The Pursuit (2 page)

She was not going to take the bait. The sooner he said what he needed to say, the sooner she could usher him out of the house. “What do you need to discuss?”

He hesitated again, which surprised her. Jean Luc was one of the most decisive males she had ever known, supernatural or not.

“I want to know how you are doing.”

She resisted the urge to huff like a spoiled schoolgirl. “Jean Luc, what is this? You stayed in my house for a week. And now you came all the way back to ask how I’m doing?”

His eyes tightened. “There was too much pandemonium before, too much that needed to be taken care of. I wanted to speak with you alone. I—”

“Is there a problem?”

Will stood in the doorway, a towel wrapped around his still-damp body. Said towel left nothing to the imagination.

Jean Luc took in Will’s appearance, and his eyebrow rose slightly. “There is no problem, is there, Talia?”

“No, everything’s fine, Will. Go eat your breakfast.”

Will smirked. “You treat me so good,
partner
.” He turned and sauntered out of the room.

Talia barely resisted rolling her eyes at his retreating form.
What the hell was that all about?
She turned back to Jean Luc who, if she wasn’t mistaken, was gritting his teeth. But that couldn’t be right. He couldn’t be jealous. Not after she’d left him. Not after all this time.

“What were you saying?”

Jean Luc’s gaze moved from the empty doorway to Talia’s face. “I want to know that you are doing well, that you are content. Are you happy here in Vegas?”

“Yes. I’ve settled in. The supernaturals in the city keep us busy, and Will’s a good partner. Are
you
happy?”

Jean Luc nodded stiffly. “Yes. Misha and I have been in Cleveland for ten years now.”

Talia smiled despite the tension rolling up her spine. “I miss that crazy Russian. Is he still eating enough food for a family of four?”

“Yes. He has turned Kyle into his pastry supplier.”

Talia’s stomach burned. Kyle. What the hell was she to Jean Luc? She definitely had something going on with the shifter leader, but she bore Jean Luc’s mark. He had
bitten
her. Talia bit her lip to keep herself from demanding answers.

Jean Luc continued, “It has been good to stay in one place. Doc and Jason are also wonderful additions to the team.”

She nodded. “You have a family now.” Which is what Jean Luc needed. And she was still alone. But that had been her choice.

He stared at her hard for a moment and opened his mouth. Were they finally going to get to the reason he came back?

His phone rang, and he closed his eyes at the interruption.

“Are you going to answer it?”

“No.”

After a few more rings, the phone went silent. And he took a step closer to her.

Her phone rang. She glanced over at the coffee table where she had left it and saw Nicholas’s name flash on the screen.

“Sorry, but I have to get this.”

She walked over to the table to pick up the phone.

“Nicholas.”

“Is Jean Luc with you?”

She turned to face him. “Yes.”

“Good. He’ll be staying to help with the situation.”

She narrowed her eyes at Jean Luc. “We don’t need any help.”

“I disagree. Bring him up to speed, and when Marty is done with the autopsy, have him call me with the results.”

She ended the call.

“What situation?” Jean Luc asked.

Oh no, he wasn’t doing this.
“Save it. You could have just told me up front that Nicholas had you stay.” Of course he hadn’t really stayed to see her.

He frowned. “That is not what happened—”

“Sorry to interrupt again,” Will announced from the doorway.

Talia swallowed a rude retort. Her partner had horrible timing. But at least this time he was wearing clothes. “What is it?” she snapped.

“Marty just called. He’s finished the autopsy.”

“Okay, let’s get moving, then.”

“I am going with you,” Jean Luc announced.

Talia glared at him. She didn’t have time for an argument, and Jean Luc had four hundred years of stubbornness going for him. “Fine. But I’m the lead on this. Got it?”

His right eyebrow rose infinitesimally. “
Oui
.”

She didn’t believe him for a second, especially when he hauled out the French.

Chapter 3

Jean Luc prided himself on his self-control. But at this very moment, it took every fiber of his being not to eviscerate the cocky shifter in the passenger seat of the van enjoying the omelet Talia had obviously prepared for him.

