The Renegade Hunter
Chapter Fourteen

"Nicholas?" Jo asked quietly, moving around the coffee table to peer down at him. He'd gone quiet all of a sudden and bowed his head. Pausing in front of him, she bent to brush her fingers over his cheek. "What is it?"
He lifted his head, and she felt worry slide through her at the stark look in his eyes, but then he cleared his throat and asked, "Why do you believe in me?"
Jo straightened in surprise at the question. "What do you mean?"
Nicholas reached out to take her hand and said solemnly, "Jo, you hardly know me. We only met yesterday morning and yet when I told you I killed a woman, you didn't believe it for a minute. My entire family, most of whom have known me for centuries, had no doubts, but you did. Jeanne Louise and Thomas, my own sister and brother, didn't doubt it and now won't even acknowledge my existence." He paused and looked away, but not before she saw the pain streaking across his face. It was gone when Nicholas turned back, and his face was expressionless as he asked, "Why do you believe I'm innocent when I wasn't even sure about it myself?"
Jo stared at him, unsure she knew the answer herself. Perhaps she simply didn't want to believe it, but from the moment Nicholas had said he'd bitten and killed a woman, her heart had rejected it. Perhaps it was blind faith at first and a desire not to think it possible that someone she was coming to care for could do something like that. Perhaps had he told her minute by minute how and why he'd done it, she would have believed it, but the moment her brain had gotten over the shock of the declaration and Jo had heard the I guesses, and the apparentlys, and then the complete lack of memory behind the claim... Jo had known, to the very core of her being, that this man hadn't killed some innocent, pregnant woman all those years ago.
Oh, she had no doubt he could kill in the right circumstances, but she was pretty sure that for Nicholas it would have to be to save another or stop a rogue. Jo didn't even think he could kill in a blinding rage, not on purpose, and she was positive no blinding rage would last through the time needed to bundle a woman into his car, drive the ten minutes home, drag her into the basement, and rip her throat out. It just wasn't logical, and Jo fancied herself a logical person.
Of course, the feelings she had for Nicholas weren't really all that logical. While she was grateful he'd saved her twice, the feelings she was experiencing for this man were far and away from simple gratitude. Jo liked Nicholas. More than that, she trusted him, and she lusted after him. Even now, she hungered for him and wanted nothing more than to climb into his lap and reexperience the mind-blowing sex only he could give her. The only thing keeping her from doing just that was the possibility that if they didn't find out what had happened that day so long ago and prove he was innocent, she would lose him forever. The very thought scared her silly. Jo wasn't ready to acknowledge that she might want a future with this man, but Jo was damned certain she would do everything she could to make sure she had the opportunity if she did want it.
"I don't know," Jo said finally, and, smiled wryly as she added, "Maybe your nanos are talking to me."
Nicholas smiled faintly. "I don't think they're capable of doing that. I wish they could," he added wryly. "They could probably tell us what happened that day, but then so could the walls of my house, the floor, the..." He sighed wearily. "But they can't."
"But Carol might be able to help us figure it out," she said encouragingly. "Let's find out where she is now and talk to her. What's her last name? We'll call information and get her phone number. We can call her right now and maybe solve this whole thing."
Nicholas was silent, his eyes shifting away from her suddenly excited face, and then he shook his head. "It's nearly dawn, too late to be doing anything."
Jo followed his gaze to the window where the first streaks of sunlight were just visible through Sam's sheers.
"Well that's good then," she said. "Carol will definitely be home sleeping. You immortals normally sleep during the day, right?"
"Right," Nicholas murmured, and then turned to her adding, "But we also don't have phones in our sleeping rooms as a rule. Too many sales calls," he added dryly, catching her hand and tugging her forward.
Jo gasped as she landed in his lap, exactly where she wanted to be, but had been fighting going herself. She still fought it now, pushing at his chest when his mouth started to lower to hers. "But we could try."
"Later. When night falls," he said solemnly, his mouth lowering toward hers.
"But-" Jo turned her head away. "Nicholas, this is important. We really have to-"
"You're important," Nicholas interrupted quietly, catching her face and turning her to peer at him. "You're the most important thing in the world to me, Jo. I love you. Let me have this moment."
