Or George.
Or Barry.
Well, at least there was one bright spot.
My cell phone vibrated, and I grabbed it out of my purse to look at the screen.
G CALLING.
The day was not looking up.
I considered letting it go to voicemail, but then with a glance at George, whose attention was firmly fixed on the Gardiner Expressway, I pressed the talk button.
“Yes?” I began.
“Did your appointment with the young wizard go well?” Gideon asked.
The hair on my arms raised. He seemed to know almost every move I made as if he had supernatural powers instead of spies. It was so unnerving. “It didn’t.”
“You’re still cursed?”
“Afraid so.”
“Who is it?” George asked, reaching over to lower the volume on the radio. “Is it Amy?”
“Nope,” I told him. “Definitely not Amy.”
“Amy’s having a facial right now after receiving a French manicure,” Gideon informed me.
“At a quaint little spa slash hair salon called Studio V. She tips exactly 15 percent, in case you were wondering.”
A vampires-only business probably wouldn’t be thrilled to learn that somebody like
Gideon had discovered it. Easily, too. Any sense of security from hunters I’d ever felt vanished. We thought our vampire clubs were remotely safe from harm?
“I can’t talk,” I said.
“Wouldn’t want George to know about our little partnership.”
“I’d hardly call it that.” I swallowed as I thought about how I had left him last night in his hotel room. “So, are you feeling better today?”
“See, I knew you cared about me.”
I gritted my teeth. “Hardly. But you were in pretty bad shape.”
“I thought I was looking pretty good now, all things considered.” He was quiet for a moment. “But you’re right. I’m not well. If I can hold on for two more days everything will be better.”
“What do you want? Or did you just call to remind me about that? Can’t you leave me alone until I absolutely have to see you again?”
“If I leave you alone, you go running out of town to try to change things. Maybe if you could try behaving yourself for a few more days, then I might be inclined to give you more space.” Some of the charm had left his deep voice. This was my warning. My slap on the wrist. Did he know how close I’d come to screwing up his plans?
“I am behaving myself.”
“I know you saw Thierry this morning. I’m fairly certain we agreed that wouldn’t happen.”
I felt fingers of panic reach toward my heart and squeeze. “It was nothing, just a coincidence he was there. I didn’t mean to see him.”
“I believe you.” But there was something in his voice that made me think he didn’t believe me. I’d made him doubt me. “Please don’t let it happen again.”
“Well, since you said please.”
“I have to see you later. I need something from you.”
“What? Witty repartee? You dialed the wrong number.”
“Something else. Come to my hotel room at eight o’clock. I’ll be waiting.”
He hung up. I clutched the phone so tightly that my fingers were numb.
I cleared my throat. “Okay, Mom. Great to hear from you. Hope to come visit you and
Dad again real soon. Bye now.”
I flipped the phone closed and looked at George, who stared back at me with confusion.
“That was your mom? I only heard one side, but that seemed like a strange conversation.”
“You obviously don’t know my mother very well.”
I thought I knew what Gideon wanted. Now that he knew my search for a curse solution had fallen through, he figured I was desperate enough to give him the Red Devil in exchange for that grimoire.
He was right about that.
I didn’t know the guy. Maybe he was evil. Maybe he did deserve to end up on the wrong side of Gideon’s stake.
Then again, maybe he didn’t.
That teeter-totter style of thinking wasn’t going to get me de-cursed. I twisted my fingers through my chain. I needed more time to figure everything out. I’d have to put him off a bit longer. As long as I could.
* * *
I tried to have a nap after George dropped me at home and then went to his job interview.
I couldn’t sleep. No big surprise. The events of the day repeated over and over in my brain like bad Mexican food.
So I paced. And I watched TV. And I researched stuff on the Internet.