looks. I gave Hoodoo Mama a glare, but I couldn't be mad at Sprout. She was sweet beyond all measure.
"Okay, Sprout," I said. "What kind of bubbles do you want? Soapy? Rubbery?"
"Balls!"
"Rubbery it is."
I made an assortment of bouncy, soft, moderately tough bubbles. Sprout giggled and began to chase them around the room. Ever since Noel had dumped her in our lap, we'd been trying to think of ways to keep her happy. And not scared.
Once Hoodoo Mama had realized that Sprout was a child mentally, she was pissed as hell at Noel. "Fucker just dragged that poor little girl into the middle of all this shit about to go down," she hissed at me.
"She's in her thirties," I said.
"That don't mean dick." Her hands curled into fists and her breathing was harsh. "You can tell by looking at her that she's special."
"Well, her father is at the center of all this mess," I replied. "If you're going to be pissed at anyone, be pissed at him. He snatched Drake and set all of this in motion."
Hoodoo Mama's eyes narrowed. "Don't think I don't know that. That fucker will be sorry he messed with any of this."
Her rage was so pure and clean. I envied it. But I was also trying to avoid spending too much time with her. We hadn't talked about what had happened in the warehouse the night of the hurricane. Just thinking about it made me feel queasy. And excited. And confused.
I didn't know who I was anymore. I didn't make love to other girls. I mean, girls other than my girlfriend. But Hoodoo Mama had needed me then. And I had wanted to help her, but then things got carried away. And . . . and I was making excuses.
I left Hoodoo Mama with Sprout and walked across the hall to Bugsy's suite. Since the rest of the Committee had shown up, we'd taken over the entire top floor of the Royal Sonesta. I could hear the arguing through the door, but I knocked anyway.
". . .you bastard . . . Weathers . . ."
The door flew open. Bugsy had a pissed look on his face. Behind him it looked like an American Hero reunion. Except there were no cameras and no one was smiling. But the furniture was better. Nice Louis XVI - style couches and chairs. All done up in tasteful blues.
Drummer Boy was missing, though. I was still trying to decide if that was a good thing. He'd been an asshole during the show, but afterward, in Egypt, he wasn't as bad. And Curveball, Lohengrin, Rustbelt, Toad Man, and Brave Hawk were here in addition to my own team.
"Bad time?" I whispered.
Bugsy's body began to look fuzzy. He was going all insect-y on me. "It's not great," he replied.
Fortune was glaring at Noel. Curveball, Rusty, and Lohengrin were leaning against the far wall of the room. They all had their arms crossed and they looked pissed.
"I don't see what the big deal is about Weathers," said Gardener, leaning forward in her chair. "Between us, we can take him."
Noel rolled his eyes. "Honestly, John, where do you get these girls? TV? Weathers is terrifyingly powerful and completely mad - and he's been around longer than most of you have been alive."
Toad Man's tongue snapped out and popped loudly behind Noel's head. His tongue rolled back into his mouth and he morphed out of toad form. "You should really watch who you're being snotty to," he said. "Far as I know, you're a double-crossing, cross-dressing liar who shouldn't even be here."
I didn't say anything. Right now, Noel wasn't exactly on my Favorite People list. He'd been playing, well, everyone off each other. And Drake was in the soup because of him, no matter what excuse he gave.
Oh, and if my eavesdropping was accurate, he was also screwing Niobe. If he broke her heart, I would kick his sorry ass from here back to whatever warm-beer-drinking blood-pudding-eating dental-hygiene-impaired London borough he came from.
Chapter 24
"Fortune," he said in his most supercilious voice, "you should be able to rein your people in by now. Regardless of their opinion of me, we have Sprout now and a way to retrieve Drake. So that should make me - what's that American expression? Your new best friend."
A groan ran around the room. Noel was about as popular with the rest of the Committee as he was with me.
"Everyone calm down," Fortune said. He was looking tired. Then he stopped