Succubus Shadows Page 0,30

present for Seth and Maddie. The price was certainly a bargain. We'd reduced it three times now, and still no one wanted to buy it.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I've got news that's going to rock your world. And make you think I'm even awesomer than you already do."

"That's a bold statement."

He paused, apparently trying to decide if he'd been complimented or insulted. "I just found out that Gabrielle's a fan of Blue Satin Bra."

"She never struck me as that type. I figured all of her lingerie would be black."

Doug gave me a withering look. "No, Kincaid. I don't mean that she wears one. I mean that she likes the group. Haven't you heard of them?"

"There's a group called Blue Satin Bra?" I shook my head. "Sorry. I can't keep up with every new garage band in Seattle."

"They aren't a garage band! They're the hottest thing to hit the metal scene. They're going to make it big."

I tried to hide my skepticism. Doug himself was in a band called Nocturnal Admission, and whenever he spoke about local bands, it seemed like everyone was on the verge of making it big.

"What's this got to do with Gabrielle again?"

Doug was clearly growing frustrated with me. "She's a huge fan - and they've got a concert tomorrow night. Unfortunately, it's all sold out. She was pretty bummed about it."

Despite his annoyance with me, I could sense the smugness within him. "Here it comes...."

Pride lit his features. "I'm friends with the bass player and managed to score some tickets. If your pal Cody approaches her with them..."

I paused in my stickering. "You're right. You did just get awesomer."

"You've got to go too, you know."

"I - what?" Me trailing along didn't sound romantic in the least.

Doug shrugged. "He can't just ask her out for an actual date. Not yet. He'll spook her."

"Then what exactly is he supposed to ask her out for?"

"I do the asking. I'll just be all like, 'Hey, Gabby, I got some extra tickets to the show. You want to go along with me and my friends?' Then she's off guard. She comes along, Cody's there, magic happens...."

"Wow," I said. "Looks like you've got it all figured out. And I don't think she likes to be called Gabby."

"This is a good plan." He was clearly very pleased with himself. "I've been around, Kincaid. When you get mad romantic skills like me, you'll understand."

I rolled my eyes. "We can only hope. So how many friends are going along exactly?"

"I scored four tickets. So: you, me, Cody, and Gabrielle."

"Sounds suspiciously like a double date. You trying your mad romantic skills on me?" It wouldn't be the first time.

"Hell no. Do I look suicidal? You're already claimed." For a minute, Seth came to mind, then Doug added: "I'm not getting on the bad side of that guy you're shacked up with. I mean, I can hold my own in a fight, but he looks like he could seriously fuck someone up."

"You have no idea," I muttered. No doubt Roman - lingering nearby invisibly - was loving this. "But we aren't involved. He's just my roommate."

"For now," said Doug ominously. He began a retreat. "I'll go invite Gabs. You tell Cody the deal and that you're going to be his wing-woman."

I shook my head after Doug left, wondering what I'd gotten myself into. His absurd comments about mad skills and wing-women aside, the whole casual group thing might be a gateway outing to get Gabrielle closer to Cody. I just hoped word of his Goth getup the other day hadn't gotten around to her. I also wondered what kind of experience I was getting myself into with Blue Satin Bra. Doug's bizarre industrial alternative music had grown on me over the years, but I had a feeling this concert would be a very different experience.

About an hour later, I was in my office when some unexpected guests popped their heads in. Well, one wasn't entirely unexpected. I'd found that even when Maddie wasn't working, there was never any real security. You couldn't count on her absence, not when her boyfriend and brother were often in the store. I could feel some safety when we didn't have the same shift, but I'd long accepted that Maddie could really show up at any moment.

No, the real surprise was that Maddie was in my office with Brandy Mortensen, Seth's niece. He had five of them, and she was the oldest. When Seth and I had dated, I'd grown pretty attached to