The Pursuit (3 page)

“True. But as Misha has taught me, computers can provide what we need if we know where to look. Credit cards are a fount of information.”

Will rubbed his hands together. “Follow the money. I can help with that.”

Marty said, “I’m on duty at the hospital. Call if you need anything. Will can use the computer in my office. But don’t move anything around on my desk.”

“Yes,
sir
.”

Marty and Will left, and Jean Luc turned back to Talia.

They were finally alone.

Chapter 4

Talia stood in the center of the room, rooted to the spot. Why had she not thought of tracking Melanie’s finances? She was acting like a novice. She’d been working on the supe squad for thirty years and had been a bounty hunter before that. She knew better. Why did Jean Luc rattle her so?

“While we wait for Misha’s info, why don’t I drive you back to your car so you can check into a hotel?” she asked.

He frowned. “We need to talk, Talia.”

“Will and I can handle the case. Nicholas didn’t have to order you to stay.”

“Nicholas is not the reason I am here.”

“If he didn’t tell you to stay, then why did you come back?”

“Because I have to know. Why did you leave me, Talia?”

Her breathing sped up at his words. “I told you back then. I had to make it on my own.”

His eyes locked on her. “And you have done quite well on your own for twenty-five years. You have proven yourself.”

If he only knew how much his praise meant to her. “Thank you.”

He cleared his throat. “But I hope proving your independence does not mean that you plan to remain alone for the rest of your life.”

God, she had no comeback for that. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. He was right. She had felt the need to prove herself. To be sure she could stand on her own two feet and not have to rely on anyone. But maybe now she
was
ready to rely on someone. Would Jean Luc be willing to try again?

But it wasn’t that simple. She had never told him the truth about her turning. That she had known her sire before he turned her, had been involved with him. She hadn’t dared tell him when they first met, and now the lie had morphed into a chasm. But maybe a chasm was too dramatic a word. Could she repair this by simply telling him the truth?

The thought rocked her back on her heels. Being with him again…was it what she truly wanted?

“Talia. Did you hear what I said? I do not want you to be alone…You could come back to Cleveland and join the team.”

She gazed into his face. As usual, his emotions were well hidden. But for a second she saw a flash of something in his eyes—pity?—and her stomach dropped.

Had she been reading too much into his words? He was talking about her joining the team not asking her to be with him again. Did he pity her? She could handle many things from Jean Luc, but not pity.

“I’m not alone,” she blurted.

His eyes flared red. “Of course. It was presumptuous of me to assume you are not involved with someone.”

Oh, shit.
She closed her eyes. That’s not what she’d meant. Now what? Before she could decide what to say, Jean Luc spoke again.

“Take me back to my car, Talia. I will see about finding a room. Once we have solved the case, I will return to Cleveland.”

She nodded. A flood of emotions caused a drought of words. She would tell him the truth about her past as soon as she figured out what to say.

* * *

Jean Luc stood in the middle of his hotel room clenching his fists and taking deep, measured breaths. He had made an absolute mess of things. Of course, she had moved on to someone else. Unlike him, she would not cling to a relationship that had ended more than two decades ago. She was young. Twenty-five years was still a long time for her. For some time before he had met her, twenty-five years had not seemed very long. Now? In some ways it was an eternity.

He had tried. Kyle had not been correct in her belief that Talia still wanted him, but he had needed to find out whether there might be chance for them. Now what he needed was to solve this case so he could get as far away from Talia Walker as possible, as soon as possible.

His phone rang. He glanced at the screen and answered it. “What have you found out, Misha?”

“And a good day to you, too, my friend. You have gotten thrown into another case already, I see.”

“Yes. Have you collected the background information?”

“I’m forwarding it to you now. You can open it on your phone, but it would be easier to do it on a computer.”

“I will go back to the lab and review the data.”

“How is Talia doing?”

“She is fine.”

“Fine? Have you been able to spend some time with her?”

“Of course. We are working the case together.”