She stared into his face, stunned into silence by his declaration and unsure what she should say in response. Jo wasn't ready to say the feelings that had grown so quickly in her were love for this man. Fortunately, he didn't seem to expect her to. He didn't seem to expect her to say anything at all. His mouth lowered to cover hers and his arms tightened around her, drawing her closer as he kissed her.
Jo sat unresponsive in his lap for perhaps a heartbeat, but just his mouth on hers and his tongue slipping out to glide between her parted lips was enough to overcome her protests. Sighing, she gave in and slid her arms around his neck, her mouth opening further for him as he suddenly stood, scooping her up in his arms.
A couple of hours wouldn't hurt, Jo told herself as he began to carry her to the hall and the bedroom that waited beyond. They would call Annie's friend Carol when darkness fell again.
Nicholas finished dressing and moved to peer down at Jo where she lay on her stomach in the bed. She was sleeping soundly as her body worked at replacing the blood he'd taken from her this last time they'd made love. This time it hadn't been an accident of his getting overexcited. He'd deliberately bitten her, and had deliberately taken more blood than he normally would have just before they'd both found their ecstasy and passed out. It had been his hope that doing so would ensure she slept longer and he would have the chance to get away. Apparently, his plan had worked like a charm. Jo was dead to the world, and Nicholas found it odd that the realization saddened him rather than satisfied him. But then he supposed that while he knew this was the best thing he could do for her, it didn't mean he had to be happy about having to do it. Sighing, Nicholas bent to brush the hair away from her cheek. She was smiling in her sleep, but he wasn't surprised. He'd allowed her to think all would be well and that when they woke up, they would head out, find Carol, and ask her about what Annie had been going to tell him. Jo was positive that would lead to solving the whole matter of what had happened all those years ago and, hopefully, point to another culprit... But that was only because he hadn't told her everything.
Because Annie and Carol were friends, Jo had assumed Carol was an immortal. She wasn't. She had been a mortal coworker, and while she and Annie had been friends, Nicholas doubted his deceased wife would have told the woman anything to do with immortal business. Which meant Carol probably wouldn't know anything, because if he had been drugged and someone else had murdered the pregnant woman all those years ago, it had to have been an immortal who did it.
Still, if it had been preying on her mind, he supposed Annie might have let something slip about whatever she'd wanted to tell him. Only it was fifty years later, and Carol would be in her nineties now if she even lived.
Nicholas didn't hold out much hope. He suspected he'd have to try alternate ways to find out what Annie had wanted to tell him back then... and Nicholas had no intention of dragging Jo around while he did it. She had family, friends, school, her job, and a life to live, and he had nothing to offer her but running and hiding and the dangers that entailed. Playing investigator was going to be a lot more risky than just life on the run. He'd spent the last fifty-plus years always moving, never staying in one place for long. But to try to find out what Annie had been thinking of would mean staying in Toronto, and he wouldn't be able to prevent leaving a trail for Mortimer and the men to follow. His biggest fear was of Jo getting herself hurt or killed trying to save him should the enforcers catch up to them.
He wouldn't risk that.
Nicholas straightened with a sigh and turned away from the bed. It was better this way, he told himself as he slipped out of the room. He paused in the living room to check the phone there, but it was dead. While Sam hadn't sublet the apartment, she apparently had canceled the phone and cable. The water and electricity were obviously included in the rent, because they were both still on.
He set the phone back in its rest and left the apartment to take the stairs down to the main floor lobby. It was empty when Nicholas first entered, but he only had to wait a moment before a young woman entered and moved toward the buzzers in the entry. Nicholas slipped into the woman's thoughts, bringing her to a halt. He took a moment to search her thoughts and be sure she had a cell phone and then turned her toward the door as he moved forward to open it for her.
Nicholas let her in, urged her to a pair of seats in the lobby, had her take her phone out and then sit while he quickly punched in the number for the enforcer house. He placed the phone to his ear, grimacing when a woman's voice answered.
"Sam?" he asked reluctantly. It was the same woman who had answered the phone when he'd called from outside the veterinary clinic, and he knew Jo's sister lived at the house with Mortimer. When she answered yes in a surprised voice, he cleared his throat and said, "I need to speak to Mortimer."
There was a pause and then she asked politely, "Who shall I say is calling, please?"
