Page 29 of Patrick’s Seduction

“Fuck!” Cameron cursed.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Gallagher, but if you can’t turn it off, it’ll cause structural damage. The condo insurance won’t cover it, if we don’t stop it. We’ll have to break down the door—”

“Don’t you dare break down my door,” Cameron thundered. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Cameron disconnected the call, and Patrick removed the SIM card from the phone, broke it in half, and tossed it in the cup holder to be disposed of later. The dark Scanguards SUV he was driving tonight had tinted windows, making it impossible to see inside. He could wait for Cameron here without being seen. Patrick cast a last look at Cameron’s driver’s license photo that he’d sent to his cell phone earlier to make sure he’d recognize him. After a long look at the jerk, he put it back in his pocket and waited.

He’d never liked waiting much. Stakeouts definitely weren’t high on his list of favorite things about his job, because they felt so passive. And he didn’t like being passive. He loved being proactive. Therefore, he was glad that his ruse had worked on Cameron. Nobody thought too long about it when getting a phone call about water damage in their home. He’d counted on it, because had Cameron thought about it for a few moments, he would have realized that if it had really been a plumber who’d called him, said plumber could easily have shut off the water to the entire building, thus stopping any further damage. There would be no need for Cameron to rush home.

Patrick leaned back and kept a close eye on every car that passed and the few pedestrians that walked down the sidewalk when his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and answered the call.

“Nicholas?”

“Got some news about the wolf.”

“Shoot!” he said, while keeping his eyes peeled on the street so he wouldn’t miss Cameron.

“I spoke to my contact at Yellowstone Park. She laughed when I asked her if a wolf could be trained like a dog. My ear is still ringing.”

“So that’s a no?”

“A hard no. Of all the species that humans have tried to train, the wolves have turned out to be the least capable of submitting to any commands. So, there’s no way that a wolf was used by a human to attack our vic.”

Patrick rubbed his neck. “Guess that theory was too good to be true. Thanks for checking it out anyway. I’ll check in with Sebastian shortly to see if any of the other leads panned out.”

“I can save you that call. I’m in the command center, and Sebastian just filled me in. Thomas and Eddie are still working on the traffic cams and the security cams of the houses around the entrance to the Presidio.”

“And?”

“No matches in our database of known vampires so far. But Ethan and Damian checked in.”

“They spoke to the jewelers who’re attending the convention?”

“Apparently our dead guy was popular. No enemies, nothing suspicious. That’s a dead end. And none of the other jewelers was staying at the Drisco Hotel. He was the only one. Supposedly, he chose the hotel because it has a great view over the bay.”

“Thanks, Nicholas. I’ll be at HQ soon. Just gotta check something out.”

“See you, bro.”

Patrick disconnected the call and put his phone back into the cup holder, when a swanky sportscar shot around the corner. As the car slowed when it reached the three-unit Victorian, the gate to the garage was already lifting. The sportscar screeched to a halt. The driver had realized that the trash cans were preventing him from driving into the garage—exactly as they were meant to do.

The engine of the sportscar was still running, when the driver’s side door was opened, and a tall man exited the car. He rushed to the trashcans and pushed them aside just enough so his path was clear. When he turned back to his car, Patrick could finally see his face.

This was Cameron Gallagher. No doubt about it.

But that wasn’t the only thing he realized instantly. He identified his aura, and it sent a shockwave through his entire body. He felt ice coursing through his veins, chilling him to the bone. Fallon had been right about being afraid of Cameron. Seeing him now confirmed his greatest fears. Cameron was dangerous, more dangerous than he’d feared.

While Cameron drove into his garage, the gate closing behind his car, Patrick tapped on Lydia’s number and put the call on hands-free. He maneuvered out of his parking spot, and drove off, not waiting for Cameron to come back out of the house, most likely utterly pissed off, when he found out that there was no water running, no plumber, and no water damage. There was no time to be lost now to get Fallon to a safe place.

“Hey,” Lydia said, answering the phone.

“Lydia, can you talk without Fallon hearing what I’m saying?”

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

“Have Fallon pack a bag for a few days. She needs to move out of her place. We have to bring her to a safe house. Now.” His heart was thundering in his chest, and he felt perspiration collecting on his nape.

“What happened?”