Netherworld II: Blood Potion No. 9 (15 page)

I paused, having a good look around.
Two battered couches sat along the wall opposite the dressing
table, upon which makeup, deodorants, and hair care products
scattered its surface. Lockers, one half-opened to display a purse
and hung up clothing, were on the far wall.

It was a pretty depressing place. I was
ready to move along when Fizz’s intent whisper overrode the bass
thump of the lounge area’s music.

“I know you’re in there, bitch. You
better come out and talk to me or I’m gonna tell C.K. about Bane
being a cop named Levi.”

I froze as terror iced my guts. Darn
it, Fizz remembered. This was bad.

I approached her carefully, as if she
might sense my presence. I looked at her reflection, which the
glaring lights framing the mirror weren’t kind to. Her face was
drawn and lined, taking her from the mid-thirties range I’d
originally guessed her age to be to at least ten years older. Of
course, the hard life she’d led might have aged her prematurely.
The dark circles under her eyes weren’t helping either, and I
wondered if she’d been losing sleep.

As I watched and worried, Fizz broke
down and cried. “You’re going to get me killed, you stupid demon
cunt. You and that fucking cop. But I’m gonna tell, you hear me?
I’m gonna tell and – oh shit, I’m so screwed.”

She covered her face with her hands,
hiccupping terrified tears. Boy, I’d sure put her in a spot. She
knew who Bane really was, and I had to assume she knew what he knew
… that C.K. and Hazel were behind the tainted blood and the plot to
spread the Zoo

Flu to the mundane human population.
She had to realize they’d kill her if they discovered she had that
information. But then, Fizz had a misplaced loyalty to the Beasts
and wasn’t the brightest star in the sky.

Before I could properly order my
thoughts, Fizz came to a decision. A really bad decision. She stood
up and headed for the lockers, going to the half-opened one to pull
a cell phone from her purse.

“I’m telling them Bane’s a cop, you
bitch. That’ll keep me in the good with C.K. He’ll probably reward
me for turning your boyfriend in.”

“No he won’t. He’ll torture you to find
out what else you know, you stupid girl. Think!” I
yelled.

But Fizz, dim bulb that she was, was
determined in her shortsightedness. She punched a button and put
the phone to her ear. No doubt she had the Beasts Motorcycle Club
on speed dial.

I had no more time to think. I had to
act fast.

I shoved my way into her body, and this
time she fought me the moment she realized what was happening. We
battled for control over her, desperation giving us both strength.
The first moment I had the upper hand I flipped closed the still
ringing cell phone, cutting off the call. Then she snatched control
back, and I was fighting for dominance once more.

If I hadn’t possessed her before, she
probably would have tossed me out in the end. But I had familiarity
with her now, and thanks to Isabella’s channeling me several times
I knew what I was doing when it came to using other
bodies.

I’d thought of my previous possessions
of Fizz as similar to rape. This violent takeover, although mental,
truly was a rape as far as I was concerned. What else could I do?
There had been no time to gather energy and play poltergeist. I had
to be mean and evil as all get out.

I finally staved Fizz off, feeling her
shrink to a back corner of our shared mind, hissing and spitting
like a cornered cat. I knew I’d have to be wary of her taking over
again.

Victorious, at least for the moment, I
came back to my surroundings. That’s when I noticed the other
dancer in the doorway, staring at me.

Uh oh. I had no idea how the pitched
battle inside Fizz’s body had played on the outside. From the
round-eyed gape of the tall, skinny topless brunette, something had
obviously happened.

The other woman, her voice a smoker’s
hoarse grind, asked, “What the hell is wrong with you?”

I faked a shiver and clutched my arms
around my body. “I’m feeling sick.” At the other woman’s continued
stare, I added, “Really sick.”

Still uncertain, the other woman edged
into the room. She sat down at the mirrored dressing table,
watching me like I was rabid. “Good thing your shift is over.
That’s what pulling a double will do to you.”

