"Let's all go out and see what the damage is before we start ripping out throats." Lily had her father's calm. Or at least that's the way I saw it. "Drac, you're crawling into that Dumpster."
"But, darling, I have on my new Gucci loafers." Drac pouted as he followed Lily out the back door. We were quite a parade into the alley. I heard a flush as we went through the back room.
"Nathan, stay where you are and keep the door locked. Don't come out until I tell you to." Luke laughed. "That flimsy door isn't going to protect anyone."
Valdez growled. "Keep talking and you'll see who protects who around here."
"Calm down." Lily had stopped outside next to the Dumpster. We all groaned. Mugs and Muffins had obviously dumped some soured milk produces recently. The enhanced vamp sense of smell really wasn't helping matters. "Drac, get in there."
"He's probably dead. This is good waste disposal. Don't you think?" Drac looked around for approval. Luke and Benny were all for it. "Clever, Drac."
"Efficient."
"He'd better not be dead. And you're not getting out of it. Take off your shoes. Those look like expensive jeans. Drop them if you want to and climb in. Pull the guy out. We want to check his vitals for ourselves." Lily had her hands on her hips, obviously the alpha in this pack.
"I'm going commando, love. I might shock Glory." Drac grinned in my direction.
"What'll shock her is how little your package is. Now get in there."
Valdez and Ray slapped paw to hand while I did my best to keep a straight face. Drac gave them a dirty look. Luke and Benny weren't laughing, which made me think Lily pretty much spoke the truth. Drac muttered an obscenity, rolled up his jeans and leaped up and into the stinky mess.
"Here he is, on top of a pile of, shit, well, not shit, but what must be egg shells and old baked goods of some kind. I'm throwing him out."
"No!" Ray and I screamed it at the same time.
"You'll kill him that way, darling" Lily looked at me and rolled her eyes, like that's what you get when you choose beauty over brains. "Carry him out and bring him into Glory's back room."
We all watched Drac leap out of the Dumpster, a limp Barry in his arms. Drac walked over to the back door, then laid the mortal on the oak table. Luke carried Drac's shoes inside and we all crowded into the room to assess the situation.
"I can see him breathing." Ray hovered over Barry. "Nate, get out of the bathroom and bring some wet paper towels."
"The rest of you can go back into the shop." I glanced at Drac's filthy feet. "After you clean up, Drac." Lily shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Caine. I guess this is a friend of yours?"
"My publicist. And a friend." Ray took the wad of paper towels from a wide-eyed and speechless Nate and began washing Barry's pale face. "Glory, what do you think?"
"You're right, he's still breathing. I'll look at him more closely in a minute. Lily, I appreciate what you did with Drac." I saw him come out of the bathroom, roll down his jeans and slip into his shoes. He had a sullen look on his handsome face and he really wasn't happy with his lover. When he'd stepped into the store and closed the door, I continued. "Drac's quite a handful, isn't he?"
"Yes, but I made him during a lust-filled weekend when I was basically out of my mind, so he's my responsibility. I should have known better." Lily sighed. "I may have to stake him some day if he goes too far. But I'm quite fond of him. It's a tough choice."
"Well, I hope Blade is your father. Because you're a daughter he'd be proud to acknowledge." I hugged her.
"Thanks, Glory. I'd better get out there. Sienna's just his type. We have an open relationship, but I still have to keep an eye on things. You know what I mean?"
Oh, God, did she sound like her father. "Yes, I do." I turned to look at Barry. Besides the puncture wounds at his neck that Drac hadn't bothered to heal, he was obviously weak from blood loss. He probably could benefit from a transfusion, but that wouldn't be happening. You don't just show up at an emergency room and ask for one. And our blood would turn him vampire. Definitely not happening. He was going to have to sleep it off.
"He'll be okay, Ray. I'll heal those puncture wounds and he should be fine by tomorrow. Lily, do you think Drac bothered to erase Barry's memory of the feeding?" So far, I didn't have reason to believe Drac had done anything right.
"I wouldn't take a chance that he did or didn't." She leaned down and licked the puncture wounds closed. "Here, let me show you a trick I learned in Europe." She put her hands near his heart and pressed. Like a vampire version of CPR or a shot with high voltage. Barry suddenly sat up, alert and wide-eyed. Lily immediately locked eyes with him and told him that he had had an accident and had fallen in a Dumpster. His clothes were a mess and he was lucky that his friends Ray and Glory had found him and brought him into her shop. Then she snapped her fingers.
