Sunset Strip: A Tale From The Tome Of Bill (7 page)

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “You are not going downstairs like that. At least not with me.”

“Do I need to remind you...”

“I know why we’re here. I also know how we’re going to get in there in the way that’s the least likely to end with both of us taking a one way trip to the great beyond.”

“Every second we waste is another that Kara could be...”

“What? Dancing on a pole? Getting dollars stuffed down her g-string?”

“Being turned,” she hissed. Her eyes momentarily flashed with power.

“Not Marlene’s style. Your wannabe sis-in-law doesn’t have the right equipment to qualify for a promotion. Besides, I doubt anyone related to your boy toy is gonna show promise that quickly. True, Marlene used to occasionally make gifts of her girls to other covens...trust me on that one.” My fangs momentarily descended as I fought to keep my emotions in check. “But that’s not going to happen.”

“How do you...”

“I talked to the higher-ups before we left. The vampire tourism trade is pretty dead right now. Between the oncoming war and the whole ordeal with the Icon a few months back, most covens are hunkering down...waiting to see what’s coming. In short, they’re scared shitless. Now stop trying to change the subject.”

“I’m not going to...”

“As far as anyone who’s seen us will assume, you’re here with me. That means there are certain standards to be upheld. What you’re wearing...it’s embarrassing. Strip.”

She stood there for a moment, a deer in the headlights look on her face.

“I could always tear those clothes off you. I mean, some people are into that.”

Her eyes opened wide in horror. My god, for someone who cavorted naked under the full moon, she sure was a fucking prude.

“You can wear something of mine if you want, but since you’re about four inches taller, that’s really gonna put the mini in miniskirt - which might work in our favor...”

* * *

As I turned toward the serious business of making Christy presentable, I sensed her frustration. Hell, the smell of it practically wafted off of her in waves. She probably thought I wasn’t giving our mission the priority it deserved.

That’s one problem with power - it doesn’t instill in most people a sense of patience. The two combined can often end badly. That’s one of the more hilarious secrets of the supernatural world. Vampires love to talk about living for all eternity, but it’s been my experience that the majority of them don’t make it past their first decade. If anything, many die well before they’d have done so naturally. It’s that rush of power that does many in. They don’t realize there’s a vast difference between feeling invincible and actually being so.

Christy should have known better. By all accounts she was a seasoned witch. Hell, her old coven had plotted meticulously to off Bill when they could have just come in at any time guns a blazing.

I couldn’t bring myself to blame her, though. The last few months had been rough on all of us. Between the excess hormones pumping through her brain and being blinded by love, she was off her game. Add to that the death of her mentor and she obviously wasn’t firing on her usual number of cylinders.

Back when we’d first met, she and her asshole leader, Decker, had blindsided us for a summary execution. I hated to admit it, but had their little party not been crashed by some vampire assassins - also out to snuff us, oddly enough - they might well have succeeded.

Now, though, her just wanting to charge into Pandora’s Box, well...well, actually it was the sort of idiotic plan I’d expect Bill to come up with.

Dammit! There I go getting sentimental again. It really will be the death of me.

* * *

Christy cleaned up pretty nicely, if I do say so myself. How many other expectant mothers at the end of their first trimester could pull off the party girl look? Not many, I’d bet.

“I’m really not comfortable with this,” she protested.

“Neither am I. Those shoes don’t match, but it’s the best we can do. Here, take this.” I handed her a slip of paper.

“What is it?”

“A cashier’s check for five-thousand dollars.”

“What for?”

“Sexual services, of course.”

“What?!”

“Relax, Glinda. It’s just spending money. We’re gonna drop a small bundle at the tables, just like good little tourists.”

“I’m not exactly an expert at gambling.”

“Then you should be a natural at losing. When in doubt, go with what works.”

* * *

Christy and I stopped dead in our tracks the moment we entered the casino, and it had nothing to do with the spectacle that is Vegas.

“You sense it, too?” she asked.

“No, but I sure as hell smell it.”

