THE MAIN STAGE AREA was packed, and it was like trying to herd cats as we attempted to cut our way through.
“Hey! No cutting.”
I recognized the acerbic voice before I even glanced to my left and found Angelina staring. Thankfully she was alone. Apparently Davis wasn’t hanging around for his chance at the gonorrhea-infested prize. Wait … I think I’ve been spending too much time with Aisling. I can’t believe I actually thought that. Well, at least I wasn’t so far gone that I said it aloud … yet.
“We’re not cutting,” I shot back, doing my best to remain calm when I felt Jerry move in at my right. He hated Angelina almost as much as Aisling did. He had good reason. Angelina made it her mission to torture both of them throughout school, and the wars got loud and bloody at times.
“I was here first.” Angelina slammed her hip into mine, causing me to smack into Jerry. “Go to the back of the line.”
“Go to the front of the hoochie train,” Aisling spat, sliding around me so she could be closer to her arch nemesis. “I believe they’re expecting you in the venereal disease car.”
“I hear she’s expected to give a speech,” Jerry sneered.
“One only the truly lonely and desperate want to listen to,” Aisling added.
I sensed things spiraling out of control and felt helpless to stop it. “We’re not trying to cut in line. To be fair, there isn’t really a line.”
“Yeah, why are all these people grouped around the stage like this?” Aisling asked. “Are the White Stripes about to play?”
Angelina made an exaggerated face. “What is wrong with you? That’s the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard. Meredith Weaver is supposed to be here. Why else would we be grouping around like this? The White Stripes? P-shaw.”
“Did you just actually say ‘p-shaw’ instead of making the sound?” Aisling challenged. “It’s not a word; it’s a sound.”
“And you’re not a woman but an evil being,” Angelina shot back. “Not everything in life fits into a nice and neat category.”
“That’s what the zookeeper told your mother when she tried to abandon you at the chimpanzee house when you were five,” Aisling said.
“She didn’t try to abandon me there!” Angelina’s eyes filled with fire. “She accidentally lost me. She was drunk.”
I wasn’t expecting that and wasn’t sure what to say. “Oh, well … .”
Aisling snickered, genuinely amused. “I guess that explains your ass.”
“What explains my ass?”
“The fact that it’s so big … and red … and shiny.”
“That’s a baboon, you moron.” Angelina rolled her eyes. “What are you guys even doing here if you don’t want to see Meredith Weaver? She’s a living legend.”
“Not for long,” Jerry muttered under his breath.
I shot him a warning look. “We’re just … looking around. We recently had a change in living conditions and everyone is keen to redecorate.”
“You just said you didn’t want to decorate,” Jerry protested, shrinking back when his mind caught up with the expression on my face. “Oh, right. We’re here to redecorate.”
Angelina was annoying, but she wasn’t slow. She figured out pretty quickly that we were up to something.
“Fine. Keep your secrets. I don’t care what you guys do anyway.”
“If only that could be the rule every day,” Aisling lamented. “Speaking of walking sores, what happened to your little friend?”
Angelina furrowed her brow. “Who was talking about walking sores?”
“Ignore Aisling’s sense of humor,” I instructed. “It seems to be on the fritz today. She’s asking about your good friend Davis.”
“If you ask me, her sense of humor – much like her sense of style – is always on the fritz,” Angelina drawled. “As for Davis, he’s running some personal errands. We plan to meet up later.”
“Really?” I was understandably dubious. “What about the woman he was with?”
“Oh, that Sheridan woman?” Angelina shrugged. “I think they’re work partners or something. I asked if they were together, and Davis said they weren’t.”
“And of course you believed him because you’re a complete and total slut and your burning loins wouldn’t possibly let you question his integrity,” Aisling said. “Have you ever considered getting a cat or something? I think you should take a break from men because you have absolutely tragic taste.”
