The Vanisher. Stupid damn name and yet—it fit him to a T. He vanished his victims. A photo was all that ever remained of them. The proof of their death was theonlyevidence he gave his clients. At times, the Vanisher worked as a cleaner, but he also hunted for pay. More mercenary than monster hunter.
He was also a part of the Network.
“Thank you,” I said to Rick then brushed a kiss to his jaw.
“When you’re ready,” he murmured, catching my chin before I could pull away. “I’d love to hear about your father.”
I smiled. When I was ready, I wanted to tell him. He caressed my cheek once, then let me go and I settled back against him. “All right.” I crossed one ankle over the other. “We have a program that runs searches every day, so when you log in, that’s usually the first place we check…”
It would take some time to walk him through everything, but Rick proved a focused and capable student. Even better, helistenedintently, only asking me to clarify now and then if I used an unfamiliar term. By lunchtime, he’d taken the laptop in hand and I was curled up against him, watching over his shoulder as he worked.
I was right.
He was a natural.
24
Rick
My brain was fried as I washed the greens in a colander then started chopping them into bite size pieces. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d learned this much in a day. There had been so many codes and key phrases. Even more sets of instructions to remember. I likened working with Vienna to learning a new language.
A few aspirin called my name as soon as I was done, but it didn’t diminish the pride that rushed through me at being able to help Vienna. The more ingrained I became in her world, the more useful I would be to her. Not that I worried she would set me aside if I wasn’t contributing enough.
That wasn’t Vienna. And Iknewthat.
Still, my doubts had gotten to me earlier and I couldn’t keep them from surfacing. I tried so damn hard, but she saw everything. And she listened to me. She really cared about my feelings and making sure I was comfortable here. Vienna couldn’t know how much that meant to me, or how much it made me fall deeper and deeper in love with her.
She—
“What’s for dinner tonight?” Vienna asked as she trailed her fingertips over the back of my shoulders. After completing enough research for today, I’d left her to take a shower while I came downstairs to start cooking.
Going against the urge to join her had been nearly impossible, but I needed to feed her. And I guessed I needed to feed my geeky nemesis too. I almost wished I hadn’t promised Vienna I’d work harder to get along with him.
But the glimmering tears in her eyes as her top lip quivered had done me in. I would have promised to turn myself inside out and rake my balls over hot coals if she’d just lose that sorrow-filled expression.
It had broken my heart and I needed to fix it.
So tonight, we’d have a salad with veggies to make sure she was staying healthy. Then a pumpkin ziti with sage sausage because it was a heavy, comfort meal. Then I’d feed her chocolate Guinness mousse with whipped cream for dessert.
Food wasn’t a cure all, but eating a delicious three course meal someone had prepared for you with love was a start.
“It’s a surprise. I poured you a glass of wine,” I jerked my chin toward a half-filled glass of her favorite red blend on the counter. “You go relax in the living room while I get this ready, and I’ll come get you when it’s time to eat.”
The tender curl of her lips was as innocent as the bright shine in her eyes that showed her delight. Just that was payment enough for taking care of her. “Okay. I’ll be in the living room, but I’ll do the dishes after dinner.” Pushing up to her toes, she kissed the underside of my jaw, and I turned my head to take my own kiss before she pulled away.
I simply nodded, not wanting to argue with her about who did dishes. Although if I had my way, I’d be taking her upstairs for my dessert while Fletcher cleaned up.
Speak of the devil, the man of the hour traipsed into the kitchen just seconds after Vienna left it.
“Food,” he grunted as he walked to the fridge and pulled out a jug of tea and promptly poured it into a tall plastic cup. Then he reached out to grab a block of cheese, but I interrupted his one-track mind.
“I’m making dinner. Don’t eat anything yet.” I walked around the island to check on the pasta and started working on the sauce.
As if surprised I was in the room, Fletcher twisted at the waist to look at me. His hair was in a similar wild condition as this morning but now he was wide awake instead of half alive from his hangover.
Guilt trickled down my spine when I remembered I’d gotten him drunk last night. But just a little bit. He was a grown man working with the same people Vienna worked with. From everything she had told me, no one trusted anyone and everyone was suspect. He should have been more careful with how much he drank.
I mean, what man didn’t know his limits?