"Just put Mortimer on, Sam," he said quietly.
"Nicholas?" she asked sharply. "I recognize your voice from the last time you called. Mortimer told me it was you after he hung up."
Great, Nicholas thought dryly.
"Where's my sister?" she asked, her voice grim.
"If you give Mortimer the phone I'll tell him where she is so he can come get her," he said patiently.
"Is she okay?" Her voice was worried now, and Nicholas rolled his eyes, wishing someone else had answered the phone.
"She's fine, Sam. She's sleeping right now. Please get Mortimer on the phone."
"Mortimer said she's your life mate." It wasn't phrased like a question, but he knew it was one.
"Yes, Sam. Jo is my life mate," Nicholas said apologetically and wasn't at all surprised when she cursed. Sighing, he said, "I know it's not quite what you were hoping for when you set out to find your sister a life mate."
"You're damned right it isn't," Sam snapped. "You're rogue."
"Yeah, well, no one's perfect," he muttered under his breath.
"Ha ha," she said coldly. "Put her on the phone."
"Sam," he said, growing a little impatient now. "I'm trying to get her back to you where she'll be safe. If you'd get Mortimer I'll tell him where she is and he can send Bricker and Anders to come get her. So put him on the goddamned phone and-"
"Nicholas?"
He paused abruptly at the male voice. "Mortimer?"
"Yeah. Who's M. Johansen?"
"What?" he asked with bewilderment.
"The name on call display," Mortimer explained. "M. Johansen."
"Oh." Nicholas grimaced, his gaze dropping to Ms. Johansen, who sat blank-faced on the chair before him. "Just a kindly visitor of an ex-neighbor of Sam's who loaned me her phone. Jo's at Sam's old apartment. Come and get her. And this time, keep her safe."
Jo was up before she woke up. In fact, that was what woke her, her body sitting up and climbing out of bed. Startled awake by the activity, she blinked her eyes open and glanced wildly around, confused even as to where she was at first. It took only a moment to recognize that she was in the bedroom of Sam's apartment. It took another moment to spot and recognize the man standing by the bedroom door, and apparently controlling her, Jo realized as her body straightened beside the bed.
Bad-Breath Boy, Ernie.
"It's not my fault," he snarled, managing to sound both angry and petulant at the same time. "It's because of the blood. We have to have it but it gives us bad breath."
He was in her thoughts and had heard her nickname for him, Jo realized. Apparently, it had pricked his ego. She knew she was still half asleep when her only thought was that his excuse didn't carry much weight since Nicholas didn't have bad breath and that perhaps Ernie should consider brushing his teeth. As first thoughts went in this situation, it was rather inane, she acknowledged.
"Yes, it is," Bad-Breath Boy Ernie growled unpleasantly, and then added, "And why should I brush my teeth? The nanos keep me from getting cavities."
Well, that pretty much said it all, Jo supposed, and was amazed when she was able to ask, "Where is Nicholas?"
She wasn't completely under his control, she realized as she waited for his answer and began to try to move. Jo was able to wrinkle her nose, lift and lower her eyebrows, and move her mouth. But that was it. Everything from her neck down appeared to be under his control. It was not a pleasant sensation. In fact, it made her feel terribly vulnerable.
"You are vulnerable," Ernie said suddenly, making her realize he was still in her head. "At least you know it. Most mortals walk around completely oblivious to the fact that superior beings walk the earth who can make them do anything they want at any time."
Jo felt the sneer that claimed her lips at those words. "Superior? That's what you think it is to make me stand here naked? It seems more perverted than superior to me."
He gave a harsh laugh at that. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm old enough that sex holds no interest. You're nothing but a walking blood bag to me."
A quiver of fear ran up Jo's back at those words. While Nicholas had bitten her twice now, she suspected his bite and this man's would be two entirely different things, and she was pretty sure she wouldn't enjoy Bad-Breath Boy's bite.
"You didn't answer my question," Jo said, trying to change the direction of his thoughts. "Where is Nicholas? What have you done with him?"
Ernie stared at her resentfully for a moment and then moved out of her line of vision as he said, "I haven't done anything to him. He left."
"Left?" she squawked with disbelief, trying to see what he was doing. Jo could hear rustling and walking, but couldn't turn her head to see what he was up to.
