It took a few minutes before he saw a movement in the house. A man walked past the window, a phone pressed to his ear.

“Somebody seems to be home,” Zane said, rocking back on his heels. “Wanna visit?”

Thomas was about to nod when a second person appeared. He recognized him immediately: Xander, the man who’d cornered him a few days earlier. He wasn’t at all surprised to see him at the house. It only confirmed what he already knew: Xander was behind K Industries. He was the driving force trying to restore Kasper’s empire after his demise. If he could take out Xander, then the rest of them would retreat into the holes they’d crawled out of. If none of them possessed more power than he’d sensed emanating from Xander, he could easily defeat them.

Yet, he wasn’t going to bring Zane into his. While Zane was a mean fighting machine, even he couldn’t win a fight against a vampire carrying Kasper’s blood.

“No. Let’s wait. I’m going to talk to Samson first,” he lied. He motioned to the house.

“They’re not going anywhere. We’ll come back after we’ve formulated a plan.”

“Fine,” Zane agreed. “Let’s go talk to Samson.”

“I’ll take care of it. Why don’t you go back to the office and organize the clean up at the attorney’s office? We can’t leave him like that.”

Zane narrowed his eyes, looking at him with suspicion. Could Zane tell that this was merely an excuse so he’d get out of his way?

“Your call. See you later.”

When Zane turned on his heels, Thomas breathed a sigh of relief and walked in the opposite direction toward Nob Hill, where Samson’s house was located, just in case Zane turned around to make sure he was doing what he said he’d do.

After two blocks, Thomas turned around and returned to the house in which he’d seen Xander. Looking left and right, he crossed the street and approached the entrance door. In front of it, he paused, inhaling deeply. Then he closed his eyes and let his mind travel, reaching past the door and into the building’s interior.

He clearly could sense several vampires on the premises. Xander and whoever had been on the phone were not alone. That fact didn’t deter him. As long as he could take down Xander, the others would be easy pickings. All he needed to do was keep Xander in the belief that he intended him no harm. Then once he dropped his guard, Thomas would attack.

Clearing his mind, Thomas rang the door bell and waited, his entire body alert and ready to engage the enemy at any time. Footsteps from the inside alerted him to the approach of a vampire. There was a slight hesitation of the person who stopped just behind the door, but then the deadbolt was turned, and the door opened inwards.

Xander stood in front of him. Thomas had expected one of his minions to open the door. But he didn’t let the surprise show on his face. Nor did Xander show any surprise at seeing Thomas at his doorstep.

“So you’ve found me,” he simply said and motioned him to enter.

Thomas walked past him, never letting his guard down, and forcing his senses to remain engaged, constantly scanning for any sudden movements his opponent might make. Turning back to Xander, who closed the door and locked it again, he waited.

“This way,” Xander instructed and led him to the living room, where only minutes earlier, he’d seen him and another vampire. The room was empty.

“Where are the rest of your followers?” Thomas asked, letting his senses explore. He could clearly feel the presence of other vampires in the house.

“My followers?” He chuckled. “You give me too much credit.”

“We both know you’re not alone.”

Xander nodded, lowering himself into an old-fashioned armchair in front of the fireplace. He gestured to the armchair opposite his. “Please. I hate craning my neck.”

Cautiously, Thomas sat down.

His host gave him an approving look. “You’re right, of course. I’m not alone. But I’ve asked my . . . associates to withdraw upstairs so we can have an opportunity to talk in private.”

Thomas moved his head in agreement. This situation was even better than he’d planned it: being alone with Xander would make it easier to take care of him. And by the time the others in the house figured out what was happening, Thomas would have collected his strength again and be ready for another attack.

“Yes, let’s talk,” Thomas started. “I know what you’re doing.”

“Well, I should hope so. After all, we made sure of it. What would be the point of doing things to bring you to our side if we hid them from you?”