Page 14 of Ryder’s Storm

His parents were at Scanguards: Gabriel was one of the directors of the company, and Maya operated a small medical center for vampires and other preternatural creatures on a lower level of Scanguards’ headquarters located in the Mission. Ethan was probably still at the club, and Ryder was grateful that he hadn’t run into him there, or his perceptive younger brother would have had no trouble picking up the scent of sex on him. Ethan would have grilled him about who the girl was, and Ryder had no answers.

Where Vanessa was at this time of night, was anybody’s guess. She handled a variety of things at Scanguards. Most of her time was spent doing outreach, patrolling the city streets to find at-risk youth, victims of crimes, and check up on the city’s sex workers to see how Scanguards could help them. This service was part of the agreement Scanguards had struck with the Chief of Police many years earlier. In exchange for keeping the city’s residents safe, the police didn’t investigate crimes committed by vampires, and instead allowed Scanguards to punish vampires who’d broken the law—and if necessary send them to the vampire prison in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

When his parents returned shortly before sunrise, his father had informed Ryder of a new assignment.

“Grayson was pulled off the Scarlet King detail.”

Ryder smirked. “So he threw in the towel. No surprise here.” Everybody had been taking bets as to how long Grayson would stick it out, before he gave up. “That girl can’t possibly be all that difficult.”

“She’s not,” Gabriel agreed. “But I think their personalities clashed big time. That’s where you come in.”

“Let me guess: I’ll be the one to calm her down, and give her some space, while still keeping a close eye on her?”

“You know the drill. I know I can rely on you. You always keep a cool head.”

Normally that statement was true, but his father didn’t know that he wasn’t always this cool. He’d felt anything but cool when he’d been with Sara, and the result had been disastrous. He’d scared her off. Maybe it was good to get this assignment. It would help him find his inner peace again. How hard could it be to watch a young woman who kept to herself and had her head in a book all day? Piece of cake.

“Grab a couple of hours of sleep. You’ll need to relieve Benjamin at one o’clock. He’ll text you the address. Thanks, son, I know I can count on you.”

He squeezed Ryder’s shoulder, before he walked up to the third floor where the secluded suite that Ryder and his siblings considered their parents’ love nest was located. It was off-limits, not because his parents had said so, but because no-one—human, witch, or vampire—wanted to walk in on their parents having sex. And their parents had a lot of sex.

Around a quarter to one in the afternoon, Ryder jumped in his car, an SUV with windows tinted with a special coating that blocked all types of UV light that could burn a vampire. He’d opted for this practical vehicle rather than the flashy sports cars Amaury’s twins, Benjamin and Damian, drove because he was the one person most full-blooded vampires called when in trouble, trouble being the rising sun. He didn’t mind. It was part of his job to help out where his full-blooded vampire colleagues had obvious limitations.

Benjamin was leaning against the hood of his black Porsche, when Ryder pulled up in front of the Victorian mansion belonging to Brandon King, the father of his new charge. Ryder parked behind him, and got out.

Benjamin grinned and jerked his thumb toward the house. “Looks like you pulled the short straw this time.”

“And you owe me twenty bucks,” Ryder retorted good-naturedly. “I told you Grayson couldn’t hack it for a full month.”

Benjamin pulled out his cell phone and tapped on it. “Just sent it.” He grimaced. “Spoiled brat.”

Ryder’s phone pinged, announcing the receipt of the money. “Who? The girl? Or Grayson?”

“Grayson, of course. The girl is fine. Nice, quiet, you know, a bookworm. You might like her. You probably read the same books.”

Ryder ignored the obvious dig at his pastime, which most of his fellow hybrids found boring. “Anything else I should know?”

“Stepmother arrived this morning. Hot babe.”

Rider shook his head. “You serious? Since when do you go for MILFs? Aren’t they a little too old for you?”

“She’s barely a day over thirty-five. Claudia could be my own personal Mrs. Robinson.” Benjamin waggled his eyebrows in Groucho Marx fashion.

“Claudia? You’re on a first-name basis with the wife of our client?”

Benjamin grinned and leaned in. “In my mind we’re on a way more intimate basis. The things I’m already—”

Ryder put his hand on Benjamin’s chest. “No need to elaborate. I’ve seen The Graduate.”

“Well, then you know what I’m talking about, but I’ve got dibs on her,” Benjamin said before he jumped in his Porsche. “No poaching, bro.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He wasn’t into over-sexed bored housewives.

“Almost forgot.” Benjamin reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a key. “That’s your key to the house. I’ve got my own.”

“Thanks, call you when I need to be relieved.”

“Sure thing.” Benjamin closed the driver’s door, and sped away.