The Accidental Vampire (Argeneau #7)
Page 20"Teddy just told me the men are running the pie booth," Mabel murmured, handing her a bandage for the latest donor.
Elvi glanced at her with surprise. "I thought Karen was running the pie booth?"
Mabel shook her head. "Teddy says Karen and Mike are still out in the parking lot, arguing about something. So the men took over the booth and are offering women a kiss if they return with a bandage showing they've given blood."
Elvi's eyebrows rose. That explained the increase in women donors. It was usually mostly men at her booth, the women sticking to going to the blood bank, but she'd noticed several women in the line the last couple of times she'd glanced that way.
"Who gets to kiss them?" Elvi asked as she bent to apply the bandage to John Dorsey's arm, and then gave him a quick peck on the lips, a glass of juice, and a cookie.
"That was my first question too," Mabel said with a laugh. "I gather Victor and DJ are only doing the selling part, the women have their choice of Edward, Harper, or Alessandro. And," she added dryly, "apparently they volunteered for it. It seems their appetite for food isn't the only thing that has been reawakened on this trip. Which is kind of weird when you think about it... or not," she added mysteriously.
"'What have you heard?" Elvi demanded at once.
"Well, there is some gossip running around," she admitted.
"About?"
"Well... did you notice that Edward kept volunteering to go to the grocery store for you to get more flour, then more butter, then apples and so on while you guys were making the pies?"
"Yes," Elvi nodded. The man had taken forever on those trips, but she'd just put it down to his slow driving.
"Well, it seems every single time he went to Dawn's till, and spent a good deal of time chatting her up and laughing with her," Mabel announced.
"Laughing? Edward?" She asked with disbelief.
"I knowwwww," Mabel said with a nod. "Maybe she's his lifemate."
"Dawn? No way," Elvi said, but wondered.
"And then there's Alessandro."
"What about Alessandro?" Elvi asked, eyes widening.
"Well, Louise Ascot says he's been over sitting on Mrs. Ricci's front porch every morning this week while she's out doing her embroidering by sunlight."
"In the morning? While the rest of us are sleeping?" Elvi considered that and supposed it explained why the man was always the last one up.
"Apparently he sits there until almost noon," Mabel went on. "Just talking to her and helping her thread her needle and so on. And Louise says this morning they went inside and he didn't come out for hours... and he was grinning like an idiot when he did."
"Mrs. Ricci?" Elvi gasped. "She's eighty-four!"
Mabel snorted. "Well, I'm sixty-two and that didn't stop DJ."
"Yes, but... DJ is sweet and intelligent, and Alessandro is so immature and..." She paused to ask, "I don't suppose you've heard anything about Harper?"
She nodded. "Karen says that at the play she and Mike took them to, Harper chose their seats and he settled down right beside our mailwoman, Jenny, and he spent the whole play talking to her."
"Well... I guess I can stop worrying about how to let them down easy," she said with a grin, and then muttered, "I suppose now I just have to worry about dealing with Victor."
"Yes." Mabel bit her lip, and then said, "Elvi, don't be too hard on him. I don't think he thinks you're an idiot or any of that stuff. And as for the 'pet' deal..." She sighed unhappily. "Honey, he's seen and understood more in a week than this whole town has in five years, including me, your supposed best friend who lives with you." She shook her head. "I'm sorry I didn't realize how you were feeling. It never occurred to me that you might feel guilted into doing these things."
"Mabel, it's OK," Elvi said quickly.
"No, it's not. I'm seeing things different now that I'm immortal too. For instance, these costumes are damned uncomfortable and just plain ridiculous. How the hell have you stood it these last five-Oh my God, DJ shaved and cut his hair!"
Elvi glanced over her shoulder to see Victor and DJ approaching, both of them must have visited Irene's booth. The hairdresser was cutting hair at the fair, the donations all going to the Abused Kid's Shelter as was the money from Elvi's pies.
"I like the shave," Mabel announced, then added, "but I liked his hair longer."
"So did I," Elvi murmured, her gaze on Victor's short, conservative cut. He was still gorgeous, but there was just something about a man with longer hair. She stared at him silently until Mabel touched her arm, drawing her attention.
"Listen, Elv-Ellie," Mabel corrected herself, reverting to her old nickname with an apologetic smile. "Look, just listen to Victor, okay? From everything I've seen and everything DJ has said, I think Victor really does love you."
