Blake tested the door. There was a sound of a floorboard creaking, then Blake pushed the door open and charged in. Eddie was on his heels. From behind the house, similar sounds could be heard, and Luther took it as a sign to charge in after them.
It was evident immediately that the place was empty. Disappointment curled through Luther. There was no sign of Forrester or Isabelle. They’d come too late.
“He’s gone,” Haven confirmed.
“Any outbuildings in the back?” Blake asked.
John shook his head. “Shed’s empty, too. There’s a motorcycle in it.”
Light suddenly flooded the interior and Luther pivoted, aiming his gun at the person who’d entered behind him. He quickly lowered it again, not wanting to shoot Wesley. The witch might not take it too kindly.
“Search the place for any evidence that Isabelle was here,” Blake ordered.
The search didn’t take long. The place was only sparsely furnished.
“He was definitely here. There’s a newspaper from a couple of days ago,” John confirmed and motioned to the bedroom he’d just exited. “And the bed’s been used.”
Haven nodded in agreement. “Looks like he left in a hurry.” He motioned to the hallway, where a set of keys hung on a hook on the wall. “His keys are still here.”
Blake turned, giving Luther an assessing look. “Could Striker have tipped him off?”
“Not a chance,” Luther said firmly. “I trust him. He wouldn’t have alerted Forrester.”
“Fine. John, bag everything that’s not tied down. Grayson can help you. Bring it back to HQ and have the team sift through it. The rest of us, we’re leaving now and heading back to San Francisco.”
“No problem,” John agreed. “I’ll take Katie’s Audi back and meet you at HQ.”
31
“What are we gonna do now?” Katie asked.
They’d just crossed the Bay Bridge with the blackout SUV and were back in San Francisco. Another half hour and the sun would be up. Eddie and Blake had taken the other van back, while her two brothers were chauffeuring her and Luther back into the city.
“You are going to do nothing,” Haven said pointedly from the driver’s seat, briefly looking over his shoulder. “You’ve done quite enough for one night.”
Judging by the way he said it, he didn’t mean it to be a compliment.
“But—”
Haven growled. “Blake is on it. Thomas has already gotten a picture of our suspect and is distributing it to everybody. They’ll be analyzing the letters to see if there are any clues in them as to where he’ll be. And they’re checking into all connections this Cliff Forrester has in California. If he’s got another hiding place, a garage, a car, or a storage unit, we’ll find it. He won’t get far.”
“But there must be something else I can do,” Katie insisted. “Why don’t we set a trap for him? I can be the bait.”
Next to her she felt Luther tense. “Hell, no!” he growled.
“Hate to agree with him,” Haven ground out, “but that’s just not gonna happen. You’ll be staying at your house, under constant guard. I’ve already alerted HQ and they’re sending someone over. Until then, I’ll be watching you.”
Katie opened her mouth to protest, but Luther was faster.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll be watching Katie. There’s no need to send over a man from Scanguards.”
Haven scoffed, glaring over his shoulder. “No fucking way. You’re not staying with Katie.” He motioned to Wesley and himself. “One of us is gonna keep an eye on you at all times.”
Wes nodded in agreement and turned halfway to look at Luther. “Did you really think that after what happened to Katie while she was with you, we’d let you stay with her?”
Luther snarled, but Katie took his hand and stopped him from responding.
Instead, she glared at her brother. “What are you pissed off about? The fact that I got stabbed in prison or that I slept with Luther?”
Haven slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a full stop on the side of the street. Katie was jerked forward. Had she not been wearing a seatbelt, she would have hit the back of the driver’s seat.
“What?” Haven yelled and spun around. His eyes glared red and his fangs descended. “You slept with this scumbag?”
Katie’s gaze shifted to Wes, stunned. “You didn’t tell him?” She’d been sure that Wesley had filled Haven in before they’d left Forrester’s house. Why else would Haven be so adamant about keeping her away from Luther?