She groaned. "This is so frustrating. At least tell me what's the deal with the nine circles of hell?"

"It's an old habit." He took her hand and stroked her fingers with his own. "When I was a young lad in Venice, my tutor was an old priest. He taught me to read with Dante's Divine Comedy. It starts with Inferno and the nine circles of hell."

She grimaced. "What a strange choice of reading material for a child."

He laced his fingers with hers. "Father Giovannni was trying to scare me into being good. He didn't want me to follow in my father's footsteps."

She gave him a wry smile. "Did it work?"

He smiled back. "Unfortunately, I found the descriptions of Inferno more interesting than Paradiso."

"Well, most kids would. It's the literary equivalent of a horror movie. So nine circles, huh? That's a lot of hell."

"According to Father Giovanni, there are a lot of sinners."

She snorted. "What a fun teacher. So which of the nine circles is waiting for your untimely demise?"

The question caught him by surprise. After living two hundred years, Jack no longer gave much thought to death. And that was a mistake. He could always die in battle with the Malcontents. And then, what would happen to his immortal soul?

Would he prove Father Giovanni right and end up in Inferno? He'd killed before, but only in self-defense. He'd fed off women, but he'd always tried to repay the favor. When it came to sin, only one loomed before him that he couldn't possibly deny.

"Jack." She squeezed his hand. "You look so serious. I was only joking."

He met her gaze. His vision was no longer tinted red. Nothing like thoughts of eternal damnation to kill the mood. "I would go to the second circle, and there, I would spend eternity, being tossed to and fro by a violent storm."

She made a face. "That's awful. What sin have you committed to deserve that?"

He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss into the palm. "Lust."

Her eyes widened. "That hardly seems fair. I mean, lust doesn't seem all that evil. At least your lust doesn't. Not when it's directed at me. It is me, right?"

"Oh yes." He rubbed his thumb over the spot he'd kissed, wishing he could permanently imprint his claim on her skin. "Definitely you. Only you."

Her eyes sparkled. "I like that." Her gaze swept over him with a seductive look. "Maybe we could find a way to appease your lust."

"Cure a sin by giving in to it?" He smiled as he wrapped a hand around her calf. "That's a novel approach."

"Hey, what good is a sin if you can't enjoy it?"

He chuckled. "What a naughty angel you are. But as tempted as I am, I don't believe your solution can work."

"Why not?"

"You're assuming my lust can be appeased." He gazed at her body with a wistful look. "There is no cure for this. The more I get, the more I want. Even so, I am touched that you would so nobly sacrifice yourself to save me."

Her face turned a deeper pink. "It wouldn't be entirely unselfish on my part. I'm afraid I'm suffering from the same sin."

He leaned toward her to touch her face. "Don't worry, cara mia. There is an easy way out. Easy, but also very rare. If lust grows into true love, then we would find ourselves in Paradiso."

"Jack, you're so sweet." She curved a hand around his neck. "There's something very old-fashioned and romantic about you."

He was definitely older than she thought. "You bring out the romantic in me."

She watched him with worried eyes. "There's so much about you that I don't know. I wish you would tell me more, 'cause I... I just don't know what to think."

"I understand." How could she trust him when he wouldn't confide in her? Maybe he could prove himself by earning her trust. He kissed her lightly on the lips, then straightened. "Tell me about this case you're working."

She groaned. "Okay." She told him about the college student who had disappeared Saturday night, and how the friends all appeared programmed to tell the same lie.

"Here, I have some stuff to show you." Lara slipped a hand into her jeans pocket, lifting her hips slightly in the air.

Jack groaned. "Have mercy, bellissima."

She grinned. "You have a one-track mind." She handed him the photo, then unfolded a pink sheet of paper. "LaToya and I found this on a bulletin board. We checked it out, and the building manager did the same zombie act that the girlfriends did."

Jack studied the photo and then the flyer. "Do you want to stay young and beautiful forever? Free seminar."

"Yeah, I think that's how the perp attracts the girls. Then he picks one out like Vanessa and makes sure no one else can remember him. Roxanne said there was another girl last year who went missing."

Jack glanced at the photo. "Was the other girl a redhead like this one?"

"Close. Strawberry blond."

A twinge of unease pricked at Jack's gut. Lara was exactly the kind of girl this kidnapper was looking for. And given the kidnapper's ability to manipulate minds, chances were good that he was a vampire. A Malcontent who preyed on pretty young women for food and sex. And like most Malcontents, he probably considered mortals a disposable food source. When he tired of one, he would drain her dry and toss her out like an empty milk jug.

If Lara came across him in the course of her investigation, he would want her. He would grab her and teleport away, and there would be no way to track him down.

Jack swallowed hard. He couldn't let Lara pursue this vampire. "This... criminal is dangerous. I think you should leave his capture to someone else." Like me.

"No way." She scowled at him as she swung her legs off his lap and sat up. "I want to be promoted to detective. If I can help with this case, it'll prove that I'm ready."

"Prove yourself on someone less dangerous."

She scoffed. "They're all dangerous, Jack. That's why they're called criminals."

He folded the flyer and handed it back to her. "Have you been officially assigned to the case?"

"No." She stuffed the flyer in her pocket. "Some detectives in LaToya's precinct are handling it. Normally, it would be a really big no-no for us to do our own investigating, but we feel compelled to do something because we know about the mind-control aspect. I don't think the detectives will ever figure that out, and I really don't know how to explain it to them without them wanting to lock us up in a psych ward."

Jack also doubted the detectives would figure out that a vampire was involved. But if they did, it would be disastrous for all the good Vamps, who needed secrecy in order to survive.

