Finally.
Viktor had attempted once before to speak with me, but I’d asked for some recovery time. They hadn’t found Fletcher or any additional homes registered in his name. He’d disappeared off the face of the earth, and so the case died. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Viktor wanted to assess if I was capable of continuing my work with Keystone. I’d spent the past two weeks getting my mind and body in shape so I could not only convince him I was ready to go back to work, but say it with conviction.
“Shall I tell the boss you’ll be another hour?” he asked.
I changed my hand position and grabbed the nearest rope, which was anchored to the wall above. Using a method Blue had taught me, I put the rope between my legs and carefully brought the tail end around my waist and over the front of my chest like a seat belt, letting the rest drape over my shoulder in the back. Then I grabbed that end with my right hand and the part in front of me with my left and walked down the wall. She’d advised me not to grab the rope freehand and climb straight down since one slip could mean either rope burn or a broken neck. Within seconds, my feet touched the floor.
“Should I change?”
Christian looked down at my tight black shorts but gave no reply.
I wiped my sweaty face on my T-shirt. “Can I ask you something before I talk with him?”
He nodded, hands in his pockets.
“Why did you leave me?”
A spark of confusion crossed his face.
“At the club, I mean. Why did you leave me alone in the parking lot? I’ve been going over that night, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. I trusted that guy because he didn’t look like a Vampire, but you must have heard our conversation from inside. When he charmed me and started up the engine, didn’t you realize what was happening? Why didn’t you come for me?”
Christian lifted his chin. “No answer will be good enough.” He turned on his heel and left the room.
I jogged after him until I caught up. “That’s it? That’s all I get? You were supposed to look out for me that night. I take blame in this too, but you’re my partner. You’ve been around the block enough times to know when a Vampire’s charming a person.”
“I shouldn’t have left you alone.”
“He led me to his car. He spiked my drink with sensory magic. Didn’t my behavior seem off?”
Christian didn’t answer. Typical.
Our brief walk led to a study on the first floor. Viktor was seated in one of two wingback chairs facing the fireplace. Christian remained in the hall and closed the door once I was inside.
I glared at a statue of an archer taking aim at one of the chairs. “You should tilt him in a different direction.”
Viktor leaned around to see what I was referring to and chuckled. “I like to keep people on their toes.”
“You have a special sense of humor.”
“Would you like a drink?”
“I might need one.”
“Have a seat, my dear.”
He filled the empty glasses on the table next to him with a clear liquid. When he handed me mine, we clinked our glasses together before taking a drink.
It felt like nighttime in a room without windows, but the fire added warmth and blanketed us in amber light.
“I cannot imagine what you have suffered at the hands of your Creator,” he began. “We had no other leads. I took the matter to the Mageri, hoping they might have something in their records about property or contacts. We were only able to connect with his banker. They sent Enforcers with a warrant for his arrest, but he never showed up at work or home. Shepherd watched his house for a week until Wyatt installed motion-activated cameras. Most immortals have an unlisted residence, so all we could do was wait.”
I gulped down my vodka and then set the empty glass on the floor. Viktor’s explanation sounded more like an apology. “What’s done is done. Has he turned up? Is that why you called me up here?”
Viktor swirled his glass. “Nyet. Fletcher Black is a ghost. But I want you to know that he will always remain in our case files. Do you understand? An attack on you is an attack on Keystone.”
I rested my forearms on my knees. “I’m sorry I messed this up, Viktor. Christian and I had everything planned out—every precaution taken. I wasn’t expecting…”
He set his glass on the table. “Go on.”
I possessed a strange loyalty to Houdini and wasn’t sure if I wanted to divulge details. He needed to be stopped, but he was also my maker. How could I break my promise not to come after him? On one hand, he’d never harmed me. On the other, he’d proved how cunning and capable he was. The veiled threat didn’t put a target on my back but on those around me.
“The Vampire who took me was my maker.”
Viktor’s lips mashed together, and his grey eyes narrowed. I knew right away that Christian hadn’t told him a thing.
Viktor stroked his beard once and finally broke the silence. “Does he have a name?”
“Houdini.” That was no secret. He’d signed those damn notes, so it wasn’t as if he was hiding it.
Viktor’s gaze traveled up to the ceiling. “Ah, now it makes sense. He was the one complaining that I had something of his. You were that something.” Viktor shut his eyes and sighed.
I kept my mouth shut about the key. The fewer details he knew, the better.
“What can you tell me about him?” he pressed.
I shook my head. “Nothing that will help us find him. Fletcher’s top on my list; I’ll worry about Houdini later.”
“Did your maker harm you?”
“No.” My gaze drifted back to the fire. “Houdini kept me in a room with a bed, a comfy chair, and a bathroom. He fed me, made me tea—it was more like staying at a bed-and-breakfast.”
Viktor leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “You understand I had no choice. There is only so much one can do without evidence. We’d hoped Christian’s search would yield better results. I commend him for his persistence. It seems like just yesterday you were at each other’s throats. He carried so much guilt for the trickery.”
My eyebrows knitted. “What do you mean by trickery?”
Viktor waved his hand as if I already knew. “The blocking device.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
His eyes settled on mine. “Christian has not told you about that night?”
I shook my head.
“When he was inside, a sonic frequency intercepted his ability to hear. At first he thought it was the sound system—whatever plays the music on the speakers. Your kidnapper used something to block Christian’s ability to hear.”
A vague memory drifted in my mind of sitting in Houdini’s car and how he’d turned on the radio but no music came on.
Oh shit.