“I came from Reno when the last bartender died,” he said. “I worked for Victor there.”
I wondered which way Jock would jump tonight. Interesting to see.
I didn’t know Immanuel well—in fact, I barely knew him. But I patted his shoulder and asked him if I could buy him a drink.
He turned and gave my hair a long look, finally nodding his approval. “Sure,” he said. “I’d like another beer.”
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, after I’d asked Jock to bring Immanuel a beer. I wondered where Miriam’s body was now; at the undertaker’s, I assumed.
“Appreciated,” he replied. After a moment, he said, “Pam was going to do it tonight, without permission. Turn Miriam, that is. But Mir just . . . breathed out one last time, and then she was gone.”
“Your mom and dad . . . ?”
He shook his head. “It was just us.”
There was really nothing else to say about that.
“Maybe you should go home?” I suggested. He didn’t look like much of a fighter to me.
“I don’t think so,” he said.
I couldn’t make him leave, so I drank my tonic and lime while all the human customers left. The bar grew quiet and relatively empty. Indira, one of Eric’s vamps, came in, wearing a full sari. I’d never seen her in traditional clothing before, and the pink and green of the pattern was really fetching. Jock gave her an admiring look. Thalia and Maxwell came out of the back and moved around the club along with the human staff, busy cleaning the place up for the after-party. I helped, too. This was work I was used to. The tables circling the little dance floor and stage were moved away, and two lines of chairs were arranged instead. Maxwell brought in an elaborate sort of boom box. Bubba’s music. After I swept the dance floor and stage, I got out of the way by resuming my stool at the bar.
Heidi, whose specialty was tracking, came in, her hair in narrow braids. Lean and plain, Heidi always carried an air of grief around with her like a cloud. I had no idea what she’d do tonight when the shit hit the fan.
While Jock was cleaning up the supplies on his side of the counter, Colton and Audrina came over. Jock looked surprised to see humans he didn’t know. Their presence had to be explained; I didn’t want Jock becoming suspicious. I said, “Colton, Audrina, meet Jock. Jock, these two lovely people have agreed to donate in case Victor wants local hospitality. Of course, we’re hoping that won’t happen on the premises, but Eric doesn’t want to fail in his welcome.”
“Good idea,” Jock said, eyeing Audrina appreciatively. “We can’t give the regent less than he expects.”
“No.” Or less than he deserves.
After forty-five minutes, the place looked pretty good again, and the last of the human employees went out the back door. The only breathers remaining were Colton, Audrina, Immanuel, Mustapha Khan, and me. (I definitely had that conspicuous feeling.) The Shreveport vamps I’d known since I’d started dating Bill had assembled: Pam, Maxwell Lee, Thalia, Indira. I knew all of them to some extent. Victor would be instantly alert if all Eric’s vampires were there, or if they were all Eric’s heavy hitters. So Eric had called in the little Minden nest: Palomino, Rubio Hermosa, and Parker Coburn, the Katrina exiles. They trailed in looking unhappy but resigned. They stood against the wall, holding hands. It was kind of sweet, but sad, too.
The jukebox cut off. The near silence was instantly oppressive.
Though Fangtasia sits in a busy shopping and dining area of Shreveport, at this hour—even on a weekend—there was not much city sound outside. None of us felt like talking. I didn’t know what thoughts occupied other heads, but I was considering the fact that I might die that very night. I was sorry about the baby shower, but I’d gotten things as ready as I could get them. I was sorry I hadn’t gotten to have a conference with Mr. Cataliades to get everything straight in my head, all this new information I’d hardly had time to assimilate. I was glad I’d given the money to Sam, and sorry I couldn’t have been frank with him about why it needed to be done this very day. I hoped if I died, Jason would move back into the old house, that he would marry Michele, that they would raise kids there. My mother, Michelle-with-two-
l
s, had been completely different from Jason’s Michele-withone-
l
, at least judging by my childhood memory of her, but they were alike in loving Jason. I was sorry I hadn’t told him I loved him the last time we’d spoken.
I was sorry about a lot of things. My mistakes and offenses crowded around me.
Eric drifted over and turned me on the stool so he could put his arms around me. “I wish you didn’t have to be here,” he said. That was all the conversation we could have with Jock in earshot. I leaned against Eric’s cool body, my head resting on his silent chest. I might not ever get to do this again.