“You should talk,” Angelina fired back. “You spend more time with your brother and favorite fairy than you do with your own boyfriend. Where is he, by the way?”
“If you call Jerry that again I will rip your hair out,” Aisling hissed, reaching her hand toward Angelina’s dark locks, as if to prove a point.
“And as for Griffin, he has an actual job,” Jerry said. He was used to Angelina calling him names and he’d built up a tough shell to protect himself. Most of the time he didn’t need it because Aisling was far too ready to throw down … on both his and her behalf. I was glad for it today. “You wouldn’t know what it’s like to have a boyfriend who works, because men with jobs aren’t attracted to you.”
I bit back a laugh as Angelina’s smile tipped down.
“Oh, her boyfriend has a job,” Aisling countered. “Who do you think books appointments for her? She doesn’t call him her boyfriend, though. She lists him as ‘pimp’ on her business cards.”
“That did it!” Angelina’s hand slashed out as she tried to grab Aisling’s hair, but my sister easily sidestepped her.
“Ha, you’re as slow as you are disease-ridden,” Aisling taunted.
“That’s enough of that,” I warned, shaking my head. “We’re not here to start a war. You need to schedule that for a day when we have more time.”
“Fine.” Aisling never moved her eyes from Angelina’s face. “How is Friday for you?”
“Perfect. I’ll meet you at Woody’s Bar and we can settle things then.”
“Sounds good.”
“Oh, geez.” I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead. “I can’t believe this is still going on twenty-three years after it started.”
“Believe it.” Aisling refused to feel guilty for carrying a grudge since kindergarten. “It won’t end until one of us is in our grave.”
“That will be her,” Angelina said. “She’s going to mouth off to the wrong person and end up dead in some dingy alley.”
“I believe you have me confused with you,” Aisling shot back. “Wait … does your pimp allow you to hang in alleys or is it just corners where you’re allowed to share your wares?”
“Enough!” I held up my hands to cut off both of them before things devolved further, if that was even possible. “Do you remember which direction Davis headed off in, Angelina?”
The question threw Angelina for a loop. “Why do you care? He’s not gay, and you’ve already got your … .” She was clearly about to say a word that started with an “F,” but the look on Aisling’s face caused her to back down. “You’ve already got Jerry,” Angelina finished lamely. “Why do you care?”
“He’s an old business associate and we have a few things to discuss with him,” I replied.
“Business associate?” Angelina’s expression was quizzical. “Oh, he doesn’t work with those freaky things that broke into your house, does he?”
I’d almost forgotten that Angelina was at least somewhat aware of the family secret. “Not quite.”
“Actually, we don’t know that,” Aisling clarified. “He could be feeding monsters.”
She had a point. “Just … shop elsewhere when looking for a companion,” I suggested. “I’m not blowing smoke when I say he’s got nothing to offer you.”
Angelina snorted. “As if I’m going to believe that. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’ll do what I want to do.”
“Or do whoever you want to do,” Aisling corrected.
“I don’t like your tone, but that’s exactly how I feel,” Ang
elina sniffed. “Now … go on.” She made shooing motions with her hands. “I don’t want you around when Davis comes back. He said he’s as excited about seeing Meredith Weaver as I am.”
“And that doesn’t ring a warning bell in your head?” Aisling challenged. “Good grief. You deserve what you get. Just tell us where he went and we’ll leave you alone.”
“I don’t know where he went. He mentioned trying to get Meredith’s autograph and said he’d be back in a few minutes.”
“And how long ago was that?” I asked.
“About thirty minutes ago.”
Aisling and I exchanged a weighted look.
“Well, crap.” I exhaled heavily. “He’s probably already found her.”
“Which means he’s entrenched wherever he’s at,” Aisling said. “We need to find her right now.”
“Yup. We’re definitely almost out of time.”
9
Nine
Angelina didn’t bother to hide her interest when Aisling, Jerry and I moved toward the area behind the stage. My sister led the way, her eyes trained on the crowd. Most of the visitors weren’t wearing black leather, so Sheridan and Davis were bound to stand out … and yet we couldn’t immediately find them.
