"Valdez!"
The back door to Mugs and Muffins flew open and Diana and her two helpers poured out. Diana had thrown on her Kevlar vest, had her fangs full out, and was armed with a broom. Her helpers each held a frying pan.
"Get back!" I yelled. From the light of the open door, I could see something move near the back door of my own shop. "Valdez!
Are you all right?"
"All clear, Glory. Tell Diana and the others to go back inside."
It had sounded like Valdez's voice. It had to be his voice. Who else talked inside my head and sounded like an extra from The Godfather? I cautiously unlocked the car door.
"You sure you want me to send them inside?"
" Just do it. Now." Valdez almost barked the order.
"What is it? Is something wrong?" Diana jabbed the air with her broom. I didn't doubt for a minute that, with her vamp strength, she could do some serious damage with that broom.
"False alarm. I'm fine. Thanks for responding, though. You just never know." Diana waved the broom. "We stick together. Let me know if you need me later." She touched her wide-eyed workers'
shoulders. "Relax, darlings. You saw nothing, heard nothing, except Glory honking her horn and Valdez barking at a stray cat." She pushed her employees back inside and slammed the door. I heard the dead bolts click shut.
"Okay, what's the deal? Valdez, are we talking cat here?" I still wasn't ready to just walk out into the open. "Or something or someone more threatening?"
I kept low and the dark lump by my shop's back door moved again. The security light above the door was out. Westwood's work? He did seem to favor working in the dark. Night vision goggles probably.
A whimper. " Help me. I'm wounded."
"Wounded! Oh, my God!" I saw myself at the back door and I was there, looking down at Valdez stretched out on the concrete, an arrow sticking out of one of his back legs. "You've been shot!"
" Westwood. I don't think I can walk and I'm losing blood." He groaned and lifted his head, his eyes gleaming in the dark. " I think he's gone, but help me get inside. Then lock the door in case he comes back."
"Valdez, puppy." My voice broke and tears ran down my cheeks. I rubbed his head, then quickly unlocked the back door.
"I'm sorry, but this will hurt." I gently slid my arms under him. "I'm going to lift you now." He weighed a ton, but I don't have vamp strength for nothing. I cradled him against my chest and carried him inside. I laid him carefully on the table in the storeroom, then rushed to lock the back door.
I wiped away my tears then turned back to him.
Valdez moaned and looked up at me. " I'm fading fast, Glory. It's been swell knowing you. Say good-bye to Florence for me."
"Stop it. You're not going to die. He hit your leg, not your heart." I hoped I was right about the dying part. He was bleeding pretty heavily. I grabbed a wad of paper napkins someone had left on the table and mopped at the blood seeping from around the arrow. I used another napkin to dry the last of my tears, then focused on the arrow sticking out of his flank. It didn't take vamp powers to figure out this was Westwood's work. Olive wood smell, same kind of arrow that had hurt Diana. A paper was tied around the end of the shaft.
"Damn it. Westwood sent us a note. Hasn't he heard of the U.S. Postal Service?" I rubbed Valdez's head. "I'm so sorry."
" Me too, Blondie." He licked my hand. " Could you call me puppy one more time? I liked that." He groaned. " I just wish I had time for a farewell bag of Cheetos."
"You'll have a lot more than a farewell bag, puppy." Oh, boy. I had to stop crying and get a grip if I was going to get both of us through this. "You're not going to die, damn it." I wiped my eyes again and studied the wound. The arrow seemed stuck, like it had hit the bone.
"I'm going to pull out the arrow. Then heal you. Like we did with Diana, remember?"
" Hold on, Glory." He rolled his eyes at me. " Flo did that. I don't think— Ow! Ow! Ow! Damn it!" I'd gotten out the arrow. Now it was time for some vamp magic. I pressed my hands on either side of the wound and concentrated.
"Heal!" I sounded like a televangelist at a prayer meeting. And it wasn't working. I pressed harder.
" Hello. That hurts, Glory." Valdez's leg quivered. " Maybe you should call Flo."
"She never leaves her cell phone on when she's at church or with Richard." I tried to beam my thoughts to the bloody wound. Was it closing? "Maybe I should get Diana."
"No, you can do it, Blondie." Valdez lifted his head. " I'll concentrate with you this time." No time to wonder why Valdez thought he could help. "All right. On three. One, two, three." I pressed and stared and prayed and, would you believe it, that wound closed. Vamp magic at its best." Fan-damn-tastic! We did it." Valdez moved his leg tentatively. " Help me down."
