Blue crossed her legs. “I hope you tied him up. Otherwise I’ll be the one doing a flyover, looking for him when he escapes.”
“The restraints Christian had on him were unnecessary.” Niko rubbed his neck and shoulder while yawning. “He’s not a man of any exceptional talents when it comes to picking locks. He has a private bathroom and plenty of time to ruminate over all he’s losing.”
Gem peered at him from her blanket cocoon. “But what if he drowns himself in the tub?”
“Then problem solved,” Christian replied. “Wouldn’t that make everyone’s life easier if he decided his own fate? I have better things to be doing than poking around in his head and flying across the map to drop him off in some isolated town.”
“Uh, no.” Wyatt tossed his chips on the coffee table. “Because guess who would get to live with the freshy if he decides not to go into the light? That’s right. Yours truly,” he said, using air quotes.
Gem tossed a pillow at him.
Christian leaned forward and met eyes with Viktor. “Just let me know when you have plane tickets. I think it’s best if we send him to a city where he hasn’t had any dealings. I’ll be sure to give him a job befitting his character.”
“Cleaning toilets?” Shepherd quipped.
“That’s a respectable job.” Christian stood and stretched his back. “Perhaps he’ll work independently, scraping up roadkill. The sooner the better. The longer he stays, the greater the risk of him escaping.”
Viktor laced his fingers together and sighed. “Wyatt, how soon can you create an alias for this man? We will also need a form of ID and job experience.”
Wyatt grabbed his chips again. “I can get everything by morning. We keep a database of identities ready to go. All I need to do is activate a few social media sites and notify our fake contractors who will provide any required work references. If you guys want to give him a medical history of amnesia or head trauma, I’ll need to know so I can hack those databases and create records.”
“Spasibo. I do not want him here. Give Christian two plane tickets to wherever you two decide. Christian, I will have Shepherd or Blue drive you to the airport tomorrow. How long do you require to erase his memories?”
Christian put his hands in his pockets. “Erasing his entire life is detailed, but I can do it on the way to the airport. It’s implanting new memories that takes longer. I can’t do it here, or he might have memories of this place.”
“Why not scrub him again?” Wyatt asked.
Christian tilted his head. “To put this in a way you might understand, it’s never good to double-dip.” He pursed his lips, still thinking. “He’ll need a small bag of luggage, cash, and a meager bank account.”
“Very meager,” Claude emphasized, standing up from the hearth and stepping away. “I can put his luggage together. I’ve got plenty of razors and toiletries, and there’s still a box of old clothes we haven’t gotten around to donating.”
“I’ll drive you to the airport,” Shepherd volunteered, raising two fingers. “We’ll take the van so you can do your Vampy stuff in the back.”
Christian walked by the dog and looked down. “Give me the earliest round trip you can find. I want to be back no later than the afternoon.” He snapped his fingers. “Up you go, fleabag. Time for you to take a shite.”
Harley flipped over and showed Christian his belly.
Blue reached back and twisted her long brown hair to one shoulder. “Now we just have to figure out what to do about Lenore. It’s not right what she did. What do you plan on doing, Viktor?”
“Nothing,” I answered flatly, drawing everyone’s attention. “Lenore won’t be a problem anymore. Not for a long time.”
Viktor cast an uncertain gaze my way. “What do you mean by this?”
I stood up and straightened my black Harley shirt. “When I went to her condo earlier, she fled. For good. I’m pretty sure she left the country, but she’s not coming back.”
“And I wager no one will ever find her,” Christian added, giving me a loaded glance. “She wouldn’t want a scandal brought upon her, and we know too much. Without her fortune and status, Lenore is powerless to do anything. Abandoning her post without explanation will sully her good name, and she’ll never get a position working for the higher authority again with that record.”
Niko stole my spot next to Gem and shifted his attention to her. “Tell us more about your standoff with the Vampire, braveheart. And leave nothing out.”
Christian and I walked past Viktor. He never took his eyes off us, and an explanation transpired in our gaze—one that assured him there was more to the story, but it was better for him not to ask. That way nothing would ever come back to bite him. He discreetly inclined his head before Christian and I left the room, Harley trotting alongside us.
After putting on my shoes and trench coat, I followed Christian out the side door on the east wing. While Harley sniffed around, looking for the best spot, I stood next to the house, hands in my pockets. The air was crisp and clean, and something felt wholly different. A shift had taken place in my life, one that gave me the same feeling as standing on the ledge of a tall building. A feeling of power, excitement, and a little bit of terror. The snow crunched beneath my shoes as I branched away from the house and looked toward my new property, which was about a mile away. Lenore and Fletcher were down there, sitting in awkward poses with their eyes open like marionette dolls.
“When I come back tomorrow, we’ll take care of them,” Christian said darkly. Moonlight cast shadows, and the world around us was black and white. Christian gazed down at me, his eyes as black as the woods. “We’ll do it together and then bury the bodies. I already arranged for a coffin.”
This was feeling all too real, and my stomach knotted with what I could only guess was anticipation. Every fantasy I’d ever had about killing Fletcher and Lenore would come true.
“Do you want to go over there now? He’s all yours to do with as you wish.” Christian leaned close. “Make him suffer.”
