Chapter Four
The coffee cup rattled against the saucer when Jessie attempted to place the dainty little thing down. Coffee sloshed over the side and onto the table. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, failing to hold back the tears.
The nurse placed a box of tissues on the table and dropped a mound of paper towels on the coffee spill. “There’s no need to apologize,” she said.
“Thank you.” Jessie cried.
Sitting in the infirmary with a kind, but strange nurse and two very large vampires was never where she imagined she’d find herself. But, then she’d never imagined her brother would disintegrate in her arms.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” she whimpered. “It must have been so painful for him.”
Joshua had been her closest friend, not simply her little brother. How would she go on without him? Who would listen to her stories from work, or debate the quality of Twinkies with her, or root for the opposing team just so they could compete?
Who would she come home to?
“We don’t want to upset you any more than you already are,” one of the men said. He was tall with dark hair and steely eyes. Except for the fact he had a beard and moustache he looked nearly exactly like the man to his left. They even had the same neck tattoos. “But, if you could answer a few questions, it might help us to stop the man who did this to Joshua.”
“Isn’t he dead?” Jessie asked, remembering the surreal moment Raymond Tyrone fell over the fire escape and plummeted to his death. She could hardly believe the man she had trusted with Joshua’s health had turned out to be so cruel. Somehow it seemed impossible for him to die.
“Tyrone is dead, but Rollins continues his work,” the man with the beard said.
Jessie looked from one man to the other. “Brothers?”
They both nodded. “I’m Rafe. This is my brother Gabe.” He pulled out a chair across the table and sat. “We understand what it’s like to care for a brother the way you did for Joshua.”
Gabe sat beside him.
They were so very similar. The shapes of their eyes. The curves of their noses. Even the way they moved was similar.
“We’ve been together for hundreds of years. The thought of losing each other is…” Rafe glanced to his side.
Gabe gave a slight nod. “It would destroy us.”
Jessie noted the slight accent both men had. “Where are you from?”
“Italy,” Rafe said.
“Who is older?” She’d have liked to sip from the coffee cup, but still her hands trembled.
“He is, and by several years.” Gabe grinned. It was the perfect little brother smile, the kind that screamed for attention.
“Watch it.” Rafe slanted a big brother glare at Gabe.
Jessie forced a smile. “On Tuesdays we had spaghetti, well, penne pasta, not spaghetti. It was too much work for Joshua to twirl spaghetti. But the little tubes could slide onto the fork.” Her voice cracked. “So, he could eat those more easily.”
There was no one now. No one for her to admire for believing each day was a new start and that someday he’d have perfect health and absolute peace.
Joshua’s unwavering belief that the doctor would find a cure made Jessie believe at times. His optimism made her want him to go to the doctor. Her desperation made her willing to let him try the experimental treatments.
She shook her head. Her foolishness got him killed. It was that damn connection to Dr. Tyrone that made Joshua believe in him.
“There’s nothing left of him.” She blew her nose. “Nothing.”
The nurse sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “We’re so sorry for your loss.”
Jessie buried her face in her hands and sobbed. The nurse pulled her into a hug and held her for several minutes until the jag of tears and incomprehensible garble stopped. Even Jessie couldn’t understand what she, herself, was saying.
When she was more composed, she wiped her face and sat up. “I’m sorry.” She stared at the tissue box, watching the green leaves on the lavender box blur in and out of focus. “I just can’t believe this has happened. I always knew he wouldn’t live to be very old, but I…” She looked up at the brothers. “…hoped and prayed. I believed Dr. Tyrone and Mr. Rollins when they said Panthera could help us. I wanted it to be true.”
The brothers watched her, not moving. They were still as statues, and if not for the absurdity of this evening she’d have been terrified by this situation. Instead, she was drawn to the clear bond of love these two men had for each other. It was familiar and safe, and more than anything in this world she missed the feel of that love.
“We always had hope.” She blew her nose. “I guess we had hope and stupidity. I should have known too many experimental treatments would lead to this.”
“What did they promise you?” Rafe asked.
“Dr. Tyrone promised he’d help us. He, uh, he said he couldn’t promise a cure but would do everything in his power to help.” She reached for the coffee cup, but the moment she touched it, the cup clanged against the saucer and she drew back her hand. “He offered tests and treatments, and every time he did, it was like having a carrot dangled before two starving rabbits.” She pushed the coffee away. “Mr. Rollins promised to help with anything we needed.”
“Maddie, honey, why don’t you grab one of those big mugs you like to drink cocoa from?” Rafe said.
“Sure. I’ll be right back.” The nurse left the room, rounding a corner to an area Jessie couldn’t see.
At once she noticed the room was dark except for the few lights around the table. In the dim periphery cabinets and counters lined the walls. Farther into the shadows Jessie made out a few beds across the room and several giant refrigerators.
“What was the help Rollins offered?” Rafe asked.
Thinking back to all the meetings Jessie and Joshua had with Mr. Rollins was difficult. Everything before tonight seemed like a lifetime ago.
She shook her head. “Access to medicines we couldn’t afford and treatments only the elite ever received. Transfusions whenever he needed them, which he needed with more and more frequency in recent weeks.” She couldn’t bring herself to say he’d needed them more toward the end. “I should have seen what was happening. I should have known. If I’d paid more attention, I could have saved him.”
