Chapter 13

Joe’s Place was a hive of activity when the two immortals entered. They made their way to the bar and nodded a hello at Mike the bartender, and then both ordered a drink and turned to study the bar. Joe was on stage, the soft mellow tones of jazz issuing from his guitar. Although Duncan was a fan of the classics, he always enjoyed hearing Joe play. That man could make a guitar talk. His scratchy whiskey aged voice was soothing to the soul, and for an immortal, soothing was the only way to go at times.

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Jacqui sat quietly trying to catch a quick nap as she waited on the guys to decide what to do with the rest of the night. If tonight held true, they would sit around the arena for an hour or so jamming and joking around, allowing all fans to leave before leaving themselves. Somewhere inside that amount of time the guys would decide what to do with the rest of the night. Usually they would all want to go and check out the clubs in the area which meant she might be up all night, and being involved with Jon that also meant a couple more hours of love-making after that. A nap was the only way she could keep up at times.

All too soon she felt Jon’s gentle hand shaking her awake. “Hey babe, its time to go,” he said as he gave her a gentle kiss and smile. Looking up at him with sleepy eyes she nodded and pushed herself up and off the couch. “David, Tico and Alex are going to hit the hotel early tonight. Seems they’re tired,” Jon stated as he grinned at his friends. Each guy in turn gave Jacqui a bashful smile and waved as they left. “Richie, you and I though,” he winked, “are going to go party a bit and unwind from the day. That ok with you baby?”

Jacqui nodded and gathered her things, allowing Richie and Jon to lead the way to their limo. Stopping at the hotel they dropped the three off that wanted to sleep then headed off into the Seattle night. Leaning forward, Jon quizzed the driver about places to party, instead of listening to some concert coordinators idea of good places to unwind. The limo driver listed a few places then told them of a small out of the way place were a lot of people went for good drinks and music. He called the place Joe’s and said that the people there were pretty unassuming and usually left musicians alone.

Jon and Richie looked at each other and smiled. It sounded just like their kind of place. With a grin Richie called out, “Take us to the drinks at Joe’s dude!” The limo driver smiled and made the next left, heading out to the river and to a tiny spot favored by immortals and musicians alike. As they pulled up to the bar Richie and Jon could hear the faint wailing of a jazz tune caressing the night. Nodding to each other they could only grin. If the music was that good outside it was going to be that much better inside. After the limo came to a halt, Richie opened the door and hopped out, eager to be inside. Jon soon followed and reached back to offer his lady a hand out of the car.

As they walked inside you could visibly see them begin to relax. They made their way over to a booth in the corner and motioned for the waitress. Jacqui leaned back and watched Jon and Richie both get totally into the music. Yeah, they were rock musicians, but both of them could appreciate other styles. Turning her head towards Jon, she gave him a quiet smile as he mellowed out. The waitress returned a moment later with their drinks and Richie pulled out some cash and paid. As he was handing the waitress the cash he quietly asked if anyone ever just joined in with the guys on stage. With a laugh the waitress explained that at Joe’s anyone who wanted to jam was welcome. With a wink at Jon and the waitress he stood with a quiet “excuse me” and made his way to the stage.

Jacqui watched Richie make his way to the stage. It never failed. If there was an available guitar or way to sit in, Richie was going to jam with the group. As soon as Joe finished his solo, Richie got his attention and asked to sit in. Joe nodded quickly enough so Richie stepped on stage and picked up the guitar on the stand behind the grizzled bar owner. They conferred a few moments then went into a song that had the two guitarists dueling. The riffs flowed as each man centered into himself and made his respective guitar sing. She looked over at Jon, the question in her eyes about him wanting to join Richie on stage showing. He shook his head and smiled, being content to just sit there and soak in the atmosphere and music with his lady by his side. With a satisfied sigh she leaned against his shoulder and returned to watching her lover’s best friend play dueling guitarist.

Adam’s eyebrow arched as he noticed the dark haired guy join Joe onstage. He nudged Duncan to get his attention and nodded towards the stage. As his friend turned to study the stage, Adam took a quick glance around the room only to see the two pre-immortals in question nestled up together in a corner booth. He looked exhausted, the singer, yet totally peaceful as he nuzzled the girls neck. The young musician never moved to join his friend on stage, obviously content to let his friend be in the spotlight while he spent time wrapped up in his fine lady. Adam couldn’t help but smile at the picture they made before returning his attentions to the music and his beer.

As the evening wore on the smoke began to bother Jacqui’s eyes. It wasn’t a regular occurrence, but sometimes the smoke filled clubs could really make her eyes sting. Leaning over she whispered a quick “be right back” to Jon and made her way to the ladies room. Looking into the mirror she dabbed a bit of water on her face, hoping it would both take the sting away and help her wake up a bit. Richie was enjoying himself so much the night was dragging on longer than it usually did. Taking a deep breath she turned to make her way back to their table, stopping by the bar for a strong black cup of coffee. Standing there she sipped it slowly, relishing its heat and its strong stimulation.
It was one of those moments in time that a spur of the moment decision could change a person’s life. She had chosen to stand beside the Highlander and that in and of it-self was going to change her life in ways she would have never believed. She glanced over at him and recognized him from the VIP meet earlier. Smiling his way she finished her coffee, with never a word spoken between them.

At the edge of her awareness she noticed both men suddenly tensing as their eyes moved to a figure entering the doorway. The tension was so thick, she thought, she could have probably cut it with a knife. That kind of tension was never good so acknowledging that and knowing that discretion was definitely the better part of valor; she started to return to her table. Getting no more than two steps away, the man that the Highlander and his friend had been intently studying grabbed her by the waist and pulled her too him, and placed a wicked looking knife against her throat. With a gruff growl the man with the knife spoke, “Either come with me Highlander or your pretty lady is dead.”

Adam nearly cursed aloud. This wasn’t good, not good at all by any means.