Night Games

13

Calls that came in the middle of the night were never good. Jack’s heart jolted when his phone blared and jerked him out of a sound sleep. Heart pounding, he groped for his cell before it vibrated itself off his nightstand.

Selina bolted upright, hair sticking out in every direction, eyes wild. “Holy shit, you need to change your ring tone. The air raid siren freaks me out.”

“I’ll do that.” After a day of languorous sex with breaks for eating and going over files again, and a night of more sex and deep sleep, this was one rude-ass awakening. He snagged the phone and unplugged the charger. Tapping the screen, he pressed it to his ear. “Laramie.”

“Jack, it’s Luca.” The vampire’s usually smooth voice was rough with rage. “You need to come down to Harborview Medical Center.”

A chill went down his spine, but he pushed the button to set his cell on speakerphone so Selina could hear, too. “Another victim?”

“Yes, only this one survived. Barely, but he survived. They think if he makes it through the night, he’ll recover.”

His heart slammed against his rib cage. A survivor. A witness. Selina threw aside the covers and leapt out of bed, throwing on clothes and thrusting her fingers through her disheveled hair.

“Do we have a name on the vic yet?” Jack grabbed a notepad to write it down so he knew whose room to ask for when they arrived at the hospital.

“It’s Darren Kerr. Your stepfather.” Luca’s Italian accent deepened. “I’m so damn sorry, Jack. Get down here now.”

Everything inside him froze, slowed down until it stopped. His heart, the very breath in his lungs. The phone slipped from his hand and clattered against the floor.

Selina snapped her fingers and his clothes were magically on. She tugged him out the door and stuffed him into her car. Hard determination molded her features as she floored it all the way to Harborview, the blue light flashing on her dashboard. He didn’t remember anything else about the drive, just the expression on her face. He didn’t know how long it took, just that it felt like forever. His hands felt as though they’d been made of ice, and he fumbled to get the door open when they arrived.

A hand wave from his elf, and the door flew wide. He tumbled out of the car and almost face-planted in the parking garage. He shook himself out of his stupor and ran for the hospital entrance, Selina right on his heels. All he could think was, Please, God, don’t let me lose another father. Please, God. Not someone else I love.

Sliding to a halt at the nurses’ station, he barked, “Darren Kerr. Where is he?”

The nurse drew herself up as if he’d said something offensive. Selina leaned over the desk, her eyes slitted. “We’re with the FBI. I suggest you answer the man’s question.”

“Level four, left off the elevator.”

The Magickal ward. Of course. Like every other public service, hospitals had a special branch for Magickals. Darren was there. Jack spun and sprinted for the elevator. There was a crowd there, waiting. What were all these people doing here? They all seemed to be sobbing. No way could he handle standing there with that. To hell with waiting for the elevator. He turned for the stairs and hit them running. His arms and legs pumped as he took the steps two at a time. Sweat streaked down his face to sting his eyes, and his vision blurred.

He burst out of the stairwell and collided with Selina as she stepped off the elevator. She went careening into the wall, and he caught her before she fell.

“Laramie.” Luca rose from his chair down the hall, which was parked next to a room with three agents guarding it. He stepped in front of Jack before he could rush into the room. “Be ready when you go in there. He was shot with silver bullets and stabbed repeatedly with a silver implement. It’s as bad as the others, only he’s still breathing.”

“He understands that, Cavalli,” Selina snapped, appearing at his side, a slender virago in his defense. “Get out of the way.”

Glancing down at her, Luca sighed and moved. “He asked for Angela, but that’s the only word he’s spoken.”

“My mother’s on a business trip in Portland. She left after the full moon lockdown ended yesterday at dawn.” It wasn’t even dawn yet now. She’d been gone less than a day. “She’s not getting back until Friday.”

Darkness edged the corners of Jack’s vision when the bed came into view, his stepfather still as death and as pale as the sheet draped over him.

“I called her.” Luca’s voice seemed to come from a very long distance. “I’ve sent my family’s private jet down there, and she’ll be here soon.”

