Chapter 48
Skelton, a former beau of Janette’s, had returned a few months ago from an independent career that had spanned over a hundred years. He had said he had a special project he needed help with, but so far, he’d not explained himself and mostly hung out in the apartment he’d been provided by himself, rarely making an appearance on the larger campus that encompassed fifty acres on the outskirts of Kansas City.
“He’s harmless,” Jordan assured them both. “Just an old man looking for absolution.”
“Just an old nut looking for asylum is more like it,” Janette replied, shaking her head.
“I have a meeting with him this evening. Hopefully, he’ll give us some direction for this project he has in mind. I’ll tell him to wait until I get back though. There’s no sense in you having to worry about that and everything else.”
“All right,” Aaron said with a nod as he looked to the door.
“Let’s meet again on Saturday, and we’ll go over some of the things that are up in the air,” Jordan recommended.
“Sounds like a plan,” Aaron nodded. Taking Jordan’s hand one more time, he smiled, not sure if he could do this or not but thankful to have the opportunity.
“You’re the only person I would trust with this, son,” Jordan assured him, and his words meant everything to Aaron.
Janette stood and embraced him again, with another hearty thank you, and Aaron made his way to the door, glancing back over his shoulder at the happy couple one more time before he made his way out into the hallway. Maybe he should try a bit harder to find happiness himself.
“Have a good day, Aaron,” Mrs. Carminati smiled from her seat behind the reception desk.
“You, too,” he said, heading out of the waiting room. “Guardian Leader,” he said to himself. “Better not mess this up.” If he was successful with this endeavor, there was a good possibility that, if and when Jordan retired someday, he might actually be able to take over, a thought that he’d never really allowed himself to consider before, but the possibility made him proud of what he’d accomplished from humble beginnings as an Irish potato farmer to potential Leader of the entire LIGHTS organization. If he could do that, he could do anything.
That evening, Aaron spent several hours going over every bit of information he could possibly find, utilizing the new computer program Christian had developed to keep track of hunts and the stats of known Vampires, etc. He wanted to be as prepared as possible when Janette and Jordan left for their trip next week.
Around eleven o’clock, his cell phone rang. Tearing his eyes away from the screen, he picked it up off the table and glanced down to see that it was Janette. “Hello?” he said.
He could tell immediately that something was wrong. “Aaron!” she shouted. “Get up here, fast! It’s Jordan! He’s been shot!”
Unable to believe his ears, he said, “What? Shot? Okay—in your apartment?’
“Yes, hurry!” The line went dead, and Aaron made sure he had his weapon in case he might need it. Shoving his phone into his pocket, he took off for the stairwell, not wanting to wait on the elevator.
The Findleys lived on the penthouse floor, ten stories above his apartment, but he covered the ground in minutes. The door was open, and when he burst through the opening, he saw Janette sitting on the floor, Jordan’s head in her lap, blood covering her pants and the floor beside her.
“Is he breathing?” Aaron asked, dropping to the ground beside them.
“I don’t know,” she replied, clearly panicked.
Aaron felt for a pulse but couldn’t find one. “Did you call Jamie?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she repeated, and then shaking her head, said, “No. I didn’t know what to do.”
“Breathe, Janette,” he said, placing a hand on her arm, but he couldn’t blame her. He felt the panic rising within him as well, but he shoved it back down. He needed to focus.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he dialed Jamie’s number, who answered on the second ring. “Jamie, I need you in Jordan’s apartment right away. He’s been shot, and he’s not responsive.” Without a word in response, the doctor dropped the call, and Aaron knew he was on his way.
Aaron went to the kitchen to get a towel, thinking pressure on the wound might help some, though he didn’t think there was anything that could be done to help Jordan except for a potential miracle from Jamie. He returned and gently flipped the Guardian Leader over so that he could see the damage. A gaping hole in the back of Jordan’s head revealed the source of the blood. “What happened?” Aaron asked, trying to keep his voice calm as he pressed the towel to the entry point.
“Skelton,” Janette replied. “I wasn’t in here. He’d asked me to get… something out of the back. I don’t remember. I wasn’t gone two seconds when I heard a bang. I came running back in, and Jordan was on the ground, a revolver in Skelton’s hand. He said it was an accident. I knew not to trust him! I knew it!”
“Don’t worry about that now,” Aaron said, his voice much calmer than he felt on the inside. “I’m sure Jamie will do everything he can to help Jordan. Where did Skelton go?”
“He ran,” Janette replied, wringing her hands.
Before Aaron could assure her that they would find him, Jamie came through the doorway. Aaron moved out of the way and let the doctor take over. He helped Janette up as well, thinking Jamie needed as much space as possible. He led her over to the couch and sat her down, and she pulled on his arm, insisting he stay with her.
A few minutes later, other members of the team began to trickle in, including Hannah, who took one look at the situation and demanded everyone back out of the apartment. There was no need to form a crowd. They listened and she allowed them to stand in the hallway as Jamie continued to work. Though they were mostly quiet, Aaron could hear worried voices asking what had happened and some speculative questions.
After an hour of trying, Jamie collapsed on the floor next to Jordan. “I’m sorry…” he said. “It was too late.”
Janette buried her head in Aaron’s shoulder and began to sob. While he felt his heart breaking as well, he knew he needed to be strong right now, strong for the woman in his arms and strong for the rest of his team. It would be impossible to replace Jordan Findley, but if the task fell on his shoulders, he would do his best to lead the team the way Jordan had taught him to, with strength and courage, even under the bleakest of circumstances.
