"Do you want company, Victor?" DJ asked, catching up to him in the second‐floor hall,
then grinned and added, "I could act as lookout, make sure you don't get caught and
get yourself in trouble with Captain Brunswick."
Victor smiled faintly at the teasing offer, not surprised DJ understood he'd feed along
the way. He shook his head. "No need."
"Okay. I'm going to grab a bag in our room while you're at it, then," DJ said, continuing
on up the hall and around the corner while Victor started lightly down the spiral
staircase.
Wondering over the comment about being a lookout to keep Victor from getting in
trouble, Elvi started to straighten from the keyhole she'd been peering through, but
paused as two more men appeared from the stairs to the third floor. One was a tall
fair‐haired man. The other was a couple inches shorter and dark‐haired. Both were
good‐looking. She eyed them curiously as they walked past.
"I was not expecting all this," the dark‐haired man commented. "The Elvi, she did not
mention there would be others here."
"You mean Mabel," the blond corrected and reminded him. "Mabel is the one who
wrote the e‐mails."
" Si. Mabel."
"I didn't expect competition either," the blond now admitted unhappily, and then
shrugged. "Such is life."
"Yes," the darker man murmured and then added, "I do not mind Victor or you so
much, but Edward, he is a prick."
"Hmm." The blond nodded. "Let's hope he can read her, or that she gives him his
walking papers quickly."
The brunette shook his head. "He will be the perfect gentleman in front of her. It is
only behind her back he will be shoving his thumb at us. Just look at how he is sucking
up to her friend Mabel to get on her good side."
"I think he's slipped into her mind to exert some influence there," the blond said.
"You think?" he asked with surprise. "Well, that's hardly the fair play."
"All's fair in love and lifemates," the blond answered dryly.
Elvi didn't hear the other man's response. The two were out of sight on the stairs and
no longer within hearing distance.
"I do love this house. The Victorians had their faults, but architecture wasn't one of
them."
Elvi's eyes slid back to the end of the hall as the fifth and final man started up with
Mabel and Teddy.
"Oh, I couldn't agree more, Edward," Mabel enthused, and Elvi frowned at the gushing
tone to her voice. Mabel never gushed. And this was the Edward the men had
mentioned, she realized, eyes narrowing. " I think he's slipped into her mind and
exerted some influence," the blond had said. Elvi had no idea what he was talking
about, but intended to find out. She wasn't having her friend toyed with.
"I should go get my car," Edward murmured as they passed the door where Elvi
crouched, watching through the keyhole.
"Teddy can drive you back to get it," Mabel offered, and Elvi's expression tightened
further. It just wasn't like Mabel to volunteer others for a task. If anything, she would
have offered to take him herself.
"Uh… sure," Teddy agreed, obviously equally surprised at Mabel's volunteering him.
"But then I have to head back to the station."
Straightening, Elvi turned away from the door as her mind worked. Was Edward
controlling Mabel's mind? And what was this Victor up to that his friend thought he
would need a lookout? What the hell had Mabel got them into, inviting these men
here? So far the only two who didn't seem to be up to something were the tall Nordic‐
looking one and the shorter, Italian chap.
Supposing she wasn't going to find out anything by staying in her room, Elvi
straightened her shoulders and moved quickly to the door opposite the one she'd been
eavesdropping at. She slipped through the dark sun porch attached to her room and
hurried down the stairs to the lower deck.
Chapter Seven
"Elvi? Is that you? What are you doing in the bushes?"
Cursing under her breath, Elvi stepped out and crossed to where Teddy stood by his
police car. Trying not to sound embarrassed at getting caught lurking, she said, "Hi
Teddy."
She tried to decide how to explain her behavior. The truth was, she'd rushed down to
the deck and around the house to see what the man called Victor was up to. She'd
come around the corner to find him already half a block up the road, headed for Main
Street.
Elvi had started to take a step forward to follow, but the blonde and the Italian had
come out of the house and she'd ducked into the bushes to avoid being seen.
Unfortunately, that was when Teddy had come out heading for the driveway and his