"He thinks I'm an idiot," Elvi muttered.
"Don't be ridiculous. Anyone with half a brain could tell you're no idiot," she argued. "Just let him talk, okay?"
"I thought you were mad at him too for what he said," she asked with a frown.
"Well, I was, but I've been thinking he was right. We didn't mean to, but we were treating you like a pet or something. None of us considered that you might want to do something besides perform for everyone all the time, and-" She broke off and shook her head. "There isn't time, just let him talk. I'll take over the booth; you two just take your time."
Elvi watched her hurry off to the back of the booth, and then turned to see DJ break off to join the blonde. Victor continued on until he stood directly in front of her. "I don't think you're an idiot," he blurted. "I have the greatest respect for your intelligence. I think you're charming, and beautiful and sexy, and sharp-witted and sexy and sweet and kind and sexy and-Ah hell." Giving up his verbal attempt to explain himself, Victor grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her against his chest to kiss her thoroughly.
Elvi was gasping for breath by the time he released her, but still heard him say softly, "I love you, Ellen Stone."
Letting her breath out on a little sigh, she leaned her head against his chest and whispered, "I'm not an idiot."
"I know," he assured her, rubbing her back.
"I don't run heedlessly into danger."
"No... well..." Victor paused when Elvi lifted narrowed eyes. Grimacing, he said, "You have a frightening tendency to rush about doing things without thinking first."
"Like what?" she challenged sharply.
"Like the cheesecake emergency," he pointed out. "The minute you knew you could eat food you were off like a shot, desperate to get to the A&P, and woe and betide anyone who got in your way."
"I wanted food," Elvi said in her own defense. "It had been five years, Victor."
"Yes, I know," he said soothingly and pressed her head back to his chest, but added, "And then there was the bed business. The minute you realized you could sleep in one, you were up and running for the door."
Elvi jerked back again to exclaim, "I was sleeping in a coffin!"
"Yes," Victor nodded, rubbing her back, and pressing her head against his shoulder once more before continuing, "but you don't stop to plan things, you just rush ahead... And it scared the hell out of me when I realized you were in that burning shed. That's why I yelled at you... And you're far too trusting."
"Too trusting? I don't think-"
"Just recall how you were trying all those drinks Edward and Alessandro were pushing on you at the Night Club. Things like that make me worried sick that you're going to trust the wrong person and get hurt Elvi... er... Ellie... Ellen. What do you want to be called?" he asked with frustration.
Elvi remained where he'd pressed her, her upset slipping away to be replaced by soft chuckles.
"Are you laughing or crying?" Victor asked warily.
"Right," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Then he asked, "Is laughing a good thing or bad?"
Smiling, Elvi pulled back and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him and then whispered, "It's good."
"Oh." Victor smiled.
"Why did you cut your hair?"
His expression turned wary when she blurted the question. "Don't you like it?"
"Well..."
"You don't like it," he said with disappointment. "DJ was upset about the men hanging all over Mabel over here now that she's turned and decided he was getting a shave and haircut to please her and I thought you might like-"
Elvi covered his mouth with her hand to silence him, and said, "I don't dislike it. It's just different and I fell in love with you with long hair. I'll adjust."
"You love me?" Victor echoed with a grin.
"Victor! Down!"
Elvi started to glance around to see what DJ was shouting about, but all she saw was him flying toward them from the back of the booth. He crashed into them even as Victor instinctively started dragging her to the ground. The three of them landed in a tangle of arms and legs.
"Jesus, DJ," Victor muttered, struggling to sit up. "What the hell-"
Curious about his sudden silence, Elvi followed his gaze to see an arrow sticking out of the counter right where she'd been standing before DJ's shout.
"It was Mike Knight," DJ gasped breathlessly, sitting up beside him.
Victor turned on the younger immortal sharply. "Mike Knight? Are you sure?"
DJ nodded.
"It couldn't have been," Elvi said positively. "He and Karen have been my neighbors for sixteen years. I watched their kids grow up. He would never hurt me."
She started to rise even as she said the words, but barely got her chin above counter level before Victor grabbed her arm and dragged her back down. She'd seen enough, however. Eyes wide with shock, she breathed, "It is Mike."
