Chapter 5
Nick Wolfe had just made it to the entrance of Sanctuary when the storm hit. The rain had begun to pelt down in big heavy droplets. Soon it was a blinding sheet. Above him he could hear the far-away crackle of lightning and the roar of thunder. He paused just inside the door of the nightclub to watch the storm... wondering for a moment, as he so often did these days, whether it was a storm of nature... or something called up by the death of an immortal.
After Amanda had shot him and he'd returned to life as an immortal... he'd been devastated. This was not something he wanted or had ever desired. He had been ready for his death... even if he was a bit regretful that his life was over. Then had come that damned gunshot! That had been almost three years ago. So he'd had an interesting three years.
Amanda had sold the club to Nick's friend Burt and vanished. Nick had turned then to Liam Riley to help him make sense of what his life now would have to be. Liam had arranged for a teacher... David Maillot. This immortal was to help Nick through the beginnings of his new life and to teach him to fight. That was the big problem! Nick had spent too long as a cop to want to spend his time hunting for heads or taking them. In the end... he'd learned enough from the Frenchman to know how to survive... and then he'd bid him adieu. He refused to carry his sword on a daily basis... he'd insisted on that.
Oh... if someone challenged him and he couldn't get out of it... he'd fight... but he usually tried to get out of it. He was just too uncomfortable with the whole idea of "the game" as opposed to killing someone because they were evil or because they had personally injured either him or one of his clients. Nick continued to work in the private sector as a bodyguard and investigator for hire. He was living on the edge... as it were... and that was just fine with him.
"You working tonight for me or are you just here to let the rain in?" Behind the bar, Burt called out to Nick... breaking into his thoughts. Burt did not yet know of the change in Nick's life... nor anything about immortals. But Nick had figured it was likely only a matter of time. The slightly built and balding Burt had been Nick's first boss after Nick had left the police force. Burt was in private security and still had contacts on a government level from when he'd been in Special Ops. Sanctuary made a nice cover for some of their activities. Besides, Burt seemed to enjoy owning the place.
Nick closed the door and took a seat at the bar. "Working... if you insist."
"I insist..." Burt closed the account books he was working on and pulled out a file folder. "I need you to do some re-con on this case for me." He tossed it to the surly young ex-cop. Nick had always been powerfully built... broad-shouldered and muscular... but in the last three years, Burt had noticed that his young friend seemed to have developed an almost cat-like and furtive sense of movement... almost like Amanda. He still didn't understand just why she had sold him the nightclub and left Paris... but it had been a good business opportunity... and despite his worries about her not quite being on the level most of the time... Burt had liked the comely young thief. Evidently she and Nick must have had some sort of disagreement before she'd left. Nick's surliness always deepened if her name was mentioned and he'd generally snarled that he didn't want to discuss her. But as time passed... he seemed to become more like her than he probably realized.
Burt had noticed strange people entering the club and sometimes zeroing in on Nick. Sometimes they'd just talk and that would be that... sometimes Nick would leave with them. Sometimes there were near arguments even here in this nightclub converted from an old church. Most of all... Nick was far more secretive than he had been... and he had been plenty secretive before Amanda had left.
Burt glanced up as the door opened again and he inwardly groaned. The infernal child was here once again! She'd shown up a few days ago and Nick had mumbled something about being her bodyguard. But Burt didn't think that one really needed a bodyguard so much as an escort. Although she appeared to be about eight years old... she carried herself and spoke with a wealth of knowledge belying her tender years. And then... within those blue eyes of hers seemed to be a world-weariness and wisdom that spoke of things no child should know about.
Nick had stiffened a bit just before the door had opened... but seemed to relax once he saw it was her, "Val... what are you doing here..."
"I needed to get out of the rain." She tossed her blonde braids and closed the small umbrella, placing it daintily beside the closed door. With a laugh she walked toward the bar. "And I thought since I was in the neighborhood that I'd spend some time with my good friend Nick!"
Nick smirked and shook his head. "Oh... when did we become friends?"
Val smiled almost maternally and climbed up on a barstool.
"No!" Burt said, his voice raised in exasperation. ""I've told you... you can't sit at the bar! Do you want me to lose my license? You shouldn't even be in here!"
"But Burt..." Val grinned, "that only applies if you are open for business... and you're not are you?"
"Maybe I should be..." Burt grumbled.
"I don't suppose you'd let me have a little wine?" the girl teased.
"No... and I wish you'd stop asking me that." Burt turned to Nick. "Read that file and get back to me... and get this child out of here." He stalked off, up the stairs to the office. "And keep an eye on things for a while!"
"He's right you know... you really shouldn't be here."
"But it's still holy ground. It's safer than ducking into some cafe while the storm passes. You know that."
"I do... but he doesn't and I'd prefer he not learn about us... about immortals."
"Well... all right... now pour me a little wine while I wait for the storm to pass."
"I can't do that!"
"What about coffee?" Val nodded toward the coffee machine.
"What about milk?"
"Ouch! That's what I hate about being out in the world like this... no one ever wants to take me seriously."
"Then go home!" Nick insisted.
"I can't... I have to find Rosalie first." Val wanted Nick to help her locate the young mortal woman who had accompanied her to Paris. Val had originally come to the French capital searching for an immortal friend of Liam Riley's... to give her a message. When her "guardian" had vanished, Nick had taken the not so young immortal to Liam. Now, Val needed to find her friend, and Nick had been trying to help her. So far he'd had no luck. Val's mention of the young woman brought to Nick's mind the immortal child Kenny, who may well have been the one who had abducted the missing Rosalie.
As for young Kenny... Nick had found him... tried to save him from another immortal... only to almost become the boy's victim himself. The other immortal, who Liam had later explained was several thousand years old and a true master of the blade... had saved Nick from Kenny... but had not taken the boy's head... leaving that for Nick to do. A task Nick had declined. So Kenny was still prowling Paris... and likely seeking another opportunity at any of them.
"Go home to that convent you told me about... I told you I'd find her... if she's still alive."
"But I need an adult to travel with." She teased. "Now you could come with me..."
Nick laughed nervously. "No I don't think so."
"Pity... now about that coffee?"
Nick slipped behind the bar to pour the eight hundred year old little girl a cup of coffee. He handed her the cup and then winked, "Milk with that?"
Outside... in the Paris afternoon... rain poured in sheets.
