Page 43 of Benjamin and the Thief

“She was very defensive,” Benjamin remarked. “Don’t you think?”

“At first, yes.”

Benjamin nodded. “Is it true that your brother is shy and gets frazzled easily?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, he’s not used to speaking in public. And he gets intimidated very easily.”

They stopped at his car, and he suddenly looked past her. Curious, she glanced over her shoulder and noticed Gloria Evans, a heavy briefcase in her hand, unlock a Mercedes. It looked brand-new.

“That’s this year’s model of the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupe,” Benjamin murmured. “How much do you think a public defender is paid?”

Catalina’s mind was on the same track. “Not enough to buy a brand-new $100,000 sports car.”

“That’s what I think too.”

What if Gloria Evans had been paid off by somebody to make sure Santiago’s defense was as weak as possible? It was a long shot, but they had to start somewhere.

19

Benjamin unlocked the car, and he and Catalina got in.

“I’m gonna have to do a deep dive on the public defender. But I need to go into the office for that.”

“That’s okay. I need to go home anyway and get changed. I need clean clothes.”

“I’ll drop you off,” he offered.

He drove out of the parking lot and made his way toward Catalina’s apartment building. When he stopped in front of it, he leaned over to the passenger seat and kissed her.

“I’ll call you later to let you know what time I’m done. I’ll see you tonight.”

“See you later,” she replied and got out of the car.

He followed her with his eyes until she reached the entrance door and pushed it open. When she disappeared inside the building, he put the car in drive and headed toward the Mission neighborhood. Mid-afternoon traffic was heavy as usual, and thanks to some roadwork on one of the main arteries through the city, it took him almost half an hour until he reached Scanguards headquarters.

He used his access card and his fingerprint to open the gate into the underground parking garage and parked in his assigned spot. The garage wasn’t busy. Most vampires didn’t work during daylight hours. However, he noticed Eddie’s car parked in its usual spot. It probably meant that there were some pressing IT issues that had to be dealt with, and he’d been called in. It happened occasionally.

Just as well—he needed Eddie’s help anyway. He and his mate, Thomas, were talented IT geniuses who could hack into just about any database or system they set their mind to. Not that it was always necessary. Thanks to their connections to the SFPD police chief and the California Governor, they had legitimate access to many governmental databases, including the DMV and AFIS (the Automated Fingerprint Identification System), as well as countless others that helped them check out suspects and run down leads. Whatever they couldn’t get legal access to, they hacked into, and nobody was the wiser.

Benjamin hopped into the elevator and headed straight for the top floor, where all executive offices were located, including Eddie’s, which he shared with Thomas. After a perfunctory knock, he opened the door and stormed in, his request already sitting on his tongue.

He reared back when he realized what he’d interrupted. Thomas was pressing Eddie against the wall, their lips locked in a passionate kiss, their groins grinding against each other. This wasn’t the first time that he’d seen them in a passionate embrace. It was no different than walking in on his own parents making out like horny teenagers.

“Get a room, guys!”

Thomas whirled his head in his direction, his eyes red like beacons, his fangs peeking past his lips, a snarl ripping from his throat.

“This is our room,” Thomas replied.

“Saved by my nephew,” Eddie said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, small drops of blood on his lower lip. “Remind me to return the favor when it’s appropriate.”

Thomas looked back at Eddie, then licked the drops of blood from his lover’s lip and swallowed them. Finally, they severed their embrace. Benjamin made sure to keep his gaze on their faces and not anything lower. He needed no confirmation of just how hot these two lovers had gotten each other.

“Sorry, didn’t know you were both here,” Benjamin apologized. “But I need some help with some financials.”

“Of course you do,” Thomas said, giving a slow side-to-side shake of his head. “Haven’t we taught you enough so you can do that yourself?”

“You guys are so much better at it than I could ever dream to be,” Benjamin said with a grin.