"Yes, left," Ernie said with irritation. "Believe me, I'm not pleased either. I was intending to surprise you while you were sleeping and capture you both. Nicholas blew that plan all to hell. As I was about to slip out of the stairwell, he came sauntering out of the apartment. Fortunately, he took the stairs at the opposite end of the hall. I followed." Ernie came back around the bed into her line of vision, his eyes scanning the room. "I thought he'd be heading to the van, but he went to the lobby, borrowed a phone from a woman there, and called Mortimer to come and get you. Then he went to the parking garage and drove out of here."
"You're lying," Jo snapped, but was afraid he wasn't. It was just the dumb, stupid, caring kind of thing the big idiot would do. Have Mortimer come and get her thinking she'd be safer at the enforcer house. Men were such boobs sometimes, she thought with disgust, and then noted the odd way Ernie was looking at her and supposed he was still reading her thoughts and had heard all that. She couldn't tell what he made of it.
Rather than comment, Ernie simply said, "I decided it was too risky to jump him and came up to get you instead. It's not as good as both of you, but I think Father will still be pleased."
"Your father," Jo said frowning. "What would your father want with me?"
"You're Nicholas's life mate," Ernie said, and actually sounded resentful. "And Nicholas is the reason five of my brothers were killed. My father will consider you a worthy gift. And then he'll realize that I am as good as my brothers," Ernie said grimly and moved back out of her line of vision as he gloated, "None of them were able to locate the new enforcer house. None of them have even tried since Basha convinced him to lay low for a while. I'm the only one who knows where it is and when I bring him its whereabouts and Nicholas Argeneau's life mate, he'll realize that just because I'm immortal instead of no-fanger doesn't mean I'm inferior."
Jo stared at Ernie as he came around in front of her and she could see him again. He wasn't bad-looking, or wouldn't be if he showered and maybe fixed himself up a bit, but the man looked like he did everything he could to make himself look as bad as possible. He also made absolutely no sense to her. She had no idea who this Basha was, or what he meant when he said he was immortal instead of no-fanger. What the hell was a no-fanger? All she'd gotten out of that little speech was that Ernie seemed to be jealous of his brothers and felt his father appreciated them more than him and planned to deliver her to him in the hopes of earning his approval. Great, she thought unhappily.
"Where are your clothes?" Ernie asked suddenly, sounding irritated. "We have to get out of here before Mortimer shows up but I can't find your damned clothes to make you dress."
"They're in the wash," Jo answered at once. She was not averse to the idea of not having to stand around naked any longer.
"In the wash?" he asked, and actually looked amazed. As she'd suspected, laundering his clothes obviously wasn't something he bothered with often. He probably wore his clothes until they fell off. His top was covered with stains, no doubt from being a messy eater. She'd had a friend like that once who always seemed to wear the day's meals on her clothes like a walking menu. There appeared to be only one dish on Bad-Breath Boy's menu, blood. She was sure that's what all the stains were.
"If they're in the wash they'll be wet," Ernie said with irritation.
"Yes, well, that's my problem, isn't it," Jo said dryly.
Ernie sighed with exasperation and gestured a hand toward the door. "Well, lead the way then. I can't take you to my father like this. I may not be interested in sex, but not all my brothers are past that stage yet, and taking you like that would be seen as an invitation. They'd tear you to pieces before I could tell Father who you are."
Jo managed not to wince at his words, but merely said, "You have to release me if you want me to-" Her voice died when her knees suddenly went weak and she nearly collapsed on the bedroom carpet. She had been released. Catching herself, she sighed and headed for the door to the hall.
Jo considered making a run for it the minute she reached the door, but had barely had the thought when Ernie was suddenly in front of her, barring the door.
"Don't waste my time with escape attempts. I'm inside your mind, reading your thoughts as soon as you have them. Any little plan you come up with, I'll know the moment it's hatched and I can take control of you again in a heartbeat. So do what you're told like a good little cow and don't strain my patience."
Jo stared at him wide-eyed, knowing that everything he'd said was true. There simply was no escape for her. He was privy to every thought she had, and even if an opportunity for escape did suddenly arise, he could take control of her before she'd got one step away from him. She was a goner.
