God Touched - 01 (27 page)

“Maybe when you were younger that was true, but I can assure you that almost every female that I've observed come in contact with you has found you attractive.”

Before I could argue further, there was a knock at the door and Roma popped in, the rest of the team behind him.       “Alright, I got rid of her, and Olivia's got the door locked,” he said.  “Quick thinking Chris!”

“Er, thanks Sir,”  I replied.

“Gina, what do you think?  Will she catch on?” Roma asked.

“Sir, with Briana it's a matter of when, not if.  She'll start sniffing around in earnest and the pieces will come together.”

“You're right, of course,” he admitted. “Hmm, I better talk to the Commissioner and the Mayor.”  He looked at his watch.  “Chris, you should head out soon.  We don't want Halloween traffic to make you late for your engagement, now do we?”

I nodded and he was gone, headed to his office to make calls.

Gina looked at me with a hint of amusement.  “So, we'll see you on Monday at nine AM, unless we get called out.  Have fun, and be careful.”

Chapter 18

I wished her a good weekend and left, saying goodbye to the others as I headed out.  As I walked to my car, I started a mental list of things to do.  First, I needed to call Gramps, second, look up any info on Briana Duclair.  Third, figure out what in my pitiful wardrobe would be fit to wear tonight, as Lydia's delivery had never made it.  Traffic was bad, and it took me forty frigging minutes to get back to my part of Brooklyn.  When I got off the elevator, a package was waiting in front of my door.  I took it inside and hit the answering machine as I opened it.  There were four messages on the machine, all from Gramps, starting from late last night to this afternoon.  No real message, just a terse 'Chris, call me'.  I tried his number but got the answering machine at the farm house.  Next, I called his cell, but it must have been off, because I got shunted to his voicemail.  I left a quick message on both and then looked at the contents of the package.

     When I got the box open, I found a note on top of a pile of clothes.

'Chris, THIS is what you need to wear tonight. Your black Sketchers will do for shoes.  NO JACKET!

L'

On top of the stack was a fitted white v neck long sleeve tee shirt made from very light cotton, and according to the label, five percent lycra.  Bloody red ink drops flowed from the v neck and became gothic letters spelling '
Plasma's best: AB+
'  with a black stencil underneath '
Property of
TAD
'. 
Across the back was a drawing of a fanged vampire skull under the words '
Suck Off!
'.   Hmm, subtle. I was pretty sure this was a one of a kind shirt.  Under the tee was a pair of soft black leather pants, cut like jeans.  I didn't bother to try the clothes on, trusting that Lydia pretty much had my sizes down pat.

Thinking I was in for a long night, I made myself a huge plate of cold chicken, three kinds of cheese and fruit from the fri
d
g
e
, washed down with a Sam Adams Octoberfest that I found behind a gallon of full fat milk.

Tanya's gift was in a flat, black box, with a fitted lid that would pop right off.  I wrapped it in deep red metallic paper that I had picked up before work and tied it with long piece of black ribbon from the same store.  Then I just hung out and chilled, listening to my iPod, and trying not to think of anything at all.  When I couldn't stand waiting around anymore, I looked at the clock, eight fifty-two.  Close enough.  I called a cab, got dressed in my Lydia approved clothes and headed out.

     My cabbie asked me if I wanted to be dropped off at the front of the club or back near the end of the line, which I'm sure he figured would save me a two block walk.  I told him the front of the club would be fine.  “It is your shoe leather.” he shrugged.

The line stretched like a black leather and lace snake down the street and around the corner.  Every imaginable variation of a vampire costume was on display.  Everywhere the eye could see, ruffled white shirts, jagged black skirts, leather corsets, velve
t jackets
, fishnet stockings, pale made up faces and blood red lips.  I was seriously underdressed.

     Arkady was manning the door, guarding the velvet rope with a grim expression.  I hadn't really realized just how big he was.  Had to go six five, two hundred and sixty pounds of mean vampire.  Despite the crowds' intent on getting in, there was a three foot gap between the rope and the next in line.  His yellow eyes swiveled to me like gun emplacements and his expression didn't change.  I looked back calmly, but I started to hear the mutters and voices in the crowd. 

“ -- End of the line sucker—“

“-- Don't even think about it, dude!—“

“-- Ohhh, me likee.—“

“--  Hey Chris!—“

I turned to the last one, locating two female gothic types about fifty people back.  It was Paige and Kathy, dressed like Dracula's brides, in gauzy white gowns.  I walked over to them.

“Hi Chris, I thought you didn't like this place?” Kathy greeted me, while both looked me up and down.

“Well, I don't really, but I like some of the people and I wasn't given much of a choice.”

Paige spoke up. “Good luck getting in.  You could jump in with us, but I think it would start a fight.”

”--Damn right—“  

“--I'll kick his ass—“that one came from a tiny little girl in black tights and a shredded white shirt.

Chests puffed up and eyes frowned in menace in my direction, but before I could answer, the line went dead quiet and all eyes looked over my shoulder at something behind me.  I turned and looked back, then up.  Arkady was about six feet behind me, his glare menacing.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.

  A couple of people looked at me like I was gonna get my ass kicked, and they were happy about that.

“Are you hating me then?  Trying to get me in trouble?  You need to go in! 
She
will know by now
!
” he said.

“Arkady, these two are my friends.  They need to go in with me.”

He instantly moved toward the girls, the crowd parting away from him like the Red Sea.

“What the hell is going on?” an angry female voice said from the front door of the club.

Lydia, dressed in a black micro skirt over white scale pattern tights and a red blouse, stood just outside the club, her arms crossed and her left foot tapping.

