JAVIER (14 page)

Cassia turned and glanced across the room. Chronus’s
face was chalky white and strained.

“At last. At long last. I was beginning to believe it
did not exist. Bring it over Cassia.”

“What the hell is it Chronus? She can’t bring it
remember? We are supposed to leave no trace of this search.” Javier’s voice was
quiet and dangerous,

“This has priority over the other matter Javier.”

“On whose authority? You have used us Chronus. As far
as I’m concerned nothing has priority over finding the killer of that poor boy;
not to mention three dead Empaths and the unlawful detention of Flavia
Mathrafal.”

“Er, you two…if you can keep all that testosterone
under control I have a solution.”

Cassia took a powerful compact camera from one of her
pockets and systematically went through the book photographing every page. She
finished off by taking pictures of the front and back covers then returned the
book to the safe, being careful to position it exactly as she had found it.
Then she locked the safe, re-hung the picture and turned, concentrating her
mind once more;

“Stand out of the way please, I need to be clear of
the door.”

She materialized into the hallway and Javier grabbed
her immediately and checked her over. There was such concern in his eyes that
Cassia relented;

“I’m alright Javier. Really. Please don’t worry.”

He nodded, his hands stroking in a quick caress down
her arms.

“Let’s lock the place up and leave. Perhaps then
Chronus can explain what this is all about. A very neat bit of manipulation
Chronus; you live up to your reputation.” Javier’s tone was
uncharacteristically cold.

As Cassia reset the alarm, locked the door and changed
back the setting on the surveillance camera she sensed the tension between the
two men. They had been on opposing sides for a long time; mistrust must be
second nature to them.

They neared the wall and Chronus suddenly said
casually;

“The camera, I’ll take it and have a look at that book
when we get back.”

“No Chronus, Cassia will keep it till we return to the
Island then we will all look at it together and you can update us.” Javier
countered.

“I need to have a look at it first Javier.” Chronus
reached out and Cassia yelped in surprise as he grabbed her arm.

Javier moved so fast he was almost a blur. In a
heartbeat Chronus was pinned to the ground with Javier’s hand round his throat
and his knee on his chest.

“Back off Chronus! You do not touch her, understand?
What the hell is all this about?” Javier’s quiet voice was deadly, his eyes
almost black and his canines sharply extended. A warrior ready to kill; the
contrast to his normal easy-going charm was terrifying.

“Javier, you’re choking him. Let him go, Javier!”
Cassia shouted frantically.

Javier let go of Chronus’s throat and hauled him to
his feet then waited while the Empath coughed and recovered his composure;

“You know Javier of Seville, I only have to lift my
hand and I could blast you straight to hell.” Chronus rasped, his face white.

“Go ahead, I’ll get a shot off as I go and take you
with me.” Javier’s gun pointed steadily at Chronus’s head. Cassia watched the
two men confront each other; she had no idea what to do.

“Please,” she pleaded, “Javier, Chronus, aren’t we all
supposed to be on the same side now? Guys, this isn’t helping. Javier,
please…please…I thought you two had fought together.”

It was Chronus who backed down first, sitting heavily
on the grass and holding his head in his hands as he muttered;

“Shit. What a mess.” Then he turned to Cassia and said
dryly, “Perhaps we would have had peace a lot sooner if we had left it to our
women Javier. Can we talk somewhere else? Those dogs are going to wake up
soon.”

Javier lowered his gun slowly, the astonishment on his
face palpable. Glancing at Cassia he asked;

“Cass, can we shift over to your bijou place? It’s
more neutral than the Island.”

Cassia nodded and Javier tucked his gun away then
reached out his hand to Chronus;

“You are ruining that expensive suit Empath. Come, you
can explain over a large single malt. Cassia has a bottle of really decent
stuff at her place.”

Fifteen minutes later they were sitting in Cassia’s
Bloomsbury living room sipping from the generous measures of whisky she had
poured. Chronus sat hunched over, lost in thought as he regained his composure
after shifting. An Empath in her house; the head of Intelligence for the Empath
High Council in her house. If someone had predicted that a week ago Cassia
would have laughed about how ludicrous the very idea was.

