“I’m afraid we have no information on what the truck looks like, but the email we found on Corbin’s phone said that somebody would deliver Ursula to this spot. Guess Corbin was still trying to protect his identity, because his note refers to a new guard bringing her in,” Oliver said.

“In that case,” Gabriel answered. “Why not give them what they expect? It’ll draw them out.”

Oliver nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.” He looked at her. “You’ll be perfectly safe. My colleagues will be ready to jump as soon as the guards reveal themselves. They’ll never even get close to you.”

Ursula nodded, having come to the same conclusion. “I agree.”

“Good. I’ll take Ursula out and walk toward the diner, crossing in front of the trucks and—”

“No!” she interrupted him.

A confused look crossed Oliver’s face. “I thought you agreed.”

“I want Gabriel to take me.”

When Oliver tried to protest, she held up her hand. “Hear me out. Corbin followed you, which means most likely he saw where Scanguards operates from. What if he’s seen your colleagues too? And what if he snapped pictures to give them to his staff so they can be on the lookout?” She pointed to Gabriel. “You told me that Gabriel came back from New York only a few hours ago, when Corbin was most likely already planning to snatch me from Vera’s place. He wouldn’t have seen Gabriel.”

Then she gave Gabriel a sideways glance and smiled at him. “No offense, but you look like you could be working for Corbin.” Her eyes wandered to the large scar on his face.

After a moment, Gabriel looked at Oliver. “She’s right. On both counts: Corbin wouldn’t have seen me, and I guess I do look a bit like a thug.”

Grudgingly Oliver conceded and stared at Gabriel. “Fine. But if anything happens to her, I’m coming after you.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and reached for the door. He slid it open.

“Wait,” Oliver said and reached in his pocket, pulling out a stake. He handed it to her. “Just in case.” With one last smile at him, Ursula followed Gabriel out of the car. She stuffed the stake into her jacket pocket.

“I think you should grab my arm and pull me along,” she murmured under her breath. “Corbin’s guards weren’t exactly friendly.”

Gabriel took her arm and gave her a gentle shove forward. They rounded a few cars and came into view of the trucks. Slowly and deliberately, Gabriel led her between the two rows of parked trucks. From the corner of her eyes, she scanned the trucks for any movement as they continued walking. The headlights of one truck blinked on, then were extinguished again.

“This must be it,” Gabriel said under his breath and pulled her toward it as she pretended to move reluctantly. Despite the knowledge that she was safe and that the other men from Scanguards weren’t far, her heartbeat accelerated, and her palms became damp. With every step they took toward the truck that had flashed its lights, her pulse raced faster.

Suddenly the cab of the truck opened, and a man stepped down from it. When he hit the ground and walked forward, Ursula recognized him as one of the guards. Instantly, she froze. The guard, whose name she remembered as Marcus, flashed a nasty grin, having recognized her too. Then his eyes wandered to her companion, looking Gabriel up and down.

The click of a gun cut through the silence. Before she could react, a familiar voice addressed them from behind. “Ursula, my favorite of all.”

“Dirk,” she choked out before turning.

He stood several feet away from them, and was just emerging from between two parked trucks.

Dirk waved his gun in Gabriel’s direction. Ursula noticed that a silencer was attached to its nozzle. “And who’s this?”

“Must be the new guard the boss was mentioning,” the other guard replied.

“No, he’s not,” Dirk claimed.

Ursula’s heart stopped. Behind Dirk another man emerged from the shadows. Dirk motioned his head toward the man. “That’s the new guard. When the boss didn’t show up to hand Ursula over to him he followed his orders and alerted me.”

Marcus pulled his gun, pointing it at Gabriel who hadn’t moved. Now Gabriel spoke for the first time. “What makes you think that that guy is the new guard? Way I see it, I brought the girl, he didn’t.”

Marcus, clearly confused, moved his gun, pointing it at the stranger who’d sidled up to Dirk.

Dirk tilted his head to the vampire next to him. “Give my colleague the code word.”