The backstage area was roped off to discourage people from wandering back to Meredith Weaver’s private area, but that didn’t stop Aisling from climbing over the velvet deterrent as if it wasn’t even there. I opened my mouth to voice my concerns should security approach, but I snapped it shut before speaking. We had a limited amount of time to work with. We couldn’t afford to sit back and wait for the woman to come to us, especially because we had no idea where Sheridan and Davis were hiding.
We were barely backstage when a harried-looking woman – she couldn’t have been more than twenty – widened her eyes upon seeing us. Her nametag read “Jessica” and she looked as if she was about to pass out.
“You can’t be here.” Jessica hurried to us. “This is a private area.”
“We’re supposed to be here,” Aisling lied smoothly. “In fact, we’re late. The crowd is bigger than we thought and it wasn’t easy to cut through.”
“You’re supposed to be here?” Aisling’s calm demeanor left Jessica confused and she furrowed her brow. “I don’t … um … understand.”
“We’re the undercover security unit with the expo center.” Aisling flashed a friendly but efficient smile. “We’re the ones who were specially hired to make sure that no one approached Ms. Weaver without her consent.”
I had to hand it to my sister. She could lie like nobody’s business. She didn’t so much as shift her stance when Jessica looked her up and down.
“You don’t look like security,” Jessica hedged.
“We’re undercover security,” Aisling reminded her. “We’re supposed to look like members of the crowd so we don’t attract suspicion. Ms. Weaver’s safety is our primary concern. We need to be able to look, listen and act on the fly should someone present a danger.”
“Oh.” Jessica remained reticent. “But I still don’t understand. Why would Ms. Weaver be in danger?”
Aisling leaned forward and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Because of them.”
“Them?”
“The Ariana Stephenson fans,” I automatically answered, taking myself by surprise with my fortitude.
Aisling cast me a quizzical look, the unsaid question hanging heavy. She had no idea who Ariana Stephenson was.
“Ariana Stephenson is Ms. Weaver’s main rival. We were hired to make sure that her minions wouldn’t infiltrate the crowd,” I explained.
“Minions?” Jessica cocked a dubious eyebrow.
“Minions,” I confirmed solemnly. “There’s a plan afoot to disturb Ms. Weaver’s show.”
Jerry caught on to what I was doing and fought a grin. “That’s true. Ms. Stephenson has been promoting silk flowers – in fact, she’s going to launch her own line, but you didn’t hear that from me – and she wants to make sure that Ms. Weaver’s wooden flower demonstration fails because she’s determined to launch her silk flower line with a bang.”
“Really?” Jessica’s cheeks flushed with color. “I had no idea that was a thing.”
“Believe it,” I supplied. “The expo center caught wind of a planned event in which Ms. Stephenson was going to plant people in the audience. The whole objective is to disrupt Ms. Weaver’s show and promote Ms. Stephenson. We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Of course you need to stop it.” Jessica’s voice rose. “I can’t believe anyone would be that cruel … and especially when Ms. Weaver isn’t on top of her game due to illness.”
“She’s feeling poorly, huh?” Aisling made a clucking sound with her tongue. “That’s terrible. Perhaps we should talk to her before we go back to work the crowd.”
“But … aren’t you supposed to be watching the crowd?” Jessica’s suspicious nature was back. “I mean … isn’t that the whole point?”
“There’re more than just three of us,” Aisling replied. “We’re the elite team. We’re supposed to stick close to Ms. Weaver.”
“Oh, well, that makes sense.” Jessica brightened considerably. “She’s this way. I’ll show you where she’s resting. You should be aware that she’s not feeling well. I tried to get her to cancel this appearance, but she refused. She says the show must go on and she’s a star.” Jessica’s expression was whimsical as she glanced to me. “Isn’t that the bravest thing you’ve ever heard?”
