"What about were-children?" Carlos asked. "Would they be welcomed there?"
"Yes." Ian nodded. "Any child with abnormal abilities. Or children who simply know too much. Heather's daughter falls into that category."
"This is so cool!" Teddy thumbed through different photos. "A school for future superheroes! Would they live on campus?"
"They could." Ian shrugged. "Some of the Vamp children could be teleported there if they wanted to live at home."
"This is great." Toni passed another photo to Sabrina. "I can't wait to introduce you to Constantine. He's so smart and sweet. And he can already levitate and teleport."
Sabrina remained quiet, frowning at the photos.
"Look at this." Carlos pointed at a picture of a lake. "There's an island here. It would be the perfect place for my kids to practice their panther skills without putting any other kids in danger."
Toni leaned forward to look. "That's an excellent idea."
"The main problem Roman and Shanna face," Ian continued, "is finding teachers and administrators who can be trusted."
"Count me in," Teddy said.
"Me, too," Carlos said. "I'd love to bring my orphans there."
Ian gave Toni a questioning look. "What do you think?"
"I think it was very wise of Roman and Shanna to plan ahead like this. I don't think Tino could be happy in a normal school." She turned to Sabrina. "This would be an interesting place to run, don't you think?"
Sabrina slowly stacked the photos. "It's a beautiful place. And an interesting idea." She gave Toni a worried look. "But this was not our plan. We wanted to help children who were homeless, starving, and suffering. This Constantine has a billionaire dad to take care of him. What about the children who have nobody? We can't turn our backs on them just because these mutant children are more interesting."
Toni's cheeks turned pink. "Don't call them mutants, please."
Sabrina's eyes narrowed. "You're not planning on having any, are you?"
An awkward silence fell upon them. Ian watched Toni carefully, but she avoided his eyes. Her blush reddened. Was she embarrassed to be involved with him?
Sabrina pushed the stack of photos away. "This is admirable, but it's not our plan. Toni and I have been working on our own plan for ten years."
Toni closed her eyes with a pained expression. A twinge of panic crept into Ian's gut. What if she decided to completely leave the Vamp world behind? What if she left him?
He grabbed the stack of photos. "There's three hundred acres here. We can build more buildings. We doona need to turn children away."
Toni finally looked at him. "We could fit a regular orphanage in there?"
Ian took her hand. "We would have to okay everything with Roman. But I do want ye to keep both worlds. Ye shouldna have to choose one or the other."
Her eyes glimmered with moisture. "That would be good."
"Look at this field behind the mansion." Carlos showed a photo to Sabrina. "It would make a perfect soccer field."
She snorted. "I can see where your priorities are."
"Come on, Sabrina." Teddy leaned forward. "This is the coolest opportunity ever."
She sighed. "I'll think about it. I still need some time to adjust to…everything." She glanced warily at Carlos and Ian. "And I still have a year of school left. That is, if I can go back to school without my uncle trying to lock me up."
"We were just talking about that before you arrived." Toni selected a chip from the tray and bit into it. "We need to get Bri's purse from her uncle's house and somehow convince him to leave her and her money alone."
Carlos grabbed a salt shaker and sprinkled more salt on the chips. "The police came by today, looking for Bri, Teddy, and Toni. We need to get this mess straightened out before one of us gets arrested."
Ian considered as he stacked the photos back into the folder. "Where does this uncle live?"
"Westchester." Carlos munched on a chip. "I've been there before. I think I could get the maid to bring me Bri's things."
"I should go," Sabrina said.
Ian shook his head. "Nay, ye'll be safer here with Teddy." He stood. "Carlos, drive Toni to the uncle's house. Then call me, and I'll teleport there to meet you. I have to go somewhere else first."
"Where?" Toni asked. "What are you planning?"
"I left my cape in Scotland. But Roman has a vampire cape and tuxedo at the townhouse. I need to get into costume first."
Toni's eyes widened. "Costume?"
Teddy grinned. "Cool! I always said you needed a cape."
Sabrina frowned. "What are you going to do my uncle?"
"Doona fash. I'll no' be violent." Ian smiled. "But I doona believe yer uncle will enjoy his encounter with Count Dracula."
CHAPTER 23
"You look very handsome." Toni adjusted Ian's black tie. He'd just materialized in the alley behind the Proctors' house in Westchester.
"I'm supposed to look scary," he muttered.
More like sexy. Toni ran her fingers over his elegant black tuxedo. His black satin cape was lined in red, and his black hair curled inside the stand-up collar. "If I was making a vampire movie, I'd hire you in a second."
Carlos cleared his throat. "If you two are finished admiring each other, we'll get on with this." He approached the back kitchen door and knocked lightly.
The maid peered out the window and smiled when Carlos waved. She opened the door and spoke to him softly in Spanish. He motioned to Toni and Ian, and the maid nodded.
"Maria's letting me sneak up the back stairs," Carlos told them. "I'll collect Bri's stuff and meet you downstairs. She says the doctor's in the library at the front of the house."
"I'll go around." Ian disappeared into the shadows.
Carlos slipped up the back stairs, while Maria escorted Toni to the library.
Dr. Joe Proctor was pacing behind his desk, talking on his cell phone. "Look, Jenkins, you're supposed to be the best PI in the business. Don't tell me you can't find one lousy girl." He paused, rubbing a hand over his balding head. "Yeah, I realize she must be getting help. It's—" He spotted Toni at the library entrance. "I'll call you back."
He dropped his phone on the desk as he approached Toni. "Who are you?"
"I'm Toni Davis, Sabrina's roommate."
He hesitated, then broke into a big grin. "Toni, how wonderful to meet you. You must be terribly worried about Sabrina. Let me assure you, I am sparing no expense to find her. You wouldn't happen to know anything about her disappearance, would you?"
"You'll never find her."
His smile morphed into a snarl. "You helped her escape, didn't you?" He strode back to his desk and grabbed his phone. "I'm handing you over to the police. Of course, you could avoid being arrested if you just tell me where Sabrina is."
"Go ahead. Call the police. I'd like to report some crimes. Let's see, there's medical malpractice for claiming Bri was delusional when she wasn't."
He lifted his chin. "Any psychiatrist would agree with my diagnosis."
"Then there's the embezzlement of her trust fund and holding her prisoner so you could steal more of her money."
He snapped his phone shut. "You can't prove any of that."
Toni strolled toward him. "Once the police investigate your financial records, it'll be very clear. You imprisoned Sabrina. You poisoned her mind. You tried to steal her entire life from her."
"No, no." He waved a hand in the air. "I wouldn't have kept her locked up forever. I just needed a little money to pay off a few gambling debts."
"And then there would have been more gambling debts."
Proctor's eyes narrowed. "Those guys would have killed me. I didn't have any choice."
"Those guys are the least of your problems. Have you wondered how Bri escaped?"