Real Vampires Get Lucky (41 page)

I ended up in the living room, where Lucky was handing Igor a check. Etienne was close to her, swigging Bloodthirsty like there was no tomorrow and looking around nervously. Ray was still surrounded by adoring fans but broke away when he saw me coming.

"Glory, everything all right?" He glanced at Lucky.

"Sure, why wouldn't it be?" I walked up to Lucky. "Did you want to see me, Lucky?"

"I sure as hell did. Listen to me, Gloriana. I have this one last night in Austin, thanks to you. I'll never forgive you for telling Daddy to send me away. Do you hear me? Never." Then she turned to Ray. "And you. I know your secret. Remember that. You keep looking over your shoulder, rock star, because I could drop the fact that you're a vampire to the tabloids anytime I choose. When it will give me the most pleasure. Got it?"

I grabbed Lucky by the arm.

"Glory, let her go." Etienne played the bodyguard and tried to step between us. I gave him a hard look and let him glimpse into my mind. I let him see that I knew he'd blown the hit and that I now
owned
him. I could turn him over to Mr. C. or pull the trigger on the hit. Either way, he needed to cooperate. He quietly moved aside.

"Etienne, rip out her throat."

"Go quietly, Luciana. Glory won't hurt you. She just needs to tell you something." Etienne turned back to the punch bowl. Lucky struggled against me, but the older you get, the stronger you are in the vampire world. Especially if you've been drinking right. I was pretty pumped by the high-octane Bloodthirsty I'd had tonight. That and what Jerry had slipped me recently from his own personal pump station.

When Ray and Igor looked inclined to follow me, I shook my head. "I can handle this." I pulled her past Jerry. He stepped forward.

"No, Jerry, Lucky and I need to do this in private." He seemed inclined to disagree, but obviously read my determination and just nodded. I kept going until Lucky and I were beyond the lights and surrounded by darkness. Then I got close to Lucky. She looked startled and tried to jerk away. No go.

"Do you remember who made you vampire, Lucky?" I hissed, making sure my fangs were mere inches from her face.

"Yes. You, of course."

"That gives me special powers over you. Did Etienne tell you that?"

"No, he didn't. What kind of powers?" She tried to jerk free again.

"Of course I can read your mind. And yelling will gain you nothing. The people here tonight are my friends and they don't like the things you've been doing in Austin. You've been making trouble for all of us, drawing attention to yourself and stirring up things, making people think that there might be vampires and other paranormals living in these hills."

"Well, you've made sure I won't be around to do that anymore." Lucky sobbed and tried the old go-limp trick. I just let her collapse on the grass, but still didn't release her arm.

"I'll not allow you to ruin Ray's life any more than you already have. I want you to know that I've found out who ordered the hit on you. I now own that hit." I gave her a moment to process that.

"Tell my father! He'll reward you and make sure that vampire is staked out at dawn." Lucky looked like this concept really turned her on. I stifled the urge to kick her.

"No, I
like
owning the hit. I may need to use it." I pulled her to her feet again. I needed to look into her eyes. "Because if I ever get a mental message from you that you're even
thinking
of going public with Ray's conversion to vampire, then I'll pull the trigger. The hit will happen. And, poof, Lucky Carver will be no more."

"I don't believe you. Daddy will-"

I stared into her eyes. Saw her fear and just let it simmer for a minute. "Right now you're remembering the alley where you were attacked. You were afraid that night. You knew you shouldn't have gone to an alley that late and Brittany was tired because you'd kept her up late the night before partying in New York." I smiled. "You really are a selfish bitch, aren't you? Then, while you slept on the plane, Brittany had to guard you. No wonder a vampire could whammy her and take you out." Lucky put her free hand to her face. "You saw all those memories? I didn't . . ." No, but Brittany had told me the story herself while Ray and Des had shopped for costumes in my store. "You're lucky that the vampire who attacked you was tired from an ordeal he'd gone through recently himself. It made his work sloppy. If he'd been in top form, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"So even if I'm all the way over in Transylvania . . ."

"I'll know if you try to betray Ray's secret, Lucky. And I'll call in the hit." I grabbed her chin and stared into her eyes. "You'll be dead before the next sunrise. Guaranteed. Do you believe me?"