"Good. Now that you have a grasp of the situation, get your clothes and get dressed, or I will take you as you are and let my brothers do what they will."
When Jo swallowed and nodded, he stepped out of the way. She immediately moved into the hall to the end closet. She opened it to reveal the stacked washer and dryer inside and started to reach for the washer door before noting that the dryer was humming. It was on, she realized, staring blankly at the empty washer, and then slammed that door and reached for the dryer door instead.
The moment Jo opened the dryer door, her borrowed T-shirt fell out. It was dry, she noted, and realized that Nicholas must have thrown the clothes in the dryer for her when he'd gotten up, probably before he'd even dressed to leave. She was amazed he'd even thought of it, and the consideration it showed made her swallow as she quickly tugged the T-shirt on. Jo then reached in to grab the jeans and panties still inside. Like the T-shirt, the panties were dry, however, the jeans were still a bit damp. But then, Jo supposed at this point catching a chill from wearing damp jeans was the least of her worries and she pulled them on without hesitation.
"Good," Ernie said as she quickly did them up. "Now let's go. I don't want to be here when Mortimer arrives."
Jo turned with resignation and started up the hall, trying very hard not to think at all. Not just about possible ways to escape, but about anything at all. It was terribly uncomfortable knowing someone could hear your every thought, and she had no desire to share any thoughts with this man.
They went down the stairs rather than the elevator, Jo leading the way. On the main floor, he had her take the side exit and then walked her to a car in the visitor parking area. Jo glanced around as they crossed the short distance, hoping to see Nicholas or Mortimer or just anyone, but it was early enough that there was no one.
"How did you find us here?" she asked, once they were both in the car.
"I was in the parking garage at the hotel when you came out. Your dog sensed me," Ernie added grimly as he started the engine. "Fortunately, I'd stopped to feed on a guest and was in their car when the two of you came out. I simply followed you. Nicholas was looking for SUVs on his tail. He didn't notice the car."
"How did you know we were at the hotel?" Jo asked quietly as he steered them out of the parking lot. She was pretty sure he couldn't have been tracking her bank card as Mortimer and the others had.
"Gina," Ernie answered, sending a chill down her back. "I was the one who came to the door while she was talking to you. I read her mind, saw she was on the phone with you, and instructed her to ask where you were."
"But I didn't tell her," Jo said at once.
"No, I know. So I had to punch in the code for last call return when you hung up. The reception desk at the hotel answered."
"And Gina?" she asked quietly.
"Safe and oblivious in her apartment." Ernie glanced to her briefly, his lips twisted as he added, "I was hungry, but I wanted to get to the hotel so I simply wiped her mind and left. That's why I was feeding in the parking garage."
Jo sighed to herself and sank back in her seat. It appeared that when it came to being on the run, she was a dud. She'd led the enforcers to them by using her bank card, and led Ernie to them by calling Gina. The position she was presently in was all her own fault. She was just glad Nicholas had left and Ernie hadn't caught them while passed out after one of their lovemaking sessions, or she'd be sitting there suffering all kinds of guilt rather than just terror.
Her thoughts drifted to Nicholas, and Jo hoped he wouldn't take her death too badly, but worried he'd blame himself for leaving her there alone. It didn't really seem fair. He'd spent fifty years feeling guilt over a murder she was pretty sure he hadn't committed, and she suspected would now flagellate himself over her death as well when that wasn't his fault either. She wished she could talk to him and tell him that.
Jo wished she could tell Nicholas what he meant to her too. He'd told her he loved her and she'd simply stared at him like a dummy. She wished she had that moment back again for a do-over. This time she'd tell him she loved him too, because Jo was pretty sure she did. It was funny how knowing your death was looming could clarify things like that. She loved her sisters and had many good friends, but if given a chance to spend ten minutes or even one minute with anyone in the world before she died, Jo knew she would choose Nicholas. Just to be near him and inhale his scent and feel his arms around her one more time would make accepting death easier. Jo supposed she should be grateful that she'd gotten to meet and enjoy knowing him before she died, but she wanted more. She-
"Dear God, if you're going to go getting all weepy and maudlin on me, I'm going to put you to sleep. I'm not listening to this crap the entire way."
"Then put me to sleep," Jo said through her teeth, and the last word had barely left her lips when she felt darkness dropping over her.