Henri – 18

 

"It could work," Miranda said that evening, looking at the men seated in Taegan's living room.

 

"We'd have to come up with a theme that will excite people. Something like…" Allyn frowned. "What hasn't been done is the question."

 

"A vampire ball?" Henri suggested.

 

"Done to death, unfortunately," Taegan told him.

 

"Ghosts," John put in. "Come as your favorite ghost, or dead person I guess."

 

"That could be fun," Miranda said excitedly. "We could turn the parlor into—"

 

"You want to hold it on the estate?" John asked in dismay.

 

"Yes! If we want to pull this off as fast as possible. Poor Henri has been on tenterhooks since forever. Let's do this, get his photo in the newspaper and on TV and see if we can draw Xavier into our net."

 

"Hang on a minute," Ransom said. "Why go through all this hassle just to get him in the news?"

 

"Because a ball would be fun," Miranda replied.

 

Ransom snorted. "You can party every weekend if that's what you want to do. God only knows there are enough of them going on around the city. You don't have to throw your own. Just take Henri along with you to one of them. Also, pulling something like that together would take much too long."

 

Miranda sighed. "And it was going to be such a wonderful ball."

 

"You can do it for your birthday," John consoled her. "In six months."

 

"Even though this whole party idea was mine to begin with, I think you're right, Ransom," Taegan said. "There's an easier and faster way to achieve our ends."

 

"What do you have in mind?"

 

"I have a new artist whose exhibit opens this Friday. There's going to be a pre-opening party Thursday evening for invited guests and the press. Semi-formal, hors d'oeuvres, wine, the usual. Henri will be with me, which should guarantee his face ends up in the Arts section of the paper, at the very least."

 

"I don't own any formal wear," Henri said quietly, even though he liked this idea much more than the party one. I'd have been like a fish out of water at some gala. Doing this and have Taegan right there with me… He smiled, glancing at Taegan.

 

Taegan chuckled. "I suspect we can find something that'll work in the next couple of days. Right, Allyn?"

 

Allyn grinned. "And a shopping we will go."

 

"You are all on the guest list, as of now," Taegan stated.

 

"Great, but why?" Miranda asked. "The reception photos won't be on the paper's social page until Friday."

 

"True…" Taegan paused, looking thoughtful. "However, one of the news stations is doing a special about the artist—Mr. Williams—and the exhibit on their Wednesday early show. It will repeat on the nine o'clock news. Henri will be with me, as my assistant, when they're filming."

 

"I've been upgraded," Henri said, chuckling. When Allyn asked, Henri told him about the rental application for his apartment, where he listed his job as a clerk at the gallery. "At Taegan's suggestion."

 

"Now," Ransom said, "it all comes down to whether Xavier, or one of his people, actually watches the news and sees Henri."

 

Taegan nodded. "Given that he tried to abduct Henri here in the city, and captured him not all that far from New Orleans proper, I suspect he's at least keeping an eye on the area for sightings of him."

 

"They probably are since, as I told you, he knows what I look like in my human form—from the last day at the lab before I escaped."

 

"If he hasn't already figured out you're still here, Henri, this should do the trick," Ransom said.