Pam came to sit by Immanuel. Thalia scowled, which was her fallback expression, and turned her back on all of us. Indira sat with her eyes shut, the graceful folds of her sari making her look like a statue at Pier 1. Heidi looked from one to the other of us very seriously, and her mouth became set in a grim line. If she was worrying about Victor, I figured she’d go to stand by Jock, but I never saw her speak to him.
Maxwell apparently heard a knock at the back door, inaudible to my human ears. He jetted away and returned to tell Eric that Bill and Bubba had arrived. They were staying in the office until the moment came.
Very soon after that, I heard cars pull in front of the club.
“Showtime,” Pam said, and for the first time that evening she smiled.
Chapter 15
Luis and Antonio came in first. They were clearly wary. It was like
watching a cop show on television; they came inside in a rush, immediately separating to flank the door. I almost smiled, and Immanuel actually grinned, which was not a good idea. Luckily, humans are the last creatures vampires will worry about when they’re anticipating trouble. The two handsome vamps, clad in jeans and T-shirts instead of leather loincloths, quickly searched the club, checking out places other vampires could hide. It would have been a severe breach of etiquette to demand body searches, but you could tell they were eyeballing each local vampire for guns or stakes. Maxwell had to give up his gun, which he did without a second’s protest. He’d expected it.
After a thorough scan of the premises and a bow to Eric, Luis stuck his head out to give the all-clear.
The rest of Victor’s entourage entered in order of expendability: the married human couple he’d been with at Vampire’s Kiss (Mark and Mindy), two young vampires whose names I never learned, Ana Lyudmila (who looked much better out of her fantasy bondage gear), and a vampire I’d never seen, an Asian guy with ivory skin and jetblack hair pulled up on his head in a complicated knot. He would have looked great in traditional clothes, but instead he wore jeans and a black vest, no shirt or shoes.
“Akiro,” Heidi said in an awed whisper. She’d eased closer to me, and the tension had crept into her, too.
“You know him from Nevada?”
“Oh, yes,” she said. “I didn’t know Victor had called for him. He’s finally replaced Bruno—and Corinna, too. That’s how good Akiro’s reputation is.”
Since he was now officially second-in-command, it was okay for Akiro to be openly armed. He was carrying a sword, like one other Asian vampire I’d met. (Come to think of it, she’d been a bodyguard, too.) Akiro stood in the center of the room, conscious of all the eyes on him, his face cold and hard, and his eyes relentless.
And then Victor made his entrance, resplendent in a white threepiece suit.
“Good God almighty,” I said blankly, not daring to meet anyone’s eyes. Victor’s dark curls were carefully arranged, and his pierced ear sported a big gold hoop earring. His shoes were beautifully black. Victor was a trip. It almost seemed a shame to try to destroy all that beauty, and I wished he weren’t so determined to ruin our lives. I set my purse on the bar and unzipped it so I’d have quick access. Immanuel slid off his stool and moved away to the wall, his eyes fixed on the newcomers. Heidi took his place while Victor and his party moved farther into the club.
Though my eyes were fixed on Victor, I felt obliged to speak to Heidi, since I felt she’d perched beside me for a reason. “How’s your son?” I asked, like you do, when you know someone had a loved one.
“Eric has offered to let me bring him here,” Heidi said, carefully keeping her eyes on the visitors.
“That’s very good news,” I said, and I meant it. One more on our side.
In the meantime, the reception was moving slowly forward.
“Victor,” Eric said. He moved front and center, a careful two yards away from the regent. He was smart enough not to give Victor a fulsome welcome, since that would be a huge tip that something bad was about to come down. “Welcome to Fangtasia. We’re glad to have the chance to entertain you.” Eric bowed. Akiro’s face remained blank, as if Eric weren’t there.
Still standing and flanked by Luis and Antonio, Victor inclined his curly head. “Sheriff, I present my new right hand, Akiro,” he said with his flashing smile. “Akiro recently agreed to relocate from Nevada to Louisiana.”
Eric said, “I welcome such a well-known vampire as Akiro to Louisiana. I’m sure you’ll be a great addition to the regent’s staff.” Eric could give impassive as well as the next vampire.
Akiro had to acknowledge the greeting of a sheriff, who was higher on the food chain, but you could tell he didn’t want to. His bow was a millimeter too shallow.
