Reining In (The Network) by Dawn Judd Page A

Mississippi."
    I thought about it. He was right. Vyktor, unlike me, did not move around in order to hide his identity. He was predictable in that. Home, for him, was New Orleans. Like many vampires before him, it held an almost hypnotic attraction for him.
    It was like it was portrayed in movies; dark, full of death and superstition, and full of vampires. Many vampires, Vyktor included, found it easy to remain unnoticed there. And he seldom left, except for the occasional trip he made in an effort to search me out. I could easily find him there.
    In fact, I knew exactly where to find him. The woman he stayed with was, indirectly and unbeknownst to her, a member of the network. People hired by the network made contact with her. Although her allegiance was to Vyktor, her love of money was stronger, and it was easy for them to get information from her.
    I would have to go to her to get to Vyktor. This was not a pleasant thought for me. The woman was a seer. She was not one of those fake fortune tellers that set up shop, hoping to make a quick buck on some rich superstitious widow. No, she was the real thing. She practiced in the black arts and voodoo, and her perceptions were almost always dead-on.
    That was the reason we did not send anyone directly from the network when making contact with her. If our inside people didn't know who they worked for, she couldn't perceive the threat. I would have to be careful how I approached her.
    "You're right, Mack. I can take care of it from there." When I heard him stammer a little, I added, "Don't worry! I won't do anything stupid!" We ended our conversation there, and I pulled back out onto the highway. I stopped only when I needed gas, and although I hated to do it, I made one stop to hunt.
    I hated to waste the time, but I knew that it was becoming a necessity, and I couldn't put it off any longer. One of the nice things about being a vampire was that I didn't have to stop and sleep. Although we did sleep, we could go for days, sometimes weeks without sleeping if we had to. So I drove on into the night.
    As the sun began to rise, I made my way through San Antonio. I had hoped to stop here, which is one of the reasons I had chosen to drive. One of our offices was located in San Antonio, and I badly wanted to stop in and see some of my friends. But the situation had become urgent. If I didn’t do something immediately, I may never get to see those people again.
    So I continued on. It was another eight hours before I finally found my way into New Orleans. I decided not to go directly to Vyktor's abode. I needed time to walk around and gather myself. So I made my way towards the quarter, and found a place to park. I walked for several hours, stopping once in a shop filled with voodoo items. I finally made my way to the woman's home.
    It was much like you would expect to find. The building was old and run-down. One had to brave the dark, dank alleyway to reach the door that led to the woman's home. There was only one entrance into the alleyway, and only one door into the building. The adjoining buildings had no doors, and only a scant number of windows. There was one dim bulb that barely lit the doorway.
    Although I knew the woman's trade, there was no clear indication of a business behind the door. She had no need to advertise. Those who knew of her knew where to find her. Those who used her abilities, most generally did not have a moral reason for being there. Therefore, it was in her best interest to remain unseen by the outside world. We had that one thing in common; that, and Vyktor. I stood in the alleyway for a long time.
    I didn't want to go directly in. I had waited until the sun started to set, because I knew that if Vyktor were back in New Orleans, this is the time that he would leave. I didn't wish to confront him just yet. I needed some information first. When I finally decided he must be gone, I made my way to the door. I did not knock, but walked directly in.
    The inside was