LUCAS DECIDED it was his good luck—no, it was a real blessing—neither Declan nor Forge could read his mind. Right now he wanted to kill them both. Lucas could do it too. Ten minutes wolfed out was all he needed. Vampires might be faster, but werewolves were stronger.
Being in a surveillance van with three vampires wasn’t the fun and excitement one might expect it to be. Lucas liked Kai, but he was sure Ori would agree that in this circumstance, Kai would have to die too.
Forge was pacing, at least as well as a man could inside a van with three other decently sized men. Lucas was leaning against one side, gazing at a camera feed, and doing his best to stay out of the way and not strangle Forge.
Declan put both hands on Forge’s shoulders and said, “Jonas, he’ll be fine.”
“He’s never done anything like this.” Forge turned and stared at the monitor. “Damn, I wish I could see him and not just hear him.”
“Jonas, it’s a pizza parlor, and she’s a research scientist. What the hell can she do to him?” Declan asked. Forge and Kai both turned to look at him. Declan heaved a sigh and shoved Forge into the seat beside Kai. “Relax. You can hear every word they say and feel what Blair feels. If anything goes wrong, you’ll know it practically before he does. You and I muddled through information collection with far less support and lived.” Declan rolled his eyes and focused on Lucas.
“I should go out there and back him up. In case.” Forge started to stand, but Lucas helped Declan push him back down.
“In case of what? They run out of pepperoni?” Lucas asked.
“She might recognize you,” Kai said. “You’re the head detective of this town. There is no need to take the risk someone will recognize you and blow everything. Besides, when making contact with someone with the express purpose of entering some sort of relationship with them, having your bond mate hanging around a few feet away is a bad idea.”
“He speaks from experience,” Ori chimed in and chuckled.
“You all do realize I can hear you, right?” Blair’s voice was crisp and clear coming from the speaker.
“Heads up. There she is. She’s about to walk through the door,” Kai said. He pointed to the monitor. “Got to love predictable people.”
Lucas and Declan leaned closer and peered over Forge’s shoulders. Forge hunched over the microphone and talked. “Focus on her heartbeat, Blair. Forget the other stuff we’ve practiced. You’ll remember later how her heartbeat changes as you talk to her, trust me.”
Declan grabbed the mic and swung it toward him. “Don’t forget what I showed you about distracting her so you can—”
Lucas put his hand over the mic. “Leave him alone!”
“She’s inside. I’m at the bar, eyes on her,” Ori chimed in. “Blair, just be your charming self and you’ll do fine.”
Forge pulled in a breath and opened his mouth. Lucas silenced him before he could say anything more by clapping one hand over his mouth. When Forge twisted in his seat and glared up, Lucas pulled his hand away and put one finger to his lips. “Shush.”
On the camera feed they could see Bronwen enter the restaurant and walk to a center counter. To the left was a small bar. Ori shimmered into view for a few seconds. He let go of the wristband he wore and disappeared a few breaths later. Blair had been given a similar wristband. A simple way for any vampire to be seen on camera was with a shot of adrenaline to their systems. Among other things, the wristbands were a delivery mechanism. If Blair wanted to be seen on camera, he’d push a small button and get a miniscule injection of adrenaline.
“He’ll tell us if he changes location,” Kai explained. “Those bands are only good for two or three hits of adrenaline before needing a refill.”
There were tables arranged along the window and to the right of the counter. Blair was waiting in the men’s room on the far right behind the tables.
“Hold your position… another minute…,” Kai said in a low voice.
Bronwen turned her back to the restroom doors and leaned against the counter while she paid for whatever she’d ordered.
“Okay,” Kai said.
Declan grabbed the mic and bent over it. “Hold on. Wait until she picks up her order. She’ll be more flustered if you ‘run into her’ then.”
Kai looked over his shoulder at Declan, then turned back to his mic. “We’ll do it Declan’s way.”
