London, England, 1888
London was much different than the peaceful rolling hills of Killarney, and while from time to time, Aaron missed the life he\u2019d left behind, joining Ward\u2019s team in London ended up being the best decision he could have made at the time. Now, over forty years after he\u2019d left his home in Ireland, he was finally beginning to feel as if he had the hang of being a Guardian, though he was still learning.
Sitting in an office with a decent view of Hyde Park in the distance, he went over the notes Ward had provided him regarding the recent incidents in Whitechapel. None of them were quite certain how many victims they were looking at since the area had a reputation for being an uncouth slum, but with the recent demise of a young woman drained of most of her blood with slashes across her neck, it became clear that it was time for Ward\u2019s team to take action.
As usual, the facts in the press were not at all reliable. Ward knew the best way to get information was to have eyes and ears on the police force, so several Hunters and Guardians spent at least part of their time working inside jobs. In most cases, when a Vampire was involved in a suspicious murder, the evidence was quite clear, and once Ward was called in, tracking down the noncompliant Vampire and destroying it was only a matter of time.
In this case, things were much more complicated, and Aaron wasn\u2019t even sure if all of the murders were attributable to the same suspect, let alone the same Vampire.
He paged through the notes again, so enthralled by what he was reading, he didn\u2019t acknowledge the office door when it opened, though he was vaguely aware that he wasn\u2019t alone when a familiar voice said, \u201cFind anything interesting?\u201d
Looking up into large brown eyes, he smiled. Vicky certainly knew how to be stealthy. \u201cIt\u2019s all interesting,\u201d he replied as he gestured for her to have a seat, \u201cbut I\u2019m still not sure what to make of it.\u201d
\u201cMind if I take a look?\u201d He slid the folder across the desk to her and took the opportunity to make some notes himself as she read through the documents.
Forty years had come and gone in the blink of an eye. While he spent very little time reflecting on the events of the evening Ward had come to his house in Killarney and found him sobbing into a pile of ashes, his mind did often return to his wife, Aislyn. Now, sitting across from the attractive blonde teammate he\u2019d worked with for over three decades, a woman who was a firecracker and smart as a whip, he reminded himself he\u2019d sworn never to fall in love again. If he couldn\u2019t keep his promise to Aislyn to protect her, the least he could do was honor her memory by keeping his wedding vows.
\u201cWell, it seems pretty straightforward to me,\u201d Vicky replied, tossing the file back onto his desk.
\u201cHow\u2019s that?\u201d he asked, steeling himself for what was sure to be a sarcastic remark.
\u201cSeems we\u2019ve got a murderer on our hands,\u201d she shrugged.
He couldn\u2019t help but laugh. \u201cThat is the most brilliant deduction I\u2019ve heard today.\u201d
\u201cI try,\u201d she replied, rubbing her fingernails on her shoulder and blowing on her hand.
Unlike any other woman he\u2019d ever met, Vicky refused to wear a skirt. She said it prevented her from working properly, particularly the long, complicated dresses everyone was wearing these days. Instead, she wore a split skirt\u2014essentially pants with very wide legs\u2014with a button-down shirt and jacket. Regardless of her style, there wasn\u2019t a male on their team who wouldn\u2019t proclaim she was definitely a lady.
\u201cWard gave me the file. He\u2019ll be back this afternoon, but he\u2019s trying to gather more information from one of our informants down at the station. It\u2019s just hard to say if these are all related or if we actually have murderers,\u201d he explained.
\u201cTouch\u00e9,\u201d she nodded. \u201cIt does look to me like those first two, the one from April and the first August death, may not be related to the one last week.\u201d
\u201cI agree. And there\u2019s really no reason to suspect that the first one was even a Vampire, but the police seem to want to lump them together, so Ward wanted me to check into it.\u201d
\u201cAre you going over there tonight then? To Stinkytown?\u201d She crinkled her nose up and shook her head, blonde curls dancing around her face as she did so.
Aaron smiled. \u201cI was thinking about it. Should I bring a nose plug?\u201d
She shrugged. \u201cAll of London could be called Stinkytown, I suppose, although having the park out the window does make Kensington a little bit nicer than say, I don\u2019t know, Whitechapel.\u201d
\u201cI agree. It\u2019s nice,\u201d he replied, turning his chair so that he could look out the window for a moment before turning back to face her.
\u201cReminds me of home,\u201d she said, a lilt of sadness in her voice. \u201cWhat about you? Do you see the Irish countryside when you glance out the window?\u201d
Scoffing, Aaron said, \u201cNo, not nearly enough rocks.\u201d She laughed, which gave him the opportunity to change the subject. \u201cDo you want to go with me tonight?\u201d
\u201cTo Stinkytown?\u201d she clarified. \u201cYeah, sure. Wouldn\u2019t miss it for the world.\u201d
\u201cGreat. I\u2019ll see if I can find a couple more teammates to join us.\u201d
\u201cDinner first?\u201d she asked, crossing her legs, which exposed her left ankle.
Temporarily distracted by her flirtatious nature, Aaron considered the proposition. After all, it was just dinner. Just a meal. Everyone had to eat. \u201cI\u2019ll probably be working here until it\u2019s time to go,\u201d he mumbled.
She tilted her head and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. \u201cYou do eat\u2014sometimes, don\u2019t you?\u201d
\u201cI do,\u201d he assured her with a smile, though the longer he did this job the less essential it seemed to become.
\u201cOkay, well if you change your mind, let me know. It\u2019s meatloaf night at the diner. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes chewing on old boot leather.\u201d
\u201cThat sounds very tempting,\u201d he nodded as she stood, smoothing her clothing as she did so.
\u201cSee you, Aaron,\u201d Vicky said with a wink as she ducked out into the hallway.
\u201cGoodbye,\u201d he called after her and then released the deep breath he didn\u2019t even realize he\u2019d been holding. He looked down at the wedding ring he wore on his left hand and reminded himself that he was still married, at least in his own mind, and that Vicky would just have to find someone else to have dinner with\u2014though the thought of the pretty blonde Hunter eating with anyone else also made him jealous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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