Real Vampires Live Large

by Gerry Bartlett

Page 32

 

  “Snap out of it, Glory. Of course he doesn’t really look like that. You’ve just seen one of the powers an EV has. He can delve into your mind, find your secret fantasy and make you believe you ’ve found it. ” Richard ground his teeth like maybe he’d hoped

  he’d been Flo’s secret fantasy. “He doesn’t even have to shape-shift to do it. ”

  “Kind of like the whammy then. With a twist. ”

  “The twist is Flo’s been brainwashed. She sees what she wants to see when she looks at Simon. ”

  “So if I met Simon, he’d look like Johnny Depp?” Chocolat Johnny, not Pirates or, shudder, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Johnny.

  Richard snorted. “If that’s your fantasy. ”

  “Cool. I mean that conniving bastard. ” Wow. No wonder Flo was so hot and heavy with Simon. Her two favorite hunks were Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing and Brad Pitt in anything.

  “Let’s go downstairs. ”

  “Wait. ” I held onto Richard, stopping him at the door. “What are we going to do about Flo?”

  “Leave her to sleep it off. I doubt she’ll wake up until tomorrow night. Then you, me, Damian . . . ” He shook his head. “Oh, hell, I’m not sure she’s going to listen to any of us. Once you’ve got a taste for the Vampire Viagra, it’s almost impossible to give it up. I’ve seen it before. The withdrawal is a bitch. ”

  “We need to warn Derek about that too. He and Freddy know most of the paranormals in Austin. Maybe we should call a meeting, spread the word. ” Blade usually headed up vamp meetings. I suddenly wanted him beside me with an ache that made me grab my stomach again. Damn that Westwood. Why’d he have to run all the way to Africa?

  “A meeting is a good idea. But if the EVs get wind of it, they’re not going to like your interference. ”

  “As if I give a rat’s ass what they like. And what about this king? Simon? Can all the EVs do the Brad Pitt whammy or is he something special?” I dug in my purse for my keys and locked the door once we were out in the hall.

  “Simon Destiny. ” Richard shrugged. “Stupid name. Not his real one, of course. Special? Obviously women under his influence think so. I met him once and I wasn’t impressed. Of course he didn’t turn into Beyoncé for me either. ”

  I stopped and gave him a look. “Beyoncé?” Could he have picked a woman more opposite from me? Tall, dark, with a body to die for versus short, blond and a body . . .

  “Gotcha. ” Richard grinned for the first time all evening.

  I muttered a comment on his parentage and Richard actually chuckled. Finally, almost at the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and turned me to face him, serious again.

  “Simon’s not going to want to give Flo up. Not till he’s ready to discard her. And he’s got to appear to be a strong leader. He can’t risk angering Honoria. ”

  “Too damn bad. ” Florence da Vinci discarded? This was so not like my roomie, always the power in any relationship. I wanted to run up and hug her, then wake her and try to reason with her again.

  “You can’t reason with her, Glory. She thinks she’s hooked Brad Pitt when Simon actually . . . ” Richard put his hands on my shoulders. “I call him Simon the snake. He’s got the look of a reptile, complete with a forked tongue. ”

  “Oh, God! I didn’t want to hear that. ” I leaned against Richard for a moment. “We’ve got to help Flo understand how dangerous this is. ” I inhaled Richard and thought about how nice it was to feel his arms around me. Yeah, I ’m an independent woman, but centuries of male companionship have left me with a case of attention deficit disorder. Male attention, got to have it. With Blade gone, Richard was doing nicely.

  I sighed and pushed back. I’d blocked that weak female moment from Richard and he was frowning at me, like he was afraid I’d go off on my own and do something dangerous to get Simon to leave Flo alone. Fat chance. If Simon turned into Johnny Depp for me, I’d probably hop on the altar and hand him the straw myself.

  We headed to the shop. Outside, I appreciated the cold air on my face before I unlocked the back door. Inside, the dogs were on high alert. I’m sure Valdez at least could tell I was upset about something. Even Derek lost the twinkle in his eyes when he saw our faces. No customers. So we filled Derek in. He was on his cell phone before we finished. He and Frederick decided to call a vamp meeting. At Freddy’s house.

  As soon as she heard what they were talking about, CiCi refused to leave home. I didn’t blame her. A fortress would be nice right now. With a moat, hungry alligators and rabid bats circling overhead.

  I waited on a few customers while Derek and Richard powwowed in the back. I couldn’t quit thinking about Flo. She’d acted so unlike the powerful roomie who’d painted strange things on my wall and taught me my best vamp moves. Hell, she hadn’t even asked me about the TV interview or, gasp, the Louboutin pumps. I’d give her the benefit of the doubt though. Maybe she’d never bothered to check her messages.

