A Bite to Remember (11 page)

He didn’t look pleased, but said, “Yes, but I’ve never deliberately hurt anyone in my life.”

“You’re over four hundred years old, you may have slighted someone, or broken the heart of someone on your staff two or three hundred years ago and not remember.”

“I hardly think this is about slighting someone two or three hundred years ago,” he said stiffly. “And I’ve never broken anyone’s heart. It can’t be about that.”

“Then what
is
it about?” Jackie asked sharply.

Vincent shook his head, frustration plain on his face. “I don’t know.”

“So, it’s something you’ve forgotten because of its insignificance to you,” she said pointedly.

His mouth tightened. “I’m not an asshole, Jackie. I’d hardly forget something that hurt someone enough they’d do this.”

Jackie shrugged. “Asshole. Immortal. Whatever.”

“Dinner’s ready!” Tiny stepped between their glares and placed a serving dish of chicken on the table.

Jackie blinked at the food. “When did you have time to cook a meal?”

“I wasn’t sure of our schedule so I cooked it this morning while the chili was simmering. I put it in to warm when we walked in,” he explained, then added firmly, “It’s warm. Eat.”

Jackie bit her lip as she took in his grim expression. Tiny obviously felt she’d overstepped and been rude. He wanted her to stick a piece of chicken in her mouth and shut up. Aware that she
had
been rude with that last crack about immortals and assholes, Jackie sighed and settled into a chair at the table, her mind searching for the words to apologize without making a big deal out of it. She never got the chance though. While Vincent’s nose had quivered over the delicious aroma of the roasted meat, he said, “Thank you, Tiny. It looks delicious. However, I’m afraid I’m not hungry.”

Tiny sighed as the vampire left the room, then turned on Jackie. “He isn’t Cassius.”

She jerked back in shock. “How…? You…”

“Your father told me about Cassius during that last year while he was sick,” Tiny admitted quietly. “He feared the prejudice it caused in you against immortals might someday become a problem, that you might misjudge a case, or something similar. He thought if I knew about it, I could help keep that from happening.”

“I see,” Jackie said stiffly, her emotions in chaos. She was angry that her father had told Tiny, as well as embarrassed that her friend knew how she’d been controlled and used by Cassius. “Are you saying you think I’m allowing my past
experience to make me misjudge this case? You don’t think it’s a vampire sabotaging Vincent?”

“Oh, I think you’re right about the saboteur being an immortal,” he assured her.

“Then what—?”

“But I think you’re misjudging Vincent,” he added solemnly.

“I—”

“That asshole remark was bitchy,” Tiny said bluntly. “And that isn’t like you. Even when you absolutely detest someone, you’re coolly polite and professional. But you aren’t with Vincent. I think it’s because you’re attracted to him and it scares you because of your experience with Cassius. And, I think you’re being unpleasant in an effort to make him keep his distance.”

Jackie stared, feeling exposed and vulnerable. Before she could even come up with something to say, movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention to the door as it closed behind Marguerite.

Jackie groaned inwardly as she realized the woman had heard everything and probably read the rest in her thoughts. She hadn’t exactly been guarding them. This just wasn’t her day and this case was one she now wished she’d never taken on. One way or another, Jackie was sure she was going to end up hurt.

“I’m afraid I’m not hungry either, Tiny,” Jackie said wearily. “I think I’ll go shower and change into something more comfortable, then do some work.”

Tiny sighed as he peered at the meal he’d prepared, but didn’t say anything to dissuade her as she left the kitchen.

Vincent was pacing the length of the living room, his mind in an uproar when Marguerite found him. She eyed his stiff stature, then asked, “Have you tried to read Jackie yet?”

Vincent waved the question away with irritation. “No. As I said in the kitchen, I don’t like to read people’s thoughts.”

“Well, you shall have to try to overcome your reticence and read Jackie’s,” Marguerite said firmly. “There’s something in her past that causes her distrust of immortals and I think it would help if you knew what.”

Vincent stiffened. “She doesn’t trust us?”

“She doesn’t trust anyone with immortal blood in their veins,” Marguerite said quietly. “Except perhaps for Bastien and even he she only trusts so far.”

Vincent frowned. “Why?”

