are.”
“Raising a few bad guys seems like small potatoes after that earthquake stunt. Why even bother?”
“The spy said he thought Diana and Ulrich were grasping at straws. They’ll do anything to curry favor with the Council, and I imagine they didn’t want to overpromise and underdeliver again.”
“I can understand that,” I said. “I’m surprised they didn’t get drawn and quartered—or whatever those devils do to punish their own—for failing to deliver Renee and her blood to the Council. I’m still surprised at their limited plan.”
“It was probably the only scheme they could think of on short notice.”
“If that’s all they’ve got for me, I can handle it. I’m just worried what they might cook up for a plan B. Who were they going to force me to reanimate exactly?”
“All my spy said was it involved serial killers, terrorists, that sort of thing.”
I jumped straight up onto my feet. “Wait a minute! There was a creepy little vampire named Velki over at Werm’s club the other night questioning us about serial killers and terrorists from Savannah’s history.”
Olivia’s eyes went wide. “I’ve never heard of anyone called Velki, but I’ll wager he’s an advance man for Diana and Ulrich.”
“Yeah. He said he was researching a book, but it sounds like the research was for those two infernal bloodsuckers. I’ve got to get over to Werm’s club right away and see if he’s been back there. If I can find him, I’ll wring out of him everything he knows about Diana, Ulrich, the Council—everything.”
“Do you need my help?” Olivia wanted to know.
“No, I can handle him. You just get those pagan gods over here.” I started for the door.
“Call me on my cell if you need me. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll head over to the garage after this to talk to Otis and see if he can contact his Sidhe supervisors. They might have some input that would be helpful in getting the body-swapping problem fixed.”
“Good idea.” I bounded out of the house and hopped in my Stingray. I’d felt so powerless the last couple of days. At least now I had something concrete to focus on.
There was nothing like a good, old-fashioned ass-kicking to make old Smilin’ Jack feel alive again.
Seven
I was glad Velki was a petite little man. He fit easily into the trunk of the ’Vette, which was handy. Most grown men didn’t, unless you flattened them like a fritter, and I hated to ask Huey to clean up that kind of mess. Not that he would have minded. He once was a dead body stuffed into my trunk as well, but that’s ancient history.
Presently I was dangling Velki by the ankles over the Bull River Bridge out toward Fort Pulaski.
“The fall won’t hurt you,” I told him, “but it’ll be unpleasant. So will slogging yourself out of the river and finding your way back to town before sunup. Or you could burrow into the mud like a frog and wait for the next sunset.”
“Noooo,” Velki wailed. “I don’t know anything about any Diana and Ulrich. And I don’t want to have to burrow like an amphibian!”
I shook him until change fell out of his pockets. “You’re strange-looking enough when you aren’t dripping with mud and marsh grass. The folks at the Bull River Yacht Club back yonder will probably call the police and have you locked up in a nice, sunny cell.”
“Pleeease! Nooo!”
About that time, I saw Olivia running toward us. “Hey, Jack! How could you go a’torturing and not take me along?”
“Be my guest,” I offered as I prepared to transfer Velki’s ankles into Olivia’s fiendishly capable hands.
She reached out eagerly and then got a good look at the blood drinker in my grip. “Oh, my goddess! It’s Mole!”
“Miss Olivia! Praise Brigid you’re here!”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “This guy’s the one who’s been helping Diana and Ulrich.”
“I’ve been pretending to help Diana and Ulrich while I’ve been spying for Olivia,” Mole finally
“Raising a few bad guys seems like small potatoes after that earthquake stunt. Why even bother?”
“The spy said he thought Diana and Ulrich were grasping at straws. They’ll do anything to curry favor with the Council, and I imagine they didn’t want to overpromise and underdeliver again.”
“I can understand that,” I said. “I’m surprised they didn’t get drawn and quartered—or whatever those devils do to punish their own—for failing to deliver Renee and her blood to the Council. I’m still surprised at their limited plan.”
“It was probably the only scheme they could think of on short notice.”
“If that’s all they’ve got for me, I can handle it. I’m just worried what they might cook up for a plan B. Who were they going to force me to reanimate exactly?”
“All my spy said was it involved serial killers, terrorists, that sort of thing.”
I jumped straight up onto my feet. “Wait a minute! There was a creepy little vampire named Velki over at Werm’s club the other night questioning us about serial killers and terrorists from Savannah’s history.”
Olivia’s eyes went wide. “I’ve never heard of anyone called Velki, but I’ll wager he’s an advance man for Diana and Ulrich.”
“Yeah. He said he was researching a book, but it sounds like the research was for those two infernal bloodsuckers. I’ve got to get over to Werm’s club right away and see if he’s been back there. If I can find him, I’ll wring out of him everything he knows about Diana, Ulrich, the Council—everything.”
“Do you need my help?” Olivia wanted to know.
“No, I can handle him. You just get those pagan gods over here.” I started for the door.
“Call me on my cell if you need me. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll head over to the garage after this to talk to Otis and see if he can contact his Sidhe supervisors. They might have some input that would be helpful in getting the body-swapping problem fixed.”
“Good idea.” I bounded out of the house and hopped in my Stingray. I’d felt so powerless the last couple of days. At least now I had something concrete to focus on.
There was nothing like a good, old-fashioned ass-kicking to make old Smilin’ Jack feel alive again.
Seven
I was glad Velki was a petite little man. He fit easily into the trunk of the ’Vette, which was handy. Most grown men didn’t, unless you flattened them like a fritter, and I hated to ask Huey to clean up that kind of mess. Not that he would have minded. He once was a dead body stuffed into my trunk as well, but that’s ancient history.
Presently I was dangling Velki by the ankles over the Bull River Bridge out toward Fort Pulaski.
“The fall won’t hurt you,” I told him, “but it’ll be unpleasant. So will slogging yourself out of the river and finding your way back to town before sunup. Or you could burrow into the mud like a frog and wait for the next sunset.”
“Noooo,” Velki wailed. “I don’t know anything about any Diana and Ulrich. And I don’t want to have to burrow like an amphibian!”
I shook him until change fell out of his pockets. “You’re strange-looking enough when you aren’t dripping with mud and marsh grass. The folks at the Bull River Yacht Club back yonder will probably call the police and have you locked up in a nice, sunny cell.”
“Pleeease! Nooo!”
About that time, I saw Olivia running toward us. “Hey, Jack! How could you go a’torturing and not take me along?”
“Be my guest,” I offered as I prepared to transfer Velki’s ankles into Olivia’s fiendishly capable hands.
She reached out eagerly and then got a good look at the blood drinker in my grip. “Oh, my goddess! It’s Mole!”
“Miss Olivia! Praise Brigid you’re here!”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “This guy’s the one who’s been helping Diana and Ulrich.”
“I’ve been pretending to help Diana and Ulrich while I’ve been spying for Olivia,” Mole finally
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