I would’ve expected a variety of human scents to hit my nose, some more pleasant than others. I likewise wouldn’t have been surprised to find a few vampires amongst the crowd.

What I didn’t expect was the strange odor that hit my nose. Whatever the fuck it was, it wasn’t human. The closest my memory could come to placing it was a vague similarity to the otherworldly beings from up in the northern tip of Canada some months back. A peace conference had taken place there, one that would’ve caused the eyes of even the most seasoned UN negotiator to fall right out of their head. A near endless array of beings had gathered to witness what turned out to be a botched effort to avert a war.

But it wasn’t the same…whatever was here hadn’t been one of the parties present up north. The scent was pungent, but not too intense. It was definitely not my imagination, though. There were other creatures here, blended in amongst the mostly human crowd. The only question was, whose side were they on?

Christy’s arms instinctively went up in a defensive gesture, but I grabbed her before she could do anything and shook my head. Whatever the fuck was going on here, we did not want to make ourselves a part of it.

“What is this?” she asked.

I steadied my voice. “If I had to guess, I’d say this city was on the verge of being royally fucked.”

“Why here?”

At a temporary loss for words, I gave the best answer possible.

“Why not?”

Chapter 12

I am nothing if not resourceful. As the shock of the unanticipated non-human company wore off, my gears began spinning again.

Marlene had been in the game for about two-hundred and fifty years, having started out as a French courtesan. She’d never strayed far from her roots, but her power and influence on the West Coast were not to be denied. She’d established the Pandora Coven back in the nineteen-thirties and had kept it running strong ever since.

Even with my connections to the Draculas, I was going to have to do some fast talking if anything happened to her by my hand. I was fairly sure I’d be able to keep my ass out of the fire, but would almost certainly gain some enemies in the process.

But now...

Good, bad, or just plain bored, if there were beings from beyond the void gathering in this city, it meant just one thing: chaos. Accidents were bound to happen in such a state. I could work with that.

“Change in plans,” I said to Christy out of the corner of my mouth.

“You never told me the original plan.”

“Then it should be a piece of cake to modify.”

“Okay, so we’re out of here?”

“Fuck no. That part stays the same. Mama wants to drop some dimes at the tables. There’s just a few parts of the new plan you need to be aware of.”

“What?”

“Well for starters, if I head back to the hotel, don’t follow. Trust me on this.”

* * *

There is one universal truth beyond the mainstays of death and taxes: a pretty girl throwing down hard cash at the craps table will never, ever have to buy her own drinks. It was the ideal place to be. A few wiggles of my hips, followed by the occasional girlish giggle when I won, and I was guaranteed to get some notice.

My original plan had been to allow Marlene to approach us first. Knowing our history, she’d have been suspicious had we headed to her place straight off. For most vamps, feeling suspicious equals putting up their guard. These days, that was bound to translate into stake first, ask questions later.

I had figured that if we minded our own business, eventually curiosity would overcome her caution and she would send in her people under the guise of hospitality. I’d seen her do it before, especially when the visiting vampires in question included a coven master.

* * *

“How’d you find this place, Uncle Colin?”

“Oh, I know the owner from way back.”

“Marlene?”

“Is that what she’s going by these days? Oh well, it doesn’t really matter. Don’t you worry your sweet head about it. Have another drink. This is a celebration, after all.”

“I should probably go. Marlene doesn’t like us to stay with one customer too long when it’s this busy.”

“Fret not. I’ll have a word with her. You stay here and get to know Jeffrey a little better. I think he likes you.”

* * *

The young man had caught my eye several minutes earlier, but I continued to ignore him. It was your typical game of cat and mouse, only I’m sure he thought he was playing the part of the cat.

From the way he moved, he was definitely human. That was good. Walking through the casino earlier, one of the beings present had turned and looked at me knowingly, obviously aware of what I was. On the outside he looked human, but I caught a glimpse of jagged fangs, black as obsidian, when he threw a quick smile toward me. At this stage in my life, I didn’t think teeth would unnerve me. I was wrong. I didn’t know what the creatures mingling in this place were, but the chill up my spine warned me not to indulge my curiosity.

