Blake's Pursuit (Scanguards Vampires, #11)(3)

The linebacker-sized vampire with the shoulder-length dark hair and the piercing blue eyes acknowledged him with a sideways glance, pointing to the phone as he murmured, “Donnelly is giving us the weekly crime report. You haven’t missed anything.”

“What worries me, Samson,” Detective Donnelly was saying through the speakerphone, “is that there are way more robberies and home invasions than usual. Something is up.”

Samson, Scanguards’ founder, a tall vampire with sleek black hair and a chiseled face and physique, rested his elbows on the table and leaned a little closer to the speakerphone. “What do you want me to do, Mike? You know as well as I that Scanguards only gets involved in city business when it concerns infractions committed by vampires. That’s our deal. And from what you’re telling us, most of these crimes are committed during daylight.”

The implication was clear: the crimes couldn’t have been committed by vampires, who needed the cover of darkness to operate safely.

Zane grunted in agreement. Blake tossed him a quick glance. As usual, the bald vampire looked like he was ready to rip somebody’s head off. Zane’s eyes flickered down to his watch and then he pushed his chair back, nodding to Samson. “Flight’s in a few hours. Gotta get ready.”

Samson nodded back, and then exchanged a look with his second-in-command, Gabriel.

Gabriel shrugged indifferently, but the scar that marred the left side of his face ticked, a sure sign that he was affected by the matter. The scar stretched from his ear to his chin, a gruesome reminder of the emotional and physical pain he’d endured as a human.

“Come on, guys, the city compensates you handsomely for your consulting services,” Donnelly added now. “Just this once. Just have one of your guys look into it.”

Gabriel sighed and met Samson’s eyes directly. “How about John? Maybe he can check it out, determine whether there’s anything odd about these robberies? Won’t take him longer than a day or two, I reckon.”

Quinn, who’d been silent until now, ran a hand through his blond hair. He looked no older than mid-twenties, though he was close to two hundred years older than Blake. “I can pull John off patrol duty for a couple of nights, but I’ll need a replacement for him.”

“Take Grayson,” Samson agreed. “I’m sure he’ll be chomping at the bit.”

Gabriel chuckled. “You’re gonna let him go out there on his own?”

“You know my son as well as I do. He’s been badgering me for months to give him his own patrol. Maybe this is a good opportunity to see if he’s ready.”

“He’s twenty-one, it’s about time he pulled his weight!” Quinn interjected, laughing.

Amaury shook his head. “Wait until the twins find out. They’ll want their own patrol, too. You’re opening a big can of worms here.” Amaury’s twins Benjamin and Damian were twenty, only one year younger than Grayson, and absolute hellions.

“Don’t you trust your boys to do a good job?” Gabriel asked.

“It’s not Benjamin or Damian I’m worried about. Nina isn’t ready to let them go.”

Blake had to smile. Amaury’s blood-bonded mate was a force to be reckoned with. Though she was human, Amaury was putty in her hands. “You’ve gotta put your foot down, Amaury.”

Quinn’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Too late for that. That comes from letting your mate wear the pants.”

Amaury grunted and shot Quinn a look. “Like you have any more control over your woman than I have over mine!”

Samson raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Hey, guys, let’s get back to business.”

Blake glanced at his boss. Yeah, Samson was in exactly the same boat as the rest of the blood-bonded vampires: they were all dependent on their women, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“So we got a deal?” Donnelly asked through the speakerphone.

“Yeah, we got a deal. I’ll have John call and coordinate with you. You get forty-eight hours. Then I’m pulling him off.”

“Okay. Thanks.” There was a soft rustling of papers, then Donnelly continued, “Can we go over the vampire case files now? I’ve got a few updates.”

“Go ahead,” Samson agreed.

There was a faint knock at the door, followed by a creak as it opened a sliver. Finn, a young employee of Vüber, one of Scanguards’ subsidiaries, popped his head in. Several heads turned to him.

“Sorry,” Finn apologized quickly, “but it’s important. Blake, a word.”

Blake rose. “Excuse me for a sec.” He walked outside, and eased the door shut behind him. “What’s going on?”

Finn shifted from one foot to the other, appearing nervous. “Well, I’m not sure. But you told me if there’s ever a problem with Hannah Bergdorf, I should let you know personally.”

Blake’s heartbeat instantly went into overdrive. Hannah, one of the many human drivers who worked for Vüber, a company that transported vampires around the city during daytime, stood under his personal protection. “Hannah? What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure, but she hasn’t accepted any fares lately. And she didn’t call in sick or anything.” Finn shrugged.

“How long has she not worked?”