Tempted - Chapter Five

He rose from the mahogany desk that sat in front of the large window in his office, his arms bunching underneath the fabric of his t-shirt as he pushed himself up with the use of the chair's arms. His hair was slightly unkempt from running his hands through it several times.

For a man that took pride in keeping himself presentable at all times, the attacks near his territory were clearly beginning to take their toll.

Alessandra wondered how bad the attacks had been to have disturbed the ever calm and collected Jason McLeary.

Her brows furrowed as this new revelation prepared her for the investigation ahead. She would have to start at the morgue.

And although she was used to death, it was the bodies of the children that she would never be prepared for. Would never be prepared for the death of innocence that filled her heart with fury.

After taking a moment to really look at him while he collected his things to leave, she saw the strain of a man who seemingly hadn't slept in days. A man who struggled to keep himself together despite the gnawing presence of danger that threatened his people, his race.

She softened at the thought. Jason may be a lot of things; arrogant, controlling, possessive, over bearing, but he was a good man. He took care of his people no matter the cost to himself.

She watched him as he gathered the keys to the Escalade, and strode towards the door, leaving her to follow after him.

He reached the door of the SUV and turned to look at her before opening the door, a slight frown creasing the tanned skin between his brow. He climbed into the driver's side and waited for her to join him in the passenger seat before speaking to her again. “I do not want you spending anymore time with Mark.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Excuse you? What makes you think that you can tell me who I can and can't spend time with?” Her indignance resounded through her.

She folded her arms across her chest, leaned back in the passenger seat, and looked over at Jason. If it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight he was going to get.

His jaw clenched, his frustration becoming a palpable thing, the proximity of his body heat engulfing her. Apparently he did not like his authority challenged.

“His actions have been questionable as of late. I will be keeping a close watch on him and if anything happens, I do not want you caught in the crossfire of his actions,” he added between clenched teeth, clearly not used to having to explain himself.

“Well, thank you for your concern, but I'm perfectly capable of judging character,” she said hautily.

He turned away from her and began to drive away from the house. “I should not have to explain myself,” he paused before adding, “but I know you.” He shot her a glance that told her exactly what he thought of her challenging, headstrong nature.

“You don't know me as well as you think you do,” she said, raising an eyebrow in his direction. She couldn't argue his opinion on Mark since she hardly knew him herself.

Still, if he hadn't done anything out of line, she didn't see what Jason's problem was. When it came down to it, she would always trust her own instincts above that of others'.

“We'll see.”

She sighed and turned her attention to the window. He always had to have the last word and she wasn't in the mood to play games with him.

They drove in silence through the town before reaching the highway. The mountains rose up on either side of the interstate, shielding them in a rocky enclosure from the outside world.

The morgue was thirty minutes away and Alessandra had grown increasingly restless during the drive. Jason was not immune to the affects of death, especially that of children, and a permanent frown had creased his brow through the entire drive.

Thirty minutes later they pulled into a parking lot that was abandoned save a police car and one other vehicle. They exited out of Jason's Escalade and were greeted by the head of the Police Department after entering through the main entrance of the property.

The inside of the building was cool and void of color as white walls were met with beige tile. Alessandra shivered despite herself, the presence of death an all consuming entity within its walls.

“Jason, how are you?” A plump older man with silver hair reached to take Jason's hand in a friendly grip.

“I'm doing fine Detective Mills. It's unfortunate that we have to meet under such dire circumstances.” Jason's face was somber as he stepped back after shaking Mills' hand.

“Yes, yes it is,” Mills added before turning to Alessandra. He met her with a warm smile. “And you are Alessandra I presume? Jason told me that you would be accompanying him. I hear that you are an agent in New York City?”

Alessandra smiled in return, but it did not reach her eyes. “Yes I am. I was referred to this case by my boss, Jack Walters, and am here to help in any way I can.”

“Mr. Walters, yes yes I've heard of him. Good man.” Detective Mills paused, clearly unsure of what to say next, but Jason broke the momentary silence.

“Shall we get to work then?”

“Oh yes, of course. Follow me, it's right through those doors.” Jonathan Mills gestured towards double doors at the end of one long hallway. He turned away from them and began walking down the corridor, his shoes echoing on the beige tile of the white-washed building.