"Oh, my God! Ray? I swear I only had one martini with dinner. That Dumpster came out of nowhere." Barry tried to get off the table but fell back.
"They must have made it a triple, my friend." Ray helped Barry sit up. "Hate to tell you this, but you reek." Barry sniffed. "No lie. Glory, sorry about this. I need to talk to you soon about the engagement. Get a quote or two. Not tonight. Still feel woozy." Barry rubbed his head. "Better call me a cab."
"Will do. You lie back and rest. I'll come get you when it gets here." Ray helped Barry settle back down again and the rest of us left the storeroom. Valdez trotted back to the front door, which Bri had unlocked again. Sienna was at the counter with three dresses and a sweater. "There you are. Glory, I just love this place." She leaned closer. "So many hot guys. Girlfriend, this is a treasure trove." She glanced at Drac who was giving her hungry looks. "I slipped that one my private number."
"Uh, Sienna, please. He's not That is, his girlfriend's really jealous. I wouldn't go there. They say they're free to date others, but I don't believe it." I began to ring up her sales. "I'm giving you the family discount, not that you need it, of course. And Bri gets the commission."
"Thanks, boss." Bri happily wrapped up the sweater and left the dresses on the hangers. Sienna whipped out a credit card. "What about the other two guys? I can dig the Goth look and they are so incredibly hot. Oh, what am I saying? I'm leaving Austin in a few days. Long-distance relationships don't work. Ian and I broke up this weekend." Her eyes filled. "That's why the retail therapy."
"I'm sorry." I put my hand on hers. "But you're right. Wait till you get home to L.A. Then you can find someone."
"Los Angeles?" Luke strolled up to the counter. "My home town. I'm heading there next. This was just a quick stop." He leaned close to Sienna and began talking about hot spots and bars in L.A., even Rodeo Drive, convincing me, at least, that he'd actually been there. I tried to read his mind, but no go.
This was bad news. And Sienna was leaning into him, smiling and tossing her hair. Great, nothing like starting a vampire coven of rock stars with Ray as the first in the circle. I wouldn't put it past Luke to use some mind control on Sienna to get her interested. But, unfortunately, he was hot enough not to need it.
Nathan hovered nearby, obviously trying to decide whether taking on a vampire would be a suicide mission or not. I could read his mind easily. He was determined to be the one to leave here with Sienna. That determination, along with his rare blood type, made him a marked man. I grabbed Ray's arm and whispered instructions in his ear.
Blade walked in just as Sienna was signing her charge slip. He looked around, quickly assessing the situation like he always did. What he saw obviously didn't make him happy. He ignored my huddle with Ray for the moment and crooked his finger at Lily. Surprisingly, she walked up to him.
"What the hell is this gang doing here?"
"I had to bring them somewhere. I wanted to see Glory's shop." Lily kept her chin up and didn't sound a bit defensive.
"I don't like it."
"Lily is welcome here." I felt Ray's arm slip around my waist but decided flinging it off would be undignified. "She was very helpful earlier."
"With what?"
Hmm. Not a question I wanted to answer. Of course at that moment a cab honked out front.
"I'll be right back, babe." Ray grinned and kissed my cheek, then headed to the back room. He came out with a pale, weak and reeking Barry who staggered through the store and out to the waiting taxi. Since Barry also smelled strongly of vampire, Jerry didn't have to look far to figure out what Lily had needed to help with.
"What's wrong with Barry?" Sienna rushed to the publicist's side.
"Food poisoning. And an accident with a Dumpster. Grab the door, would you, Sienna?" Ray was handling Barry gingerly, like he really didn't want to come away with milk slime on him.
"A Dumpster?" Sienna stepped back when she got a whiff of him. "God, what else was in there?"
"Don't know. I'm lucky to be alive," Barry mumbled. "Ate bad clams, maybe, or something in that martini at dinner. God, I feel weak. Don't touch me, Sienna. Maybe it's the flu. Might be contagious."
Bad timing. The cabbie heard that and sped away.
Ray looked at me. "Okay, looks like I'm giving you a ride to your hotel, Barry. Glory, baby, see you later. Nathan, you take Sienna to her hotel for me. I'm counting on you, bud." Flashbulbs popped. Paparazzi. "Fellas, give us a break. My publicist got food poisoning. You want a headline? Israel Caine on mission of mercy. Takes ailing friend to doctor. What? Not sensational enough?" Ray shot the finger. Okay, that got him some flashes.
I shook my head. Sienna followed him out, Nathan behind her, his arms full of clothes. The paparazzi went crazy, screaming questions. She stopped and posed.