Javier was watching Chronus like a cat watched its
prey, ready to pounce at the first provocation. Cassia had passed him the
camera and it rested on the arm of his chair beside his gun. The silence
stretched out and Cassia was just beginning to wonder whether she had any
crisps or nuts stashed away in the kitchen when Chronus started talking.

“We all have stories of people lost during the great
conflict. Did your family lose anyone Javier?” as Javier shook his head Chronus
smiled and took a long sip;

“Well, you were incredibly lucky. LaSalle’s father,
Gabriel’s parents and brother, the list goes on and on. Some of us Empaths
wanted an end to it all, a truce, dialogue with you Vampires, our close
cousins. Five of the ruling families got together to try to broker a peace. You
were not born Cassia and Javier and I were mere boys; no older than that
murdered kid, Spike. Yes, I do know his name Cassia and I do care.”

Cassia nodded, not wanting to break the strange spell
that seemed to have been cast over the room; an overwhelming air of sadness. It
was emanating from Chronus; almost as if the emotions had leaked out of his
body and were floating around affecting her and Javier. She had heard that this
projection of their emotional state could happen with Empaths but Chronus
appeared so controlled and disciplined. He must be more agitated than he let
on. She felt a sudden surge of pity and compassion and Chronus turned to her
and smiled;

“Thank you. You have a warm and loving heart Cassia
Mathrafal. Where was I? The backlash from Empath hard liners was ruthless and
cruel and leading them with all the enthusiasm of a grand Inquisitor was our
friend Draco Erebus. Many Empaths died because of him. He personally supervised
the killing of Rhea and Arion of the House of Achilles. He wanted to make quite
sure they did not escape and if Aries had not left the city with little Hera he
would have killed them too.”

Javier was leaning forward in his chair;

“My god, does Aries know?”

“He does now, ever since we unearthed that file. The
one proving that Draco lived.”

Cassia asked gently;

“And why does it matter so much to you Chronus?” She
had already made a guess at the answer.

“The House of Chronus was one of the five ruling
families I mentioned. My parents Alexander and Daphnis simply disappeared. To
this day I have no idea what happened to them or how they were killed. Oh, I am
quite certain they were killed. After I took over as head of Intelligence I
used the resources at my disposal to try to find out. I need to know Javier, all
the children and families of the murdered and disappeared need to know. If only
to put flowers on their graves. We need to know.”

“Is that all Chronus? Aries would deal with that,
surely. You want to find him personally and then you intend to kill him. That’s
it, isn’t it?” Javier asked quietly.

“Yes. Like you killed the murderers of your consort.
Aries would want a trial.”

Javier nodded then passed the camera to Cassia.

“Can you make him a copy Cass?”

He turned back to Chronus.

“This business is yours Chronus but you should have
confided in me, I would have understood.”

Chronus spread his hands and shrugged;

“Old habits Javier.”

“Draco Erebus harmed a lot of people Chronus. Not just
Empaths. Have you ever thought that maybe a trial would be the right thing? Get
all that dirty laundry out once and for all? Deal with the past so we can all
move forward? Killing those terrorists did not bring back Charlotte or any of
the other poor souls they murdered but…it is your business as I said. My
business is to find Dion and stop his Knights before they kill any more of our
people or yours and to get hold of that dagger. That has to be our priority.
What you have said tonight remains between us and you can have a copy for
yourself but Draco’s journal needs to be seen by Aries and our High Council. Do
not ask me to keep secrets from LaSalle.”

Cassia listened. She could see the sense in what
Javier was saying but she could understand Chronus’s point of view equally.
After all, hadn’t she spent years fantasizing about what she would do to the
man who had condemned her father to such misery? Chronus bent his head in
assent;

“Thank you Javier of Seville. I will think about what
you said. Cassia, I am sorry to have involved you in this.”

“Don’t mention it Chronus. I would do anything to see
that man brought to justice. I’ll just go upstairs and make you a copy. Help
yourselves to the whisky.”

As Cassia went upstairs to the little box room she
used as an office she listened to the men’s voices as they talked quietly.

