"Not that I'm aware of. He was a fairly quiet kid. Kept mostly to himself."
Well, there goes that possible connection. "What about Ivan Lang, Cherry Barnes, or a Denny someone?"
"Denny someone?" Amusement ran through his tones.
"Sorry, I actually don't know his last name." And I hadn't yet even checked out the police report.
"There's a Denny Spalding in the photo, if that helps. And the other two, as well. Though, of course, there's no guarantee that these three are the ones you're looking for."
"You know anything about them?"
"Cherry and Denny, no, but Ivan was fixated on vampires. Said he wanted to take the ceremony and become one, one day."
"He did take the ceremony, but unfortunately, someone cut off his head and let him burn in sunlight."
"Well, that wasn't very nice of them." He paused, and must have taken a drink, because I heard him swallow. "He wasn't a member of the gang, either. But he was one of the few friends Jake Cowden had."
"So what the fuck is the connection between all these people?"
Liander snorted. "Like I'm supposed to know?"
I grinned. "Sorry, just thinking out loud."
"Seems to be a family trait." He paused again, then added, "While we're talking families, I've got a question for you."
"Question away."
"How would you feel about me moving in with you and Rhoan?"
I blinked. Talk about being caught totally off guard! "I think that would be great, but I'd have to ask why you'd want to move in to our dumpy little apartment when you have a totally beautiful house of your own?" Not to mention a nifty little apartment above his studio.
"Because I want to ask Rhoan to live with me, and he's just not going to leave you any time soon."
"That's not - "
"That is, even if neither of you have ever talked about it. You're each the only pack member the other has, and I think it's going to be difficult for anyone to ever separate the two of you."
"But it's not like we need to live in each other's pockets."
"No, but can you honestly say that if you met your soul mate tomorrow, you could walk away from your apartment and Rhoan to go live with him?"
I opened my mouth to say "of course," then actually stopped to think about it. Rhoan and I might not live in each other's pockets, we might be able to go days - weeks - without seeing each other, but his scent was always around me, completing that part of me that needed pack, needed family. And as Liander had said, he was all I had, all I would ever have when it came to pack.
Even when I had decided to commit to Kellen, the thought of moving totally out of my apartment and away from Rhoan had never really crossed my mind. Yes, I'd contemplated staying with Kellen, but I'd never taken it that one step further. Had never thought that I wouldn't maintain my place here as well as share space with Kellen.
Maybe Kellen had realized that, too. And maybe his problem hadn't solely been with the job and my inability to give it up.
"For a man who plays with makeup, you're surprisingly insightful."
He laughed. "So you've really got no problems with it?"
"As long as you have no problems with the mess."
"I can deal with the mess. I just don't want to deal with spending nights alone anymore."
I smiled. Liander really was a catch and a half - not only sweet and loving, but possessing the patience of a saint. I doubt anyone else would have stuck around after all the shit Rhoan had thrown his way, soul mate or not.
I just had to hope my daft brother realized that. Yeah, he loved Liander and yeah, he'd been more committed to him recently than ever before, but he still seemed to want his own space, as well.
"You have my blessing, Liander. When are you going to ask him?"
"Tonight. He's coming back to dinner. I'll hit him with the proposal as soon as he's well fed and happy."
"Fingers and toes crossed for you, then."
"Thanks, I'll probably need it."
"You certainly will." I hesitated, then added, "Just be a little extra vigilant with security for the next couple of days, okay? Until I figure out the connection between all these murders, there is a remote possibility that you could also be on his list."
"You'd have to say very remote. I didn't associate with Young or the people who most likely killed him."
"Yeah, but we're not talking about a rational mind here. Promise me you'll play safe."
"Okay, I promise. Now let me go and get ready for my big night."
"Good luck with it," I said and hung up. I stripped off then headed into the shower. Time to start making myself presentable for my big night, as well.
Dusk was crawling in across the sky by the time I pulled in to the small parking lot beside Sparkies. The restaurant was all soaring arches, smoky glass, and chrome, and sat on the banks of the Yarra River like some rare jewel.
Melbourne's finest stepped out from chauffeur-driven limos and Mercedes - the men uniformly elegant and the women adorned by pearls and diamonds that gleamed and sparkled under the bright entrance lights.
A thief would have had a field day - if he could have gotten past the three security guards standing discreetly in the shadows.
I climbed out of my car, then smoothed down my dress, glad I'd opted for something that wasn't black. Most of the other women arriving were in autumn tones, which probably meant they were the "in" shades at the moment. My dress followed the simple lines of a modest, V-necked sheath - at least until I turned, revealing the plunging back that stopped tantalizingly short of my butt. And there was nothing autumn-hued or modest about its color - it was a lusciously rich emerald that would stand out amongst the autumn tones as fiercely as the brightest of yellows.
The only jewelry I had was my watch, but I didn't need diamonds or pearls to liven the outfit. The red-gold of my hair was enough.
I walked over to the door and waited in line for my turn with the man ticking off guest names.
His gaze met mine, expression polite and blue eyes showing little interest in the proceedings. "Name, miss?"
"Riley Jenson."
He scanned the list, flicked over the page, then nodded. "If you'll just head through that second door to your left, your ticket will be waiting for you."
"Thanks."
He nodded, his gaze already moving on to the next person. A black-suited shifter opened the door with a polite nod as I approached. Inside, the air was warm and perfumed, heavy with the scents of human and nonhuman. I walked down a small hallway until I reached a booth.
A woman with bleached-blond hair and a fake tan gave me a warm smile. "Here for a ticket?"
"Yes. The name is Jenson."
She shuffled through a pile of tickets, then drew one out. "Riley?"
