he said us . There is only one kind of us for a werewolf and that is the pack. It is first and foremost, alpha and omega, chicken and egg.
Our faces were close now, inches apart. Paul smelled like sunshine and musk. I doubted any of it was cologne. My belly tightened. “And what do you think?” I asked, my voice unexpectedly thick.
“I think that if Chuck says to leave it alone, I leave it alone.” Paul didn’t budge. I didn’t either. I wondered if Chuck had given any instructions regarding little ole me.
“Any interest in stopping by there later and checking it out with me? Sunset’s not for a while yet,” I said. I wasn’t sure what was in there, but I’d be willing to bet that the chances of something crawling out of those holes in the floor would double once night fell.
He gave his head a fraction of a shake. “It’s not pack business so it’s not my business.”
I sighed and stood up. Fine, then, I’d be on my own. What else was new? “Thanks for the beer,” I said.
“Anytime,” he said, grinning again. Then he was off to help the next customer, and I made my way over to Norah and Tanya.
I begged a stool off one of the other tables and pulled it up to where they were perched. They had margaritas. They were wearing pink and seafoam green halter tops with matching stripy skirts. I still had on my black tank top and jeans. Maybe I wasn’t a real girl. I don’t know why I kept bothering to pretend.
“So it looks like the bartender is totally into you,” Tanya said. “He’s totally still checking you out.”
“You mean Paul?” I said. “He’s just an old friend.”
“Well, it looks like he wants to be an old friend with benefits,” Norah said and laid her hand on my forearm.
I glanced over my shoulder. Paul was still watching me with a hungry look on his face. Therein lay the problem with getting involved with werewolves. I never quite knew whether they were planning on eating me, humping me or peeing on me. I’m not sure they knew half the time. Besides, Grandma Rosie always says that if you lay down with dogs, you’ll wake up with fleas. Just thinking about it made me want to scratch.
4
THE SUN DOESN’T SET IN SACRAMENTO IN JUNE UNTIL NINE o’clock. I chatted with Norah and Tanya and nursed my beer until eight forty-five. They’d already caught the attention of a couple of well-muscled young men. I didn’t need to watch any more of the mating dance between the four of them. It was just too depressing. Hardly anyone even noticed when I left. Your life has gotten pretty pathetic when you can still feel lonely surrounded by people.
Paul gave me a little wave from behind the bar as I left. “Watch your back,” he mouthed at me as I swung the door open.
Yeah, right. Like that was even possible.
I was back in the Buick, slouched low by the time the sun hit the horizon. It had been a long day, even for me, and my eyelids felt heavy. I blinked them open.
For the next half hour, I might as well have napped. It was toasty warm inside the Buick, and there was about as much action at the Bok Kai Temple as you’d expect on a Friday night. Those Taoists. They’re quite the partiers. Not.
I was beginning to wonder if I was wasting my time. It was quite likely I was, but to be honest, I didn’t know what else to do and I had to do something. Ninja dudes using tai chi had attacked me and taken my delivery. Taoist priests use tai chi. I couldn’t help feeling my best course of action was to watch the local Taoists to see if anything shook loose, especially when the local Taoists clearly had something to hide.
At ten fifteen, I was rewarded for my efforts, if you consider having your life suddenly become a whole lot more complicated to somehow be rewarding. At any rate, three black Lincoln Navigators with tinted windows pulled up to the temple and then around back to the
Our faces were close now, inches apart. Paul smelled like sunshine and musk. I doubted any of it was cologne. My belly tightened. “And what do you think?” I asked, my voice unexpectedly thick.
“I think that if Chuck says to leave it alone, I leave it alone.” Paul didn’t budge. I didn’t either. I wondered if Chuck had given any instructions regarding little ole me.
“Any interest in stopping by there later and checking it out with me? Sunset’s not for a while yet,” I said. I wasn’t sure what was in there, but I’d be willing to bet that the chances of something crawling out of those holes in the floor would double once night fell.
He gave his head a fraction of a shake. “It’s not pack business so it’s not my business.”
I sighed and stood up. Fine, then, I’d be on my own. What else was new? “Thanks for the beer,” I said.
“Anytime,” he said, grinning again. Then he was off to help the next customer, and I made my way over to Norah and Tanya.
I begged a stool off one of the other tables and pulled it up to where they were perched. They had margaritas. They were wearing pink and seafoam green halter tops with matching stripy skirts. I still had on my black tank top and jeans. Maybe I wasn’t a real girl. I don’t know why I kept bothering to pretend.
“So it looks like the bartender is totally into you,” Tanya said. “He’s totally still checking you out.”
“You mean Paul?” I said. “He’s just an old friend.”
“Well, it looks like he wants to be an old friend with benefits,” Norah said and laid her hand on my forearm.
I glanced over my shoulder. Paul was still watching me with a hungry look on his face. Therein lay the problem with getting involved with werewolves. I never quite knew whether they were planning on eating me, humping me or peeing on me. I’m not sure they knew half the time. Besides, Grandma Rosie always says that if you lay down with dogs, you’ll wake up with fleas. Just thinking about it made me want to scratch.
4
THE SUN DOESN’T SET IN SACRAMENTO IN JUNE UNTIL NINE o’clock. I chatted with Norah and Tanya and nursed my beer until eight forty-five. They’d already caught the attention of a couple of well-muscled young men. I didn’t need to watch any more of the mating dance between the four of them. It was just too depressing. Hardly anyone even noticed when I left. Your life has gotten pretty pathetic when you can still feel lonely surrounded by people.
Paul gave me a little wave from behind the bar as I left. “Watch your back,” he mouthed at me as I swung the door open.
Yeah, right. Like that was even possible.
I was back in the Buick, slouched low by the time the sun hit the horizon. It had been a long day, even for me, and my eyelids felt heavy. I blinked them open.
For the next half hour, I might as well have napped. It was toasty warm inside the Buick, and there was about as much action at the Bok Kai Temple as you’d expect on a Friday night. Those Taoists. They’re quite the partiers. Not.
I was beginning to wonder if I was wasting my time. It was quite likely I was, but to be honest, I didn’t know what else to do and I had to do something. Ninja dudes using tai chi had attacked me and taken my delivery. Taoist priests use tai chi. I couldn’t help feeling my best course of action was to watch the local Taoists to see if anything shook loose, especially when the local Taoists clearly had something to hide.
At ten fifteen, I was rewarded for my efforts, if you consider having your life suddenly become a whole lot more complicated to somehow be rewarding. At any rate, three black Lincoln Navigators with tinted windows pulled up to the temple and then around back to the
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