“She evaded me most skilfully in Florence you know. I
could neither track her nor pin anything on her. Gabriel is right, she would be
a good asset.” Chronus was saying.

“That may not be what she wants Chronus. She is
independent, she does not respond well to authority. She would drive Gabriel
crazy.”

“I understand Javier. She is your woman; you want to
keep her safe from harm, to protect her.”

She heard Javier’s bitter laugh;

“Oh, she doesn’t want anything to do with me. She is
not my woman. You misread that one Chronus.”

“Did I? Is that why you damned near killed me when I
laid hands on her? Why you cannot bear the thought of her being in danger? Love
and protect and defend, those are our overwhelming impulses too when we find a
mate.”

Cassia stood frozen at the top of the stairs,
listening;

“You’re wrong Chronus. I don’t have any of those
impulses. I do not. It’s impossible.”

“I am an Alpha Empath Javier, you are in love with
that woman and she is in love with you. You are both just in denial. Now, pour
me another whisky would you?”

CHAPTER 12

It was a morose and depressed Chronus who left in a
taxi just before midnight. He had decided to stay at his High Council’s London
headquarters then catch the first flight back to Venice the following day. He
needed to show the contents of the journal to Hera’s brother Aries.

Javier waved him off then turned back indoors with a
shiver. September in London; the nights were getting a little colder. Cassia
sat curled up in an armchair munching her way through a packet of nuts; she
offered it to him distractedly as he smiled and shook his head.

“I really ought to keep some decent food here. Chronus
could have done with something to soak up all that whisky.” she said; then, as
Javier stretched out on the sofa she asked;

“Why would someone like Draco Erebus keep a journal?
Why did he record all those things he did? I mean, why would he not just keep
quiet about them?”

“You’re assuming he was ashamed of what he did. No,
men like Draco are completely convinced of the rightness of their actions.”
Javier mused quietly;

“Do you think it is written there? The fate of
Chronus’s parents?”

“We’ll find out soon enough when we look through it. I
hope he doesn’t start on his copy tonight. He had too much to drink. He was
talking rubbish and he was reading things all wrong. Empaths cannot tolerate as
much alcohol as we can. They never learn.”

Javier wondered if Cassia had overheard what Chronus
had said about the two of them. It was nonsense, of course it was. He
remembered the way she had responded to him in that kitchen and his body
tightened up all over. He wanted to touch her so badly his skin hurt. It was
just physical, just sex. That was all. Chronus was wrong.

“Javier, do you mind if I shift over to see Harry?
Just to see if he’s alright. You don’t have to come, you could wait here.”

“Is this because of your dream Cass?”

“I can’t get it out of my mind. He’s old Javier.
Humans can just keel over with heart failure you know; any number of things can
make them drop dead. They are so fragile.”

“I’ll come with you. Are you sure he will be up? And
what about our clothes? Neither of us is dressed for a place like that.”

Javier didn’t want Cassia out and about in London
without his protection.

“Harry keeps club hours, always has. I’ll give you
co-ordinates to shift to, my back door route into the club.”

Her back door route involved them shifting onto the
roof of the building then taking the fire escape stairs down to the club’s
offices. It was interesting that she had given him the co-ordinates when she
could have just held onto him and shifted them both over, thought Javier.
Obviously she didn’t want any physical contact with him. It made his heart
ache.

Harry Marshal looked up as the taciturn Walt let them into
his office, his face breaking into a broad smile as he saw who it was.

“Cassia! My lovely girl, to what do I owe the pleasure
of your company two nights running? And I see you’ve still got your bodyguard.”

Cassia dropped a kiss on his cheek then threw herself
into a chair and stretched casually;

“Just passing by Harry. I don’t suppose you could
rustle up some supper could you? We’re both starving.”

“She’s always starving.” Harry winked at Javier as he
picked up the phone and reeled off an order. “Why are you really here my
darling? You’re in your working gear and you both smell of whisky. Were you
celebrating or commiserating?”

Oh, he was sharp, thought Javier. No wonder he and
Cassia had been working partners for decades.

“Well, we were working on something connected to what
we were discussing Harry. I just wanted to see if you were alright.”