Lucas immediately picked up on what Kai was doing, deferring to Declan in such a way. It would instill confidence in Blair to have his guidance come from someone he knew, as well as building trust on both sides. He tapped Kai’s shoulder and nodded once. Kai glanced over his shoulder at Lucas, dipped his chin, and offered him a small smile. Apparently Kai appreciated his team-building techniques being noticed and approved of.
“All right,” Blair answered.
A short time later Bronwen took a covered plastic cup in one hand and a small pizza box in the other and turned away from the counter.
“Go,” Kai said.
“She’s got a tablet in her bag, I can see it. Grab it and make it look like her drink spilled on it,” Declan instructed. Lucas knew Blair would be carrying his phone in one hand, ready to clone her phone and tablet.
Before Bronwen took more than a couple of steps, the men’s room door swung open. Another few seconds and it was obvious Blair had bumped into her, upsetting her drink and sending the pizza to the floor.
When Bronwen bent, trying to scoop everything from the floor, they heard Blair say, “Oh damn, I’m so sorry! That’s what I get for trying to text and walk.”
An image of Blair holding his phone up to show Bronwen popped into Lucas’s head. He was a little amazed he’d gotten to know Blair so well since he’d come to live in Flint that Lucas could easily imagine Blair’s actions.
Bronwen’s elbow jerked and the large drink cup toppled over. Lucas knew Blair was responsible as the dark liquid splashed everywhere. “Stop helping, please. Really, I—” Bronwen straightened and gasped. The surprise that registered on her face morphed to shock, then sadness.
Forge went perfectly still, and Lucas didn’t have to see Blair’s reaction to guess that his expression probably mirrored some of Bronwen’s feelings. When Forge sucked in a breath, Lucas put one hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. He leaned closer to Forge’s ear. “He’ll be fine. They both will be.”
Whatever the look on Blair’s face was, it must have concerned Ori as well. “No one is here to hurt her, Blair. We only want information. Start with something easy—the soda on her tablet.”
“I—I didn’t hurt you, did I? Are you okay?” Blair asked and they could hear him bend down, the tablet on the floor moved, then vanished. He must have picked it up. “This isn’t so bad.”
“You… I’m sorry. My research notes,” Bronwen’s voice was shaky and soft.
“I think I can get it working for you in no time. We need to dry it first,” Blair said.
Bronwen reached to the counter and pulled a handful of napkins from a holder and offered them. “Will these help?”
Lucas could tell by her actions what Blair was doing, taking some of the items she juggled in her hands, pointing to something beyond the large windows in the restaurant. Lucas hadn’t had much opportunity to observe vampires through a camera, or more specifically how it looked when a vampire interacted with humans on camera. It was fascinating, and he was impressed with how well he could discern Blair’s actions by watching Bronwen’s movements.
“Sorry about your dinner. Hey, look, my office isn’t far from here. I work at the college, in the computer science department. I’m sure I can salvage your notes if the tablet can’t be fixed,” Blair said.
“That’s good, give her things the two of you have in common,” Declan coached. Lucas felt how Forge tensed and Declan must have felt it as well. He reached over and patted Forge’s forearm before speaking again. “Ask her about herself. She won’t talk to you unless she’s comfortable with you, not simply who you resemble.”
“I don’t want….” Bronwen’s gaze shifted downward, probably to the tablet Blair held.
“I insist. It’s my fault,” Blair said.
Bronwen turned back to the counter. “Let me at least buy you dinner.”
“Nah… my treat,” Blair said.
Forge relaxed, rolled his eyes, and muttered, “You’re such a boy scout.”
His comment must have calmed Blair as well since the tension in the van eased. Kai straightened, took a deep breath, leaned back in his seat, and nodded, the tightness leaving his shoulders and back. Kai and Ori were bonded vampires who sensed each other’s emotions too. If Ori’s anxiety eased, so would Kai’s.
“You’re doing great. Keep it simple,” Ori said a few seconds later, confirming what Lucas had surmised: Ori had seen a change in Blair’s expression for the positive.
Bronwen took the cup and her bag and walked back to the counter. She turned and held out one hand, and a second later a crumpled, gooey looking box materialized in her grasp.
