Page 113 of The Donor’s Dilemma

“Good. Call her and get her to come back. I’ll pick her up from you.”

The woman tried to protest but Theo ignored her, hanging up the phone and grabbing his jacket. Whatever was going on, he couldn’t think about it until he had Verity. Until he knew she was safe.

Stella jumped to her feet as he burst from the office.

“I’ve got to go,” he said, sparing a quick, “sorry,” for the man sat waiting for him.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Stella asked, running down the corridor after him. “The letter said.”

“Verity didn’t send the letter, she got one too. She’s been trying to call,” he told her. “Talk to Harris. Find out who sent those fucking letters.”

As head of the Vital Exchange, if anyone knew what was happening it was him. After Theo had finally convinced him he had no idea who his source was so he couldn’t have possibly spooked them, the two of them spoke for hours. His donor, Sienna, had taken on the role of “entertaining” Abe while he was in town, and Harris couldn’t have been angrier. It might have been the first time they had spoken about something that wasn’t work related. Hopefully their relationship had improved to a point where he might be willingly helpful. If it were only the complaint letters, Theo might have written it off as a mistake, but with his phone being cut off too, there was more to it.

Running down the stairs to the carpark, he willed his heart to stop beating. The erratic thrum was only distracting him and driving his panic. He raced towards his car, pulling out his keys and pressing the button to open it.

Nothing happened.

He shoved the key in the door, turning the lock and jumping in. The hope that the key was broken vanished when he put it into the ignition and nothing happened. Nothing. It was flat.

Cursing, he looked around the carpark. He was alone, he was sure of it. No time to get a jumpstart, no time to call a breakdown service. He needed to get to Verity now.

Fifteen minutes to sunrise. The cafe was a ten-minute walk at most. He had time. Still, he grabbed his rarely used hat from the back seat, along with the coat and gloves and donned them as he raced for the exit.

The market square was quiet, a few humans milling about but no vampires would be out in the open so close to dawn. He made his way across the cobblestones, tipping his hat against the lightening indigo sky to the east. Once he got to the cafe, once he had Verity, he’d call a cab and take her home. He didn’t even care if she wanted to go, she was staying with him. At least until he found out what the fuck was going on.

He turned down a side street, a road he wouldn’t have known so well if not for dropping Verity off so often. Four turns and he’d be there, five minutes at most.

“Lord Chapel?” a voice called from behind, and Theo turned to see a group of humans, people he’d never seen before.

“Sorry, I’m in a rush,” he replied, not slowing down.

“It’ll only take a second,” the man promised, jogging to catch up.

Theo turned his head again before saying, “Just call my office.”

When he turned back another man stood in the path, one he had seen before. This man liked to lurk outside the Exchange, shouting slurs and insults at the donors.

“But we’ve got something for you,” the sneering man said, smiling like it was Yule morning.

Something glimmered in his hand, golden streetlights shining off bright white metal. No, not white. Silver.

“We’ll be quick, I promise,” the man grinned.

Theo heard movement behind him, and then all he knew was pain.

Chapter Thirty-One

Waiting for Theo to arrive felt like waiting for eternity. Not only because he was taking forever, but also because Cora refused to let her do anything.

She’d been clipped on the phone. “Theo just rang. He says something’s wrong. He wants to pick you up from here.” When she’d arrived back at the cafe, slipping in as the last customers headed home for the day, her best friend hadn’t been much warmer. All she would say was that Theo thought she’d reported him and that he was worried about her. After that she told Verity to wait out front and headed into the back to avoid talking to her.

That was over an hour ago.

Sunlight streamed through the windows as she paced, one hand clutching the fabric over her roiling stomach. This was wrong. He wouldn’t call her here then leave her waiting.

She’d called his phone. Nothing. The office. Nothing. She even tried calling from Cora’s but by the time she got through Stella must have left.

Every time a car passed, her heart jumped before crashing when she saw it wasn’t him.