"That's me." I handed over my credit card. Hopefully, Jack would reimburse me ASAP, because the card had just about reached its limit. I'd discovered a week ago that the man who handmade my wooden-heeled stilettos had just released an autumn range, and I'd gone on something of a spending binge. The pair I wore tonight - a shimmery emerald-colored snakeskin - had been one of five, and the most sedate of them.
The woman in the booth swiped the card - which was one of the new smart cards, requiring fingerprint confirmation rather than a signature - so I pressed my hand into the machine and got a green-light confirmation.
"You're on table five, Miss Jenson. Just walk down this hall until you see the gentleman in black," she said, handing me back the card, the ticket, and a receipt. "He'll direct you to the right table."
"Thanks."
She gave me another warm smile. "My pleasure."
I continued on down the hall. Music wafted in from the other room, classical and soothing in sound. Voices ebbed and flowed around it, suggesting there were at least a hundred or so people inside.
The door guard gave me a smile as I approached. I handed him the ticket and he scanned it through a machine. As the door swung open, he handed me back the ticket. "Table five is around to the left, in the corner," he said. "Have a nice evening."
"Thanks. I will."
I shoved the ticket into my purse, then headed in. One thing struck me straightaway - Sparkies lived up to its name. Sparkles abounded - in the glint of the ornate chandeliers, in the chrome and glass that reflected back the flickering candles that adorned each table, even in the silver and gold thread that ran through the tablecloths and chairs.
The scents that had been evident outside bloomed to full significance. Human, shifter, and vampire vied for prominence with the flowery assault of perfume and the richer tones of aftershave, creating a cauldron of aromas that had my senses reeling.
How the hell was I going to pick any particular scent out of this?
I blew out a breath and looked around. There were plenty of people sitting at the dozen or so tables that lined the room, but there were also many more standing around the dance floor chatting. Even so, the room looked half empty. Maybe the trendy people arrived fashionably late.
I scanned the table numbers until I found mine. There were a couple of old biddies sitting there, but as they weren't likely to be either Enna Free or my murderer, I wasn't about to head over there until I absolutely had to.
Instead, I headed right, walking around the edges of the room, trying to sort through the riot of scents and track down the one that would lead me to my suspect.
I might as well have been searching for a needle in a haystack.
I was on my way back to my table when awareness hit and sent a heated wave of desire fleeing across my skin.
I stopped, my heart pounding so hard I swear it was going to tear out of my chest. There had only ever been one man who had caused that sort of reaction in me - Quinn O'Conor, ancient vampire, billionaire businessman, and former lover.
I should have guessed he might have been here, because he always seemed to support major charity events like this. But it had been so long since we'd crossed paths that I simply hadn't thought about it.
And if I had, what would I have done?
Not come, a voice deep inside whispered.
Maybe. Maybe not. I was no coward, after all, and I'd faced far worse things than a vampire determined to make me his own - even if he broke my heart and my soul in the process.
I closed my eyes for a moment, taking deep, slow breaths that did little to calm the erratic dance of my pulse, then slowly turned around.
I'd never really believed the line in romance books that said, "Their eyes met, and everything else faded away," but that's exactly what happened.
My gaze met Quinn's and everything else - everyone else - disappeared. It was just him and me in the glittery confines of this room, with this amazing sense of awareness burning between us as fiercely as any bushfire. It was an awareness that had always been there, even from the beginning, and absence had not tempered its flame. It had only made it stronger.
And oh, he looked so good. The simple elegance of his black suit emphasized not only the broadness of his shoulders but the lean power of his body. His night-dark hair was cut short and neat, but so thick and lush that my fingers itched with the need to run through it, as they had months ago when we were still lovers. Being an older vampire capable of standing quite a lot of sunlight, his skin held a warm, healthy tan rather than the pasty white that was common among most of them. And his eyes - his eyes had always captured me the most. They were vast wells of darkness that held his secrets and emotions well in check - too well, most of the time - and yet it was so easy to lose yourself in those endless depths. In all respects, he had the sort of looks that drew the eye time and again. Saying he was good-looking didn't even begin to do him justice.
For several more minutes, I did nothing, said nothing, just stood there staring at him, my skin burning and my heart racing.
Then he smiled, and it was such an achingly sweet smile that a shiver ran down my spine and desire spun like a fireball ready to explode all around me.
One touch, that was all that was needed.
One touch, and I was his.
But only a moment, not for eternity. I might want him as I'd wanted few others, but the past between us was laden with lies and mistrust, and it was not something that would ever be brushed aside easily.
He walked toward me, moving with an economy of movement that was both graceful and powerful. But it broke the spell, and suddenly there was noise and people and movement all around me.
I gripped my purse in front of me as if it were some sort of shield and forced a smile. "Fancy meeting you here."
He stopped when there was little more than an arm's length between us. His scent swirled around me, soft and spicy.
"How have you been, Riley?" he said quietly, the lilt of Ireland caressing his voice, sending my already erratic pulse into overdrive.
"Fine, considering. How have you been?" God, we were so polite it was sickening - especially considering all I wanted to do was strip him and make love to him. Right here, right now.
It seems the leash had well and truly broken on my hormones.
"I've been keeping myself busy." He paused, and just for a second, emotion fired his eyes, making them burn as fiercely as the desire that continued to flare unchecked between us. What that emotion was, I couldn't say. As usual, the shields slammed down before I could really identify it. "I heard about you and Kellen. I'm sorry it didn't work out."
I snorted softly, and couldn't help the slight edge in my voice as I said, "You know I'm not believing that, Quinn, because you did everything in your damn power to ensure Kellen and I never got together."
