Sacrifice (Book 2)

Chapter 2 - A Little Café Off Times Square

Cole Parker walked into Gregorys and the little bell above the door chimed. That's helpful, he thought. He stepped up to the counter and ordered two coffees as a courtesy, knowing one would end up in the trash untouched. He wondered if Madison would go through the motions and pretend to drink it, like she had the first time he met her. The order came up and he headed to the last open table in the back. He pulled off his black leather gloves, shrugged out of the long wool overcoat, and took a seat with his back against the wall. Sipping his coffee, he scanned the customers' faces and studied the café layout.

The starch in his collar dug into his neck and he pulled the knot on his tie to loosen it. Wiping a damp palm on his pant leg, he realized his knee bounced under the small bistro table. The bell over the entrance shook and he looked up to see two businessmen enter.

He pulled out his phone and reread the text Madison had sent him last week:

Can you meet me next Friday in New York at Gregorys Coffee, off Times Square, at 5:00 p.m.?

He tried to track the message, but found it was sent via an SMS gateway from a computer with a fraudulent IP address. He should have known she wouldn't be that easy to find. She was smarter than that. After all, she had evaded them this long.

It had been nearly four years since he'd seen her. Four years since he helped Ethan and his sisters rescue the trafficked women in San Francisco. Since he took that bullet and died. Since she filled his mouth with her blood and brought him back to life. Then disappeared off the face of the Earth without explanation, leaving only a letter telling him not to go looking for her.

Metal jingled again and he looked up. Three college-age guys with backpacks walked in and headed to the counter. Cole glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 4:29. He laughed to himself. She would be walking in the door any second now.

He listened to the bell sound again and ignored it. She wasn't there yet. He tapped the end of his cell on the table, then checked his incoming calls. A CI left a voice message. He'd handle it later.

And then he felt her. Outside on the street. He saw a woman walking towards the entrance. She didn't look anything like the last time he'd seen her, but he knew it was she.

The woman stopped at the door and pulled it open.

Cole drew in a sharp breath. "Fuc..." he whispered as blood roared to life in his body.

She locked eyes with him as she walked in. He wasn't prepared for the kick in the gut he felt at seeing her. Or the image in his mind of her naked on his lap, with her teeth sunk into his skin. He was struck with a heated desire he hadn't felt in years. It was fierce and overwhelming, consuming him in one large bite. He wanted her all over again. He was hard in an instant and angry. Angry that she'd left him and he hadn't been able to chase her down.

And what the hell was that other feeling? The one that kept roaring...Mine?

Madison headed towards his table. She looked younger than he remembered. But maybe that was because she wore skinny jeans, an "I love New York" t-shirt, and a pair of classic Chuck Ts. She'd changed her hair color. The blond was now deep brown. She was thin, too thin, and taller. Judging by the marker on the door, he guessed she was about six feet now. Cole briefly wondered if that was possible. And then he remembered a conversation between the two of them about "residuals" and how she could change her appearance by absorbing the DNA of her blood donors. He'd actually seen the residual effects on Ethan once--by accident. The only part of her that hadn't changed was her eyes. Her eyes were still that same amazing blue. Like a tropical ocean, bright blue and green. But there was a weariness in them that hadn't been there before. Cole found his anger waning. Replacing it was a desire to put the spark back in those baby blues.

A cautious smile crept across Madison's face as she reached his side. "Special Agent, Parker," she said as her smile went full bloom.

Cole stood, shook his head and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Miss V, I presume," he replied, only mildly irritated at the greeting she knew he preferred she not use.

Madison took off her leather jacket and placed it along with her purse on the chair next to them, and sat down.

The tension between them was understandable. There was so much left unsaid. So many questions that needed answers. Neither of them knew quite where to begin.

Cole moved the second coffee across the table to her. "How have you been?" It seemed the safest way to begin.

Madison shrugged and looked away from him. "Fine, I guess."

She wasn't going to make this easy. But she had contacted him, and given the way she'd vanished and not communicated with Ethan or the girls since then, he knew it must be important. "You look thin. Are you eating okay?"

Madison smirked. "Why, Parker, are you offering me a snack?"

There was a sharpness in her tone that concerned him. Yes, they knew how to spar verbally, but it had always been in good spirit, a game of chess between them to see who could come out ahead. Cole looked at her face. She was pale and her skin had a thin transparent quality to it. "When was the last time you ate?"

She dropped her eyes to the paper cup and wrapped her hands around it. "It doesn't matter. I'm fine. Look--"

Cole reached across the table and took her hand. "No, you look at me. When was the last time you ate?"

Cole watched her war with herself. She fidgeted in her seat and wouldn't meet his gaze. Finally, she closed her eyes and seemed to take a calming breath.

"I'm fine, really. That's not why I asked you here."

Still holding her hand, Cole waited for her to continue.

"I'm sure you have questions--"

"You're damn straight I do," he said, releasing her hand and allowing some of his frustration out.

The pain flipped back into her eyes, though they didn't raise from the cup. "I'll answer as many questions as I can. And then you can tell me how my family is doing," she said in a whisper. "How have you been?" She twisted the cup back and forth on the table.

Cole picked up his cellphone and thought for a moment. He tapped it hard on an edge twice to get her attention and make her look at him. "Oh no, Madison. The first question that's going to be answered is--what the hell am I?"

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Author's note: If you are back after reading Offering, drop me a comment! I can't wait to reconnect. If you are new--Welcome, drop me a note too. I always reply. Every vote counts, and I so appreciate yours!