Free Real Vampires Don't Diet by Gerry Bartlett Page A

dared to inch closer. "You called me your 'Big Gun.' Never a misfire. Just bang, bang, um, bang. I lost count of how many times I pulled your trigger."
    Valdez snorted and I bit my lip to keep from smiling. I did do mental eyerolls. Obviously I'd gotten a little carried away when doing the whole fantasy thing. I'd been stuck on Ray's hokey starting the New Year with a bang idea and the rest had snowballed from there.
    I could see Nathan about to start in again, his face flushed. I read his mind and quickly put my fingers over Nate's lips. I have a pretty wild fantasy life. Which has served me well when I'm up close and personal with my state-of-the-art vibrator. In fact, if I'd made it home, I'd planned a New Year's date with my always to be counted on lover. I didn't doubt Nate could have made me very happy between the sheets if his thoughts were any indication. But he was a man, Ray's friend, and not a piece of equipment I could toss in a drawer when I got tired of it. This situation had "Handle with Care" stamped all over it.
    "I'm sorry, Nate, but I can't talk about this now. I've got some serious things to discuss with the bodyguards. And don't you have the Sienna situation to deal with?"
    He glanced at his watch. "Yeah. She should be picked up at the airport in about an hour, then taken to the hotel. I guess I should think about meeting her there."
    "Yes, you should. Keep her away from Ray until we get his voice fixed."
    "I hope to hell it gets fixed." Nate looked at Valdez, then snagged my hand. I had to give him points for guts. My dog just stared at him. "Call me when you need my blood or whatever." He pulled my hand to his lips. "I mean it, Glory."
    "Right. You're a good friend, Nate. I know Ray appreciates it."
    Nathan dropped my hand. "Ray. Sure. This is all about Ray." His face fell and he grabbed the laptop. "Of course this was all about Ray. Appreciate the sacrifice, Glory. How could I forget? Rock star trumps paper pusher every time." Damn it. Now I'd hurt Nathan's feelings.
    "Nathan, wait!" I caught him at the bottom of the stairs. "Look at me." I pulled him around until I had him in my sights. I checked to make sure we didn't have an audience. "We were great together. Forget Ray." I kissed him long and hard. "Now I've got to talk to those bodyguards. I know you understand. Security first." And with that I almost ran toward the kitchen, Valdez on my heels.
    " He'd better keep that popgun in his holster ."
    "Do not make me laugh."
    Valdez sniffed as I opened the kitchen door. "Hmm. I could eat."
    In the kitchen, Will was in front of the stove seasoning a steaming pot. It smelled delicious and I wished for the ten millionth time that I could eat. Brittany, who's a shape-shifter, sure could. She sat at the round glass table with a full plate in front of her. She stuffed a loaded nacho into her mouth, then put the plate on the floor. It took Valdez about a nanosecond to clean it off.
    "Cruel and unusual. You guys really shouldn't eat in front of me." I sat down on one of the chairs at the table. There was a roar from the den. All the mortals were glued to the tube. I'm not a football fan, but I could hear bets being made about whether the favored team could score before halftime. Will had a pained look on his face and I knew he was itching to get in on the action. Not me, I never got into the sports betting scene.
    "Listen, guys, we need to talk." I nodded and the kitchen door closed. It didn't have a lock of course, but I could keep it closed with my mind against any feeble mortal trying to push it open.
    "Finally. Something happened to Ray and Glory out on the lake last night. What was it, Glory? Do you need for us to go out there?" Valdez looked up at Brittany and she wiped off his muzzle with her brown cloth napkin.
    "Trouble? Man, if those paparazzi have hired a boat, I'm gonna"
    "Relax, Brittany, that's not it."
    "More fans?" Will tasted his concoction. Since he said he'd trained at the Cordon Bleu in Paris