Blood Red (68 page)

Vivi Anna

completely ad-libbed. She would not let anyone get the best of her, or think themselves her superior.

The others watched and waited. Wolf continued to eat but kept a diligent eye on matters. He would spring in a moment’s notice, if there were trouble. Of course, there was always trouble when Red was around. She had an uncanny ability to start it. And a ferocious tendency to finish it.

A bubble of laughter erupted from Goldilocks. She grabbed her stein and raised it in salute. “Cheers!

You’re my kind of lowlife, Blood Red. Enjoy our hospitality.”

Red raised her cup and drank. As did everyone else. Red lowered her cup and caught Wolf’s eye. He shook his head. But she saw the small, playful grin on his face. She raised an eyebrow in answer and toasted him as well. She gulped down the rest of her drink and handed Hans her cup.

“Fill me up, Hans, my friend. I’m feeling quite pert.”

Hans gladly filled her cup.

They drank and ate until the wee hours of the morning. This was how things got done in the back counties. Celebration first, business after. More times than not, there never came a celebration after the business at hand was finished. More times than not, people did not come back from this type of business.

Goldilocks and the Bears knew this.

Nine pints later, Red looked around the table at her comrades. Rapunzel was nestled snugly in Junior’s lap. Her arms were around his powerful neck and she was kissing him. Her skirt was pulled up and Red 134

Blood Red

could plainly see Junior’s massive hands massaging Rapunzel’s plump buttocks. Red shrugged.

Papa Bear was passed out face first on the ground, his ale stein tucked safely under his arm. He held it like a child would a stuffed toy.

Hans was still talking, even though he was flat on his back and his eyes were shut. Red glanced down at him. She couldn’t make out all the words he was saying, but figured out it was some story about his first sexual encounter with a whore named Mary.

Red looked away and squinted across the table.

She was drunk. Her eyes had trouble focusing, and she couldn’t keep herself from swaying back and forth. The incessant ground was moving. She could see Wolf lounging back on the silk pillows. He was talking. She squinted even more to see whom he was talking to. She could clearly make out blond hair.

Goldilocks glanced over at Red. She grinned and turned her attention back to Wolf. Red noticed the lust in her big blue eyes as she gazed at Wolf’s powerful form. She leaned into him, putting her hand on his thigh. “Oh Wolf, you are a wild one, aren’t you?”

Wolf glanced down at her bold hand. He looked up at her face. She was grinning like a cat caught with the canary in its mouth. He smiled back, his grin lopsided. He was obviously three sheets to the wind.

Drunk as a skunk. Pissed out of his ever-living mind.

He raised his head and glanced across the table. His grin vanished as Red’s eyes bore him down. His hand covered Goldilocks’ and stilled it.

She nuzzled his neck and ear. “If you want my 135