One Week Later
Jarod sat in his hotel room, wondering what he could do to convince
Willow that he was here to help her. Over the last few days, he had been following her whenever he
could. He had observed her
interaction with Mr. Lyle. She
seemed to have really fallen for him, which would make Jarod's task even
harder. How could her convince her
that the man she loved was just using her. And not only that, but also that Mr. Lyle was an evil man, a
killer who worked for a horrible organization.
Jarod
was startled when there was a knock on his door. He opened it a crack, keeping the chain on. Before him stood a pale man who had bleached
blond hair.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you Jarod?"
Jarod studied the man for a moment before answering. "Yes. Who are you?"
"I'm Spike. I'm a...a friend...of Willow's. I think we should talk."
Jarod closed the door, removed the chain, and opened it again. He prepared himself for an attack,
after what had happened last time he had a run-in with one of Willow's
friends. When Spike just stood
there, Jarod stepped aside and motioned for him to enter.
Spike cleared his throat. "Would you ask me in?"
Narrowing his eyes, Jarod's mind raced. "Do you need me to?"
"Yes."
"You're a vampire?"
"Well, you're certainly smarter than the average person in this
town. But due to some bloody
minded government types, I can't hurt humans." Spike explained.
"Why should I trust you?" Jarod asked.
"Well, you probably shouldn't. I am a big bag vampire after all. But I want to talk to you about Willow. And since you're the one seeking her
out, you might just have to trust me anyway."
Jarod considered this for a moment. "All right. Come inside. Let's
talk."
Spike entered and looked around. There was the usual hotel chair, but it
looked uncomfortable as hell, so Spike sat down on the edge of the bed. He sat,
staring at Jarod expectantly.
After a moment, Jarod sighed and pulled the chair over and sat down.
"Now, the thing is," Spike began, "I don't trust Robert
Lyle."
"That's smart." Jarod replied.
"But," Spike continued, "I don't' know if I can trust you
either. Just because Lyle has an
ulterior motive, doesn't mean youÕre a good guy. You could both be out to hurt
Willow."
"Mr. Lyle works for an organization called the Centre."
Spike nodded. "Yeah he
told us about it. Said they fight
demons."
Jarod let out a harsh laugh. "Hardly. The Centre isn't interested in saving the world. They are only interested in making a profit for themselves. They've caused the deaths for a countless number of people. They took me away from my family when I was a child. I'm what they call a Pretender.