Page 108 of Eternal Surrender

“I’ve had plenty of time to consider this,” he said. “I want to see Italy. I want to ride in a hot air balloon.” His face lit up. “Paris, I’ve never seen the Eiffel Tower⁠—”

“The Taj Majal,” I murmured. “So many places to see.”

“You think this is helping?” Ingrid snapped at me. “All you’re doing is confusing him.”

“Let’s hear your plan,” I said.

“Blake, you’re the one who tampered with evidence, aren’t you?” Her tone was nervous. “All this time I thought it was Orpheus.”

Blake was spotted in perspiration. He rested his forehead on the bar. “That wasn’t me.”

“Orpheus tried to kill me!” Ingrid said. “You do realize that?”

Blake reached for a discarded napkin and wiped his brow. I gestured my reassurance to him.

“What was that?” Ingrid glared my way. “Tell me that wasn’t what I think it was?”

I ignored her. “Blake, go lie down.”

Using his last remnants of energy, Blake headed over to the lift and punched the down button.

“He knows where he’s going?” she asked anxiously. “I thought this place was stripped bare?”

“Not quite,” I said. “Not yet, anyway.” I waited for the lift doors to close behind him. “I’m afraid Blake has a hard road ahead. Unless we turn him.”

“How dare you decide what’s right for him!”

“Ingrid, how about we make it your decision then?” I asked. “You always like to have the last word.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Sebastian reopened Leiden the following day.

I returned to the gallery that evening and found him still hard at work, sorting through boxes of business supplies.

He’d actually gone out of his way to organize the back office and with its modest bookcase, swivel chair, desk, table lamp and silver plated pen holder, as well as all the other tasteful accoutrements, it easily inferred this was a working gallery. And the Big Ben paperweight made a nice touch.

Sitting behind the desk, I took a moment to give normalcy a try, peering into the teacup and cringing before sliding it out of the way.

I’d spent hours mulling over the map spread out before me, studying where the fifty red crosses had been marked indicating where vampires had been supposedly poisoned. That, as well as the other documented cases, left me feeling frustrated that we really had nothing.

“Someone drove over my bloody bicycle,” Sebastian said appearing in the doorway.

I looked up at him and leaned back in my chair.

“My bike is sticking out the back of the chassis of some twit’s jeep.” He stormed on in.

I folded up the map. “Alex’s driving leaves much to be desired.”

“Alex?” The veins on Sebastian’s neck bulged.

“Consider it a goodbye gift.” I reached for the small box on the desk and slid it over to him.

“I need more time.” He moved closer. “Where’s Alex?”

“Open it.”

“Your brother needs his head checked.” He picked it up and flipped open the lid. “Car keys? A Jeep?” He ran his thumb over the key ring. “The same one that’s squishing my bike?”