“All right,” he said, a mixture of sympathy and annoyance in his voice. “You’re dying, and I am truly sorry for that. This mess is mine, and I tried to keep you out of it, but that didn’t happen. I don’t know how the hell we’re getting out of here, but I’m going to do my damnedest to get you back and patched up.”
Jackie started to laugh and then groaned at the pain it induced. “Better, and don’t blame yourself. You warned me, but that didn’t really matter, now, did it?”
“No, I suppose not. You’re too pigheaded to do what’s best for you.”
“Fuck you. Am not.”
He chuckled. “It’s okay. It’s one of your more endearing qualities.”
“You’re an obstinate prick, too, you know.”
The sarcasm in his voice vanished. “See, perfect match. No wonder I like you.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“You don’t like yourself much, do you, Agent Rutledge?”
“Are we having a counseling session now? Because I’m not in the mood.”
“No, but you sell yourself short. There’s a lot about you to like, regardless of what’s happened to you. You think Laurel would love you otherwise?”
“Laurel was… is my friend. You’re supposed to love them despite their faults.”
“Exactly.”
“And your point is?”
“You’re a good person. You’re smart, attractive, and stand up for what you feel is right. You also are stubborn enough to chase down injustice, no matter the cost.” He paused, and it was quiet enough that Jackie could hear him swallow. He continued, much quieter. “All the women I’ve loved have been like that.”
“Thanks, I think.” Did he just say he loves me? That can’t be right. “I’ll admit, you’re not like any guy I’ve ever met before.” She wished the comfort of leaning into his body would provide more relief. She liked the feeling, but her body refused to relax. If anything, her shivering just kept getting worse.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Jackie put her arm around Nick’s waist, hugging herself to him. “It is. God, why can’t you vampires be warmer? This sucks so bad.”
His arm shifted behind her back, and Jackie felt herself roll over in his lap until she looked up into his face. “Look at me, Jackie.” He tapped a finger next to those radiant blue eyes. “Let me try to ease that pain a bit.”
“You going to hypnotize it away, Sheriff?”
He shrugged. “I can try. It hurts to see you like this. I want to try.”
Jackie’s eyes watered up again, and a tear trickled down her temple. “You stop this shivering, and I’ll kiss you right now.”
“Deal,” he said and brought his lean, strong hands down to cup her face. “Just keep looking up here, Jackie. Think calm, warm thoughts. Wrap yourself up in a blanket by the fire. Bask in the afternoon sun. Trust me. My warmth is yours.”
His face inched down toward hers as he spoke, and Jackie tried to think warm thoughts. A fire would have been a wonderful thing about now, if it would indeed have made a difference. She continued to look into the bottomless depths of those eyes, sensing that they were beginning to glow brighter the longer and deeper she stared. His hands did indeed feel slightly warmer-not much, but any warmth in this place was a blessing.
“I think it’s working,” she said, her voice a whisper from somewhere far away.
“Good,” Nick replied, his mouth an inch above hers. “I was looking forward to that kiss.”
Smart-ass. The thought dwindled away beneath the warm caress of his mouth. It was not a kiss full of lust, but the soft, lingering brush of affection and care that did more to warm her then anything sexual. Jackie could hear his voice in her head, a quiet, repetitive chant to relax, breathe, and feel the warmth of his skin against her own.
The shivering began to subside. Her muscles unclenched to some degree, at least so that her body no longer screamed in pain with every movement. Sadly, and all too soon, the contact with his mouth ended.
Nick’s face still hovered above hers, the eyes glowing with luminous blue light. “Better?”
Jackie nodded. “I feel drunk.”
“I know. Can’t do much about that. Think you can move okay now?”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to. It feels good to lay here like this.”
Nick smiled down at her. “Wish you could, but we need to move.”
“Why?”
Laurel’s voice startled her. “Drake’s still on the other side, but he’s got his goons out in force. He must know something went awry with his plans. I can’t find a safe spot for us outside.”
Nick eased Jackie up into a sitting position next to him. “Meaning what? Inside?”
“Yes. We need to get by the front doors.”
“I have no idea what the inside of the Hancock building looks like, Laurel.”
She nodded. “I know, but you know what someone in there looks like.”
“Does it work like that? You can travel to a person as well as a place?”
“You can go where your mind wills, Nick. Different rules. Can you remember what your wife looked like?”
Jackie felt him stiffen against her, his voice a whisper. “What?”
“Your wife. Gwendolyn, I think? Can you still envision her strongly?”
Jackie looked over at Nick, who stared in silence at Laurel, his mouth a thin, pale line. She recalled the room up behind his office, filled with all the memorabilia from his old life and family, obsessive in its detail. Then there was the painting. Oh, yeah, he could envision her strongly. Question was, did he want to go there?
Jackie touched his arm. “Nick? You okay?”
He turned toward her in slow-motion, eyes glassy and distant. One shoulder offered a barely discernible shrug. “Yeah. Just not what I was expecting. I haven’t seen her in… a long time.” He turned back to Laurel. “You sure she’s there?”
“You think Drake would let them go before you got here? Isn’t the point here to make you suffer as much as possible?”
Nick’s back stiffened. “You make a good point, Ms. Carpenter. Thank you.”
Laurel smiled. “Get cold feet at the last moment, Sheriff, and I’ll kick your ass.”
Nick’s mouth puckered in consternation. “Not sure she’s going to want to see me.”
“Nonsense,” she replied. “She loved you, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, I suppose she did.”
Jackie recalled what Nick had said about the events of his wife’s death. Would she ever get over something like that? Much like him, she would blame herself, no doubt about that. But Gwendolyn had wanted him to do it. The children, on the other hand… Jackie laid her hand on Nick’s thigh. “She’ll be glad to see you, Nick. They all will.”
He stared at her for a moment, the eyes locking on to hers and holding her perfectly still. There was a brief look of anger there, a “don’t be a presumptuous bitch” gaze that melted away as quickly as it had come. “Unlikely, but thanks.”
“She won’t blame you,” Jackie said. It was not a certainty, but she felt reasonably sure that this Gwendolyn would know exactly how Nick would be feeling and act accordingly. “I wouldn’t.”
He said nothing, but his mouth relaxed, one corner flickering with a smile, and he turned back to Laurel. “All right, I’ll try to take us to her and see what happens.”
“Great,” Laurel said, walking over to the couch. “Nick, hold on to Jackie and focus. I’ll help give you the strength to get us there.”
Nick stood up and offered Jackie his hand. “You ready to do this?”
“Could I ever be?” She reached up and let Nick pull her up to her feet. Her body swam in syrup, sluggish but, thankfully, not shaking any longer.
“He’ll get us there, hon,” Laurel said. “Just concentrate on Gwendolyn.”
Nick’s hand squeezed Jackie’s. “I’ll get us there. Trust me.”
The surety of his words brought little comfort. They were walking into a death trap with no plan for getting out. Then again, she was dying. A few hours, and the life in her would freeze into a solid block. There was nothing in this wretched place to make sticking around worthwhile. Worse, she could die and find herself in the same place.
“Okay. I guess.” She put her arms around Nick’s waist and held him tight. His body had the same musty, dry smell as the air around them. Laurel’s cold presence closed in behind.