing!"
Glancing at his watch as he climbed out of the truck, coming around the back to assist her out, he said, "Maybe we should give the two lovebirds a little more 'quality time' together? I think I have a nice bottle of Eiswine that we can share."
"Eiswine? Jim, no that's too much…"
"No it's not. I raided my father's wine cellar a few years ago, have had the bottle ever since." Seeing her discomfort, as he held the door open for her, he made another offer. "Or I could just let you choose?"
"I'd like that, thank you." Lee looked up the stairs in front of her and sighed as she reached for the handrail.
Jim followed her up two flights of stairs, then gave in to his impulsiveness. Coming up behind her before she could start up the last flight of steps, he tapped her on the shoulder and then swept her up into his arms. "Much easier on your knee this way."
Choking back a giggle, she nodded as she brought her arms up around his neck. When they came to the door of his apartment he slowly lowered her to the floor. Unlocking the door he preceded her into the darkened loft and flipped on the lights. Once she was inside, and he'd helped her out of her coat, he gestured her over to the kitchen. "Wine is in the lower cabinet by the 'fridge. See if there's something in there that strikes your fancy."
Jim climbed the stairs to his room, shedding his coat and jacket on the way, dropping both to the bed. He slipped off his belt and slid the holster and gun off. Returning down stairs, he found Lee still in the kitchen, looking over two rather dusty bottles on the counter. "Did you find something?"
Smiling up at the detective as he came around the island, she gestured to the bottles. "Maybe. Which one do you like?"
Glancing over the labels he realized she had managed to find his secret stash. "Either one is good. I'll get a couple of glasses while you decide." Reaching up into another cabinet, he pulled down two glasses and turned back to see Lee holding up the bottle of Korbel Brandy. He snickered. "Good thing I picked the snifters."
"I saw you reach for them, and I happen to like brandy."
"Fine, go make yourself comfortable and I'll bring the glasses out." After pouring the liquor into the glasses, he looked around for the remote control to the stereo and found it, by the stove of all places. Aiming the remote, he tapped on the play button and the sounds of classical guitar wafted through the loft. Walking over to where Lee sat on the couch, he handed her a glass then sat beside her. "I hope you don't mind the music?"
Placing the glass on the low table, Lee shrugged out of her suit jacket, then picked up the snifter again. "Mind? No, I like all of Carlos' work." She carefully sipped at the amber liquid, then grew concerned when Jim got up from beside her and crossed over to the fireplace. "Jim?"
"It's bound to get a little chilly in here. I thought I'd start a fire." Placing a few logs in the fireplace, Jim lit up a starter log and then returned to Lee's side. "There, that should help keep the chill at bay."
"Thanks, but I was doing just fine. Really."
Picking up his own brandy, Jim settled back into the cushions of the sofa. "Yeah, well maybe I just like the idea of sitting here with you, the snow falling outside and us enjoying the warmth of a fire."
Lee blushed a little. "I didn't realize you were a romantic, Jim."
"It 's been known to happen from time to time." He took a careful sip of his own brandy, then turned to face her, one knee coming up to rest beside her thigh. "So, tell me. Do you ever take a break from your job at WindHawk?"
"Occasionally, why do you ask?"
Gently reaching out to tuck a loose tendril of dark red hair behind her ear, he said, "I guess I'm kind of hoping you could stick around here for a while."
"Jim…" Lee turned to face him, her own leg coming up to rest on top of his on the couch, "Are you sure? I mean, you know nothing about me…"
"I want to learn." Leaning in towards her, placing his hand on her leg, he gave her a kiss, one that rapidly changed from 'I like you' to 'I want you,' in the space of a few rapid heartbeats. The strains of Santana's Black Magic Woman started to fill the loft, and Jim found hims
elf falling into a sensory overload as he tasted her lips, then her tongue, savoring the nearly overpowering taste of the brandy and the subtle aftertaste of the plum wine she'd drank earlier. There was more. Her heartbeat had quickened and he could feel it pulsating through her body where his touched hers. He inhaled the scent rising off of her hair as he gently held her close, the scent of wildflowers…
The smell took him back in time to Saturday night, even as his hands continued to explore the soft, yet firmly developed body now nearly trapped beneath his on the couch. Then the voice in his head, one that sounded a lot like his guide, crashed into his awareness. "… you know you and redheads don't mix. Besides, Lee just lost her husband. She's probably pretty fragile right now. I…I just don't want you getting hurt." Maybe Blair was right. This was moving rapidly in a direction that he wasn't sure he was ready to go. He wasn't even sure Lee was ready to go there herself. They needed to talk, to get to know one another.
