"When you return, I'll show you how much. " "I look forward to that, " I said, trying to sound brisk and businesslike, since Pam could hear the conversation. "You're not in any danger tonight, " he said, sounding more businesslike himself. "Victor insisted you go with Pam. The vampire you're meeting has a human companion. You will know if Michael is dealing with us in good faith or not. " "Can you tell me what this is about?" "Pam will brief you on the way. I wish I'd had time to discuss it with you myself, but this opportunity came up very quickly. " He sounded, just for a second, like he was wondering why it had come up so quickly. "Is something funny about that?" I asked. "Funny strange, I mean?" "No, " he said, "I was considering that . . . But no. Let me talk to Pam again. " I handed the phone back. A glimmer of surprise crossed Pam's face. "Sir?" she said. Whatever transpired in the rest of the conversation was lost to me, because the Ittabena Hulk plowed through the crowd in his street clothes, looking neither to the right nor the left. He was intent on the stacked brunette who was waiting for him by the "wait to be seated" sign at the entrance to yet another buffet. She curved in all the right places. She was wearing a tight leopard-print stretch top and a black leather miniskirt grazing the tops of her tan legs. Four-inch black heels completed the ensemble. "Wow, " I said, in genuine tribute. "I wish I had the guts to wear something that bold. " The cumulative effect was literally stunning. "I would look excellent in that, " Pam said, a simple statement of fact. "But would you want to?" "I see what you mean. " Pam looked down at her own silk blouse and well-cut pants, her low heels and conservative jewelry. "So where are we going?" I asked, after the valet had retrieved Pam's car. We turned north on 61. The traffic was heavy. Though it was a weekday, everyone seemed to be in a great hurry to lose their hard- earned cash and experience something a little different from their everyday lives. "We're going to a club that's just west of this highway, about ten miles north of here, " Pam said. "It's called Blonde, and it's owned by a vampire named Michael. " I remembered my conversation with the couple on the bus. "This would be a 'gentleman's club'?" Pam looked massively sardonic. "Yes, that's what they call it. " "Why are we going there? Eric said a vampire runs it.
Chapter Three
We're across the state line in Russell Edgington's territory. " Russell Edgington was the vampire king of Mississippi. Though most humans didn't know it, there were other systems of government in the USA besides the one in Washington, D. C. Not every state has its own vampire ruler; some states are populous enough to have two or even more. (New York City has its own king, I understand. ) Visiting vamps were supposed to check in when they had to cross into another vamp's territory. I'd met Russell, and he was no joke. "This must go no further, you understand?" Pam gave me a very meaningful look before turning her attention back to the road. The oncoming traffic heading south from Memphis was moving easily, but it was also nonstop. "I understand, " I said. I didn't sound enthusiastic. Vampire secrets are unpleasant and dangerous. "Our new masters have been chipping away at Edgington's control of Mississippi, " Pam said. This was very bad news. Louisiana, where Bon Temps lay, had been taken over from its previous management by the vampires of Nevada. Since Arkansas had previously allied with Louisiana (long story), the king of Nevada (Felipe de Castro) had gotten two states for the price of one. His ambitious lieutenant, Victor Madden, had apparently decided to go for the trifecta. "Why would they want to do that?" Felipe owned two poor states. If he added Mississippi, he'd have the equivalent of one prosperous state, but his people would be spread thin. "The casinos, " Pam said. Of course. The big business in Nevada was casinos, and there were lots of casinos in Mississippi. Felipe had already acquired casinos in Louisiana, and had the state of Arkansas thrown in for free. "Vampires can't own casinos, " I said. "It's against the law. " A powerful human lobby had pushed that legislation. "Do you imagine that Felipe doesn't control what happens at the casinos in Las Vegas? At least in large part?" "No, " I admitted. I'd met Felipe. "In fact, our king is bringing a lawsuit to challenge that legislation through the human courts, and I'm confident he'll win, " Pam said. "In the meantime, Victor told Eric to use us as an advance team. " I had seen Victor much more often than the king himself. Victor Madden was Felipe de Castro's man on the ground in Louisiana, while Felipe stayed at his castle in Las Vegas. "Ah, Pam, do you think this is all on the up-and-up?" "What do you mean?" I thought she knew perfectly well what I meant. "Victor specified us. Why do we have this top secret mission, instead of someone better at negotiation? Not that you're not a great fighter, " I added quickly. "But you'd think if we're trying to pinch off parts of Mississippi, Victor would send Eric himself. " Eric was the only remaining sheriff that the previous ruler had put in place. All the others were dead. I remembered Victor's adorable, smiling face, and I got worried. "You sure this Michael is willing to ditch Russell?" "Victor says so. "
"And Michael has a human companion. " "Yes, a man named Rudy. " "This is dangerous, no matter what Victor told Eric. We're in foreign territory. This isn't a real vacation. We're poaching. " "Russell doesn't know why we're here. " "How can you be sure?" "I told his headquarters that I was having a weekend here, so they wouldn't think my presence was caused by business of any kind. " "And?" "Russell himself came on the phone to extend his hospitality. He told me to feel free to enjoy myself in the area, that Eric's second in command was always welcome. " "And you don't think that's fishy?" "If Russell had any idea what Felipe was considering, he would have counterattacked by now. " Vampires pretty much wrote the book on chicanery, double dealing, and what you might call drastic politics. If Pam wasn't worried, should I be? Sure. Pam could take a lot more damage than I could. Blonde was not an attractive edifice. No matter how much female beauty might be on the inside (and the billboards promised plenty), on the outside it was a metal building in the middle of nowhere. It had a huge parking lot, and there were at least forty vehicles there. The ground had risen as we approached Memphis and its bluffs, and the club stood on top of a hill with a deep ravine behind. The whole area outside the parking lot was covered with kudzu, like it had been carpeted in the plant. The trees were covered, too. "We go to the back, " Pam said, and she drove around the building. The back was even less appealing than the front. The parking lot was poorly lit. Michael was not too concerned for the safety of his workers. Of course, I told myself, maybe he walks each of the girls to her car every night. But I doubted it. "Pam, I have a bad feeling about this, " I said. "I want to be on record as letting you know that. " "Thanks for the pep talk, " Pam muttered, and I realized that she had more misgivings than she'd revealed. "But I have my orders and I have to do this. " "Who issued those orders--Felipe, Victor, or Eric?" "Victor called me into Eric's office and told me what to do and to take you. Eric was present. " "How do you think he feels about this?" "He isn't happy, " Pam said. "But he's under new management, and he has to obey direct orders. " "So we have to do this. " "I have to. I am Eric's to command. " Eric had made Pam a vampire. "You aren't, though Eric pretends to Victor that you obey him in all things. You can leave. Or you can stay in the car and wait for me. There's a pistol under the backseat. " "What?" "A pistol, a gun, you know? Eric thought you'd feel more comfortable with one, since we're so much stronger than you. " I hate guns. Having said that, I also have to admit that a firearm has saved my life in the past. "You're not going in by yourself, armed or unarmed, " I said.