Ross was almost back to his house when he got a call.He hit accept on his phone, reveling a little in his brand-new Highlander’s Bluetooth abilities.New car niiiiice.Sparkly.Has tech toys.“Hey, Dunham.”
“Ross, got a wee bit of trouble brewin’ over here.”
And the day had been going so well, too.Even as Ross lamented, he sighed.“Lay it on me.What’s happening?”
“The vampire clan from the east side be stirrin’ up trouble.Two of ’em be insistin’ on bustin’ into the museum.”
Ross felt his eyes cross briefly.“Why the hell are they wanting to bust into a museum?”
“They willna answer the question at all, at all.But they’re poised right now on the street, ready to fight to get in.”
“Uh, okay I’m still not entirely following how this is our problem?”
“It be the new museum on 5thand Maple.”
Well, shit.Ross had to wonder, was it too much to ask for an alien abduction?“In other words, they’re smack in the middle of our clan’s territory.”
“Aye.”
“Right.Tell me you’re out of line of sight.”
“Fortunately.No one at all, at all be workin’ today.And we’re in the back parkin’ lot.No one can readily see us from here.”
Thank ever loving fuck for small miracles.“How did you find out about this?”
“It be Keane, in fact, that spotted ’em.We were out on a grocery run and saw these two n’er-do-wells pokin’ about the building.Keane’s got a barrier up around the buildin’ now, by the by.They tried to rush past us earlier.”
“I’m very glad to hear about the barrier.I’m on my way.Do not start a territorial war before I can get there.”
“We’ll do our best, lad.”
That’d be a first.Ross hung up and immediately called Glenn, because this was well above his paygrade.Territorial disputes were his boss’s problem.
That, and they’d had a boundaries talk when they first started dating.Glenn-the-boss absolutely did not want Ross handling territorial disputes.There was too much history Ross wasn’t read into, and most of the clan leaders wouldn’t respect a human anyway.Glenn-the-lover adamantly didn’t want his fragile boyfriend in harm’s way.Ross was not to engage when the power hitters started butting heads.
Which, fair.Ross had no intention of doing that anyway.He wasn’t an idiot.
The phone rang three times before a groggy voice muttered something into it.
“Hey, babe,” Ross said sympathetically.“I know it’s still light out and you’re sluggish, but I need you to wakey wakey and put on pants.”
Glenn woke up a bit more.Maybe two percent.His tongue was functional, at least.“But then I have to do things.”
He’d cracked the code.“Unfortunately.”
“Somethin’ wrong?”
“Yeah.We got two vamps trying to break into a new museum on 5thand Maple.Dunham’s there and trying to stop them.”
It took a few seconds for that to process.Long enough for Ross to turn onto the clan’s main street and up the long drive.
Then Glenn swore, long and creatively.Mostly in Gaelic.“I’ll be dressed and out in two minutes.Where are you?”
“I’m literally thirty seconds from the house.I’ll drive you in, okay?”
“Grab the Aston’s keys.”
Oooh, he got to drive the fancy-spancy sports car.Ross didn’t get a chance to do it all that often.Ross assumed Glenn wanted the Aston because everyone recognized it as the clan leader’s vehicle.Hopefully, it would stop a fight before one could really get going.
