However Long the Night

Chapter 2

The last time Gideon had been in London, he and Jesse had been only barely reunited, struggling with their grief over Emma’s “death,” dealing with Jesse’s new Guardian-ship, fighting off another insane Guardian who thought Jesse was an abomination and threat to all he supposedly held dear, and trying to cope with seeing Jesse’s counterpart and a mother who was alive and kicking.

Gideon sincerely hoped this trip wouldn’t be nearly as fraught with headaches. Of course, meeting up with David Brighton could go either way. The man didn’t know Gideon and Jesse had not only watched another dimensional version of him f*****g a different Jesse in their playroom, but that he had also provided some wonderful fantasies in the two months since. It would be interesting to see if Jesse could look the man in the eye and not blush.

Gideon’s primary goal was to keep his focus above the man’s waist. He wasn’t so sure he was going to succeed.

It helped that they were meeting him at a pub in Chiswick. The George IV was packed from stem to stern, the din all the voices created nearly maddening. People of every age, shape, and color clustered at the bar, at tables, in corners. Their bodies warmed the room without the need for extra heating, and the mild rush of all the heartbeats made his own body tighten in anticipation. In the old days, this would have been a smorgasbord. Now, he would have to wait until he got Jesse someplace private, to f**k and feed to his heart’s content.

“We’re not going to be able to hear a word he says,” Jesse complained over the noise. “Assuming we can even find him.”

Gideon scanned the crowd. “But nobody will hear us, too. That’ll help.” He spotted the familiar dark head seated at a corner table and nodded toward him. “There he is.” He grinned as he began to wind a path through the crowd. “It helps that he doesn’t have any hair in this dimension, either.”

“Yes, at least we have baldness going for us,” Jesse mumbled. A human probably wouldn’t have been able to hear him, but Gideon could always hear everything Jess said. Whether or not Jesse realized it.

David looked up as they approached, and it was a little strange not to see so much as a spark of recognition in his direct eyes. He waited until Gideon stopped at the table to nod at the two free chairs. “You must be Mr. Keel and Mr. Madding.”

Jesse offered his hand. “Jesse, please. And thank you for agreeing to meet us.”

“It’s no trouble.” He was just as soft-spoken as his counterpart, his accent as cultured. “I was a bit alarmed when I heard from Detective O’Dell this evening. I’d thought I’d managed to talk some sense into Jonah.”

“So far, there’s no reason to think you weren’t successful.” Jesse sat, leaving the chair closest to David vacant for Gideon. “The state of his flat indicates that whatever happened, he was not a willing participant.”

“No, but if he’d listened to me…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “My apologies. Detective O’Dell said you’re friends with Jonah?” Gideon and Jesse both nodded. “Then you know how…tenacious he can be. I told him he’d missed his calling. He should be prosecuting cases, not buried in books on the occult.”

“Derek hired you to help Jonah get out of some breaking and entering charges?”

David’s long fingers caressed the side of his pint glass as he met Gideon’s gaze. “You’re not going to ask if he was innocent?”

Gideon shrugged. “From what I know about Jonah, I think that would be a little naïve.”

“We both know that Jonah isn’t a bad kid. I’m less interested in his guilt or innocence and more interested in the relevance.” Jesse pulled a battered sheet of paper from his pocket and smoothed it out on the table. “Do you recognize this at all?”

David leaned forward, eyes narrow as he read the words. “You’re looking for votaries?”

“It’s a secret society. Or a cult. I haven’t been able to figure it out yet. There’s actually not a lot about them, so whatever they do, they do it out of most people’s view. But it’s our best lead.”

For several seconds, David stared intently at the paper, but eventually, he shook his head. “I can’t say that I heard Jonah mention anything about this at all. And it’s not ringing any other bells. Do you think they have something to do with his disappearance?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that their society has been in London since the fourteenth century, and that Jonah didn’t leave Chicago until he figured out just what this phrase meant.” Jesse took the paper back and carefully folded it. “What can you tell us about what he has been up to here? Derek didn’t have a lot of information.”

“I can tell you what he hasn’t been doing. Sleeping. Jonah runs on coffee and cream buns. It never mattered what time I might call, he was awake.”

“Doing what?” Gideon asked.

“Studying. Running for the tube. He seemed to spend a lot of time in Chelsea, which I never understood. There’s nothing there but too much old money.”