A girl near the register took everything, and they heard Blair and Bronwen place a new order. From the girl’s movements, it was clear Blair paid before he and Bronwen moved to the bar, sitting near Ori.
“Once they’re on the move, we can watch from here without needing cameras. Hopefully, he won’t have an issue getting her to his office,” Kai said.
Blair’s office had been rigged with the equipment needed to allow Blair to be seen as a holographic image. His wristband acted as a small transmitter to boost the signal. In his office, Blair, or any vampire, could now be seen on camera without the use of adrenaline.
“You work at the uni?” Bronwen asked. “I’m surprised we haven’t crossed paths before.”
“Computer science department. I’m a TA, and I don’t get out and about the campus much,” Blair said. “Are you a student?”
“Oh, good idea, flatter her,” Ori said.
They watched Bronwen smile softly, blush, and look down at the bar for a few seconds. She brushed her hair back and said, “Not for a long while. I’m here working on a project.” She leaned forward very slightly and laughed softly. “I guess that makes us coworkers.”
“Keep going,” Lucas said. “Watch her body language and play off of it. I’m guessing she’s leaning in toward you, so she’s interested in what you have to say. Be interested in her. Get closer to her, but just an inch or two.”
“Yeah? What sort of project?” Blair asked.
Bronwen tilted her head to the side. “It’s actually pretty boring. I’m a genetic biologist. Your Great Lakes are beautiful and fascinating.”
“That’s your hint and your opening. Ask her on a date,” Lucas said.
“What?” Forge sputtered.
Lucas gave his shoulder another pat. “You forget werewolves are masters at reading body language, flirting, and the hunt. Blair, she likes the lake. Offer to go somewhere related to the lakes with her.”
“I don’t know how to swim,” Blair blurted out.
Lucas rolled his eyes. “Smooth, dude.” He grinned and gave Forge’s shoulder another squeeze when he turned around and gave Lucas an absolutely vile stare.
Bronwen laughed delicately again. “I find that hard to believe. You’re built like a swimmer.”
Forge growled, but Declan’s hand on his forearm again silenced him. He moved the mic closer to himself, which inched it farther away from Forge.
“I’ve only lived here a little more than a year. I’m from New Mexico,” Blair said.
“Don’t worry about a date. You’re doing good. Get her to talk about herself,” Declan coached.
Bronwen gazed at the spot where Lucas presumed Blair must be sitting and ran her finger along the top of the bar. “And what brings you to Ohio?”
“Don’t answer. Keep her hooked for a bit,” Declan said. “Be a mystery.”
“I think that’s our order, and it’s getting noisy in here. My office is in one of the newer buildings, a ten-minute walk from here.” Bronwen moved to the counter, clearly following Blair, and a bag there disappeared, indicating Blair had picked it up. He confirmed it when he said, “It’s probably safer if I carry the food. That way I can’t knock it over again.”
“I’m coming in and will switch off with Kai,” Ori said.
A few minutes later, Ori was inside the van and Kai had taken a position on the street. When Blair and Bronwen left the restaurant, Forge started the van and drove to a parking lot near the building where Blair worked. While they waited for Blair and Bronwen to walk the distance, they were updated by Kai, who’d tailed them on foot.
“That man is a master of becoming part of the scenery,” Ori said.
Lucas smiled. It was obvious Kai and Ori had a great deal of respect for each other, despite the constant ribbing they exchanged. The more he interacted with the two men, the more he liked working with them. Ori especially seemed to want to put them at ease. He was the more open and gregarious of the pair. Declan and Forge were increasingly relaxed around them, so Ori and Kai were evidently earning their trust as well.
“They just went inside the building,” Kai said. “And thank you.”
It didn’t take long before they heard Blair’s office door being unlocked. The small hologram projector was mounted beside the camera feed. Ori hit a button and the inside of Blair’s office flickered for a few seconds, then resolved into a miniature version on the console in front of them. Bronwen walked into the office first, holding her tablet and Blair’s phone in her hand.
