Blake's Pursuit (Scanguards Vampires, #11)(49)



He clicked on the play button of a video file. Lilo’s eyes widened. It was the same video that she’d shown to Donnelly. She turned to Blake, and he leaned closer.

“Donnelly sent a copy to our IT guys the moment you left the station,” Blake explained, anticipating her question.

Surprised to see how attuned he was to her, she just stared at him, but Wesley was already continuing with his explanations.

“Miss Schroeder found this video hidden among Hannah’s personal items. It appears that it was taken in secret in Hannah’s flat. And for some reason that we’re not quite sure of yet, Hannah hid it. The man on the right is Ronny, her boyfriend. The other man we’ve identified as Steven Norwood. He’s in our database. And listen to this.” He switched to another application. A man’s face appeared on the screen. “Luther, you’re on.”

“Hey guys,” the rugged-looking man on the screen said. He was wearing black riot gear, as if he worked for the military or a bomb squad.

Greetings echoed through the room.

“Steven Norwood was released from the Grass Valley vampire prison eight months ago,” Luther continued. “According to his file, he was no trouble. Served his time in peace and quiet.”

Was she hearing correctly? There was a vampire prison?

“I’ve sent his file to Thomas. There’s an old address in San Francisco, but I doubt Norwood returned there. I would lend you one of our trackers, but we’ve got our hands full here right now and can’t spare any.”

Samson rose and took the microphone from Wes. “No worries, Luther, thanks. Anything else you can tell us about the guy?”

Luther leafed through the file. “Nothing really. He’s got ordinary written all over him.” He motioned to somebody off camera. “Sorry, guys, gotta go. We’ve got a situation here.”

“Thanks, Luther,” Samson replied and turned back to the assembly, while behind him the screen went dark. “Let’s talk about how we’re gonna find these guys and put a stop to their operation. Tactical teams, get together your best and brightest. I want suggestions presented to me in two hours.”

“What about finding Hannah?” Lilo murmured to herself.

She felt Blake’s hand on her shoulder. “That’s my first priority. I promise you.”





26


The moment the assembled Scanguards employees dispersed, Samson made a beeline for him. Blake had expected as much.

“My office, now. Both of you.” Though Samson’s voice carried no menace, his tone was firm.

Blake noticed Lilo shiver and immediately gripped her elbow. She shot him an apprehensive look, but allowed him to guide her out of the conference room. He wanted to reassure her that nothing bad would happen to her, but he was within Samson’s earshot and knew better than to say anything before he found out what his boss wanted. So he remained silent and instead stroked his thumb along Lilo’s arm where he was holding her and hoped she would find comfort in his touch.

Samson entered his office, a large windowless room, and Blake followed him with Lilo. When the door fell shut behind them, Samson turned and ran an assessing gaze over Lilo.

“Miss Schroeder, as you may or may not be aware, Blake bringing you here was against our rules.”

Blake opened his mouth to explain, but Samson silenced him by lifting his hand.

“I understand why Blake did this. Obviously he cares about you. That being said, I want to make sure that you understand the rules we live by.”

Lilo nodded wordlessly.

“We’ve operated in this city for many decades without exposure. Our secret has been kept by not only our own species, but also by members of yours. The humans who work for us and know our secret are loyal to us. They’ve sworn an oath to protect our secret. However, there have been circumstances, where we’ve been forced to accept that not every human can keep a secret. When that happens, we take action.”

Blake felt Lilo stiffen next to him and reached for her hand, clasping it. It was icy.

“So you kill them. I understand,” she murmured, her voice shaky.

“Kill?” Samson furrowed his brow and shifted his gaze to Blake. “What the hell have you been telling her about us?”

“I’m afraid Lilo only found out about vampires a few hours ago. I’ve not been able to fully convince her yet that we don’t kill people.”

“Ahh.” Samson pulled in a breath, his nostrils flaring now, his gaze meeting Blake’s. “Very well. I see you have your work cut out for yourself.” With a smile, he addressed Lilo, “What I want to say is: we don’t kill. Not innocents anyway. But if a human can’t keep our secrets, we have to wipe his or her memory. It’s a painless process, and it will make life easier for all involved. I want you to know that this option is open to you.”

“No!” Blake protested, drawing both Samson’s and Lilo’s stunned looks onto him. “I mean, I’m sure that won’t be necessary.” He didn’t want Lilo’s memory erased. It would mean she wouldn’t remember him. And he wanted her to remember him. Hell, he wanted her to know everything about him, to trust him.

“You know the rules, Blake. Every human who accidentally learns of our secret is given a choice, should the circumstances warrant it. I think in this case, Miss Schroeder should be given a choice. If she wants her old life back once all this is over and we’ve found her friend and dealt with the guilty party, you’ll have to let her decide.”

Tina Folsom's Books