I couldn't just run away on my own; I'd made promises too. In the car, I laid out what I knew and showed Susan the text. "Emily was the assassin Alexander said was 'hired' to kill me. Alexander was behind this, but why would Emily send this text?"

"It could be a trap," Susan said.

"It's in the secure terminal, in a restaurant open to the terminal and cameras everywhere," I said. "It's a lousy place for a hit. Emily picked it because she knows I'd think it was safe."

"Or that's the perfect way to get you to relax enough to come," Susan said. "Still, a vampire will sense...