Chapter 270
At six a.m. a knock sounded on the apartment door. Jorick opened it to find Jamie, one of the Executioners. With long black hair pulled into a bun and chocolate brown eyes, he was good looking and, truth be told, he was nicer than many of the others. Katelina still wouldn't say she liked him, though.
"Are you ready to go?"
Jorick nodded and Katelina climbed reluctantly to her feet. She pulled on her coat; a big black castoff of Jorick's, and picked up her new purse. With no wallet, no credit cards and no phone, she had only makeup, a hairbrush and some random items inside. Still, it was a step towards normalcy.
The suitcases were stacked next to the couch. Jamie and Jorick each took two. Katelina grabbed the smaller case and moved to the door. She paused on the threshold to give the apartment a final look. She'd gotten good at leaving places, but not so good at coming back. Her eyes moved from the TV, to the throw pillows, to the second hand couch. Would she ever see them again? Did she even want to?
There wasn't time to contemplate it, so she followed the men down the corridors to the elevator. No one spoke until they reached the sixth floor reception room, and then Jamie explained, "I'll drive you to the airfield." Katelina knew the information was for her benefit. Like Jorick, Jamie could read minds and she was sure the two men had silent conversations.
A black SUV waited for them outside the seed office. The vampires loaded the luggage and climbed in, Jamie in the driver's seat and Jorick in the back. Katelina slid in next to him and gratefully shut the door. "I hope Germany is warmer than this!"
Jorick's answer was to squeeze her hand. Katelina remembered another trip in the SUV that had taken her from the airport to the Citadel. Though it had only been two weeks, it felt like a lifetime.
The rural airfield was just as she remembered it. Black tarmac shone damp with winter moisture under the bright lights, and a scattering of buildings gave the illusion of civilization. Instead of the small white plane she'd ridden in last time, a larger black airplane sat at the end of the runway, lights on.
Jamie parked and the three of them climbed out. The vampires fetched the luggage and took it to the plane. Katelina stood by the SUV, her purse clutched in her hands and her eyes on the aircraft. She'd only purposely flown once before in her life, and she hadn't liked it. The thought of flying over the ocean was even less appealing.
A second SUV pulled in and scattered her thoughts. The doors opened and Verchiel hopped out of the back. His ridiculous hair seemed even brighter under the misty lights and his long black coat flapped in the winter wind. He offered her a cheerful grin and tugged a leather bag out of the back.
Neil stepped around the vehicle with a pair of mismatched duffel bags. His eyes glittered with apprehension and Katelina wondered who'd been stupid enough to send him as Verchiel's luggage carrier.
"He's coming with us," Verchiel announced. "I don't need that much luggage." He tapped his bag. "Always travel light."
Katelina glanced to the uncomfortable guard. "He's going to Munich? Whose idea was that?"
Verchiel blinked innocently and Katelina glared. Before she could chastise him, Jorick reappeared. "Eileifr assigned him the task before he made a complete mess of your shopping trip!"
Neil cringed into his coat. "I-I'm sorry."
Verchiel clapped a hand on the worried vampire. "Don't let him get to you. Jorick just likes to blow and bluster."
Jorick snarled. "No, I like others to do what is expected of them. Excuse me if I find his complete inability to follow a single command unforgiveable!"
"But everything turned out all right," Verchiel insisted. "It's a shame we'll all miss the trial though. I imagine the punishment will be swift and severe, especially after all the complaints you lodged, right Jorick?"
"He deserves death, and nothing less." The vampire's dark eyes snapped over Verchiel. "He isn't the only one."
The front passenger door opened and Cyprus, one of the new Executioners, dropped out, a bag in his hand. His reddish-brown hair hung loose down his back and stirred in the chilly breeze, and his brown eyes surveyed the group with mild interest.
Before Katelina could ask why a newbie was being sent, Jamie approached with four bulging manila envelopes. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but here is your paperwork." He handed one to each of the vampires, then turned to Katelina. "Yours is with Jorick's."
The paperwork absorbed their interest. Katelina took the items Jorick offered her to find a passport, that eerily contained a photo from her old work ID, and her driver's license which, even more disturbing, was an exact copy of the one she'd lost in October, down to the bad photograph.
"How did they get this?"
"Everything is digitalized now, which means anyone can get access to it," Jorick answered and shoved his own IDs back in the envelope. "I've warned you before."
Verchiel held his passport up and tilted it this way and that. "I don't know about this photo, and what a name! Allan Wurtz! Was that the best they could do?"
"They gave you a fake name?" She glanced at Jorick. "What about yours?"
His nose wrinkled involuntarily. "Darryl Kelson."
"Ugh! That's terrible! Didn't they ask you first?"
Jamie cleared his throat. "If you'd care to board the plane?"
Katelina stepped back involuntarily and her eyes went to the metal monster that was waiting to crash her into the ocean. Jorick reached for her hand at the same moment that Verchiel clapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. It's an airplane full of vampires. What could possibly go wrong?"
Jorick didn't yell, but his cold even tone was worse. "Get your hand off of her. Now."
Verchiel made a show of holding his hands up. "Just trying to be friendly."
"Don't. She neither wants nor needs your friendliness."
Verchiel shrugged. "If you say so." He tipped a wink in their direction, then sauntered to the plane. Neil practically ran after him and Cyprus followed.
Jamie watched them go. "One would think with your age would come the wisdom to deal with those you dislike."
Jorick snorted. "If you mean work with them, then yes, I am more than capable, as you should know. But that does not extend to Katelina."
"Then perhaps you should leave her behind?" Jamie's eyes swung to Jorick's and they stared silently at one another. It was Jamie who finally looked away. "As you say. Have a good trip and should you require anything else, you know who to call."
With a nod, Jorick took Katelina's hand and led her towards the plane. She was nervous enough, and then Jamie called, "Have a safe flight." It was as if his words proved there was an alternative.
