He laughed and her whole body responded to the sound. His blue eyes locked on hers. They were beautiful, and right now, devouring her, trying to delve beneath the surface. Although not an inch of her skin showed, she felt naked and vulnerable under his scrutiny. “Sounds scary. You have quite the imagination, not to mention one hell of a sense of humor, which is what’s going to get you through this ordeal. Please let me know if I can get you anything.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, not used to him being nice to her. Mulroney’s usual prickly demeanor she could handle. It made her one-sided crush easier to navigate, but this attentive and gracious host was a different story entirely. And now it seriously messed with her head. She decided to change the subject. “I understand you’re not allowed to discuss the case with me, but can you give me any idea as to how you plan to find Brooke?”
He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. “I can’t imagine what must be going through your head. I wish I had something to tell you to put your mind at ease, but so far, there’s not much to go on.” He pulled out his cell and glanced at the screen before his eyes met hers again. “A group of agents went over to Lawrence’s residence. The place was empty. No surprise there.”
“Now what? There must be some way to find out where he's taken her? Don’t you have any solid leads?” she asked, trying to tamp down the sadness and fear threatening to overwhelm her.
“We plan on questioning your attacker Damon Greystone the second he’s out of his coma. You can rest assured, if and when he does wake up, I’ll be the first one he talks to. The hospital staff has been asked to notify me or Dubrosky immediately. I’m meeting with Alex, Cayden, and my partner first thing in the morning. We plan on going over all the interviews of the people at that party to see what we can come up with.” His phone buzzed. “Excuse me for a moment.”
Mulroney walked away, nodding his head, and she tried to listen to his conversation, but she couldn’t pick up on anything.
After several agonizing minutes, she began to think the worst.
He soon came back and ran a hand along the stubble on his chin. “There might’ve been something to your keychain trick. That was Alex. A hotel manager from the La Quinta Inn on Route 3 in Clifton confirmed that a vampire and a young woman matching Brooke’s description checked into the hotel yesterday. They checked out some time in the middle of the night. He paid by credit card with a name I didn’t recognize. He’s going straight to the Council and asking them to issue a search warrant to get the owner attached to the credit card.”
To think Brooke could be this close right here in Clifton filled her with nervous energy. There had to be more she could do. “What now?”
“Our guys are at the hotel room, checking it for clues. They’ll let us know the moment they discover anything.” He glanced at her phone before his gaze met hers. “You should probably notify your friends and let them know you won’t be coming home tonight, but you’re not to tell them where you are. I’ll explain why later. An unmarked car will be parked outside the coven from now on to keep them safe. But they don’t need to know that.”
She needed to give the girls a heads up to keep them protected, but it seemed Mulroney wouldn’t let her get into all the sordid details about Brooke’s kidnapping just yet. She picked up her phone and dialed Saje. She answered on the first ring.
“Gillian? Where are you? How come you never made it to the ritual?”
“I’m fine. I’ll explain everything. How about the rest of the girls? Are they nearby?”
“Yeah, they’re standing right next to me. We just got back. We’re in the kitchen attacking the fridge. Why? I’m picking up on some serious tense vibes from you, girl.”
Gillian let out a deep breath and continued, “Go somewhere quiet where no one can hear you.” After she filled her in, she went on to explain the danger involved.“You need to put extra spells and charms on all the doors and windows. I’m staying at a friend’s tonight.”
“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Saje whispered.
“I’m fine. I’ll explain the rest in the morning. Promise me you will do what I say. Saje?”
“Fine, I promise.”
She sighed with relief. “Thanks. I’m exhausted. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
Gillian ended the call, glanced over at Mulroney, and let out a deep sigh. “What happens tomorrow? What should I do?”
“You go about your routine. Do everything you normally would. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself. I’ll drop you off at work and pick you up. Someone will be there to protect you at all times from now on.”
“What now?” she asked, praying the lead panned out and they found Brooke.
He frowned. “We wait.”
“I had a feeling you were going to say something to that effect. My phone’s about to die. Where can I plug in?” She walked to her suitcase and pulled out her charger.
Mulroney pointed to an outlet next to the dining room table. She bent to plug in her phone and her stomach growled loudly. Embarrassed, she tried to shrug it off. She always kept snacks in her purse, which should hold her over until morning.
“When was the last time you ate?”
“I don’t remember. It’s been such a crazy day.” She glanced down at her leggings. All she wanted to do was take a shower, get into her PJ’s, and collapse in bed.
He edged closer to her, and in her sneakers, she had to crane her neck to look up at his face. It was almost a crime for a male to be that good looking. “I can cook you something here.”
Did he just say he could cook her something? In the seven months she’d dated her last boyfriend, the most he ever did was make her a PB and J. “I don’t want you to go to any trouble on my account.”
His brows shot up. “Let’s face it, Miss Howe; you’ve been trouble since the day we met. I’ve grown to expect it by now.” With a twinkle in his eye, he motioned to the kitchen. “I’m sure we can find something to eat here.”
