the window. âI think weâre safe from that. Weâre over the ocean already. But I suppose if you really want to know, we could ask Victor. I wonder where he is.â
Mitch gave a noncommittal grunt. âWhat is it with you and him, anyway? All of a sudden the two of you seem pretty chummy. You jump to his commands, express concern over his whereabouts. Personally, I donât know why he even bothers with the damn plane at all; why doesnât he just turn into a cloud and float back?â
âMitch,â I turned from the window again and looked into his eyes, âdonât start. There is nothing between Victor and me. I married you and intend to stay married to you. Iâm here to fulfill my commitment, nothing else. After that, weâre free to do whatever we like, go wherever we want.â
âOkay.â He shrugged, giving me a boyish grin, so at odds with his silvered hair. âIâm sorry. I just donât like the guy.â
âI think you have made that more than evident.â My mouth twisted in a dry smile. âBut,â and I reached up, kissing him on the cheek, âjust put up with it for a while, for my sake.â
Mitch returned my kiss, then moved away from me and laughed. âI will say one thing for Lange, though,â he gestured around us, âhe sure knows how to travel. This is quite a setup; how much do you suppose this put him back?â
âActually, Mitch,â the door to the cockpit opened and Victor came out, âI own this plane. And, believe me, the convenience far outweighs the cost.â He went to the back of the compartment and opened another door. âNow that we are safely airborne, may I offer you a drink?â
Before Mitch and I even had a chance to agree, Victor had poured drinks and brought them over: red wine for me and a scotch on the rocks for Mitch. When I saw Victorâs choice for Mitch I started to laugh.
âWhat?â Mitch looked at me after taking a long drink. âIs something funny?â
âNo, but Victor has a surprisingly good memory. He actually remembered what you drink when youâre angry.â
âOh,â Mitch shrugged sheepishly, âI see.â
âNot that you donât have the right to be angry.â Victorâs voice was smooth and conciliatory. âAfter all, youâve hardly been away for more than a few months, and I have called you back. I do apologize for the inconvenience, but I want to assure you that this trip is necessary. And it was not just my decision to call you, it was a unanimous vote from all the founders.â
Mitch gave a snort. âAnd what could possibly be so difficult for that esteemed group to require our involvement?â
âWe have our reasons, Greer, as I will explain, when you give me the chance.â Victor gave him a warning glare, then turned to me. âIn the first place, at least six murders have occurred that lead us to believe that we are faced with a dangerous rogue vampire. Since we became acquainted with you, Deirdre, most of us have come to the realization that we have been weakened by our ritualized training.
âYou,â Victor nodded at me, âhave the advantage of being able to approach situations such as this from a fresh viewpoint. Being a rogue of a sort yourself, we hope that you can outthink our culprit, or at least anticipate his moves. In addition, Mitch, there is your police trainingâa highly valuable asset in this situation. Although, I must admit that your transformation has come as something of a surprise. We had hoped that you could cover the daytime and root this vampire out of his lair. But I suspect your new skills will only enhance your old detective instincts.â
Mitch shrugged. âAnd?â
Victor looked down at his hands for a moment. âAnd as you know, the Cadre has strict rules governing the killing of one of our own. None of us can attempt to catch and