Page 4 of The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid

‘It’s okay.’ I twisted my hand to squeeze his back. ‘She’s okay. That’s all that matters.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Thomas is the most capable human I know,’ I went on. ‘He’s been in the MIB as an operative and he can handle himself. I’d be surprised if he hasn’t got a plan to escape. He’s probably just waiting for the right moment.’ I prayed with all my might that my words were true.

Gunnar nodded. ‘He’s a tough son of a bitch with a level head on his shoulders. If he’s made himself useful they won’t dispose of him – not yet, anyway. We’ve got time to find him. But I’m worried about Sid. She’s blaming herself because Chris took him.’

‘I know.’

I heard someone come into the office and stood up to go back to reception, but before I’d gone through the door Connor was standing next to me. He’d used vampire speed – and that told me something was very, very wrong. ‘What is it?’ I asked quickly, mystomach tensing in anticipation of whatever bad news was about to fall from his lips.

‘A teenage girl is missing. A vampire. Kate Robertson.’

‘How long has she been gone?’ Gunnar asked.

‘A couple of hours max.’ Connor’s expression was grim. ‘There’s some suggestion she’s been kidnapped.’

Gunnar’s phone rang and he frowned as he looked at the caller’s name. ‘I have to take this, it’s Liv.’

‘I’ll go on without you and take Fluffy,’ I said quickly as his phone blared again. ‘I can ride with Connor and leave you the SUV.’

Gunnar nodded brusquely. ‘I’ll follow on when I can. Keep me in the loop.’

‘You got it,’ I promised. I followed Connor out of Gunnar’s office, leaving him to grapple with the problematic necromancer.

I grabbed the trusty black duffel bag and called Fluffy. ‘We’ve got a case. Let’s go.’ No longer looking despondent, he leapt to his feet. Maybe we all just needed to keep busy then it wouldn’t feel like the world was falling down around our ears.

Connor led the way to his truck, tension visibly crawling through his frame. ‘Hey,’ I said softly. ‘What am I missing? Is this girl someone you care about? I know you care about all of your people but is she someone special?’

‘I’ve never met her, but yeah,’ he admitted. ‘She’s special. She’s the daughter of one of my father’s former lieutenants.’

I couldn’t stop the grimace that twisted my face. Connor's father was Hamish MacKenzie, the King of all of the vampires in theUSA, and he was about as warm and fuzzy as a tax audit. The last thing we wanted was to be on his radar, but I had a sinking feeling that this case was going to put us smack dab in the middle of it.

Chapter 3

Connor drove like a madman, his speed and recklessness giving me a true picture of the depth of his stress. His hands were so tight on the steering wheel that I feared he’d rip the whole thing off. ‘Talk to me,’ I entreated him.

‘They calledhimfirst,’ he said tightly.

Ah. That wasnotgood. I knew instantly whichhimhe meant: his father. Connor hadn’t said much about his dad, but what he’d let slip hadn’t been positive. He’d told me that if his father found out about my hybrid status, killing me would be the nicest of my possible fates.

I licked my suddenly dry lips. ‘Your father will want to supervise the search?’

He snorted. ‘No, he’s too important to do that. But he’s given me forty-eight hours to find her or else he’ll be coming to Portlock to discuss my … failure.’

The way he spat out the last word made me think it was one that his father had used often with him. He’d also told me that Hamish MacKenzie didn’t shy away from corporal punishment. As stoic as Connor usually was, I could see a quiver in his locked arms andI wasn’t sure if the tremor was born from anger or fear. When I searched his face, my stomach dropped. It wasn’t anger.

Connor was the most fearless person I’d met. If he was scared… The thought chilled me to the bone. ‘It’ll be okay,’ I reassured him. ‘We’ll find her.’

Through gritted teeth he ground out, ‘He. Can’t. Come. Here. Not ever.’

The ten-mile drive ramped up my anxiety even further. We didn’t turn into Kamluck, as I’d expected but a road just before it. The truck lugged us up the mountain until we arrived at a large home with huge picture windows, framed by an ostentatiously manicured lawn complete with topiary. Vampires were understandably wary about windows and sunlight unless they had money to burn on installing and maintaining daylight charms. The huge windows were a statement of wealth.

Living in a house like this was a boast to all and sundry that the occupants had charms that were top of the range. I recognised the type straight away: I’d grown up with parents with the same attitude:Look at all the stuff I have, aren’t I marvellous?They’d never learned the lesson that it wasn’tstuffthat made life rich but love, family and friends. I might be poor by their standards but I was richer than them by far.

I studied the house and its ornate gardens. They were flashing their cash, yet their obvious wealth hadn’t come from logging. If the kidnapped girl’s dad had worked for King MacKenzie, his wealth had been built on blood and bones.

‘You saidformerlieutenant, but the way you said it was off. Do you think he still works for your dad?’ I asked Connor as he turned off the engine.

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