Vampires.
Great,
I thought, very put out.
Finally, Victor replaces his lieutenant and his best fighter. Just at this moment.
“I guess this Akiro is a pretty good fighter, huh?” I whispered to Heidi.
“You could say that,” Heidi said dryly, and she drifted forward to greet her regent. All Eric’s vampires had to take turns offering obeisance. Jock, the newest member of Eric’s staff, was last in line. You could tell he was ready to kiss Victor’s ass if he got half a chance.
Mindy, with ill-timed lust, gave Jock a hopeful look. She was so dumb, but that didn’t mean she ought to die. I wondered if I could get her to make a trip to the women’s room before the time came. No. Unless it was her idea, such a maneuver would be a red flag. I looked at the newcomers and tried to brace myself for what was to come.
This was particularly horrible—this waiting, this planning, knowing I was about to do my best to kill the people in front of me. I was looking into their eyes and hoping they would die in the next hour. Was this how soldiers felt? I wasn’t as wired as I thought I’d be; I was suspended in an eerie calm, perhaps because now that Victor had arrived, nothing could stop what was going to happen.
When Victor indicated he was satisfied with his greeting by taking the central chair, Eric told Jock to bring drinks all around. The out-of-town vamps all waited for Luis to drink from a glass he picked from the tray at random. After Luis survived for several minutes, all the newcomers selected glasses and one by one, they all took sips. The atmosphere grew much easier after that, because the drinks were absolutely kosher: warmed synthetic blood, a premium brand.
“You stick to the letter of the law here at Fangtasia,” Victor observed. He smiled at Eric. Mindy was between them, and she was leaning on Victor’s shoulder, her own Diet Coke with rum in front of her. Her husband, Mark, on Victor’s left, didn’t seem to feel well. His color was bad, and he seemed listless. When I saw the fang marks on his neck, I wondered if Victor had overindulged. Mindy didn’t seem worried.
“Yes, Regent,” Eric said. He smiled back, just as sincerely, and he didn’t elaborate.
“Your beautiful wife?”
“Is present, of course,” Eric said. “What would the evening be without her?” Eric waved me forward, and Victor raised his drink to me in appreciation of my appearance. I managed to look pleased. “Victor,” I said, “we’re so glad you could come tonight.” I didn’t try to summon more than “pleased.” Victor wouldn’t expect me to be as good at concealing my feelings as Eric was, and I wasn’t going to give him cause to think any different.
Of course, Eric hadn’t wanted me to be there. He’d made it plain that a frail human should not be around when vampires were fighting. In theory, I agreed. I would much rather have been at home—but I would have worried every second. The clincher in my argument was that Victor would definitely go on the alert if I were conspicuous by my absence, which would have been a clear signal that Eric was about to spring something. Eric couldn’t deny that when I’d made the point at our meeting.
Akiro positioned himself behind Victor’s chair. Hmmm, awkward. I was trying to think what I could do about that. Pam was behind Eric’s chair. When Eric beckoned to me, I smiled and went to join him, my purse over my shoulder.
Colton and Audrina were blending into the background by carrying trays of drinks around the club.
To my astonishment, Heidi went down on one knee by my chair, her posture indicating alert attention. Eric glanced at her but didn’t comment. Heidi was taking a stance as though Eric had ordered her to protect me during what might be a touchy visit. I looked down at her, but she didn’t meet my eyes. Yep, that was exactly what had happened. At least that was within the scope of “normal” and wouldn’t necessarily make the visitors worried.
“Bill,” Eric called. “We’re ready!”
And Bill emerged from the back hallway, smiling—a totally uncharacteristic broad grin—to stand with his arm outflung toward the hall (tah-DAH!) to announce Bubba’s entrance.
And what an entrance it was! It put Victor’s in the shade.
“Ohmygosh,” I murmured. Bubba was wearing a red jumpsuit that someone had taken a Bedazzler to; he had fake jewels and sequins everywhere, and his hair was styled in an amazing pompadour. He was wearing black boots and big rings. He was smiling that amazing lopsided smile that had made women swoon all over the globe, and he was waving as though there were thousands of us instead of a handful. Bill stood by the boom box Maxwell had set up, and when Bubba leaped onto the tiny stage and thanked us all very much, the lights went down. Bill started the music—“Kentucky Rain.”