"Neil must have closed down the office so everyone could attend," Jackie said as she peered around the crowded interior of the funeral home.
"He did," Vincent acknowledged. "He wanted to be sure the saboteur could attend. He's as hopeful as us that the man will show up and somehow give himself away."
Jackie nodded, but thought the problem now would be thateven if the saboteur came and did do something tellingthere were so many people in attendance they might miss it.
"Actually, Neil is more hopeful than us," Christian commented. "Stephano's making him crazy. He's feeling fine now and is getting irritable about being stuck in that hotel."
"Irritable isn't the word," Neil commented dryly, making his presence known as he joined them in the corner where they'd taken up position to watch the room. "My brother is as grumpy as hell. He wants to get back to work."
"That's understandable," Vincent commented.
Neil just arched one eyebrow and added, "He also wants pictures."
Jackie blinked. "Pictures?"
"Hmmm." He pursed his lips and grimaced. "He wants to see who attends, and who's upset, and if the funeral is nice."
As the others fought to keep their solemn expressions at this newsone didn't laugh at funeralsJackie bit her lip and said, "Well, as it happens, Tiny is taking pictures. Stephano can have copies."
Everyone glanced at Tiny then, no doubt in search of a camera.
"Haven't you noticed he's wearing glasses?" she asked with amusement. "They aren't to see through. Tiny has perfect vision. The camera is in the nose piece."
The men were all obviously impressed.
"That's cool," Dante said with surprise.
"I want a pair," Tommaso decided.
Tiny merely smiled. He loved his spy camera.
Boys and their toys, Jackie thought, exchanging an amused glance with Marguerite. Shaking her head, she peered around the room again, her gaze falling on Elaine and Roberto Notte. It was the first time she'd actually seen the couple. Jackie had been in the midst of the change when they'd arrived at Vincent's house.
Her gaze slid over Elaine Notte. She was slender with short blond hair andguessing by how she measured up to the men standing around herwasn't much taller than Jackie herself. Roberto Notte was only a couple of inches taller than his wife, with a stout build. Not fat. Immortals simply didn't get fat, but he had the wide, thick body of a laborer. Of course, neither of them looked old enough to have adult children.
"I suppose we should offer our condolences," Marguerite commented.
Jackie nodded. "It would seem odd if we didn't."
"Come," Neil said. "I'll introduce you."
Vincent took her arm and followed as Neil led them across the room. Tiny immediately took Marguerite's arm to escort her, leaving the rest of the men to trail behind. Two people Jackie recognized from V.A. Productions were offering their condolences when they reached the couple. The two men now nodded respectfully to Neil and Vincent, then moved on to view the closed casket. Jackie had no idea how the men had explained the reason for the closed casket, but there had been no other choice. They could hardly expect Stephano to lay silent and still in the coffin for hours while people walked past viewing him.
"Mother, Father, this is Vincent Argeneau, his personal assistant, Jackie Morrisey, his aunt, Marguerite Argeneau, and Tiny McGraw."
"Vincent." Elaine Notte's eyes widened, then glazed over with tears as she clasped his hands. Her voice trembled with emotion as she said, "Thank you for my son's life. You?
"Mother," Neil said in warning tones, reminding her of the situation, and that Stephano was not supposed to be alive.
Jackie hardly noticed. Her gaze was moving around the group with surprise. While she'd been unconscious when the couple had come to Vincent's home, he hadn't been, and she'd thought he'd met Stephano's parents.
"Vincent didn't leave your side during the turn," Marguerite whispered by her ear, apparently reading her confusion. "This is the first time he's met them too."
Jackie nodded her understanding, and then forced a smile as Neil's parents turned their attention to greeting her and the others.
"Miss Morrisey," Roberto said with heavily accented English. His Italian ancestry was very obvious. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You will find the man who did this, yes?"
"I'll do my best," Jackie murmured, thinking that the entire cover story was blown all to hell if anyone was near enough to hear.
Vincent murmured something then, a few polite words she missed altogether, then she found herself being urged away.
"I don't think anyone heard," Vincent assured her as he led her across the room.
Jackie nodded, but her thoughts were on the promise she'd just made to Neil's father. She would do her best to catch the saboteur, but didn't seem to have gotten very far yet and it bothered her. Had she been so distracted by her attraction to Vincent that she hadn't been doing all she could to track down the saboteur? Jackie had no clues, no ideas. Usually, when they took on a case there was some sort of trail to follow, or they had some idea of what the motive was, but with this case, she felt as if she was stumbling around blind. Vincent had no idea of anyone who might wish to cause him such grief, and the only trail the saboteur was leaving was becoming a bloody one.
