“If I remember correctly, you started one of them.” At least Alex went for the same tone, but Rebecca hadn’t been quite ready to be reminded of her moment of weakness where she’d stooped so low as to spread a rumor so unbecoming. Pritchard Browman cleared his throat as if he felt left out of the conversation. “I’m sorry, this is my dad, Pritchard Browman,” Alex continued, and Rebecca almost did a double take as she shook the huge hand of Mr. Henry’s curator. Alex’s dad? That was new information, too.
“I’m pleased to finally meet you, Mr. Browman. As an art student, I have of course heard about you.”
Pritchard smiled pleasantly. “I’m flattered.”
She’d only seen pictures of the man, and he was even more imposing in person.
“And this is my boyfriend, Dominic,” Alex continued. Rebecca stared at him to see if he was joking or trying to catch her in her once foolish attempt to discredit him. Rebecca shook the huge man’s hand, and he was definitely not a man of academics, judging by the leathery feel. He looked a lot like Pritchard. The guy stared at her coldly, and she felt tense under his scrutinizing gaze. Changing the subject would be good.
“So, why did you leave so suddenly?”
Alex looked at Pritchard. “We had a family emergency here in the States.”
She still couldn’t get over the fact that they’d never known that they were father and son. Just how much else had they not known about the Collectors? She felt practically giddy at being the one to uncover something so vital to their cause.
Rebecca continued with mundane pleasantries and superficial talk, because she couldn’t really go into asking about the family emergency. Not yet, anyway, so she continued on with a subject they shared a mutual interest in—the death of Professor Gershman.
Nathan Grewe from school joined them. She already knew that he was part of the Organization, and that was confirmed by the pin on his vest. But he had a second pin on there, too, one she’d never seen before, and half of it was black with a moon and stars in it. She counted them. Nine. What was the symbolism?
Mr. Henry interrupted her thoughts by calling upon everybody’s attention. “Thank you so much for coming. I hope you had a pleasant trip and that you have received refreshments. Dinner is served.”
Rebecca followed Jared and the moving crowd. They ended up in a big dining hall where tables had been placed to form a T. She and Jared sat with Mr. Thomas and his date somewhere down the stem of the T, and they could see Pritchard and a pretty woman finding their seats at the middle of the other table.
“They look like a nice couple,” Jared said, smiling as he watched Pritchard pull the chair out for the woman.
“Yeah,” Rebecca said, smiling. She didn’t know if she convinced anyone, but she had so much on her mind. Mr. Henry stood and welcomed everybody before he made a crack about Pritchard finally getting engaged to his High School sweetheart. Rebecca wondered whether that was something the Templars already knew, since they’d said he had more ties to Philadelphia than they’d thought. Either way, she filed the information away with the growing amount she had to report back to Father as soon as she had the chance. She didn’t dare do it there, though.
Until she got the chance, she would just keep an eye on Alex, Nathan, Pritchard, and Mr. Henry to see if she could guess at who they were closest with, and who she had to find out more about. Her focus ended on the many longhaired men sitting near Alex. She’d never heard of them during the briefings, and she didn’t know whether they were important or not. But she filed away the details about them just in case.
After dinner, which was delicious and worthy of Mr. Henry’s reputation, coffee and cake were served in the parlor. It gave Rebecca a chance to get a bit closer to Alex and Nathan, and she actually managed to have a lengthy conversation with Nathan and his boyfriend, Lucien. She couldn’t help but wonder whether or not there were so many homosexuals in the organization of Collectors because of their dealings with the Devil.
Nathan introduced a young woman named Jenny, and she didn’t exactly look like she fit into the high society. It was something in her eyes. Something cold and calculative, a weathered life experience not normally found so raw among the ones raised with old money.
“Too bad Meino and Burkhart couldn’t be here,” Jenny said.
Nathan nodded. “Yeah, but I got a letter from Meino. They’re going to Australia mid-July. He said they might be going by way of the States. I think Mr. Talbot wanted to show him around.”
