Cooper's Passion: Scanguards Hybrids #5 (Scanguards Vampires Book 17), page 19
When the door closed behind her, Anita took a deep breath. “Uhm… so, uh…” Her throat felt like sandpaper. She’d never had a girlfriend with whom she talked about guys and sex, and now she was supposed to ask this stranger about the mating habits and sex practices of vampires?
“I’ve been where you are now.” Scarlet motioned to the two armchairs in the corner. “Let’s sit down. I’m on my feet all day, running after two boys that have more energy than their father and I combined.”
Anita took the proffered seat, and Scarlet sat down too. “You have kids with Ryder?”
Scarlet smiled, and her eyes lit up. “Twins. And they’re already a handful at seventeen months!” Then she leaned forward in her chair. “But you don’t really want to talk about kids, do you? You want to know what it’s like to be bitten.”
Anita gasped. “How did you—”
“Because that was my first question too when I found out what Ryder is.”
“You don’t mind telling me? I mean… Cooper said it’s part of the sex between vampires.”
“It is. And not just because Ryder has to feed from me, otherwise he would starve, but—”
Anita shot forward on her seat. “What?”
“Well, when a vampire blood-bonds with a human, he can only drink that human’s blood. In Ryder’s case, he can only drink mine. If he ever drank from another source, he would get sick.”
“Are you saying, he’s dependent on you? But what if…” There were so many what ifs, so many scenarios where things could go wrong. So many what ifs that contradicted Scarlet’s statement.
“What if his human mate left him?” Scarlet prompted. “He would die. But I haven’t heard of a single case where that’s happened. Vampires mate for life. And they’ll do everything to make the woman they’re blood-bonded to happy.”
“But what if the woman dies? That must happen. Or what if they are mated to a vampire, like Cooper’s parents? You can’t tell me they can only drink from each other. That can’t work. It’s like a closed system… there’s no nutrition coming in… no…”
Scarlet took her hand. “Anita, breathe.”
Anita took a breath.
“Okay,” Scarlet started calmly. “There are a few exceptions to this rule about blood. If the human mate dies, there’s a change going through the vampire, and he will once again be able to drink any human blood. It happened to Luther, Cooper’s uncle. Katie is his second mate. And in the case of Cooper’s parents, vampires mated to each other don’t undergo this change within their bodies that would restrict them to the blood of their mate only. They can drink any human blood.”
Anita listened carefully. “Okay, that makes more sense.” But she still hadn’t asked what she really wanted to know. It was time to stop beating around the bush. “What’s it like, the bite? Does it hurt? How often does he have to… feed from you?”
Scarlet looked into the distance, a contented smile around her lips. Her chest rose, and her cheeks looked flushed all of a sudden. “It’s out of this world. The connection the bite creates, it’s as if you’re not just physically connected, but also on an emotional and spiritual level. It’s addictive. It’s a high I’ve never experienced before I met Ryder. And to make love while he drinks from me… it’s a pleasure only few people will ever experience.”
Anita noticed the sparkle in Scarlet’s eyes, and she looked almost as if she was glowing. The sight increased her longing for Cooper. They could have what Scarlet and Ryder had, the same kind of connection.
“And when I hear his voice in my head, it feels like he’s touching my heart.” Scarlet rose and walked to the clothes rack. “We should find you something to wear.”
Anita shot up from her seat. “His voice? What do you mean?”
“Every blood-bonded couple has a telepathic connection, a way to communicate without speaking.”
“That’s how they did it.”
“What?” She pulled a pencil skirt with a matching jacket from the rail and looked at it.
“Cooper’s parents. After I shot Cooper, and his mother brought him home to take out the bullets, his father arrived, and he already knew that I had shot Cooper. But nobody had called or texted him.”
Scarlet nodded. “Yvette probably told him via their bond what had happened.” Then she grinned. “So how are things with Yvette? I heard she was livid about you shooting him.”
“Does everybody know about what I did?”
