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“How do you know my name?” she asked, not allowing herself to be lulled by the way he was trying to minimize himself as a threat.
“May I reach into my inside pocket?”
“Slowly. Any wrong move and I throw my weapon first and ask questions later.”
“That’s a fine stake. Any chance that’s Max’s work?”
“I think so; I never met the man. It’s part of a set that was given to me by a friend.”
The man nodded as he pulled out his ID. “Special Agent Christopher Reeves,” he said, placing the ID on the ground and backing off.
“Like the actor?” she asked, using her foot to flip the ID up so she could catch it without taking her eyes off him. It seemed legit enough, in the little light she had.
“Yes, but with an S on the end of our name. My parents were big fans. Salem? Like the city where they had the witch trials?”
Salem laughed. “Not nearly that interesting or cool. Like the capital of Oregon. That’s where I was born.” She tossed the ID back to him, relaxing her stance but not putting Mr. Pointy away. “Were those things vampires?”
“I’m afraid so. I’m surprised you recognized them as such. Very few humans can see past the glamour. Most only see them as other humans.”
“The teeth and the red eyes were kind of giveaways. Nice to know a lot of the paranormal writers got it right.”
Agent Reeves nodded. “Yes, but that’s about it. Romantic and noble they’re not.”
“What were you doing—following them or me?”
“Following the one I dusted and wondering where his partner was—that’s the one you dusted. I’m with the Special Projects Unit of the Bureau.”
“I’ve never heard of them or you.”
“That’s kind of the point. We operate on a need-to-know basis only. And until tonight…”
“I didn’t need to know.”
That made sense to Salem. Government agencies loved their little secrets. And if there were vampires roaming around the country, she was kind of glad the Bureau at least seemed to know of their existence. While it was difficult to wrap her head around the idea of vampires being real, it was hard to deny what she’d seen.
“Yeah. Sorry about that. We’ve received some kind of nebulous reports about strange activities up in and around Kenai—that’s in Alaska. We felt as you were already going to Alaska, you might be the perfect fit. I can tell you it’ll be a damn sight more exciting than what Craigie had in store for you. We thought about waiting until you were already in Alaska, but we really need to talk, sooner rather than later. As they appear to have targeted you, we need to get you up-to-snuff. How about if we head back to our offices—you can see our name on the registry, talk to the security guard and whatever else you need to do to come with me. This was a pretty brazen attack. I think it’s imperative we get out of the open.”
“Lead the way. We’ll see how I feel about all of this when we get there.”
“I understand. Why don’t you call Warrick?”
“How do you know Warrick?”
“I’ve known about Warrick and his kind for a long time.”
“If you’re going to try to tell me he’s a vampire, forget it. I’ve seen the man in broad daylight.”
“That is one of the things the books and films get wrong. Some vampires can exist in the light of the day. In fact, most of them can if they wear protective clothing. But no, Warrick isn’t a vampire. He’s strictly one of the good guys.”
“What do you mean ‘his kind?’ And does Dani know?”
“Detective Morris is well aware and has become our liaison not just with Seattle PD, but with Warrick and his people.”
“Dani has known about you and not said anything?”
“She was under strict orders to tell no one who…”
“Didn’t have a need-to-know clearance,” finished Salem.
