Two days passed and they got the petals. But, Daphne didn’t go with them to the Kalstein estate. She had a date with Mark tonight. The man, for all that he would speak to her about games he had played and books he had read, had this endearing voice that made her come back.

Sure, it would be just a fling for a couple of days, for the both of them. But she was certain that she would remember it all fondly. And she would tell Despina everything once she got back, and they would giggle over cake and a latte, and she would forget all about Frederik.

Mark took her to a nice restaurant. He had a bouquet of roses in his hands when he came to pick her up from her room. A whole dozen, at least. Daphne tried to remember the last time someone gave her roses. She was practically melting at it all.

She left the car to Erin and Andrew and got into Mark’s SUV. It was pleasant and orderly inside, and she lamented not being able to spend more time with the man. He was like the perfect guy.

Endearing, smart, funny and, above all else, he treated her like a lady. Not even once did he stare at her boobs. He always had something pleasant to say about her eyes. Daphne wanted to eat him up. She just might, tonight.

After the restaurant, they went to the park. It was dark out by the time they got there. Mark pointed at the sky above.

“I think that the stars are the many eyes of Heaven,” said Mark, and Daphne nodded.

“So, you believe that Heaven is a giant spider?” They shared a laugh and Mark placed an arm around Daphne’s waist.

“Let us walk around for a bit. All that food I ate made me heavy,” Mark led her around, and they stopped by a bench. Daphne still had her roses in her hand. Then, when they sat, Mark took a hold of one of the roses.

“It is nice that you have pockets,” he said as he tore off the petals.

“You know what else I have,” said Daphne, pretending to hook an arm around Mark’s middle. “A gun.”

She pressed it to Mark’s midsection, and he smirked.

“Well, well, well. Guess you have me there. Is this a robbery?” Now, Daphne was not stupid. Sure, she would have liked to get a go in bed with Mark before he tried to kill her. But, she was not about to risk it — now.

“Look, sweet cheeks, you are prince charming. Or, at least, you pretend to be. However, I had a vampire boy toy before you. I know when I am looking at a non-human. And all that talk about eyes gave you away,” Mark dipped his head and grinned bashfully.

“But, you weren’t 100% certain,” he stated and Daphne nodded.

“No, but the roses sealed the deal,” Daphne took out her phone with her free hand and dialed Andrew.

“Jail bait, I got the Wanderer. No idea what he is, apart from the fact that I found talk about Dungeons and Dragons charming. That is not natural,” she said and heard a sputter from the other way.

“You are in the park?” Asked Andrew. That confirmed Daphne’s suspicions fully.

“Yes. Get the suits to come and collect us. I will keep him here. And jail bait, you and fangs have to step up your game. What are you being paid for if I catch all the bad guys?” Daphne cut off the call and pocketed her phone.

“I am caught, am I?” Asked Mark with a smirk.

“Well, unless you can live after being shot in the head,” said Daphne, aiming for Mark’s forehead.

“Oh, I have something better than that. Sleep,” said Mark, and Daphne’s eyes closed by themselves. Mark took out her phone and kicked it until it was too broken to work. Then, he scooped her up and carried her to his SUV.

He couldn’t go back to the hotel. He was not an amateur. Furthermore, he guessed he could be skipping town sooner. It was not like he had unloaded his things in his hotel room.

He got cuffs and placed them on her wrists. She would sleep for as long as he needed her to. By the time he asked her to wake up, he would have left Fort Pierce.

When Andrew, Erin and three agents came to the last spot that Daphne’s phone had been on, there was just a broken phone on the ground and a bouquet of roses with petals sprinkled on the bench. Erin cursed and ran a hand over his hair.

“She should have shot the bastard. It is not like she requires the extra money,” he said, and Andrew looked at him.

“Can’t we block off the town?” It had taken them just an hour to get to the park. Surely, Daphne’s new mistake hadn’t gotten off the premise. “It is a good thing that we told the police to be on the lookout.”

That had been the idea of one of the agents that had come with them. Police patrols were warned to check every car that was trying to get out of town. They had no idea how this Mark looked, Daphne hadn’t shared, and they hadn’t cared, but they had given the police Daphne’s description.

The phone of one of the agents ringed, and he answered.

“A sleeping police officer? On the streets? That could be done by our man. Keep searching,” a stone fell in Andrew’s stomach. So, Mark now knew he was being searched. The agents looked at Erin. “Look for the suspect again. Use these roses.”

The agent pointed at the bouquet and Erin gulped. Edward had shown him how, and Erin had tried his hand. But he had gotten the spot off by a couple of hundred meters. However, the agents knew he could do it, because of Andrew’s lie. Now, they couldn’t go back to the Kalstein estate. It would be up to Erin to find Daphne.