Rock 'n' Roll is Undead (Veronica Mason (9 page)

My mouth moved, but no words came out. My normal breathing hadn’t returned.

Buzz jumped off the stage and rushed over to me. I assumed he ran because within a second he kneeled over me. “Are you okay?” he asked again.

My eyes met with hard pectorals. “I think so.” I muttered. “My shoulder hurts.”

“Can you sit up?” He reached for my hand.

I sat up, leaning my back against the stage. I looked over at the broken steps. Kitty sprinted toward me, her heels clicking against the hard floor. “Oh, my God, I heard the crash. What happened?”

Danny ran behind her. At least, I thought you’d call it a run. It might have been the first time I’d ever seen him move faster than a shuffle. It was more like a hurried shamble. Vampires were supposed to be quick, but he never got in a hurry. Another reason why he wouldn’t have been a good fit for our band. His movements were in slow motion. Danny’s eyes held a faint glow as he watched the scene. I doubted he’d seen this much excitement since Coca-Cola came out with a blood version of Vanilla Coke. I wasn’t sure what Kitty saw in him. He treated her well, but I hadn’t had a chance to get to know him. You can’t always control whom you’re attracted to, I guess. They had that Lyle Lovett/Julia Roberts thing going on.

“I’m okay. Calm down. I tweaked my shoulder a bit, that’s all.” And bruised my ego a tad. Fortunately, my fall hadn’t hurt me, but unfortunately, when Buzz’s hand touched mine, my stomach dropped and my toes tingled. Me attracted to Buzz Vaughn? No, I wouldn’t let it happen. I couldn’t let it happen. But was there any way to stop it now? Damn. Suddenly I was like a giddy teenager attracted to sparkly vampires in novels. Not that Buzz was a vampire. I didn’t know what he was.

Buzz squatted down beside me. I straightened out my skirt. Nothing like falling flat on your face in front of a hunk and flashing your pink panties with little guitars on them.

“That’s all? That’s all? What happened?” Kitty asked again.

I pointed toward the steps. “I guess they broke. Seems like they just pulled away.”

Buzz stood, then moved over to the steps. He got down on all fours with his butt facing in our direction. Oh, heaven help me. The pain in my shoulder eased with the new view. He wore his jeans well. They were cuffed at the hem and his black t-shirt stretched tight across his muscular chest.

Buzz examined underneath where the steps had been attached to the stage. “This bolt was on the ground.” He held it up. “Looks as if it was cut. The metal shards are fresh. There's even metal residue on the ground.”

“What the heck? Why didn't it collapse before?” I asked.

“I think everyone climbed on stage without the steps,” Kitty said. “Come on. Let's get you out of here. You sure you’re okay?” Kitty stretched her hand out and helped me to my feet.

“Physically maybe.” The bolt Buzz had discovered was disconcerting. “I'll have to call Monty and tell him what happened. He’d better not blame us.” I brushed off my skirt.

“He needs to fix the damn thing,” Kitty said. “Someone could have been killed.” She draped her arm over my shoulder as the guys followed along behind us. Kitty was like the Pied Piper of men.

“I don’t think I came close to death, but I could have broken a leg.”

“What if you’d hit your head? Brain injuries can cause death. Killed.”

The last word she spoke was stuck in my head. Killed. Dead just like Johnny. Someone could have been killed.

Kitty and I stepped outside onto the sidewalk. “Do you need to see a doctor?”

“No, the pain is basically gone now.”

“Basically?” She quirked a brow. “Can you move your shoulder?”

I moved my arm up and down. “I’m fine, see. I think it just scared me more than anything.”

“Okay.” She paused. “If you're sure.”

“I’m sure.”

Danny stood beside her with that goofy grin on his face, fangs extending over his lips. “We’re headed out. I'll call you soon. Be careful and have fun at lunch.” She winked as they made their way to Danny’s car.

“Looks as if it’s just us,” Buzz said.

My stomach did a little dance. “Yeah, looks that way.” I smiled but didn't meet his gaze.

“You took quite a fall back there. You sure you don’t want to have a doctor look at your shoulder?”

It wasn’t as annoying when he asked. “I’m okay. Just tweaked it a little.” Maybe if he knew a little first aid. Mouth to mouth resuscitation would be good.

“Okay then. So where to?” he asked.

“There’s a great diner just down the street. That’s if you like greasy burgers and fries?”