He set a rapid pace through the hallway despite his lumbering size. The double doors stood merely twenty yards away and were approaching quickly.

Jonathan Mills tsked before adding, “It really is a shame. Two children under five years of age, too.” He paused, momentarily lost in thought. “But I suppose these things happen. Wild animals roam these mountains and accidents will occur if you're not careful.”

Jason and Alessandra exchanged a look, but didn't comment as they followed silently behind the Detective.

They approached the double doors at the end of the hallway and Detective Mills pushed them open, gesturing for Jason and Alessandra to follow.

The room was colder than the rest of the building, but was just as white, void of color, of life. Detective Mills removed a key from his pocket and opened up one of the drawers, pulling out the three-foot frame of a sheet covered body.

Alessandra steeled herself before pushing back the white sheet to look at the child victim. Curly blonde hair met her as she slowly pulled back the cloth, revealing a heart-wrenching brutality. The sight of it made her sick with fury.

The porcelain skin of innocence was torn through to reveal muscle and tissue of the child's neck. The chest faired just as gravely, the abdomen torn from the neck to where her stomach would have been, revealing a shattered rib cage.

Images of her own family killed in merciless brutality flashed before her, but she pushed the memories to the shadows of her mind. It was difficult enough dealing with the child at hand without her own past reaching out with venomous fingers.

Jack had been right. This wasn't a vampire caught in the throes of insanity, of hunger. These were calculated murders, designed to inflict pain. Designed to produce... what? A warning? A threat? She shook her head, unsure of the motive behind the attacks. She would have to examine it later.

Alessandra tore her eyes away from the gruesome image to look at Detective Mills who was studiously examining everything but the body. “When you arrived at the scene, was there anything abnormal about the body? Any traces of venom, poison, void of blood?”

Mills look at her quizically before adding, “No, no... Nothing abnormal per say. Of course she had lost a tremendous amount of blood, but clearly you can see why that would be.” He swallowed audibly, a motion of discomfort. She couldn't blame him. The merciless death of a child was not something that anyone could possibly get used to.

Alessandra replaced the sheet and Detective Mills pushed the body back into it's cubby-hole.

They moved dismally on to the other four bodies that had been killed within the last few days. Their deaths were all relatively similar. Each of them just as barbaric as the other.

Jason had remained silent beside her throughout the process, frowning throughout. She could see the wheels of his mind turning, trying just as hard as she was to figure out the who, what, and why of the attacks.

After they finished viewing the bodies, Detective Mills led them back into the lobby of the morgue. His earlier jovial expression replaced with the grave expression of a man who had spent his life investigating murders and who could erase the nightmares of his job just as easily as Alessandra could erase her past.

“Thank you, Detective Mills, for taking time out of your day to allow us to view the bodies.” Alessandra reached to shake the hand of the older gentleman.

“Anytime, Alessandra.” He took her hand into his larger, warm hand and smiled at her, but this time, the warmth did not reach his eyes.

Jason reached to shake his hand as well. “Detective Mills.” He inclinded his head at the gesture of farewell. “We will be in contact with you. If there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to call.”

Jonathan Mills nodded and waved as Alessandra and Jason exited through the main doors of the building and walked through the empty parking lot to get back into Jason's SUV.

Jason started the vehicle, backed out of the parking lot, and got back onto the interstate, heading in the opposite direction of the house.

Alessandra looked over at Jason, frowning slightly. “Where are we going?”

“To the scene of the crime.” He looked over at her, deep blue eyes revealing a plethora of emotions; anger, despair, worry, and something else. She looked back at him with her own emerald green, a silent and momentary kinship forming between them.

She may have bristled at the idea of someone assisting her in a case, but at this moment, she was secretly thankful for his presence.

Reviews

[Kyle]

I am now wondering about Detective Mills. It is starting to somehow at this point appear that he knows more than he is letting on. I really think though that Allesandra should have really let Jason have it verbally for him telling her who could can and cant talk with.....she should have been more resolute with Jason there....it almost appears still that she is allowing Jason to 'be the man' here and she shouldnt allow him that power....just a thought.