Free Bad Blood by Mari Mancusi

tell her. “These are vampires, you know. And some of them very well might be evil.”
    Rayne looks unconvinced, so I add, “I brought you the purple wig . . .”
    She grins. It’s her favorite, I know. “Well, in that case, let’s go Cosplay.”
    We head into the bathroom and I rummage through my bag, pulling out our wigs. They’re not the most subtle choices, of course, hers being the aforementioned purple and mine a fluorescent pink. But it’s Vegas, right?
    Anything goes.
    I hand Rayne her wig and shove mine on my head. Then I add a pair of blackrimmed reading glasses I found on David’s nightstand. Perfect. I glance in the mirror. Now we’re completely disguised and will be able to spy to our hearts’
    content without anyone even having a chance of recognizing us.
    “Sunny, Rayne?”
    Huh? We whirl around, realizing too late that Magnus’s blond, bitchy secretary (who’s a ringer for Marcia Brady) has entered the bathroom and is currently giving us a snotty once-over. Hmm. Guess our disguises aren’t as foolproof as I’d hoped they’d be . . .
    “What are you guys doing here? And with those crazy wigs!” She shakes her head. “Is that what passes for fashion in the mortal world these days? God, I’m glad I’m a vampire.”
    Lovely. There have to be at least three hundred vampires at this consortium and we have to run into the one I like least of all first thing. The one who, I might add, would happily cut in line to be the first to sell me out to her boss. If I don’t do something quick, Magnus is going to know I’m in Vegas in three seconds flat.
    Think, Sunny! My mind races desperately, trying to come up with a plan. Something—anything to distract her from telling on me. But I’m completely coming up blank. I glance over at my sister, praying for Rayne’s intervention.
    “Oh, Marcia, I’m so glad we’ve found you!” Rayne suddenly cries, throwing her arms around Marcia and pulling her into a huge hug. She’s stiff as a board and when my sister pulls away she’s wearing a very annoyed and confused expression on her face.
    “ You were looking for me ?” she repeats skeptically.
    “Why yes,” Rayne says, nodding her head so vigorously she has to straighten her wig afterward. “Well, technically Magnus is. Evidently he left some really important papers back in his hotel room. Stuff he desperately needs for his next meeting.”
    “Oh!” Her eyes widen with concern. I smile smugly, liking my sister’s plan already. If I know one thing about Marcia it’s that she’s obsessed with Magnus and would do anything to help him. Then she narrows her eyes suspiciously.
    “So why doesn’t he just go get them?” she asks. “After all, they’re just an elevator ride away.”
    Good point. Damn. But Rayne wasn’t giving up. “Oh please,” she says, shooting her a disdainful look. “Do you have any idea how crazed Lord Magnus is tonight? His schedule is jam-packed. He doesn’t have time to run errands. That’s why he has a secretary to begin with.”
    “Executive assistant,” she corrects. As if there’s a difference. And what’s Rayne’s plan here, anyway?
    “Will you go get his papers, Marcia?” Rayne asks, eyes wide and pleading. “I mean, I’d have Sunny go, but she’d just mess everything up—being a dumb, silly human and all.”
    I bristle a little at that last statement, but remind myself it’s for a good cause.
    “Of course,” Marcia says, straightening her shoulders with pride. “The last thing Lord Magnus needs is for you two clowns to be rummaging around his things. I’ll go and deliver his papers to him. You can go back to playing slots or whatever it is you’re wasting time doing here.”
    “Do you know the room number?” Rayne asks sweetly.
    She gives me a smug look. “Room twenty-one-forty-three, of course,” she sniffs. “Lord Magnus tells me everything .”
    “Of course he does,” Rayne agrees, smiling patronizingly. “And he’s given you a key