“Try to read her mind and you might find out,” Marguerite suggested. “Otherwise you’ll have to read Tiny.”

“
Try
to read her mind?” he asked and then his eyes widened as Vincent recalled Bastien saying Marguerite was coming out here because she thought he was lonely and might need help cheering up, or even seeing to the situation.

“Oh, no,” he said grimly. “No, no, no, no. Do not even go there.”

“Go where?” she asked innocently.

“Do not start playing matchmaker. I could read Jackie if I tried, I just haven’t tried. She is not my life mate.”

“I don’t know Vincent. I’ve seen it four times now in the last couple years. There’s a certain chemistry between life mates and you two seem to have it.”

“Aunt Marguerite,” he said in warning.

“So, prove me wrong. Try to read her,” she challenged.

Vincent’s mind raced. Part of him was excited at the idea that Jackie might be his life mate. The other part was absolutely terrified. He’d lived more than four hundred years on his own. Four hundred years was a long time to wander the earth in search of a mate, and that’s what he’d been doing.

Vincent wanted a life mate. He wanted someone to share his hopes and dreams and even his sorrows with. His parents’ relationship had been full of love and support and caring. They’d been true life mates, bonded and inseparable until his mother’s death. He wanted that. He wanted someone to laugh with and cry with and to hold close in the dark of night and the harsh light of day. It was why he’d traveled so far and wide during his life. Vincent had been actively seeking his life mate.

During the first three hundred years, Vincent had gained a reputation as a ladies’ man because he went out of his way to meet as many women as he could. It was only the last fifty years or so that he’d grown tired of the hunt and begun to fear he might never find her. Not all immortals did.

Now, his aunt was holding out that hope to him and he was afraid. Oddly enough, he wasn’t just afraid that he might be able to read Jackie, which would mean she wasn’t his life mate, but he also feared not being able to read her, a sure sign that she was his life mate.

Vincent liked Jackie, he found her intelligent, and funny and sexy and he even enjoyed her strength and her slightly hard edge. His own mother had been a strong woman and he wanted that kind of woman for himself. But…

“Go try to read her,” Marguerite said quietly. “If you can
read her, there’s nothing to worry about or fear. If you can’t…” She shrugged. “Then you can begin to consider the possibilities.”

Vincent nodded slowly, then turned and made his way back to the kitchen. He’d try to read Jackie. If he could, nothing had changed. If he couldn’t…Everything had.

Six

Vincent was disappointed when he returned to the kitchen to find Jackie had already left. His disappointment was balanced by relief, however. He had a little time to adjust to the possibility that she might be his mate. It was time he could use.

“Oh, hey,” Tiny smiled and got to his feet as he entered. “If you’re hungry, there’s lots of chicken left.”

Vincent opened his mouth to say “no thanks,” but then caught himself. Actually, he
was
hungry. He hadn’t felt hunger for anything other than blood for a long time, but now he was experiencing actual hunger pangs at the thought of the delicious smelling chicken Tiny had brought out earlier.

Reading Vincent’s expression correctly, Tiny moved to the refrigerator to pull out the chicken.

“Thanks, Tiny,” Vincent murmured as Tiny filled a plate with chicken and then added some coleslaw. Taking the
plate from him, he led the way back to the table and settled across from the other man to eat.

Vincent bit into the first piece of chicken and sighed as the robust flavor hit his tongue. “Mmmm. If you ever decide to give up detective work to start your own restaurant, let me know and I’ll bankroll you.”

Tiny merely smiled at the compliment as he ate his own food. The two of them ate in silence for a while, then Vincent said, “So, if I were to ask you what Jackie’s problem is with immortals, I don’t suppose you’d tell me?”

Tiny was silent so long, Vincent had begun to think he wouldn’t answer, then he asked, “What do you think of Jackie so far?”

Vincent considered the question before admitting, “I think she’s beautiful, intelligent and interesting. She appears tough as nails, but I suspect isn’t as hard-boiled as she appears.” He hesitated, debating revealing that Marguerite thought Jackie might be his life mate, but in the end just said, “And for the first time in a very long time I’ve met a woman I’d like to get to know better.”

