Page 27 of The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid

He reached across the desk for my hand. ‘It’s not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry about.’

I licked my lips. ‘Connor, I’m the lead investigator so I can’t avoid this team. If they’re working for the Robertsons, they’ll want to get up to speed with the Nomo’s office, and we can’t afford to piss off your father any more than you can.’

‘Sidnee will have to take over when they’re here.’

‘Sidnee is a mess right now. She’s unstable. I can’t believe she hasn’t taken off to look for Thomas yet, but she will as soon as she gets a clearer idea of his location. The only thing stopping her from going right now is that we have no idea where he is.’

Connor leapt to his feet and started pacing behind his desk. ‘Then Gunnar will have to deal with them. Heck, April can – anyone but you. Bunny, I can’t say this enough. Avoid them like the plague because for you they’re just as deadly.’ He turned to me. ‘Promise me.’

‘I’ll do what I can to avoid them, but I won’t compromise the case for my own safety.’ This was myjob: I had two missing girls to find and I couldn’t –wouldn’t– back off now.

‘That’s not enough,’ he ground out. ‘You’re more important than them.’

‘To you, sure, but not to their parents and their families.’

Every muscle under his shirt was rippling with the tension. He slammed his hands down on his desk and leaned over it. ‘I can’t protect you from them.’

Familiar heat rose in my veins, scorching me from within. I pushed it down hastily before I set his office on fire but it was still roaring through me, stirring my anger. ‘You don’t need to protect me,’ I shot back. ‘I protectmyself.’ Before I could say something I’d regret, I stormed out. I was nobody’s damsel and he should know that about me. He shouldtrustme.

Something crashed behind me as I slammed the door. Part of me wanted to scream, part of me wanted to cry, and another partwanted to burn something to the ground.No fires, Bunny. That woulddefinitelygive away your hybrid status.

I stalked across the car park and climbed in my SUV. I’d fired up the engine and was starting to pull out when Connor ran up to the driver’s side door. I stopped and rolled down the window. ‘What?’ I snapped.

He was still visibly upset and I spotted blood on his knuckles. He was panting even though technically he didn’t have to breathe. He looked at me entreatingly. ‘Don’t leave me like this. Please.’

That simple plea ripped the anger out of me in an instant.

‘I’m scared,’ he whispered.

I knew just how much it had cost him to admit that to me.

‘I know, baby.’ I reached out to stroke his face and he leaned into my touch. ‘It’ll be okay. Have faith in me, inus.’

‘I do,’ he said desperately. ‘But fear is stronger than faith.’

‘It’s not – I promise you that love will beat fear every time. If we give in to fear, then we’ve already lost. You have to know that everything will be okay. Live it, breathe it. Come on, say it with me: “everything will be okay”.’

He swallowed hard. ‘Everything will be okay.’

‘It will be,’ I promised. Suddenly I knew exactly how he was feeling because in that moment I knew I would doanythingto protect him. Which made me a big fat hypocrite. He didn’t need my protection any more than I needed his, and yet he had it anyway. And he always would for as long as my undead heart continued to beat.

Which, if his father got his hands on me, might not be for long.

Chapter 16

Despite my assurances to Connor, I was still tense as I drove away and I struggled to get my mind back into work mode. It had been a really long day, I was already well past the end of my shift, and I wasn’t done yet. I checked the time. I needed to hurry to make my next appointment, so I put my foot to the floor and let the SUV roar forward.

I pulled off the road near the walking trail at the waterfront. There wasn’t a car park nearby but there was a grass verge that would have to do. I parked, checked that my badge was clear on my belt and headed off. It was about a quarter-mile walk to the bench, and as I walked I felt some of the tension leave me. There was a lot to be said for fresh air and exercise.

Since it was still early in the morning, the people walking and jogging the trail were most likely human. At least I didn’t need to worry about the incoming vampire team just yet – Connor would let me know when they landed.

I pushed them from my mind as I spotted a young woman sitting on the bench. Her shoulders were hunched and she was looking around nervously. I approached slowly, giving her plentyof time to spot the badge, then I lifted a hand in greeting so she wouldn’t freak out.

‘Hi.’ I smiled warmly. ‘I’m Officer Barrington.’ I sat next to her so we were at eye level. She was all kinds of jittery and I didn’t blame her. ‘I go by Bunny,’ I added, trying to set her at ease. ‘I know it’s a bit unusual – but then again, so am I.’

She gave a wan smile but looked ready to bolt. ‘Is it a nickname?’ she asked quietly.

I decided to pull out an oldie but goodie, a nice low-stress explanation; she didn’t need me joking about government experiments.

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