Coffin Fit (The Grateful Undead series Book 4)

by Stec, Susan

  Paul smiled at Jeni. "Go upstairs and get JoAnn. You two need to hop on surveillance. We'll need immediate word the minute you can catch Betty, Jake, and Gibbie's location. Your mother says they haven't had a word about them in a while. The doppelganger is wearing a rather risqué woman named Jane, blond, wearing leather. I've never seen a doppelganger on surveillance, so I'm not sure what will show up."

  "I'm on it." Jeni pecked a kiss on Paul's cheek, and then turned to Chick. "Guess who's getting married, Nanna?"

  "No!" Chick said. "The only better news would be that Susan doesn't know yet, and I could be the first to tell her."

  "Sorry about that, Chick. Susan knows, but if it's any consolation, she's pissed and probably planning payback," Paul said with a smile. "I'm sure she'll fill you in when this is over with. You ready? We need to get to the meeting site."

  "Hell yes!" Chick ran over to the altar and pulled the statue of Jesus off its doily. She kissed it and said, "Thank you. And tell your mother I said thank you, too." She put the statue back on the little white doily and headed for the front door. "My granddaughter's getting married!"

  Jeni's laughter floated behind her as she ran upstairs. "Aunt JoAnn! Wake up! We have a job to do!"

  * * *

  Marcus stepped up behind me and knelt. Swiftly and stealthily, he grabbed me around the waist and slapped a hand over my mouth. I bit hard and started sucking.

  "Ouch!" Marcus hissed and yanked his hand off my fangs. "How'd you know it was me?"

  "I smelled you a block away—the minute you popped out of the sewer over on first."

  "You didn't have to bite me, darling." His voice was soft and warm, his breath coppery sweet.

  I had to argue with my body not to act uncontrollably stupid. I turned around, licking blood off my lips. "Yeah, I did. Be glad I'm not going to kick you in the ass right here in front of my new friends."

  Marcus smiled at Gaire and Luna. "She's such a treasure."

  The doppelganger and wendigo grinned.

  Still squatting behind the dumpster, I waved a hand at the two. "Luna and Gaire."

  Marcus nodded. "Did Luna's grandmother, or the other team, report anything new since we last made contact?" Marcus asked all of us, but he was looking at me.

  "The real Gracie on the other team can only make contact with her grandmother who's working with Lily to find the elders, and then push the information to the carbon copy here." I grinned at Marcus. "Did you get all that?"

  One corner of Marcus's mouth turned up. "I did."

  He was so damned kissable.

  It's been too long, love, he pushed.

  Warmth rushed a tingle in my lower region.

  He laughed.

  I tightened my jaw and turned to Luna. "Anything new?"

  "Not yet, sorry," the duplicate Gracie said. "Unless Christopher got anything from Lily."

  I added, "We did find out where Betty is. She's with Jake and—"

  A threatening growl cut my words, and had Marcus and I both pivoting toward the shadows behind us where I'd seen Christopher a second ago.

  Christopher was no longer there.

  The growl was coming from a big ass guy circling Gracie. "This doesn't smell human." The guy snarled, and put his teeth against Gracie's neck.

  "Neither does this," a black man softly said, nose against Gaire's ear.

  "I'd back away from the wendigo," I told the black man, my voice slightly louder than Gaire's soft, but threatening growl.

  Gaire's eyes were black, his teeth bared, and I could see his shoulder and back stretching his shirt. The wendigo was not challenging Randy, though. His warning was directed toward the big Italian.

  "Please don't bite the doppelganger wearing Gracie," I told the man growling back at Gaire. "You do that and we lose our only contact with two groups of ghosts trying to help us."

  "Stand down," a third wolf commanded softly, but with a shitload of authority. He was tall, muscular, and sexy with blue eyes and blond hair.

  Both wolves backed up several steps. The guy giving orders must have been Karl.

  "The doppelganger is a friend," I calmly said, surprised my teeth didn't chatter. "Her name is Luna. She's wearing a witch who is a necromancer. Her grandmother is dead, and meeting with Luna's elders." I pointed at Gaire. "The wendigo is Gaire, Luna's boyfriend. I wouldn't fuck with him. He is one badass looking ... thing when he shifts."

  "We all know what a wendigo is," the black guy steadily said.