Tiny nodded, but remained silent for several more moments. He finished off his own food before finally saying, “She
is
beautiful, intelligent, and interesting. And she
isn’t
as hard-boiled as she’d have everyone believe she is. Of course, there’s a reason for her hard attitude, but I couldn’t possibly tell you. That would be betraying a friend, and I couldn’t betray her like that…even if it was for her own good.”

Disappointment was just claiming Vincent when the man added, “I like you. I think you’re a good man. I think you’re the kind of man who could make Jackie happy.”

Vincent raised his eyebrows, but remained silent, waiting. His patience was rewarded when Tiny added, “When we first meet immortals, Jackie and I are always on the alert for the possibility that they’ll try to read our minds. Jackie stays that way because of an experience I couldn’t possibly divulge without betraying her trust. I, however, tend to relax my guard if I come to like the immortal…as I do you.”

Vincent blinked, wondering if Tiny was suggesting what he thought he was.

“Of course, if you were to read my thoughts and learn about Jackie that way, I wouldn’t be betraying our friendship,” he said mildly. “However, if you were to do that, I would expect that you’d never ever admit such a thing to me, because then I might have to feel bad about not guarding my thoughts properly.”

Vincent felt a smile tugging at his lips at the man’s cleverness.

“Now, you just sit there and eat quietly. I’m just going to spend a few moments pondering the reason Jackie has a hard-on for immortals and how sad it is that she does.”

Vincent prevented himself from laughing by biting into a fresh piece of chicken. As he chewed, he cleared his mind and began to probe the thoughts Tiny was offering up.

“I’m surprised you didn’t have Allen Richmond install a higher wall and put electric wire along the top,” Tiny teased as they walked along the perimeter of the yard, following the high brick wall that ran around Vincent’s property.

Jackie smiled, but seriously considered the possibility. It
wouldn’t be a bad idea now that they knew the saboteur had definitely turned their attention Vincent’s way.

A frown claimed her lips as she thought of the letter that had arrived today. Jackie had found it on returning downstairs from taking a shower and changing. She’d spotted the small stack of fresh mail on the hall table as she was passing it. Realizing Tiny and Marguerite must have collected the mail on returning, she’d picked up the small stack and leafed through the envelopes as she walked into the office. There had been two bank statements, a credit card statement, an electric bill, and a new letter from the writer they suspected was the saboteur.

Jackie had stiffened as she saw the telltale return address. It was the same as the delivery address. She’d quickly opened it and read:

Ready to play?

The hair on the back of her neck had suddenly stood on end and adrenaline had shot through her like a cold bullet. Clutching the note, Jackie had whirled toward the door and hurried to the kitchen, only to find Tiny there alone. Vincent and Marguerite had left ten minutes earlier to make the rounds of the clubs.

Jackie had spent quite a while discussing the implications of this letter with Tiny. It was a change in pattern. The previous letters had all been dated the day after each event took place, taunting Vincent after each occurrence. This one seemed to imply a threat of something to come. It had Jackie worried and she knew Tiny was worried too, but they didn’t
know what they should be worried about. They had no idea what the saboteur’s plans were.

After discussing it for quite a while, Tiny had suggested a walk around the perimeter of Vincent’s estate. Jackie knew it was just an excuse to work off a little of the tension and anxiety the letter had caused in them both. She didn’t really expect to find anything of interest as they followed the high brick wall that ran around Vincent’s property.

“I doubt a higher fence or electric wire would do much good,” she said now. “Immortals can jump higher than us, but who knows how much higher?”

“Hmm.” Tiny eyed the wall with consideration. “And no doubt they can climb trees too. There are lots of those on both sides of the wall.”

Jackie nodded. “The real security is the motion sensor cameras and alarms on the house itself. Hopefully those will help.”

Tiny grunted agreement and they fell silent. When he spoke again it was to change the subject. “Marguerite is an interesting woman. She cares about Vincent a lot.”

“Oh?”

“She seems to thinks he’s lonely,” Tiny added and Jackie glanced at him with a start of surprise.

“Lonely?”

“Yes. Marguerite thinks he’s losing interest in life. He takes on acting roles less and less often, and she thinks he’s spending more time at home. Marguerite says she doesn’t think he’s been feeding enough either, that she’d noticed he’d lost weight when she saw him in New York.”