As if reading her thoughts, Vincent squeezed her arm and said firmly, "You're doing everything you can. I know that."
But it wasn't enough, Jackie thought and was grateful for the distraction when Neil and the others rejoined them. She listened absently as the men spoke for a bit, but her gaze was moving around the room, gliding over face after face, searching every expression for something that might stand out. Unfortunately, no one had killer or saboteur written across their forehead.
Sighing inwardly, Jackie let her gaze drift back to Neil's parents. As if sensing her gaze, Elaine Notte suddenly looked her way. The woman smiled faintly, then her face was blocked by the back of a man's head as someone else stepped up to offer their condolences.
Jackie was about to continue examining the other people in attendance when the man turned his head to speak to Roberto Notte and she caught a glimpse of his profile. Jackie immediately sucked in one quick gasping breath of shock, then shook her head. No. It couldn't be.
"Jackie?" Tiny asked under his breath and she was vaguely aware of his stepping closer to her, but didn't respond. Her attention was wholly focused on the man across the room, waiting for a better look at his face. She seemed to wait forever, then the man turned to glance around the room and she felt a shock of horror slide through her.
"Cassius." The name came out on a shocked expulsion, but Tiny, Vincent, and the others heard it and turned, their eyes all locking on her.
"Cassius?" Tiny echoed on a rumble of displeasure. "Here?"
"Where?" Vincent asked sharply.
Jackie blinked in surprise at the harshness to his voice and peered at him with confusion. She hadn't told him about Cassius, yet his expression was tight and he'd immediately moved closer to her in a protective manner.
Vincent saw the question on her face and hesitated, then sighed and admitted, "I know about him. I read Tiny's mind."
Jackie stilled, anger welling up in her at this news. Before she could respond, Tiny squeezed her arm.
"Don't be angry with him," he rumbled. "I let him read me. I thought he should know about it."
Jackie turned her furious glance toward her partner, her anger immediately transferring to him.
"And I read Vincent," Christian announced, drawing her fire away from Tiny. He added, "Without his permission."
"So did I," Marcus announced.
Jackie was scowling at the two men when Dante said, "We didn't read anyone."
When she glanced at the twins, Tomasso added, "But we overheard the conversation in the kitchen while we were guarding the door and know he hurt you somehow and made you fear immortals."
Jackie's shoulders drooped and she let out a small sigh. It seemed everyone knew, or at least knew Cassius had done something, if not what. Except Neil, she realized as he spoke.
"Is there a problem?" the vice president asked with a frown. "Cassius works for Vincent."
"He what?" Vincent looked shocked at this news, but Jackie was frowning over the information. Vincent had taken her from office to office in search of information on who had worked on the play in New York. She'd thought she'd met everyone.
"We consult him over contract issues on occasion," Neil explained. "He actually works in the legal department of V.A. Incorporated, not the production company itself."
"Not for much longer," Vincent said grimly.
Jackie squeezed his hand. "You can't fire him for something he did years ago."
"The hell I can't. I can fire whomever I want," he said arrogantly. "They're my companies."
"Yes, but we have labor laws," she pointed out. "Besides, why bother?"
"He hurt you," Vincent said simply. "And mortals have labor laws. Immortals don't. I don't want someone of his kind working for me."
"Mr. Notte?"
Jackie glanced around, recognizing the voice of Vincent's secretary, Sharon. She couldn't see her, however, the men were in the way.
"I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about Stephano. Heoh, Vincent." Sharon blinked at her boss as Neil shifted and Vincent's presence was revealed, then her gaze slid to Jackie and surprise crossed her face. "Jackie."
The woman was obviously startled to see her there. She wasn't the only one. Lily stood beside her, looking just as stunned at her presence.
"Is there something wrong, Sharon?" Jackie asked calmly.
When the secretary simply stared at her wide-eyed, Lily forced a smile to her face and said delicately, "She's just surprised. We didn't think you knew Stephano Notte."
Jackie was silent, considering the two of them. She suspected it was more than that. After all, the last time they'd seen her she was a mortal. One look at her eyes now and they should both be able to tell she'd been turned.
"No," Jackie said finally. "I never had the pleasure of meeting Stephano while he was alive. I'm just here out of respect for Neil and his family."
