Page 92 of Fire Dancer
Well, I, for one, had no such plans. I was going to fix that nanny cam, then mingle my ass right out the door.
I eyed the giant screen that blocked the camera. It showed a stage, where curtains slowly drew open. A red dot and tiny text in one corner saidLive from the Met, and a stout woman in a red dress and a very hardworking push-up bra started to sing in warbly, ear-piercing notes.
An opera. I knew that much, even if I couldn’t tellToscafromAida. I was pretty sure they both died at the end, though.
The volume was low enough to stay in the background, as were the muted optics.
I slid my eyes over to Deirdre. The woman had the eyes of a hawk, and they were right on me.
Shit, shit, shit. How was I ever going to pull this off?
My throat was dry, and my fingers tingled as I fantasized about turning the whole place into an inferno. But that wouldn’tput Jananovich away, and it would risk innocent lives, like Delaney’s.
Her hands shook as we poured juice and water into glasses.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” I murmured, keeping my eyes down.
Her head whipped around in surprise. Then she looked down and continued pouring. “I do. I have to.”
Her voice was thin and shaky but packed with determination, and I wondered what misfortune had led her here.
Another helicopter thundered overhead, and we all followed it with our eyes.
I swallowed hard. The VIPs were arriving. Whatever was about to go down was officially in motion.
I closed my eyes briefly. Whatever happened tonight, I would get at least two people out alive. Myself and Delaney.
“They’re coming!” Kelly chirped from the doorway in excitement.
Excitement, like she couldn’t wait to lose a little — or a lot — of blood.
I’m told it’s quite a pleasurable experience.Jananovich’s words echoed through my mind.A real rush.
Ha. As much of a rush as Russian roulette, I figured.
The door opened, and the escorts lit up expectantly.
The first two guests were middle-aged men who would have fit in at any ordinary business shindig. Well, a high-end shindig, given those tailored suits and silk ties. They looked around with appraising eyes, then winked at each other. My sisters and I probably mirrored them when we stumbled across a great deal on brownie mix or ice cream at the supermarket, but yeesh. These were vampires.
Victor Jananovich strode in next, chuckling to the man at his side — a tall, thin man with gray hair and round glasses — the spitting image of John Lennon, if only he’d lived to old age. Mystomach turned at the deceptive similarity. John Lennon had been an artist, not a vampire, and he’d written beautiful songs about peace, love, and some really out-there psychedelic trips. This look-alike sucked innocent victims’ blood.
The flames in the fireplace beside me leaped and crackled. Deirdre frowned and fiddled with the damper.
My mind spun with ways to play that to my advantage.
The next guests were a man and a woman — er, vampire and vampiress — who wouldn’t have looked out of place in Marie Antoinette’s ballroom, minus powdered wigs and shoes with buckles. Otherwise, their clothes were just old-fashioned and flouncy enough to give off that rich, excessive vibe, and their teeth extended at the sight of the scrumptious menu spread out before them.
Thehumanmenu.
The couple looked to be about forty, but my gut told me they were much, much older. How many victims had they sucked dry over the centuries?
The blood drained from my cheeks when the vampiress made a beeline for Rob, while the man headed straight for Kelly. Astoundingly, the two escorts looked delighted. Maybe they were big tippers? That, or the vampires were so powerful, they could enthrall from a distance.
More guests entered until over a dozen were scattered throughout the huge living room. I glued a smile on my face as a distinguished Latino man approached with a dangerous gleam in his eye.
My heart rate tripled, then slowed down as he took a glass of wine and turned his back, more interested in surveying options other than me or Delaney. Whew.
But I wasn’t accomplishing anything from behind the drinks table. Not when the nanny cam was blocked. Working up mycourage, I grabbed two glasses of wine and headed across the room.