The clean cut man who was now walking in my direction, apparently having made up his mind that this game had gone on for long enough, wasn’t some sort of ancient horror, but the way he moved told me he’d played this game before. Well built, good looking, and with sandy blonde hair, he reminded me a bit of Jeff.

That might have been enough to seal his fate then and there. The memories of this place begged for violent release. The arrogant swagger he put into his walk as he carried two drinks over, one obviously for me, said volumes toward the fact that unless he was supremely lucky he wouldn’t be seeing the sun rise again.

Speaking of lucky…

“Seven!” the dealer called out. “The lady wins again.”

I had to admit winning was far preferable to losing. When this was all over, I might have to splurge a bit with my not-so-ill-gotten gains. Perhaps a new snakeskin jacket. Maybe a...

“You’ve got the touch,” my not-so-secret admirer said as he stepped up to the table.

“Not really,” I replied, feigning an innocence I hadn’t known in years. “I’m just throwing the dice. Guess they like me.”

“They’re not the only one.”

Slick. Yeah, definitely a player.

I reached down to collect my winnings, then stood and wiped a hand across my brow. “Woo, I’m feeling the pressure now.”

“Well here then,” he said, handing me a drink as if he just noticed it in his hand. “A little something to take the edge off.”

“I don’t know. I’m kind of a lightweight,” I giggled, accepting the glass and taking a tentative sip. Ooh, a Mai Tai...tasty.

“I’m Tad.”

“Lucinda,” I replied, the name spilling from my lips before I even realized it. Yeah, his resemblance to Jeff was a little too eerie for my tastes. I’d have to do something to fix that.

* * *

“Dancing sounds yummy!” I said, putting an extra helping of stupid into my tone.

A few more drinks, some blows on the dice for luck, and a lot of banal conservation later found me acting nice and tipsy. It had been no effort at all for Tad the cad to lure me away from the tables, or so I let him believe. Standing outside his hotel room, we both knew that the only dancing he had in mind was between the sheets.

“Mind if I change into something more comfortable first?”

Really? He actually used that line? He was acting more like Jeff by the moment.

“Sure thing,” I purred with a strategically placed slur.

“Why don’t you come inside and wait.”

I refrained from replying, “I thought you’d never ask.” Far too cliché. Instead, I obediently followed him in.

Once inside, he shut the door and put his body between me and the exit as he stealthily tried to engage the privacy lock. Oh Tad, you bad boy, you.

“Hurry up,” I said. “I can’t wait to go out and... mmmmrph.”

He leaned down without preamble and planted his mouth against mine. I acted a bit surprised before melting into it. Truth be told, he wasn’t a bad kisser. Our tongues entwined and I tasted the alcohol on his breath as well as the lingering remnants of the toothpaste he’d obviously used before coming downstairs...Crest, if I wasn’t mistaken. Superior vampire senses can be a real trip sometimes.

His heartbeat sped up and his scent turned musky. Tad was getting turned on, no doubt anticipating moving in for the kill. Pity - that was going to be my move.

Does he really deserve it?

The voice popped into my head unexpectedly and I paused in the middle of our game of tongue hockey. It was rare for my conscience to bother me, but it had been happening more frequently ever since Bill entered my life. Between his influence and the trip down memory lane I’d been experiencing ever since Christy walked into the office, I was having an actual crisis of vampiredom. What a concept.

Fine
, I said to myself,
let’s give him a chance
. There were plenty of potential targets in this city, many of whom didn’t look disturbingly like the man who had been the death of me.

I pulled back. “Hold on. What about dancing?”

“Dancing can wait.” He pressed against me once more. His arms circled my waist and he steered me toward the queen-sized bed in the room. The bulge in his pants said he probably wasn’t going to accept a friendly handshake before calling it a night.

“No,” I stammered, trying to give him one last out. God, I must be going batty to be such a softy at my age. “Stop...”