Elvi could hardly believe what she'd seen. Mike Knight, her friend and neighbor, had been standing a good twenty feet from the booth, legs spread in a shooter's stance and a crossbow in hand that he'd been reloading.
"Mike?" Victor shook his head with confusion. "That makes no sense. I read him after the fire in the shed. He didn't set it."
Elvi didn't comment, her mind was still grappling with the fact that her neighbor, Mike, whom she'd known and been friends with for years, was trying to kill her. Thinking of friends reminded her of Mabel, and Elvi glanced toward the back of the booth to see that the blonde and three donors had flattened themselves on the ground, though Mabel was now crawling over to join them.
"Hi," she said as she reached them. "What are we doing?"
"Hiding," Elvi answered.
"Devising a plan," DJ corrected with a scowl, then raised an eyebrow at Victor. "Any ideas?"
Victor shrugged. "We could jump over the counter from opposite ends and rush him from different sides. He can only hit one of us."
"What?" Elvi asked with dismay. "That's not a plan, that's madness! You-"
"Er... Elvi?" Mike's voice called tentatively from the other side of the counter. "Do you think you could stand up? This will only take a minute."
Elvi turned wide eyes to Mabel. "Is he serious?"
"He's lost his mind," Mabel announced with a sad shake of the head.
Victor ignored them and suddenly stood up.
Elvi grabbed at his hand with alarm, trying to pull him down as she hissed, "Victor! Get back down here."
He just shook her hand away, and turned, apparently, to face Mike. "What's this all about Knight? Why are you trying to kill Elvi?"
"Er... well, it's kind of between Elvi and us if you don't mind, Victor," Mike said politely.
"I'm afraid anything involving Elvi involves me now, Mike," Victor answered equally politely.
Scowling, Elvi stood up beside him. If he was brave enough to do it, she could too... or so she thought. The moment he noticed she was getting to her feet, Victor stepped in front of her, a protective wall. When Elvi tried to step to the side, it was only to find DJ on his feet beside her, blocking the way.
"Don't even think about it," Mabel muttered, standing on her other side so that she was protected from every angle but the back of the booth.
Making a face, Elvi gave up trying to step out in the open and simply craned her neck to see around Victor's arm. Mike and Karen stood on the other side. Mike held the crossbow cocked at waist level and Karen stood at his side, expression grim.
"Was it Karen who set the shed on fire?" Victor asked when the silence drew out.
Mike grimaced and tossed his wife a heavy look, but admitted, "Yes. She did it behind my back. She knew I wouldn't approve. The fire could have easily spread to the neighbor's house, or ours. I didn't realize she'd done it until she told me after you guys went off in search of the Kissing Booth tonight."
"And the arrow at the furniture store?" Victor asked. "You or her?"
"Me," he admitted. "That was an accident, though. I was heading out to get some practice when Bob, the owner of the archery club, yelled at me that Karen was on the phone. I swung back and somehow released the arrow as I turned." He shrugged. "Sorry about that. I didn't even realize there was anyone over there until I saw you and Elvi appear at the edge of the trees, and by then I was inside on the phone. I saw you through the window. You were gone by the time I got off and went over to make sure no one was hurt. But that's where Karen got the idea of how to kill you. She figured an arrow was as good as a stake."
"So you shot Elvi in the sunroom."
Mike nodded. "Or tried to. I was sure I got her too, but obviously I missed the heart. I won't miss at this distance, though, Elvi," he assured her, meeting her gaze with a solemn expression. "It will be quick, I promise."
"Michael Knight have you lost your mind?" Mabel shouted suddenly. "What does it being fast or slow have to do with anything? She doesn't want to die."
He looked startled by this news. "But you told Karen she was miserable as a vampire and wished she'd just died in that car accident rather than become a vampire."
"That was four years ago. She's happy now," Mabel snapped, then turned to Elvi and said, "Tell him."
"Actually, she's right Mike. I really have no desire to die."
Mike glanced to his wife who moved to his side and whispered furiously. When he sighed and turned back to face them, Karen took a step toward the booth and said, "I'm sorry, Elvi. You know we love you, but he's our son."
"Owen?" Elvi stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at them as she asked, "What on earth does Owen have to do with this?"