“Australia. That would be a great place to go on vacation,” Rebecca said.
“He’s moving there,” Nathan said.
“Oh, that’s exciting.”
“He’s not the only one making a big move, then,” Jared said, looking happy as he put his arm around Rebecca. “Rebecca is moving to the States.” He looked at her with such warmth in his eyes. She smiled and snuggled a bit closer.
“Oh!” Jenny widened her eyes. “Congratulations, you two.”
“Thank you.” Jared managed to contain himself, and Rebecca wondered whether that was the first step she was taking to getting in really deep. They were at an engagement party, and the settings were romantic, and for a moment she could see all the steps laid out. First, she’d moved there to go to school, but stayed in the same house as Jared instead of at the dorms at the University. Then they’d share a room. A ring would have to be involved, since she was still a devout Catholic. Could she marry Jared to get so close? She could barely believe she’d already made it that far into the Collector’s organization. Marrying Jared would mean they trusted her.
She looked up at the average looking man with the sweet, goofy smile, kind eyes, and contagious laughter. Those were the three things about him she found mildly attractive, and she focused on them the way Tavi had taught her.
“Are you starting school over here?” Nathan asked.
“Yeah. More art. And you? How’s school going for you?”
“I dropped out after Professor Gershman died. But I got a job here in the States instead.”
Rebecca smiled. “Well, looks like a lot of people are moving onto new and exciting things. Where will you be working?”
“It’s not official yet, but it’s in a new auction house being built.”
Well, that was vague and useless.
“Would I be selfish if I hoped it’s close to Minnesota? It would be nice to be close to someone I know, too.” She stepped a little closer to Jared and smiled up at him.
“You’ll make friends quickly,” he assured her.
“It’s here in Seattle, so, unfortunately, we won’t be that close,” Nathan said.
Mr. Thomas interrupted. “I’m sorry to intrude, but our limousine leaves in fifteen minutes. You have time to say goodbye to your friends.”
“Okay, thanks.” Jared turned to Rebecca. “Shall we?”
To be honest, Rebecca was happy the night was over. She had so much to do, and with all she’d learned, she knew she had to go back to France and talk to Father in person. Plus, once the letter of admission to the University came, she had to go back and tie up all the loose ends before her move to the States.
Father and Tavi picked Rebecca up at the airport. She was so relieved to see Tavi and hugged him tightly. He seemed a bit surprised by it but also happy that he’d been missed. Tavi helped with her luggage, and they hurried to the waiting car. Once they were all situated inside the car and it had left the airport, Father looked at her expectantly.
“You sounded so eager when you called,” Father said.
“That’s because I have huge news.”
“Yes, child?” Father looked eager as well, and Rebecca took a deep breath to steel herself before revealing all she had come to know.
“Jared is indeed one of the Collectors. I’ve lived with him and his employer, a Mr. Thomas, and they have eight Gargoyles. I haven’t seen them, though.”
“Eight?” Father exclaimed.
“And t
hat’s not all. Mr. Henry has moved to Seattle. I was there for Pritchard Browman’s engagement party. Both he and Alex are alive and well and live in Seattle along with Mr. Henry. And they have eight Gargoyles on their roof.”
Father sank back in the seat, looking both horrified and shaken up. “They’re alive? You saw them?”
“Yes, I spoke to them, too. The organization has a logo. Maybe two, I’m not sure, but a lot of the guests had a pin on their vest or jacket. I drew it as detailed as I can remember on the plane ride here.” Rebecca rummaged through her bag to find her notebook. She handed it to Father. “I’ve managed to get to know key players, and Jared wants me to move in with him. I think he plans on a future with me. That could give us the trust needed to get to the heart of this.”
“Oh, my,” Father said, taking the notebook. He looked through it, carefully assessing all the details, descriptions, and sketches. Rebecca glanced at Tavi, who looked proud as he winked at her.
