But she wasn"t dissuaded. "I will come out with you; I will see that she"s worthy."
"You"ve already helped me pick them," he reminded her. Elizabeth, too, had sorted through the pictures of the students at All Saints.
"I should never have agreed to the lessers." She was seated upright now, glaring at him as the b.l.o.o.d.y water drained over her exposed skin, running in red rivulets from her shoulders, over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, to the dark pool surrounding her.
Oh, how he longed to lap up that tangy sweetness.
But she wasn"t in the mood. "Don"t you get it?" Elizabeth demanded, hands rising from the scarlet depths. "That"s why this isn"t working, why my skin hasn"t improved. The blood of those wh.o.r.es is tainted, lacking life."
"They weren"t wh.o.r.es."
"Then where did you find them?"
His jaw tightened but he bit back a sharp retort, not allowing her to bait him about his previous life, one that she knew intimately. Only she knew his real ident.i.ty, only she could ruin him.
Only she could make him complete.
"Of course you can come," he said.
"I wasn"t asking! It"s not your decision. Remember that!" Mollified, she settled into the b.l.o.o.d.y water again.
This was new. She"d never ventured out for a kill. But then she was always evolving, never content to let things stagnate or become routine. And truth be told, he was a little concerned about the girl who would next give up her life. Once she"d been so avid and zealous about being a part of their inner circle. He"d approached her and she"d leapt at the chance to belong, to connect with someone. Now, however, he sensed she was nervous. Wary. Unsure.
He might have to change his routine a bit to ensure her compliance. Elizabeth wouldn"t like that. It would be best if he acted alone.
"You"re certain about this, that you want to be a part of it?" he asked again, and Elizabeth smiled cruelly up at him, her eyes in this half-light dark and unreadable.
"Of course." Her red lips twitched a bit as the now warm, b.l.o.o.d.y water swirled around her. "I thought you understood. The next time, I intend to watch. Not just the mating, but the surrendering of her soul. The sacrifice."
CHAPTER 18.
"Christ Almighty!" Jay stared at the tiny vial and shook his head. "What in G.o.d"s name is this?"
"It"s Tara At.w.a.ter"s blood," Kristi said with conviction. She eyed the angling bit of gla.s.s as if it were a precious, though cursed stone, and her stomach curdled as she thought about how or why the blood within it had been extracted. "I"d bet my life on it."
"Then we have to take it to the police." He transferred the delicate chain carefully from his hand to hers. "And you have to own up to what you"ve found out."
"There"s still no proof of murder."
"I know, but it"s a police matter." He rubbed at the beard stubble on his jaw and wondered what the h.e.l.l they"d stumbled onto. "You think this is what whoever was in your apartment was looking for?"
"Maybe. They didn"t take anything."
"Then the place will have to be dusted for prints."
"Can"t you do it? You"re the police. You work with the crime lab."
"Not if you want to nail the b.a.s.t.a.r.d, whoever the h.e.l.l he is. We"ve got to do this by the book."
She sighed. "They"ll take my notes. Confiscate my computer. Check me out."
"Probably. I called a friend in the Baton Rouge PD. He gave me the name of a detective I think will help us. Portia Laurent. Seems as if she"s taken an interest in the missing girls and thinks they might have come to bad ends."
"Finally. Someone who doesn"t believe the c.o.c.k and bull about all of them being runaways. Now if I could give her something more...then maybe they"d work with me."
The doorbell suddenly pealed and both Kristi and Jay reacted. "I"ll get it," he said. Through the peephole, Jay spied a teenager with long hair, bad skin, and a nervous tic causing him to wink. He was carrying a flat box in an insulated pack.
"Pizza"s here," the kid called.
Jay looked at Kristi and they both laughed. He opened the door, paid for the pizza, tipped the kid, then threw the dead bolt. Meanwhile, Kristi was careful with the vial, placing it in a plastic sandwich bag and carefully setting it on a cotton towel in the kitchen. It creeped her out, thinking it held Tara"s blood, but she didn"t want Jay to see how she felt.
"Before we call the cops, I"m backing up all of my files," Kristi told him around a piece of pizza, her eyes inadvertently straying to the vial. She was having a certain amount of trouble swallowing. "Not only for my homework and personal stuff, but for everything about the case."
Jay nodded, wondering if they were sitting in the middle of a crime scene. The box of pizza was placed between them on the daybed while Bruno watched their every bite, hoping for any spillage. He, at least, was unaffected by the discovery of the necklace and vial.
"So why was the vial hidden?" Kristi asked, dropping the remains of her slice back into the box. "Or, was it just forgotten?"
"Hidden. The necklace was pushed into a crack near the wall."
"Why hide it? Some of the girls who have them-and as far as I know, it"s just girls-wear them openly."
"You think Tara hid it herself?"
"Who else?" Kristi asked. She wiped her fingers on the paper napkins that came with the pizza, then pushed herself upright and walked to the desk. Once there, she began transferring information to a small pocket-sized jump drive. She chewed on her bottom lip as she worked. "If we"re going to the police and Detective Laurent, then I guess we"ll have to call Dad." She made a face at the thought. "He"ll have a fit, of course, but at least he"ll make sure none of my stuff is ruined or lost."
"You"re willing to suffer through his lectures?" Jay asked, closing the pizza box and disappointing Bruno.
"It"s not as if I"m not used to it."
"In the meantime, as I said, I"ll camp out here."
"You don"t have to."
"I do." He was positive.
"But-"
"Admit it, Kris, you want me to stay."
"Oh, please." His arrogance knew no bounds, even though he was partially right.
He wasn"t intimidated. "You still want me."