Her obvious confusion just seemed to infuriate the woman. Propping her hands on her hips, Karen yelled, "You know what he has to do with this, you... you vamp!"
The way Karen had said vamp seemed to suggest it was synonymous with hussy, but Elvi merely said, "No, actually, I don't know."
Elvi's eyes widened incredulously at the venom in those words, but rather than admit she hadn't bit him, she said, "You brought him there to be bit."
Karen's shoulders sagged unhappily. "It was his birthday, it's what he wanted. Besides, I didn't want him to go through with it in the first place." She glared at her husband. "I told you we shouldn't allow him to do it, but oh no, you wouldn't listen to me. I was being a silly woman. Now we have a vampire for a son when if you'd just listened to me, just this once-"
"What!" Elvi interrupted with disbelief. "A vampire?"
"Now, now," Brunswick interrupted, stepping out of the gathered crowd to make his presence known. Someone had obviously gone running to fetch him when the disturbance broke out. Now he moved between the Knights and the booth, while Edward, Harper, and Alessandro began to slip along the edge of the crowd to surround the couple.
"I'm sure Elvi didn't mean to do it," Teddy said soothingly. "It was all just an accident. She's been biting the boys in this town for five years and nothing's gone wrong. How was she to know this time the bite would take?"
"I don't care if it was an accident. I want my baby back," Karen cried. "Mike, do something!"
When Mike looked uncertain, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Don't tell me you would rather our son was a vampire?"
"Well, hell," he muttered. "It's not like its hurt Elvi any, and she needs a husband. Better someone from here than-"
"'Jesus Christ, the woman is the same age as my mother!" Karen interrupted with disgust. "She's sixty-two years old."
Mike's eyes slid to Elvi where she was peering around Victor's arm. He pursed his lips. "She looks damn fine for sixty-two. And Owen could look just as good forever. Just think, Karen, you won't have to worry about him getting hurt in football anymore."
Karen wasn't impressed. "Michael Knight if you don't kill this woman and let our son go back to being just a boy you're going to find yourself in divorce court and I will take the house, the boat, the cottage, the-"
"All right, all right," he said with defeat, and then turned to Elvi and the others and said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I tried, but you can see what I have to deal with here. The woman just isn't reasonable when it comes to her boy."
"Now, Mike..." Brunswick took another step, blocking Elvi's view. "What is killing Elvi going to solve?"
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Teddy! Don't you know anything?" Karen said with exasperation. Rushing forward, she caught his arm and managed to tug him a couple of steps to the side so that Elvi could see again as she explained, "The only way to turn Owen back is to kill the vampire who turned him. So, we have to kill Elvi. We don't want to do it. We'll probably end up with horrible neighbors with her gone and Mabel off in Toronto with DJ, but I want my son back, dammit!"
"You'd rather have your husband in jail for killing Elvi than have your son be a vampire?" Mabel asked with disbelief.
"Jail?" Mike said with alarm.
"You won't go to jail," Karen assured him quickly. "You can't be charged with killing her, because she's already dead. You're just putting her to rest. Go on honey, get it over with. Sorry, Elvi," she added in an apologetic mutter.
Mike gave a long-suffering sigh, offered an apologetic glance, raised the crossbow, and said, "I'd prefer it if you moved Victor, but I'll shoot you to get to her if I have to."
Taking the men by surprise, Elvi managed to squeeze between them and throw herself in front of Victor as she blurted, "I didn't bite Owen."
"Damn, Elvi," Teddy said with disgust as he shook off Karen's hold and moved back between Mike and the booth. "That's not going to work. We all know you bit him. It was his birthday."
"Did you see me bite him?" she asked grimly.
"No, you took him in the back room, but we saw the bite mark when he came back out," Karen said.
Shaking her head urgently, Elvi corrected, "You saw a Band-Aid on his neck. There was no bite. We put the bandage on to make it look like he'd been bitten so his friends wouldn't make fun of him, but the truth is he backed out."
"Oh now, that's just bad form," Mike complained.
"It's just wrong to try to make my son look like a coward to save your own life."
Elvi rolled her eyes. "He isn't a coward. Most of the boys back out. I didn't bite him."
When Mike looked uncertain, Karen scowled and asked, "Then why is he turning into a vampire?"
"He's not turning into a vampire," Elvi assured her.