“Yep, gossip like that spreads faster than a wine stain on a white carpet.” She held the navy-blue suit up next to Anita and tilted her head. “I think that color works on you. Makes you look very authoritative.”
“Who am I supposed to dress up as?”
“Cooper said to make you look like a businesswoman, maybe in finance.” She motioned to purses and high heels, scarves, and jewelry. “We’ll need to accessorize.” Then she reached for another suit in a different color. “Try the grey one too. Should be your size.”
Anita took both hangers, and Scarlet pointed to a screen. “You can change behind there.”
While she slipped behind the privacy screen, and got undressed, she asked, “How long did you date Ryder before you guys blood-bonded? That’s what it’s called, right?”
“About a week.”
Anita nearly choked on her own saliva. “A week?”
“I know, it seems short,” Scarlet admitted. “But when a vampire falls in love, it happens practically overnight. And it’s hard to resist that kind of intense connection. Besides, he saved my life, and that of my father. Ryder would have died for me. But even before that, I think I knew instinctively that he was the one for me.”
Did that mean what Cooper felt for her was as intense as Scarlet described Ryder’s love for her? And did it mean that what she was starting to feel for him wasn’t as crazy as she thought? Wasn’t reckless at all, but natural?
“Were you never afraid of what he’s capable of? That he could hurt you?”
Scarlet sighed. “Ryder was defending me against another vampire, when he transformed, and I realized what he was. I was scared at first, but Ryder gave me a choice. He said he’d let me go if I didn’t want anything to do with him now that I knew. All he wanted was the chance to explain. And he did. And the more he told me who he was, the more I realized that vampires aren’t so different from humans. They are capable of love, of friendship, of loyalty. And I was already so in love with him that it really didn’t matter in the end what he was. Do you understand that?”
Anita felt tears sting her eyes. “Yes…” She understood it, because she felt the same for Cooper. And tonight, after this was over, after they’d caught the killer, she would tell him that she loved him no matter who or what he was.
“I thought you might,” Scarlet said softly. “Now let me see you in the suit.”
Anita sniffled and walked out from behind the screen. “Thank you for talking to me so openly.”
“Any time.”
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Scarlet said.
A young man with dark hair entered, a small box in his hand. “Hey, I’m here with the wire.”
“Hey, Nicholas,” Scarlet greeted him. “Give me the bug, and I’ll put it on Anita.”
“I’m supposed to do that,” Nicholas protested and marched toward her. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
Scarlet stepped aside, and folded her arms over her chest, while Nicholas stopped only a foot away from Anita and grinned at her.
“As you wish,” Scarlet said. “Just thought I’d warn you not to touch what belongs to Cooper. He’s gonna rip your head off if you touch her.”
“Cooper?” Nicholas immediately stepped back as if bitten by a hornet. He looked her up and down appreciatively. “Fuck!”
Anita caught Scarlet winking at her. “Yep, so, you’d better not touch. And don’t look down her cleavage either.”
Nicholas’s head shot up, and Anita realized that Scarlet was having fun chastising him and felt sorry for him.
“Nicholas? I’m Anita. I’m sure Scarlet is only exaggerating.”
“No, she isn’t.”
Anita whipped her head in the direction of the door from where the familiar voice had come. Cooper stood there, a smirk on his face.
She shook her head at him. “You’re terrible.”
Cooper shrugged, the reprimand pearling off him like water off Teflon. Then his expression turned serious. “We’ve got a plan.”
33
Cooper sat in the driver’s seat of one of Scanguards’ black-out vans, Sheriff Diaz in the passenger seat. On the dashboard, a tablet showed live-streams from different cameras in a three-block radius Scanguards had set up. The car was parked half a block from the spot where Anita had just exited a large office building, dressed in a navy business suit and high heels, a briefcase in one hand. She looked up and down the street, pretending to wait for an Uber like they’d discussed.
“And you really think he’s gonna show up here?” Sheriff Diaz said skeptically, glancing at him briefly before looking back in Anita’s direction.