What exactly was happening between them? While Jean Luc and the others had been staying at Talia’s house, Will had spent little time there. But now he was back. And more than comfortable parading naked in front of Talia. Jean Luc took a deep breath, willing his fangs to retract.

Talia turned off the strip with a screech of tires.

“Damn, T,” Will sputtered. “Slow down. I almost lost my breakfast.”

“Haven’t you finished yet?”

“Hold on a sec,” Will said with his mouth full. After a few more moments, he snapped the plastic container shut.

“Who is the victim?” Jean Luc asked.

“Human by the name of Melanie Thomas,” Will replied.

“How did she die?”

“Didn’t Nicholas already fill you in on all this?” Talia interrupted.

“No. As I have attempted to explain to you, I know nothing about the case.”

Talia glared at him in the rearview mirror and then looked back to the road.

“She had fang marks on her neck,” Will volunteered.

Mon Dieu.
Jean Luc hadn’t seen this type of killing in years. It was more like the indiscriminate drainings he and others of similar conviction had fought to eliminate centuries ago.

“Did Marty tell you anything?” Talia asked Will.

“Nope. You know how he is. Likes to have a captive audience when he does his thing.” Will looked back at Jean Luc. “Marty is a Traman demon.”

Jean Luc nodded. Tramans could be extremely egotistical. “He is a Medical Examiner?”

“He does the ME stuff for us on the side. He’s actually an amazing surgeon. But don’t tell him I said that.” Will grinned. “He worked on both Griffin and Jason’s injuries last week.”

“I did not have an opportunity to meet him then. I must thank him for his assistance.”

Will groaned. “Don’t go overboard. He can barely fit his head through the door as it is.”

Talia pulled down a side street and parked in front of what appeared to be an abandoned car wash. The three of them climbed out of the van, and Talia unlocked the back door, opening it onto an empty bay with giant scrub brushes mounted on poles. Will pushed back hanging plastic strips, exposing another door. He entered numbers into a keypad, and the door swished open.

Jean Luc followed Will and Talia into a lab much like Doc’s lab in Cleveland, complete with an autopsy table and equipment scattered around the room on various tables.

“Yo, Marty!” Will hollered.

A tall male with reddish-blond hair entered the room. “Must you yell, William?”

Will smirked. “Yes, I must, Marty.”

Talia rolled her eyes. “Save the pleasantries for later, boys. What have you found out so far?”

Marty shot Jean Luc a pointed look. “First, I believe introductions are in order.”

When Talia stood mute, Will chimed in. “Jean Luc Delacroix this is Doctor Martin Stanford
the
Third
. But you can just call him Marty.”

Marty frowned at Will for a moment before turning to Jean Luc. “I prefer Martin. You’re from the Cleveland team. We didn’t get to meet last week.”

“I was occupied with the cleanup while you helped Jason and Griffin. Thank you.”

“Luckily neither of them was hurt badly. Both surgeries were quite routine.”

Will coughed and then mumbled something that sounded like “conceited.”

Talia interrupted. “What can you tell us about Melanie Thomas?”

Marty picked up a tablet from the table. He touched the screen a couple times and then came back over to the group. “She was killed by a vampire.”

Will laughed. “Shit, Marty, I could have told you that.”

Marty ignored him and continued. “It isn’t that simple. This isn’t a case of a vampire accidentally taking too much. She was almost completely drained of blood. They knew exactly what they were doing.”

“They?” Jean Luc asked.

“Two different vampires drained her. In addition to the bite on her neck, she also had a bite on her inner thigh.”

“Was she raped?” Talia asked, her voice tight.

“There was no evidence of it.”

“And you’re sure it was two vampires?” Will pushed.

“Yes, the bite wounds are different. They definitely came from two different vamps, but I don’t know if they both meant to kill her.”

Jean Luc frowned. “Explain, please.”

“The bite wound on her thigh was done first. It had already begun to heal.”

Talia nodded. “The vampire sealed it after he was done.”

“Right. The bite on her neck was still fresh, and since she died, the wounds wouldn’t have had time to heal.”

“So we don’t know if the vamps were working together or not?”

“No. But I did discover something interesting. There was oil on her.”

