[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
of what I'd see. "I am sorry, Anita." She went for the door she'd first entered through. She seemed
embarrassed. Guess I couldn't blame her.
Cassandra had failed the bodyguard test. She was a powerful lycanthrope, but Sabin had totally
unnerved her. She'd have probably been just fine if the vampire had tried violence, but he'd just stood
there and rotted at her. What do you do when the monsters start being piteous?
The doors opened, and the crowd flowed in like a tidal wave, spilling in a wash of thunderous noise. I
slipped the gun back into the purse but didn't shut it.
Liv was at my elbow. "Your table is over here." I went with her because I didn't want to be alone in the
jostling crowd. Besides, she was suddenly taking my safety very seriously. Couldn't blame her. Sabin's
diseased body was a wonderful threat.
I'd have felt better if I hadn't believed Jean-Claude would do it. But I knew better. He'd give Liv to
Sabin. He really would. There was a look in the vampire's eyes that said she knew it, too.
16
The table was the largest of a string of small, black lacquer tables. It blended nearly perfectly with the
black walls. My dress matched the decor. I was really going to have to look into something in a different
color scheme. The table was set away from the wall, near the railing so that the growing crowd couldn't
block my view of the dance floor. It also meant that my back was exposed. I had scooted my chair so
that the wall was at my back, but I was very aware that the edge of the railing curved around on my right
side, so that someone could walk up and shoot me, relatively hidden from anyone else.
Of course, Liv was with me. She stood at my back, arms crossed over her stomach. All she needed was
Page 119
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
a sign over her head that flashed bodyguard.
Admittedly, my purse was open. The gun was within reach, and it was tempting to put it in my lap. I was
spooked, but that wasn't the point. We had a plan. The plan did not include the assassin being scared
away.
I touched Liv's arm.
She bent down.
"You're supposed to be unobtrusive."
She looked puzzled. "I'm supposed to keep you safe."
"Then sit down and pretend to be my friend. The trap won't work if I look like I'm being guarded."
She knelt by me; too far to bend down, I suppose. "I will not risk being given to Sabin. I don't care if
your assassin knows I'm here or not."
It was hard to blame her, but I was willing to make the effort. I leaned into her. "Look, either work with
the program, or get away from me."
"I obey Jean-Claude, not his strumpet."
As far as I could remember, I'd never done anything in my life to deserve being called a strumpet.
"Jean-Claude said if you failed him, he'd give you to the rotting corpse, right?"
Liv nodded. Her eyes searched the crowd behind me. She really was trying to do the job, and the effort
showed.
"He didn't say you'd be punished if I got hurt, did he?"
Liv's eyes flicked to me. "What are you saying?"
"If you scare away the hitter and spoil the plan, that's failure."
She shook her head. "No, that's not what he meant."
"He said never to fail him again."
I watched her try to work out the logic. I was betting that logic wasn't one of her strong points.
"Clever, Anita, but if you get killed, Jean-Claude will punish me. You know he will."
I was wrong. She was a lot smarter than she looked. "But if you spoil our plan, he'll punish you anyway."
Fear flashed through her eyes. "I'm trapped."
I felt sorry for her. Pity for two monsters -- no three -- in one night. I was losing my edge. "If I don't get
killed, I'll make sure you don't get punished."
Page 120
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"You swear it?" She said the phrase like it meant more. Giving your oath was not a casual thing to her. A
lot of vampires came from times when a man's or a woman's word was their bond.
"I give you my word."
She stayed kneeling for a moment longer, then stood. "Try not to get killed." She moved into the crowd,
leaving me on my own, like I'd asked.
The rest of the tables filled up quickly. The crowd spilled around the edges of the room on the raised
area around the dance floor. So many people stood at the fenced edges that if the table had been by the
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]