Checking her watch in mid-run, she increased her speed, knowing that Keegan wouldn’t hesitate to execute his threat should she arrive late. Looking ahead, she spotted a sign and the gate for the Presidio. To its right, the Lyon’s steps descended into the Marina district. From their top, they afforded an unobstructed view over the Palace of Fine Arts below, and the Bay beyond.

Two dark vans were parked next to several sedans where the street ended and the Park began. Rose came to an abrupt halt.

“Always loved the way you could move,” Keegan’s icy voice came from the opposite street corner.

Her head whipped in his direction. He stood in the shadow of a hedge. Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, he emerged and crossed the distance to her.

“Let’s cut to the chase, Keegan,” she said, her chest barely heaving from the run.

The moonlight cast a shadow on one side of Keegan’s face, illuminating the other. There was something eerie about the sight. It only underscored the seriousness of her situation. If the hasty plan she had concocted in the short time she’d had didn’t work, she would be out of luck.

“Where’s Blake?”

“In good company.”

“I doubt that.”

Keegan chuckled, shaking his head at the same time. “And you think your company is more appropriate? After all you’re a murderer too. Just like the rest of us. And to kill your own maker in cold blood . . . tsk . . . tsk. That’s very bad of you. Very bad indeed.”

At the recollection of that event, Rose suppressed the chill that traveled down her spine. “How did you find out?”

She’d been careful never to reveal anything about her past to him.

“It’s funny what kind of information surfaces if you keep digging long enough. You remember Charles, the gentleman who witnessed your dirty deed?” He released a short laugh. “What am I saying? Of course you do. After all, you stayed with him for a few months, before you robbed him blind and disappeared. Hard to forget that, isn’t it? A man like that is more than willing to share information with anybody who asks the right questions.”

“He deserved it. He was using me.” She’d believed him at first when he’d pretended to want to help her, but in the end, he had turned out to be just as selfish as everybody else. He’d used her to lure unsuspecting humans and vampires into his trap. She’d been his bait.

“How ungrateful of you. After all, he helped you survive. Had he not warned you that Quinn would avenge the death of his maker, you wouldn’t even be here tonight.”

Rose clamped her jaw together. “I don’t need a history lesson.”

She understood well enough what Wallace’s murder meant. Charles, the vampire who had witnessed it, wasn’t the only one who had explained it to her. Years later, when she’d been with a clan, she’d seen how such a revenge killing had taken place: A vampire had killed his long-time lover after finding out that she’d killed his maker, a female vampire, out of jealousy. She’d never witnessed such a brutal killing before.

“Well, then let’s talk about the present. I want the data back. And I want it now.”

Rose sucked in a quick breath. “First I need to know that Blake is still alive—and that he’s still human.”

“Very well.”

Keegan pulled a small walkie-talkie from his pocket and pressed a button. “Open up.”

When she heard a sound coming from one of the dark vans a moment later, her gaze shot to it.

The side door opened. Blake’s head and upper torso were held by strong arms, shoving him just outside of the van, keeping the rest of him inside. He appeared uninjured, yet he looked fearful. At the same time, relief flooded her: His aura was still human.

“Rose?” he croaked.

“Blake. Just hold on! I’ll get you out of this. You’ll be safe soon.”

Before he could reply to her, he was pulled back into the van, the door shutting behind him.

“I hope you have every intention of keeping your promise to him,” Keegan said.

Rose turned back to face him. “As long as you keep yours. I want him freed, now.”

He laughed out loud. “You’re funny, Rose. You really are. First the data, then Blake. That’s how it works. I’m sure you’ve seen enough movies and are familiar with how an exchange works?”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Of course you are. So I won’t need to explain anything else, will I?”

She hated his condescending tone, and under any other circumstances, she would have robbed him of the ability to spout any more insults by driving her fist into his mouth, but at present, he held all the cards. She would have to wait her turn.