The man in front of them stared intently at Dani, she shifted uneasily as the weight of his gaze pressed down on her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” said Nick. “You should be –“
“I had to come. I had to see for myself. I always thought that I believed, but now I realise that I didn’t. I was just kidding myself all along.”
“Langdon,” said Nick trying to get his attention, but it seemed pointless.
“How can you stand it Nick?”
Langdon moved closer to Dani, so close that she could feel the material of his shirt against her. He closed his eyes as if he was in some kind of trance.
“Back off.” Nick said, pulling Dani closer to him.
Nick lifted his other hand and placed it on her face, making her turn her head towards him. He kissed her cheek and whispered. “Run to the bar, tell the woman there that we need AB dawn.”
Dani went to step back, but Nick tightened his grip on her arm and he pulled her back. His hand was round the back of her head so fast that she didn’t notice him do it. He kissed her, almost bruising, she didn’t have time to react.
“What do you think you are doing?” she said as she pulled her mouth from his.
“Saving your life.” He said pulling her into a hug so that he could whisper again. “Take this key, let yourself into my office and lock the door behind you. Do not answer the door to anyone but me.”
Dani felt his hand in hers and she took the keys from him. He realised her just enough to kiss her once more before fully letting her go.
Dani did as he asked her too. There was only one female at the bar serving so she assumed this was the woman he meant. Probably would have helped if he had given her a name too use. Ah well, she could pick at him later for it. Right now she had to concentrate on getting to his office. Wherever that was.
She ordered the glass of blood. The woman seemed to know what Dani was talking about, so Dani just left the barmaid to take it too Nick herself.
The staff area wasn’t hard to find. Pretty typical of any nightclub. Door located right behind the main bar. Dani hesitated as she went to enter the working area, but no body seemed to bother that she was just letting herself behind the bar and then into the staff area. Surely they had know idea who she was.
Through the door was a corridor with two or three more doors leading off. Dani walked a little further down the corridor, before she heard someone coming the other way. She could hear and man and a woman talking. The door on her left said ‘Nick Brennan’ on the plate. She didn’t realise how nervous she was, but her hands were shaking as she fumbled with the keys trying to unlock the door.
She gasped as the couple turned the corner, just as the lock clicked open. Jerry’s eyes connected with hers, she opened the door, dashed in and locked it behind her again. Her heart was hammering, and her breath was coming fast as she tried to shake the vision of Jerry from her mind. She pressed her back against the door and tried to regain some control over herself as she heard him walk closer and stop right on the other side of the door. The urge to step out was almost overpowering.
He walked away and Dani let out a breath.
***
Langdon smiled as they both watched Dani rush way. “You lucky sod,” he said. “But seriously, how do you stand being so close to her?”
“Because it’s my job. Cowan wants her, he’ll come and get her when he is ready,” replied Nick. “But tell me Langdon, why are you here? Other than blowing my cover I can’t really see a purpose. “
“I just had to see her. I had to see it and understand for myself. Don’t you see Nick? Can you imagine it? Once the Nosferatu is gone?”
Nick stepped closer to him and lowered his voice. “You better keep a lid on that excitement or it wont just be Dani that I’ll end, it’ll be you too, brother or no brother, don’t mess this up, now run back to Cowan before he sends out the search party.”
Langdon stepped even closer to Nick, “forgive me Nicky, for I have sinned,” he said a smile spreading over his face in some sinister grin.
Nick stepped back, turned and walked away from his brother. They may have been flesh and blood, but sometimes Nick wished that he was doing this without him. He was sure that Langdon would eventually mess things up, somehow.
*****
Jerry tried to ignore the clawing inside himself. The urge to go back to Brennan’s office and tell her everything was crap, and how much he missed her. He ached to just hold her again and have her safe in his arms, but no, it was much better this way. This way she could live a free life. It was just coincidence that she was here. He hoped, he was certainly going to find out.
*****
The bang on the door almost made Dani yelp and she sank a little further into Nick’s chair in hope that whatever was on the other side of the door would back away.
“Deacans, it’s me. Open the door.”
“Nick?”
“No, it’s the god damn tooth fairy. Open the door.”
In seconds Dani went from scared to mad. The nerve of him. She unlocked the door, but didn’t open it. He had two hands he could at least do that part himself. She was damned if she was going to.
Nick walked in and sat himself in the chair Dani had been using. She watched him as he loaded up his computer and went back to his normal ignoring of her.
“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?” she asked finally giving into the silence.
“Not really,” he said.
“Not really?”
“Oh please don’t start all that repeating me stuff, it gets really boring to hear my own side of the conversation back at me.”
“Well then give me some answers.”
“I did, just then. Were you not listening?”
“No you didn’t.” she said.
“Yes I did. You asked if I was going to tell you what it was all about. I said not really. See question and answer.” He said it in a tone as if he had been talking to a five year old and Dani was all but ready to kill him. He smiled at her, so innocently that all she could see in her mind was her hands around his throat throttling him.
“So as you won’t tell me what’s going on, then I’ll have to make my own mind up. You’re a rude looser whose only way to get a girl to kiss him is to make up some sorry ass line about being in danger and that the kiss was a cover to save her life.” Said Dani, pleased with herself.
“Deacons, if I wanted to kiss you. I’d just do it.”
“And who’s to say I’d kiss you back. I might smack you one straight in the mouth for even trying.”
Nick was up out of his seat and in front of her before she even had time to blink. She moved away, her back now pressed up to the wall next to the door. The only escape she had would be to dissolve through the bricks. Nick leant forward and kissed her. Pushing her head further back against the concrete. “See.” He said. “Told you that if I wanted to kiss you I could, and I didn’t feel you push me away either.”
There was a knock at the door and it opened before either of them had chance to react. Jerry stood there with no sign of his companion from before. “Should you not be working Brennan instead of entertaining women in the office?”
“Should you not be off disobeying your father instead of keeping an eye on me?” replied Nick.
“Being here is disobeying my father,” said Jerry, his eyes on Dani. Staring so hard that she wished she could back up further away.
“No, he wants you here. That’s why he told you too stay away.”
Jerry shot Nick a look, his eyes turned slightly red as they burned with anger towards Nick. “I’ll be watching you.” He said as he left, casting one last look at Dani, before closing the door behind him.
Dani remained glued to the wall as she studied Nick. His cool exterior had gone in an instant. Jerry had certainly changed Nick’s mood. She almost dared to comment on it, but she could feel that to do so would be foolish.
“Deacans. Go and get me a drink.” He snapped not even looking at her.
Jerry was talking to a woman when Dani went to the bar. She tried so hard not to look at him, but it was like and instant reaction and she couldn’t stop her eyes wondering in his direction. It was an effort to make herself look away and concentrate on the bottles of blood behind the bar.
She didn’t see as Jerry stared at her intently while she faced away from him. The woman in front of him continued their conversation, but now the words went over his head and he heard nothing.
Dani looked back and he looked away just before she caught him.
“Here you go.” Said the barmaid.
“Oh, how much?” asked Dani, her thoughts brought back to what she was supposed to be doing.
The barmaid laughed. “It’s for Nick.”
It took Dani a second to realise what the girl meant. She looked back to Jerry, but he was gone, as was the woman. She felt a pang of jealousy and disappointment as she stared at the empty space.