She made a strangled sound. "Y"know, I"m fine. It"s better if you just go." Snagging her jump drive from the computer, she capped it with more force than necessary and stuffed it in a small pocket in her purse.
He shrugged, making no move to leave.
"I can"t believe you said that," she added.
"You"re still thinking about it."
"Jay, so help me..." She cut herself off as she walked to a closet, where she found a sleeping bag that had seen better days and a tattered throw pillow with the stuffing exposed, compliments of Hairy S., Kristi"s stepmother"s sc.r.a.ppy little dog. Jay watched her with a knowing air that really chapped her hide. She should just toss him out. But he was right in one regard, d.a.m.n him: she didn"t really want to be alone.
But she did not want want him. him.
"If you"re staying, you"ve got the chair. You can use the coffee table for an ottoman." She tossed him the pillow and sleeping bag, then stopped for a moment, regarding him seriously.
"What?"
"Just to be clear. I need one more week before I tell Dad or Portia Laurent what"s up. By then, I should have more information for the police, but if we go to them with what we know now, my hands will be tied. To Detective Laurent and the Baton Rouge PD, I"ll just be Rick Bentz"s daughter playing amateur detective. To Dad, I"ll be risking my neck again and he"ll freak."
"He should."
"I need some time," she stressed.
"I can"t give you any, Kris."
"Sure you can. It"ll ultimately make the case stronger."
"You don"t know that."
"Yes, I do. It"s you who has doubts."
"We should both have doubts," Jay retorted. "There"s a lot we don"t know. We"re just surmising, Kris. Let the police handle it."
"I"m only asking for a week. No one seems to have cared about these girls all this time. One...week." Crossing the room, she walked up to him, only stopping when the toes of her shoes touched his.
Jay tried not to be affected but he smelled some kind of soap mingled with sweat on her skin. Her flesh was so near to his, and in this light her hair was shot with streaks of red. It was a potent combination. Craning her neck to look up at him, Kristi offered the faintest of smiles, that little, s.e.xy grin that always cracked his armor.
"Please, Jay, it"s important. You can keep the vial and all of Tara"s things, if it makes you feel better. But give me a few more days, one lousy week."
"And then you"ll cease and desist?"
"Then I"ll take a back seat to the cops."
Oh sure. Like that was her style.
"It could be dangerous."
"I won"t do anything stupid."
That, he didn"t believe. "Kris-"
"Come on," she begged.
He felt it then, that little twinge of desire when he looked into her wide eyes, watching her pupils, dark and large, as they pleaded with him. d.a.m.n the woman. She knew knew what she was doing to him. His gut tightened and deep inside the wanting began, a light tattoo beating inside his skull, a wave of heat expanding within his chest. Desire grew as he caught a glimpse of the slope of her cheekbones, the intelligence in her gaze, the quirk of her lips. what she was doing to him. His gut tightened and deep inside the wanting began, a light tattoo beating inside his skull, a wave of heat expanding within his chest. Desire grew as he caught a glimpse of the slope of her cheekbones, the intelligence in her gaze, the quirk of her lips.
"You"re trying to seduce me into this," he stated flatly, trying to keep a rein on his emotions.
"That"s just plain insulting."
"Is it?"
"Yes! When did you become an egomaniac?" she demanded. Her green eyes snapping fire, she looked as if she might slap him. But she wouldn"t. "If you remember, I was the one who broke up with you, right? It wasn"t the other way around."
"Biggest mistake of your life," he a.s.sured her calmly.
"The biggest mistake of my my life was getting involved with you again!" she blurted. The minute the words crossed her tongue, she regretted them, wished she could call them back. He was staring down at her as if he could actually read her mind, the big oaf. Oh, h.e.l.l! What was it about Jay that drove her nuts? "I"ve changed my mind. Just go." life was getting involved with you again!" she blurted. The minute the words crossed her tongue, she regretted them, wished she could call them back. He was staring down at her as if he could actually read her mind, the big oaf. Oh, h.e.l.l! What was it about Jay that drove her nuts? "I"ve changed my mind. Just go."
"No."
"GO!"
"You want me to stay, you"re just too thickheaded to admit it."
"You make me crazy!"
"Good."
Talking to him, trying to reason with him, only made things worse. Somehow he"d gotten the upper hand. She"d given given him the upper hand. And now he was smiling that d.a.m.nable boyish grin that she found so stupidly irresistible. One side of his mouth lifted and in that second she knew he was going to kiss her. Oh, G.o.d, she couldn"t let that happen. him the upper hand. And now he was smiling that d.a.m.nable boyish grin that she found so stupidly irresistible. One side of his mouth lifted and in that second she knew he was going to kiss her. Oh, G.o.d, she couldn"t let that happen.
Never.
She warned, "Don"t even think about-"
Too late. In an instant he"d dropped the blanket and pillow and had yanked her hard against him. His lips slanted over hers in a kiss that sucked the breath from her lungs and left her bones feeling weak.
Which was just d.a.m.ned ridiculous!
And that warm tingle that slid through her bloodstream?
Totally out of line!
Totally!
Yet she didn"t pull away when his tongue pressed against her teeth and she heard a soft, almost eager moan escape her own throat. Oh, for the love of G.o.d. Stop this, Kristi, stop it now! Oh, for the love of G.o.d. Stop this, Kristi, stop it now!
His hands splayed over her back, pulling her even closer, and she began to be lost in the moment, in the desire that swept through her. She finally found the strength to push him away.
"Bad form, McKnight," she said, stepping back, aware her chest was rising up and down more rapidly than normal, her voice disgustingly breathy. "You"re my professor."
He laughed aloud. "And you"re of age. Try again."