“Future plans, you say? So you got in to the University?”
“Yes. And Jared had Mr. Thomas get a room ready for me. I’ve also managed to get news of another person of interest. I don’t know how important that person is, but I think there could be a way in. There’s also Nathan’s sister. Something’s up with her.”
“Is she a problem?” Father asked.
“I don’t know. She’s... a hard woman.” Rebecca shrugged, really not able to say anything definitive. She guessed it didn’t matter, since Nathan wasn’t the Collector she was trying to get close to, but if Jenny had been a person she’d have to be around on a daily basis, Rebecca would be worried.
“So you move to the States, move in on Jared, and you see how deep into this rabbit hole you can get,” Father said. “I will have someone moved close to you. A contact. Someone you can report to without Jared finding out. We need to keep you off the radar.”
“What about the person of interest?” Tavi asked.
“I’m not sure, but I have a feeling he’s one of the Collectors. They refer to each other as Mr. Mr. Henry, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Talbot... first names.”
“You have confirmed a suspicion of ours then. You have done a wonderful job.” Father had smiled before he reached over to pat Rebecca’s hand. “I think you have learned and evolved a great deal over the past months. I will connect you with a team. You meet up with them tomorrow. You are ready to take an active part in this battle.”
Finally, she’d done it. She’d managed to atone for her mistake.
Chapter Thirty-three
Meino and Burkhart stood in the last darkness of early dawn, and Meino hoped time would slow and stand still so Burkhart wouldn’t have to climb into the box.
“I’d much rather fly with you than in a machine,” Meino mumbled against Burkhart’s warm chest while the morning wind chilled Meino’s neck even in the middle of summer.
Burkhart chuckled and looked at him. “That warms me to hear. Unfortunately, I cannot take you across an ocean.”
“Yeah, but you have to be stuck in that box again.”
“It will bring you to safety and to a place where you can learn to develop the wizard in you. I can survive the hours in the box. Will you fly with me when we get there? So I can stretch my wings again?”
Meino laughed. “Yeah, I’d like that. See where we end up. I’ve never been to the States.”
“Did you want to go there?”
“Of course! Me and the Charger cruising route sixty-six.”
“Maybe you’ll get the chance one day.”
“Yeah.” Meino smiled, wondering whether or not he even wanted to, since he couldn’t bring Burkhart. “I can’t even knock on the box once in a while. Maybe they’ll let me go into the cargo hold?”
“If not, then I’ll still be okay. I’ll dream of us flying. Maybe about racing you in the Charger.”
Meino hugged Burkhart, soothed by the deep rumbling purr.
“I’m sorry, but it’s time,” Kevin said, pointing toward the back of the truck.
Meino let go of Burkhart, and they hurried into the back. Burkhart went into the box, and Meino handed Burkhart the bag with books. Meino leaned in to kiss Burkhart on the lips before he reluctantly closed the box.
“See you soon, little one.”
“Yeah, sweet dreams.” Meino closed the box and left the truck to sit up front. Fifteen minutes later, the sun had broken the horizon, and Kevin had taken them from the castle where Ms. Theresa waved him off. Mr. Talbot and Vibeke had gone ahead with Jenny and Ethan the night before, and Meino wondered whether it was customary for the Order members to never travel together. Was it so that it became easier for his guards to protect him? He was told he wouldn’t even see them.
It took more than two hours to get to the airstrip, and Meino felt a rising dread at the prospect of having to fly in an airplane. But he’d better get used to it. As far as he’d understood, Mr. Talbot and Vibeke flew all over the world to assist the Order.
Kevin stopped and had to go through some security and show a lot of papers before they were given access. He then drove the truck to a hanger where a huge plane stood.
“You’d better get out. I have to back this thing up into the cargo hold of the plane so we can get the box out,” Kevin said.
Meino brought his backpack with a few mainstream fantasy books, some candy for the trip, and a soda. People milled about the plane, and Meino wondered whether it was always that hectic around a plane before it took off.
