Page 12 of Lucas
“It appears she’s no longer a custodian, but her last location was at the Los Angeles library.”
Lucas had expected as much, and any hope of a lead died.
The custodian opened a drawer and took out a pen and a slip of paper. He wrote a couple of lines, shut off the computer, and slipped the note to Lucas. “This is her last known address. This is all I can do for you.”
Lucas nodded and tucked the paper into a pocket. “Will they be able to trace your actions?”
He shook his head. “I used a different ID and password. I might be old, but I have what the humans call tech savvy.”
He was still grinning as he led Lucas back to the second floor. Before he turned away, he grabbed Lucas’s hand. “The winds of change can be turbulent. But the truth shall set us free.” Then he disappeared through the door where Lucas had first spotted him.
Lucas strode out of the library, once again keeping his head down. There hadn’t been any suspicious-looking vampires on the first floor, nor did anyone seem to be waiting for him outside. He also didn’t see the rental they’d come in until it pulled up in front of the steps.
He grinned. A bank robber’s getaway. When he shut the door behind him, Ginger immediately drove away, maintaining a normal speed out of the parking lot and through the front gate.
They were a block away when her patience gave out.
“So. Are you going to keep it from me until I beg?”
Lucas chuckled. “She’s not a custodian anymore, but I have her name and last known address.”
The coffee shopin the Embarcadero was loud and crowded with tourists. The perfect spot to relax without looking over one’s shoulder. Lucas was lucky to find two stuffed chairs in a back corner, and Ginger had sprawled over one with her white mocha latte.
“Lyra was right.” She dropped her head back with a silly grin on her face.
He couldn’t hold back his own smile. Regardless of the seriousness of a mission, she always found something lighthearted to share. It released the tension in his muscles and took his mind off the problem—at least for a little while. “Right about what?”
“That the custodian and Philipe had something going on.”
He snorted out a laugh. “Did you ever consider he might have requested her assistance at the new Los Angeles branch because of her experience and skill?”
She giggled and gave him a wink. “I think her skill is exactly why she moved to L.A.”
His smile drew glances from a couple of women. Or maybe it was the light blush that warmed his cheeks. He’d never known a woman who could make him blush—except her. “Don’t give me ideas. We have a plane to catch.”
“Aren’t we going to L.A. to see if she’s still there?”
“Sergi is running a background check and should have preliminary information by the time we get to Boston.”
“Why don’t we wait here? We’ll be clear across the country and have to come back.”
“We have to come home eventually.”
She kept an eye on him while she took a long sip of her mocha. Then her eyes lit up. “You don’t think she’s there anymore.”
“I agree there was a relationship between them. Whether Philipe left at a request from his family, or he simply ran, he would have taken her with him. Maybe Sergi can find a trail through her. While we wait to see how that plays out, we might as well check a couple of the other libraries. We’ll be close to New York where there’s not only a library but one of the contacts I have for Philipe. I’ll try to arrange a visit.”
She shot up, a bit of mocha spilling over the side. “We’re going to New York?”
“I was going to go over the itinerary when we were on the plane.”
“I didn’t pack for New York.”
He snorted. “My apologies. I should have considered that.”
“It’s not funny. I didn’t bring the right dresses.”
He held back his smile, though it was difficult. Her expression was somewhere between a pout and annoyance, and for some reason, it stirred his cock. “I think we can manage a short shopping trip. Either city, your choice.”