He would explain the situation to Connor and Angus. They would agree that the matter needed to be resolved by Vamps, quickly and quietly with as little mortal interference as possible. "Since you are determined to work on this case, I would like to... assist you."

"Really?" Lara's eyes widened.

Actually, he was going to take charge, but he'd keep that to himself for now. "I have some experience in investigative work. And I could be considered an expert in mind control."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"I'd like to meet Vanessa's friends," Jack continued. "I might be able to retrieve their real memories."

"Oh my gosh!" Lara jumped to her feet. "That would be great. We could get a real description of the kidnapper."

"Then you agree. We will work together." And he could protect her from harm. He stood and motioned toward the foyer. "The car's out front. I'll drive."

"Great!" Lara dashed into the foyer. "LaToya!"

"What?" LaToya yelled. Footsteps pounded on the stairs. "I'm coming! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Lara shouted. "I'm going out with Jack. He wants to help us with the case."

"What?" LaToya halted on the second-floor landing and gasped for breath. Carlos stopped right behind her. She gave Jack a wary look. "He can't help us: He's a suspect."

"He's fine." Lara smiled at him. "He's a good guy."

Jack's heart expanded in his chest. "Grazie, bellissima." He took her hand and kissed her fingers.

"Wait a minute." LaToya marched down the last flight of stairs, glaring at Lara. "You're going somewhere alone with this guy?" She glanced at Jack. "No offense, but you're not exactly normal."

Jack bowed his head. "I understand. And I applaud your desire to protect Lara. I feel the same way."

"Ain't that just dandy?" LaToya grabbed Lara's arm and pulled her away from Jack. "Girl, we need to talk."

"He has an alibi for last night," Lara explained as she was dragged into the living room. "He was at church."

LaToya snorted. "Right. He's a regular choir boy."

"What's going on?" Carlos whispered as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

Jack held a finger to his lips. He wanted to listen in on the conversation next door. Carlos nodded.

"Have you lost your mind, girl?" LaToya whispered. "One minute you think he's a suspect, and the next, you're ready to believe anything he says?"

"He has an alibi," Lara repeated. "A lot of people saw him last night."

"You only have his word for that. And what if he programmed those people to say they saw him?" LaToya asked. "What if he's messing with your mind, too?"

"I'm immune to him."

LaToya snorted. "Girl, if that man had the flu, you'd already be running a fever."

"He's an honorable man," Lara insisted. "I-I sorta offered myself to him, and-"

"What?"

"Shhh," Lara hushed her. She lowered her voice so that Jack had to strain to hear. "I offered myself to see how he would react, and he turned me down, even though it was obvious that he wanted me. It was so sweet."

"How special," Carlos whispered with a wry smile. "I feel strangely nauseated."

Jack shot a look at Carlos that said, Butt out. Still, he was surprised that the shape shifter's hearing was as good as his. "How did the tour go?"

"Fine," Carlos kept his voice low. "I made sure she didn't see any bathrooms with missing mirrors."

"Good." Jack focused once more on the conversation in the living room.

"He's going to help us find the kidnapper," Lara whispered.

"What if he's steering the investigation away from himself?" LaToya asked.

"He's not," Lara hissed. "Did you come across any imprisoned women upstairs?"

"No, but I haven't seen the basement yet. You know there's something weird about him."

Lara sighed. "Yes, I know."

"What do you know?" LaToya asked sharply.

"I know that I don't know."

"Well, I know that."

Lara moaned. "This is getting us nowhere. I'll be fine. Why don't you go home, and I'll be along later."

"All right," LaToya grumbled. "But before I leave, I'm going to finish checking this place out. If you need me for anything, call me."

Jack strode to the console and collected the car keys. "Are you ready, Lara?" he called.

"Coming." She rushed into the foyer, swinging her handbag onto her shoulder.

LaToya followed her and glared at Jack. "She'd better come back safe."

He nodded. "I would never do anything to hurt Lara."

"I'm holding you to that. I've got a cousin in New Orleans who's into voodoo. Don't make me start playing with dolls."

Jack looked at Lara and smiled. "I'll try to behave myself."

She leaned close and whispered, "Don't try too hard."

He squeezed her hand. "Whatever you say, bellissima. I always aim to please."

"Oh God." LaToya grimaced. "Y'all are so sweet, I'm going into hyperglycemic shock. Just kill me now."

Carlos laughed. "How about a beer?"

"Sounds good." LaToya crossed her arms, still watching Jack with a suspicious eye, while Carlos disappeared into the kitchen. "So, choir boy, what's in the basement?"

"A dead body or two, usually." Jack smiled. "But they're gone now."

Lara gave him an annoyed look. "That's not helping."

"Sorry," Jack said. "There's a washer and dryer downstairs."

"Of course." LaToya narrowed her eyes. "And plenty of bleach for getting out bloodstains."

"Exactly." Jack nodded. "I hate bloodstains."

Lara elbowed him in the ribs. "Would you stop kidding? She's going to believe you."

Unfortunately, he wasn't kidding.

"Here's the beer," Carlos announced as he returned from the kitchen. He handed an opened bottle to LaToya.

"Thanks." She took a swig. "So what is in the basement, Carlos?"

"A pool table. Would you like to play?"

"Sure." She followed him to the basement stairs and gave Jack an irritated look as she passed by. "Dead bodies, my ass. You've probably got a spaceship down there."

Jack strode to the front door and punched some buttons on the keypad to deactivate the alarm. "Shall we go?"

"Sure." Lara followed him out the front door. "Please don't mind LaToya. She's just very protective of me."