Part 23 (1/2)

I hoisted a heavy suitcase over my shoulder before I replied. G.o.d, what had she packed, bricks?

”A cherry orchard. But that hardly affected my complexion. The vampire who raped my mother gave me that.”

She clucked her tongue. ”Faith, I had difficulty believing Crispin when he told me what you were, but after two hundred years together, you take someone at their word.”

Nicely done. Throw in how long you've had him, like I don't already know. But two could play at low blows.

”I can't wait to hear all about you, Annette. Bones barely mentioned you at all, just something about how you used to pay him to have s.e.x with you when he was human.”

She gave an arch little curve of her lips. ”How charming that you call him by his acquired name. All his newer acquaintances do that.”

Acquaintances? My teeth ground. ”That was the name he gave me when we first met. We are who we become, not who we start out as.” He's not your boy toy anymore, got it?

”Indeed? Here I've always believed people truly never change from what they were to begin with.”

”We'll see about that,” I muttered.

With her numerous items weighing me down, we proceeded to the exit. As I followed behind her, I took the opportunity to study her. Her hair was shoulder-length and pale strawberry-blond, just lovely next to her peaches-and-cream skin. She was far more voluptuous than I, and about three inches shorter than my five-eight height. If she were human, I'd judge her to be in her mid- forties. That didn't sit in a negative column with her, though, because she gave off a smoldering, ripe sensuality that made youth look like a boring waste of time.

Bones took one look at me buried under all her luggage and vaulted over to a.s.sist. ”Blimey, Annette. You should have told me how many bags you had!”

”Oh, forgive me, Cat,” Annette chuckled in false apology. ”I'm accustomed to having an underling travel with me.”

”Don't mention it.” Tightly. Underling! Who the h.e.l.l did she think she was?

Luggage finally stored in the trunk, we drove off.

”When are the rest of our people arriving?” she queried, settling back in her seat. We drove a new vehicle, as my Volvo was known to Max. This was a loaded BMW. I'd ask Bones later where he got it.

”Today and tomorrow. By Friday, I reckon we'll all be in place.”

Annette sniffed, though it wasn't like she needed to clear her nose. ”I say, Crispin, how did Belinda get herself in Cat's little snare? I haven't seen her since your birthday six years ago, or was it five?”

”She got caught because she started running with a group who liked to bring home live meals.”

There was something cold in his tone that perked my ears up even as Annette's smile grew sly.

”Terrible. She must have really changed. Wasn't it only five years ago that we three got together?”

Bones glared at her in the rearview mirror right as I translated ”We three got together.” I was betting it hadn't been for tea.

And five years ago, Bones had been with me.

”Answer the question, honey. Was it six or five years ago that the three of you all f.u.c.ked? See, Bones already told me that he'd screwed Belinda, Annette, but thank you for letting me know you partic.i.p.ated also.”

Bones pulled the car to the shoulder of the road.

”I won't tolerate such rudeness, Annette,” he said, pivoting to face her. ”She knows b.l.o.o.d.y well what you're implying, as you can see, and I don't know why you feel the need to throw that up at her. You also know that it was eight years ago, before I met her, and I'll thank you not to entertain her with any more recollections.”

He sounded as p.i.s.sed as I felt. Annette glanced at me before raising her brows in feigned innocence.

”I apologize. Perhaps it was the long flight which made me forget myself.”

”Kitten.” Bones looked at me. ”Is that sufficient?”

No, it wasn't, and I'd have cheerfully thrown Her Majesty and her hundred pounds of baggage to the curb, but that wasn't mature.

”I think I can handle a little menage a trois reminiscing, but just for the record, Annette, you can forget any repeats involving the three of us.”

”Wouldn't dream of it,” she a.s.sured me with a gleam I caught from the rearview mirror. Oh, she and I weren't through. I'd bet my life on it.

The rest of the drive pa.s.sed without incident. Annette made arrangements for alternate accommodations after tonight, to my relief. Bones planned to tell Ian next week that he'd found me, and he'd pretend to capture my three captains the following week.

And somewhere in the midst of worrying about Ian, the safety of my men, my father actively trying to kill me, and Bones successfully winning his freedom, I had the image of Annette, Belinda, and Bones doing the naked pretzel in my mind. G.o.dd.a.m.n her. That was the last thing I needed to think about.

When Annette heard the part of the plan involving my men, she was fascinated.

”Mere humans? Willingly walking into Ian's den as his collateral? Oh, Crispin, you must let me meet them. Can we have them for supper tonight?”

”She better mean to dinner with real food on the table,” I muttered.

”Why, Cat, that's precisely what I meant. Can't have me eating the bait, now can we?” She chuckled.

Bones glanced at me. I shrugged. ”It's not such a bad idea to have them meet first. Maybe it will make them less jittery about this whole Army of Darkness thing.” Or more so, depending on Annette.

”Whatever you like. I don't care. If they agree, I'll pick them up when I get Rodney. He's our other guest tonight.”

”Rodney the ghoul?” How low I had slipped on the Humanity Totem Pole to be so excited about seeing a flesh-eater again, although that would complicate my menu. ”Oh, I liked him. He didn't get angry no matter how many times my mother insulted him.”

Bones gave me a sideways smile. He'd just finished taking Annette's bags to her room. She was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping tea. I sat on the couch with a tall gla.s.s of gin and tonic that was almost empty.

”Wait.” I hated saying this in front of Queen b.i.t.c.h, but whispering was redundant. ”Is he...I mean, because of the last time we met...does he hate me?”

It was Rodney's house we'd been staying at years ago when I left Bones. The two of them had gone out on an errand, and there had no doubt been an unpleasant scene when they returned to find it empty.

Bones sat next me, setting my gla.s.s down.

”Of course he doesn't hate you. He was right sore at Don for threatening you, although we didn 't know who'd done it then. As far as your mother-well. She didn't make a friend.”

I gave a watery laugh. ”She seldom does.”

He leaned closer. ”Actually, he's a bit unsettled himself about seeing you again, but not for that reason. Rodney thought perhaps you'd be upset with him over Danny.”

Ah. I'd forgotten about that. The murder of my ex-boyfriend hadn't ranked high on my current list of worries. Poor Danny.