  The big man bowed, averted his eyes, and bared his neck to Gaire. "Scuse, I was, how you say, protezione, mio capo."

  Gaire dipped his head. "Capisco."

  I almost pissed my thong. I stared at Marcus. "What the hell?"

  "Sorry, love, let me properly introduce the wolves."

  Marcus pointed to the tall, good looking man with blond hair and blue eyes. "That's Karl, the Satori of the Italian pacchetto."

  Karl nodded and smiled at me. "Sorry about my men. They take their job seriously."

  "Oh, and what are their jobs?" I asked, trying to establish something—hell if I knew what. The guy was magnetic.

  "Protecting me," Karl said firmly, but one side of his mouth was turned up.

  Okay, so he may have looked like a stud muffin, but even with the smile, the guy exuded alpha-badass, big time. But I had control issues, and his level dropped several notches on my stud muffiness scale.

  Marcus continued. "The guy with black hair and plenty of muscles is Karl's second in command, Razzo."

  "Piacere di conoscerti bella signora," Razzo said.

  He looked scary. I couldn't wait for Mom to get there. I had no clue what he said. I smiled at him, anyway.

  "Randy, the dark-skinned man is the only non-Italian in the pacchetto communi, but has won Karl's first in command title. I'd say he's a wolf to be reckoned with."

  Randy nodded.

  "That was one hell of a greeting," Gaire said.

  "Not like we haven't done worse." Luna smiled broadly and took Gaire's hand.

  Marcus and I were still squatting behind the dumpster, and I signaled for the others to join us.

  "Okay, so now that we got the pissing order down, have you heard anything, Luna?"

  Crab-walking closer, she knelt beside me. "No. Do you want me to make contact with Nan again?"

  "Could you?"

  Luna moved back into the shadows, leaned against the alley wall, and closed her eyes.

  Marcus was patiently squatting slightly behind me. I'd been peeking around his body to see the others.

  "Got an ETA on Jake and Gibbie with the Jane chick?" Marcus encouraged Luna.

  She put up a finger and shook her head.

  Marcus's eyes were on my ass. I could feel it. "Susan, when did you stop aging and return to the vampire you were?"

  "What?" I bolted straight up behind the dumpster. My fatty shorts fell down to my legs and I caught them with my knees. I felt a breeze on my ass through the leg holes on my granny undies. I quickly pulled my jeans up when soft laughter came from the shadows at the end of the alley. Dorius, Christopher, and Antoinette stepped into the circle of soft light cast by a pole lamp on the corner.

  "Any of you guys got a mirror?" I asked.

  At least the wolves made a damn good attempt to soften their laughter.

  Dorius grinned. "Would you like to borrow my belt?"

  "Yes," I meekly said.

  He pulled it off and walked it over to me. As I ran it through belt loops, Dorius hugged his brother.

  Christopher turned away from the conversation he was having with Antoinette. "You sure know how to be the life of a stakeout, Susan."

  I growled at him and synched the belt tighter.

  It was about forty-five minutes until daybreak, and I was expecting my body to go into daylight sleeping mode.

  "Do we have an ETA on Jake and Gibbie?" Marcus asked again.

  "Yes." Paul had walked into the alley from the street. Mom was with him. "They're still in the sewer, tak
ing last minute instructions from Jane." He took out a plastic baggie full of surveillance ear buds. "Everyone hook up. Jeni is on the computer. She has a copy on the three."

  "Where is my mate?" Dorius's voice was guttural and nasty as he inserted an earbud and passed the baggie to me.

  I dug into the bag and passed it on. "Um, she's supposed to be with-"

  "I ain't with no one. I used my token wish to bring me to my mate. Them tokens are worth their weight in gold." Betty bounced her eyebrows at Dorius. "You need to get me some of these, sugar. You know how I like to travel. I'll save you boo-scoo bucks in jet fuel. "Damn, I can be shoppin' in Italy in seconds, and back in a flash, honey-chile, " she said with a soiree of attitude, hand waving and head shaking. "This is a dream come—"

  "Elizzzabeth," Dorius hissed. "Can you tell us anything about what plans the doppelganger wearing Jane has that might help us with our mission?"

  "Nope; that Jane bitch got all pissy the minute I told her I was your mate. She made me stay out in the sewer. So excuse my ode de toilet water perfume."

