Besides, he should have heard the garage door opening and closing, but with the constant noise in the neighborhood and the hustle and bustle that went on there during the day, he’d tried to block out any sound so he could sleep, and had used earplugs.

“Okay then,” Oliver finally agreed.

“Just let me talk. And don’t volunteer any information that’s not asked for.”

Oliver trotted next to him up the five steps to Samson’s house. Quinn rang the door bell and was surprised when the door was opened almost instantly.

Samson had his cell glued to his ear. When he noticed Oliver, he pointed at him.

“Hold on, Thomas, it’s Oliver.” Then he almost glared at the young human bodyguard. “Where’s your charge?”

Oliver flinched. “She tricked me and got away.”

Quinn shoved his colleague into the foyer and shut the door behind him.

“Fuck!” Samson cursed. “Thomas, I’m putting you on loudspeaker.” He pressed a button and held his phone out on his palm.

“When Thomas got to the house at the end of your shift, the house was empty. What happened?” Samson demanded from Oliver.

“Why would Thomas take over from Oliver? It was Zane’s shift,” Quinn interrupted.

Samson glared at Quinn. “Zane fucked up. I suspended him and assigned Thomas instead.”

“Ah, shit, no wonder he’s gone,” Quinn responded.

“What?” Samson shifted his gaze between Quinn and Oliver.

“Zane is gone. He took the Hummer and the dog,” Quinn replied.

Oliver nodded. “And most likely Portia.”

“He took Portia?” Samson yelled.

“Zane called me an hour or so before sunset. He kept me on the phone so Portia could get out the back.”

“How do you know that?”

“Her window was open, and I found footprints in the back yard. He must have been waiting for her.”

“Shit!” Samson cursed.

“I’ll see if I can get a lock on the GPS in his cell or his Hummer,” Thomas’ voice came through the phone.

“Do it now,” Samson instructed.

“Call you back in a few.”

Samson looked up from the phone and stared at Quinn. “Did you not realize he was leaving the house during the day? I thought you were keeping an eye on him.”

Quinn shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “You know yourself how stealthily he moves. Didn’t hear a thing. Not even that damn dog barked. When did you suspend him?”

“Around four this afternoon.”

“That’s probably what ticked him off.”

“Ticked him off? You don’t get it, Quinn. He was getting involved with his charge! That’s not only against Scanguards’ rules, it’s against her father’s—our client’s—orders. She’s a minor!”

“She’s twenty,” Oliver chimed in.

Samson lashed a glare as his once trusted assistant. “In our world that makes her a minor. God knows what he told her so she’d go with him.”

Quinn raised his hand. “Samson, it takes two to tango. From what I hear about this girl, she’s rather headstrong. I don’t see her being manipulated by Zane. I think she knows very well what she’s doing.”

“Zane is dangerous. He killed a man in cold blood only a few days ago. Have you already forgotten?”

Make that two, Quinn thought to himself and was instantly glad, that Samson had no idea about the assassin. He would keep it that way. “He had a reason. The guy was a rapist.”

“Zane should have let the authorities deal with him. Fuck, Quinn.” Samson raised his arm and pointed at the door. “Zane is out there with the girl. Do you have any idea what he’s going to do with her?”

Fuck her senseless, if he’d read Zane right when he’d seen the two together. Yet, Quinn kept his mouth shut. There were times when it was better not to answer a question, particularly when it was clearly rhetorical.

Samson’s cell rang. He answered it instantly, pressing the speaker button. “Yes?”

“The GPS on his Hummer is disabled, and I can’t get a location from his cell either. We’re blind.”

“Shit! Call Gabriel and have him reach out to all our vampire contacts in Northern California. Get them a picture of Zane as well as the Hummer’s license plate. Nobody is to approach him. Just get me his location.”

“I’m on it.” Thomas clicked off.

“Oliver, you’re going over to Lauren’s house. I’ll notify the mayor to expect you. Interrogate her and check her cell phone to see if she’s had any contact with Portia in the last few hours: calls, text messages, voicemails. Check her email account too.”