Blake's Pursuit (Scanguards Vampires, #11)(17)

“Finn, it’s Blake. Can you please go through Vüber’s customer records and find anybody with the name of Ron, or Ronny, or Ronald. Cross-reference anybody you find with the fares Hannah Bergdorf accepted in the last eight months. Can you do that for me?”

“When do you need it by?”

“ASAP.”

“Give me about an hour and a half.”

“Thanks. Call me as soon as you have something.”

“No prob.”

Blake disconnected the phone. “We should know more in a couple of hours.”

Lilo shook her head, disbelief coloring her features. “I’m amazed at all the things your company can do. I mean, you seem to have more resources than the police. And you work a lot faster than they do.”

He grinned. “Don’t tell them or they’ll get envious.”

She hesitated, studying him for a long moment. “What you’re doing… it’s legal, isn’t it?”

“Of course it’s legal. The customer records belong to the company. We decide what to do with them, particularly when it means protecting one of our employees. So don’t worry about it.”

“Hey, I’m in,” Eddie interrupted.

Blake jumped up and rushed to Eddie’s side. “Let’s see. Go to her emails.”

Lilo walked to Eddie’s other side and looked over his shoulder, too, while he scrolled through Hannah’s inbox, scanning the emails. For fifteen minutes they all silently perused her messages, but there was nothing that gave any clue as to Hannah’s whereabouts or what she had wanted to speak to Lilo about so urgently.

“Nothing,” Blake said, frustrated. He ran a hand through his hair. “How about her calendar?”

Eddie navigated to her online calendar. A second later, he looked up, surprised. “Not a single entry.”

“Hannah was paranoid that her computer would crash and she’d lose all her appointment info.” Lilo met Eddie’s look. “She always wrote them on paper. She kept a diary.”

Blake nodded. “We need to find it.” He rounded the desk. “Eddie, can you go through whatever else is on the computer? And the tablet, too. Files, browsing history, etcetera, while I go over to Hannah’s flat and search for her diary?”

“Sure thing, just be quick about it.” He looked at his wristwatch. “I’ve gotta be back at the office in a couple of hours.”

“No worries. I won’t be long. And keep an eye on the boys while I’m gone, will you?”

Blake was about to storm out, when he heard footsteps behind him. He looked over his shoulder. Lilo was following him.

“I’ll be able to find it faster than you. I know Hannah’s taste. I know what her diary would look like.”

“Then describe it for me.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, drawing his eyes to those tempting curves. “I’m coming with you.”

“Damn it, Lilo. What if that intruder comes back while we’re there?”

“In that case it’s even more important that you don’t go alone.”

He did a double take. “Are you trying to imply that you’d be protecting me?”

From behind him, he heard Eddie chuckle. Without taking his eyes off Lilo, he growled, “Not funny, Eddie.”

Yeah, it was so not funny that this woman was getting under his skin with such ease.

Or that he was allowing it.

And possibly even enjoying it.





10


Lilo felt the air sizzle between them when they were back in the car, heading for Hannah’s apartment. Blake was clearly not used to a woman ignoring his orders.

“I’m not ungrateful, you know,” she started.

He didn’t take his eyes off the road. “I didn’t say you were.”

She scoffed. “You didn’t have to.”

“I’m just trying to protect you. It’s bad enough that Hannah has disappeared. How can I find her, how can I function normally, if I have to worry about you too?

For a moment she was speechless. Blake would find it hard to function if he had to worry about her? Instinctively she shook her head. That was impossible. It would imply that he cared. About her. When he didn’t even know her.

“What?” he barked.

She looked at his profile, and she finally understood. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“You’re as stressed out about this whole thing as I am, and I’m only causing you more grief.” She stared out the side window and watched the lights whizz past it. “You’re used to doing all this without somebody interfering. You don’t need my help to find Hannah.” She sniffled. “It’s just… I want to help. I want to know that I’m doing something to find my friend. I owe her that.” Her voice cracked. Damn it! She wasn’t gonna cry, not now when she’d tried to be so brave all night.

A warm hand clasping hers made her whip her head in Blake’s direction. She found him looking at her, his gaze kind and understanding.

“We both want the same thing: to find Hannah.” He smiled. “And I do need your help. If you hadn’t mentioned that Ronny was a Vüber client, we wouldn’t have any leads.”

He released her hand, making her realize how much the innocent touch had comforted her.