Authors: Lina Gardiner
"Of course I do, Regent. And, I can accept her just as she is,” he said, but at the same time frowned and wondered why Regent had made that statement.
Regent's shoulders instantly relaxed, and he smiled. “Let's do this tonight,” Regent said. “You phone Jess, and I'll phone Sampson and James. Get them here as soon as possible. Jess needs to know what's going on and she needs her support team here and ready to do damage control."
Jess had received the message and was already waiting when the men entered Regent's office. She twisted away from the fireplace to face them. Didn't give anyone a chance to speak first.
"This is ridiculous. Do you realize you're all acting like I'm some helpless female who can't look after herself?” She figured they were going to tell her she should step down from her job until she had control of her blackouts.
Regent made a move to console her, but she held up a hand. “Stay where you are, brother. I don't know why you've called this meeting, but I've got something to say first, and it's wise right now if you listen to me. I
am
a vampire. If you're concerned about the episode on the bridge, I can't be killed by falling into a filthy river. So no matter how disgusting it would have been, you all know it wouldn't have harmed me physically."
"But you fainted before that,” Regent began.
"I did faint. But that hasn't happened again. And yes, something is happening to me, but whatever it is, I'm a big girl. I can look after myself,” she asserted. Of course she didn't want to consider that she might be losing her abilities. Or that she might have hurt someone when she was wandering around the city in some weird daze. She'd cross that bridge when she came to it.
"James, I shouldn't have called you the other night either. Britt was with me. We really didn't need another hunter.” She hesitated, trying to figure out for herself why she'd called him. “Something about this vampire put me on high alert."
"I am always on call for you, Jess.” James's low voice sounded more proprietary than she would have expected. But why not? They'd been partners and best friends for many years.
She looked at the men in Regent's office and considered the twists her life had taken. No matter how dark her prospects, these three made it all worthwhile.
"I appreciate that, James, but you have a wife and a child who need you much more than I do. Terry doesn't know how to handle a baby vampire in the throes of blood thirst. You need to be there, not following me around the city."
"Terry is doing great. She's adapted to our world very quickly.” James smoothed his neatly kept beard. He always looked like a university professor. “I can come back to work if you need me."
"I can also fire your ass if you don't do what I tell you to do, so I'd suggest you listen to me right now. This is not a request, it's an order. Go home and spend time with your new family. Forget about the ongoing war for the time being. Britt and I will hold down the fort, and if we need you, we'll call."
Without conscious effort, her teeth had grown, and she imagined that her eyes were black coals right now. She smiled at James, showing her fangs, and he smiled back with his own fangs evident. It was their form of respect.
"Another thing. That slimy bastard Drago Vaslov has been here in my brother's house—a house of God. That doesn't make me happy. We are going to find out what the hell he's up to. That means Britt and I are on the case."
Regent leaned against his desk, and Jess's gaze moved to him instantly. She always knew when he suffered. When his heart ached and he mourned for the atrocities he felt she had to endure. He was hurting for her right now. Her irises returned to normal and her teeth receded.
Britt stood and paced to the fireplace. He stared into the flaming embers before turning to face her. “Jess, we didn't assemble here to talk about your incident on the bridge, or the fact that you fainted behind the Dragon's Lair Club."
"You didn't?” She felt a lump form in her throat and she glared at him. “What the hell are you
not
telling me? What have I done?"
Visions of her nightmare resurfaced. She'd attacked and killed two vampires in that dream. It had seemed so real. Her insides clenched into a tight knot of fear. Dear God in heaven, maybe she should turn in her badge. She wasn't safe to be around."
"Don't condemn yourself yet, Jess. Hear us out,” Britt said. “Sampson has some information about the women who've been killed by the vampire. Information that will come as a shock to you, but before he says a word, I want you to remember that evidence can be tampered with."
She frowned at him, then at Sampson. “You kept information from me?"
Sampson cleared his throat. He sat in the corner with his paperwork on his lap. “This is data I've just gathered tonight, Jess. Nothing has been kept from you for long."