Maddie returned with a heavy cup filled with steaming coffee. “I added a splash of cream for you.” She placed the cup in front of Jessie and sat down.
“But you didn’t know. That was part of Rollins’ trick, to keep you guessing in the dark, hopeful and guessing.” Rafe rubbed his neck.
“Jessie, anything you can tell us will help,” Gabe said.
“Help who?” Jessie picked up the mug, cradling the hot ceramic in both hands. “Certainly not Joshua.” She sipped the coffee.
There was a long silence in the room as Jessie concentrated on her coffee and tried to ignore the memory of her brother’s bloody remains running down her lap and over the kitchen floor.
“No, there is no help for Joshua, but there is hope for others. Panthera espouses helping, but really their only goal is to help themselves at the expense of everyone else. Joshua was not their only victim and there will be many more if we don’t stop them. You can help us,” Rafe said.
“Help you?” She looked from Rafe to Gabe. “How? Who are you people? You followed Joshua home. You knew where he lived. You probably work for Panthera. You’re probably the vampires Mr. Rollins warned about.”
Tears welled in Jessie’s eyes. Whether they were tears of anger, fear, or heartache she didn’t know. But she did know Joshua was gone, she was alone in this world, and there would never be another safe moment in her life.
“We don’t work for Panthera.” Maddie scooted closer, her hand rubbing Jessie’s back. “I swear to you, we don’t. We work to save the city from Tyrone and all that he’s created at Panthera. We don’t want to see anyone else hurt.”
Jessie shook her head. “I don’t know you. I don’t know anyone.”
What had happened to her life? She sat in a vampire infirmary with two very large and scary vampires and one touchy-feely human woman all of whom wanted to know what she knew. It was too much for her to process.
“I don’t know anything. Not one damn thing.”
“Any information you give us, even the most minute detail could lead us to a clue or an answer. It could be the key we need to stop Panthera and put an end to the brutality.” Rafe leaned forward. “Your memories are all we want.”
Rafe’s eyes were the color of blue steel. Something about them drew Jessie to him. A soft sleepy haze blanketed her mind, and she felt herself tumble down a deep black hole.
“I won’t hurt you. I need you to relax and remember.” Rafe’s voice sounded like a romantic whisper, the way a lover spoke to a woman. “Close your eyes and trust me. Nothing bad will happen to you.”
Coaxed into submitting, Jessie closed her eyes and listened. For the first time in months the tension running from her shoulders to her lower back eased. After a long deep breath in she exhaled and felt her shoulders drop as more and more the agitation ebbed and the burden of all these years slipped away.
“When was the first time you met Rollins?” Rafe asked.
“At the clinic. He was one of the doctors treating Joshua. He’d been so caring and kind when we met him.”
“What did he treat Joshua for?”
“It was the TB clinic. Joshie had been exposed at some school event when he was ten. Even with the treatment his cough never seemed to improve.”
“Why do you think that was?”
“They said the polio was weakening him.” Jessie’s head dropped forward. So many sleepless nights and now this relaxation session made it nearly impossible to hold her body upright.
She felt the table move and someone catch her.
“Polio, too?” Rafe’s voice was now close, and his body was warm against hers.
“Yes, diagnosed at twelve. We have no idea how he contracted it. Really, that’s unheard of nowadays.” She rested her head on his chest. “I’m so tired.”
“Only a few more questions. Did they test for the illness or was Rollins able to diagnose Joshua from his symptoms?”
“It took so many tests and overnight stays at the clinic, and I think Josh stayed at the laboratory, too.” She paused, swimming deeper into her memories. “Yes. He did. They said the lab had better equipment and more high-tech tests could be done.”
“Did the tests lead to treatments?”
“Yes. For a while the drugs seemed to keep everything at bay. At least we thought they did until he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. That was the point everything went to shit.”
“MS, too?”
“Yes. Poor Joshie went through so much.” Jessie yawned and curled against Rafe’s body.
“Did you go with him to the lab?”
“Once or twice, but they preferred Josh go alone. They said family presence seemed to upset him so the healing process was not as effective.”
“I see. But you did stay overnight at least once?”
“Yes.”
The soothing waves that had washed over Jessie, holding her in a dreamy state crashed against something. Hot anger pulsed around her. It was an anger as intense as rage.
“Release her!” The deep voice that spoke those words boomed. “Now!”
Jessie shook her head, feeling the world tilt sideways.
“Easy. You’ll be fine, Jessie.” Maddie squeezed her hand.
“I was only trying to get details to help in our work from her. Nothing more,” Rafe said.
A chair scraped along the floor. “You will not do that again.” The words were spoken through a feral growl.
“You know perfectly well you cannot gain access to the information,” Rafe said.
“Whether I can or cannot remains to be determined. But let there be no confusion, no one else is to try.” The voice held a thick Spanish accent, and in spite of the clear outrage in its tone, Jessie was drawn to it.
She opened her eyes to see the same man from her apartment looking down at her. Dark hair and the deepest blue eyes she’d ever seen and a moustache and goatee.
He held her cradled in his arms. In his gaze Jessie saw something, desire and longing. She saw the way he wanted to protect her and care for her. Falling deeper into his soul she felt all that he was.
“Who are you really? Why do you love me?” Jessie heard herself ask as if some hypnotic trance forced her to speak.
Behind her the brothers chuckled and were quickly shushed by the nurse.