“Thank you, Luca,” Selina replied for Jack, because he couldn’t unlock his jaw enough to say a word.

Rage pumped through his veins, and his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. He didn’t consider himself an angry or violent man. Those things had their time and place, but this? This was unlike anything he had ever known before.

The motherfucker had messed with his family.

Staring down at his stepfather—a man who had always been larger than life in his eyes, invincible—he saw a battered victim, flesh swollen with bruises, one hand broken, wounds festering down his arms and legs, his collarbone scored with the ugly black mark of dark magic. His werewolf healing abilities would kick into full gear once the silver processed out of his system, but for the moment, he looked like hell.

Jack’s fingers were shaking when he sat down and took Darren’s hand. Tubes and wires ran in and out of his arms and chest. Bruises mottled his face, black rings formed around his eyes.

The big wolf startled, lurching halfway up in bed before collapsing back. His eyes were wild, feral light gleaming in them.

“I’ll get the nurse,” Selina said, and ducked out of the room.

Jack leaned right into Darren’s face, despite the fangs that were fully extended. “You’re all right. Everyone is safe. Mom is on her way back from Oregon.”

His stepfather’s throat worked, and a drop of blood slid down from the puncture wounds on his neck. The blistered skin had been marked by silver. Nothing else could do that to a wolf. Guilt poured like acid through Jack’s veins. If he’d caught this vampire before now, Darren wouldn’t have been tortured, wouldn’t be in the hospital now. He’d be home, safe, just as he should be. The self-recrimination tangled with the anger—at himself, at this killer.

More than ever before, Jack understood why Selina had done whatever it took to be part of this investigation. He didn’t necessarily agree with her methods, but there was no power on earth that would hold Jack back from tracking down this bloodsucking fucker.

He’d messed with Jack’s family.

Selina returned, nurse in tow.

“Huuuh,” Darren said, squeezing Jack’s fingers with a pathetically weak grip. “Huhm ... man.”

“What?” The helplessness, the garbled speech made moisture burn at the backs of his eyes. “Don’t try to talk, Darren. Just rest up and get better.”

The wolf shook his head, his gaze locking on Jack’s face with singular focus. His face reddened with the strain of forcing out the words, and he gurgled for a moment before it became sensible. “Hu—man. He’s ... human.”

“The man who attacked you?” Selina came forward to lean over Jack’s shoulder. “He was Normal?”

Darren nodded, a sigh whistling out of his throat. Relief flashed across his face, and he relaxed against the pillows. The nurse bustled over and checked his vital signs, wrote things down on his chart, gave him a shot that had him unconscious in moments. “He needs to rest. For some reason his healing abilities seem to have stopped, even though we’ve pulled all the silver out of him. We’re trying to stabilize him, so upsetting him and questioning him about what happened is a bad idea right now.”

“I wasn’t questioning him.” But Jack’s thoughts went reeling. Human. Not a vampire. A Normal.

Everything they’d thought, everything they’d assumed, had been wrong. They had to go back over every inch of evidence. He rose to his feet, staggered a bit, and glanced at Selina.

Her keys were already in her hand. “You can stay with Darren if you want to; I can handle this.”

Sit here and do nothing but stare at his wounded parent? “I can’t. I need to be doing something.”

“There will be agents guarding this room around the clock.” Luca piped in from his position near the door. “Peyton is at your parents’ place now, overseeing things.”

“Okay.” Selina took a breath. “Let’s check out the crime scene, then we have some work to do.”

The crime scene. Jack couldn’t seem to absorb that. His parents’ house was a crime scene. It was unreal.

Selina followed Jack down the hall to the elevator. She punched the call button. His throat worked for a long moment before he spoke. “He’s been my father for over twenty years.”

“I know.” She slipped her fingers into his. It broke her work rules while all those agents guarding the door watched them. She could feel their gazes burning into her back. “He’s going to be okay.”