"Y-y-yes."

"Now get out of here and take Etienne with you." I released her and she fell on her butt. "And Lucky?" I stared down at her.

"W-w-what?"

"Don't even think of trying to harm me. If your maker dies, you die." I smiled into the darkness. I loved that little twist. I'd have to be sure to give Etienne a heads-up on that one.

"Well, shit." She actually tried to shoot me the finger, but her hand shook so hard it looked more like a good-bye wave.

"Thought you'd like that." I sauntered off, using my cloak like a matador's cape after taking out a bull. Olé. I stopped next to Etienne, glad that the band was loud enough to keep a quiet conversation from being overheard. "You took that video in the alley, didn't you?"

He carefully set his cup of Bloodthirsty on a table. "What?"

"Don't play innocent with me, Etienne. You blew the hit, then hung around and took a video of me." I leaned close, gesturing to where Jerry was talking to his mother. Oh, big frowns there. "I didn't tell Jerry about this. How do you think he'd feel about the man who caused me so much grief?"

"I didn't take you for a woman who lets a man handle her problems." Etienne flashed one of his patented smiles. I would have smacked him but didn't want to attract a crowd. As it was, Valdez noticed my body language and strolled over.

"What's going on here?"

"Seems like I've finally found our blackmailer. Your old friend was the one who blew the hit, then stuck around to take a video."

"No shit."
Valdez seemed to swell before my eyes.

"Don't you dare shift and screw up your bonus. This creep is so not worth it. And I've got it all worked out. Trust me."

"I need to do this, Glory. I practically vouched for him."

"No. I forbid it. Now listen to me, Etienne. I expect to be paid back every dime of hush money with interest. And I want some nice presents from Europe. Some pretty little things I can sell in my shop."

"Yeah, right." Etienne tried to turn his back on me and walk away.

I stopped him with a vamp move that put me in front of him again. "Don't be stupid, Etienne. Jerry will be in Europe too. Transylvania. Ring a bell? I believe that's Lucky's territory. You owe me five hundred bucks, plus at least another five hundred for the aggravation you caused me. You think you're a badass vampire, but I could also drop a word in old man Carvarelli's ear too, you know."

"Listen to you. Next you'll be texting threats like a pro." Etienne moved closer, like maybe he thought his charm could work on me. Valdez growled and threw himself between us.

"Back off, asshole."

I put out a hand. "Full cooperation, Etienne, or I spill the beans to anyone who might want a piece of you." I smiled.

"You've got no proof that I-"

"Au contraire, mon ami."
I was proud of that French touch. Proud too of the way I whipped the phone out of a special little pocket I'd sewn into my pants, and showed it to him. "I took this video earlier. Not as colorful as the one you made in the alley, but it works for me." I held the tiny phone against my breast for a minute. It wasn't mine, but one I'd borrowed from Lacy just for tonight. It had been a trick slipping it out and taking the video I needed without being caught, but I'd managed it. "And don't even think about trying to snatch it. I already sent a copy of the video to my computer at home. For insurance purposes." I opened the phone and hit play.

Yep, there was Diana confessing that she'd hired Etienne to do the hit on Lucky.

He paled and looked like he was ready to shift right out of there. Then he took a steadying breath and muttered something in French that I was sure was rude. Valdez thought so too. The two squared off and, judging by their expressions, there was some serious mental messaging going on.

I patted Etienne's cheek as Lucky walked up. "Thanks for advertising the shop on the Net, by the way. Business is booming." Lucky grabbed his arm and jerked him toward the door. "Is that why you used my computer? To help
her
?"

"She saved your life, Lucky. I thought-" Etienne winced when Lucky tugged on him.

"I don't pay you to think. Let's get the hell out of here."

I watched them leave, then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Steve has really changed. He used to be a stand-up guy."
Valdez sat, staring at the door.

"I guess he thought he had to do those things to survive. We've probably all done things we're not proud of when our backs were against the wall." Don't ask. My life in Austin is positively cushy compared to some of my earlier days. "Not that I'm condoning anything Etienne did. He's getting off way too easy."

"He's stuck with Lucky. That won't be easy. I sent Steve a mental message that if he tries to quit her, I'll let Mr. C. know
he's the one who blew the hit."
Valdez gave a doggy chuckle.
"Ah, revenge is sweet."

