Collins gaped. “Excuse me?”

And this was where he would learn that Sam wasn’t to be f**ked with. And I had a front seat. Smiling, I folded my arms over my chest and watched my mate at work.

“I have witnesses to attest to the fact that Miss Montana dresses inappropriately, spends much of her working hours at the pool – oh and I have photographic evidence to support this, should you wish to see it – and persistently makes inappropriate comments to Jared. Had she been a male and Jared been a woman in that situation, it would most likely be classed as sexual harassment. Worse, Jared is Bound to another. That bond is considered very sacred, is it not? She shows no respect for it, which is a very serious thing, as you are both fully aware.”

Pausing, she shot Eloise a withering look that actually made her cower. Turning her attention back to Collins, Sam continued. “As Jared pointed out earlier, vampires have gone to war in the past in order to protect such a bond. It is instinctive for us to vigorously defend it, even if violent measures are needed. Even knowing this, she behaves inappropriately, which puts both of you in danger – it can certainly be counted as reckless among many other things. We all know how you feel about recklessness, Mr Collins. She also invaded my home on one occasion, which is not at all tolerable. And let’s not forget that she’s been sleeping with some of the guards when she is here to work. All of that, I think you will agree, is totally unprofessional behaviour.”

Collins just stood, dumbfounded, and looking at Sam as if seeing her for the first time. I noticed that Antonio and Luther were as equally amused as I was. Eloise, on the other hand, was staring at Sam; her eyes glimmered with a mixture of horror, shock, and fury.

Eventually Collins gathered himself. “W-well your complaints are indeed s-serious,” he allowed. Eloise gasped, glowering at him. “But I must point out that these only apply to Eloise.” It was typical that the slimy piece of shit would only be interested in saving his own skin, happy to hand his colleague out to dry.

Sam smiled. “Oh I’ve got a number of complaints that I can make against you.”

His expression turned wary. It definitely should. “I know that you have felt shadowed, Commander Parker, but protocol states that I stay here as an observer.”

“But bothering my squad during their free time isn’t protocol, is it? Asking them personal questions and requesting to see their personal files isn’t protocol either. You also publically revealed the identity of the complainant when, according to you, they wished to remain anonymous. That not only went against protocol, it placed them in danger – after all, the rest of the squad would not have reacted well to such betrayal, had they believed any betrayal had taken place. As it turned out, you purposely accused the wrong person; that, in and of itself, is appalling. And let’s not also forget that you interrupted a training session by participating.”

His face flushed with outrage. I half-expected him to stomp his foot. “You invited me to participate!”

“But you’re here in a professional capacity, Mr Collins. You should have declined. As you have repeatedly stated, protocol says that you stay here as an observer. There’s also the fact that you persistently ask my PA to do things for you. That interrupts his work and, therefore, interferes with the quality of it. You’re also very rude to the Heir – again, many witnesses can attest to this. As if all that isn’t bad enough” – she took a step closer to him – “you’re sleeping with an old consort of Jared’s.”

The others all gasped in shock. I’d been a little surprised myself when Sam told me a week ago.

Sam grinned. “Yes, Daniela told me all about this very unprofessional behaviour. Unlike Joy, she’s not jealous of my relationship with Jared, and she’s loyal to the people in The Hollow. You ask her a lot of questions about Jared, don’t you? Personal questions related to his past, his behaviour throughout the years, his relationship with me, and even his strengths and weaknesses. You’ve been using her to get information. No woman likes to be used, Mr Collins. So you can bet your arse that any answer she gave you was a load of shite.”

Purple – that was the only word to describe how he looked right then. “I have no interest in Commander Michaels.”

“No, you have interest in the position of Heir. And he has that. And you just hate him for it, don’t you? You want to find something that you can use to make some kind of case against him to the Prelature, perhaps something that could cause him to lose his position.” She shook her head very slowly, her gaze drilling into him. “It’s not going to happen.”

He took a long, steadying breath. “What is it you want?”

Sam arched a brow. “Say again?”

“What is it you want from me? You want me to write a report in your favour?”

“Are you trying to bribe me, Mr Collins?” She gave him a mockingly reprimanding look. “Tut, tut, tut. This just keeps getting worse, doesn’t it? No, I’m afraid you don’t get to wangle your way out of this. My complaints will lead to you being shadowed on your next case, right? Then you’ll know exactly how it’s felt for me.” When he just gaped at her, she cocked her head. “Didn’t anyone ever mention my vengeful streak to you? I’m a believer in tit for tat.”

Proud of her, I came up behind Sam and curled an arm around her shoulder to run my finger along her collarbone. “In other words, Collins…you’re f**ked.” The Prelature took complaints against its representatives very seriously. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sam’s complaints had him fired. One thing was for sure: his report wouldn’t be recognised as well-founded. In fact, particularly given the testimonies of the squad, the complaints against Sam would be branded as groundless and then instantly dismissed.

Collins tilted his head as he regarded Sam. “I underestimated you.” She just smiled.

“It happens a lot,” I told him. “People see her temper and overlook her intelligence. They’re always sorry for it.”

“Jared’s good at sussing out a person’s weaknesses,” said Sam, talking to both Collins and Eloise now, “and he quite rightly pointed out yours. You both thought you were immune to authority, untouchable. And you went on a power trip. Wrong move. You basically set your own trap.” And rather than constantly rise to their taunting behaviour over the past few weeks, she sat back and allowed them to unknowingly spring that trap.