"But you discussed it before anyone thought to mention it to the person in charge?"
"We did,” Britt said. “And we have a very good reason for doing that. Just as we decided to hold this meeting here at the Rectory rather than at the Department."
Jess didn't like the sound of that. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. “All right, give it to me straight."
Sampson spoke first. “The results of the VNA show one person attacked our victims."
"Who ... Who is it?” She faltered. Looking from one to the next, she measured their expressions. Concern etched deeply in each of their faces. That didn't bode well for her. Her fingers wrapped around the jeweled cross at the end of her blade and she said a silent prayer to keep herself from reacting in a way that would further hurt Regent.
"I retested all of the samples tonight. I got the same information.” Sampson cleared his throat. “Jess, it's your VNA in those bodies."
Even though she had the feeling they were going to say that, she heard the words as if from far away. A strange buzzing started at the back of her head and got louder. She was standing beside the fire but could feel none of its warmth.
A hand touched her and she jumped. It was Regent. “Sit down on the sofa, dear, next to me."
She let him lead her to the sofa and she plunked down. Could it be true? She'd killed humans. Taken their lives. The very worst thing she could imagine.
"Jess, we don't believe the information. We...” Sampson looked at Britt. “After hearing Britt's theory, we believe the evidence has been tampered with. The bodies were a set up, and your VNA placed there without your knowledge."
Jess stared down at the worn carpet and listened to Sampson. His words were like cardboard floating in the artificial void of her world right now. Nothing felt real.
"Jess!"
She looked up at Britt's worried gaze.
"You didn't do this, do you hear me?” He sounded angry.
She nodded. But he wanted her to be innocent. Probably couldn't face what she really was. She'd dreamed she'd killed, and now there was evidence that she really had.
"At first I was afraid you'd done it, too, Jess,” Sampson said openly. “But Britt reminded me it was all too coincidental. Especially since your knife was found under the first victim. Maybe a vampire in a fugue state could kill without knowing it, but leaving their blade behind? A blade they didn't use?” He shook his head. “It was planted evidence. Someone is playing mind games with you. Britt figure it out, and I truly believe it now."
She frowned. “My blade was at a crime scene? My missing blade!” She glared at Britt for not telling her sooner. “But I've been having blackouts. I tried to bite Britt.” She couldn't look at Regent; she hadn't told him about that.
"But you didn't bite me,” Britt said.
For the first time she felt her spirits lighten. Britt was right. She should know if she'd killed someone and had taken their life's blood. Part of the victim's spirit entered a vampire at that time and remained, instituting a never-ending connection between them. She'd felt that with James until Regent had prayed over him and partially saved his soul. After that their connection had become weaker.
"If you're right how are they getting my VNA?"
"I still have all my samples at the lab,” Sampson said. “No one has gotten any of them."
Britt cut in. “But you blacked out in the alley behind the Dragon's Lair. And you don't remember what happened after that.” Britt paced in front of the fire. “Someone could have taken blood from you, either in the alley or that night on the bridge before I caught up to you"
"But why?"
"Why indeed,” Regent murmured, suddenly looking as if a light bulb switched on over his head. “And isn't it interesting that at the same time someone reported the bodies left on the church's roof to the Bishop, making sure I'll be out of commission during your time of need."
"You're right,” Jess leaned forward. “I'm beginning to believe in Britt's conspiracy theory."
Britt smiled at her and his eyes lit up. She knew that look. The heat from that smile touched her and she suddenly wished they were alone so she could thank him in person for having faith in her.
"Of course I'm right. You hired me for my keen investigative skills, and I'm going to prove to you how good I am."
Jess allowed a wry grimace. It wouldn't do to show too much of her soft side to the men in this room. She had a reputation to maintain after all. “Don't get too full of yourself. I hired you because you were an ex-cop who'd been accused of murdering your partner. Not because I knew you were a great detective."