Harry Marshal leaned back in his chair, fiddling with
his letter opener. He looked relaxed and handsome in his evening clothes but he
glared fiercely at Cassia;

“One twinge in my hip and you’re checking up on me?
I’m not about to croak you know. My father lived till he was ninety three. I’m
sure that’s nothing to you lot but to species homo-sapiens it’s a good
innings.”

“I wasn’t checking up on you. Don’t be so damned
grumpy.” Cassia retorted.

Javier watched the easy banter between them. Their
mutual affection and comfort in each other’s company was obvious to anyone
watching.

“Anyway, I popped out and had a look at that place
this afternoon.” said Harry suddenly, looking at Javier.

Javier’s heart sank, surely not; “Which place?” he
asked.

“The warehouse and compound that biker gang use as
their HQ. I sat and watched them for a couple of hours.”

“Oh god Harry, they might have seen you.” Cassia
sounded as dismayed as Javier felt.

“Do you think I’ve gone gaga Cassia? I know how to
watch a building and not be seen. Carry on like this and we’ll end up having a
row! Do you want me to report my findings or not? Well, Javier of Seville,
you’re in charge here, you tell me.”

“He’s not in charge of me.” snapped Cassia;

“Actually I am bonita, Harry, please, tell us what you
saw.” Javier grinned as Cassia glared. She had an extensive collection of black
looks, he reflected.

“There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing on their bikes.
All in all there are twenty two of them. A lot of the bikes have the dagger
insignia painted on them. It’s pretty distinctive. Only one car visited and I
have a feeling that the man visiting was the head honcho, the boss. Big black
chauffeur driven Mercedes, I took down the number.”

Harry pushed a piece of paper over to Javier who
pocketed it. He would get Katie to hack into the relevant databases and find
all the details.

“Were you able to get a look at the man in the car?”
he asked.

“Not in the car, blacked out windows but when he got
out I saw him clearly. Very powerful binoculars Javier as Cassia will confirm.
The boss was about five eleven, thickset and blonde. The driver was a similar
height, lean but athletic, also blonde. By the way their jackets fell I would
say they were both armed. Ah, here’s supper. I got your favourite Cassia;
chargrilled fillet steak cooked rare, extra crispy frites and green salad. No
wine my dear, you already smell like a distillery. Got you the same Javier,
hope that’s alright.”

Javier suddenly realized how hungry he was as he
joined Cassia at a small round table which had been efficiently laid with
tablecloth, napkins, silver and food in the blink of an eye. Harry’s staff were
obviously well trained. As the waiter left silently Javier asked whether Harry
was joining them;

“Too late for me to eat. When you get old Javier,
eating late gives you indigestion. Anyway, I managed to get some decent
photos.  I’ve printed them out for you.”

The food was simple but cooked to perfection. Javier
ate quietly, listening to Cassia telling Harry about the Van Gogh and the
Chagall she had seen back at the Island. She was careful, he noted, talking
only about the paintings without giving any details away that would compromise
their security. He loved the way her eyes shone with excitement and the way she
used her hands to emphasise some point she specially wanted to draw to Harry’s
attention. Soon she was telling Harry about Beatriz and her drawings and Harry
turned to Javier sharply;

“Your daughter?  The woman Cassia impersonated was her
mother?” he appeared concerned and Javier noticed the look of consternation on
Cassia’s face.

“Yes. She died eight years ago.” Javier ate the last
of his steak.

“Were you married long?” Harry asked, ignoring
Cassia’s hissed rebuke;

“It’s alright Cass.” Javier reassured her, “Nine
decades, we were…married for nine decades.”

The Human word married was an inadequate one to
describe a bonded Vampire pairing, he thought, but it would have to do.

“I’m sorry.” Harry said as Javier felt Cassia touch
his hand gently. He realized his attention had wandered and turning his palm up
grasped her hand in his. It surprised her; she blushed and looked down then
squeezed his hand tightly.

“Well, would you like to have a look at those
photographs?” Harry asked abruptly.

Cassia snatched her hand out of Javier’s and the two
of them left the table and leaned over the desk where Harry had spread out the
photos.

