“It was the plan all along,” Quinn said. “You didn’t think we’d simply hide Blake away forever? It’s only a temporary solution. Granted, I would have liked to get him settled first, explain the ground rules and get a handle on this, before going after Keegan, but knowing what Keegan knows, we have to act now.”

“You were planning this from the start? Why didn’t you tell me? I have a right to know.” She let out an angry breath. She was the one who had hired them. She made the rules when it came to protecting Blake.

Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “I had a right to know a lot of things too.” His chest suddenly heaved and his eyes turned darker, a sign that he was annoyed with her. “You should have told us from the start what Keegan knew. By keeping things from us you’re putting Blake in danger. Don’t you realize that?”

She clamped her jaw shut.

“I thought you loved our grandson,” he added more quietly.

Our? Had he really said our? The word did something to her: it softened her heart. She and Quinn had so much in common. Could their flesh and blood, Blake, become the bridge to mending what had gone wrong? Would he be able to forgive her once he found out what she’d done?

“Rose?”

Quinn’s voice drifted to her, making her look at him.

“Tell us everything about Keegan. The more we know, the better our chances of finding him before he finds us.”

“Quinn is right,” Samson added. “We need every bit of information you can remember: where he has properties, who he consorts with, what he does, who his enemies and friends are. Everything, even if you think it’s unimportant.”

Slowly, she nodded. They were right. She had to tell them, but there was one thing she couldn’t tell them: that he was really after her because she had stolen something priceless from him. And she knew he would do anything to get it back, just as she would do anything to keep it from him.

“Agreed.”

“Good,” Samson said. “Let me check if Thomas is here yet. He needs to be in on this conversation.” He opened the door to the house and disappeared inside.

There was silence for a few moments. She avoided looking at Quinn until he suddenly spoke.

“How did you get into owning brothels?”

Rose thrust her chin up, ready to defend her choices, when she noticed that there was no sign of accusation in his eyes, just curiosity.

“It was the only thing that was open to me at the time. The only . . . profession a woman could have back then.”

She allowed her gaze to drift past him, not wanting to see him judge her. But he didn’t grant her that concession. His fingers underneath her chin tipped her head up, forcing her to look at him.

“But why? As a vampire you were stronger than anybody else. You could have done anything you wanted.”

She shook her head. “I couldn’t get any help from my parents when they realized what I was. And I didn’t want to force them by using mind control. Do you understand that?”

After she’d realized that, she’d urged them to fake her death because they would not survive the scandal she would bring on them. They had done it.

“At first, I stole and cheated to survive. Mind control helped me, my vampire strength made sure nobody was able to hurt me.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through this, Rose.”

“After a while, once I’d stopped pitying myself, I realized how lucky I was compared to many other women out on the streets. I saw how many of them were mistreated. So I started protecting them. I was so much stronger than those men they sold their bodies to. They realized it and were afraid of me.”

His hand stroked gently over her hair, and she yearned to lean into him.

“I stole from them so I could make a better life for myself and the women around me. They were so grateful, you should have seen them. Their eyes lit up when I told them they wouldn’t have to sleep with every violent man anymore. I told them they could reject those who hurt them, and I would take care of them. I made sure those men never dared come back. My brothels only allow civilized men in. We reject the violent ones, the perverts who take pleasure in hurting women.”

“My brave Rose,” he whispered, pulling her closer. “Always strong, always looking out for everybody but herself.”

Tears stung in her eyes, but she didn’t allow herself to cry. She couldn’t show weakness, not when he praised her for being brave.

“I survived; we all did. I expanded nationwide, I built up a network of brothels. All with the same rules, the same kind of security for the women. I figured if they had to sell their bodies, they might as well do it in a safe environment. Some are run by vampires like me, women who protect other women. I even have a place here in San Francisco. Around the corner from the Ritz Carlton. It’s a classy establishment. Nothing seedy, not like the places farther down the hill. The women are taken care of. They’re safe.”