Bronwen’s image, along with the inanimate objects in the room, was crisp and clear. Blair appeared to blur around the edges, and twice he flickered out of existence then reappeared. As he moved across the room there was a slight “ghost” following him.
“Those glitches are freaky. He looks like a spirit,” Forge said.
Lucas nodded. “Sad part is we know what that would resemble.”
“The image of Porter you saw on the airplane was much clearer since you were seeing only his image and he wasn’t moving around a room as much,” Ori explained. “It’s not a perfect method, and obviously it can’t be used without some preparation, but it can be useful.”
Blair left his office door open, cleared his desk, and pulled two chairs closer. “We can eat here if that’s okay?” He held out one hand after setting their food out. “Let me see that.”
Bronwen handed over the tablet and Blair’s phone. Blair set the tablet on the desk and fiddled with his phone. It looked as if he was checking it or adjusting the settings. Then he put the phone facedown on the desk and picked up the tablet. Pulling it out of the case, he examined it. “People make fun of these cases, but they do the trick.” Blair moved to the other side of the desk and set the tablet next to his phone. He took a cloth and small screwdriver from a drawer and wiped the tablet, then removed the case and the back. “Everything looks nice and dry in here. No moisture around the battery—that’s the important part.”
Blair reassembled the tablet and its case, setting it beside his phone. Bronwen had been eating and watching him. “You never said how a man from the other side of the country ends up in Flint, Ohio,” she said.
Shrugging, Blair picked up a piece of pizza and took a few bites before answering. “Work. I got a great offer that felt I couldn’t refuse. It’s stable.”
“In this economy stable is important,” Bronwen agreed.
“I told you my story….” Blair made a come on motion with one hand.
Bronwen smiled. “The Great Lakes are a distinctive ecosystem. There are species unique to their waters. About 20 percent of the Earth’s fresh water is here.” She took a drink and wiped her mouth. “This is interesting. Did you know along with natural cave systems, there are man-made structures under some of the homes along the shoreline? You can only access them from underwater.”
“Really?” Blair’s eyebrows rose a bit. “Interesting. I think I did see an article about that somewhere.”
Lucas snorted. “Never mind the fact that Blair, Forge, and I nearly got trapped in one such man-made room.”
“Is that part of what your project is?” Blair asked between bites of pizza.
“The naturally occurring underground caverns are, yes.” Bronwen leaned forward, an expression of wonder and maybe excitement spread across her face. “Do you ever wonder if myths are real?”
“I haven’t thought about it much.”
“Really smooth, dude,” Lucas whispered.
“What about fate? That two people are destined to meet?” she continued. Before Blair could answer, she stood up and picked up her tablet. “I’m sorry, we just met. This is hard, and I should go.”
Blair stood up. “What’s wrong?”
Bronwen wiped at her eyes. “You remind me of someone. I shouldn’t think you’d be like him. I really need to go home now.”
“I can walk you,” Blair offered and moved beside her as she walked to the door. “It’s getting late. The mean streets of Flint and all….”
“It’s only a few blocks, and it’s not that late. Thank you for dinner and for fixing my tablet.” Bronwen stopped at the doorway. She reached out and let one hand rest on Blair’s forearm. “I hope to see you again soon.”
“I’d like that. As long as we stay on the beach.”
Bronwen laughed softly again. As she turned, she waved at Blair over her shoulder.
Blair leaned against the door handle for a few seconds before closing the door. He pressed his back to the door and let his head thump back, sighing deeply.
The minute Bronwen left the building and hurried down the sidewalk, Forge was up and moving. Not a single one of them tried to stop him from leaving the van and going to Blair’s office. Lucas doubted any of them could have stopped him.
FORGE DIDN’T know if Blair heard his approach, felt it, or a combination of both, but just as he reached for the door handle, Blair’s office door swung open. Blair stepped aside and let him into the room. He stood there, one hand on the door, the other on his hip, and looking everywhere but at Forge.
“Are you all right? You don’t have to do this. I—” Forge’s words tumbled out.
