Page 71 of Ryder’s Storm

Slowly, Scarlet nodded. “Okay. But how do we go about that?”

Thomas grinned at Eddie. “We’ve got all the equipment you’ll need downstairs. And Ryder knows how to install it. I’ll call the supply room and have them pack up what you’ll need, and you just need to pick it up.”

“Thanks, Thomas! Thanks, Eddie, you guys are the best,” Ryder said.

34

In the hallway outside of Thomas and Eddie’s office, Ryder gave Scarlet an encouraging look.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get proof that Claudia and Derek are having an affair. We’ll go back to your house shortly, and set up the hidden cameras. Since Claudia is with your dad in Palo Alto, we should have no problem doing that.”

“And what if Derek already left San Francisco and has returned to the East Coast?”

“I have the feeling that he never lived on the East Coast, nor in Paris,” Ryder said.

“You might be right. His stories about Paris were so boring, they could be straight out of a travel guide. And if he lied about that, he probably also lied about flying in from the East Coast.”

“Exactly.”

They were already in the elevator, when Ryder’s cell phone pinged. It was a text from his mother. “That’s Mom. She wants us to meet her in the med center. Your blood test results are back.”

He could sense Scarlet’s heartrate accelerate a little showing that she was anxious. He realized that he too was curious about the results.

Scarlet’s facial expression suddenly changed. “Damn it, I wanted to buy your mother flowers to apologize for making such a mess in her kitchen. She burned her arm because of me.”

“I’m sure it’s already healed,” Ryder said while the elevator was going down. In fact he knew with certainty that it had. A little burn caused by the rays of the sun that had streamed into the house through the open window would heal within an hour or two if his mother drank sufficient blood—which he was sure she had.

“I doubt that very much. It looked really bad.”

When they reached the medical floor and entered the hallway, it was busier than the previous night. Several people came in and out of various rooms along the corridor, before Scarlet and Ryder even reached the double doors. Outside of it, one of Luther’s guards was posted. Ryder recognized him by his uniform, a full-body Kevlar suit complete with gloves and a helmet and face shield meant to shield the vampire inside the suit from dangerous UV-rays. At his waist, instead of a gun, he carried a UV-blaster, a weapon emitting UV-rays to subdue prisoners. The guard let them pass without questioning them.

Inside the medical suite, it was buzzing like a beehive. In the circular room with the nurse’s station at its center, and various treatment bays and a waiting room surrounding it, at least a dozen people were present. The door to Maya’s office as well as the two private patient rooms were closed. The curtains to several of the treatment bays were drawn, indicating that they were occupied by patients. Ryder was glad for the curtains, because there was always a chance that some of the patients were vampires who could at any point bare their fangs. To Ryder’s surprise, Vanessa was at the nurse’s station helping out a frazzled looking Jenny.

“Nessie, I didn’t know you were coming in tonight. I could have given you a lift.”

“I just got here, literally two minutes ago. I got a text to come in and help out. It’s a circus here tonight. Did you know they admitted two V-CONs last night?”

“Luther mentioned it.”

“V-CONs?” Scarlet asked.

Ryder exchanged a look with Vanessa. “Uhm, prison inmates.”

“Oh,” Scarlet said, looking stunned. “You treat prisoners here? Is that why there’s a guard at the door?”

“Yep,” Vanessa said. “So what are you guys doing here?”

“Mom wanted us to come down to talk about Scarlet’s blood test. Where is she?”

Vanessa turned to the nurse. “Jenny?”

“She’s in with Lizzy right now. Room two.” Jenny jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

From one of the treatment bays, a man was yelling something unintelligible, moaning in pain.

“Your turn,” Jenny said to Vanessa.

“What’s he on?” Vanessa asked.