Misha swore in Russian. “Jean Luc—”

“Tell me about the vampires, Misha. We need to figure out who the killers are.”

“This group is from Europe. From Spain and Portugal, to be specific.”

Jean Luc interrupted. “I am aware of three founding vampires in that region.”

“Yes.” The sounds of a clicking keyboard came through the phone. “Diego Castillo, Claudio Chavez, and Renato Henriques.”

The third name sucked the air from Jean Luc’s lungs. He had hoped never to hear it again. An unrealistic expectation, he knew, but most of the older European vampires avoided the US. “So more than likely one of these three are here. But the question is why?”

“Maybe he just wanted to check out Vegas?”

It was never that simple. “Can you find out if there have been reports in Europe of humans being drained?”

“I’m already on it. I’ve linked into
La Société’s
database.”

“
La Société
doesn’t normally like to work with us. Did they give you any trouble?”

Misha chuckled. “What our European counterparts don’t know won’t hurt them.”

“Be careful, Misha. We do not need them contacting Nicholas.”

“No worries, my friend. Now tell me what you’re going to do about Talia.”

“I have to go. I must update Talia about this information. Keep me apprised of what else you find out.”

Misha growled, “Fine for now. But we
will
talk about her later.”

* * *

Jean Luc drove to the lab and parked his rental car in an empty lot. Had Talia and Will gone to the Cosmopolitan without him? He sat silent for a moment and concentrated. Light tingling ran up his spine. Talia was still inside. He walked through the building to the lab entrance and punched in the numbers he had watched Will input earlier. The door swished open. Two steps into the empty room, and a voice called to him.

“I’m in the back. Come down the hall.”

So she still sensed him keenly as well. He grinned at her unnecessary directions. He would have found her regardless. She sat at a computer behind a large desk piled high with folders and papers covering every inch.

“
This
is Marty’s office?”

She chuckled. “Yes. Believe it or not. He’s a brilliant doctor, but his filing skills leave much to be desired.”

“And he was worried about Will moving something? How would he know if he did?”

“Oh, he would know, trust me.”

“Where is Will?”

“He went down the street to a drive-through to grab lunch. He has a big appetite. Not as big as Misha’s, but his shifter metabolism pretty much means he can eat anything.”

“I have heard from Misha. He sent us a file of information regarding the vampires.”

She pushed back from the desk. “Have a seat so you can bring it up.”

He opened up the computer file. Talia stood behind him to review the screen. As he read the names and notes that Misha had made, she leaned over his shoulder. He inhaled her lavender fragrance.
Mon Dieu
, he had missed that scent. He could not keep himself from looking up into her face. After a few seconds, she turned to him, her eyes widening when she noticed their close proximity.

Before he could say anything, she took a quick step back just as Will bustled into the room, and crumpled a takeout bag in his hands. He lobbed the bag over his head like a basketball. It landed in the garbage can across the room.

“Three points!” He grinned at Talia. “Did I miss anything?”

Talia shook her head. “We were just looking at the vampire data Misha sent us. They’re from Europe.” She turned back to Jean Luc. “Do you know any of them?”

He stared at her for a moment before responding. “Not personally, no. But I recognize a couple names. They have played some minor roles in the vampire council over the centuries.”

Will walked over, and Jean Luc stood to allow him to review the list.

“So do you still think they’re a contingent for a founding vampire?” Will asked.

“Most definitely.”

Talia jumped in. “Do you have an idea who the founding vampire is?”

“There are three possibilities. We will have to wait to find out. What about you, Will? Have you learned anything about Melanie Thomas?”

Will nodded and started entering information on the computer. “She wasn’t afraid to spend money. Had accounts at several of the high-end shops in town. I have a friend who is checking on her credit cards. Let’s see if he’s found anything yet.” He clicked a few more times. “Got an email from him.” Will read the message and smiled. “Apparently, Melanie liked to frequent The Cosmopolitan.”

Could it really be that easy?
Jean Luc doubted it, but at least now they were armed with solid information. “Are you ready to question our suspects?”