  Everyone turned to Dorius.

  Dorius cringed—I'm sure it was Betty's Eau de toilette cologne—and pulled a red token out of his pocket. "All right, thank you for relaying that information. Now, take this token and wish yourself to the Stech home. This is no place for you at the moment."

  Everyone turned to Betty.

  "Shit you say." Her eyebrows reached for each other at the center of her nose. "I'm here to do my Hawk thing. Now move aside; there's a rafter in that there building across the street with my name on it. Tell me that doppelganger'd wanna suck the life out of a hawk. Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong. That ain't gonna happen, sugar."

  "Jesus, Betty," Mom said. "Can you shut the fuck up and get the hell over there before Jake and Gibbie beat you to it?" She popped her earbud in and handed the bag to Marcus.

  "Chickie!" Betty squealed. "I didn't see you, girl. Bring your ass on over here," Betty twanged. "I need a hug. You're lookin' good, honey. Whaddaya gone an' done? Whomped some demon ass?"

  Dorius stuffed the red token into Betty's palm, put his arm around his mate's waist, and guided her toward the street.

  "Sugar, welcome home sex is gonna have to wait," Betty said. "We got us some business to take care of. Namely—"

  "Hey, you guys." Luna stood and walked toward us. "The real Gracie Jean just communicated with Nan. The doppelganger wearing Jane is about to head our way. And Lily, Nan, and her friends have just arrived at a tunnel near where the elders are waiting to meet with them. She's going to get back to me as soon as she can."

  "Hang on, Luna," I said, drawing attention from the others. "Everyone got your buds on? Jeni has something."

  Razzo passed the baggie back from the wolves to Marcus, and he handed the last earbud to Luna. It was a good thing the doppelganger was dressed in Gracie Jean, or she would've never been able to wear it.

  We all stood huddled together behind the dumpster when Dorius came around the corner without Betty. I pointed to the bud in my left ear. Dorius reached up and turned his on. "Go ahead, Jeni."

  "Hey, Mommy Dearest. Heard your tight ass and firm tits are back. Also heard Lily took care of it. Gotta love that little demon. Am I right?"

  "Did I gather everyone just to hear you give me some shit? Because you are already on my-"

  "Yeah, yeah. Every chance I get. Ya know." Jeni's laughter filled my ear. "But I do have some vital info. The threesome just disappeared from an underground tunnel behind the Winn-Dixie strip mall in Tavares, and then reappeared in that warehouse across the street from where you are standing. Hold on, I have another immortal entering the premises."

  I heard the clicking of Jeni's keyboard as we all stood silently waiting.

  Jeni spit a laugh on her end, choked, and then laughed again. There was loud scratching like she was adjusting her microphone or raking something across it, and then she asked, "Is that Betty in the rafters over their heads? Gotta be—the bird is large enough and it just pooped on the sexy chick's, well, not really her, the doppelganger's head. Made me spit my coffee all over the screen." Laughing filled the earbuds, again.

  "Jen, hon," Paul said in a soft voice. "I just wanted you to know, on the screen, a doppelganger is probably going to be red like a demon when it is not dressed in a human."

  "Yeah, I got that, sweetie. A red glow, like a flashlight stream, is shooting out of the doppelganger host's eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ear holes. It's awesome, Paul."

  Paul smiled. "Time to get my pack mark. Can you see me?"

  "Yes," Jeni said.

  Karl turned to Dorius. "It is not what you think."

  Marcus said, "This is not something we should be discussing at the moment." He locked eyes with his brother. "Suffice it to say, Karl needs to bite Paul immediately."

  Dorius nodded. But I could hear his teeth grind. I wondered if his jaw hurt as bad as mine sometimes did.

  Karl walked up to Paul. "Are you ready?"

  "As I'm gonna be," he said, and pulled his shirt up and off one arm to bare his left shoulder.

  "It should be your right," Karl said.

  Paul bared his teeth.

  Karl waited patiently.

  Man, I didn't want to get into this. "Give him your right shoulder, Paul."

  Marcus smiled.

  We all heard Jeni's intake of breath.

  When Paul turned to me with a grin, I realized that by giving him the order, I pretty much accepted the situation.

  I grinned back.