He smiled again, and she tore her gaze away.
"Guess I still have a few things to prove to you then, don't I, Jess?” He'd been very blatant with his sexual innuendo—the tone and slow tempo of his voice made his true meaning abundantly clear. And in front of her brother and James!
"We can't all be shining stars,” she rejoined, trying to tamp down the feelings he'd spurred inside her. “If someone is setting me up, then what are we going to do to catch them?"
"Earlier tonight, I found Vaslov's business card on a dead vampire hooker. I think he's in this up to his eyeballs. We should continue to focus our attention on him,” Britt said, his expression turning serious.
Jess gave a disbelieving shake of her head. “It's obvious he's up to something, but this is so much more involved than I would have thought possible for someone like him. Why would he do this?
How
could he do this? He's not a vampire, of that I'm sure."
"But he's up to his neck in vampires right now and we not only have to figure out what his game is, but we've got to find out why he's so interested in you,” Britt said.
Given everything she'd learned tonight, and Regent's newest notion about being reported to the Bishop in order to get him out of the way, she had to arrive at the conclusion that someone had gone to a whole lot of effort to set this thing up. At least it was a viable straw and she wanted to grasp at it. It was better than the alternative—that she was killing those people.
If it were Vaslov doing this to her, no way would he get away with making her think she'd killed those women if she were innocent. The men in this room wouldn't let that happen. She considered herself very lucky to have such loyal friends. But reporting her brother and possibly ending his beloved career in shame would not be tolerated.
If Vaslov was behind this, he'd be very sorry. That she vowed.
"What about the Bishop? Have you heard from him, Regent? Do you know when his investigation is to begin?” Jess asked.
"The investigation begins next week. That mean's they'll be in the Rectory for the foreseeable future. I'm afraid it's not going to be safe for you to stay here during that time, dear."
She nodded. “Figured as much. Not to worry, I've got the condo.” She always kept her own place—just in case of emergency. “I phoned the housekeeper last week and asked her to clean it. And Sampson offered to stock up the supplies,” she added, referring to her refrigerated blood supply. “I'll move in this week."
Regent sagged. “You're staying there alone?"
"What does this investigation mean, Regent?” Britt asked before she could answer.
Prayerfully, Regent clasped his hands together and looked upward. “I've had other bad reports in the past. This time the diocese is taking the parishioner's story very seriously."
"It could mean the end of his job,” Jess said. She'd wanted him to retire, but not in disgrace. It was all her fault. Even worse, she needed him now. Needed his prayers and his guidance to help her through this problem.
But that's why she was being set up, wasn't it. Someone knew about her physical problems, had possibly manipulated everything to make her vulnerable. Make both her and Regent vulnerable.
"Why didn't you tell me about the investigation before this?” Britt asked.
She raised her eyes to meet Britt's intent gaze. “Lately, we've been going from one crime scene to the next. There's been very little time in between.” Not at all true, but she didn't have the guts to tell him why not—because then she'd have to ask him to look after her.
Regent's audible sigh let her know he was disappointed that she still hadn't asked Britt to be her protector.
She glanced toward James. “James, my friend, go home. I promise to keep you apprised of what's going on,” Jess said. “That is if I get the chance to tell you before someone else gives you the information.” She scanned the other men in the room with a severe expression.
"Okay, but if you need me, I want you to call.” James moved toward the study door. “I'll say goodnight."
"See you, James. Bring the baby over tomorrow. Terry and I have set up a schedule for prayers,” Regent said.
James nodded, the small ponytail at the back of his neck bobbing. “Thanks, Regent. We both appreciate how hard this is for you."
"I can handle it, my son, don't you worry.” He winked and poked his thumb in Jess's direction. “I'm nearly as tough as this one, here."
Jess nodded, then said, “Britt, you and I have got work to do tonight. I'm getting very tired of being used as a pawn in this game, and I think it's about time we showed them they've messed with the wrong cops."
"Right behind you, Jess,” Britt said.