Part 22 (2/2)
”See? I wasn't lying.”
”That proves nothing.”
”It proves I wasn't in the store for Mordred.”
”Maybe not, but you're in Lonely Fork because of him.”
”No.” Not entirely. ”I have a client here.” I thought of Elmer and his eagerness to find a Bingo partner. ”In fact, I have several.”
”Name one.”
”I'm afraid that's confidential information. In other words, none of your beeswax.”
It wasn't the smartest thing to say, but I couldn't help myself. I felt physically powerless (and way out of my BV comfort zone) and my mouth was the only thing working at the moment.
He waved a finger at me and I felt a strange tightening around my throat.
”You're not funny,” he told me.
”Yeah, well, neither are you,” I croaked. ”Your knock-knock jokes suck.”
He stared at me long and hard for a moment and the tightening continued until I thought my trachea would rupture.
Then as quickly as the sensation started, it ended. His expression eased. The finger fell to his side and relief swamped me.
”If you're merely in town for a client, then I don't have any reason to keep you here, now, do I? That is, unless you're lying.
Are you lying to me, Miss Marchette?”
”Who, me? I never lie.” At least not unless I was in an afterlife and death situation with Santa's evil twin. ”Just call me Abe.”
He didn't look convinced, but he signaled his two henchman anyway. They went to work on the ropes, one at my hands and the other at my feet.
The pressure eased and the silver threaded rope fell away. The feeling quickly returned to my hands. My feet came next and I flexed my ankles. I became quickly aware of the fact that I could actually move the toes on my right foot. A quick glance down, and I knew why.
”Where's my shoe?”
Cheap shrugged. ”Must have fallen off when we were getting you into the car.” ”Did you pick it up?”
”What am I? A bellboy? My hands were full.”
”Don't look at me.” Cheaper shrugged. ”It was all I could do to keep from dropping you. You're heavy. Not that you're fat,”
he blurted when my gaze narrowed to dangerous slits, ”but you were dead weight at the time.”
”A lot of dead weight,” Cheap added.
This was not happening. First I'd lost Mordred. Now my shoe. ”That was a three hundred dollar pair.”
”You spent three hundred dollars on shoes?”
”They're special edition Cheyennes. Suede with leather soles. Fur-lined.”
”So?”
”So they're fur-lined. You just don't leave a shoe like that lying on the sidewalk somewhere.”
”I don't know if it fell off on the sidewalk. It could have just as easily fallen off in the alley or the parking lot. We had to drag you a little ways.”
My backside throbbed in testimony, and righteous anger bolted through me. ”If I weren't so weak, I'd crack your head against that wall.”
”I thought you had an aversion to blood.”
”I'll make an exception in your case.” I flashed him a little fang to prove my point and he stumbled back a few steps.
”Stand down, boys.” Merlin held up a hand. ”I think you'd better go, Miss Marchette. And I don't just mean back to the motel. Pack your bags and go back to New York.”
”I can't do that. I have a client here who's depending on me.”
He eyed me a long moment as if searching for something. ”Stay, then,” he finally said. ”But keep your distance from Mordred.
No looking for him. No asking around town about him. Leave him alone. Is that clear?” He held up his finger to further his point and I felt the unmistakable tightening around my throat again.
”Crystal,” I rasped.
”Good.” His hand dropped to his side and he smiled. ”Knock, knock,” he said as I pushed to my feet.
”Stuff a sock in it.” I stumbled past him and yanked open the door. His chuckle followed me out, along with the whisper soft promise, ”We'll be watching you.”
I limped around the outside of the Holiday Inn, stifled the urge to check myself in and found a dark spot where I could unleash my inner bat.
A few seconds later, I headed back to The Grande minus my shoe and Nina 's toothbrush. My head and legs hurt like a sonofab.i.t.c.h. I'd made a useless trip to Austin to be verbally abused by the twins from h.e.l.l. I 'd found Mordred, only to lose him.
And I'd had my afterlife threatened. Talk about a s.h.i.+tty night.
But at least one good thing had come out of it-I'd had confirmation that Mordred was, indeed, in town.
And if he was here, so was Esther.
T he flight back to the motel felt more like two hours than two minutes. Merlin had zapped my strength and my entire body felt as if I'd trudged up the Himalayas. The only thing I wanted was to crawl into bed.
Unfortunately, Nina had beat me to it. She was sprawled on top of the comforter. Three empty bottles of blood surrounded her and she was chugging a fourth. The television blazed, sending a sprinkle of shadows across the walls. Her tear -streaked face glistened in the dim light.
I immediately forgot my own misery in the face of hers.
Rob had called and it hadn't gone well. That was the only explanation for the waterworks.
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