I didn’t know what to say to that, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. Inside there were lots of busy looking people dressed in black uniforms. Along one of the back walls was a large window, through which you could view a shooting practice range. There were also various assault courses where budding slayers were undertaking their training. I felt like I’d just entered some kind of super-secret military layer.
Finn led me up a set of stairs to an office room. He knocked on the door, and a middle-aged man with a neat haircut wearing a smart navy suit emerged.
“Ah,” he greeted. “I’ve been waiting for you two. It’s good to see you, Lieutenant Roe,” he said, taking Finn’s hand and giving it a firm shake.
“Governor Pamphrock, this is Tegan Stolle,” Finn introduced.
Pamphrock turned his attention to me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stolle, and I’m grateful for your help.”
Pamphrock had that refined beauty I’d come to associate with the dhampirs, similar to Gabriel and Delilah. They were attractive in a less jarring way than vampires. Still, the man before me appeared confident. You could tell that he held power and authority by the way he carried himself, and I wondered exactly how old he was as he directed us to take the seats in front of his desk. When he sat, he eyed me closely.
“Miss Stolle, do you mind me asking how exactly you became acquainted with Ethan Cristescu?”
“Tegan moved away from Tribane because Cristescu had been pursuing her,” Finn answered for me. I shot him a questioning look. “You know how obsessive vamps can get when they set their sights on a particular human.”
Well, that wasn’t quite the truth, but I understood why he lied. He was doing it to keep my secret.
Pamphrock’s expression turned thoughtful as he studied me. “He didn’t compel you?”
“No, I managed to get away before he could erase my memories,” I lied.
“So, you were frightened of him and ran away? How are you going to explain your return? Clearly, someone who was so scared of a vampire wouldn’t willingly walk straight back into his life.”
“I could pretend that I’ve come to terms with what he is,” I suggested. “Tell him that I want to give things another shot.”
Pamphrock considered me for a moment. “I suppose that might work. But tell me, why are you agreeing to help me find my daughter, Miss Stolle? Is it the money?”
“Tegan agreed to help before I even mentioned paying her,” Finn interjected.
Pamphrock seemed intrigued by this. “Oh?” His eyes landed on me. “You must have the same hero gene as Lieutenant Roe here.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I just couldn’t walk away knowing I might be able to help you get your daughter back, sir.”
Pamphrock rubbed his chin, and I felt a little self-conscious at his prolonged attention. He drew closer, inhaling a deep breath, and his brow furrowed. “Have we met before? You seem familiar to me in some way.”
“No, I don’t think so,” I replied, uneasy with the way he seemed to be smelling me. It reminded me all too much of the vampires I’d met.
“This might sound strange,” Pamphrock went on. “But in a way, you remind me of Rebecca.” He opened a drawer below his desk and retrieved a photograph before sliding it across the desk to me. “This is the most recent picture I have of my daughter.”
I glanced down at the photo. Rebecca had long blonde hair, olive skin, and big brown eyes. She looked absolutely nothing like me. In fact, with my dark hair, blue eyes, and pale complexion, we were polar opposites. I wasn’t sure how I reminded Pamphrock of her.
“Memorise her face. I’d let you keep the picture, but I can’t risk Cristescu finding you with it and realising what you’re up to.”
“Alright,” I replied, committing Rebecca’s features to memory before I handed the picture back to Pamphrock. He and Finn exchanged brief eye contact before Pamphrock said, “I would like to speak with Lieutenant Roe alone for a moment. If you don’t mind, Miss Stolle.”
“Sure, I’ll wait outside,” I said, rising from my seat and leaving the room. About five minutes later, Finn emerged with a face like thunder.
“What was that all about?” I asked as we walked out.
“Pamphrock was just reminding me of the consequences if you happen to betray us,” Finn answered. “You better not screw this up, Tegan.”
“Hey, I’ll do the best I can,” I said irritably. “By the way, where is Rebecca’s mother? I thought I’d be meeting her, too, since so much responsibility is being placed on me.”
Finn glanced in my direction. “As far as I know she’s out of the picture. Pamphrock’s got several kids, all from different mothers, and Rebecca is his youngest. That’s probably why the vampires targeted her. She’s where Pamphrock’s most vulnerable.”
When we were in the van, Finn removed an envelope from his pocket and dropped it onto my lap. I peered inside, my eyes widening when I saw the money.
“You’ll get the rest once we’ve gotten Rebecca home safely,” he said as he drove us back to the house. He handed me the front door key and told me he had some errands to run. I went inside, wary of Wolf’s presence, but he wasn’t about. Maybe he’d gone next door to visit the lady who seemed to like him so much.
Exhaling a relieved breath, I decided to treat myself to a long soak in the tub. When I emerged, I wrapped up in a clean towel and tried not to fixate on my anxiety about seeing Ethan tonight. I exited the bathroom and almost walked right into Wolf, who sat in the hallway staring at me stoically.
“What the hell? How did you get back into the house?”
Wolf gave a low huff then turned and walked away. I got the feeling Finn’s dog didn’t trust me much and was keeping a close eye on me on his owner’s behalf. Inside the guest room, I shut the door and focused on what to wear for the night ahead. I didn’t want to seem like I was out to impress, because that might make Ethan suspicious, but at the same time, I wanted to look good. I selected an electric blue halter top, pairing it with a pair of tight black pants that did a good job of showcasing my newly toned legs.
I set the clothes out and decided to take a nap. When I awoke, I heard Finn downstairs playing around with Wolf. I climbed out of bed and quickly got ready, fixing my hair and make-up before donning my outfit.
Arriving downstairs, I found Finn in the kitchen eating noodles. He gave a low whistle. “You look nice.”
“Thanks. Are there any more of those? I’m starving.” Finn nodded to an unopened box of noodles, and I went to grab a fork. Wolf gave me a little bump as I walked past him. “I don’t think your dog likes me,” I said.
“It’s not that he doesn’t like you. He just senses that you don’t like him.”
“I’d like him better if he wasn’t staring at me all the time,” I grumbled as I dug into the noodles.
Finn slid something to me across the counter. I picked it up and found it was a ticket to the event at Crimson tonight. “How did you manage to snag this?” I asked, certain it wasn’t an easy task for a slayer to get a ticket to an exclusive vampire event.
Finn winked. “I have my ways.”