"Yes, of course," Lily murmured, then glanced toward Sharon as the secretary returned to offering her condolences to the vice president of V.A. Productions.
Once the attention was off her, Jackie glanced back toward Elaine and Roberto Notte. Cassius had moved on and Max Kunstler was now there, speaking solemnly to the couple. Jackie started to peer around in search of Cassius, then sucked in a breath as she saw he was moving in their direction, his eyes fixed on Neil. She had no doubt he was coming to offer his condolences and suddenly wished she was anywhere but there.
Jackie felt Vincent step closer, his arm sliding around her waist. At the same moment, Tiny moved nearer on her other side, then the rest of the men crowded closer as well, puffing up like protective roosters. It seemed they'd been paying attention to what Cassius was doing too. The entire group was suddenly stiff and tense.
You aren't nineteen anymore. The words floated through her mind and Jackie turned her gaze to Marguerite. The woman stood a little to the side, watching the men with amusement. As her gaze shifted to Jackie, Marguerite's expression became solemn and she nodded meaningfully. And now you're immortal too.
Straightening her shoulders, Jackie turned back as Cassius paused at Neil's side. She peered at him curiously, noting that he wasn't nearly as attractive as he'd always been in her memory. His hair was blond as she recalled, but when she'd met him at nineteen it had seemed to shine like spun gold and she'd ached to touch it. Now, it just looked dirty blond to her. As for the body of Adonis she'd always recalled him having, he was slender and wiry, and not especially tall. Five foot ten was her guess. Every man around her had at least four to six inches on him.
Jackie turned her attention to his face, inspecting him closely. His lips were a bit thin, his nose straight, his eyes neither large, nor small. He was just average in looks. Only the color of his eyes was not average, at least compared to mortal eyes. His were a shining bronze brown, incredible next to normal, mortal eyes, but not nearly as beautiful as Vincent's silver-blue eyes, or as interesting as the silver-flecked black eyes of the Nottes.
Jackie shook her head with confusion. There was absolutely nothing noteworthy about Cassius. Either her tastes had been vastly different at nineteen, or the man had controlled her from the moment she'd opened the door to him that day a little more than ten years ago. Jackie suspected the latter was the case. Cassius had come to their home intending to seduce her and shame her father. He'd made himself appear beautiful in her mind to do it.
She hadn't had a chance, Jackie realized. For years she'd felt guilty, thinking that if she hadn't followed her attraction for Cassius and rebelled enough to go on that first date with him, he'd never have been able to get control of her as he had. But she no longer believed that was the case. He'd made her think he was attractive. Perhaps he had even instilled that rebelliousness in her to go against her father's wishes and sneak out to meet him. Cassius had set out to control her from the start. He'd probably even arrived when he knew her father wasn't home just so that he could do so.
Finished with his duty, Cassius glanced expectantly around the group, obviously awaiting introductions. Jackie stiffened as his gaze slid from Sharon, to Lily, to Vincent, then her, but his eyes continued on to Tiny without stopping. His expression was polite and enquiring. He hadn't recognized her.
Neil started his introduction with Christian, Marcus, Dante, and Tomasso. The four Italians stared at Cassius with cold eyes, none of them accepting the hand he offered in greeting. Neil raised a curious eyebrow at their rudeness, then introduced Vincent. "And this is Vincent Argeneau. The V.A. in V.A. Incorporated and V.A. Productions."
Cassius's attitude immediately became annoyingly obsequious. The fact that he behaved so with Vincent and not Neil, said he considered himself an equal to the vice president of V.A. Productions. But then, Jackie supposed, he wouldn't feel threatened by Neil, or as if it was not worth much effort to impress him. Neil was the vice president of V.A. Productions, not V.A. Incorporated, where he worked. Vincent, on the other hand, was the owner of both, and Cassius was suddenly basically brown-nosing, telling him how pleased he was to meet him and how much he admired him.
Vincent stared at the man with open dislike andas with Christian and the othersdidn't accept the hand he was holding out in greeting. Instead, he took over the introductions then, introducing first Tiny, who reacted exactly as Christian and the others had, peering down his nose at the shorter man with cold eyes.
"And this is Jackie Morrisey," Vincent said, but even the name didn't bring any recognition to Cassius's face.
Jackie felt her stomach roll over with disgust. She'd spent the last ten years haunted by this man, agonizing over what he'd done to her, what he could have done... and he didn't even recognize her name. It appeared he'd forgotten her as soon as she was out of his life and yet she'd been tortured by his actions all these years. She'd been torturing herself.
