Blake's Pursuit (Scanguards Vampires, #11)(16)

“What can I do?”

Blake ushered him into his office.

“Haven’t had time to unpack, huh?” Eddie asked, pointing at the boxes that were stacked up against one wall.

Blake grinned. “Maybe I’ll get Nicholas and Adam to give me a hand while they’re here.”

Eddie chuckled. “Yeah, good luck with that.” He sauntered to the desk. “Is that the laptop you wanted me to have a crack at?”

“Yes, it belongs to Hannah Bergdorf. Have at it.”

“Do I know her?”

“She works for Vüber and disappeared three days ago.”

Eddie nodded and slunk into the chair behind the desk. He pulled out a small electronic device from his pocket and connected it to the computer, then booted up the machine. While he waited, Eddie asked, “Did you check her last Vüber ride to see if a customer could be involved in her disappearance?”

“Finn sent me the info of her last ride, but I have the feeling that’s a dead end.”

“Why?”

“Her last ride was a Scanguards employee: Roxanne. I left a message for Roxanne to call me, but you know she’s solid. I’d trust her with my life.”

Eddie nodded and started typing on the keyboard. “Same here.” Then he fell silent, focusing on his task.

Blake walked to the window and stared out into the darkness. In five hours, the sun would come up, limiting him in his search for Hannah. While he didn’t need much sleep, he wouldn’t be able to explore every lead during the daytime. He would have to rely on others, mostly hybrids, whom the sun’s rays couldn’t hurt.

Fortunately, Blake’s house was outfitted with several special features, designed by Scanguards’ IT expert Thomas, which made it easier to hide his vampiric nature from Lilo. The windows were treated with special UV-impenetrable coating, making it possible for him to move around unimpeded, without the need for heavy, drawn curtains during the daytime. As long as Nicholas and Adam didn’t trip him up, his secret was safe.

“Hi.”

The quiet female voice made him turn. Lilo stood in the open door to his office, hesitating. He motioned her to approach, and walked toward her. “Come in, Lilo.” He pointed to Eddie. “This is my colleague Eddie.”

Eddie lifted his head for a moment and gave a quick nod of acknowledgement. “Hey.” Then he immersed himself in his work again.

“I thought you might have gone to sleep.”

She shook her blond locks. “I can’t sleep. Too much has happened.”

“I know. Come, I want to talk to you.” He pointed to the Chesterfield couch in one corner of the office.

Lilo sat down, and he followed her. “I want to know more about this Ronny. We need to find him.”

“I’ve told the police everything I know.”

“Tell me again. Maybe there was something you missed. Every detail is important.” Blake sat on the edge of the couch and turned sideways, his elbows resting on his knees, leaning toward her. “Tell me everything Hannah told you about him.”

Lilo sighed. “It started maybe six to eight months ago. She didn’t tell me at first, maybe because she knew I wouldn’t approve of him.”

“Why?”

“Hannah is too good. She’s the kind of person who picks up strays, because she pities them, and then ends up a penniless cat lady.”

Involuntarily, Blake had to smile. “She always thinks the best of people.”

“Unfortunately,” Lilo agreed. “But it never ends well. I knew Ronny was a loser from the moment she told me about him.”

“A loser? In what way?”

She huffed. “Well, for starters, he was in between jobs.” She made air quotes around the words to emphasize her disdain. “I don’t think you can be in between jobs, when you’ve never had a real job.”

“So how did he make money?”

Lilo shrugged. “Hell knows. Sponging off girlfriends?”

“You think he used Hannah?”

“Probably. Or he did something illegal. She always made excuses for him when I asked why he hadn’t gotten a job.”

“What kind of excuses?”

“That he couldn’t work the hours they wanted him to work. That there weren’t that many jobs that would let him work the nightshift.” She threw up her hands. “I mean, who wants to work the nightshift if they don’t have to? Particularly if your girlfriend works during the day. That makes no sense at all.”

“Hmm.” Blake pretended to think about that, as he’d already guessed the reason why Ronny wanted to work the nightshift. “Did Hannah ever mention how she and Ronny met?”

“Through her job somehow.”

“You sure?”

“I think he was a customer, and they got to talking one day.”

This was the break he’d been looking for. Excitedly, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. While dialing, he said to Lilo, “If he was a customer, Vüber will have his information. He would have had to sign up for an account.”

Lilo’s face brightened with hope. She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Oh, I hope you’re right.”

The call was answered. “It’s Finn, what’s up?”