“It’s our best guess. Janet Fillmore’s body was found a quarter mile from here, and two nights before that, he tried to abduct a woman only two blocks from here. That, together with sightings of white vans, makes this area his most likely hunting grounds.”
“I still don’t like it,” Diaz grunted. “What if he gets to Anita and slips through your net?”
“Very unlikely. We have somebody on every block, plus the cameras. If he enters this three-block radius, we’ll see him.”
And hopefully the killer wouldn’t see the vampires who’d hidden themselves at strategic spots. While there were civilians around, it was imperative that their suspect didn’t see any vampires, or he would suspect a trap.
“I didn’t see any of your colleagues.” Diaz motioned to the cameras.
“That’s the point. If you can’t see them, neither can the suspect.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the sitting duck. My daughter is.”
There was no convincing Diaz that Anita was safe short of telling him that the people from Scanguards were vampires and would be able to come to Anita’s aid within seconds.
Cooper tapped his microphone. “Anita, turn to your right, and walk to the next block, then cross the street.”
Anita didn’t answer, but she turned like he’d instructed, and walked toward the intersection.
“Samson, she’s coming toward you.”
A moment later, Samson replied, “I have her in my sight.”
When Anita crossed the intersection and disappeared from Cooper’s view, he looked at the tablet and saw her show up in one of the feeds.
“Anita, wait at the bus stop. Pretend to look at the bus route,” Samson instructed through the earphone.
Cooper tapped on his mic to mute it. “José, I know you’re worried.” He continued looking at the live feed of Anita standing at the bus station a block away. “Trust me, I’m the last guy who would want your daughter to get hurt.”
Diaz turned his head to give him a long look. “You’ve got a funny way of showing that. You should have talked her out of this.”
“You know better than I that once your daughter has made up her mind about something, she can’t be dissuaded.”
Diaz let out a huff. “Yeah, well, she gets that from me, I guess. Damn stubborn. That’s what she is.”
“It’s a good trait for an investigator. If she hadn’t been so stubborn then we would still not know that we’re dealing with a serial killer.” And they would have never met, depriving him of the chance to be with the woman he wanted as his mate.
“Samson, the bus will be turning onto your street in a couple of moments,” Yvette said via the earpiece.
“Anita,” Samson said, “move five steps to your left otherwise I’ll lose sight of you when the bus stops.”
Cooper kept his eyes on the live feed and saw the bus approaching. When it stopped at the small hut, it blocked the camera, and all he could see were several people standing on the bus, ready to get off.
Cooper’s heart pounded out of control. “Samson? The camera lost her.”
“I’ve got her,” Samson confirmed.
Suddenly, the bus driver rose from his seat.
“What’s happening?” Diaz asked.
“A wheelchair user has to get off,” Samson replied.
“There’s a white van approaching,” Orlando suddenly announced. “Coming toward you, Amaury. Turning now.”
Cooper looked at the live feeds covering Orlando’s and Amaury’s blocks, and saw the white van as it drove past Amaury’s block.
“Samson, he’s heading for you,” Amaury said. “He’s slowing down.”
“Who’s got eyes on Anita?” Cooper asked.
“I’ve got her,” Samson confirmed.
“Shit, the white van is stopping behind the bus,” Diaz said, pointing to the tablet.
Cooper tried to zoom in on the driver in the van, but the image was too dark, and a camera couldn’t capture the aura of a vampire.
“I’m heading over there,” Haven said. “Keep your eyes on Anita.”
“Fuck!” Samson hissed.
“Samson?” Cooper asked, panicked.
“I can’t get to her. She’s trapped between the wheelchair platform and the people getting off the bus from the back door.”
Cooper reached for the handle and opened the car door. He jumped out, and heard Diaz doing the same. He raced toward the intersection, then turned. The bus driver was helping the wheelchair-bound passenger safely reach the sidewalk. The people who’d exited from the back door were already dispersing.
