Cadence nodded, still staring across the room at nothing. Aaron removed his hand from her shoulder and clasped his hands together, leaning forward again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him drop his head and start to stand, as if he were going to leave. Without saying anything, she shot her hand out, pulling him back down on the couch. "How many people know?" she asked.
He considered her question for only a split second before saying, "I've told that story once before.... One other living person knows."
Cadence nodded. He had told her grandparents. Her hand was still on his arm and she knew she needed to remove it but couldn't convince herself to do so. Finally, looking to meet his eyes she said, "If... and that's a big if... I don't even know how to get ahold of..."
"He called your phone, didn't he?"
"Yes, but I deleted..."
"Did you block the number?'
"Yes, but I unblocked all of the numbers. Still, I can't see the number anymore."
"It doesn't matter. Christian can retrieve it."
She nodded in understanding, not in agreement.
"I'm surprised he hasn't called," he added.
Once again, Cadence nodded. "Maybe he's waiting on me. He doesn't know I deleted his number."
This time, Aaron nodded. After another long pause he said, "Okay, well, think about it, and let me know. Or let Elliott know."
"Okay," she said. This time, as he stood to go, she let him leave. As he approached the door, she called after him, "Aaron?" He stopped with his hand on the doorknob and turned to look at her. "Thank you for telling me."
Nodding his head, he replied, "I trust you, Cadence. I do."
Cadence was able to hold back her tears long enough for him to leave before she broke into another fit of sobbing wishing he had been able to say that a few weeks prior, back when it really mattered.
* * *
The vacation over and the wayward suitcase retrieved, Jack made his way back to Omaha with his brother and sister, or sister-in-law, as the case may be. Now that he was back to his new state of reality, he was tempted to contact Cadence, but Giovani convinced him that he needed to wait, that she would call him when she was ready. He reasoned that Jack needed to enjoy his freedom just a bit longer before attaching himself to the old ball and chain. They were back to Giovani's old haunting grounds and had to fight the temptation to go on the same sort of feeding frenzies they had gone on while in the Caribbean. No, doing so here would draw unwanted attention to them, and they had to find a way to blend in. They were back to the occasional feed on vagabonds and other vagrant types. While the excitement of claiming multiple victims was over, there was a new thrill to be had in sneaking below the radar, and the brothers relished in it.
Little did they know that a small band of independent Hunters headed by one extremely pissed off cowboy was closing in on their location. When Sam and his team of Hunters finally located Giovani and his Rogue brother, there would be hell to pay.
* * *
Cadence spent much of the evening considering Aaron's story, replaying every word in her mind. She'd called her grandmother, thankful that she was able to discuss the information with the one other person who knew the secret Aaron had been carrying around with him for so long. While Cadence was fairly certain Aaron knew precisely what he was talking about when it came to regret and absolution, when Grandma Janette agreed with him, she knew what she had to do.
"Darling, I know this is a difficult decision, but Aaron's right. You need to accept that it is part of your duty as a Vampire Hunter to resolve this problem."
"I know what you're saying, Grandma, but it's just hard to imagine that Jack has done any of those things. What if I agree to bring him in, but I don't destroy him? What if we bring him back here? We might be able to rehabilitate him," she argued.
"And what message would that send?" her overly reasonable Grandma countered.
Cadence sighed. "Maybe no one would need to know. Maybe we could find work for him here. Or put him in some sort of undercover Vampire ring or something."
"Cadence," Grandma Janette replied, "I know you hear how ridiculous that sounds."
"I know, Grandma," she admitted. "I just...can't envision myself pointing a gun at Jack and pulling the trigger."
Once again the voice of reason, Janette countered, "Darling, that's not Jack."
"That's easy for you to say, and Mom, and Sean Connery," her Grandma snickered at that remark and Cadence continued, "but when I look at him, I see Jack. My Jack. It's not as easy as the rest of you want to make it."
"So you got to hear the accent then?" Grandma asked, briefly changing the subject.
"Yes," Cadence exclaimed. "Thank God he doesn't talk like that all the time," she added.
"Distracting?" Janette attempted to clarify.
"Yes, but probably not in the way you think I mean," Cadence replied. She had always been attracted to guys with British-sounding accents, and so distracting was probably the most rated-G friendly way she could explain it to her elderly grandmother.
Janette laughed. "I understand, dear," she replied and changed the subject back. "Have you talked to Elliott?"
"Not yet. I don't know. I don't feel like I can talk to anyone else, really. How do I explain what I know in a way that they can understand my reasoning without giving away Aaron's secret?"
"That's a good point," Janette agreed. "Well, dear, give it a few hours of rest, and see what you think in the morning. Sometimes sleep is the best method for clearing the mind."
Cadence concurred. "All right, Grandma. I will. Thank you for listening to me."
"Of course, sweetheart," she said. "I love you, darling," she added.
"I love you, too."
***
That night, in her dreams, Cadence was chasing the Vampire version of Jack through an airport as he feasted on children of all ages, from infant to teen. She was always just behind him, never able to catch up. By the end of his reign of terror, she had finally trapped him against a wall where he had nowhere to go. "Give it up, Jack," she had said in her sternest Vampire Hunter voice.