Jackie felt Vincent squeeze her side and offered a stiff smile to let him know she was okay. He squeezed her again, then turned back to Cassius. "Her father was Ted Morrisey. You may have met him. He did lots of work for my cousin Bastien in New York. You lived there, didn't you?"
Cassius went stiff and turned slowly back to peer at Jackie. The recognition was there on his face now as his gaze raked over her. The look said that he was recalling what she'd looked like under her clothes all those years ago. A small, leering smile immediately tilted his lips up and his eyes flashed.
Jackie was aware of the way Tiny and Vincent both moved in closer still. Each of them was now pressed up against her sides. She thought she heard a small growl from one of the Italian troop too, but didn't glance around at the angry sound. Her gaze stayed locked on Cassius until he finally noticed her eyes. A slow smile pulled her lips apart as his own eyes widened with the realization that she was now an immortal too.
"Hello, Cassius," she said sweetly, then tilted her head and commented, "you're not nearly as tall as I remembered. You wouldn't have been using some of that immortal mind control on me all those years ago, would you?"
"I..." Cassius glanced toward Vincent nervously.
"I bet you did," she commented with feigned amusement. "It makes me wonder what else is smaller."
Jackie heard the snort of amusement that came from the direction of the Italian troop and was aware that the cough that suddenly claimed Tiny was to disguise a laugh. Her attention, however, was focused on Vincent. He wasn't amused. There was tension in every line of his body as he glared at Cassius. Still, he took her completely by surprise when he announced, "Jackie is my life mate, Cassius."
Jackie froze as those words made their way through her brain. She turned abruptly to Vincent and he lowered his gaze to her, the hard anger on his face immediately giving way to a soft smile. He lifted a hand to her cheek, caressing her softly. His eyes radiated reassurance and, she thought, love. She hoped it was love.
Jackie's lips turned up in a smile and she leaned into him, then turned back to Cassius. However, he hadn't got over his own shock at Vincent's announcement quite as quickly as she had, and was still gaping at the man.
As she watched, Cassius seemed to regain himself. He finally turned toward her, his mouth opening, but whatever he would have said died in his throat as she smiled at him, flashing her fangs. She'd finally managed that skill just half an hour before leaving for the funeral and was glad she had.
Cassius snapped his mouth closed, murmured an excuse and quickly moved away to disappear into the crowd. Jackie felt like a chapter of her life had finally closed as she watched him walk away... and was grateful to have it so. She relaxed into Vincent's side as he hugged her.
"You didn't tell us you had mastered bringing on your teeth," Christian commented as everyone relaxed. "Well done."
Jackie smiled and nodded to acknowledge his compliment.
"You shall have to tell me what that was all about. I seem to be the only person here who hasn't got a clue what just happened," Neil commented.
"Not the only one," Sharon murmured, reminding Jackie of the other women's presence. Sharon and Lily had remained so still and quiet, she'd forgotten they were there.
"We'll explain," Christian said as he glanced toward the front of the room. "But later. Now it appears the service is about to begin."
Christian was right, and they all moved to find seats. Jackie, Vincent, Tiny, and Marguerite settled near the back of the room where they could see everyone. Sharon and Lily settled nearby and Neil and the others made their way to the front of the room, where the family was situated.
The rest of the funeral was uneventful, but Vincent stayed at her side throughout. He also spent most of his time glaring at the back of Cassius's head. He'd said he was going to fire Cassius, but Jackie suspected the man should be grateful if that's all Vincent did. She considered telling Vincent firing him wasn't necessary, but didn't bother. Cassius had brought it on himself, let him reap what he'd sewn so long ago. Perhaps he needed the reminder that every action had a consequence, and that someone weak today may be the strong one later. Even mortals, with their short lives, forgot that lesson.
The service was very similar to human funeral services, but the burial was different. Inside the well-lit funeral home, it had been easy to forget that it was night outside, but at the cemetery this was not possible. Here, night encroached all around them as everyone made their silent way to the graveside. Jackie was slightly surprised that they didn't bother with some form of lighting to illuminate the path to the graveside, but most of the funeral attendees didn't seem to need it. Jackie was reminded that immortals were night hunters by nature and that their silvery eyes were more than just pretty; they were to allow them to see in the dark. There were few people at the funeral who had trouble navigating the path; she had a little trouble, though not much. It appeared her night vision had already improved. Tiny, on the other hand, had a lot of difficulty negotiating the path.