Talia’s eyes flashed gold. He took that as a yes.

Chapter 5

Talia stepped into the hotel lobby. Cool air enveloped her as the sliding doors automatically closed behind them. In comparison to the Vegas afternoon sun, the lighting inside was muted to accommodate vampire eyes. The lobby decor was reminiscent of a Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers movie. Everything was black and white with shades of gray, except for little pops of red interspersed throughout the lobby. If Misha saw this, he would gush over it and then plan a vintage movie marathon.

Jean Luc’s phone beeped, and he looked at the screen and scowled.

“Ready?” she asked.

He nodded and put the phone back into his pocket.

Talia took the lead, and Jean Luc and Will trailed behind her to the concierge desk. A vampire wearing a very expensive black suit with a blood red, silk handkerchief in his lapel pocket stood behind the desk. His gaze moved over the three of them while they approached, quickly gauging what they were.

“How may I help you?” he asked Jean Luc.

Talia wasn’t surprised the concierge turned to him first. Will would be the lowest on this vamp’s list since he was a shifter. Jean Luc was the most powerful and oldest vampire, so he would defer to him. But it still rankled a bit.

“We are from the BSR. We need to speak with your manager,” Jean Luc replied after glancing at her.

The concierge nodded and pressed a button on his desk. Talia turned toward the reservation desk, expecting to see Roland, the daytime manager she’d dealt with on a previous occasion. The door behind the desk opened to reveal a female vampire who was definitely
not
the day manager. She wore a black suit, if a skin-tight skirt and jacket could be considered a suit. She moved like a dancer, and her blond hair was piled on top of her head like a Forties pinup model. Ruby red lipstick highlighted her lips.

Talia glanced at Will, who was ogling the vamp unashamedly. Talia didn’t dare look at Jean Luc’s expression.

The manager glided to a stop in front of them, her eyes locking on Jean Luc. “I am Veronique. How may I assist you?”

And of course she was French, because that was how Talia’s life worked.

“Jean Luc Delacroix. This is Talia Walker and Will Seaver. We are from the BSR. We need to speak with you in private.”

“
Oui.
Of course. Follow me,
s’il vous plaît
.”

Was it Talia’s imagination, or did the manager’s eyes take on a predatory gleam when she realized Jean Luc was French?

Veronique lead them to a small conference room and closed the door once they were all inside. Jean Luc’s phone beeped again. This time he didn’t even take it out of his pocket.

“Is there a problem?” she asked, her complete, undivided attention remaining on Jean Luc.

Talia glanced over at Will, who smirked at her.

“We would like to ask you about one of your customers—Melanie Thomas.”

Veronique frowned then bit her bottom lip. “Melanie is an…acquaintance of one of our guests.”

Talia spoke up. “Is this guest here now?”

“
Oui.”

“What is his name?”

“Simon Jamison.”

Will typed the name into his cell phone, pulled up Simon’s picture from the BSR database, and showed it to both Talia and Jean Luc.

“We need to speak with him,” Talia pushed.

Veronique hesitated. “He is hosting an event for recent guests who have arrived from Europe. This particular group has requested privacy while they are here and have compensated the hotel for this service.”

“The BSR takes precedence over any arrangements you may have made with the group. We, of course, will be as discreet as possible, but we must speak with them,” Jean Luc replied.

Veronique pouted for a moment and Talia was barely able to resist laughing. It was like watching a slutty French cartoon.

“You will take us to them,” Jean Luc stated in his quiet, powerful way.

Veronique bent her head forward slightly as a sign of submission and sauntered toward the door. Was is Talia’s imagination, or was there less sway to her hips?

On the way up the elevator, Jean Luc’s phone beeped again.

Will smiled. “You’re getting more texts than a thirteen-year-old girl.”

Jean Luc didn’t respond; he simply turned his phone to silent and stuffed it back into his pocket.

The elevator doors opened to a floor obviously designed for more elite guests. The carpeting and wallpaper had a level of opulence missing from the lobby.