Last Vampire Standing (21 page)

The two didn’t shake hands when Jo-Jo trotted up the stage steps, but that wasn’t unusual. Vamps didn’t observe that bit of human tradition. No, what surprised me was the long, measuring look Jo-Jo gave Ike.

Then Jo-Jo turned to the mike and launched into his routine. He used the same material he had for open-mike night, but expanded it to poke more fun at vampire life. He had the crowd in his pocket from the beginning, and they never wavered, even when he told a clunker joke. Vince jotted notes on every audience reaction. To coach Jo-Jo later?

Surprisingly, most of the vampires seemed to enjoy Jo-Jo’s show. Tower actually cracked a smile at the denture cream line, and Suzy and Coach laughed along with the humans when Jo-Jo told a vampire football joke. Ike and Laurel stood near the long bar, yet apart from each other. Laurel exuded such barely controlled anger, the bone beads in her hair vibrated. Ike appeared to ignore her, and his expression remained impassive. Until, that is, Jo-Jo clowned about hanging out in St. Augustine with Princess Ci, and calling me all the silly royal names he’d annoyed me with since we’d met. Ike was most definitely not amused then, but neither was I. At least Jo-Jo didn’t mention our flight lessons. When Jo-Jo went into his final juggling bit, the crowd went wild with whistles and applause. Judging by Vince’s grin, the act was a hit again.

Jo-Jo worked his way to our table, stopping to schmooze here and there. Ike, on the other hand, made a beeline for me.

“Princess Vampire, a few words, if you please?”

I didn’t please. Ike’s energy made my skin crawl and sting as if being bitten by an army of fire ants. Still, I was civil. “Certainly, Ike. Saber, you want to stretch your legs with us?”

Ike led us into the back hall through the door we’d used earlier, and Laurel slammed in right behind us.

“You.” She charged at me, fangs out, bone beads clacking in her cornrows like a Halloween skeleton in a high wind. “I will kill you for bringing mockery upon Lord Ike.”

My heart had lodged in my throat, but I stood still and si-phoned just a touch of her energy. Well, that and fanned my hand between us.

“Geez, Laurel, back off. You smell like lemon Pledge.”

That surprised her, and she retreated a scant inch. Enough to see remnant silver burns on her wrists, and sense them on her ankles. I sucked off a tad more energy for good measure.

“Now,” I said mildly, “what is your problem?”

“She speaks,” Ike bit out, “of Jo-Jo mocking the vampire way of life. It is not a matter for humor.”

I kept my eyes on Laurel, watching, waiting for her next move as I answered. “News flash, guys. In America, everything is fodder for humor.”

“Mortals should fear us,” Laurel hissed in my face. “We are superior in every way.”

“You know, that superior race attitude didn’t work out real well for Hitler. Besides, you might want to remember that Saber’s standing right there.”

“Bitch,” Laurel shrieked.

She raised a hand to slap me, but I saw it and moved faster.

I blocked her arm, swept her legs out from under her, and put her on her back on the tile floor in under two seconds. The moment she was down, Saber was there, pressing the barrel of his semiautomatic into Laurel’s forehead, trembling with the

effort of holding his fire.

019

I’d seen Saber in full cop mode, but this was slayer mode.

“Don’t. Even. Twitch,” he said, low and deadly. When Laurel froze, Saber slanted a hard look at Ike. “Do you control her, or do I exterminate her here and now?”

Ike divided his black gaze between Saber and me, his thin lips clamped into a white line. With an audible hiss of breath, he finally spoke to Laurel.

“Go to my office and wait,” he commanded.

Saber hesitated, then eased back, but kept his weapon steady on her heart until Laurel rose and streaked down the hall and up the stairs. Even then, he didn’t relax. He stood guard, weapon trained on the partially open stairwell.

“I will not forget this display of force in my territory,” Ike growled.

“I’m not forgetting it either,” Saber snapped. “One more violation, and you cross Laurel off your roster of nestmates.”

“Laurel may have an unruly temper, but she is correct in her suspicions. The Princess Vampire seeks to take over my nest.”

I unclenched my fists and shook my head at him. “Ike, Ike, Ike. Let me make this perfectly clear. I wouldn’t take your nest or your territory if you handed it to me on a platinum platter.”

“And yet the comic conveys a different message when he calls you those names. Royalness, Highness, Magnificence.”

“Weren’t you paying attention out there? He didn’t just call me those names, he created jokes out of them. He’s mocking his own past as a court jester.”

Ike narrowed his eyes as if weighing the truth of what I said. “He did not seek to plant the idea that my vampires should swear loyalty to you?”

“Hardly. That was part of the act, not a plot.”

“Still, I will not allow him to perform at Hot Blooded again.”

“
Allow
him?” I laughed. “Ike, Jo-Jo’s booked in Vegas. You won’t be able to
afford
him again. Now, are we done?”

The connecting door to the club opened then, and Jo-Jo stuck his head in.

“Oh, hey, am I interrupting?”

Ike pursed his lips, but waved Jo-Jo in.

“Vince and his wife are leaving,” Jo-Jo said, eyeing Saber as he holstered his weapon. “Are you ready to go, PC, or do you want to stay awhile?”

“PC?” Ike echoed. “Does that not mean politically correct?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s also short for Princess Ci.”

I rolled my eyes. “Give it a rest, Jo-Jo.”

“Why?” he asked, looking genuinely confused.

“Never mind,” I said as the club door opened again.

This time Donita slipped into the hall. She blinked to see us standing there but recovered quickly when Ike held out his hand to her.

“Do you know where Laurel is?” Donita asked him.

“She is in my office.”