She said it because it was what people say during times like this, but she hoped it was true. If a wish could become a spell, she prayed this one had. She liked his parents. They didn’t deserve this. No one did.

“He took me to baseball games when I was a teenager. Just him and me. He was there for my high school and college graduations. He was there for me when Heather ...” Swallowing hard, he shook his head. “He didn’t try to replace my dad, he just offered me friendship. But somewhere along the way, he became as much a father to me as my biological one. I don’t ... I don’t want to lose another dad.”

The elevator car arrived, the doors swishing open. Jack let go of her hand, and his gate was jerky when he walked in to slump against the back wall. She entered more slowly, pushed the button for the first floor, and pain filled her at witnessing his.

When the doors closed, he bent forward and braced his hands on his knees. “Do you have any kids?”

She arched her eyebrows at the non sequitur. “What would make you ask that?”

Snorting, he didn’t lift his head. “I don’t know. We were talking about parents. Just talk to me so I don’t lose it.”

That made sense. Sort of. She’d humor him, though. “No, I’ve never had any children.”

“Did you ever want any?”

She shrugged, tapping her fingers on the railing that ran around the middle of the car. “I might have at some point, but ... the time never seemed right. My husband died centuries ago and I never remarried. I wouldn’t want to bring an illegitimate child into the world.”

A child like her. The stigma that came with being a bastard might not be there anymore, but it mattered to her. She couldn’t help it. She’d had to live with her mother’s shame for all of her young life.

Jack laced his fingers over the back of his head. His knuckles went white he gripped his skull so hard. “Would you want children now?”

She was going to die soon. Something else she hadn’t told him, and which he was going to hate her for, especially after what had happened to Darren. They’d gotten too close, and now Jack was going to get hurt.

“You wouldn’t like a little girl who looks like you?” His words were soft.

The picture formed in her mind, unbidden, of a chubby toddler, with tiny pointed ears and brilliant blue eyes, reaching out to be picked up and held.

Yes. Gods, yes. Something deep inside her craved that with a sharpness she hadn’t felt since she was married and hoping to have babies. Selina blinked, shoving the thought away with violent insistence.

“I’m not going to have any children.”

He pushed himself upright, his eyes red-rimmed and blood-shot. “Could you, if you wanted to?”

“Magickals stop aging physically for the middle centuries of their lives, but I’m past that and I’m starting to get older.” Her face had looked like she was in her late twenties since she was that age. But whatever magic had held her in stasis had released its grip and she appeared in her late thirties, early forties. She’d have kept aging like a Normal ... if she weren’t going to kick the bucket. “If you figure where I’d be in a Normal’s reproductive lifespan, then yes. It would be feasible for me to bear offspring for another few years.”

“Good.”

No, it wasn’t. She didn’t want to be having this conversation with him. There were no babies in her future. There was no Jack in her future. There was nothing good in her future. Time for a topic change. “Let’s focus on the case. How sure are we that Darren’s senses were right?”

“I’ve never had a reason to doubt them.” Jack drew in a deep breath, stepping out of the elevator to walk out to her car. “If Darren says he’s human, then the son of a bitch is a Normal.”

She nodded. “Well, this is a lot more to go on than I had when he got away from me the first time.”

“The one who got away,” Jack murmured to himself, his brows furrowing.

A Normal, not a vampire. The memory of Gregor’s face filled her mind, the way he’d flinched when Delta mentioned Normals. At the time, Selina had thought it was over his shock at seeing the woman he’d illegally turned, but now she wasn’t so sure. Her precognition had always said Gregor was involved, although she hadn’t been sure how. She hadn’t been aware she was hunting a Normal, but she’d bet the bank that Gregor had. He might not have done any of the killing—this time—but he knew who had.

It was time to have another, more specific, chat with the genial mercenary. She turned to tell Jack, but he beat her to speech.

“It occurs to me that he might not have been the only one who got away.” He slid his hands in his pockets, still frowning.

