Free Downbeat (Biting Love) by Mary Hughes Page B

joined hand to hand. Another swat of the big foam clue bat, if I’d needed it. True, Halloween was only a few weeks away, but she’d put up only fangies. No pumpkins or witches or skeletons for her. She was like the Christmas elf for vampires. If there was a blank space on the wall, there was a vampire thing goin’ there.
    “Who was at the door?” Liese wandered in through the room’s back door, her eyes glued to a tablet computer perched on her distended belly. She’d always looked like a German milkmaid with her healthy face and blonde hair, and pregnancy had only increased her glow. “If it’s the band candy kid again, order some more boxes of chocolate turtles from the poor thing.”
    “I sold my last band candy years ago,” I said.
    She looked up and her face brightened. “Rocky, what a wonderful surprise!” She flung her arms wide and swooped in to hug me. Or more waddled in, but the spirit was there.
    I hugged her back carefully. Despite only being seven months along, her body was swollen and she’d mentioned her breasts were tender.
    “What are you doing here?” she asked.
    “I’ve got information.” I stepped back. Luke’s reaction to Zajicek had been toxic; Logan’s could only be worse. “First there’s a problem. I came here with someone. I don’t want to cause trouble, but—”
    “You never want to cause trouble. That’s what I like about you. So different from Nixie and Elena.”
    I shook my head. “Be fair. Elena’s police—trouble finds her. And Nixie is Nixie.”
    “True.”
    “But that’s part of the problem. My friend met up with Julian and Luke and…well, they didn’t fight, but it was uncomfortable. Sharply uncomfortable.” I smiled with my eyeteeth.
    She considered me for a second then nodded briskly. “Your news must be pretty important for you to risk coming, if that’s the case.”
    “Yes.” That was what I liked about Liese. She was smart and sympathetic. “Actually it was his idea. See, there’s been some difficulty with the CSUCS orchestra—”
    “Ah, Ms. Schmetterling. How good to see you again.”
    The three of us turned. Zajicek filled the front doorway, his black hair tousled by the wind as if he’d just had a romp in bed, his eyes sparkling wickedly.
    Zinnia and Liese gasped. I drooled. Zajicek glided in, all grace and power. A surge of me want rolled through my belly. I clenched my abdominals against it. Mistake—the added pressure sheared desire straight through me.
    “It’s Steel now.” Liese sounded breathless, and it wasn’t her pregnancy. “Not Schmetterling.”
    “My apologies.” He glided in and lifted her hand for a kiss. “I knew that.”
    “Zajicek.” A deep, lazy voice came from the other end of the room.
    Uh-oh . Slowly I turned.
    Leaning negligently against the doorjamb was a tall, lean, movie-star gorgeous guy with a shoulder-length mane of hair the color of sunshine.
    Logan Steel.
    He pushed off from the jamb and sauntered toward us. His gold-flecked hazel eyes gleamed with some emotion I couldn’t name—but I sure hoped it wasn’t murder. He has a deceptively lazy gait that covers the ability to leap instantly into action; in battle he’s decisive and deadly.
    At least I thought he was. I shook my head. It was kinda fuzzy, courtesy of Mr. Eraserhead Elias.
    And then to my utter surprise, Logan extended a hand to Zajicek.
    Zajicek shook the offered hand. “Steel. Good to see you again.”
    “And you. How’s the spying business?”
    Zajicek effected a pained sigh. “Please. I prefer information broker.”
    “Alias it up however you want, it still points to the same URL. Hear anything from the enemy camp?”
    “Steel, really. If I gave up every secret, who would trust me?”
    I was baffled by the almost playful banter. “Are you guys friends? ’Cause when Luke and Julian met Zajicek yesterday, I thought they were going to chop his head off.”
    “Use my name, drahý .” Zajicek smiled at me, soft and easy.