Page 25 of Benjamin and the Thief

“This is a cafeteria?” Catalina asked, wonder coloring her voice.

He smiled. “Yep, not too shabby, right?”

He led her to the buffet, where warm and cold foods were presented alongside a selection of warm and cold drinks.

“Help yourself, and take your time. I’ve gotta get changed and make a phone call to make sure we can see your brother.”

“Aren’t you gonna have breakfast?”

“I’m not really a breakfast kind of guy. I’ll see you in a little while. I’ll pick you up when I’m ready.”

“And what if somebody asks me what I’m doing here?”

“Just tell them that you’re Benjamin LeSang’s girlfriend.”

A blush stole onto her cheeks, and he loved her reaction.

He pressed a kiss to her cheek and left the lounge. The V-Lounge was only a couple of doors farther down the same corridor. He tapped his access card at the door and entered. There were very few people inside, which was no surprise, since it was daytime. Most vampires were asleep, and normally he would be too, since he, too, preferred working nights, but sometimes he didn’t have a choice.

Benjamin headed straight for the bar. There was no bartender on duty, which happened on occasion. But everybody knew how to pour blood from the various taps. He took a clean glass and poured himself a pint of O-Neg before gulping down the viscous liquid in mere seconds. He’d rarely ever been this famished, but the night with Catalina had drained his reserves. Knowing he wasn’t quite satisfied yet, he poured himself a second glass. This one, he drank more slowly, savoring the taste, yet despite this being his favorite blood type, it didn’t taste as good as the few drops he’d sampled from Catalina two nights earlier.

He heard footsteps behind him and looked over his shoulder. It was Adam, the youngest of Zane’s hybrid sons.

“Hey, bro,” Benjamin said between sips from his drink.

Adam gestured to his outfit. “You going to a wedding or something?”

“No. I didn’t make it home last night.”

“Ah!” Adam grinned. “Who’s the lucky lady this time?”

“Nobody you know.”

“So you’re not sharing. That’s a first.”

Adam wasn’t wrong. He’d never been opposed to sharing his female conquests, but Catalina was different. He didn’t want anybody to touch her. He knew what that meant. He could feel it. It had come on fast, but it was undeniable. Still, it was too early to talk about.

Benjamin simply shrugged. “She wouldn’t be your type. I’m just saving you from wasting your time.”

Adam chuckled. “Has anybody ever told you what a bad liar you are?”

“Now, why would I be lying?”

“I think we both know.” Adam walked around the bar and placed a clean glass under one of the taps, then pointed to Benjamin’s nearly empty glass. “Guess she’s not letting you drink her blood yet, huh?”

Benjamin gulped down the rest of the blood. “I’m starting to like your father more and more. He’s less talkative than you.”

“Ouch!” Adam said overdramatically. “That hurts.”

“See ya,” he said with a wink at his friend, making sure he knew that none of his words were meant in a malicious way. It was just the way they all treated each other: nobody took themselves too seriously.

In his office on the second floor, Benjamin got changed into jeans and a casual shirt. He grabbed a windbreaker, then tapped on a saved number on his cell phone. It was Police Chief Donnelly’s personal cell phone number.

“Hey, Benjamin,” Donnelly said, “you’re up early. Unless you’re still up. I swear I can never tell what hours you guys keep.”

Michael Donnelly had been a police detective when he’d learned of the existence of vampires. Ever since then, he’d been quietly funneling cases where supernatural influence was suspected toward Scanguards and keeping their secrets for just as long. Now, as the chief of police of San Francisco, he still kept their secrets, and now even employed Anita, Cooper’s blood-bonded mate, as a police liaison officer between the SFPD and Scanguards.

“Up early,” Benjamin confirmed. “Morning, Mike. Could you do me a favor, please? I’d like to visit an inmate at the correctional facility in San Bruno. Could you give ‘em a call and tell them I’m coming?”