Flirting Under a Full Moon - By Ashlyn Chase Page 0,46
too, please. Black.”
“Sure thing.”
Brandee sauntered back to the bar while Nick admired the swing of her hips.
“Damn, she’s fine,” Hunter muttered.
“And she’s mine,” Nick countered as he retook his seat.
“Hey, I wasn’t talking about poaching on your territory. Is it serious?” His old captain settled into the booth opposite him.
“My mate. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
If Hunter wasn’t one of the werewolves among Boston’s finest, he wouldn’t have put it that way. Fortunately the captain knew exactly what Nick meant.
“No kiddin’? That’s great. From the look of things, you’ll be marking her in no time.”
Nick smiled. Even though he knew they were a long way from that, the thought warmed him.
And then Hunter brought him back to the present. “Getting down to business…”
“Yeah. The bank robberies. I think I know what you’re dealing with. A vamp.”
“That’s what we thought, but I wanted your opinion—and your help.”
“It won’t be an easy sting.”
“That’s why I called you in.”
“I can’t capture this bastard by myself,” Nick said. “We don’t know which bank will be hit next, so they’ll have to be covered simultaneously.”
“Shit. That won’t be easy.”
“It looks to me like we’re dealing with a savvy vampire. This guy knows exactly when the vaults will be opened, so he gets in and out right around the employees without being detected.”
The captain scratched his head. “Okay. But why bother? He could only take what he can grab without slowing down.”
“I think it’s less about the money and more about the mayhem. Someone is either showing off or possibly trying to make a fool of the department. Do you know of a disgruntled vampire?”
The captain snorted. “Isn’t that the definition of a bloodsucker? They’re all peeved about something.”
Nick hated the prejudice he heard among his kind, especially toward vampires. The whole purpose behind this bar was to dispel the stereotypes.
“No matter what the motive is, you hired me to help you put a stop to it.”
“What do you propose?”
“The vampire, or whoever, seems to be taking advantage of precise timing—not only when the vault opens, but the front door as well. I’m betting the perp is hanging around outside during the time the vaults are supposed to open, then zooms into the lobby as soon as a customer opens the door.”
“But what about getting out? They’d have to wait until someone exits or it would look like the door opened by itself.”
“Exactly. I assume the vamp can’t slow down, but has to run around and around until the outside door opens again. No one can keep that up for long.”
“Bizarre theory.”
“But it could work.”
“What are you saying? That we should lock down all the banks after the vaults have been opened and closed?”
“That’s one way.”
“But for how long? And what do we tell the public? ‘Oh, sorry. You all have to sit tight for fifteen minutes while we wait for an invisible thief to materialize’?”
“There’s another way.”
“I’m listening.”
“Cameras outside, covering every angle. If he’s hanging around out there, then suddenly disappears, and a few seconds later materializes again…”
“Then we get a picture of the perpetrator.”
“How do we know how large a distance to cover?”
“That’s where it comes in handy to know a friendly vampire or two. Someone who can do a dry run for us.”
Captain Hunter straightened. “Are you saying you know someone besides the vamp that owns this place? I can’t imagine a bar owner who’s trying to unite the factions wanting to get involved in a sting like this.”
Nick shrugged. “I might know of someone else.”
“Wait a minute. You’re not talking about the owner’s psycho girlfriend, are you?”
Nick let out a booming laugh. The bar’s few early patrons turned their way. He waited until they had gone back to their own conversations and spoke in a low voice. “No. This is someone you’ve probably never heard of.”
“But don’t they all cover for each other?”
“Not this guy. He and his wife are virtually unknown to the vampire community, and they’d like to keep it that way.”
“I suppose it could work. Can you contact him and set up these dry runs at every bank in the area?”
“I can ask.”
“Good. How long do you need?”
“Give me a week. How about compensation? Is the insurance company offering any?”
“I’ll ask. Meanwhile, don’t offer. Maybe your vampire will be a good citizen and do it for free.”
“Ha. We can always dream.”
“How about the other case? Are you any closer to discovering who hired the thugs to kidnap the mayor’s stepdaughter?”