“Old money wouldn’t be very far removed from an old secret society,” Jesse noted. “Did you call him a lot? I thought the charges against him were dropped?”

David had one of the easiest smiles Gideon had ever seen. “I talked to him quite a bit while we were sorting out the mess he got himself into. That was only fully resolved three days ago.”

Three days. And now Jonah was missing. It didn’t take the sideways glance from Jesse for Gideon to draw that particular line.

“Where did Jonah try breaking in to?” he asked.

“A pub. Specifically, he was accused of breaking the lock on the cellar. Somebody dialed the police before he made it much further than that. Since it’s not exactly an uncommon occurrence, and since no harm came of the attempt, the owner was amenable to letting it go.”

“A pub? Why a pub?” Jesse looked as perplexed as Gideon felt.

“He just muttered something about the pub being around since Shakespeare. I thought he was just being provincial, so I pointed out that there are things in London older than that.”

Considering how obsessed Jonah had been about his new research, though, Gideon knew that it wasn’t a random choice. He had had only one purpose in coming to London.

“I think we need to start with the pub,” he said to Jesse.

With a frown, David leaned forward. “I realize you’re a private investigator, and that you’ve done quite extensive work in Chicago, but what exactly do you think you’re going to accomplish here that the police cannot? If you suspect something with the pub, tell them.”

“We don’t have a lot of time.” Jesse took a deep breath. “Jonah is still alive right now. That might not be true tomorrow morning. And a human cult doesn’t preclude black magic, enchanted weaponry, or demonic bodyguards. I don’t think that the Met is prepared to deal with any of those eventualities.”

Everything about David went utterly still. Except for his heart rate. That accelerated dramatically.

“You did not just say…magic.”

Jesse stared back. “You’re not aware of the existence of magic.” It wasn’t a question. “I thought that since you’ve been talking to Jonah that maybe he…So you don’t have any idea what he’s doing here or what he’s looking for?”

David’s words were carefully chosen, carefully enunciated. “He’s a historian with an interest in the occult. He said he was here because he needed a rare book to complete his current project. Did he lie to me?”

“No. Technically, that’s the truth. He was, until recently, completing his M.A. in history. He also has a recent interest in the occult. But…well, the reason for that interest isn’t important.” Jesse offered an understanding smile. “Do you think we’re crazy now?”

“You wouldn’t be the first,” Gideon said, though Jesse’s nudge beneath the table indicated that maybe he shouldn’t have spoken up at all.

David still appeared unconvinced. “What is it exactly you think we’re going to come up against?”

“Black magic, enchanted weapons, demonic bodyguards.” Jesse shrugged. “I just don’t know. The information about these folks is sketchy, and even if we had information to give to the police, they wouldn’t believe us, right?”

“You don’t have to worry about the details,” Gideon added. “Just give us the name of the pub, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

He might as well have said he was going to eat the Queen. David’s eyes hardened, and he sat back stiffly in his chair.

“If you believe for a moment that I’m going to stand idly by and do nothing, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“Giving us the information we need so we can end this tonight isn’t idly standing by and doing nothing,” Jesse pointed out reasonably.

“It’s not enough. Jonah’s my friend. Probably the only one he has in this country. I’m coming along.”

Gideon didn’t like it. David didn’t truly understand what they might be up against. He had no idea about Jesse’s abilities, or the fact that Gideon was a vampire. If push came to shove, he was going to be one more person for them to protect, should things go wrong.

But from the steely look in his eye, David wasn’t going to bend on this. And the longer they sat here and argued about it, the worse Jonah’s odds got.

Which was exactly what he said to the man.

“So we should go.” David glanced between them. “Because I have the car, I have the address, and frankly, you need me.”

Jesse caught Gideon’s eye, and he could practically hear the other man’s thoughts. The fact remained that they didn’t need David, and that he could become a liability. He didn’t have any sort of telepathic link with Jesse, but in this case, he didn’t need one. Let him come. Let’s stop wasting time.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Gideon said as he rose from his seat. “Which means, stay out of the way and do as you’re told.”

David bristled. Jesse touched his arm, the contact brief but enough to distract David from his offended sensibilities. “I probably would have tried for something more diplomatic, but doing what he says will make this whole process a lot easier.”