“Well he’s put on weight since our last encounter but
this is Dion Erebus alright. He’s obviously been operating only in the Human
world for the last decade which is not our concern. He has been rebuilding his
little empire. He must have wanted to draw us out; it is as you said Cass, the
only way to get at one of us is through something personal. He’s using these
Humans and the slayer cult to attract our attention. He knows we would never
ignore such a threat. He wants revenge, pure and simple.” Javier murmured, half
to himself.

“Well, he must have tired of his mistress Javier; I
thought Chronus said he was in Venice. He may be a lot cleverer than Chronus
gives him credit for.” Cassia peered at the pictures

“Or Erebus the Elder is pulling the strings. I’ll just
call Chronus and tell him he’s got faulty intelligence. Thank you for these
Harry, and the car registration.”

Javier had the Empaths’ London HQ on speed dial and
was soon updating a tense and distracted sounding Chronus. The Empath was wide
awake and stone cold sober and that meant only one thing; he had started
reading Draco’s journal. Chronus had a whole new set of priorities.

He ended the call and stood tapping his phone absently
against his chest; tracking down and taking out Dion and his cronies was the
easy part. How were they going to neutralize the bikers? Twenty two humans
belonging to the same gang; it would be pretty conspicuous if they were all
killed whatever LaSalle said. No, they would have to find some way to wipe and
reset their memories. He needed to confer with LaSalle and the other
commanders. In the meantime a detailed picture of that compound would be very
useful.

Cassia and Harry were talking quietly together as he
joined them;

“Trouble?” asked Harry, Javier smiled distractedly;

“More of a logistics question. Harry, do you have a
really good camera? One that can take clear pictures at night?”

Cassia smiled as Harry went over to a cupboard and
returned with a very professional looking camera.

“Cassia knows how to work this. Be careful with it, I
want it back, it cost thousands. You can send your pictures directly to a
computer from this.”

Javier turned to an expectant Cassia;

“I want to get up on that roof and photograph the
entire compound and perimeter from above. It will be useful when planning how
to hit them; you take the pictures, I’ll cover you.”

He screwed the silencer onto his gun, released the
safety and put out a hand for Cassia;

“Come on Cass, I’ll get us straight up there. Harry,
you have seen how we travel?”

Harry nodded, backing away from them;

“Cassia got us out of a tight situation once by doing
that. It was a horrible experience. I’m sure I felt my molecules scatter.”

Javier grinned;

“Ha…it is not like Star Trek Harry. Our molecules do
not scatter, we simply slide between dimensions. I believe the scientific term
is matter transfer. We’ll be back within the hour with your camera.”

Cassia was completely rigid as he pulled her in close
and he was certain she was holding her breath as they shifted out.

Javier pulled her down into a crouch on the roof of
the biker’s warehouse. Cassia waited, completely still as he held tightly onto
her wrist while he scanned their surroundings; scenting the air.

“Something has changed.” he whispered; “No dogs and
I’m sure I can detect…”

He tailed off and made silently for the skylight,
signalling to her to remain where she was. Cassia could hear voices drifting up
to the roof and suddenly picked up on the same scent as Javier. Oh God! She
joined him as he beckoned her over and they peered down into the warehouse
together.

There were five Human males standing in a semi-circle.
They were all gang members by the look of their outfits and tattoos and they
were busy goading the sixth male who stood handcuffed to a metal post.

“It’s another young one.” Cassia whispered in dismay;

“They must be easy pickings for the gang’s Empath
guides. Oh no, look, he’s trying to shift out and failing miserably. His
distress and fear won’t be helping. Javier, what are we going to do?”

Javier’s expression was completely calm as he turned
to face her. He obviously had a plan.

“Get him out of there. Cass, I need you do to exactly
as I say, no arguments. Can you do that?”

There was quiet authority in his voice and Cassia
nodded.

“I’m going to draw them away from the kid. They will
not be able to resist, I guarantee it. Watch carefully, as soon as I have their
attention I want you to shift down, get him and shift out immediately. Go back
to Harry’s, he’s got food and probably has a first aid kit, the boy’s been
hurt. I’ll join you there.”