“False alarm,” Haven said through the earpiece. “The driver of the white van is an Asian man. Back to your positions.”
Diaz reached Cooper, just when Cooper spied Anita, who’d stepped behind the covered bus stop to get out of the way. Relieved, he let out a sigh. Anita was okay.
“You’re mighty fast,” Diaz said to him. “You a sprinter or something?”
Cooper turned his head. “I was on the track team in high school.” Which was a lie. Every vampire ran faster than the fastest human.
“Pretty impressive speed.”
“Like I told you, my colleagues and I will keep Anita safe at all times.”
Diaz nodded. “I can see that.”
“Let’s get back to the car,” Cooper suggested. He tapped on his mic. “You heard Haven. Everybody back to their positions. Anita, count to ten, then head across the street and turn right onto the next street. Orlando, she’ll be coming toward you.”
By the time they were back in the blackout van, Anita was on the move again, walking within the circle of blocks they were surveilling with cameras and Scanguards staff. Cooper looked at the clock. It was still early, not even ten o’clock yet.
“What if he doesn’t bite?” Diaz asked into the silence.
“Then we’ll have to stake out a different area tomorrow night.” He cast him a sideways glance. “Don’t worry. We’ve got a lot of people out there who’ve seen the suspect’s sketch. SFPD sent out a bunch of their people in plain clothes, and we’re running registrations for all white vans in the Bay Area. We’ll find him.”
Diaz nodded. “The company you work for, they’re an interesting bunch.”
“What do you mean?”
He tipped his chin up. “Pretty young, all of them. Your parents must have had you when they were ten.”
Cooper shrugged. “Just good genes.”
“Hmm. I’m still not sure why the police chief lets Scanguards run this operation. No private company should be responsible for a case like this. No offense, but it’s totally against police procedure.”
“That’s San Francisco for you,” Cooper deflected. “We do things differently here.” It was best to change the subject, before Diaz found even more things strange. “Is this your first time here?”
“Actually, no. My first wife, Helen, Anita’s mother, and I spent our honeymoon here.” He let out a breath. “That was a long time ago. Never thought her killer would lead me back here.” He rubbed his neck. “Well, until earlier today I didn’t even believe that she was dead. Doesn’t exactly make me a brilliant cop, does it now? I can’t even imagine what Anita went through all these years because I didn’t believe her. What kind of father am I not seeing that my child wasn’t lying?”
“Don’t beat yourself up, José. Anita is a strong woman, maybe because of what she went through. All that matters is that you believe her now.”
“Hmm. Those are very wise words for somebody so young.”
Cooper’s cellphone suddenly chimed with an alert, and a corresponding message flashed on the screen. He tapped on it and read the message.
“Fuck!” Cooper slammed his hand on the steering wheel.
“What?” Panic infused Diaz’s question. “Is it Anita?”
Cooper quickly shook his head, then tapped on his mic. “Abort mission. The suspect was seen abducting a blonde woman near the Ferry Building. He got away in a white van.”
Several curses came through the earpiece.
“Who’s closest to Anita?” Cooper asked.
“I am,” Yvette said, “I’ll escort her back to your car.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He tapped on his cellphone, connecting to the command center at Scanguards.
“Coop?” Sebastian answered.
“Got your alert. What other details do you have? I’m with Sheriff Diaz. You’re on speaker.”
“An administrative assistant working for the SFPD recognized the suspect when she came out of a restaurant across the street from the Ferry Building and was walking to her car on Steuart Street. She saw him drag a blonde woman into a white van and drive off.”
“Did she get the license plate?”
“No, she had to duck down between two cars so the perp wouldn’t see her. But she noticed that the woman had dropped something. She picked it up. It was her handbag, so we have an ID on the victim.”
“And the van? Did she see which direction it went?”
“No, by the time she felt safe to look around, the van was gone. But around that area it’s mostly one-way streets. There aren’t that many directions he could have gone.”