“You think Gregor was involved?” While the vampire had gotten away with murder—literally—for years, Selina was inclined to agree with Delta. He didn’t fit the profile. This wasn’t his kind of kill.

“No, I don’t mean Gregor.” He shook his head. “I mean you.”

“I don’t follow you.” At all. What was he talking about?

“What, you think it’s a coincidence that my stepfather was attacked? Or that your cousin was murdered?” He lifted his eyebrows. “He knows we’re tracking him. He knows who we are.”

She waved her hand. “It had occurred to me. I mean, it could have been coincidence with my cousin, but Darren, too? No, you’re right.”

“So, what if you were the fifth murder in New Orleans? The one who didn’t happen? What if you’re the reason there were only four deaths there?” He waited for her to respond, but she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. “You said yourself you’re as much a potential victim as anyone else because you married a Normal.”

That possibility had never occurred to her. It probably should have. “I ...”

The car came into view, and Selina pushed the button to pop the locks. They crawled inside and Jack continued with his theory while she pulled out of the parking garage. “It seems a little too easy that he would appear in a city that has a Magickal detective in it he’d studied up on. Delta said he researches his victims until he feels he knows them. So he thinks he knows you. It wouldn’t take an idiot to figure you’d probably end up on this case, since you worked it before, or that you’d want a piece of him. He killed your cousin, and I think he might be back in Seattle to finish what he started thirty years ago. I think you’re the one who got away for him, too.”

Not for long. Shit. She had to tell him. Dread gathered in a pool in her belly, curdling until she feared she might actually vomit. Again. Maybe this was for the best. He might hate her, but it was better than caring for her and having her die on him. Cut ties now, give them both the opportunity to walk away from this thing they had while there was still a chance. The reasoning just made her feel ... empty.

She stared straight ahead, unable to look at him while she did it. “Jack, I need to tell you something else. This isn’t the right time for it, but there really isn’t a right time.”

“What?”

Just do it. Just say it. “Whether I’m the one who got away or not, he’s still going to kill me.”

There was a long, very pregnant pause. His voice was deadly soft. “What did you say?”

A chill skittered down her spine, and she swallowed hard, her heart hammering in sickening thumps. “Merek had a prophecy a year ago that I would die on the job. Now. I figured it would just be a bust gone wrong. It happens. I didn’t figure it would be my worst nightmare dragging me back into hell. But it is. So this is it. My last case. Because I’m going to die.”

“Merek brought you back into this case, knowing it would kill you?” His hands clenched on the strap of his seat belt, strangling the fabric. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye as she drove. “You had to know I would have heard about a string of murders in town and I would have asked around about it. Law enforcement has more gossip than a bunch of high school cheerleaders.”

If anything, his voice got even quieter. “And you didn’t tell me about this until now ... why?”

“I figured it was no one’s business but mine.” She winced, knowing how well he’d take that considering how he’d reacted to her keeping the Bess information from him.

“I thought we were past piling on the bullshit, Selina.” He turned his head to look at her.

She shook her head, but she couldn’t meet his gaze. “I never lied to you, Jack.”

That was the wrong thing to say. He slapped his hand against the dashboard. “You never told me the truth either! You’ve been keeping shit from me this entire investigation.”

“None of it changed anything about how the case would go. It was all my personal shit.” Her palms were slick with clammy sweat on the steering wheel as she wended her way through the deserted Seattle streets. His anger was a palpable force in the car, and she couldn’t even blame him. She braced herself, knowing this beautiful thing they’d had was going to end. One more thing she had to let go of. Ice stole through her veins, leaving her cold and exhausted.

“Our relationship was personal, too, Selina. We’re not just working together.”

“I know. I should have broken things off a long time ago.” She would never forgive herself for letting it go so long that he got hurt. She’d go into the afterlife kicking her own ass for this. Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she blinked, refusing to let them fall. This was her own fault. She didn’t deserve to cry about it. “I should never have let it go past that first night.”

His mouth dropped open, then snapped shut so hard she heard his teeth clack together. “That’s what you have to say to me? Are you fucking kidding me?”

