She stopped in mid-motion, and met his eyes. From somewhere, light reflected in them, and for a moment he was mesmerized by her cornflower-blue irises. They should signify innocence, but in Lilo they accentuated her mysteriousness. She’d told him a lot by her actions, her willingness to fly halfway across the country to look for Hannah, her determination to put herself in harm’s way if only it would bring her a step closer to her friend. He admired that in a person. And even more so in a human who didn’t even know what she was up against.

But he knew: whatever the reason for Hannah’s disappearance, the evidence was mounting that a vampire was behind it. The fact that Ronny was a Vüber client confirmed that he was a vampire, because only vampires were allowed to sign up for the service. So if Hannah was dating a vampire, and had disappeared three days ago, why had her loving boyfriend not reached out to Scanguards? It was an open secret in the vampire community that Scanguards dealt with any vampire-related crimes. Ronny would have been assured discretion and wouldn’t have had to hide who or what he was.

“Thank you…”

Lilo’s voice pulled him from his reverie. Their gazes locked.

“…for everything you’re doing for Hannah. Without you, I don’t know what I’d be doing.”

He felt himself move closer, drawn to her soft voice and tender gaze.

“She’s very lucky to have a colleague like you,” Lilo continued. “Somebody who’s watching out for her.” She lifted her hand as if to touch him.

A knock at the window made Lilo pull her hand back and Blake twist his head.

Wesley stood on the driver’s side, his head tilted to the side, his eyes rolling.

Quickly, Blake opened the door and got out.

“If you wanted an audience for your make-out session, you should have told me in advance. I would have brought popcorn.”

“That was not a—”

He left the sentence unfinished when Lilo appeared next to him.

“Lilo, this is Wesley. He also works for Scanguards.”

They shook hands.

“Hi, Wesley. Sorry to drag you out here,” Lilo apologized.

Wes jerked his thumb at Blake. “I’m used to it from him.” He shifted his gaze. “So, what’s this about?”

“One of our Vüber employees is missing. You might know her: Hannah Bergdorf.”

“Pretty redhead?” Wes asked.

Blake nodded. “That’s her. She hasn’t been seen or heard from in three days. Lilo here is her best friend and flew out from Nebraska to try to find her. We’ve already searched her flat, and we have reason to believe that her boyfriend has something to do with it. He was one of her Vüber clients.” The last sentence he added to make sure Wes understood that Hannah’s boyfriend was a vampire.

“Ah, I see.”

Blake motioned to the end of the block. “Ronny lives out here. We thought we’d pay him a visit, see why he hasn’t contacted anybody about his girlfriend’s disappearance.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Wes grinned. He loved nothing more than driving a little fear into a man who didn’t treat his woman right.

Blake suppressed a chuckle. In that respect, they were the same, though they’d started out as competitors when they’d both first joined Scanguards and hadn’t always seen eye to eye. Shortly before they’d met, Wesley had found out that he was a witch. In the years that followed, he’d worked diligently to gain back the powers that his mother had robbed him of as a child, and now he was one of the most accomplished witches in the country. And he was on Scanguards’ side, though witches had traditionally been the vampires’ enemy.

“This way.”

He led the way while Wes and Lilo followed close behind. Ronny’s house was nothing special, a 1950s ranch-style house with a short driveway in front, a tiny untended patch of grass next to it, and a dilapidated wooden gate that only hung on one hinge.

Silently, Blake marched up to the front door and listened. It was about three hours before sunrise. No vampire would be asleep this time of night, but the house was quiet and dark.

He looked over his shoulder and motioned to Wes. He only had to point to the front door, and Wes knew what he needed to do.

Blake moved to the side to let his friend do his magic. And magic it truly was: a simple spell that unlocked any door. While Wes mumbled the verse as quietly as possible, Blake turned around to Lilo, his broad back shielding Wes from her view.

What is he doing? Lilo mouthed.

Blake shook his head and put his finger across his lips to indicate to her to remain quiet. For once, she complied, though she tried to spy past him to get a glimpse at Wes. The witch, however, was already done. There was a soft click, and the door eased open.

Blake lifted his hand to signal Lilo to remain where she was, while he nodded to Wes and slipped past him into the house. He let his senses roam. It smelled of vampire, but the scent was at least a day old. Nevertheless, he proceeded with caution as he moved farther into the house. There were two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Every room was empty.

He marched back into the hallway. “You can come in, he’s not here.”

As soon as Wes and Lilo entered and closed the door behind them, Blake flipped the light switch. He didn’t need the light to find his way around, but neither Wes nor Lilo possessed the superior night vision of a vampire.

“He’s gone?” Lilo asked, disappointment coloring her voice.

“I’m afraid so. But that’s not to say he’s not coming back.” Blake walked back into the living room. “He’s messy, but it doesn’t look like he’s moved out.”

“Maybe he left in a hurry,” Lilo suggested.

“Don’t think so,” Wes said, and pointed to a table. “He left his computer. And that looks like a pretty new Mac. Even if he was in a hurry, he would have taken that with him.”

“Wes is right.” He exchanged a look with his friend. “Let’s put surveillance on the house in case he comes back, and let’s take the computer with us.”

Lilo stared at him. “You’re gonna steal the computer? Don’t you need like, a warrant, or something?”

Blake winked at her. “Luckily, we’re not the police. Besides, we’ll give it back once we don’t need it anymore.”