“She’s a true champion,” I drawled. “I’ve never heard of anything braver.”
Aisling shot me a “you’re full of crap” look behind Jessica’s back as the woman opened the dressing room door for us.
“Try not to disturb her too much,” Jessica whispered. “The poor thing really is unwell.”
“I swear that we’ll take good care of her.” I patted Jessica’s shoulder. “She’s our top priority.”
“Definitely,” Aisling agreed. “We promise to take very good care of her.”
“I know you will.” Jessica beamed. “I’m so glad you guys are here. I had no idea this was going to happen. Nobody ever tells me anything.”
“Oh, but you’re very important to what’s about to happen.” Aisling adopted a faux sweet persona that I barely recognized. “We need you to watch the crowd. If you see anything suspicious, call us. It’s important that you watch. We need another fresh set of eyes.”
Jessica saluted, and it wasn’t in a mocking way. “I’m on it. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.” Aisling kept her smile in place until the young woman disappeared. “Okay, I have a new plan.”
“Oh, the look on your face makes my innards quake with fear,” I muttered. “What do you think you’re about to do?”
“Just watch and learn.” Aisling’s smile turned from innocent to evil. “I’ve got everything under control.”
“Those are words I never want to hear coming from your mouth.”
“I think it sounds neat,” Jerry argued. “I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes up with.”
That made one of us.
THE DRESSING ROOM was dark, the only light coming from a small lamp on the table with a scarf placed over the shade. On a couch pushed against the far wall, Meredith Weaver rested with her arm over her face. She looked sickly, which was to be expected.
“I told you I didn’t want to be bothered, Jessica,” she rasped. “Can’t you listen to simple instructions?”
I pursed my lips and looked to Aisling. This was her show.
“Jessica is out completing a task we gave her,” Aisling volunteered, arching an eyebrow when Meredith jerked her head in my sister’s direction. “She’s busy.”
“And who are you?”
“Aisling Grimlock.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Aisling volunteered her real name. She was never one to play games … unless she had a lot of time on her hands and Ang
elina in close proximity, that is. Still, according to the file, we had twenty minutes to burn. I had no idea what she had planned.
“Is that name supposed to mean something to me?” Meredith adopted a challenging tone as she struggled to sit. After several seconds of grappling – and failing to garner enough strength – she let loose a long groan and fell back against the cushions.
“Probably not.” Aisling was matter of fact. “Your name seems to mean a great deal in certain circles, though. You wouldn’t believe how many people are out there waiting to hear you speak.”
“That’s what happens when you’re an important person.”
“Yes, but you’re an important person who has done bad things,” Aisling noted.
“Aisling.” I shot her a warning look. “Do you really think this is the best way to approach this?”
“I don’t see where we have many options.” Aisling was pragmatic as she checked her watch. “We have a few minutes. We might as well use the time we have rather than sitting here like morons. Nobody wants that.”
Jerry raised his hand. “I do. I have better questions than the ones you want to ask.”
“You do?” I didn’t want to question my boyfriend, but I couldn’t stop myself from wondering. “What kinds of questions do you want to ask?”
“Well, for starters, I want to know what kind of hot glue sticks you use and which ones are appropriate for wooden flowers,” Jerry said, grabbing a chair from the small dinette set in the corner and dragging it so he could sit next to the couch. “I also want to know what kind of twine is best, exactly how you tear apart books without ruining the pages and if there’s a proper wire when building bouquets.”
“I’m sorry but … what?” Meredith was baffled.
“He’s a big fan,” I supplied. “He’s got grand plans to focus on wooden flower bouquets all winter.”
“Yes, we’re really looking forward to it,” Aisling deadpanned. “I know I am.”
“I’m doing an entire show on wooden flowers in two weeks,” Meredith argued. “Watch the show.”
Grim & The City: A Grimlock Family Short Page 8