The Tome of Bill (Book 6): Half A Prayer by Rick Gualtieri Page A

even think about it’ variety. I was told we’d better have our asses on a plane heading west by the time he was finished hanging up on me.”
    The “we” part of that line caught my attention. That was good. It meant they hadn’t been savvy to my plans to make contact with Sheila. Although I’d been uncomfortable including Christy, it had been the smart thing to do. If Colin had been telling the truth, and I had no real reason to doubt he was, and had I opted to drive to upstate New York, they’d have probably tailed my ass right to her doorstep.
    How was that for irony? I’d been trying to tell Sheila she had nothing to fear from me, while at the same time, it had just been dumb luck that I hadn’t led the vampire nation straight to her. Maybe she was right about her decision after all.
    “That’s kind of odd, don’t you think?” I asked, trying to push thoughts of Sheila from my mind for the time being as I continued pushing through the crowd.
    “Which part?”
    “All of it. Usually, the Draculas are far too happy to throw me to the wolves.” I stopped when I noticed that a young boy walking alongside me had looked up at my mention of the D word. “Errr...I’m talking about a movie I saw.” I quickly hurried my pace to catch up to Sally. “Also, it sounded like James was pretty sure they’d be keen on icing this guy as quickly as possible. What happened to that?”
    “That’s what I thought too, but Colin wasn’t overly forthcoming with information. It was pretty clear this was one of those disobey-at-your-own-risk-type things.”
    “It’s not like you to...”
    “I pick my fights. Making more enemies when we still haven’t killed the old ones didn’t seem like my idea of a smart strategy.” She glanced out of the corner of her eye at me. “Don’t worry. I have a feeling we’ll be pulled back into the loop when they’re good and ready to do so. For now, let’s just enjoy the break.”
    At last, we reached the front of the terminal. Sally stopped and looked at me expectantly. Almost without realizing I was doing so, I opened the door for her and we stepped out into the warm night air.
    “Not bad,” she said. “Maybe you’re not a lost cause after all, but we still have a lot of work to do if I’m gonna whip your ass into shape.”
    “What do you mean by that?”
    She began walking again. After a moment, it became obvious her destination was a long black limo waiting at the curb. A tall man with thinning blonde hair held the door open for her. Just as she reached it, she turned to face me. “Welcome to Pandora Coven, Bill Ryder. Mind your manners.”
    “ My manners?”
    “Yes. I’d suggest you remember that from here on in, the game has changed.”
    “Oh?”
    “For starters, I’m in charge. Don’t worry - if you forget, I’ll be sure to remind you.”
    Oh, crap. I had a sinking feeling I was better off letting Sheila disintegrate me.
     

All Settled In
    The flimsy plywood gave way as my body slammed through it. It wasn’t the hardest I’d ever been hit, but it had been perfectly placed, catching me straight on the jaw. I probably could have either blocked it or stepped out of reach before it had connected, but alas, I’d been too busy enjoying the expression on Sally’s face. What can I say? Some things just never stopped being funny.
    Of course, humor was a relative concept when one found oneself in an uncontrolled thirty-foot freefall at the hands of a pissed off vampire. On the upside, at least I didn’t have to worry about hurting anyone other than myself. The squatters had figured out weeks ago that the main stage was best left clear of people and possessions.
    There was likewise no need to fret about interrupting any dancers in the middle of a set. Tragically, it had been over a month since the last pair of tits had been flashed on stage to the beat of trashy music. That’s when the main power had gone out for good and the denizens of Vegas had been forced to stop