A man in coveralls with a logo on the chest stopped by Meino. “I’m sorry for the delay, sir, but someone didn’t show up for work.”
“Oh.” Meino left it at that, not at all comfortable with being called sir.
“You may go in and find your seat.” He pointed up the stairs, and Meino wondered whether he should stay and wave Kevin, off since David would be taking over in the States. Before he made up his mind, a car pulled up, and a young, pretty woman stepped out. Meino hadn’t been told who the last passenger was—just that it was the girlfriend of someone from the Order. He really wanted to be alone. No such luck. The man from before pointed her toward Meino, who sighed but put on a smile as the woman approached him.
“Hi, are you my travel partner? My name is Rebecca.” She held out her hand, and Meino shook it politely, thinking up an answer.
“I’m Meino. Nice to meet you.”
She smiled and adjusted her purse. Judging by the looks of her clothes and style, she was rich, too, and Meino tried to remember his manners, because she was probably used to something other than an introvert mechanic with only enough etiquette to eat at a fast food place.
Meino stepped aside and held out his arm for her to precede him onto the plane. She smiled and climbed the stairs, and Meino diverted his gaze when her ass ended up in his eyesight. It certainly wagged a lot in a dress that snug. They made it into the cabin and strapped in. The nerves were setting in, and Meino spent his time looking around the place.
“Nervous flyer?”
“I don’t know yet.” Meino struggled with his seatbelt, hating the woman’s sympathetic smile. Or patronizing, he didn’t know—he just knew he wasn’t interested in talking to her. At least he’d brought a book. The seatbelt finally succumbed to his will, and he sat back.
“Where are you from?” Rebecca asked.
“Hamburg.”
“Really? Your English is very good.”
“Thanks.”
“Do you speak other languages?”
“No.”
“So only English and German.”
“Yes.”
She nodded, looking around a bit. “Have you studied English somewhere?”
Oh, my God! What’s with the twenty questions? “No, just read a lot. And listen to audio books while I work.”
“Oh, I see. Does wonders for pronunciation, I imagine.”
“That was the plan.” And that came out way more hostile than he’d intended. He almost felt bad
about it and thought about something to ask her so he didn’t seem so defensive. “Do you speak other languages?”
Rebecca smiled. “Mm-hmm. I speak, English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Hebrew, and Latin.”
“Oh, wow... wait, I thought Latin was a dead language.”
“Dead just means there isn’t a country or people using it every day. I study ancient scriptures, so those languages are necessary. I’m learning Aramaic, too, but I’m far from well-versed enough to add it to the list.”
“How did you come to be a polyglot?”
Rebecca looked at him, surprised. Apparently, he didn’t look like a guy who would know such a fancy word. “Well, I was abandoned in Italy at birth and grew up in a Catholic orphanage. Mass was always in Latin. I came to love the sound of languages.”
“Oh, sorry about... to hear you were abandoned.”
“We learn to live with it, I think.”
“Yeah...” Meino wondered whether it was different knowing that your parents didn’t want you than that they died and left you alone.
“You look like you know that feeling,” Rebecca said.
Meino looked up and met her gaze. She looked far more genuinely interested in their conversation than she had when they started.
“My parents died when I was eleven. Death made them abandon me, I guess.”
“I’m so sorry. Must be much worse to lose those you know love you.”
And there it was—the answer to his question.
The captain interrupted and went through the preliminaries before takeoff, and a steward came by to check on their belts before he strapped into another seat in the back. Meino’s nerves were all over the place, and he tried to ease his breath while gripping the armrests tightly.
“Takeoff and landing are the worse, but thankfully the shortest.”
“You a nervous flyer?” Meino asked.
“Yes.”
But she didn’t look like one. More like a weathered one. The shortest part of the flight? It felt like forever before it leveled out, and then the thought of nothing but water under them for the remainder of the trip haunted at the back of his head.
Gargoyle Rising Page 30
