Blake's Pursuit

“I’ll take it back to the office and have IT check it out,” Wes offered.

“Eddie can do it.” He pulled his cell from his pocket and dialed. The call was answered immediately.

“I was about to call you to tell you I’m leaving,” Eddie said, before Blake could say anything.

“I’ve got another computer for you to check out.”

“Sorry, can’t stay. Bring it to the office, and I’ll have one of my guys do it, but I need to get back to HQ. Thomas just called.”

“Fine. I’ll send Wes with the computer. Did you find anything else on Hannah’s laptop or tablet?”

“Not much. I’ll send a list of her web searches to your email so you can go through them and see what might be important. But there was nothing significant in her emails or any of the files on the computer.”

“Thanks.”

“Oh, and what do you want me to do about Nicholas and Adam?”

“They’ll be fine on their own for a short while. I should be back within an hour. Tell them not to answer the door while they’re alone, and to run for the safe room if they hear or see anything suspicious.” The kids knew the drill. He wasn’t too worried.

“Sounds good. Leaving now.”

“Thanks, Eddie.”

He shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Let’s see if there’s anything else that could tell us if he took Hannah and where they might have gone. Lilo, why don’t you start in the bedroom?”

She nodded and disappeared.

Blake followed Wes into the kitchen. “Wes, another thing,” he said quietly, so Lilo wouldn’t hear them.

“Yeah?”

“I need you to scry for Hannah.” Scrying was a skill only witches had. A skill that helped them find missing people.

“Do you have anything with her DNA on it?”

“Not on me. Go to her flat and see what you can find.”

“Will do right after we’re done here.”

“Thanks.”

11

The search of Ronny’s house hadn’t yielded anything else, but had confirmed what Lilo had always suspected: that he was a loser. He owned nothing of value besides the computer, and he was a slob, judging by the state of his house. What did Hannah see in him?

She recalled the photo Blake had shown her and had to admit that Ronny was good looking. Was that what he was living on? His good looks? Coupled with charm and some skill in bed, she knew only too well how a woman could lose her good sense and stay with a man like that longer than she should. She’d found herself on the receiving end of such an arrangement only a few years earlier. But she’d learned from it. Now she chose her boyfriends with care, in fact with so much care that she hadn’t dated anyone for the last two years.

Maybe her break from dating was the reason why Morgan West, her protagonist, had become so lifelike and real to her. He was the personification of what a man should be like: strong, decisive, reliable. A take-charge kind of guy. A man she could rely on. Just like Blake.

The more she saw him in action, the more she was in awe of him. His colleagues seemed to respect him and not question any of his demands. He always seemed to know what to do next; there was no hesitation in his actions.

As she now followed Blake up the stairs from the garage into his house, she couldn’t help but find herself admiring his muscled physique. Was it really possible that this man had everything she’d ever wanted? Not just a great character, but also a great body? Not to speak of a kind disposition, which surfaced when he dealt with Nicholas and Adam.

She sighed and entered the hallway. From the living room the TV blared, and Blake headed for it. She followed and watched him snatch the remote control, switching it off. Silence descended on the room.

Adam and Nicholas were asleep on the couch.

Blake looked over his shoulder, meeting her gaze. “Guess it’s time for those two to go to bed.”

He shook Nicholas gently, until the boy opened his eyes. “Hmm? What?”

“Time for bed.”

While Nicholas got up rather sluggishly, Blake scooped the still sleeping Adam up into his arms.

“Do you need help?” she asked.

He smiled and shook his head. “Why don’t you rest?” Then he carried Adam upstairs, while Nicholas followed him.

It was only a few minutes before Blake came downstairs again. Lilo still stood in the archway between the hallway and living room, having watched him walk down the stairs. Despite the fact that she’d been up all night, she wasn’t ready to sleep. So much had happened in such a short time that her mind wasn’t ready to rest yet.

“They’re all settled in?” she asked.

Blake stopped in front of her, nodding. “You should go to sleep, too. I’m sorry I kept you up for so long. It’ll be morning in a couple of hours.”

“It doesn’t matter. I can sleep when we’ve found Hannah.”

“There’s no need for you to stay up. I’ll take care of what needs to be taken care of. We’ll check if Ronny has a car, and if he does, we’ll find it. I’m still waiting to hear back on whether they’ve found Hannah’s car. Eddie should have emailed me Hannah’s web searches by now. I’ll go through them and—”

She lifted her hand to his cheek, touching him, surprising herself with the impulsive gesture. “You’re doing so much. I just hope it will bring us to Hannah.”

She was about to pull her hand away when he captured it and held it against his cheek. Surprised, she sucked in a breath of air. His lids lifted, and the blue of his eyes was suddenly more intense as he pinned her with them. Mesmerized, she was unable to move or look away. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her pulse raced.

“Lilo…”

“I should…” She swallowed nervously. “…go to bed.” Yet she made no attempt to move. Instead she eased closer, comforted by his nearness. She’d been through a lot tonight. Perhaps she deserved just a few moments of tranquility, of peace, of the kind of comfort only a man’s arms could give. Was it so wrong to want that?

“Yes, you should…” Blake agreed, but didn’t release her hand.

He turned his face now and pressed a kiss into her palm.

“Blake…” She suppressed a moan when his lips brushed her fingertips. “It’s probably better if I go upstairs…”