I was relieved to know Fizz was done
with work for the day. I’d taken a few ballroom dancing lessons for
use in my work as an escort, but I had a feeling Exotica Erotica’s
patrons wouldn’t be enticed by a demonstration of the
foxtrot.

I forced another dramatic shiver for
the brunette. “I gotta get outta here. Hope I’m not catching.” I
pulled Fizz’s purse from the locker and shoved the door shut. I
started to stagger for the door in her too-high heels.

“Is that your cell?” The other dancer
pointed to the phone on the floor. “Damn Fizz, do you think you can
drive like that?”

I knelt unsteadily to scoop the phone
up and deposited it into the purse. “I’ll be okay.”

I tottered out of the dressing room
under the stare of the skinny stripper, grateful I had the excuse
of being ill. There was no parking behind the club, but I decided
it would be best to exit the building that way, avoiding contact
with others until I had a better handle on what I was going to
do.

There was a side parking lot marked
‘Employees Only’, and I blew out a sigh of relief to know I
wouldn’t have to navigate in Fizz’s crazy stilettos all the way out
to the front. I dug into Fizz’s purse for her keys, noting the
thick pile of money in her open wallet. Mostly ones from tips, I
guessed. In a sudden flash of curiosity, I pulled out her driver’s
license and read her real name.

“Hello, Annie Caruthers,” I whispered.
“It’s about time you and I were properly introduced.”

I sensed a snarl and sighed. Putting
the license away, I pulled a set of jangling keys from the purse.
The car key had one of those buttons for the door lock, and I
pressed it. Out of the dozen or so cars in the employee lot, a cute
red Nissan chirped and flashed its headlights at me. It was the
same one I’d seen at Bane’s trailer the day before.

“Stripping pays okay,” I noted,
appreciating the sporty little car. I climbed into the black and
gray interior, feeling a tinge of pride from my hijacked victim.
“You know, we’re not so different, Fizz. I used to escort for a
living.”

We were miles apart really, but I
didn’t want her to think I looked down on her for her profession.
My peace offering was firmly ignored as best as I could tell. Well,
I would be pretty ticked off too if someone else took over my body.
I couldn’t fault her for that.

“I can’t let you get Bane killed. We’re
going to have to come to an understanding about that,” I
said.

Still nothing. I think she might have
been pouting. Fine. I’d have to find another way to keep Fizz out
of commission.

I started the car and kicked off the
stilettos to make driving easier. After acquainting myself with the
basic controls, I headed to Bane’s trailer. He would have to put
Fizz ‘on ice’ or whatever the terminology for it was.

Chapter 8

I pulled the Nissan into Bane’s drive,
and he came out on the front step almost immediately. He seemed
casual, wearing his obligatory vest with all the Beasts patches,
his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. His watchful
eyes told me he was looking for a certain ghost to be inhabiting
his sort-of girlfriend.

“It’s me,” I said as I hurried
unsteadily across his stepping stones in Fizz’s heels.

“I can see, Fizz.” His eyes darted
momentarily over my shoulder. Uh oh. We were being watched. I
nodded to let him know the message had been received.

He held the door open for me. Wow,
there might actually be a gentleman under all that tough guy
persona. Then he ruined the effect by saying, “Come on in, and make
your pappy happy.”

Utterly gross. I sighed, ready to give
Bane up as a lost cause as I went into his trailer. Some guys you
just can’t help, I guess. Bane shut the door behind us. I inhaled
the nice clean scents of Carpet Fresh, furniture polish, and window
cleaner. I had a moment of pity for poor Fizz, cleaning the place
in hopes of making Bane happy with her.

“So you’re being spied on
now?”

He walked past me. “Yeah. C.K. is one
paranoid son of a –”

“Ahem.”

Bane dropped onto the couch. “That’s
right. You have a thing about foul language.” He patted the seat
next to his thigh. “Come here, baby. Let’s get snuggly.”

I planted my hands on my hips and
glared. “I told you, I have a boyfriend.” Or two. And it didn’t
matter how the combined sunshine and lamplight turned his skin all
golden or how much that chiseled chest begged to have my hands rub
it. I wasn’t going to get into anymore trouble with my
guys.

