A man dressed in a traditional chauffeur’s uniform stood next to the rear bumper of the vehicle as airport employees transferred the luggage from the aircraft into the car’s trunk.
Caleb noticed Katrina’s change in posture to a more aggressive stance as she deliberately walked a little ahead of him towards the man standing next to the car’s open door. The dark-haired man seemed momentarily taken aback by Katrina’s forward bearing, and he blinked once as he stared back at her.
“Ma’am,” the man offered deferentially with a nod. “Welcome to London. My name is Simmons, ma’am. Mr. Rutherford sends his regrets that he couldn’t meet you in person. He sent me to ensure that you and Mr. Taylor are properly escorted to your hotel.”
The chauffeur approached Caleb and gestured towards his and Katrina’s carry-on luggage, which he took and stored in the trunk for them. He nodded politely to Caleb, returned to the rear of the vehicle, and watched the other airport staff who were loading two remaining luggage items.
Katrina raised an eyebrow. “I see. And you’re part of the security detail for Mr. Rutherford?”
The man nodded and replied in a crisp English accent, “Yes, ma’am.”
Caleb knew better than to interrupt the interaction taking place and stood quietly behind and to the left of Katrina. He found his mate’s sudden change in demeanor to one of immediate authority curious, but perhaps not surprising. She was an alpha vampire, after all, and she had no idea who the man was.
“Expecting trouble, Simmons?” she asked pointedly as she looked in the direction of the chauffeur, who closed the trunk and moved to the driver’s side of the vehicle. He stood quietly, apparently awaiting word to proceed with the departure.
“Not expecting any, ma’am,” Simmons replied crisply. “Mr. Rutherford merely wanted to ensure that your journey to the hotel was without incident given that it’s daytime.”
Caleb’s eyes perked up with the recognition that the man fully understood he was addressing a vampire.
“Then I appreciate your service today, Simmons,” Katrina replied politely. “Let’s proceed.”
Simmons nodded to the chauffeur and held the car door open for them. Caleb glanced back to the airplane, but all the people had suddenly disappeared from the area, leaving them seemingly alone in that part of the hangar. Katrina touched Caleb lightly on the shoulder to urge him forward to enter the back of the car before her. He ducked into the back of the limousine and scooted over to the far side of the seat to allow her to enter. She slid onto the seat, and Simmons closed the door. He got into the passenger side of the front compartment, leaving Katrina and Caleb alone in the roomy rear compartment of the vehicle.
Caleb looked out the passenger side of the car and noticed the hangar doors were opening, allowing the two limousines ahead of them to depart. A few moments later, their own limousine pulled through the hangar and into the daylight, although the darkly tinted windows kept any ultraviolet radiation from penetrating. He looked out the car window at the airport buildings and hangars and found that things looked very similar to the airports in the United States.
Katrina extended her left arm across the open expanse of space towards him and pulled him back to the center of the car next to her with one swift motion. He chuckled as he slid across the leather seat towards her and tilted his head up to kiss her.
“Welcome to London, my love,” she offered. “Don’t worry about the view for now. It will begin to look more scenic and noteworthy once we leave the area around the airport.”
“That man, Simmons,” Caleb noted curiously. “He reminds me of a secret service agent.”
“Alton likes to hire former British military and intelligence service members in his security ranks,” she told him. “Their experience and discipline lend themselves well to Alton’s preferred style of performance and leadership.”
He nodded. “You looked rather authoritative there for a moment, as well.”
She shrugged and hugged him to her. “It was important to establish the pecking order with such types. They respect that, and it removes any role ambiguity.”
He smirked. “I think I like you better this way.”
She smiled back slyly and kissed him on the cheek. “Of course you do. But then, I’ve already established our pecking order, haven’t I?”
He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and patted her thigh with his hand. He took a moment to take in the interior of the vehicle and realized that a small