Alex paced the entire length of her large one bedroom apartment. She was experiencing feelings that she thought that she had laid to rest. Guilt was at the top of the list. The guilt wasn't about being with another man- she had been there and done that. It was about Rob's death. He had wanted her to go on that trip with him.
"Come on, it'll be good for us," he coaxed. "On the way back, we can go to France or any place that we want."
She had been tempted and was actually going to go until she got a phone call from work. It wasn't a command, but a request for a favor. If she agreed, it would look good in her file. So instead of going with her husband, she took a flight out to Paris, France. He had been disappointed, but it was short lived when they agreed to meet in Paris. She wiped away tears as she remembered kissing him goodbye. She could feel his hands on her ass as he pulled her tight against his erection and ground against her. In that moment, she almost changed her mind and went with him.
She continued to pace as she remembered their last time together. She ended up missing her flight and took one that left the next day. They made love several times that night and each time, she almost decided to go with him. It was Rob that put her internal argument to rest.
"Alex, it's alright. I'll only be there for a week and I'll meet you in Paris."
"I should have gone with you," she murmured. "I could have protected you."
She pulled on an errant strand of hair and then tucked it behind her ear. She didn't think that she could do it again. She didn't think that she could allow someone that she cared about risk his life alone. The problem was that he told her nothing other than that there were other vampires involved.
"Think Alex!" she said to herself. "You're a damned intelligence officer!"
She wracked her brain trying to come up with a way to inconspicuously get information and came down to one option- the woman who was following her. She had to know something that would help her get started. The other question was when and where whatever was happening was going to take place. She glanced at the clock and decided to call Reese. Maybe she could talk him out of his plan. The phone actually rang before she reached it.
"Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't do it," Reese soft baritone said. "You gave me your word that you would stay out of harm's way."
When she didn't speak, he continued.
"I know that this must be difficult for you, but Alex; you mustn't interfere. This is something that I have to do and I must do it alone."
"Tell me why," Alex demanded. "Tell me why you have to do this. Explain to me why you can't let this go."
Reese patiently waited for her to finish before he replied.
"Just as you took an oath to protect your country from harm, I made an oath to avenge those who have been taken from me. I must finish this and when it's over; we can begin our lives together. I promise that I will tell you everything. Until then I need for you to trust that I will come back alive and that you will stay safe."
Alex didn't say anything- she didn't want to make that promise. She knew what would happen if she didn't. Instead of one guard, there would be more.
"Will you at least tell me when this thing is happening?" she asked.
"Soon," Reese replied.
"What kind of backup do you have?" Alex asked trying to glean any information from him that she could.
"I have enough," Reese replied.
"You're lying!" Alex yelled into the phone. "You're going to do this alone!"
"Alex..."
"Shut the hell up and listen to me," she hissed. "You are committing suicide because of something that you think you have to do. Alright, I get it- you can't let it go, but does it have to be now? How long have you been looking for these people? A long time right? You hunted them down one by one. Why can't you keep doing that? I could help you without exposing myself if that's your concern. I have contacts that you don't have."
"They will all be in one place," Reese said. "That may never happen again."
"So what?" Alex challenged. "They're immortal aren't they? It isn't as if they're going to die of old age or disease. Think about what you're doing."
"Cara- sweetheart, I give you my word that I will return..."
"Bull shit! You can't make a promise like that! And don't you dare treat me as if I'm some woman that needs to be coddled with assurances!"
Reese took a deep breath and tried to ignore the tingling in his groin. He liked the fact that she wasn't afraid to challenge him and could only imagine what making love to her after a fight would be like.
"Talk to me!" Alex yelled into the phone.
Reese took a moment to really listen not to her words, but the emotion behind them. There was genuine concern, fear and even a little love; but there was something else- guilt. But he didn't know why. He hadn't asked her about the details of her husband's death and wondered if that had anything to do with it. It was something that he had planned to ask her about later when he told her about his wife and children, but it looked as if it couldn't wait.
"Alex, I am coming to you and we'll talk face to face. I promise you that I will tell you as much as time allows. May I come to your apartment?"
"I'll be here," Alex replied and slammed the phone down so hard that the table shook.
*****
Elena tried to stay in her small room as much as possible. It really didn't matter-they always found her. She was to the point where she realized that she was better off being on the move. Her latest visitor had just left with a friend. Both of them had satisfied smiles on their faces with their only regret being that they could only use her mouth and hands.
