"I have a life. It's called the Directorate."
"That's sad. You know that, don't you?"
"I prefer to call it committed."
"As in, should be committed."
He smiled. "Got your report. Nice job."
"Thanks. Any word from Rhoan yet?"
"Not yet." He glanced at his watch. "But it isn't nine, and your flatmate is never on time anyway."
I knew that well enough, and normally it didn't worry me. "Are you going to start a search if he doesn't report in?"
"Not immediately, no."
"Dammit, there's something wrong."
"We only have your gut instinct telling us that. And even then, you say it isn't serious. Forgive me, Riley, but if it isn't serious, it isn't enough to blow his mission."
Frustration surged through me. I blew out a breath, lifting the hair from my forehead. "Then I'll just have to do a little looking of my own."
Jack studied me for a minute, amusement touching the corners of his green eyes. "If you find something, you will let me know."
I raised an eyebrow. "That an order?"
"Yes."
"And will you share if you find anything?"
"Riley, Rhoan's a guardian, and the mission he's on is top secret. I can't share information." He paused. "Unless, of course, I was sharing it with someone who was willing to take a second guardian test."
"That's blackmail."
"Yes."
I shook my head. "And here I was thinking you were a nice vampire."
"There is no such thing as a nice vampire," he said. "Just different shades of the same color. You'd be wise to remember that, especially here."
Wasn't that the truth. "I'm not going to take another test." I wasn't that concerned for Rhoan's safety. Not yet
I tackled the pile of files in my inbox instead. The morning crawled by, and the sensation that Rhoan was in trouble neither waxed nor waned. Which was odd. If he was in trouble, and unable to get out of it, surely the danger should build? What the hell did it mean when it remained at the same level?
At lunch, I grabbed a sandwich and cola from the machine in the foyer, then headed back to do some info searching on the mysterious, but oh-so-delicious, Quinn
There were lots and lots of yummy pictures - whoever started the myth that vampires couldn't be photographed was either a loony or had never actually tried it. And there were lots of articles, which swung between calling him a monster and hailing him as a savior of small companies. One article was all about a dead vamp found on one of Quinn's transport planes. Another mentioned expansions in his Sydney pharmaceutical company. And there was a small clipping about his engagement to one Eryn Jones - and a snapshot of the two of them together. She was a slender, brown-haired woman, and as pretty as hell. But then, I don't suppose someone like Quinn would end up with anyone dowdy. I glanced at the date on the top of the article - January 9. Six months ago
He had to love her a lot, because vampires didn't often commit themselves to one person. Kelly had once told me it was simply too hard to watch someone you love wither and die while you stayed eternally young. A vampire's only other choice was to turn their lovers into vamps, yet few relationships survived the turmoil of turning. Vampires tended to be territorial and two vamps couldn't often live in harmony
A few articles later, I found an interesting one about Eryn herself - or rather, her mysterious disappearance. Quinn had apparently been questioned by police, but released, and the inquiries were "ongoing." Meaning the cops didn't have a goddamn clue
Was this the reason behind the attack on Quinn? Did someone, somewhere, suspect that he was behind her disappearance? If so, why was he waiting at my place to see Rhoan? Was it something to do with the missing Eryn or something else entirely?
How did he even know Rhoan if he normally lived in Sydney?
Frowning, I did a search on his fiancee, but didn't come up with much more than the fact she worked for a well-known pharmaceutical company - one Quinn had apparently bought, then dismantled, several months after her disappearance