  By the time Lacy came in, I was beyond exhausted, mentally and physically. I trudged up the stairs a few minutes before dawn, arguing with Richard that he didn’t need to sleep on my couch. Then I saw the door to the apartment. Wide open.

  “Glory, get back. Let me check things out. ”

  I leaped over Valdez and ran down the hall to Flo’s bedroom. I threw open the door. She was gone. I was just going through Flo’s closet to see if she’d taken any clothes with her when my cell phone rang. I pulled it out of my purse I’d dumped on the floor in my panic. I didn’t even bother to look at the caller ID.

  “Flo? Is that you?”

  “Gloriana, you really need to check your e-mail. I’m waiting to hear from you. ”

  I snapped the phone shut and threw it across the room.

  “Who the hell was that?” Richard dug the phone out of Flo’s comforter and held it out to me. “Obviously not Florence. ”

  “You don’t want to know. ”

  “Yes, I do. ” Richard was right beside me in a heartbeat. He put his hand on my back. “You’re even more upset than when you saw Florence had taken off. ”

  “Taken off or been kidnapped?” I sank on the side of the messy bed. “She didn’t take any clothes that I can see. Not even shoes. ” I gestured toward the usually neatly stacked shoeboxes. Flo is nothing if not meticulous about her wardrobe. And a creature of habit. If she wore a pair of shoes, she set the box on top with the lid off. The only empty shoe -box was from the pair she’d worn out of here last night. The pair she wasn’t wearing when she got home. And then there was the Manolo with the broken heel, the box with its mate casually dumped on the closet floor. Flo really hadn’t been herself. Richard sat beside me and my phone rang again.

  “Don’t answer that. ” I grabbed the phone and shut it off.

  “Who’s bothering you? Surely you would talk to Blade. ”

  “It’s not Jerry. ” I felt tears welling and blinked them back. “It’s Westwood. He started calling me. After I sent him that e-mail. ” I took a shaky breath. “I think he has a crush on me. I should probably play along, try to get information for Jerry, but I just . . . can’t. ”

  “Bloody hell!” Richard grabbed my phone and ran through the menu. “He left you a message. ” He put the phone to his ear, his frown becoming a cold, stony rage that scared me, even though I knew he wasn’t mad at me.

  “The bastard won’t get away with this. We need to change your number for one thing. This is harassment. ”

  “No kidding. But I won’t change my number. I should get up my nerve and see what I can find out from him. Jerry thinks Westwood may have left Africa. He needs to know where the hunter ’s going next. ” I didn’t have to listen to know what the message said. Westwood had stuck to one theme, how lovely my dental work would look on the chain around his neck. Or maybe he’d start a charm bracelet. For a future bride. He was thinking of marrying, he owed the world a passel of kids with his superior gray matt
er. She’d have to be human, of course, and any woman he got serious about would hate vampires as much as he did.

  “He’s a sicko. I don’t know how he made billions. ” I pushed off the bed and walked back into the living room. Valdez and Will studied me worriedly.

  “What’s up with Flo?” Valdez nudged my hip.

  “I don’t know, puppy. ” I sat down on the couch and put my feet on the coffee table. I got a good look at my Ferragamo slingbacks. Flo had helped me pick them out during a half -price sale. I burst into tears. “I don’t know. ” Noisy sobs. How humiliating, but I couldn’t stop them.

  “Good God, Glory, I’d hoped you weren’t one of those weepy females. ” Will bumped my foot. “Flo’s tough, she’ll be okay. ”

  Richard handed me a towel, though I don’t remember him going into the bathroom to get it. I blotted my cheeks and sniffled until I felt like I had the waterworks under control.

  “Sorry, guys. I guess I’m on sensory overload. Between Westwood, the EVs and Flo, I feel like I’ve got a full plate. ” Another tear ran down my cheek and I wiped it away. Full plate. Stupid. I couldn’t even eat a bag of Cheetos without suffering stomach cramps that would have made the Marquis de Sade whimper.

  “I doubt Flo was kidnapped. ” Richard was up again, prowling around the apartment. “She wanted to be with Simon. I’m sure she woke up from her nap and decided to go back to the EV compound. ”

  “Without her shoes?” My voice rose and I jumped to my feet. “Damn it, Richard. Didn’t you learn anything about my roommate while you were sleeping with her?”

  Richard shrugged and I wanted to slap him. “We didn’t exactly get together to talk. I never had much conversation with the woman. ”

  “Well, ‘the woman’ is my best friend. I’m worried about her and I’m going to do something about it. ” I stalked into Flo’s bedroom and grabbed my purse.