Her limbs trembled, and she was grateful when she pulled to a stop at the curb in front of his parents’ place. A half-dozen cars were out front, blue lights still flashing, caution tape cordoning off the house, officers and agents swarming the place looking for evidence. She forced herself to twist in her seat and face Jack. “Now you see why I said this wasn’t a good time for me to get involved with anyone.”

Even under the weak light of the streetlamp and the strobelike flashing from the police cars, she could see his face was flushed with anger. “Yeah, but you neglected to mention it was because you’re planning to die. You had no right to keep your personal shit from me when it even remotely touched the case I’m working on. You should have told me about Bess and you should have told me about you.”

She threw up her hands. “If I’d told you everything, you’d have yanked me off the case.”

“You’re damn right I would!”

He still could. Officially anyway. “Try it, and I’ll still work the case. You can’t keep me from it, and there’s nothing you can threaten me with that will stop me. I’ve got nothing to lose.”

“Yeah, because in your mind, you’re already dead. Of course you have nothing to lose! Jesus Christ, Selina.” He shoved a hand through his hair, gripping the strands tight.

“Try to keep in mind that I didn’t have to tell you this. There was no file from New Orleans that would have clued you in.” Her voice shook, tremors running through her body. “It was my choice to trust you with it.”

“Trust.” He laughed, and it almost sounded like a sob.

“I wanted to give you a chance to accept it, like I have. I wanted to give you the chance to say good-bye. I didn’t want to just die on you.” She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep from flying apart. It was better if he walked away now. It was better if he hated her. She hated herself for having put them in this situation.

“Jesus Christ.” He swiped at his eyes and blew out a breath. “I can’t believe this is happening again.”

Gods, this was so much worse than she’d ever imagined. “I’m not Heather. I’m not killing myself.”

“You’re not exactly fighting to hold on either.” The leather upholstery squeaked when he turned toward to her.

She huffed out a breath. “How old was she?”

“Twenty-three.”

“Yeah, I’m four hundred and forty-one, Jack. No one’s going to say ‘she died so young—it’s such a tragedy.’ I’ve had a long, long life. I’ve done a lot of things, known a lot of people, and loved my share of them. Hated a few, too. You name it, I’ve probably done it, or thought about it and decided against it. I’ve had the time to consider everything you can possibly imagine.” The gods knew she’d thought about Merek’s prophecy for the last year and had some time to come to grips with it. “I’ve traveled the world, had about fourteen different careers on three different continents. I’ve done extreme shit, I’ve slept with a lot of men, I’ve been married and been widowed. What more could I ask for in life? Nothing. I couldn’t ask for more than what I’ve had, and I think I’ve made the most of the time I’ve gotten.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw, and she could see veins throbbing at his temple. “I don’t want you to die. I just ... holy shit, I can’t believe this is happening again.”

“I’m not her, Jack. I’m not.” She wanted to reach for him, but she had no right. It was all she could do to keep her teeth from chattering, she was so damn cold. “I’m not planning to kill myself. This is more ... terminal disease than suicide. The end is coming. It’s not by my hand, but it is inevitable. Try to accept that. I have.”

“No.” He shoved his face into hers, his blue eyes blazing pure fire. “No. I won’t accept it. I’ll never accept it. So don’t ask it of me.”

She drew in a shuddery breath. “Okay, I won’t. That doesn’t change anything.”

“Fine,” he snapped, throwing himself back in his seat. He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Go home, Selina. Peyton and I can handle this scene without you. I’m not taking you off the case, but I don’t want to see you right now. Get the hell out of my sight.”

Hauling himself out of the car, he slammed the door behind him. He didn’t look back as he walked away. She made herself put the vehicle in gear and press her foot on the gas pedal. Something inside shattered, and she felt as frozen as she had when Bess died. There really was nothing left for her now. Just the case. Just catching this murderer. It was better this way.

Maybe if she said it enough, she’d believe it.