“Who doesn't?” Buzz flashed his gorgeous smile. Whatever teeth whitening system he used, it worked.

“Where’s your car?” I scanned the parking lot.

“That’s it.” He gestured.

“Which one?” There were only about a dozen parked in the lot.

“The first spot there.”

“The motorcycle?” My brow rose.

“Yeah, that's my bike.”

“No offense, but do you mind if I drive?”

“What? You don't trust me?” He grinned.

“Not exactly. I mean, I don't know you. We just met. I don’t know your driving skills and when there’s nothing between me and the pavement, I’d rather not find out you’re a lousy driver that way.”

“Fair enough.”

“Plus, I'm wearing a skirt.”

His gaze traveled down the length of my body, stopping at my skirt. He looked at me intently, as if trying to memorize every feature. “All good reasons. So which car is yours?”

Heat rose in my cheeks.

“How about you take a guess.” In a word, he was super hot. Okay, that was two words, but I digress.

“He looked out over the parking lot. His gaze settled on my car. “The old Buick?”

“The vintage Buick? Yes.”

“Nice ride.”

“Thank you.” I felt like a proud mama.

“It's very nice. A ’57?”

“Yep. My father and brother restored it.”

We walked over to the Bel-Air and I slid onto the leather seat. I reached over and unlocked his side. Then the thought hit me: maybe I shouldn’t be going off with a complete stranger. I still didn’t know what he was or what he wanted. Was he a paranormal? He couldn’t be a werewolf or Kitty would have sniffed him out.

Buzz climbed in, propping his arm across the seat. Dangerously close to having his arm around me, I might add. A few fluffy clouds dotted the sky and the sun shone, blanketing the area in brightness.

“Do you mind if I let the top down?” I asked, pretending not to notice his nearness.

“I don't know…it might mess up my hair.” He didn’t crack a smile.

I looked at him. “Are you serious?”

“Do I look serious?” He winked.

“Not now.” I chuckled. “But you never know.”

His short hairstyle wasn't going anywhere in the wind. Mine, on the other hand, would blow everywhere. I pulled the scarf from the glove compartment and tied it around my hair.

“And you gave me that look because of what I said about my hair?”

“I have long hair. You try driving with hair blowing in your face.” I grinned.

We looked like a couple straight out of 1957. Well, sort of…Buzz had a couple tattoos as well, although, it was a lot more common back then for men to have them. Women? Not so much. What looked like an upright bass peeked out from under the sleeve of his T-shirt.

“Where’d you say this place is?”

“Um, I didn’t. It’s right here on Beale, though. Just down the road. Tully’s Diner. It’s close, not quite close enough to walk, but I know a shortcut.”

He nodded. “Sounds great.”

“Have you been there?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’ve been a few times.”

“I love the atmosphere. Great tunes and good junk food. The cheese fries are awesome.”

My words were focused on food, again. Maybe I needed one of those shock collars. Talk about a one-track mind. Now that I thought about it, I’d have to tone down the shoving fries in my mouth routine. I didn’t want to scare the guy off with my eating habits. Unfortunately, taking him to eat wouldn’t solve the what-is-he question. Vampires could shovel in the food without a second thought, as long as they had their daily blood intake, they were good to go. Kitty once told me some vampires could hide their fangs—mostly the half vampires. She said they exposed them only when they wanted to. She called them ‘living’ vampires. I’d heard it had something to do with not being fully turned. Whatever that meant. I’m not sure I believed her, but now…I didn’t know. Was Buzz part vampire?

“How’s the shoulder? You okay to drive?” he asked as we pulled out.

“Oh, it’s fine.” I turned the huge steering wheel. “Just tweaked it a little.”

You Belong To Me streamed from the rear speakers; barely loud enough to make out the words. It was one of my favorite love songs, just what I needed—a love song. I switched off the radio.

Chapter 17

“What do you think happened in there? You know, to the steps?” I asked.

“Oh, I guess the bolt wore loose or something. Could have been faulty, who knows,” he said.

It was hard to concentrate with his spicy scent wafting my way. Did I detect sandalwood? Someone needed to save me from his intoxicating aroma. It was enough to make me drunker than my Uncle Wendell on a Saturday night.

“Yeah, I guess.” I felt his stare and glanced over, taking my eyes off the road for a second. “What?”

“Sorry to hear about the other bass player. How you discovered him, and all.”

