I shrug. “Matt’s not stupid.”
“He ignores your arguments. That’s got to bother you a little.”
“It will only bother me if it turns out he’s wrong.”
• • •
An hour later we’re in the air, two hundred miles east of Las Vegas, flying at twenty thousand feet and a speed of five hundred miles an hour. Matt hasn’t told me about the details of his hypnotic session with the broker but has assured me our flight plan has been properly filed and no authority should question us as we cross the country. He has also pointed out that the Gulfstream will allow us to reach our destination without having to stop and refuel.
“That was another reason I insisted on a jet,” he says.
The two of us are alone in the pilot’s cabin, Matt in the driver’s seat, the others in the luxurious rear. The Gulfstream IV is the stuff of celebrity dreams. It has two wide-screen TVs, private sleeping quarters, a bar and kitchen, and probably the most comfortable leather seats that can be found in the air. Before we left Vegas, Brutran made sure it was stocked with plenty of food and drinks.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” I say.
Matt shakes his head. “I should have let you vote on the matter.”
“You know more about planes than I do.”
“You know more about the world.”
“Are you saying you want me to be the boss?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he replies.
“I don’t mind if you’re in charge.”
He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “I hope you’re not saying that because of what happened to Teri.”
I hesitate. “Maybe I am.”
“I don’t blame you for what happened to her.”
I don’t respond. We both know he’s lying.
“Look, what happened in the Rockies was a confusing time for me,” he continues. “First I learn you’ve injected Teri with your blood. It didn’t matter that it was to save her life. I’d long ago sworn that I wouldn’t do anything to keep her from having a normal life. And if that meant she died before her time then so be it.”
“You’re stronger than me,” I say.
“Who knows? I wasn’t there when you did it. Maybe I would have broken down and done the same thing. Anyway, I no sooner find out what you’ve done when that damn Cradle blasts my mind. The next thing I know you’re dead and Teri’s walking around in a daze. I had never seen my father make a vampire before. I had no idea how she was supposed to behave and I sure as hell had no idea that you were in her body.”
“That’s why you haven’t forgiven me. Because I lied to you then.”
He goes to protest but stops. “Yes.”
“I felt I had to lie. I was afraid you’d kill me.”
“I know.”
“I had a right to be afraid.”
He stares at me. “No, Sita, that’s where you’re wrong. Sure, you saw my temper, you heard my threats. But I could never have hurt you any more than I could have harmed Teri.” He pauses. “You don’t believe me.”
“It’s not that simple. I know I’ll never be as important to you as Teri was. I’m not complaining—I couldn’t have loved her more than I did. But I think—from now on—that it’s important we’re honest with each other.”
He continues to stare at me. “I am being honest, Sita.”
He’s a hard one to read. “Fine,” I say.
Our flight continues uninterrupted. Matt puts the jet on automatic pilot and leaves me in the forward cabin to keep an eye on things. He goes in the back to talk to Brutran, or at least that’s what he says. I could listen in on their conversation, but since he knows that, I doubt he’s going to say anything secretive to her.
Matt is gone an hour, and we’re approaching the Mississippi River when Seymour knocks on the cabin door and enters. He sits in Matt’s chair.
“I assume you know how to fly this thing,” he says.
“All jets have the same basic controls. But this plane is so advanced, it can fly itself. At least until we land.”
“That’s reassuring.” He looks troubled.
“What’s on your mind, Seymour?”
“When are you going to tell me about this veil?”
“Soon.”
“Now feels like a good time.”
“I’ll do it when we’re on the ground and I can get you and Matt alone.” I pause. “Something else is bothering you.”
“It’s about Paula. You haven’t called her in a few days. She has no idea what’s going on.”
“Paula’s priority is John. Protecting him. If she was anxious for an update, she would have called me.”
“What if we need her advice?” he asks.
“Then I’d call her.”
Seymour looks out the window. “You’ve never reacted that well to what she has to say.”
“Well, she can be a bit blunt at times.”
“But she’s usually right. Let’s face it, the woman’s a genuine psychic. And her son, John, God only knows what he is.”
“What’s this about?”
Seymour squirms in his seat. “Matt. He’s in the back, playing that computer game John told us to stay away from.”
“The one the Cradle installed on the Internet? The one that gave you headaches?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s the big deal? You said it didn’t have any effect on Matt.”
“He said that. On the surface, it didn’t appear to bother him. But just now, when he flipped open his laptop, I got a creepy feeling, and I didn’t even know what he was doing. Then, when I saw he was playing the game, I reminded him what John had said about it. He told me to mind my own business.”
“Sounds like Matt,” I say.
“That game’s weird. It’s so addicting, especially if you play it with headphones. Remember the subliminal messages we found on sections of it?“
I remember. “Is Matt playing with headphones?”
“Yeah. He acts like he can screen out all the garbage—and maybe he can, I don’t know. I just know the game gives off a weird vibe if you’re in the room with someone who’s playing it.”