  "Yes, ma'am," Paul said, took off his shirt, bowed his head, and turned his back to Karl, exhibiting trust and submission.

  Dorius's posture relaxed. He nodded at me in resignation and understanding.

  Karl put one hand one Paul's right shoulder and tilted his head to the right with the other. And then he bit savagely into the meat on Paul's back just under his shoulder. When Karl let go of Paul, the rogue did not move. Karl bit his own wrist and placed his bloody arm over Paul's bite.

  Razzo, Randy, and Marcus knelt on one knee.

  I felt like I needed to do the same, but Dorius stood tall, fire in his eyes, but acceptance in his relaxed facial features. At that moment, I felt a profound trust for my brother-in-law for his confidence in Marcus and Paul. I moved over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He looked down at me.

  "Karl really went to bat for Paul—hell, all of us," I said. "He gave you as much respect as you're showing him right now."

  He covered my hand with his. "I know."

  Together, we watched Paul put his shirt back on. Not before I saw the tattoo appear where only seconds ago, there was a grisly bite. It was a moon sliver with a single circle that fit into the moon cradle to complete a full moon. A howling wolf filled in the small circle. I wanted to examine it closer. The detail, even from a distance, was extraordinary.

  "Hey, cool tat, babe," Jeni said through our earbuds. "Do I get one on our wedding night?"

  The wolves laughed, breaking the tension of the moment. Even the Morizzio brothers wore a smile.

  *

  Dorius and Karl were glaring at the warehouse across the street minutes later.

  "How long do you have to wait?" Karl asked.

  "As long as it takes for the elders to arrive," Dorius said, "unless you're not interested in putting an end to the doppelganger. If all you want is to make it bolt, we can both make our move right now."

  I turned to Luna with a nod and a question in my eyes.

  Gracie Jean's face crumbled. "Nothing yet."

  I know the wolves and other immortals heard her as well as I did. Both had exceptional hearing.

  Karl pulled a cell out of his pocket. The light that illuminated the screen lit his face. "Five minutes, no more, and the rest of you will be hard pressed to stop me."

  Dorius gave Karl one sharp nod.

  ~~~

  Twenty-six

  ~~~

  "It's four minutes past the five-minute wait," Karl said with a fair a
mount of impatience. "What if they leave?"

  "They haven't left yet," Jeni's booming voice came through my earbud. "They're all standing in the middle of the main showroom, and facing the street. But nothing in their behavior says they know you guys are out there. Something kind of oozed out of a drain in the room behind them. It's got a red glow, but no white shine like the doppelganger wearing Jane. It's small, too. So it's either Lily or another doppelganger."

  Luna was leaning against the wall behind me, eyes closed, Gracie Jean's fingers in her ears.

  "I will follow you inside and defend your son's death with my life, but only if you agree not to put the others at risk by going at the thing verbally." Dorius faced the warehouse, standing shoulder to shoulder with Karl in the shadow cast by the alley wall across from the dumpster. "It will just give it the ability to taunt you.

  Randy and Razzo were already with Karl, and they didn't need to say a word. They were following their leader.

  Karl turned to his men. "We wear our fur inside."

  "Si mio capitano," Razzo said.

  Randy had a sexy grin. "The kill is always better with the wolf."

  Karl laughed. "That it is."

  Marcus ran his fangs over my neck. I tingled all over. Damn, I liked him all puffed out and ready for a fight. He chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. "Later," he whispered in my ear. Her rose before I could snag a kiss.

  Paul stood between the wolves and immortals—six handsome men. I wanted to watch the wolves phase, but Karl said he wanted to wait until they hit the back alley.

  My mother looked like a little girl standing next to Antoinette near the wall on the other side of the alleyway. Both dropped their hands from their hips as they headed for the men.

  I almost yelped as Gaire loped by. At least seven feet tall, the wendigo's white hair caught the lamppost light and wreathed its head like a halo. It strutted toward the wolves on two hind legs, its body all bone, muscle, and sinew. Long, sharp claws on his hands and feet looked like lethal weapons. He had a bizarre, wolf-like face and a set of red, manic eyes. The bottom of his jaw protruded, so the teeth on the bottom didn't quite fit into the wendigo's mouth and dripped musky smelling saliva. It sizzled as it hit the concrete.