"I guess I'd better go drag Nathan out of the bathroom."
"Wait. Are you sure we shouldn't just whammy him and save his sanity? This has been an awful lot for Nathan to take in tonight, Ray." I glanced at Jerry. "We probably should have put off the shape-shifting for another night."
"He'll be okay, he's strong and pretty open-minded. Obviously." Ray grinned. "Hey, he's been my manager for ten years. Vampires? What's the big deal?"
Flo and I exchanged looks. Chapter twelve in the unauthorized biography Life on the Road. Yes, maybe Nathan was used to some pretty off-the-wall things, but wild parties and tour bus drag races were nothing compared to shape-shifting and fangs.
"Think about it, Ray."
"Forget it. He's my best friend. He's got to know everything. But I do need to spend more time with him. I'm going back to the hotel. I'll be okay with Buster and Sam."
It was clear that Ray still didn't have a clue what dangers he faced in his new life. "Get real, Ray. Lucky's staying in that hotel too. No, you won't be okay there. You sure weren't before." I glanced at Jerry and he nodded. "Jerry and I will leave and you can visit with Nathan here."
"We're leaving too. You can have the entire apartment to yourselves." Richard silenced Flo with a look when she seemed inclined to protest.
Knowing my roommate, she'd make him pay for that macho order later. As it was, she made a big deal out of polishing the crystal egg and placing it just so on its stand in the middle of our, okay, Israel Caine shrine.
"There you go, then. Sleep in my room tomorrow. Nathan can stay in the hotel by himself or sleep in Flo's bed, but he's used to mortal hours. I'm sure he'll need to take care of some of your business then anyway. From now on you're going to be strictly asleep all day, awake all night. I'll go home with Jerry. If that's okay with you, Jerry?"
"Of course it is. But something will have to be worked out for Ray eventually. He's right that this apartment is too small. He'll want his own place. Perhaps we can find him a paranormal bodyguard. Like you have Valdez. I even have someone in mind."
"Sounds like a plan." Ray shook hands with Jerry. "Thanks. I know that picture in the tabloids had to have been aggravating, but I'm sure Glory told you there is absolutely nothing between us."
"Thank you, Ray, for clarifying that." Yes, indeed, let's put up a billboard. Israel Caine does not want Gloriana St. Clair. I just held on to Jerry's arm and smiled like I could care less what Ray thought. Ah, I'm sorry they didn't have the Oscars when I was on the stage.
Nathan had come out of the bathroom. "You know, I've been wanting to ask you about that. If Lucky Carver is the one who made you a vampire, Ray, how come Glory here seems to be taking all the responsibility for you?"
"Good question." Ray said it, but Jerry, Flo and Richard also looked interested in my answer.
"Lucky dumped him on me. Had him tossed naked in my bed in the middle of the freakin' day." Flo sighed and Richard gave her a stern look. "What? It's romantic." Now it was Jerry's turn to look stern. "Oh, get over it. You'd both like to wake up with the present of a beautiful"-she winked at Ray-"naked woman in your bed. Admit it."
"She has a point." Richard grinned at Jerry. "You send me a blonde for Christmas, and I'll send you a brunette." Jerry laughed and held out his hand. "Done."
"Yeah, yeah. You're both hilarious." I felt Valdez press against me. "Valdez can tell you we were both in shock. Israel Caine, now vampire." My eyes filled, and I turned to Nathan. "It's a horrible crime and Lucky had written a note bragging about it."
"I get that." Nathan said it, but I doubted he really and truly did. "But why'd she pick you to drop Ray on?"
"I'd turned her vampire in the first place. To save her life. And I'd made a big deal out of feeling responsible for her, wanting to mentor her, to put it in business terms." Nathan nodded.
I really didn't feel like going through the whole story again so I gave Nathan a short version. "So you see, Nathan, I unleashed Lucky on the world. She figured if I was so hot to mentor someone, here was my chance. And Israel Caine! I mean, I've always loved Ray's music, his singing. And he was naked! Helpless." I looked at him and got teary again. Flo nodded and clutched that crystal egg to her breast again. I had a feeling she was about to burst into the chorus of "My One True Love" so I rushed on. "Jerry, quit glowering at me. It's like that thing you had for Marilyn Monroe back in the day."
"I did not." He glanced at Richard. "Well, what man didn't, I ask you." Male nods all around.
"So you see I couldn't leave Ray to fend for himself. He wouldn't have lasted past his first sunrise." I felt a hand on my shoulder. Ray stood close and, for the first time since I'd found him in my bed, I saw a genuine smile on his handsome face.
