This is important to Penny. She wants to meet Ian, scientist to scientist, and, if you're there, it will be all about old feuds and macho posturing." I frowned at the phone. I could practically hear Jerry seething. "Ian has no reason to hurt me. So you have no need to start up another war. Let me handle this."
"It's not 'macho posturing' if the man is a danger to you, Gloriana. The MacDonalds and the Campbells never miss a chance to hurt each other. I've told you that time and again. Remember the pain his diet drug caused you?"
"That was a fluke. And your feud is old news. You and Ian are ushering in a new age. A rational one." I sank down in a chair. "Come on, Jer, relax. I'll give you a full report when I get back. Better yet, come by the apartment and see the new furniture. I love it. We'll be back before dawn. Use your key, let yourself in and wait for me. We can have some alone time before the sun comes up." I picked up a black silk camisole that had come in from a shifter wanting to sell some old things. I loved it and it fit. I was going to put it on under my zebra print blouse, without a bra, and let Jerry discover it. Something to look forward to.
"You'll call me if you need me? Where does Caine live now?"
I could tell I'd dangled the right bait and he was calming down. "No idea. I'll call you from the car with the address. That way if I do need you, you can fly right out. How's that?"
"It makes me feel better. Should make you feel better too. Don't suppose Valdez is going along?" Jerry's voice had hardened. He'd hated to ask that question, but actually probably hoped Rafe was doing guard duty.
"No, and I won't ask him. It's Friday night. A busy night at his club. He needs to stay there." I opened the door into the shop and could see a new group of customers had just come in. "And we're busy too. Got to go. I love you, Jerry. See you later?"
"Count on it. Take care of yourself, Gloriana. And the fledgling too." He hung up.
I did feel that responsibility for Penny weighing heavily on me. She'd called at eleven and said she was heading over to N-V. Trey had been happy to hear from her and invited her to come listen to the band, then spend his lunch break with him at one o'clock. Penny had sounded thrilled and I sure wasn't going to forbid her.
I had called Rafe and warned him that my fledgling was still shaky on the bloodlust thing and to let his waitstaff know to keep an eye on her around mortals. He'd have them serve her plenty of the synthetic they kept on hand for vampires, only without the alcohol. Fortunately, he'd been too busy to talk for long or he might have pried out of me my plans for later in the evening.
I didn't need another of my overprotective males putting doubts in my mind about this meeting with Ian. I had enough of those already. Sure Ian was being great about rehabbing Ray, but he had his own reasons for wanting the rocker clean and sober. If he was going to use Ray as a guinea pig, he'd want him to be drug- and alcohol-free. Or at least that's what Ian had told me on the phone. Worked for me as long as Ray benefited in the long run.
At least the shop was busy and I made some good sales to the Friday-night crowd. Time flew by so I was surprised when the phone rang and I noticed it was two o'clock already.
"Rafe? What's up?" I knew this was closing time at N-V. He had to be really busy.
"Trey's not back from his break. He left with Penny an hour ago and now he's late. This isn't like him, Glory. He knows I need him here for closing." Rafe shouted at someone in the club. "Hang on."
I could hear noise in the background as Rafe issued orders. Trey and Penny late. Surely they hadn't . . .
"Okay, I'm back. I can't leave but there's a place not far from you where the shifters here like to hang out. The green belt along Town Lake. Can you go check it out? Trey's not answering his phone. Maybe you could