Her breath caught in her throat. What made Jake think that? She glanced at Michael and caught a wisp of anger—the same dark anger that had threatened her in the warehouse. He looked at her briefly, and the anger died. Yet it was obvious Michael was a man not used to having his actions questioned.
"It might also be said that she would now be dead had I not,” he replied. Jake leaned back in his chair and regarded him thoughtfully. “Why did you come to Lyndhurst, then?"
"To catch a killer—the man who now chases Nikki."
Michael sat on the edge of her desk and sipped his coffee. He appeared very relaxed, very calm. He was not. Jake's doubt infuriated him, and she wondered why.
"Why?” Jake asked bluntly. “You're certainly not a cop or FBI or anything else official. This a personal vendetta or something else?"
"Both.” He hesitated and sipped at his coffee.
Deciding how much he should tell them, she thought, and wondered if there was anyone in his world whom he trusted enough to be completely honest with.
"Jasper killed my brother. A few years later he killed a close friend of mine." The truth as far as it went, but nowhere near the full story, she thought. “I get the feeling there's more history than that between the two of you."
Michael glanced at her. His face was guarded, wary. “Ours is a battle that has been going on for many years. I have killed his brother, and I will kill him—not in retaliation, but simply because his bloodshed will not stop until he is dead."
"Which suggests there is very little difference between you and the man you hunt." Michael's smile was bitter. “There's one big difference. I do not hunt innocents, nor do I drain the blood of my victims."
She shuddered, remembering the bloody mess Monica had made the night before. “You said you don't kill in retribution, and yet you killed his brother. Why?" He hesitated again. “Because they were twins who hunted and worked as one. They'd killed over one hundred people before I stopped them, and Jasper has killed as many since." Again, the truth as far as it went, and still not the whole story. “Why is he so determined to hunt me? We both know there's easier prey living on the streets."
He sipped his coffee, studying her for several seconds before answering. “Jasper hungers for things he can never have. Power, more than anything else. You have that power, Nikki." And Jasper, who could call his victims from the dead, would control that power should she die. Bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed heavily.
I will not let that happen. I would kill you myself, if it came to that. It was a chilling thought, and not one she found comforting.
Their gazes met and, just for an instant, the link between them surged to life. His mind embraced hers, a gentle yet intimate touch that caressed her body in a way no physical stroke ever could. Jake softly cleared his throat. She jumped, tearing her gaze away from Michael's. What the hell was happening between them? And why did she feel like running as far and as fast as she could?
"So what do you plan to do?” Jake asked into the silence.