“Northern, get your ass in here!  Arkady, what's he doing in line?” she demanded. 

By now Arkady had herded the three of us toward the door like a giant Russian sheepdog, his expression slightly worried.

“Why Lydia, you look lovely tonight,” I said with a smirk.

“Cut the shit Gordon, and get in here.  You do know that all hell broke loose as soon as you got outta that cab, right?  Who are these two?” she directed the last at Paige and Kathy, whose eyes were the size of gumballs and just as round.

“These are my
friends
!  Kathy and Paige are my neighbors and I want assurances that they will be looked after properly.”  My emphasis on the word friends did not go unnoticed and the little vampire instantly knew what I was talking about.  She turned her head slightly toward the door and spoke in a normal voice “Trenton.” 

A
lean six foot tall vampire slid around the door frame, looking like a pale Abercrombie model.  “Ma'am?”

“These are Mr. Gordon's friends.  They are to be seated at a VIP table and
you
are responsible for them tonight.” She gave him a level look and he nodded acknowledgment after a brief glance in my direction.  A brief, nervous glance.  What was that about?

“Should I clear out one of the celebrities then?” he asked.

“Why don't you let the ladies decide which celebrities should sit with them.  Use your judgment.”

Again he nodded and led the two awestruck girls away into the club.  Lydia, meanwhile, grabbed my hand and pulled me in and down the stairs, past the bar and into the corridor beyond.  I'm pretty sure my feet never hit the ground after the first step.  We slowed down outside the same dressing room that Tatiana had cleaned up in a week ago.  Lydia glanced down at the red wrapped package in my left hand.

“It's a damn good thing you remembered that.  She's been talking about nothing else all day.”

“I'm not sure if she'll like it.” I said.

She snorted. “We'll know soon enough.” 

She reached for the door but it yanked open from the inside and I was lost.  Tatiana was wearing a black spiderweb that somehow managed to barely cover her breasts and seemed to grow out of a skin tight sheath that hugged her hips and extended
in wispy fabric
down to her knees.  Both sides of the dress were slit almost to her hips and my eyes didn't know which portion of exposed creamy white skin to look at first.  She looked me over from top to bottom and then turned to Lydia.

  “Oh, thank you for my present.  Can I unwrap him now?” she said with a sly grin.

Lydia laughed.  “Oh you might want to wait until you open his gift before...um ...unwrapping mine.”

Tatiana's gaze shot down to the pitiful package in my hand.  Then she
squealed
, like
a teen girl at a boy band
concert.  Her liquid blue eyes lit up and she pulled me into the room hard enough to give me whiplash.   Figuring that my life depended on it, I surrendered the gift and awaited her disappointment.  No way could it live up to this level of expectation.  Fingers that could tear steel, gently untied the ribbon and carefully pulled the paper open.  The flat black box slid onto her waiting palm and after a quick glance at Lydia and me, she opened it. Two silver bracelets sat in nests of black velvet.  Tatiana looked at them in a puzzled manner.

Lydia spoke first. “Silver?  You got her silver bracelets, Northern?” She asked in a voice that questioned my sanity.

I shook my head quickly.  “
No!
  Not silver,... polished tungsten carbide, inset with sapphires.” I said.

They both looked at me quizzically. I explained, hoping I could salvage some tiny part of the moment.

“Tungsten is one of the hardest metals known.  It takes something as hard as a diamond to really scratch it.  They won't ever need polishing and they won't ever tarnish.  And they should turn pretty much any knife or sword strike.  That's the theory at least,” I finished, a little lamely.

Lydia started to smile and Tatiana touched one gingerly, then with more assurance, pulling it from the velvet.

“I had them sized to fit your forearms, Tanya, figuring you block with that part of your arm.”  Her head lifted to meet my gaze and her smile lit up the room.  There was a slight blur and I was wrapped in one hundred and twenty pounds of vampire girl.  After kissing me to within an inch of my life, she peeled herself off and slid the bracelet up her arm.  Thank heavens it fit.  The other bracelet swiftly found its new home on her other arm and she was bouncing up and down with excitement, which had an interesting effect on her anatomy.  Suddenly, she went from mid bounce to fighting stance, blurring through a series of blocks and strikes.  Apparently more than satisfied with the results she proceeded to kiss the hell out of me again.  When she came up for air and stepped back, Lydia reached over and turned each bracelet so that the three sapphires were visible, their blue a close match to Tatiana's eyes.

  “Holy Crap, Chris.  These are really cool. You really do pay attention when I'm telling you stuff,” Lydia said.

“Huh?  Did you say something?” I deadpanned, earning a smack on the shoulder.

“If you look on the inside, th
ey have your initials and …well
mine too,” I said.

A split second later, Tanya was looking inside both bracelets to confirm this new feature.  She looked up at me.

“You have the same middle initial as I do,” she said.

“Actually, my middle name is rather a lot like yours.  It’s Anthony.”

“Anthony is another form of Anton,” Lydia said.  “That’s kinda weird.”

“Well, my mom was half Russian and half American.  Her father’s name was Anthony,” I explained.

They both just stared at me. 

“How did that happen?” Tanya asked.

“The way it normally does.  Russian boy meets American girl.”

Lydia gave me a patient look, the sort you reserve for kindly idiots.  I decided I better continue.  “My grandmother on my mom’s side was an army nurse in World War II.  She met my grandfather just after the war ended.  He had been held in a prison camp somewhere in Germany, and when US troops rescued him, he was taken to the hospital where she was working,” I said.