Page 47 of Patrick’s Seduction

“Just because you’re blood-bonded to a vampire hybrid doesn’t make you an expert on vampires.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, I’m just trying to make the point that anybody can be violent, werewolf, vampire, human. We all have it in us.”

At her last words, he realized that only a few days ago he’d mused about the same thing, about the fact that given the right motivation, anybody was capable of violence.

Slowly, he nodded. “I guess.” He stared through the windshield, reading the signs, before making a turn. “We’re almost there.”

Anita looked at the car’s navigation system. “Seems to be a pretty large property.” She pointed to the outline on the map. “About 10,000 acres, mostly forested, with a large house and several stables and other buildings on the side of a hill.”

“That’s about a third of the size of San Francisco,” Patrick commented. “Must be worth a shitload of money.”

“Not necessarily,” Anita said. “Most of that land can’t be built on. I checked the assessor’s records, and the zoning doesn’t allow for any additional homes. There are no water or sewer lines going to the property. Water comes from a well.”

“Sounds pretty… uhm, what do you call those people? Doomsday preppers?”

“Yeah, looks like they’re pretty self-sufficient.”

Patrick brought the car to a stop along a fence. “And not exactly welcoming.” He pointed to the barbed wire sitting on top of the nine-foot stone fence.

“Somebody likes their privacy,” Anita added.

A few hundred yards in the distance, Patrick could make out a large gate. Farther down, the stone fence turned into a wire mesh fence. The terrain there was more rugged, and it appeared that the access road stopped abruptly.

“Cameras?” Anita asked.

Patrick let his eyes roam, using his superior vampire vision to search for electronic surveillance. He found it. The cameras mounted on the gate were hard to miss, but there were more, and they were harder to make out. A human would miss them entirely.

“Cameras on the gate, and more in the trees just inside the property line,” he reported.

“You sure?” Anita squinted. “I can’t see any.”

“Trust me, they’re there.” He put his hand on the gearshift and turned the car around. “We’ll come back another time.” When they were more prepared. This was only a reconnaissance mission to get as much information on the Gallaghers as possible.

“Okay,” Anita agreed, nodding. “Let’s go see the sheriff then.”

The Sheriff’s Department was located a twenty-minute drive from the Gallagher property. Patrick parked the car in the parking lot adjacent to the building, and they got out.

“Like we discussed,” Anita reminded him, “I’ll take the lead. You’re a civilian.”

Patrick gave her a sideways glance. “And you’re making it blatantly obvious that you like being the one with the badge. I don’t know how Cooper can stand it.”

She smirked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “He totally loves me in a badge.”

Cooper rolled his eyes, instantly catching on to her meaning: just the badge, and nothing else. “Of course, he does. He probably enjoys the handcuffs too.”

A giggle was Anita’s reply, before she opened the door to the building, and they entered.

All business now, she approached the reception area, flashed her badge, and asked to see the sheriff.

“He’s expecting you,” the young officer replied, and pointed to a door to her left. “Right through here.”

Anita headed for the door, and Patrick followed.

“Excuse me, sir,” the officer addressed him. “May I help you?”

Patrick looked over his shoulder, while pointing to Anita. “I’m with her.”

Anita stopped and pivoted. “A consultant working with the SFPD.”