“It’s Vegas,” Will interjected. “If you don’t wear some kind of lotion, you won’t last long in the sun.”

“I don’t mean suntan lotion. You can’t buy this oil at the corner store. It is cedar oil, which is actually made from juniper, and has been in use for thousands of years. It was first used as preparation for embalming by the Egyptians.”

The hair on the back of Jean Luc’s neck stood on end. “Are there any founding vampires living here?”

Talia shook her head. “No. Most of the vampires in Vegas are relatively young. The oldest one we have registered here is two hundred and ten.”

“But the supernatural visitors check in with you, correct?” Jean Luc asked.

“They should, yes,” Talia replied. “Is there something you’d like to share with us?”

How much should he say?

She stared at him pointedly. “Jean Luc?”

He let out the breath he had been holding. “Centuries ago, vampires used ancient oils as a part of rituals.”

“What types of rituals?”

“Christening a new founding vampire…and turnings.”

Talia’s eyes flared, and she visibly tensed. “Do you think this was an attempted turning?”

“I did not say that. But whoever did this used the oil for a very specific reason. We just need to learn the reason.”

Talia took a deep breath, appearing to collect herself. “Will, would you call the office and have Susannah find out if any older vamps have reported in lately?”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll go call her now.”

She turned to Marty. “Did you find a large amount of oil on her, like they had purposely rubbed it on her, or just a little bit, like it had come off one of the vamps?”

“It wasn’t residual. They had rubbed it all over her.”

Talia blew out a breath. “So where did Melanie meet two vampires?”

“I found other scars on her. She’s been bitten before.”

“Maybe her sugar daddy has fangs?”

Jean Luc frowned. “I am not following you, Talia.”

“A sugar daddy is a rich man who pays for a woman’s home and amenities…clothing, furnishings, basically everything she needs to live.”

He held up his hand. “I know what the term means. Why do you think she had one?”

“Melanie Thomas was in her early thirties, single, and lived in a huge house. She told our witness she was
retired
. Unless she has family money, I don’t know how she could have lived that way without financial support. Did we get a background check back on her yet?”

Marty nodded and tapped on his tablet again. “Susannah sent it over. According to this, she didn’t come from money. Both her parents are deceased, and she was an only child.”

Will walked back into the room. “A group of vamps has been staying at the Cosmo for a few days now.” He turned to Jean Luc. “The Cosmopolitan is a new hotel catering to vamps. But Susannah said none of the group is more than five hundred years old. She texted me their names.”

“How many vampires?” Jean Luc asked.

Will checked his phone. “Ten.”

Jean Luc frowned. “Which probably means it is a contingent for a founding vampire.”

“How do you know?” Will asked.

“Unlike shifters, who are pack-oriented, vampires do not normally travel in large groups. More than likely, a founding vampire is staying there as well. They also do not normally announce their presence. If they have any enemies—and most do—they are not very forthcoming regarding their whereabouts.”

Will shook his head. “Wow, you guys are too complex. Glad T isn’t mixed up in all this crap.”

Talia grimaced. “I’m a vampire, which means I’m mixed up in it whether I want to be or not. I think we need to pay a visit to the Cosmo.”

Jean Luc shook his head. “We know nothing about these vampires. And more than likely, none of them would be up this early. Will, would you text me the names as well so I can share them with Misha? He should be able to ferret out more information about them. Once we know who they are, we can decide how to approach them.”

“I had forgotten how cautious you can be,” Talia replied.

“And I had forgotten how impetuous you can be. You remind me of Kyle.”

Talia’s eyes flashed gold before she quickly tamped down whatever emotion had caused them to flare. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but Will interrupted him.

“Got to love Kyle. She’s something, all right.”

Jean Luc stared at Talia. “Yes, she is, but her
enthusiasm
can lead to trouble.”

“Fine. We’ll wait to hear back from Misha. But not too long. These killers need to be stopped.”

“It should only take him a couple hours to gather the pertinent information. In the meantime, we should learn all we can about Melanie Thomas.”

“We can’t interrogate anyone about her,” Talia argued. “No one knows she’s dead.”