“The only rule is, don’t lay hands on them.” Tai made a face. “No matter how up in your face they get, decking one of them is really bad. If they create too much of a problem, we just call the cops.” Geez, this was sounding better and better.
“So, only this room and mine have people in them? Where do you guys stay?”
Tai pointed toward the extra bedroom. “Neither of us have families or anything, so we crash there. We’re out at all bizarre hours of the night, so most of the time we take turns sleeping during the day, just in case she needs us for something. Everything else on this floor is empty, since Gretchen tossed all the freeloaders out a couple weeks ago.”
“And good riddance,” Bobby muttered.
So far, my suspected bad guy list consisted of a big fat lot of nothing, sad to say. But disgruntled moochers sounded like motivation. “Who were they? The people she tossed?”
“Just…people. Hollywood people. Gretchen had a party…oh, about a month ago? Opened up the other rooms so folks could crash here if they wanted. Only some of them didn’t leave. Apparently had no intention of leaving, sponging off the room, charging up room service.” The older man made a face that indicated what he thought of such freeloaders. “Then last week, Gretchen got fed up with it and booted them all out. Didn’t break my heart any, they were making security a nightmare.”
Tai chuckled, shaking his head. “You thought earlier was bad, you shoulda seen her then. I swear, lightning was gonna come down and smite them dead, the way she was going on.”
“What about Dante? He’s still here.” The groupie had vanished while I was unpacking, so I still didn’t have a good feel for him yet.
“Dante? Hell, they’ve been friends since they were in diapers, you hear them tell it. He’s kinda permanent. Good guy. Little loud. He’ll flirt with just about anything that moves, including you, but he doesn’t mean anything by it. It’s just his way. Most of the time, when she’s on the warpath, he can get her to chill out. She yelled at him for tracking mud across the carpet last week, but I think that’s the only time I’ve ever seen her mad at him.”
The doorbell rang, and Bobby tossed the remote to Tai as he got up to answer it. I turned to watch, curious as to what kind of visitors Miss Keene got on a daily basis. What exactly did a movie star
“Hey, Reggie. ’Sup, man?”
Reggie was the agent, or so I’d been told, and I was real interested to see who this guy was. More importantly, I was interested to see
He looked normal enough, I’ll give him that. Older than me, if I had to guess, but out here in the Botox-and-lipo belt, his exact age was impossible to determine. A nice tan, probably fake but well done. Personal trainer kinda body, not overly muscular, but no visible fat. Slacks and a polo shirt with a real polo guy on it. Highlighted, sandy hair. Not at all as stuffy and high-strung as I’d expected. I’d dealt with agents before (it hadn’t gone well), and Reggie didn’t fit in the little shoebox in my head labeled “agent.”
Bobby stepped back to let the newcomer in, affording me a good look at the guy’s face when he passed through my newly placed ward. If I hadn’t been watching for it, I’d have missed it entirely.
Reggie stepped over the threshold and there was a slight hesitation in his stride. Not a stumble, really, but a hiccup when he should have put his foot down. In fact he tapped the floor twice with his foot, as if feeling for the floor beneath him uncertainly. Once he had his bearings again, he glanced behind him, and when he turned back, his eyes landed on me with a thoughtful look. “And this must be Mr. Dawson.”
“Yessir.” I stood, offering my hand, but he had to cross the floor to take it. As he reached for my hand, I kept a close eye on his other arm. Nope, no black, wriggling tattoos. If he was demon-sworn, he hid it better than anyone I’d ever seen. “And you’re Reggie.”
“Yes.” His grip was warm and firm, and when he let go, he produced a business card for me. As I examined it, he nodded toward the door. “You come highly recommended by certain parties. I see that you more than live up to your reputation.” So he had sensed the ward. And more than that, he knew what it was, and that I’d set it. Our Reggie was turning out to be a rather interesting fellow.
“Well, I try not to make liars out of people. I’m just glad I can help.” I might have said more—dunno what, really—but Her Highness chose that moment to make her reappearance.
“Reggie!” A far cry from the cold orders she’d snapped earlier, Gretchen now sounded as joyful as a child, all but bounding from her sanctuary to throw her arms around the agent’s neck. And oh look, she had clothes on now. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here. Julianne is being positively
The sandy-haired man chuckled and untangled himself from his enthusiastic client. “All right, princess, let’s see what I can do with Julianne, hm?” He patted her head like a fond papa.
Gretchen gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks. She likes you better than me anyway.”
As Reggie disappeared into Gretchen’s room, she fixed her gaze on her bodyguards. “We’re going to Purgatory tonight. Black.” Almost as an afterthought, she noticed me standing there too. One elegantly sculpted brow rose in disdain as she looked me up and down. “I suppose you’re going too.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
She sniffed, the wrinkle to her nose letting me know exactly what she thought I was there for. “Dress in all black, if you can find something that isn’t too disgusting.” With a whirl, she vanished into her tiny little kingdom again.
Tai snorted a laugh. “Hell, she likes you.”
I raised a brow at him. “How can you tell?”
“She’s letting you come, for one thing,” Bobby chimed in. “And she didn’t order you to wear a suit she knows damn well you don’t have.”
“I could have a suit.” I didn’t, but I also didn’t think anyone had had a chance to rifle through my luggage. Yet.
