Blake caught up with her. “We’re not going without backup. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. He might not be alone.”
“Good idea. Let’s call the police.” She pulled Donnelly’s card from her pocket. He’d handed it to her, telling her to call his direct line if anything else came up.
“No. If the police show up, he’ll run. Besides, they have no probable cause to act. We’ll check it out ourselves first.” He dialed a number on his phone. “I’ll get somebody from the company to help us.”
“But if he’s dangerous, the police are much better equipped to—”
Blake lifted his hand to stop her. “Hey, Wes, I need your help. Can you meet me out in the Excelsior?” He paused for a moment. “Yes, now. I’ll text you the address. And, Wes, we don’t wanna wake anybody up and alert them to our arrival. Bring your bag of tricks, just in case.” He disconnected the call.
“What bag of tricks?” Lilo asked, curious.
“The usual equipment any bodyguard has. Plus, a few extras. In case the guy gives us any trouble.”
“You mean stuff to tie him up with? Or are you talking about something to… make him tell us where Hannah is?”
He took her elbow and ushered her out of the apartment. “We’re not the CIA.”
“Could’ve fooled me, considering all the resources you have at your disposal,” she shot back.
She’d never encountered a law enforcement agency or private security firm that worked as seamlessly and efficiently as the company that employed Blake. And she’d researched the field thoroughly for her mystery series. So why, if Scanguards was so good at what they did, had she never heard of them?
~
Wesley, Scanguards’ resident witch, was already waiting for them, when Blake pulled up in his Aston Martin. Wes had parked his black BMW a block away from Ronny’s house. The license plate, WTW—Wesley, The Witch—was hard to miss.
Blake parked behind Wes and killed the engine.
“I would tell you to stay in the car, but I’m guessing you’d ignore me.” He glanced at Lilo whose hand was already on the door handle.
She stopped in mid-motion, and met his eyes. From somewhere, light reflected in them, and for a moment he was mesmerized by her cornflower-blue irises. They should signify innocence, but in Lilo they accentuated her mysteriousness. She’d told him a lot by her actions, her willingness to fly halfway across the country to look for Hannah, her determination to put herself in harm’s way if only it would bring her a step closer to her friend. He admired that in a person. And even more so in a human who didn’t even know what she was up against.
But he knew: whatever the reason for Hannah’s disappearance, the evidence was mounting that a vampire was behind it. The fact that Ronny was a Vüber client confirmed that he was a vampire, because only vampires were allowed to sign up for the service. So if Hannah was dating a vampire, and had disappeared three days ago, why had her loving boyfriend not reached out to Scanguards? It was an open secret in the vampire community that Scanguards dealt with any vampire-related crimes. Ronny would have been assured discretion and wouldn’t have had to hide who or what he was.
“Thank you…”
Lilo’s voice pulled him from his reverie. Their gazes locked.
“…for everything you’re doing for Hannah. Without you, I don’t know what I’d be doing.”
He felt himself move closer, drawn to her soft voice and tender gaze.
“She’s very lucky to have a colleague like you,” Lilo continued. “Somebody who’s watching out for her.” She lifted her hand as if to touch him.
A knock at the window made Lilo pull her hand back and Blake twist his head.
Wesley stood on the driver’s side, his head tilted to the side, his eyes rolling.
Quickly, Blake opened the door and got out.
“If you wanted an audience for your make-out session, you should have told me in advance. I would have brought popcorn.”
“That was not a—”
He left the sentence unfinished when Lilo appeared next to him.
“Lilo, this is Wesley. He also works for Scanguards.”
They shook hands.
“Hi, Wesley. Sorry to drag you out here,” Lilo apologized.
Wes jerked his thumb at Blake. “I’m used to it from him.” He shifted his gaze. “So, what’s this about?”
“One of our Vüber employees is missing. You might know her: Hannah Bergdorf.”
“Pretty redhead?” Wes asked.
Blake nodded. “That’s her. She hasn’t been seen or heard from in three days. Lilo here is her best friend and flew out from Nebraska to try to find her. We’ve already searched her flat, and we have reason to believe that her boyfriend has something to do with it. He was one of her Vüber clients.” The last sentence he added to make sure Wes understood that Hannah’s boyfriend was a vampire.
“Ah, I see.”