"I guess I owe you thanks, don't I?"
"Some people might say so." I wasn't about to make this easy for him.
"Gloriana is a kind-hearted person, Caine. She'd do as much for any stray." Jerry maneuvered me away from Ray toward the door. On the way he snagged my purse and my black shawl from the breakfast table in the kitchen.
"I guess we're going now." I smiled as Jerry opened the door.
"We're leaving Valdez here. He can supervise the cleanup." Jerry made it clear that this would be on Ray and his friend. I glanced at Valdez. Since we'd been given twenty-four hours, I figured we could wait another night to leave our next blackmail payment. It wouldn't hurt to have a look around the drop zone though. "Someone needs to walk Valdez."
"No kidding. How about it, Flo?" Valdez picked up his leash and dropped it at her feet. "What say we take a quick trip to that park across the street? You can hit the swings while I do my thing."
"Sure, doggy. Richard, you can push me. I like to go high." Florence made a face. "No swinging when I was a little girl. We wore these stiff dresses, long and . . . Well, forget that. I never tell my age." She picked up the leash and clipped it on Valdez's collar. Jerry looked at Richard. "I'll call you later, Richard. Lucky Carver has got to be brought under control or escorted out of the city." Then we were out in the hall. I sighed as we passed Lacy's silent apartment and wondered how Will and his knockers were getting along.
"I paid Will's debt." Jerry had obviously read my mind.
"Jerry!" I threw my arms around him and kissed him, a long, very enthusiastic thank-you kiss. I pulled back and just stared up at him. "Why?"
"For you, Gloriana. He'll have to work it off, of course. I think a good place to start is to help with Caine, show him the ropes. You can get Ray out of your apartment, and I think Will could benefit from a change of scene. William will also have to join that Gamblers Anonymous group and attend meetings. Perhaps you could sponsor him."
My face was hot at the thought that Jerry knew so much about it. "He's got to be ready for help. You can't coerce him."
"I spoke to him after two days with his clown demons. I think he's more than ready to change his life." Jerry frowned. "I never understood that it's a compulsion, but seeing what Will went through made that clear to me." He ran his hands down my back to pull me snug against him. "I wish you'd come to me for help when you needed it."
"It was something I had to do on my own." I leaned against him and just rested there while I picked bits of brown fur from my dress. Let me explain why I'd been so concerned about Chewbacca fur flying. I'd worn a dress today that I probably shouldn't have, but when it had come into the shop last week, I'd fallen in love.
Imagine navy blue velvet. Lacy said the color made my eyes sparkle. It was a wrap dress. Okay, so since I'm full figured, wrap dresses aren't always successful on me. There's more of me than there is of the wrap. It had been a close call if I could even get it to tie at the waist. But I'd managed. So I showed a good bit of cleavage. And a good bit of the hot pink plunging bra I'd worn under it. I had on the matching tap pants underneath, which made it a bit breezy in winter, but with the vampire imperviousness to cold, I was okay with that.
I'd had the satisfaction of walking out and watching male eyes pop, and then every time I'd crossed my legs, there'd been the suspense factor about what I might or might not have on under there. Don't you love how predictable men are? I'd also predicted this next move. Jerry reached for the side tie that I'd triple knotted.
"Wait. If you undo that, I'm next to naked."
"Words to warm a man's heart." He grinned. "And elsewhere. I've been staring at you in this dress all evening. Did you wear it for me or him?"
"How can you ask that?" I kept my hand on his and waited until his eyes met mine. "Ray's a fantasy man. You're the real deal, Jerry. My lifetime lover."
Jerry kissed me again. When I came up for air of course he untied that dress and it hit the floor.
"Now look what you've done. Flo and Richard could come out at any moment."
"And Richard could get his ass kicked for looking at my woman."
"What? Is the caveman attitude contagious?" But I couldn't mind a little of it.
"Glory, Glory, Glory. I don't think I could ever get tired of just looking at you, lass." I grinned and tucked that compliment close to my heart. I started to kiss him, then froze. "Do you hear what I hear?" Inside my apartment, furniture scraped across the floor, then there was a noise that sounded suspiciously like a bull elephant trumpeting a challenge. When there was an answering call, I picked up my dress and tied a desperation knot.
"Those had better be the miniature variety. Come on, Jerry. Let's get out of here. If I lose my security deposit, that crew in there is paying."