Blair gave the door a vicious shove, slamming it shut so hard it banged on the hinges and a crack appeared along one side. “We’re not having this conversation again. I agreed to this and that’s the end of it!” He pointed at Forge and shouted, “And you don’t get to be jealous of a woman I’ll never have any sort of relationship with! Or didn’t you think I’d feel that emotion rolling off you like a smoke signal? Not after—” Blair pressed his lips together, then bit down on his lower lip and turned away. He was trembling ever so slightly and breathing hard, and he’d removed the earbud he’d been wearing and shoved into his pocket. Forge reasoned Blair was about to tear into him about Forge’s past love affair with Declan and would have except Kai and Ori would also hear.
Forge took a few deep breaths and stuck his hands in his pockets in an attempt to conceal he was shaking as well. “I’m sorry. I only meant that if you… if this is too much, if you don’t want to continue… I’ll stand behind you. No matter what you decide. That’s what I was going to say.”
Blair crossed the small office and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Leaning his elbows against the surface, he fisted his hands together and pressed them to his forehead. “She’s a nice lady,” he ground out.
Taking a few deep breaths calmed Forge. He walked slowly until he stood behind Blair and put one hand on the back of his neck. “I know. What Ori said is true. No one wants to hurt her. And with you, Declan, Lucas, and me around, no one will.” Forge let go of Blair and leaned on the edge of the desk, facing him.
“I can’t lie to her or make her think there’s a chance we have a future.” Blair looked up, meeting Forge’s gaze. He was less than steady and his eyes were red-rimmed.
“Hey,” Forge said softly. He ran one hand up and down Blair’s forearm. “You’re overthinking this, Blair. The only thing you need to do is be her friend. Whatever she’s into, have you stopped to think that she could be in danger because of it? Or because of what she knows?”
“No, I guess not.”
“Guess that’s why I do the detective stuff,” Forge said. “Look, we stick with her. Recruit her as an asset as planned and make sure whoever got to her friend doesn’t get to her.”
“What if she’s guilty?”
Forge shrugged. “I still have a badge.” He sighed. “If these Vampire Guard people are playing us… we kill them.”
Blair laughed. He pressed the side of his wristband and held it up so it was closer to Forge. “Hear that, Kai?” He used one finger to draw a circle in the air around his face. “See this face with your fancy equipment?”
“They heard you,” Declan’s voice came through the wristband. “And Lucas recorded it, so they’ve heard it a few times.”
Blair pulled the wristband off and disabled it, tossing it onto the desk. He pointed to his cell phone. “It’s all in there. I got a complete clone of her tablet. I shouldn’t use the computer here to store anything or even look at it.”
“We can go back to the van. They have equipment,” Forge said.
“I always thought what you and Declan did was so cool, all your spy and cop stuff.” Blair made a funny face. “It’s hard and draining when they are actual people and not some supernatural monster.”
It was Forge’s turn to laugh. He leaned down and kissed Blair’s forehead. “You’ll do very well. We abandoned Declan and Lucas, so we should probably get back.”
Blair grinned. “What’s this we shit? I wasn’t in the van with them. Should we debug my office?”
“Nah, that stuff was a bitch to install. We might need it again. It’s the only way we can watch you.” Forge picked up the wristband and turned it back on. “Hey, Lucas—”
When Blair’s office door opened, Forge looked up and Blair started. “Woo-hoo, it’s not often I can be stealthy enough to sneak up on vampires. You boys are getting soft.” Lucas stepped through the door. “I’ve been in the hall for a few minutes. I told Declan you two fight better than anyone I know.” He looked the door up and down. “I bet the ole VG has someone to fix this door.” Lucas dipped his head toward the hall. “We should get back.”
Forge rolled his eyes and shook his head. Blair picked up his phone. After ensuring themselves Blair’s door would lock, they made their way back to the van. It didn’t take very long for Blair to load the files from Bronwen’s tablet to one of the laptops inside the van.
“She’s got it encrypted. A pretty decent program too. The man she worked with, the one who looked like me, what was his function in her research group?” Blair asked.
