Page 67 of Cooper’s Passion

Cooper nodded. “Yeah, we know what he looks like, and thanks to Anita, we know his modus operandi.” He kissed Anita on the cheek.

She swallowed her food and looked at him. “Which reminds me: we should set a trap for him. With me as bait.”

Cooper nearly choked on the piece of meat he was chewing. “Excuse me?”

Anita set down her fork. “You promised if I could defeat you, you’d let me do this.”

He remembered only too well how she’d defeated him: by caressing his cock. But he also remembered what he’d promised her. “It’s too dangerous. Now that you know the killer is a vampire, I thought you’d changed your mind about wanting to be bait.”

Anita shook her head. “Now it’s even more important that he’s caught. Just think of all the women he’s killed. How many more will he take? And they have no way of fighting him. But you do. You and your friends—only another vampire can defeat him. And we have to catch him here, in San Francisco, before he moves on.”

“She’s got a point,” Wes said with a shrug.

“Thanks for your support,” Cooper said dryly. “You could have backed me up.”

“Coop, you’ve gotta know when to fold.” He cast a sideways look at Anita. “As a Montgomery, you should know by now that the women we pick don’t cave easily.”

Anita smirked and put a hand on Cooper’s arm. “Your uncle is right.”

“She’s a trained law enforcement officer, Cooper,” Virginia added. “Besides, she didn’t fall apart when she found out you’re a vampire. She’s stronger than you think. She can handle this.”

“Et tu, Virginia?” Cooper shook his head, but he knew he’d already lost this argument. He took a deep breath and clasped Anita’s hand. “All right, we’ll work on setting a trap with you as bait.” And he hoped he wouldn’t regret that decision.

The doorbell rang. Wesley looked at his wife. “Are we expecting anybody?”

“I’m not,” Virginia replied. “If it were somebody from the council, they would use the portal not the door.”

Wesley rose. “I’ll check.” He left the room.

“What’s a portal?” Anita asked, her gaze directed at Virginia.

Virginia hesitated. “Uhm…”

“Oh,” Anita said quickly. “If it’s a secret to do with you being a Stealth Guardian, you don’t have to tell me. I didn’t mean to be nosy. There’s just so much that’s new for me.”

“It’s all right, Anita,” Virginia said with a smile. “It’s just there are still a few things we need to keep to ourselves until…”

Cooper caught Virginia glancing at him and knew what she was referring to. If and when Anita truly became a part of their family by blood-bonding with him, there would be no more secrets.

He was saved from giving Anita an explanation, when the door opened, and Wesley entered followed by a tall Hispanic man in his late fifties or early sixties, dressed in casual clothes. His cowboy boots made a loud clacking sound on the hardwood floor.

Anita jumped up from her chair, staring wide-eyed at the newcomer.

“Dad?”