"He sleeps all day, is up all night, and won't eat anything or-"
"Oh, you mean he's being a typical teenager," Elvi interrupted her list of attributes. "I was a mother once too, Karen. Trust me, sleeping late, staying up late, and not eating his veggies, but instead going out and eating junk food with friends is standard procedure."
"He has the fangs," Karen said grimly.
Elvi snorted with disbelief. There was no way Owen could be a vampire. She hadn't bit him. Besides, according to Victor, it wasn't biting them that would do it anyway, it was sharing your blood. And she hadn't shared her blood with anyone.
"He does," Karen insisted, obviously infuriated at her disbelief. Straightening, she craned her neck to try to peer over the crowd surrounding them. A look of satisfaction crossed her face when she spotted her son. "Owen! Get over here and show Elvi your fangs."
Elvi followed her gaze and spotted the teenager shaking his head wildly as he tried to duck behind Mr. Albrecht, the high school principal.
Eyes narrowing, Elvi said, "Owen Knight, get over here now, please."
Owen peered out from behind Mr. Albrecht, eyes wide with panic. He shook his head again.
"Don't make me send Victor over there," she threatened. That had the effect she'd hoped and after a brief hesitation, the boy slunk out from behind the principal and started reluctantly forward, weaving through the crowd toward the booth.
"Gee, thanks. Make me the heavy," Victor said by her ear, his hands settling heavily on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Elvi murmured. "But you're scarier than I am."
"And I always will be," Victor agreed. "Besides, there's no need to apologize. This is all very informative. It tells me that 'Wait 'til your father gets home' will be something our children hear a lot of."
Elvi glanced at him with a start. "Children? Is that your idea of a proposal?"
Rather than answer, Victor gestured in front of her. "Owen has arrived."
Setting aside the subject of their future, Elvi turned to peer at the teenage boy. A small frown plucked at her eyebrows when she saw how pale he looked. Part of it was his fear, but another part wasn't, she decided, as she noted a streak in the white by his eyebrow. Mouth tightening, she leaned over the counter and ran a finger over his cheek. When she took it away, the tip of the finger was covered with white face makeup.
"Teenagers," Victor muttered with amusement.
Elvi let a little sigh slip through her lips and turned her disappointed gaze to meet Owen's. "Let's see these fangs."
Owen closed his mouth more tightly and shook his head again.
"Owen," she growled, "open."
His anxious gaze slid to Victor. Whatever he saw there, made him promptly open his mouth.
Elvi gaped at the canine teeth revealed, and then cast her glare out to encompass the three men who had been creeping up on Mike and Karen. "Edward. Harper. Alessandro... get over here!"
The three immortals glanced at each other, then shook their heads and gave up their positions to approach the booth. Rather than walk around to the side entrance, Edward simply swung the hinged countertop up to lean against the frame, then entered followed by Harper and Alessandro.
"What is it?" Edward asked as soon as he was standing in front of Elvi.
"Er..." Mike moved forward to stand beside his son to remind her, "You did, Elvi, when you bit him on his birthday."
Elvi turned her gaze to him with exasperation. "You can't turn someone by biting them, you have to-"
Her mouth snapped shut when Victor grabbed her arm and tugged her backward behind Mabel and DJ.
"I think it might be a good idea if we keep the hows of a turn to ourselves," he murmured as the other immortals closed in around them.
"Why?" Elvi asked with surprise.
"Because I don't think you want someone sneaking up on you while you're sleeping to get some of your blood."
Elvi relaxed and even chuckled at the possibility. "No one would do that! These are my friends."
"Friends?" Edward arched an eyebrow and asked drolly, "Does that include the guy with the crossbow and arrow aimed at your heart?"
Elvi cast a glare the Brit's way, and snapped, "He's looking out for his son. Besides, you'll notice he hasn't used it yet!"
"God, you're right, Victor. She is terribly naive for her age," Harper murmured with dismay and Elvi didn't know who to glare at: Victor for apparently saying such a thing at some point, or Harper for agreeing with him.
"I'm not naive," she informed them grimly. "I've spent my whole life in this town and I know these people. Unlike you five." She scowled at them and demanded, "Now which of you turned Owen?"
"My dear, Ellen," Edward said with disgust. "We are allowed only one turn in our lives. You can hardly believe any of us would waste it on that young lad?"