Pretending he didn’t know had been silly. Of course he knew about Johnny. His friend had to have told him.

“Thank you. It was a shock, to say the least. I didn’t want to sing for a while, but Frank talked me into it. Taking a rest seems like a good idea to me. But he insisted.”

“I can understand, but you have to go on with life.”

“I know, and I have, but I just figured I owed Johnny some sort of grieving time. One minute he was on stage and the next, he was gone. It still hasn’t registered that Johnny isn’t coming back. We haven’t even had a memorial service for him yet. Maybe it'll hit me then. But gosh, I feel so badly for his wife and parents.”

We pulled up beside the diner and I eased the Bel-Air into a spot up front. I’d barely gotten the engine off and the key out of the ignition before Buzz had jumped out and hurried over to open my door. Rick had never done anything like that. He was always too busy messing with his hair or something. I wasn’t going to tell Buzz not to do it, though. Actually, I kind of liked it. Plus, maybe it would make him feel bad if I said not to, right? His Mama had taught him manners.

“Thanks,” I said.

He nodded with a smile. Again, he hurried over to the diner entrance and opened the door. “Thanks again.”

I felt the heat in my cheeks. A girl could get used to this type of treatment.

Turquoise and white booths lined the walls. A counter with stools in front greeted us. Black and white checked tiles covered the floor. A Wurlitzer bubbled in the corner with all the best Fifties songs. Pictures of all the great rock ‘n’ roll icons adorned the walls.

“Sit anywhere you want,” the waitress said from behind the counter.

“How about the booth right here?” I pointed.

“Sure. Sounds perfect. It’s got a great view of the parking lot.”

I couldn’t discern if he was serious or being sarcastic. My guess was sarcasm. Buzz slid in across from me and grabbed a couple of menus, handing me one. I didn't bother to tell him I had the thing memorized. Juicy burgers served with a side of antacid. It didn’t get better than that…unless you added a chocolate shake.

A young couple sat at the other end of the diner, engrossed in each other way more than the food. At the counter, an older man read the paper as he sipped a cup of coffee. Other than that, the place was empty. Too late for the breakfast crowd and too early for lunch. The place smelled of grease and coffee. In the early mornings, the aroma of eggs, bacon, and coffee hung in the air. Yes, I’d been there a few times. Enough to think there really wasn’t a Tully in Tully’s Diner. My mouth watered thinking of the juicy burger and salty fries. I pretended to study the menu. The situation seemed almost surreal, sitting with a stranger who was now the new bass player. Yesterday at this exact time, Johnny was still around.

Finally, I asked, “What are you having?”

His eyes gleamed under the light as he flashed his perfect smile. “Hmm. Decisions, decisions. Either the cheeseburger or the cheeseburger. I think I'll get a cheeseburger. What about you?”

At least he seemed to have a sense of humor. He’d need it hanging around the shady joints we played. I’d said I’d never date a band member again, but when he smiled at me, I had to question my self-imposed dating ban. Maybe just one more time? It was partially my fault the last one didn’t work out. If I hadn’t tried to cast a spell on Rick…oh, whom was I kidding? The spell was meant to make him not a jerk, and in all my witchsuckerydom, I’d made him even more of a jerk. Or had he done that of his own volition? No, it was one hundred percent Rick’s fault. Why couldn’t Buzz do something to make me really hate him? Heck, if he could be more like Rick that would work.

“Cheeseburger for me, too,” I said snapping out of my reverie.

As I placed my menu down, Shirelle sauntered over. Her rubber-soled shoes squeaked across the sticky floor. She was never in a hurry.

“Hi, Veronica, long time, no see.” She pulled the pen from behind her ear, held it poised over the notepad, and grinned. Her white hair was secured in back with a hair net and her light blue uniform washed out her pale complexion.

She cast a glance in Buzz’s direction. “Well I'll be, look what the cat dragged in. I haven’t seen you around here in a while. How are you Buzz? How’s Frank?”

Chapter 18

I frowned. Frank? What the?

“I’m fine. He’s fine.” He cleared his throat. “Um, I’ll have a cheeseburger, rare, and fries.”

Rare? Bloody. So he liked blood. I didn’t like where this was headed.

“Sure thing.” She frowned and her eyebrows pinched together. “What’ll you have to drink?”

“Water’s fine. Thanks.” He handed her the menu.

“I'll have the same, Shirelle. Can you bring me a Diet Coke wit—”