He grinned. “Boyfriend or not, the guy
C.K. sicced on me has binoculars and is watching us through the
window.”

“So let’s close the
curtains.”

“We’re far enough off the road that
casual passersby would never see anything. Therefore, closing the
curtains would look suspicious.”

His leer was really getting on my
nerves. A look at his crotch told me Bane wasn’t adverse to playing
his part as Fizz’s owner right now.

“I have stuff to tell you.” All
Business Brandilynn. That’s me.

He patted the seat again with more
emphasis. A growl snuck into his voice. “So sit down and we’ll
talk.”

“You’re a real jerk. You know that,
right?”

Bane’s look was positively evil. “And
you’re giving off a lot of attitude for a mere piece of property.
Don’t think our guest doesn’t see that.”

Darn him. I had a happy little vision
of kicking him in the goodies for putting me in yet another
position of disadvantage. He so deserved it.

Instead, I wobbled across the room and
sat stiffly a good two feet away. Bane immediately grabbed me,
pulled me close, engulfed me in those big, muscled arms and planted
a tonsil-searching smooch on me.

Good grief, the man could kiss.
Fireworks lit my belly, and it took all I had to twist my face away
from his. “Stop, dang you!”

“Just giving the man the show he
expects to see.” Bane nuzzled my neck, his teeth gently nipping my
skin. My nipples were hard enough to cut diamonds, I was so turned
on. Stupid, sexy werewolf.

But I knew what would cool his jets and
salvage my monogamy. Or was it duogamy? What the heck do you call
it when you’re faithful to two men?

Stop stalling. You’re enjoying Bane a
little too much for comfort here.

Grabbing handfuls of his hair (jeez, it
was so soft), knowing it would look like passion but making sure to
pull it so he’d get plenty of pain, I said, “Fizz remembers. She’s
ready to bust you.”

That did it. Bane froze, his face still
buried in my neck. His breath warmed my skin. “That’s not good,” he
finally said.

Well, duh. “Your people can make her
disappear, right? Like in the Witness Protection Program or
something?”

Bane’s hand stroked up and down my
ribcage, apparently still pretending to be getting romantic. “Fizz
disappears, that’s going to look bad on me. Very
suspicious.”

He moved fast, almost vampire fast. I
gasped to find myself flat on my back on the couch with him on top
of me. Despite the concern on his face, other parts of Bane were
not unhappy to be there. I started to squirm then thought better of
it when ‘little Bane’ jerked a warning.

For all his lower part’s lascivious
leanings, Bane was keeping his mind on the bigger problem. “Can you
keep possession of her, sweetheart?”

I shook my head emphatically. “I
already brought that up with Tristan. He doesn’t want me to, and my
boyfriend Dan would be furious. Hey, what do you think you’re
doing?”

Bane’s hand was working between us,
undoing the button of my jeans. The zipper purred open. “We can’t
be having sex with your pants on. Relax. I’ll keep my stuff to
myself, and it’s not your body I’m looking at.”

Crap, crap, crap. This was going to
destroy the little bit ground I’d recovered with Dan if he decided
to check on me. But what the heck was I supposed to do? Jump out of
Fizz and leave Bane to deal with her? Yeah, that was probably what
needed to happen. But C.K. and Hazel were poised to kill the
vampires. I couldn’t allow it.

“You are going to get me in so much
trouble,” I snarled at the shifter taking my pants off. Jeez, Fizz
didn’t wear panties today. Didn’t that just figure.

At least Bane only pretended to unleash
his cock from his pants. He moved against me, hauling my legs up to
wrap around his hips and simulating sex. I tried to ignore the
rhythmic pressure on my clit. It was like trying to ignore a
Rottweiler chewing on your butt. I was getting hot in a
hurry.

Bane’s mouth was at my ear, his warm,
whispering breath fit to give me extra gooseflesh. “Look, we’re
close to blowing this case wide open now that we know C.K. and
Hazel are the ones bringing the bad blood into the States. I need
you to keep Fizz quiet.”