Elvi frowned, knowing he was right. They would save it for their lifemate if needed, not fritter it away on a boy who had apparently got over his fear and decided to become a vampire. Sighing unhappily, she said, "Well, someone turned him."
"Ellen," Victor murmured patiently. "Did you see his teeth?"
"Of course, I did. And I want to know who gave them to him."
"My guess would be the costume shop in the city," he said dryly, and then asked with exasperation. "Have you even seen your own teeth?"
Elvi scowled. "Yes. Once."
"Once?" he asked with disbelief.
"Once," Elvi insisted. "In Mexico right after the turn."
She grimaced. "They were kind of scary looking as I recall, so I haven't bothered looking since we bought the mirror."
"I forgot you haven't had mirrors until recently," Victor muttered and shook his head, then said, "Look, his teeth... our teeth..."
Elvi waited patiently when he paused and frowned, and then Victor gave up trying to explain. Stepping through the men, he reached out to put a hand to the back of Owen's neck and dragged him into the booth. He must have squeezed his neck painfully then, because the boy squealed with surprised pain. Quick as a whip Victor reached into his open mouth with his free hand and snatched out one of the fangs.
"Oww!" Owen cried, covering his abused mouth. "That was glued in."
"Glued?" Victor asked with surprise.
He nodded. "The bonding stuff didn't work very well, so I used crazy glue."
"Idiot," Victor muttered, but simply walked to Elvi and held out his hand. The tooth lay in the middle of his palm, nothing more than a cap. "They're fake."
"What?" Mike lowered his crossbow and crowded into the booth, Karen rushing up behind him. The couple stared down at the fake tooth as Elvi did, then peered at each other, then back to the tooth, then to their son.
"Owen Knight," Karen snapped, moving toward her son. "How could you do something so stupid? Your father nearly killed Elvi because of this stunt!"
"I didn't mean to get Elvi killed," Owen squawked, backing away. "I was just-Bev thought vampires were cool, so I thought..." His explanation faded away as he ducked behind the other immortals, doing a side maneuver to avoid his irate mother.
"Ah," Victor said wisely, drawing Elvi's curious gaze.
"Ah what?"
"A female. It explains everything. Mortal males do incredibly stupid things to try to impress females."
"You mean like cutting your hair?" she asked archly.
Victor grinned. "Yes. Just like that."
Shaking her head, Elvi slid through the men and stepped between Owen and his mother. "It's all right, Karen. All's well that ends well and no one got hurt."
"What?" Victor squawked. "You were nearly killed three times!"
"Yes, well she knows we didn't mean anything by it," Mike assured him. "We really like Elvi. She's the best neighbor we've ever had. I was really torn by the idea of having to kill her."
A burst of laughter from Edward is the only thing that kept Victor from grabbing the man and snapping his neck. The short, harsh sound drew his vexation instead and he turned on the Brit with fury. "What the hell are you laughing at?"
"You," he said easily, and added. "And this whole situation. I don't envy you having to deal with this town. It will make for an interesting-but no doubt exasperating and exhausting-life."
Victor just grimaced, he suspected the man was right.
"I'm sorry I called you a vamp like that," Karen was saying now.
"Don't be silly, I am one," Elvi assured her.
"Yes, but it's not your fault. Besides I made it sound like a bad thing and it isn't really. You're a lovely vampire," the blonde assured her. "And we really do love having you as a neighbor. We were just so upset about Owen being a vampire and didn't know what to do. I'm sorry I made Mike try to kill you. I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship?"
"Of course not," Elvi gave her a hug. "If I'd been you I would have done the same thing."
Victor shook his head with bewilderment at how women's minds functioned... if they functioned at all.
"Well," Mabel said mildly, drawing his attention, "I guess that resolves everything."
Victor gave a snort of disbelief. They may have solved the mystery of who was trying to kill her and brought an end to it, but there was still a long way to go before everything was resolved. They needed to talk, and then there was still the town and the council to worry about.
"Oh, oh," DJ muttered, drawing Victor's questioning gaze. The younger immortal nodded to the side and Victor glanced over to see his brother, Lucian Argeneau, head of the council, standing at the edge of the crowd around the booth. It seemed those other issues were going to be dealt with now, Victor thought with a curse under his breath.