Moon Sworn (Riley Jenson Guardian 9)

I wondered if Cole and his team would be able to pull information out of them. It probably depended on whether the main chip had survived the impact.

He swore again and stalked toward a small office tucked into the far corner. I leapt off my perch and flew down to the van, shifting shape as I neared the ground, landing lightly and silently at the rear of the vehicle.

Surrey remained in the office. He might have been a vampire, but he obviously was in such a state of panic that he hadn't yet registered my presence.

I crept forward and peered in through the driver's window. There were guns on the front seat, which meant Surrey himself was more than likely armed.

I wasn't. All my weapons were locked securely in my car.

I slid my fingers under the door handle and flicked it upward as carefully as I could. The resulting click was soft, but it still seemed to echo across the silence as sharply as a gunshot.

"Who's there?" Surrey demanded.

I reached in, grabbed one of the guns, then said, "Riley Jenson from the Directorate, Mr. Surrey. Put down any weapons you're holding and come out of the office with your hands up."

He didn't reply, but the tension and fear riding the air seemed to ramp up several degrees. I glanced down to check whether the gun was loaded, then flicked off the safety and wrapped a finger around the trigger.

I didn't want to shoot him, but I didn't want to take any chances, either.

"Come out of the office," I repeated, when there was no sign of movement from within the small room.

"What do you want with me?" His voice was edged with panic.

I'd dealt with many vampires over my years as a liaison and a guardian, and I'd never come across one who was so afraid. Which suggested he at least had some involvement with the murder.

"I just need to talk to you," I said.

"What about?"

"About a murder that happened in Melton." As I spoke, I reached out telepathically, feeling for his thoughts. If I could break through his shields and get to his mind, I could not only freeze him but find out once and for all whether he was actually guilty of this morning's murder.

Only what I hit wasn't the buzz of shield but rather blankness. This vamp was mind-blind, just like my brother. Which meant no one, no matter how powerful, could read or control him telepathically.

I cursed silently. So much for trying to do it the easy way.

"I don't know anything about no murder." And yet the anxiety staining the air ramped up several more notches, belying his words.

"Then you've got nothing to worry about." I scanned the warehouse quickly. There was a whole lot of space between me and the office, and while there were no windows looking out in this direction, he didn't really need them. He was a vamp. Not only did he have infrared vision at his disposal, but he'd hear my heartbeat and feel the rush of blood through my veins. "Just come out and talk to me, Mr. Surrey."

He didn't answer. I blinked and switched to infrared myself. Vampires tended not to have a lot of body heat, although they were far from cold - especially the older ones, like Quinn. Surrey was a deep, dark-red blur huddled in the corner of the office.

What the hell did he think he was doing? There was no escape from that room - and if he'd had another bolt hole, he would have used it by now. So why was huddled there like a cornered rat?

Was he waiting for someone?

It was certainly possible. He'd had ample time to phone for reinforcements while driving.

I swept my gaze through the shadows again. There was a door at the rear of the building, but even from here I could see the padlock. Meaning the only way in or out was the still-open roller door. I backed around the van, keeping my eyes on the office and my senses attuned to the open door behind me. When I reached the driver's side, I reached in and pressed the remote. The door began to rattle closed.

"What are you doing?" Surrey all but yelled. "Why are you closing the door?"

"I'm just making sure no one can sneak up on me, Mr. Surrey." I edged around the car door and made my way to the van's snub nose. My gun was still aimed at the office, but I doubted he was coming out. More than likely, I'd have to go in and get him. "There's no reason to panic."

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" His voice was becoming shriller. "That's why you closed the door, isn't it?"

My gaze switched from the deep-red blur that was Surrey to the office door. It would only take me a heartbeat to get there, but once there, I was a sitting duck. Surrey might be panicking, but he was still a vamp and still had reflexes as fast as mine. Was I willing to bet my life on the fact that his panic would make his aim less perfect?

The answer to that was a categorical no. "Mr. Surrey, I just want to talk to you. If you have nothing at all to do with the crime, you won't get into any trouble."