Jackie knew she wasn't seeing as well as the rest of the immortals around her. Marguerite had already explained that her new skills and abilities were still in their infancy, and would increase with the passing of time. Night vision was obviously one of the abilities that would continue to improve, but it was still a little frustrating. She spent her time at the graveside examining the others in attendance, searching expressions for some telltale sign of satisfaction, and wishing that her eyesight was already one hundred percent to do so.
Neil had arranged for a wake at his home to follow the funeral and Jackie wondered if all funerals for immortals were so similar to human burials. Or if it was because Stephano was mortal and had been raised with this culture, but it was Tiny who actually asked the question as they drove to Neil's home.
"Are all immortal funerals like this, or is this because Stephano is mortal?" His voice was a low rumble coming from the darkness of the back seat.
There was a brief silence, then Vincent cleared his throat and said, "I don't know. I've never attended a funeral for an immortal."
Jackie blinked at him in surprise. "Never?"
Vincent nodded, his attention on traffic as he drove.
"But surely you've known others who have died?" she asked with amazement. "What about your mother?"
"She was burned at the stake," he reminded her quietly. "There was nothing left to bury. My father searched the ashes, but there was nothing."
Jackie stared at him blankly, finding it impossible to believe that in medieval times they'd managed a fire so hot it had destroyed even the bones. Surely there should have been something left?
"What about Jean Claude?" Tiny asked and Jackie glanced into the backseat as she waited for Marguerite's answer.
"Another fire," Marguerite pointed out. "There was nothing left of Jean Claude to bury either."
"But that'sI mean, it's rare for a fire to burn so hot it could incinerate the bones. Even in cremation there are bits left... I think," Jackie added, because she wasn't at all certain this was true.
"Bastien thinks that the nanos somehow feed the fire, making it burn hotter. We are apparently quite flammable," Marguerite said quietly.
"Then how do you know Jean Claude is truly dead?" Tiny asked and Jackie stiffened in surprise. That thought hadn't occurred to her.
"His ring was in the ashes of the fire," Vincent answered.
"And I felt him die," Marguerite said quietly. When Jackie's eyes cut sharply to her, she said simply, "He was my sire. He shared his nanos with me. We were connected. I sensed his death, felt it, and knew it was by fire."
Jackie turned slowly in her seat and glanced at Vincent. He hadn't turned her, but in their excitement while lovemaking they'd bitten each other a time or two and shared their nanos. Would she feel it if he ever died?
As if sensing her solemn gaze and the thoughts behind it, Vincent took one hand from the steering wheel and reached over to take hers and give it a reassuring squeeze.
They were all silent the rest of the way to Neil's home and pretty much remained that way once at the house. Jackie drank wine and listened to the hushed voices around them while she continued to watch everyone closely, but her mind was now pondering what she'd learned about the connection to a sire. She wondered how connected she and Vincent now were. And what exactly caused it? Was it his sharing his blood, his nanos, with her? If it were caused by the sharing of his nanos, it was possible she had some connection to the saboteur now as well. She'd swallowed his blood.
The idea was not an attractive one. She needed to talk to either Marguerite or Vincent about this. Jackie needed to know what else the connection might bring about, how it would affect her... and whether Marguerite thought she had enough of the saboteur's blood in her to have a connection.
With all these concerns on her mind, Jackie was more than relieved when Vincent decided it was time to leave. He left them to go speak to Christian and Marcus, then returned, announcing the others were staying a while longer, but would follow later.
"I'm going to call my daughter and make sure everything's all right at home," Marguerite announced as they entered the house several moments later. It seemed obvious that the funeralsham though it washad upset her, but then it had upset them all, Jackie suspected. She wasn't terribly surprised when Tiny trudged up the hall to the stairs, saying, "I'm going to bed. Funerals tire me out."
"Well, I guess that leaves you and me," Vincent murmured, sliding his arms around her as they were left alone in the hall.
"Hmmm." Jackie leaned into his embrace and kissed him lightly on the lips, then said, "Your aunt could come out at any minute."
"Uh-uh." Vincent shook his head. "If she were calling Bastien, she might be right back, but calling her daughter, Lissianna, means she's in the mood for a chat. She'll be a good hour, at least."
"Yeah?" Jackie asked with amusement.
"Yeah," Vincent kissed her on the tip of the nose, then took her hand and headed for the stairs at a run.