Any other time, and Gideon would have loved a battle of wills with David. He already knew the man was a Dom; the session they had witnessed with his other self proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Clearly, his need for control spread into other aspects of his life as well. Gideon was half-aroused considering what it would take to break David of it, while the rest of his body argued against stripping the man of the strength that served him so well.

“Diplomacy isn’t my strong suit.” He smiled, trying to get David back onto their side. “Saving people like Jonah is.”

“Fine.” David took a few notes from his pocket and left them on the table. “Let’s stop talking about it and get to work.”

“Good plan,” Jesse agreed.

David led the way through the crowd and out the front door. Music, light, and people spilled onto the street. Another niggle of hunger moved through Gideon—he couldn’t help it. Especially since now he could pick up David’s scent, which gave him a pretty good idea of just what the other man’s blood would taste like.

Jesse didn’t speak again until they were all in David’s car. “It’s probably best if we can get down to the cellar while the pub is still open. With all the people there, we’ll look less suspicious.”

“All the people?” David pulled out of the car park and onto the street, slipping onto the roundabout without even pausing. “I doubt it gets crowded, even on Friday nights.”

Gideon slid all the way to the side, to avoid having David resort to glancing back at him in his rearview mirror and not seeing a reflection. “So what would be your suggestion, then?”

“Honestly? The same way Jonah tried to get into the cellar. Only better.”

“Doesn’t that still require going through the pub?”

David shook his head. “There’s an outside entrance for deliveries. I’m assuming one of you knows how to pick locks. Someone else can play watchman.”

“I think you should play watchman, David. Gideon’s automatically suspicious because he’s such an obvious American.”

“What’s he going to do then?”

Gideon smiled. “Trust me. I can blend with the best of them.”

“We’ve done this sort of thing before,” Jesse added. “Well, we’ve never broken into an English pub before. But the principle is the same. It’s not too late to change your mind about this, you know. You could get in serious trouble if we’re caught.”

“No.” David didn’t even hesitate. “I’m in. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

“You’re not even afraid of what could be waiting for us?” Jesse asked, his voice soft and curious.

“You mean, the black magic, enchanted weapons, and demonic bodyguards?” There was a ghost of a smile on David’s full lips. “What’s the point? If this is your specialty, I’m sure you have the means to take care of whatever we encounter. Fear will only hold us back.”

“Sometimes, fear is what drives you forward,” Gideon suggested.

“Well, you’re right that there’s no reason to be afraid. Gideon’s been rescuing people for years. And there probably aren’t any demonic bodyguards. They really cost a huge amount of money. Most people don’t feel like…making the appropriate sacrifices.”

Gideon’s eyes narrowed. Jesse seemed to be agreeing with David an awful lot. It was probably just to placate him, but the knowledge that Jesse was more than attracted to the other David they had met made Gideon wonder how much of this was professional courtesy, and how much…was not. It had been one thing to flirt with the fantasies of David; the reality was proving a little more difficult to handle than Gideon expected.

“Jonah never mentioned any of this,” David said. “I’m beginning to suspect there’s a lot about him I didn’t know.”

“I know the feeling. I’ve known him for two years and Gideon is a family friend, and we just found out to…a couple of days ago what he’s been up to. If I had known what he was doing, or what he was planning, I would have tried to stop him before he ever left the States.”

David fell silent at that, navigating away from the busier streets of Chiswick for more sedate minor roads. Once or twice, Gideon caught him glancing in the mirrors, but if he noticed Gideon wasn’t there, he didn’t say a word. Everything about him was calm. Apparently, he’d either come to grips with the fact that they were dealing with the supernatural, or dismissed them as eccentric.

“Are either of you practiced in first aid?” David asked out of the blue. “If Jonah was hurt in the abduction like it appears, we may have to do something until we can get him to hospital.”

“I’ll be able to help him,” Jesse promised. “I can keep him stabilized.”

Gideon didn’t doubt that, but there had been a lot of blood in the apartment. And that was only what he could see from his vantage point in the hallway. The smell had reminded him of the sort of devastation he himself had regularly participated in. He wasn’t certain how much of that was only Jonah’s blood. Had he fought back and made the abductor bleed? Or had there been two people in that apartment?

Either way, Gideon just hoped Jonah was conscious when they found him.