"I can't believe my darling dog has such a dark side." I rubbed the top of his head. "I like it. Now I think it's party time." Since most of us can't drink alcohol, the wild aspects came from purely high spirits, but there were plenty of those to go around. I dropped my cloak on a chair, grabbed Jerry from Mag's side and spun him onto the dance floor. He could always handle a rock song, and we ended up laughing and having a good time. At one point I saw Mara dancing with a real stud muffin dressed like Johnny Depp in a
Pirates
movie. When I saw the bracelet on his wrist, I almost swallowed my tongue. "Save the kittens" in diamonds and rubies. Randy? I didn't dare point him out to Jerry.

The music slowed and Jerry held me close.

"Your mother's about to stroke out about something, Blade." Ray appeared at Jerry's elbow. "I just met the lady, but I'd say you'd do us all a favor if you'd handle the situation."

"The hell you say." Jerry eyed Ray suspiciously but he couldn't ignore Mag's frantic wave from near the band.

"You'd better go, Jerry." I slipped out of his arms. "Maybe Randy's made a bolt for freedom." Or a shift for something else. Jerry plucked my cloak from a nearby chair and wrapped it around me. "Hopefully this won't take long." He gave me a proprietary kiss on the lips before he strode toward his mother.

Ray put his hand on my elbow and steered me farther off the dance floor. "I'm not sure about the song I wrote for you. Some of the words don't seem quite right." He hummed a few bars. "I think the chorus needs work."

"Oh, no. I thought it was perfect." Hmm. Now we were so far from the terrace we were near the fence line. "Ray? Where are we going?"

"Here." He stopped at a small white gazebo. A heater had been set up on one side with at least a dozen candles in sconces hung on lattice supports. Thick rugs covered the floor and the benches that lined the octagonal building.

"Are you kidding me? How did you manage this?"

"Casanova did it. But when his date fell through, he said I could take advantage." Ray pulled me up the steps.

"With
me
?" This was so not happening. It was like a fantasy come true, except . . . Fantasies shouldn't. I love Jerry. Not Ray. Sure, he's hot and when he sings something inside me goes all gooey, but . . .

"Just relax, Glory. Sit." Ray managed to get us both on the same bench. "Man, I'll never get used to this not eating or drinking thing. This is where I'd be pouring the champagne, pulling out the chocolate truffles or the caviar." He laughed. "You want to bite me?"

"Now who needs to relax?" I sighed and kicked off my gold sandals. "This is nice, Ray. But I hope you don't think-"

"Look at me, Glory. Then you'll know exactly what I'm thinking." Ray put his fingers on my chin. I wasn't going to do it. This was probably all about gratitude. The song. Now the fake romantic moves.

"Stop, Ray. I've got a guy. Jeremy Blade. He'd tear your head off if he thought you were trying to move in on his woman." I finally looked at Ray.

"I don't believe for one minute that you 'belong' to any man, Gloriana St. Clair." Ray grinned, his teeth white, his eyes brilliant in the candlelight. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Excuse me?" I knew he was trying to manipulate me. Knew it. But . . .

"If I kiss you, are you afraid you'll want more? Afraid you'll forget Blade and want to crawl into my bed? Vampire sex, Glory. I haven't had it yet." He leaned closer and touched the vein throbbing in my neck. "I've been waiting for
you
."

"Don't." I sighed the word as his lips replaced his fingertip. Oh, but I could smell him, his rich blood, what I'd always considered ordinary, O positive, but somehow it called to me like the most exotic of brews. "You kissed me once, then scrubbed your mouth because . . ." I couldn't remember what the hell I was trying to say because Ray's mouth moved up to the corner of mine.

"I was an ass. In shock about the vampire thing. Let me try again. Please." He covered my lips with his, tasting me, offering me a chance to taste him. He pulled me against him until we were breathing together, one hand in my hair, the other suddenly busy with my bra strap.

Sanity whispered that this had gone far enough. I actually listened and gently pushed Ray away.

"I've got to get back. To Jerry." I slipped on my sandals, then stood and wrapped my cloak around me.

"I'm not giving up, Glory." Ray blew out the candles, one by one, until we were in total darkness except for the glow of the small heater.