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While we waited, parked in the shadows, he inhaled the veggies and peeled the fried layer off the chicken before munching down. “Heathern,” I accused in my best Appalachian mountain accent, lifting the skin from the box he’d tossed it in. “I’ll rescue the poor, cast-aside crispy bits. Yes, my precious, I’ll eat you,” I cooed to the fried flesh. Biting down.
The bubbly wasn’t as good as Coke—not even as good as canned Coke—not that I’d ever say that. I’ve learned a few things in my time in NOLA, and keeping my mouth shut is one of them. Well, most of the time.
“Do I love you more than bacon or do you love me more than bacon?” “I love you more than bacon,” he said, a smile in his voice. “I love you more than bacon too,” I said. “Unless I’m hungry. Or Beast.” “In either of which cases I will bring you bacon.” My lips pulled up again. “I like my bacon cooked. Beast likes hers raw.” “Duly noted.”
Gee made an eep and froze in place. His breath made a whistling noise. A blood-servant hooted approvingly. Others applauded slowly, as if still trying to figure out what they had seen. Or hadn’t. “Enforcer,” Gee greeted me, motionless and formal. “Bird Man,” I greeted him back, softly. “How’s it shaking?” “I have nothing that shakes. I am healthy. And you, Enforcer? Are you well?” “I’m good. Okay, how about this. You drop your staves, I let the pressure off your nuts—you do have nuts?” “Yes,” he breathed. “At the moment in a most uncomfortable position.”
This change had nourished the small bud of happy now growing inside me. Happy was scary. I had never done happy. “Leo can kiss my pretty, golden-skinned bottom.” “No. He cannot.” The happy bloom got bigger.
“You knew about those?” Brandon said. “Of course I knew. Derek and Pauline Easter are good, but they’re amateurs. The Kid is a felon with employment offers from the DOD. He’s better than good.”
“Not the Acton House?” The Acton House was where famous vamp visitors of the twentieth century had stayed, including the Son of Darkness, one of the most powerful vamps in the world, on the good part of his visit. Since then, the SOD had been hanging on the wall of Leo’s basement. Worst vacation spot ever.
“On second thought, take me to Bruiser’s apartment.” “Getting that room?” Eli asked. “Shut up.”
“Where is Alex?” I knew the answer by the scents in the house, scents I hadn’t parsed until now. “In the weapons room. He’ll be holding a shotgun. If you open the door, try not to let him kill you. It would hurt him a lot.” “Your concern for my welfare is touching.”
“Hey, gorgeous,” Bruiser said. And though I looked like the love child of a wet cat and the creature from Swamp Thing, I knew he was serious. He thought I was pretty no matter what I looked like. That alone melted my heart.
“Not necking. And if it’s ass you want . . .” I looked out the window, hiding my pleasure. An arch in my voice, I said, “I’m willing to accept thanks taken out in trade.”
gear. No one gave a wolf whistle or made a comment about the outfit, though I had to admit their reticence might be due to the nine-mil I was carrying, and my glare.
“Janie said dick,” Alex said into my earbud. “And ass.” “Shut up,” I said, breathing hard, laughing and wheezing in pain under my breath. “Holy crap, this hurts. And it’s called Method acting.” “It’s called foul language,” he countered. “I get pizza.”
“No, my mistress. I will not. This is a trap.” “Of course it’s a trap. Eli and I already had this convo.” “We must not rush in where your angel might fear to tread.”
“I smell vamps on the other side of the door. They’ll be moving vamp-fast. They might be masters, old as the race. They might not die from silver,” I said. “True, but silver direct to the brain box will slow them down enough for us to take back the field of battle. And take a few heads. We should start a collection. Mount ’em at HQ on the fence.” That was my partner. Always thinking about the high ground and how best to secure it.
“Unh.” I pulled the former blood diamond out of my gobag. Hefted it in my fist. Reached over and tapped the lock. Nothing happened. “I figured that would be too easy.” I took the tip of the vamp-killer. Pricked my left little finger. A single drop of blood welled. Skinwalker blood. Blood capable of bending, bubbling time. I smeared the tip of the gem into the blood and tapped the lock. The lock fell open. Which said something about my blood. Something else to think about later. On that tropical vacation, while sipping a drink with an umbrella in it.
I looked around and said, “I don’t think there’s room in the cooler for all the heads.” From a cell phone beneath the awning of the food truck, I heard Alex’s voice. “I think we need a bigger cooler.” Eli laughed.