"Wait! Let me clean you up." I ran to the bathroom, washed my bloody hands, then wet some paper towels. I held one against my eyes for a moment and said another prayer. Thank you, God.
" Glory." Valdez still sounded weak.
"Coming." I hurried back and gently washed his dark fur. I ignored the smell of fresh blood. Even from a dog, it had a certain aroma that I couldn't deny got my fangs swelling against my gums. But I'm civilized and way beyond giving in to my more primitive urges. At least where blood is concerned. Now if Westwood crossed my path, I'd unleash my beast.
"Are you sure you're okay?" If I didn't have Valdez's completely unmarked and damp hairy hip right in front of me, I wouldn't have believed it. I'd healed him. What a rush. What power. And how long had I denied I even had power? No more. I rocked.
"How does that feel?" I tossed the bloody towels in the trash.
"Okay, I guess. Lift me down and I'll see if I can walk. I sure could use a Twinkie about now." I picked him up and he laid his head on my shoulder.
" You're my hero, Blondie." He licked my cheek before I set him gently on the floor.
"No, you're my hero. You went right after Westwood."
" But I didn't get him." Valdez shook himself, then looked at his back leg.
"Careful now. I'm not Flo, you know. You may not be completely healed."
" Don't sell yourself short, Sweet Cheeks. This is what I call a freakin' miracle." He walked slowly around the room. " Not even a twinge. But I'll feel better once I get a Twinkie fix."
"Soon. All the Twinkies you want." I picked up the paper that had been wrapped around the arrow. I didn't want to read it.
"What kind of message could Westwood be sending me?"
" Open it, Blondie. We got to know. And I'm sending for Blade." Valdez lay down on the floor. " I'm not hurting, but I'm weak all of a sudden."
"You're probably in shock and don't call Blade. We don't need him."
" It's my deal, Blondie. I've got to report." Valdez groaned. " I'm having a sinking spell. I did lose a lot of blood. We got any snacks around here? I bet Ryan has a stash behind the counter."
I raided the drawer where either Ryan or Lacy had stuck some peanut butter crackers. I sniffed them and wondered for the thousandth time how it would feel to crunch again. Can you tell I really didn't want to read Westwood's love note? I threw it on the table and hand fed Valdez until all the crackers were gone.
"Any better?"
" Yeah, thanks. Got any Coke to wash them down with?" He wagged his tail. " Now I'm parched."
"How about bottled water?" I opened the fridge I'd put in when we'd set up the shop. "You should probably have a Bloody Merry. To replace the blood you lost. I'm getting one for myself."
Valdez shuddered and sat down with a thump. " Put the water in a bowl. I ain't no blood sucker. No offense, Blondie."
"Excuse me?" As much fun as it was to see Valdez back to his usual self, I was still stalling. I dumped the water into a bowl and listened to Valdez lap it up. I took a deep swallow of my Bloody Merry before I finally picked up the note again. My stomach churned as I unfolded it. I looked at Valdez then read it out loud.
"Don't try your vampire tricks on my men. I'm watching you and my spaghetti. Westwood." Banging on the front door. Blade stood outside. I was shaking as I let him in.
"What is it, Glory? Are you all right? Valdez just said there'd been an incident at the shop." Blade held me away from him and looked me over. "Are you hurt?"
"No. Westwood shot Valdez." I sat abruptly in one of the overstuffed chairs CiCi had consigned just last week. I was having one of Valdez's sinking spells. Between the concentration I'd used to heal Valdez and the note… I still gripped it.
" I sacrificed myself for your lady, Boss." Valdez came to stand next to the chair. I sank my fingers into his soft fur.
"You look all right to me, Valdez." Blade knelt in front of me. "You're pale, Glory."
" She's shook up. She healed me. See for yourself. The bloody arrow is still on the table in the store room." Valdez looked up at me and I swear he was smiling. " It was a near miss. But we're okay. She called me her puppy. What do you think of that?"
Blade jumped up to go into the storeroom. When he came out, he was as pale as I felt. "Are you wearing your Kevlar? Did the arrow hit you anywhere?" Blade knelt in front of me again.
"He never even got a shot at me. And I do have on my Kevlar." I held out the note. My hands were surprisingly steady considering my insides were quivering nonstop. "He sent us a message, Jerry. I think we've got a spy in our midst." He opened the note and read it. "Son of a bitch. You're right. Spaghetti. But no one was here when you said that except for me and Mara." He looked around and grabbed a small plastic bag from the counter.