“He was a geneticist, but also he oversaw their software and digital files, I believe,” Ori said. “Can you decrypt it? If not, we can send it back to the main facility.”
“I got it. This will take me a little while,” Blair said. “I think Vaughn and Bronwen had a close relationship. These weren’t encrypted.” He moved his finger around on the mousepad and some pictures appeared on the monitor.
The photos were taken on a boat, one far enough from shore that everything on land looked like toys. Most unsettling was the image of a smiling, young man—nearly Blair’s twin—with his arms around Bronwen. She stood in front; he looked over her shoulder. Lucas nudged Forge’s arm with his elbow and pointed at the screen.
“When did Vaughn die?” Forge asked.
“Um… early….” Kai pulled folders from a spot under the console and shuffled through them, finally spreading the folder with Henry Vaughn’s information across the console top. “Here it is. Middle of May, the sixteenth.”
“Do you see the date on that picture?” Lucas asked Forge. He nodded, crossed his arms over his chest, and stood quietly. That was Lucas’s cue to explain. “Here’s the timeline. Bronwen, Henry Vaughn, and at least one other person we know of are on a boat out in the middle of Lake Erie. A boat leased for Bronwen by Flint University, where she is working. Boat is hit, capsizes, and at least one person was killed. He washes up on our beach a couple weeks later. Really nasty, by the way.”
Lucas pointed to small white numbers in the lower corner of the picture. They read 11-05.
“Canadian camera, so May 11,” Ori said.
“Yeah.” Lucas nodded. “None of the Great Lakes would ever look like that in November.”
“Henry dies five days later,” Declan said. “In Canada. Why is he in Canada and Bronwen is in the United States?”
“Different research points; he’s collecting data from areas farther north. Or maybe something as simple as the visa?” Blair suggested.
“Okay, we’ll circle back to that. So, Bronwen and Henry are both on the boat, and presumably so was the man who died.” Declan rubbed his chin. “Was it at the same time?”
“I have the Coast Guard report, so that’s easy enough to check,” Lucas said.
“Where’s the boat?” Forge asked. Getting no answer from the others, he pulled out his phone. “Yes, hello, this is Detective Forge from Flint. That boat that capsized a few weeks ago, where is it? Mr.—”
“Newmann,” Lucas whispered.
“Mr. Newmann’s family contacted me about some personal effects. Thought I’d take a look for them.” Forge stopped talking, held up one finger, and mouthed the word “holding.” When the person he’d been speaking to came back with a location, he smiled. “I know where that is, thanks.” He ended the call. “It’s at a place near Sandusky, waiting to be fixed. The university hasn’t released the funds yet. They’re waiting on insurance.”
“I’d like to get a look at that boat,” Lucas said.
“Yeah, me too,” Forge agreed.
“What good is that going to do?” Kai asked.
Forge shrugged. “We won’t know until we look. But face it, Vaughn dies within two weeks of that accident. The Coast Guard report said the boat was rammed from underwater. That’s too much of a coincidence for me.”
“He can’t help himself. It’s the detective part of him,” Lucas explained to Kai and Ori.
Ori laughed. “I would say neither can you, Lucas. I’d like those answers as well. We should explore all possible connections.”
Forge patted Blair’s shoulder. “While you work on that encryption, Lucas and I can pay a visit to the boat. No one will think twice about our ME coming along.” He glanced at Declan, hoping he’d agree to stay behind. Leaving Blair with Ori and Kai made Forge uneasy. As much as he was beginning to like them, and so far they’d proved trustworthy, Forge wasn’t that comfortable with them yet.
“I’ll help Blair go through whatever information he finds,” Declan said and smiled.
“Do you want a little more backup?” Ori asked.
“I would, but I think in this case that could raise suspicion and unwanted attention. Anyone asking can verify Lucas and I are Flint PD. We should be back in a few hours,” Forge said.
Kai drove the van and stopped it within a block of the police station, where Lucas’s Jeep was still in the employee lot. Forge didn’t know what they’d find, if anything, but his gut said to look. So he and Lucas would look.