Ronny’s eyes darted to the clock on the wall. “In about two hours.”
“Okay.” He looked at his colleagues. “Let’s get IT on this. We’ll prepare for any eventuality.” They had plenty of protocols in place for this. “And when they call Ronny, our friend here will request that they bring Hannah to the meeting place.”
“It’s gonna make them suspicious,” Ronny cautioned.
“She needs to be there, so we can get to her. You want her back, don’t you?”
Ronny nodded.
“Then you’ll do as I say.” Blake took a breath and rubbed a hand over his face. “Let’s get ready.”
John put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. “We’ve got it covered. Why don’t you take a breather?”
“Good idea,” Samson said, before Blake could protest. “That’s an order.”
“Oh, uh, Blake,” Thomas said through the speakers.
Blake lifted his gaze to the window, though he couldn’t see Thomas behind it.
“Lilo is here.”
“Where?”
“Up here in the observation booth.”
Oh shit! How long had she been up there? Had she heard what Ronny had said, that one of the bullets he’d fired that night had had her name on it? He could only imagine how she must feel.
“I’ll be there in a second.”
~
Lilo followed Blake silently as he led her to his office and shut the door behind them. Too many thoughts were swarming in her mind, producing too many conflicting emotions. Residual annoyance about Blake having left her behind was still coursing through her veins, but now something else was keeping it company. But first things first.
“How are we gonna save Hannah?” she asked. “I heard everything Ronny said. But I didn’t hear what Scanguards’ plan is now that we know Ronny doesn’t have her. What are we gonna do?”
Blake reached for her, but she pressed her hand against his chest, pushing him back. A guarded expression spread on his face. “Let us do our job. Trust me on this. Everybody is working on this already. By the time Norwood calls Ronny, we will have prepared for anything he can throw at us. We’ve done this many times before. We’re good at this.”
She breathed to calm herself. Yes, she’d seen Scanguards in action. But she wished she could do something. “I know you and your colleagues are good at what you’re doing. But I need to do something, too. I need to help, too.”
He shook his head and smiled. “There’s nothing for you to do. I know you hate waiting, but maybe I can occupy you until we get the call?” He smiled and leaned in.
She pushed him back. “Not so fast!”
He pulled back, his forehead furrowing. “I get the sneaky feeling that I’ve said or done something you don’t approve of.”
She huffed. “Where do I even start?” She planted her hands on her hips. “First of all, you can’t just use sex to make me compliant so you can leave without me! I wanted to come with you.”
“I told you it was too dangerous.”
“Bullshit! Quinn told me there were eight of you and one of him. It wouldn’t have hurt if you had taken me. But no, because I’m a woman, you think you can steamroll me.”
“Well, apparently I’m paying for it now…” he remarked dryly.
“You think that’s all? I haven’t even started yet!”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “What else have I done?”
“You’re dominant and full of yourself!”
He lifted an eyebrow. “That’s harsh. I didn’t think you had any objections to my dominance earlier. If I recall correctly, you enjoyed it tremendously when I—”
“I’m not talking about the sex!” She scoffed. “I’m talking about you! How you behaved in that interrogation room.”
“How I interrogate prisoners is up to me.” He narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed now.
Well, so was she! “You told Ronny to keep his hands off your woman. Damn it, Blake, you have no right to talk about me like that! You told him I was yours. As if I were your property!”
Blake’s mouth suddenly twisted into a smile and he dropped his arms. “So that’s your problem? That I told Ronny that I would kill him if he hurt you? That’s what you take offense to?” He laughed.
How dare he laugh? “This is serious! I won’t be treated like one of your possessions! Just because you’re a vampire and stronger than I, you think you can order me around! I won’t have it.”
“Ah, how I love feisty women.” He reached past her and flipped the lock shut.
She shot him a stunned look. “What are you doing?”
“I’m ensuring that we have privacy while we discuss our relationship.”
She swallowed, her throat parched. “Relationship?”
He moved closer, forcing her to step back until she hit the wall. “Yeah, our relationship. So you think I’m stronger than you because I’m a vampire? I guess you must have forgotten that I was at your mercy not twenty-four hours ago. I put my life in your hands, trusting you to keep me safe. Don’t you remember that side of me? And what about when we made love? Don’t you remember the power you had over me then?”