He'd known the old witch long enough to realize she was actually asking if he'd thought about the future. Which he had, especially in the last three weeks. But it wasn't something he was about to discuss with Seline, no matter how close a friend she was—not until he'd talked to Nikki first. We've been living together less than four months. I hardly think she's worrying about the future just yet. He took the stairs two at a time, then walked down the hall to the bedroom. She's a very independent inpidual. Remember that, or you may just get yourself into trouble. The note was on his pillow. He switched back to the infrared of his vampire vision and picked it up, quickly scanning it. The uneasy tension sitting in his gut intensified, and he sat down on the bed, staring almost blindly at the paper.
Seline's concern whisked through his mind. What's wrong?
What wasn't wrong? Don't bother sending Kat on the helicopter. Why?
He crushed the note in his fist and threw it across the room. I already have help. Nikki's in San Francisco investigating the disappearance from the Diamond Grand.
Chapter Two
"Nik!"
Nikki spun at the sound of her name and grinned as she saw Jake's blonde head bobbing up intermittently from the sea of humanity streaming toward the airport exits. She shouldered her bag and made her way toward him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a bear hug that darn near squeezed every ounce of breath from her lungs. She laughed when she finally could and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "I missed you, too," she said, then stepped back and studied him critically. "You look good." No longer was he the pale-looking wraith she'd seen off at the airport only a month before. There was color—and weight—back in his cheeks and a sparkle in the blue of his eyes. And his suit fit him comfortably, rather than looking as if it were hanging on a rack.
"I feel good, too." He wriggled his left arm and fingers. "See, full movement." She smiled. He'd had a stroke on the operating table, and for awhile there, the doctors had feared he might lose mobility down the left side of his body. "I'm glad."
"So am I." He grabbed the bag from her shoulder and swung it across his own. "You wouldn't believe how boring it's been at the hotel—until recently, that is."
"Oh, I'd believe," she said dryly. "And it couldn't be any more boring than sitting alone in front of the TV
all day, with no one to speak to except the mail carrier." Jake raised his eyebrow, blue eyes amused. "I take it from that comment that Michael managed to escape on another case without you?"
"Yeah. This time he went to Ireland, and I couldn't even keep in mind contact with him. I've spoken to him three times in as many weeks."
"So why didn't you just stay in Lyndhurst?"
She looked away from the intensity of his gaze and studied the blush of dawn visible through the windows. "I guess I was getting a little sick of people gossiping behind my back." Sick of people giving her those sideways glances. She felt guilty enough over Matthew Kincaid's death. She didn't need everyone else dumping on her as well.
"Ah." Jake took her arm and guided her toward the exit. "So why not take a vacation? Michael offered to pay for it, didn't he?"