“Welcome, Blake,” one of them said, his voice devoid of emotion. “I’m Keegan. And you’ve just become a bargaining chip.”

When Keegan opened his mouth, Blake noticed the white of his teeth. He focused his vision.

“Oh, shit! More vampires.”

“That’s right. And we’re not as tame as the ones you just ran away from.”

All three men laughed, and the chilling sound ran down his spine.

He’d just jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

32

Rose stared out the window. The sun had just set, and she was beside herself with worry.

Quinn had done everything he could. During the day, human Scanguards personnel had roamed the city to find Keegan’s hiding place, but they had come up empty handed. Even though Nina and Wesley had witnessed Blake’s abduction and taken note of the van’s license plate, the information hadn’t helped locate her grandson. The plates belonged to another vehicle and therefore wouldn’t lead them to Keegan.

Thomas was busily looking at all available surveillance videos from businesses and schools in the neighborhood to see where the van had disappeared to, but so far nothing had shown up on any videos. As if they’d been swallowed up.

Nervously, Rose chewed on her fingernails. Quinn had urged her to rest a little, but instead of lying down, she paced in her room. She had to do something. Sitting around and waiting for Keegan to contact them was driving her nuts.

Determined to bring this charade to an end, she pulled out the cell phone from which she’d texted Keegan a day earlier. For many long seconds, she stared at it, composing a message in her mind, which would compel Keegan to act.

She still had what he wanted. Now it was time to use her bargaining chip.

If you touch him, I’ll destroy it, she texted and hit send.

Her heart beat into her throat as she waited anxiously for a reply. Quinn had explained that despite the fact that the cell phone was untraceable, anybody whom she’d texted from it, could text back to this secret number.

From downstairs, sounds drifted to her. Everybody had a job to do, everybody but her. Quinn had tried to assure her that they were professionals and knew what they had to do. But even though she believed him, it made no difference. Blake was her flesh and blood, and she couldn’t just sit idly by while he was suffering at Keegan’s hands.

She wasn’t a shy debutante in Regency London anymore; she was a woman of action.

A humming sound interrupted her thoughts. Her eyes shot to the phone in her hands and read the message that flashed on the display.

You destroy it, and I’ll tell Quinn what you did to Wallace.

Panic made her heart stop. How did Keegan know? She’d never told anybody. Never confessed her crime to anyone.

Another hum announced a second message.

After I turn Blake.

Keegan had the upper hand, and he knew it. How long had he known about her secret? Had he been sitting on this piece of information for a long time, waiting for the right moment to use it against her? She assumed as much. It was exactly what Keegan did: blackmail people. And now he was blackmailing her.

Ready to talk? the next message came.

What do you want? she asked, even though she knew the answer already.

The data. Meet me at the top of the Lyon’s steps in ten minutes. Alone. Be one second late, and Quinn finds out about Wallace.

She wasted twenty seconds on her smartphone trying to find where the Lyon’s steps were located, then realized she would have to run full speed, once she’d snuck out of the house, if she wanted to make it in time. Keegan obviously knew that and wanted to make sure that she had no time to notify anybody or take any precautions for herself. Luckily he had no idea that her own cell phone contained several pre-programmed alert messages. She scrolled through them, selected the protocol labeled Hostage Scenario, took ten seconds to modify it with a couple of specifics and pressed the send button—now her hope was that the recipient would execute her orders swiftly enough. Then she tossed the phone into the closet.

Rose used the side door leading to the tradesmen entrance to sneak out of the house undetected. Not telling anybody about her exchange with Keegan was a risk, but knowing that her adversary wouldn’t think twice about telling Quinn that she’d killed his maker, such disclosure was a deadly chance she couldn’t take. Not only would she forfeit her own life, but Blake’s too. Now her only hope was that the people who owed her loyalty would be able to help her.

As she sprinted through the night, her body cutting through the crisp air so fast any human observing her would merely see a blur, her mind frantically worked on a plan of how to defeat Keegan and snatch her grandson from his clutches.