"So you and Jasper have this personal vendetta happening, and Nikki and I were unlucky enough to get in the way."
Boiled down to basics, that just about summed it up. Michael rubbed his forehead, wondering again if all the years—and all the lives lost—were worth the effort of chasing Jasper. Then he remembered his brother, Patrick, and his friend, Jenna. And people like Monica, who was by no means innocent and yet who had still deserved more than the path of death and destruction that Jasper's seduction and lies had led her to.
"As I said before, it's more than a personal vendetta. Jasper has to be stopped. It's my job to do it."
"Why?” Jake's gaze was shrewd. “You're not in this alone, are you?" Both were questions he wasn't prepared to answer right now. Risking his life was one thing; risking the lives of his companions by revealing too much about their organization was another. Jasper was still loose, and Jake just might be next on the hit list. The less Jake knew, the better for them both.
"Sometimes it takes a vampire to hunt a vampire."
"In other words, mind my own business.” Jake flashed a toothy smile that held very little warmth. “I guess we wait, then. I hope you don't mind if I keep my distance. Being around a vampire might take a little getting used to."
Michael smiled. Jake was all right. No wonder Nikki depended on the man.
"I just feel so damn useless sitting here,” Jake continued with a sigh.
"We'll find her. Don't worry."
"Yeah, right."
The disbelief in Jake's voice annoyed him. Hope was the one thing they couldn't afford to lose. But the rebuke died on his tongue. It was fear that made Jake speak like that, a fear he could well understand. An hour crawled by, then another. Night approached. Michael pushed away from the wall. At least now he could do something, instead of merely waiting.
Life suddenly sparked in the darkness of the link. He stiffened, reaching out swiftly. Turmoil, fear and confusion greeted him. Nikki didn't hear him, didn't acknowledge his presence. It didn't matter. He knew where she was.
Jasper was a dead man.
* * * *
Puddles of yellow light splashed across the floor but did little to take the chill from the room or her body. She'd watched the gentle progress of the sun for the last few hours, lethargy holding her immobile. But time and daylight would not wait for her. She had to move, had to get out of here before the day disappeared. The sunlight's waning strength said it was already late afternoon. There was so little time left.