Blake motioned to the end of the block. “Ronny lives out here. We thought we’d pay him a visit, see why he hasn’t contacted anybody about his girlfriend’s disappearance.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Wes grinned. He loved nothing more than driving a little fear into a man who didn’t treat his woman right.
Blake suppressed a chuckle. In that respect, they were the same, though they’d started out as competitors when they’d both first joined Scanguards and hadn’t always seen eye to eye. Shortly before they’d met, Wesley had found out that he was a witch. In the years that followed, he’d worked diligently to gain back the powers that his mother had robbed him of as a child, and now he was one of the most accomplished witches in the country. And he was on Scanguards’ side, though witches had traditionally been the vampires’ enemy.
“This way.”
He led the way while Wes and Lilo followed close behind. Ronny’s house was nothing special, a 1950s ranch-style house with a short driveway in front, a tiny untended patch of grass next to it, and a dilapidated wooden gate that only hung on one hinge.
Silently, Blake marched up to the front door and listened. It was about three hours before sunrise. No vampire would be asleep this time of night, but the house was quiet and dark.
He looked over his shoulder and motioned to Wes. He only had to point to the front door, and Wes knew what he needed to do.
Blake moved to the side to let his friend do his magic. And magic it truly was: a simple spell that unlocked any door. While Wes mumbled the verse as quietly as possible, Blake turned around to Lilo, his broad back shielding Wes from her view.
What is he doing? Lilo mouthed.
Blake shook his head and put his finger across his lips to indicate to her to remain quiet. For once, she complied, though she tried to spy past him to get a glimpse at Wes. The witch, however, was already done. There was a soft click, and the door eased open.
Blake lifted his hand to signal Lilo to remain where she was, while he nodded to Wes and slipped past him into the house. He let his senses roam. It smelled of vampire, but the scent was at least a day old. Nevertheless, he proceeded with caution as he moved farther into the house. There were two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Every room was empty.
He marched back into the hallway. “You can come in, he’s not here.”
As soon as Wes and Lilo entered and closed the door behind them, Blake flipped the light switch. He didn’t need the light to find his way around, but neither Wes nor Lilo possessed the superior night vision of a vampire.
“He’s gone?” Lilo asked, disappointment coloring her voice.
“I’m afraid so. But that’s not to say he’s not coming back.” Blake walked back into the living room. “He’s messy, but it doesn’t look like he’s moved out.”
“Maybe he left in a hurry,” Lilo suggested.
“Don’t think so,” Wes said, and pointed to a table. “He left his computer. And that looks like a pretty new Mac. Even if he was in a hurry, he would have taken that with him.”
“Wes is right.” He exchanged a look with his friend. “Let’s put surveillance on the house in case he comes back, and let’s take the computer with us.”
Lilo stared at him. “You’re gonna steal the computer? Don’t you need like, a warrant, or something?”
Blake winked at her. “Luckily, we’re not the police. Besides, we’ll give it back once we don’t need it anymore.”
“I’ll take it back to the office and have IT check it out,” Wes offered.
“Eddie can do it.” He pulled his cell from his pocket and dialed. The call was answered immediately.
“I was about to call you to tell you I’m leaving,” Eddie said, before Blake could say anything.
“I’ve got another computer for you to check out.”
“Sorry, can’t stay. Bring it to the office, and I’ll have one of my guys do it, but I need to get back to HQ. Thomas just called.”
“Fine. I’ll send Wes with the computer. Did you find anything else on Hannah’s laptop or tablet?”
“Not much. I’ll send a list of her web searches to your email so you can go through them and see what might be important. But there was nothing significant in her emails or any of the files on the computer.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and what do you want me to do about Nicholas and Adam?”
“They’ll be fine on their own for a short while. I should be back within an hour. Tell them not to answer the door while they’re alone, and to run for the safe room if they hear or see anything suspicious.” The kids knew the drill. He wasn’t too worried.
“Sounds good. Leaving now.”
“Thanks, Eddie.”
He shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Let’s see if there’s anything else that could tell us if he took Hannah and where they might have gone. Lilo, why don’t you start in the bedroom?”
She nodded and disappeared.
Blake followed Wes into the kitchen. “Wes, another thing,” he said quietly, so Lilo wouldn’t hear them.
“Yeah?”