“Oh. Can you send her down? I need you to sign Jo-Jo’s check, and, uh—”

“It would be better if she were not present?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“It is no matter.”

Ike turned his head toward the stairs, and I knew he sent Laurel the mind message to go to the bar by the front staircase. Scary how I read not only his intention but clearly saw the images he projected without even trying. I so did not want to be in Ike’s head. In a moment, we all heard Laurel’s footsteps above us, a stomping, petulant child. Donita kissed Ike’s cheek. “Thanks. I’ve already written the check and recorded it. You just need to sign it.”

Ike inclined his head. “Jo-Jo, would you care to accompany me to collect your fee?”

I didn’t like Ike’s tone, but Jo-Jo nodded. “Lead on.”

When Ike and Jo-Jo reached the top of the stairs, Donita leaned in close to us.

“Mr. Saber,” she said softly, “could I talk with you for a moment outside? I need to be sure that we’re private.”

Saber arched a brow at me.

“Go on. I’ll see if Jo-Jo left anything in the dressing room.”

I slipped into what looked like a break room for the employees. A few chairs and a worn couch crowded the space, but it seemed clean. A bathroom was to the right, so I peered in there. Jo-Jo didn’t seem to have left anything, but I heard voices through an air vent. From the cadence, one of the voices was Ike’s.

I did what any snoop would do. I turned on my vamp hearing and eavesdropped.

“. . . I will kill you,” Ike said. “Do you understand?”

“I’m poking fun at my life as a vampire, not yours. Why should you care?” Jo-Jo countered. “Besides, I know who the real power is behind you, Ike. If you don’t want to find yourself permanently replaced, back off.”

“You dare to threaten me?” Ike roared.

“I dare. I know what your silent partner is like, and I know who’s been kissing up to him. You’d do well to take care of that nice Donita and leave me, the Princess Francesca, and all those she cares for alone.” Footsteps tracked overhead and a door opened.

“Watch your back, Ike.”

I got a flash of Ike’s fear in my head, and jerked back from the vent to see my own astonished expression reflected in the medicine cabinet mirror.

Someone else was controlling Ike, and Jo-Jo knew who it was? I couldn’t wait to wring every last detail from him. I scurried back to the hall and stood at the bottom of the staircase just as Jo-Jo descended. He looked as serious as he had brandishing my fake sword a few nights ago.

“I’m ready to split when you are.”

We found Donita and Saber coming from the parking lot as we went out. Donita thanked Jo-Jo again and wished him the best. Saber reminded me he’d pick me up Sunday to see Neil’s house and gave me a chaste kiss good night. Darn it on the chaste part. Then again, Pandora was waiting to hop into the back floorboard, and I was itching to pump Jo-Jo for information. Saber would just distract me.

I let Jo-Jo chatter about the act, how pleased Vince was, and how Vince had arranged for them to fly to L.A. by charter jet tomorrow night.

“Just think. Me, in the jet set. Of course, I could fly out there myself, but it would take a couple of nights. And it’s too far to take luggage or my laptop.”

I did a double take. “Wait. You could fly all the way to California? Like the kind of flying you’re teaching me?”

“Yeah, but, boy, would my arms be tired.”

“That joke sucks,” I said, but felt my lips twitch.

“Hey, you walked right into it.” The highway lights illuminated his grin. “By the way, I’m not that tired. You want one last flying lesson? We could practice in your cottage so nobody can take potshots at us.”

I agreed because, if nothing else, I hadn’t given up the fantasy of levitating with Saber during sex. However, that thought didn’t deter me from quizzing him.

“So, did you recognize Laurel tonight?”

“Laurel?”

“The cornrow queen. Have you seen her before?”

“No, Highness.”

“Then you’ve heard her voice, and you recognized it, right? You might as well tell me. I heard you in Ike’s office.”

“Heard what, Your Royal Beauteousness?”

“Can the crap. Who’s the power behind Ike, and where have you seen—or heard—Laurel before tonight?”

Jo-Jo squirmed in the passenger seat. “Princess, I don’t think it’s safe for you to know.”

“If you tell me, you’ll have to kill me?”

“Never, but someone else may.”

“Jo-Jo, don’t make me stop this car. Spill.”

He heaved a sigh and bit his lip. “All right, but please don’t let Ike know you know.”

“Duh, like I would.”

“All right. Laurel has been in Vlad’s court. I didn’t see her clearly, so, truly, I did not recognize her.”

I believed him, if for no other reason than that he’d lapsed into his odd mixture of formal and casual speech. “Go on.”

“I did not overhear the entire exchange, but Vlad seemed to be giving Laurel messages or instructions.”

“About what? How to run the club? The nest?”

“There was something about tributes. Payments like we who live with Vlad make. Perhaps Ike gives some of the club earnings to Vlad.”

“Geez, if Vlad demands tributes, he really does run his nest like a fiefdom.”

“Yes, and Ike’s nest would be an extension of Vlad’s.”

I thought a moment. “Jo-Jo, was it just Laurel and Vlad you overheard? Were they the only two in the meeting?”

“Well, no. Marco was there.”

“Did he do any of the talking?”

“Other than agreeing with Vlad, I don’t think so. But the guy is a complete sycophant, so that wasn’t unusual.”

I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. “Okay, let me get this straight. You think Vlad is the power behind Ike, and that Laurel is the go-between?”

“Yes. Ike didn’t deny that there is a power behind him.”

“Did he look shocked that you knew?”

Jo-Jo nodded slowly. “Yes, he was shocked. And angry.”

“And probably embarrassed. What about that threat you made? That Ike could be permanently replaced, and he should watch his back?”

“It is only the truth. If Vlad is indeed backing Ike, Vlad could just as easily withdraw his backing.”